Have a Fun and Safe Halloween 2023!

It's Halloween today! I love Halloween and hope everyone has a fun and safe time. Whether you are trick or treating (which you're never too old to do) or staying in and watching spooky movies, have a great day!

Television Tuesday: "Fboy Island," Remains a Treat

Sometimes people go on dating reality shows because they want social media clout or money. A lot of shows avoid acknowledging this with, "The Bachelor/Bachelorette," emphasizing how everyone is surely on the program solely for love. This is one reason why I've always had a bit of a soft spot for, "Fboy Island," because it--and host/producer Nikki Glazer leans into the absurdity of dating on reality T.V. There are three women and a whole bunch of men competing for their love. The thing is that half the gentlemen are self-declared, "Nice guys," who want to find love and split a cash prize with the women, and the other half are happy to proclaim they are, "Fboys," who if chosen by a woman at the end can choose to share the cash prize or just take it all for themselves. This adds an exciting element to the whole program.

There are men on this dating show who really do just want the clout--with the clout in this case being cash. We generally only know if a fellow is a nice guy or a Fboy once they get voted out or win, but some will admit it to the camera every season and some are outright devious in their efforts. They know this is a reality competition and they don't give an, "Eff," about love so much as winning money. The women this season are an interesting bunch too. We have former Bachelorette and comedian Kaite Thurston who I like by virtue of her having more of a personality than many people who have been a Bachelor or Bachelorette. We also have two other women who haven't done reality television before, model Hali Okeowo and influencer (yeah, I don't get what that really means either) Daniella Grace. Between the interesting ladies and a wide range of fellows, you get many personalities on, "Fboy Island." At the end of the day, however, what really matters is if you think you want love or honestly just want cash.

"Fboy Island," never takes itself too seriously and host/producer Nikki Glazer is often around cracking some good jokes and pointing out the absurdity. Katie Thurston approaches everything pretty lightly too while Hali and Daniella are taking things pretty deadly serious to a degree where I worry they're going to end this season sobbing with heartbreak upon choosing an Fboy. Whatever happens, I'm having a great time watching the latest season of, "Fboy Island," and would encourage you to check it out as well. It's on the CW this season as HBO MAX/MAX purged it along with a ton of other stuff previously. The fact F-bombs have to get bleeped now aside, the show is as fun as ever.

5 out of 5 stars (for the first bunch of episodes so far this season).

The Debut Issue of Daniel Warren Johnson's, "Transformers," is Fantastic

I've read some of, "Void Rivals," which kicks off a shared, "Energon Universe," of new characters, G.I. Joe, and Transformers. It's an intriguing idea and when I heard the incredibly talented Daniel Warren Johnson was writing and illustrating the new, "Transformers,"-specfic book, that had my attention as the man is an absolute boss at making comics. Having dived into the debut issue of, "Transformers," it is superb

I won't pretend to be especially knowledgeable about the Transformers as while I've seen some cartoons and flicks with them, I would struggle to identify many of them besides the big ones like Optimus Prime. That said, this comic is perfectly friendly to use new readers (and even folks who haven't read the, "Void Rivals," stuff). Plus, it is just absolutely gorgeous.

Daniel Warren Johnson draws the Transformers with such care it is astounding. You just want to reach out and play with them as if they were real toys you could grasp. The details during a big fight scene are an absolute joy to drink in with one's eyes and I tip my hat to Johnson for making my jaw drop at his skill. There is a plot too, of course, and I am curious how the humans we meet will impact the Transformers and their long-lived war with the Decepticons. Johnson absolutely knocked this first issue out of the park, not that I expected anything less!

5 out of 5 stars.

Spider-Man is Married Again...in the Ultimate Universe

Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson originally got married back in 1987 and remained (mostly) happily as such until 2007. That year had the infamous, "One More Day," event where Mephisto/the Devil, basically, undid their marriage retroactively in exchange for saving the life of Aunt May--she'd gotten shot when someone was trying to kill Spidey. The whole thing also undid Spider-Man revealing his identity to the World as a bit of a soft reboot. Many fans hated it and demanded since it occurred that Marvel undo this change. A lot has changed since 2007, and Peter and MJ were a couple at points, but no wedded bliss occurred. Until now. Kind of.

The Ultimate Universe has returned in a tweaked form. The Reed Richards from that dimension was one of the few survivors of the realm (along with Miles Morales) and they came to the mainstream 616 Marvel Universe. He escaped to a new place and made some tweaks, however. A part of those tweaks seems to be that Peter Parker won't be Spider-Man until he's already older...and has a wife and kids. That's right, the marriage is back!

This is a big deal for those who grew up with Spider-Man married and even though the Universe and origins have been tweaked, that fact we've got a grown-up Spidey with MJ and kiddos is pretty cool. Plus, Jonathan Hickman is writing this and he's a stellar storyteller so that's awesome. Marco Checcheto is doing the art and I'm a fan of them as well, so this is shaping up to be another interesting piece of the newest iteration of the Ultimate Universe!

My Thoughts on McDonald's Two New Sauce Flavors

McDonald's has released two new sauces known as Sweet & Spicy Jam and Mambo Sauce. I'm not sure how long they will be around as temporary flavors happen often. That said, I tried both flavors and have opinions--as always!

I first sampled the Sweet & Spicy Jam with some nuggets and liked it quite a bit. As it is jam that means it is obviously thicker than a, "True," sauce. That may put some folks off but I dug it. There is a delightful sweetness and a tiny bit of bite to the jam. Apparently, McDonald's intends this to be used with breakfast items too, and I could see that working well. I'd give it 5 out of 5 stars.

The Mambo sauce is fine, but a bit of a comedown compared to the delicious jam. It tastes like a spicy barbecue sauce and little else. Funnily enough, the Mambo sauce is spicier than the jam with, "Spicy," in its name. This sauce actually really hits you in the mouth, which is one thing I'll give it credit for. Otherwise, it is somewhat mediocre. This rates 2.5 out of 5 stars.

In conclusion, the Sweet and Sour flavor of the sauces will always be my favorite at McDonald's, but I can appreciate when other tastes are attempted and I'll be going back for more of that jam!

Flashback Friday: "Max Payne 2," Carries an Impact 20 Years Later

 

I wrote about when, "Max Payne," turned 20 years old and noted how I felt the second game was the absolute best of the three (I did like the 3rd a lot, though). Well, as of this month, "Max Payne 2," has celebrated its 20th anniversary. An amazing title that takes the fun-but-gimmicky gameplay of the first (with the slowed-down, "Bullet Time," effect) and added a bunch of layers while also giving us a damn good story about man--Detective Max Payne--struggling to come to terms with losing his family and finding a place in life, "Max Payne 2," is one of my favorite games ever.

I continue to be ecstatic that the first and second games are being remastered so that folks can play them with new graphical flourishes/bells-and-whistles or such. With the core gameplay being solid and the stories being great I bet the remasters will be a fantastic time.

The Problem With, "Heart on My Sleeve," and AI Music

I've discussed AI-created, "Artwork," or writing, and how it doesn't impress me. Obvious flaws it often has aside, if someone can't put forth the effort to paint a picture or write an essay and instead want to feed a few ideas into a machine that makes it, why should I put forth the effort to read/observe it? Then we get to AI music and I feel the water gets muddy because a problem arises when the song actually sounds good. I don't know how much of a human soul it was--if any--but there it is, appealing to our ears.

"Heart on my Sleeve," is a song, "Created," by ghostwriter977. They used artificial intelligence to simulate Drake and the Weeknd's voices for a song. If it were absolute trash it would be easy to dismiss, but I finally listened to it out of curiosity and it is uncomfortable to admit it actually kind of bumps. The problem with AI music is what to do when it sounds good? This also leads to the question of how much credit does ghostwriter977 get and how much does the AI get? Listen to the song and then we can continue this post:

Suppose ghostwriter977 wrote the lyrics and made the beat but lacked artists to rap and sing the song. He/she/they made a good tune but then added famous people via AI in an unethical manner. Does ghostwriter977 still get credit for the work they did put forth to concoct this tune? I mean, I'm sure actual processes went into this beyond telling a computer, "Give me a great beat and some lyrics that sound like Drake," because if a prompt that simple could make this song then the computers really are about to take over and make all humans their slaves.

They say the cat is not going in the bag when it comes to AI and music. Do we need to use AI sparingly to help make some beats? What happens when we simulate the voices of dead music artists and suddenly Michael Jackson, Tupac, and Cardi B are all on a song that slaps and only Cardi B actually wrote and performed her lyrics? What happens when Tupac also starts promoting timeshares thanks to AI? We live in a dangerous time with artificial intelligence. I only hope we can weather the storm. Meanwhile, ghostwriter977 now has a song that simulates Travis Scott and 21 Savage titled, "Whiplash," and it is fun too...but how, "Real," is it? That's a question that is going to bug me.

I Actually Like Candy Corn

Every Halloween season folks like to post about their favorite Halloween candy and jokingly state how, "Candy corn is the worst and dead last on the list!" Well, it maybe isn't my favorite candy ever, but I actually am a fan of candy corn. I like how it is chewy and has a pleasing sweetness. It isn't some elaborate candy card filled with liquid caramel or another fancy feature, it is just candy corn. That simplicity is a part of the charm too. I know a number of people out there hate candy corn, but maybe if they looked deep inside, ignored the popular consensus, and were honest with themselves they'd realize it is a decent little treat.

Television Tuesday: Amazon's "Fallout," Show to Premiere April 2024

I have enjoyed the, "Fallout," series of video-games over the years (and I just mentioned a Magic: The Gathering," tie-in happening yesterday). From the PC classics to the first-person titles that came to consoles, I enjoy the franchise set in a post-apocalypse following a massive nuclear war. Amazon Prime has a show set in that Universe coming and such news gets me a little intrigued. What gets me really interested, however, is seeing Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy are the showrunners. I loved their take on, "Westworld," in the fantastic-then frustrating-then frustratingly fantastic television series. It was a bummer we didn't get a potential fifth season but if they're doing, "Fallout," then yeah, I'm down.

Apparently, a release date for the first episode has been revealed and it features the series fun mascot in a nice touch. Come April  12th, 2024, "Fallout," will be on Amazon Prime. I plan to tune in and know it will be wholly different from, "Westworld," as this is a totally separate IP, but I still kinda hope we get that magical weirdness, "Westworld," often gave viewers. Come April we'll know what exactly we're in for.

"Magic: The Gathering," to Have Marvel-Themed Cards

For years friends have tried to get me into, "Magic: The Gathering." I've explained how between my hobbies I have enough time and money sinks that adding a trading card game is not feasible. Back in the day, I played Pokemon cards but only 151 Pokemon existed then and now there are over 1,000 so the odds are zilch I'd ever try to dip my toe back into that metaphorical pool lest I drown (again, metaphorically). That said, I have seen news pieces at points about interesting collaborations between Hasbro (current owner of the, "Magic," game) and other entities. There were cards themed for, "The Lord of the Rings," that included a single card that had the ring (Post Malone bought it from the guy who found it in a booster pack), and the sci-fi series, "Fallout," is going to have cards too, funnily enough. Well, suddenly I'm a bit more interested in, "Magic," upon hearing of the latest collaboration. Yes, "Magic: the Gathering," and Marvel are teaming up.

The partnership was just announced today so there are not any cards to showcase or exact details to parse, but this much is clear: We're going to have, "Magic," cards with a Marvel theme. I can already imagine it will be neat to see various famous and infamous Marvel characters doing their powers within the setting/ruleset of, "Magic," and even if I don't play the game, I might be tempted to get some cards in an effort to find any that feature my favorite characters such as Moon Knight.

I've seen some folks express surprise that Marvel's owner, Disney, did not try to fold Marvel characters into their new trading card game, "Lorcana." That game seems more affiliated with the animated projects Disney has done, however, so perhaps this deal with Hasbro seemed more appealing. Whatever the reason that Marvel cards will now be in, "Magic the Gathering," it is going to be in stores before too long and for the first time ever I'm thinking about about maybe, just maybe, giving this whole, "Magic," card game thing a try.