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Michael,writer for EntertainmentVine.com



Last Updated: 7/7/2009

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Gender: Male
Status: Married
Age: 45
Sign: Virgo

State: MICHIGAN
Country: US
Signup Date: 3/31/2006

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November 5, 2009 - Thursday 


http://news.aol.com/article/inmates-come-to-the-ai...

Inmates Come to the Aid of Deputy Kenneth Moon in Florida Jail Attack

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Talk about finding heroes in the unlikely of times. The inmate who threw the punch that broke the chokehold...bet Burden will be feeling that for a few days!

8:08 PM 
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October 31, 2009 - Saturday 

Category: Blogging
Its 2:19 pm


   Just posted my review of "Terminator:The Sarah Conner Chronicles" score up at EntertainmentVine and am listening to the trippy score to Jim Jarmusch's "The Limits of Control" in order to review that next.
   The panther is again curled up in huge black and white of fur on the small couch while I try and feel for a writing topic.
  Halloween is upon us again...and between the economy and cold weather,I suspect we'll even have less kids then last year. Our first year we had about 60,last year we had 43 and if the temps remain in the low 40s,we'll get about 30 I'll wager.
  This year we are handing out snack bags of pretzels,70 bags for 7.00 at Sam's Club. Except for our neighbor's kids across the street,we always have given them a special goody bag,they are very well behaved kids and they always come to us first.
  We didn't really trick out the house this year since my wife is working late. I was thinking of putting a Phillies cap on Derek and having him dress up as Ryan Howard but when I showed him the cap,he showed me his claws and that was that.

    I caught a new show on BET called "First In",a documantary series covering a Compton,California fire station. I watched two episodes and thought it was pretty decent.
Compton is not exactly a easy place to live and you can die a lot of unatural deaths there.
 I was pretty surprised to see the amount of hazing that the veterans pulled on the rookie firefighters,that is pretty much discouraged these days,team building is far more important then getting a cheap laugh at some probie's expense. Other then that,I liked this show and one good thing about filming there,you'll never have a dull day!

The last round of debates with the candiates running for Detroit City Council took place last Thursday and despite my feelings towards one member,we were far more impressed with the answers provided....the 6 candiates actually had viable ideas and the means to actually follow thru with them.  Once again,personal fiances were brought up and once again the candiates ducked or squirmed out of answering the questions. Again,it only serves to WEAKEN thier positions as potential managers of the city's budget. Acting defensive sends the wrong message,if you don't want your ethics questioned,don't run.
   
Anyone see "Paranormal Activity"yet? Sounds like another Blair Witch Project...all hype and no scares. Hell,I just saw the Fear Itself episode "New Year's Day" directed by Darren Bousman and thought it was pretty damn spooky and that was on network TV.
  
  Anyways,you can check out my reviews onhttp://www.entertainmentvine.com

and follow me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Jinzo2400

Talk at you soon.
 
6:19 PM 
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October 28, 2009 - Wednesday 

Category: Blogging

Its 1:52 pm


    Sitting here once again in my den,the mighty Derek Jeter is stretched out on the mini-sofa. He was reading Gaiman's "American Gods" and decided to take a nap. The first game of the World Series in on tonight...which two former Cleveland Indians aces starting for the Yanks and Phils. You gotta feel a bit sorry for the Indians....


  Its about time for the general elections here in Murder City aka Detroit. While Dave Bing is a shoo-in for Mayor,all eyes are on the race for City Council. Its where the real fireworks are at and I have found myself actively watching it. I know two people for sure I know will help the city,Gary Brown and John Bennett. 
  Our local "urban" TV station,WADL has sponsered a series of debates with the 18 candiates who are running. The race actually has been rather civil considering how hostile the past city races have been.
  But it has into light,one of the front-runners,former Fox2 journalist Charles Pugh,a very popular figure here in Detroit and the top vote getter in the primary,has run into some serious money issues. He lost his 380,000 condo to foreclosure. While he says he is going through what many Detroiters already have. True,but not many folks had a job paying him 200k a year either. While Pugh had recieved the local endorsements of the local papers,after this issue came into light,they pulled those endorsements back. They feel and I have to agree,if one can't handle thier own money,how can can be trusted w/the public's? That said,during the 2nd round of debates,one of the reporters asking questions brought up a slew of money woes these candiates have had or in some cases,still do. Kwame Kenyatta walked away from a house and in the process,hurting his neighbors. Jo-Ann Watson lied about how much she paid on property taxes,claiming a tornado damaged her house in 1999 or 2003 or some fairy tale she pulled from her ass. Many others were called out on the carpet regarding thier money issues.
   One candiate got pissy and wanted to know why this was being made a issue. Because you're running for PUBLIC OFFICE,buffoon! And with Murder City facing a 300 million budget crisis and having a corrupt mayor and councilperson already staining what little tiny civic pride Detroit has left,the 9 council members should be clean beyond doubt. Besides Gary Brown and John Bennett and 2 others,the rest of the candiates are not to fit to sit.
   Listening to some of thier ideas and POVs about the city crack me up. One guy blamed the media for Detroit's negative image. You got to be kidding me...niggers are busting caps on each other left and right and have a 70% percent chance of getting away with it! Old people being robbed daily,a 12 yer old boy shot and killed a woman after midnight attempting to rob her. Every single DAY,the violence at the schools is on the big time rise. Or how about this,a 15 year old shot and killed a 19 year old playing hoops and HIS MOTHER drove him and away after the crime?
   And the blight,my stars...the abandoned homes. This Halloween,I think Devil's Night is going to return in a big way....I bet we hear about 30-35 abandoned homes will be torched on Halloween. And yet the media blows how the city is doing out of proportion.
  And the same ass also stated the suburbs and companies who "took from the city need to come and put it back" in regarding opening new businesses here. Yeah,like thats going to happen. Thats why in a city of 850,000,you don't see a SINGLE major chain grocery store,not even a Wal-Mart!No one who wants to MAKE money is going to want to invest in a city facing a shady city government,city services being cut,police and fire being cut and out of control crime everywhere. And when you try and talk to anyone about Detroit,you always get "You don't live here,so you can't have a opinion".
Cool,I can dig that.....and you won't see me bring my money there as well.  You take your life into your own hands visiting Murder City.
 
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October 18, 2009 - Sunday 

Current mood:  frustrated
Category: Blogging
Its 11:46 am

  Its a beautiful cold day here in SE Michigan. Its been a LONG time since I have written anything and I have missed it. On the other hand,I have caught my passion for reviewing back and have been posting not only CD reviews on Entertainment Vine but have stretched myself to include books as well. 
   Even as I type this,I am listening to the soundtrack to "Scott Walker: 30 Century Man" and know I have to finish my review of "Face to Face",one of the most heartbreaking yet compassionate books I have ever read.
  I also am job hunting.....many of you may not know,but I lost my job  about 7 weeks ago and now am struggling with finding a new one in the state w/the highest unemployment rate is not going to be a easy dance. But my wife is happy I was downsized because I'm home at night....but I'm very depressed about this. I feel totally directlessness and lost. Fustrated as well...
   I have joined a Job Search support group at our local church. I have been twice,its pretty interesting to say the least...between 12-20 people have shown up,all over 35.
Some are vastly more educated or skilled then me,some have just become unemployed,some of have been out well over a year. Some are calm,others seem at thier wit's end because of the lack of money,some actually have found work and just came by to thank the group for the support. 
   I feel bad,really bad,for about 3 or 4 of them....one is mentally off,she hasn't found work in 18 months...she gets interviews but never a call back and she is perplexed as why she is not getting a 2nd interview. I happened to sit next two seats from her and watched.
She mumbles to herself,writes so hard she went thru her paper. The guy next to her
 caught my eye,we both just shook our heads sadly. I felt I wanted to say something to the group moderator but left it alone.
  The one thing that really surprised me happened in Detroit. About two weeks ago the city said it was handing out applications to families in danger of being homeless,you had to file it to qualify for help. 50,000 showed up for 3,400 spots. The scene at Cobo Hall was a disgrace,8 people were hurt,3 badly,fights broke out all over the place. People actually thought they were getting MONEY that day! (Sorry,you have to be a bank or insurance company for that). Hustlers went among the crowd selling fake applications to folks for 20.00 despite the color on the application being wrong. It was a sad day for Detroit. All across the country,this was being handled but only in Detroit would it almost cause a riot.
    So I am deciding on what to do....to go back to school and do what- yet risk getting into debt w/student loans and not have a job to actually walk into. Personally I think we are in the eye of this recession...the mainstream media is talking recovery but why are foreclosures still rising? Jobless claims are down but that happens every holiday season,if they are still falling January and Feburary,maybe,just maybe we might see a glimmer of hope. But I think this winter is going to hit hard and be a very rough one.
  
  But not all is doom and gloom,the fact I'm still here is proof of that. See,my family dodged a real bullet this past week. Every winter in the cold weather states,you have to have your sprinkler system winterized,this is done by blowing out the water and air in your pipes as not to have them crack when it freezes. You can call  any number of outfits to do this service. It runs about 30-40 bucks. 
   We called the same outfit we used last year and set up a appointment to have this done. Well the guy no-showed,I wasn't sure if we had the date right,so I rescheduled him but once again....no sprinkler guy. So I called a different service,set up the date.
  There was a bit of urgency because winter is coming here rather soon,as least as far as temps go. Its been way colder then usual here. 
   So last Friday,the new guy shows up....and after 15 minutes,he knocks on our door and tells me he smells gas. I go outside and we both go to the meter and stand there. Sure enough,a strong smell of gas...so I called DTE and they sent a tech over in 10 minutes. Turned out we did have a leak in a gasket. Between the cold weather and a sharp nose,we were blessed. Just a week before during a mild day,my wife and I had trimmed a huge tree right next to the meter and had smelled nothing. I guess one should have the meter checked once a year,its a free service.

   Can you imagine Rush Limbaugh as a NFL owner? Wonder what the drug policy would be? *LOL*

  The Yankees are up 2-0 against the Angels in the ALCS,A-Rod is trying to earn his pinstripes by having a great playoffs as is the player who should be the AL MVP,Derek Jeter. Been a fun post-season so far....only 6 games to win. Let's go,Yankees!

   And just throwing this out there......has Law & Order: SVU jumped the shark or what this year? Bring back Diane Neal before the ship sinks.

thanks for reading.

you can follow me on Twitter

www-dot-twitter-dot-com/Jinzo2400
 
Currently reading:
Jawbreaker: The Attack on Bin Laden and Al Qaeda: A Personal Account by the CIA's Key Field Commander (Unabridged on 9 CDs)
By Gary Berntsen and Ralph Pezzullo
3:46 PM 
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October 18, 2009 - Sunday 
Its 8:00 pm


Anyone still out here with me?
12:00 AM 
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September 7, 2009 - Monday 
Its 10:35 am

    Still trying to recover from the weekend. Not the way I had hoped San Jose State would play USC in losing 56-3. I guess the answer will come this weekend...if SC walks back in the Horseshoe and whips Ohio State's ass by 21-28 points,I'll tip my hat to the USC for being that much better....but if they struggle and we get wiped out again by Utah at home,then I guess we'll have accept SJS is not very good and hope for a decent WAC season and 6 wins.

  Okay...just had to get that off my chest.


So here I am laboring on Labor Day to find a new and improved job. Suffice to say,here in Michigan,its going to be a real challenge. Detroit's unemployment rate is 29% within the city limits. The new mayor,Dave Bing,is fighting a huge blackhole that is called the City Budget and is looking to lay off a 1,000 city workers and cut bus services. Its getting very grim over here as over half of the people who drive are uninsured. Fact is this...if you get into any accident in the city,chances are the only info you'll be getting from the other driver is telling the cops which way she/he ran.  The bus lines actually are extremely critical to many Detroiters and to cut lines means many people will lose jobs,struggle with basic life needs like shopping and doctor appointments. I think Bing can do better cutting off the fat then cutting the people who elected him to serve.
   Detroit's woes has sparked some serious goofiness from many officals like councilman Kwame "Walk Away" Kenyatta. Kenyatta,who despite drawing a 82,000 a year salary chose to walk away from his house instead of paying for it ,is now deciding to do the old "throw everything but the kitchen sink at the wall and hope something sticks". He has proposed a Detroit-only lottery....great,people can play the lotto with thier welfare money in hoping to what?  And where would the money come from to jumpstart this foolish idea? Maybe Kenyatta can donate that 82,000 a year since he ain't using it to pay his debts...
   And ol Kwame ain't done! He also is proposing that Belle Isle be turned into a "resturant/nightclub" district. Guess he failed to notice that many eateries like Seldom Blues which owes the city hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans,are struggling to stay afloat,that one of the 3 major casinos was this close to declaring bankrupty.
  The local clubs are also struggling to put people in their venues....and he wants to dilute the market even more?
 Went to see my in-laws this weekend. Its extremely hard seeing what is going on. They live in a post stamp town in Central Michigan,my father-in-law is 87 and my mother-in-law is going to be 84. She has an adavnced case of Alheizmer's and they are all alone. We have tried over and over to get him to think about assisted living by us but he refuses. He does the best he can but she gets out of the house and or gets it in her head she needs to be somewhere and its very hard to sway her off track. The meds she takes are no longer effective. Four times she insisted on going for a walk,four times I did. The lady can foot it! We walked a combined 6 miles,she and I.I needed it but I once again am dreading the winter....despite the little warning buzzers he has the doors,if my mother-in-law gets out once in the winter and he is asleep,in shower....its a tragedy just waiting to happen. I wrote this same thing last year but the condition is worse this year.
  My disgust with anyone Republican just grows and grows,thier blatant racism and facism towards Obama is quite alarming. While our healthcare and education systems need to be badly reformed to make it affordable for Americans,these tiny-minded Nazis continue to use the word socialist at him,of course they are being told this by liars,junkies and non-Americans.
   And now this disgrace about Obama wanting to address the school kids and the Nazis raising cane about it.....well fuck you too,we had to listen to Reagan and the first Bush cram thier thoughts down when they addressed school kids,I remember Reagan's speech,we HAD to watch it because we were being quizzed on it during a civics class.
 Yet you didn't hear the Democrats blast him for pushing his right-wing POV on drugs down our throats,did you? Its a total disgrace the way the right is hiding thier racism and calling it socialism. And listen to these little minded "disrupters" at these town-hall meetings....instead of asking in a civil tone the questions about healthcare reform,they seem to think that yelling and causing a ruckus is the answer. It is in a way....the answer that yeah,so called neofacist Christians are as dangerous and as zealous as any suicide bomber in Iraq or Palestine. Like the Republican who took a loaded gun to a speech Obama was going to give.
   My fellow Americans......don't let these Hitlers in training brainwash or bully you. We truly need heathcare reform and education reform.  Obama may be spending a LOT of money but at least he didn't murder 3,000 Americans like Bush and Cheney did.
He didn't lead us into two wars,one which was entirely founded on a lie.
He hasn't condoned or encouraged violating the Genova Convention in dealing w/POWs and torture. He didn't lead us into this recession but he trying his best to get us OUT of it. One president led us into death and destruction,one is trying to right the course...
This isn't to say I agree w/everything Obama is doing....but I admire his courage in trying to fix it.
2:35 PM 
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September 3, 2009 - Thursday 
Just letting you all know I'm still alive and kicking.....
4:15 PM 
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July 6, 2009 - Monday 
Its 3:00 pm




   Just letting you know I'm blogging on facebook......


My family and I are doing well....enjoying the summer


http://www.facebook.com/Jinzo
6:54 PM 
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June 18, 2009 - Thursday 

Category: Blogging
Its 10:32 am

  While the local news media is waiting for yet another scandal to erupt with in indictment of Monica Conyers aka Kwame Kilpatrick if he was a female and another bunch of greedy members of a city pension fund spending over 385,000 taking vacations on taxpayer dollars...two articles came out this week about just how bad we are hurting here in SE Michigan.

  First,Forbes Magazine is reporting that Detroit is 3rd of among the hardest hit cities that will be slow to recover from this depression. Michigan's unemployment is now 14.1 percent and is expected to hit 15% in 2010. Its a very hard spot to be in right now,a fellow auditor at another hotel told me her husband had been laid off recently...they were ready so things are okay for a minute but you could hear the strain in the voice.
  I want to get a small part-time 2nd job,we need a new sofa very badly as ours is now 8 years old and the springs are shot..but where does get the extra money for that? Change and pop bottles only get ya so far....
And now this story below. Detroit just sucks.....its a deeply corrupted racist town with a high genocide rate and very few redeeming factors. The public schools are a joke with some of highest drop out rates in the nation. Teen pregancy is rampant,the crime is high and other then the casinos,sporting events and summer festivals and the DIA,there isn't anything good about this city.
  I like to think hope is not lost,while its too early to tell...Dave Bing is very hard at working to repair some of damage that the corrupt City Council has done. Hopefully he'll get added muscle if Gary Brown can win a seat and Ken Cockrel can live without being mayor. The schools are getting seriously cleaned up w/bloated teachers/principals getting kicked to the curb.
  Of course the now powerless Gov. Jennifer Granholm's move to release some 4,000 inmates from jails being closed is threatening all of us. And Detroit especially. When Granholm's name was being tossed about for the Supreme Court,we all laughed...how the hell could Obama seriously even consider naming her a judge when she can't even govern our jails here???

I included the WSJ story below.....

feel free to drop a comment or two....
Shopping Becomes a Challenge as Auto-Industry Collapse Adds to City's Woes

DETROIT -- They call this the Motor City, but you have to leave town to buy a Chrysler or a Jeep.
Borders Inc. was founded 40 miles away, but the only one of the chain's bookstores here closed this month. And Starbucks Corp., famous for saturating U.S. cities with its storefronts, has only four left in this city of 900,000 after closures last summer.
There was a time early in the decade when downtown Detroit was sprouting new cafes and shops, and residents began to nurture hopes of a rebound. But lately, they are finding it increasingly tough to buy groceries or get a cup of fresh-roast coffee as the 11th largest U.S. city struggles with the recession and the auto-industry crisis.


No national grocery chain operates a store here. A lack of outlets that sell fresh produce and meat has led the United Food and Commercial Workers union and a community group to think about building a grocery store of its own.
One of the few remaining bookstores is the massive used-book outlet John K. King has operated out of an abandoned glove factory since 1983. But Mr. King is considering moving his operations to the suburbs.
Last week, Lochmoor Chrysler Jeep on Detroit's East Side stopped selling Chrysler products, one of the 789 franchises Chrysler Group LLC is dropping from its retail network. It was Detroit's last Chrysler Jeep store.
"The lack of retail is one of the biggest challenges the city faces," said James Bieri, president of Bieri Co., a Detroit-based real-estate brokerage. "Trying to understand how to get it to come back will be one of the most important keys to its resurgence -- if it ever has one."
Detroit's woes are largely rooted in the collapse of the auto industry. General Motors Corp., one of downtown's largest employers and the last of the Big Three auto makers with its headquarters here, has drastically cut white-collar workers and been offered incentives to move to the suburbs. Other local businesses that serviced the auto maker, from ad agencies and accounting firms to newsstands and shoe-shine outlets, also have been hurt.
The city's 22.8% unemployment rate is among the highest in the U.S.; 30% of residents are on food stamps.
"As the city loses so much, the tax base shrinks and the city has to cut back services," said Margaret Dewar, a professor of urban planning at the University of Michigan. That causes such hassles for retailers as longer police-response times, as well as less-frequent snow plowing and trash pickup.



While all of southeast Michigan is hurting because of the auto-industry's troubles, Detroit's problems are compounded by decades of flight to the suburbs.
Hundreds of buildings were left vacant by the nearly one million residents who have left. Thousands of businesses have closed since the city's population peaked six decades ago.
Navigating zoning rules and other red tape to develop land for big-box stores that might cater to a low-income clientele is daunting.
The lack of grocery stores is especially problematic. The last two mainstream chain groceries closed in 2007, when The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. sold most of the southeast Michigan stores in its Farmer Jack chain to Kroger Corp., which declined to purchase the chain's two Detroit locations, causing them to close.
A 2007 study found that more than half of Detroit residents had to travel twice as far to reach a grocery store than a fast-food outlet or convenience store.
Michelle Robinson, 42 years old, does most of her shopping at big-box stores in the suburbs. When visitors staying at the hotel near her downtown office ask where to shop, she sends them to a mall in Dearborn, 12 miles away.
A few retailers are thriving. Family Dollar Stores Inc. has opened 25 outlets since 2003. A handful of independent coffee shops and a newly opened Tim Horton's franchise cater to workers downtown.
Discount grocer Aldi Inc. opened stores in the city in 2001 and 2005. A spokeswoman said the chain is "very bullish" on Detroit. Farmer's markets draw crowds looking for fresh produce.
Olga Stella, an official at the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, works to persuade businesses to move to the city. She says companies have underestimated Detroit's economic potential and that Aldi and Family Dollar are proof there's money to be made here.
Meanwhile, the former Lochmoor Chrysler Jeep is now Lochmoor Automotive Group, a used-car dealership and repair shop. Gina Russo, daughter of the dealer's longtime owner, is being groomed to take over the family business. She has agreed to start selling small pickup trucks made by India's Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
2:29 PM 
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June 12, 2009 - Friday 

Category: Blogging
Its 1:10 am


   I like to thank you all who wrote/commented on my beloved cat's health. I'm trying some well proven home treatment for his fur/skin condition and am seeing if this works. His bathroom trips have not improved and that is what will land him in to see Dr. Foss come next week. He is still having small accidents right besides his litterbox. But his eating and drinking are normal and he enjoyed a french fry tonight. 

  My week has been fun and heavy at the same time. I'm really enjoying Facebook and have re-connected with so many wonderful friends both San Jose and even some old high school classmates. And also a few folks who have left here because of the decline of MySpace's content and quality. Can't blame them there....you can really see how bad Fox has run this site into the ground. It used to actually be cool because of all the political and social activity here but thats long gone,isn't it?
  We got the projects I wrote about a couple of entries ago pretty much done. Put fresh mulch down in the flowerbeds,proped up a tree that was leaning over,nuked the lawn w/weed and feed,patched a corner of our yard that was been overtaken by our neighbor's weeds. Sprayed weed killer on their side of the fence. Didn't get to plant our 3 arbor vitaes as of yet but will do once this rain leaves. It was pretty gloomy today but we did dodge a day of nasty weather that included a small tornado about 45 miles south of us. Today we had flash flooding in Detroit and yeah,the local news crew caught the 2 or 3 buffoons who thought thier car would make it despite being warned not to....and now they have some pretty badly damaged cars.
  We tackled our upstairs linen closet,reworked our storage plan and also swapped out some older towels for some fresh ones my wife found at Home Goods. I washed,dried and folded the old towels and am giving them to our new front desk mgr,Tina. She and her husband are about two months away from having thier first child. Things are tight for them as her husband works in the car supplier industry,not one of fields that one wants to be in these days...so we feel great helping a very nice couple out.
 The Yankees got swept again by the Red Sox....who have won the first first 8 of 18 games between the rivals. Its a little disheartening even for us diehard Yankees fans,I rather lose all 6 games to the Mets then getting beat 8 times by the stupid Red Sox. I lost my bet with Coco over on FB and had to write "The Red Sox are number 1". And what outrage do I see from Jersey Girl,my Yankees wingperson? Writing about some tool named Chad being more blonde. God help us all....
   Marvel.com posted the first picture of Mickey Rourke as "Whiplash" in next year's Iron Man 2 movie. And can I take a second here and to say how CHEESY it looked??
 It doesn't even come CLOSE to what the original Whiplash was wearing...and this brought up a spirited debate among my pal and fellow fanboy,Farm.
  While Marvel has done a good job capturing the heroes,why does it somehow manage to screw up the bad guys so much? Like Sabretooth in the first X-Men movie and hell,the Sabretooth of the Wolverine movie as well. And don't get me started on Juggernaut of X3: The Last Stand. What is it about casting AND costuming the bad guys that Marvel misses but DC is excelling at?
Feel free to chip in on this subject.....like to here your feedback.
Next entry on Sunday,I will share a sad tale that may have a happy ending...
thanks for reading!
   
5:08 AM 
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