Ok, this is basically impossible because there’s very little difference between them (and though I like Mark, I think this would be an even harder decision if Will were still around) but here’s my ranking of the top six:

Guys:                            Girls:

1. Joshua                      1. Chelsie

2. Twitch                      2. Courtney

3. Mark                         3. Katee

I think Katee may be technically slightly better than Courtney, but I like watching Courtney more, so I went with my gut.  The reality is that I will be happy with any of these dancers being in the final four. 

And you’re all invited.
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Before Christopher Walken danced on the ceiling, there was Fred Astaire:

(The dancing starts about a minute in, feel free to skip that far).

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Here’s my ranking of the top 8 dancers after last night:

Guys:                                         Girls:

1. Will                                        1. Chelsie                                              

2. Joshua                                    2. Katee

3. Twitch                                    3. Courtney

4. Mark                                       4. Comfort

Unless there’s some grave injustice in the voting, Mark and Comfort will be leaving tonight.  Not because they aren’t great at what they do, just because the others are so strong.  Comfort has to be the girl to go.  She is a great hip hop dancer but it’s well established now that she is not great at much else.  After this week though, the voting gets very tough.  I don’t know how you pick among the top six, they are all so good.

The criteria: Influence. Popularity. Originality. Depth of detail. (more…)

There has been much discussion of the iPhone/iPod Touch as a mobile gaming platform.  Certainly the devices have the horsepower to throw up nice graphics, but that alone does not a good game make.  My biggest concern with gaming on the device has been the controls.  The iPhone isn’t going to give you the best Super Mario Bros. experience possible due to the lack of physical buttons.

But if a game is designed with the limitations and features of the iPhone in mind, then it can be great.

I can’t claim that Galcon was designed for iPhone, because it has existed as a desktop (Windows/Mac/Linux) game for some time now.  It is shareware and a worthwhile download.

But the truth of the matter is that Galcon on a PC is an inferior experience.  The blame lies squarely on the mouse as an input device.  In a game that requires you to click madly all over the screen the mouse is a bit of a hindrance. This doesn’t mean that isn’t a fun game, but playing the iPhone version makes the limitations of the PC version clear.

Galcon is completely at home on the iPhone.  The touch interface is faster and more intuitive than the mouse, enabling frantic gameplay without the occasional implulse to smash your mouse. (more…)

In many ways there is little to say about this film that hasn’t already been said. It is as good as you’re all hoping. (more…)

Dr. Horrible has a PhD in horribleness and an evil plan to rule the world.  He has vowed to join the evil league of evil and combine forces with “the thoroughbred of sin,” Bad Horse.  Fortunately, he’s got a sing-a-long blog so we can have a front row seat to all of this awsomeness.

This whole thing presents several pertinent questions….but I can’t for the life of me think what they are.  Your thoughts?

Well into the story of Space Chimps, one of the eponymous primates, a stuffed-shirt, by-the-book, NASA-trained chimp named Titan, expresses his doubts about whether a makeshift spaceship rigged together from a planetary rover by three apes and a host of primitive aliens can really make it back to earth. Our protagonist’s glib reply: don’t overthink this. That may be Space Chimps defining moment; if you can avoid overthinking it, this movie’s third-rate animation and first-rate casting make for an enjoyable diversion.
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Have you been watching Avatar: The Last Airbender on Nickelodeon? If not you are missing some superb television.

Tomorrow a new episode will air, followed by another new episode Friday and then Saturday is the big four-episode series finale. If you haven’t been watching the series go get caught up on the wikis here and here then watch the last few episodes.

This is good drama and good times folks. The story arc through the three seasons has been consistently coherent and compelling. The character development is outstanding. And the build up to the finale has been riveting. Unlike some shows on TV (I’m looking at you BSG!) one never gets the feeling that the writers were making things up as they went with this series. There has been a clear beginning, middle and end. I trust the grand finale coming up will satisfy as well. 8:00 PM on Nick.

Apparently, Jessica is injured (broken ribs) and is now out and they have brought back Comfort, the girl who was kicked off last week.

Questions:  Is this right?  Is this fair?  Was Jessica dropped by Will?  Did he do it on purpose?  What’s the deal?  Your thoughts?

So I was travelling to Seattle over the weekend. I stopped at a half dozen AT&T stores. Couldn’t get an iPhone. They sold out early in the morning. No one yet has an iPhone anywhere. They are now saying there will be a wait of 10 - 21 days to get an iPhone. What!?!?!

Anyone manage to get one?
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KulturCast #1

We present to you the soon-to-be award-winning KulturCast™, Kulturblog’s humble attempt at world domination. This edition was moderated by yours truly, accompanied by our roving specialists Susan M., Clark Goble and MCQ. In it we discuss such critical topics as the upcoming Arrested Development movie, what TV we’ll watch over the summer, So You Think You Can Dance as well as other monumental fluff. But wait, there’s more! We’ve included a bonus track at the end with Susan M. and Brian V. pontificating about the meaning of life…or a song. Or something.

You will note that Clark had some technical difficulties with his audio so we had to use a replacement. Don’t fret, his soothing voice returns at about the 10 minute mark. You will also note that the intro music is a little louder than the rest of the podcast. Actually, I’ve already noted that. Thanks.

Please listen and give us feedback, what you liked, what you didn’t like, etc. (remember that this is our first try so be nice.) We have other ideas up our sleeves but aren’t averse to hearing yours. Also, technical tips would be nice too.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Lost Boys.

Lately our family has been getting the movies we watch from a local DVD store that sells new and used movies. We go through the used bins and buy crappy-looking movies for $3-$7. (One of my best finds: Soap Opera Weddings!)

We’re all dance fans and love to watch really great break dancers, poppers, lockers, etc. Mostly we watch them on youtube (there are some amazing breakdancers out there). So when we spotted this DVD, we grabbed it, thinking it’d be funny, if nothing else.
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10) We never navel-gaze.

9) No advertisements gives us the freedom to talk about whatever we want. Sometimes freedom IS free. Of ads.

8 ) The header.

7) BTD Greg’s Lost recaps.

6) Lists rule.

5) Susan M.

4) We’ve actually tricked some movie studios into granting us access to preview their movies. (an ILLUSION Michael, a trick is something a whore does for money…AND CANDY!)

3) The upcoming KulturCast.

2) Not one conversation about SSM.

1) We are like kittens who are so easily distracted with a new post that we immediately forget about what we were just talking about to talk about the new thing.

Because you asked for it: (more…)

So there was one couple who were way below the rest. (Unfortunately a local kid - but hey, I can’t let that affect me) Then there were two couples who normally are excellent but had some bad performances. Given that I think it’s pretty clear who the bottom three will be and who will go home. Of course there may be surprises but here’s my picks.
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The 30th Anniversary was actually last year, but a new box set of the album is coming out this month.  The year was 1977: Reggie Jackson, Son of Sam, Elvis died.  This album took the world by storm.  What was it?

For the answer:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SwrklEY2ZM&feature=user

Sickening.  Sickening and maddening. (more…)

Pixar’s movies have all revolved around a single idea: the fish out of water who learns to grapple with a new situation.  Woody is displaced by Buzz in Toy Story, Flick the unconventional ant trying to fix his mistakes, Mike and Sully trying to get rid of the dreaded Boo, Mr. Incredible forced to live the life of a normal human, Lightening McQueen stranded in hick-ville, Remy a rat in the kitchen, and of course Nemo and Marlin each take the idea of the fish out of water literally.  Despite this seemingly repetitive simplicity even their two weakest films don’t come across as recycled despite the fact that both are remakes (Bugs Life is Seven Samuri and Cars is Doc Hollywood).  What is behind this ability to make simple concepts entertaining?  It seems to me that the answer is craftsmanship.  Pixar puts an amazing amount of work into each picture.  Unlike other CGI houses they aren’t just churning this stuff out for a quick buck.  They’re in the business of crafting classics.

On the surface Wall-E is just the next variation of the theme: an outdated, quirky robot taken out of his element and placed in a situation that he doesn’t even understand.  Yet the difference here is that Wall-E doesn’t grow so much as find what he’s looking for.  It is everyone, both man and machine, that he comes into contact with that must now rise to the occasion and defy their programming.

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Brilliant. Slapstick.

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