College Football Preview: the Meat Life's Five Predictions

Tebow: "Who is that loser in the middle without a Heisman?"
Bradford: "I don't know...Frankie Muniz?"


Continuing a look at the upcoming college football season, the Meat Life will make 5 BOLD predictions. Last year I called it the Meatrodomus Five Fortune-Telling Truths. Well, this year I won't go as far as saying they will be truths (I only was about 48% correct). And if you read last season's preview, you know it is really about 20 different predictions rolled into five sections. So in honor of the coming season of greatness...here it is!

the Meat Life's Five Predictions:

1. The Big 12 South will NOT have another three-way tie.
Although it would be a great story to have lightning strike twice, it is highly unlikely it will happen. The press will have you believe it is highly plausible to have OU, Oklahoma State, and Texas all will one loss at the end of the season in a round-robin similar to the Texas Tech/OU/Texas scenario we had at the end of the regular season last year. Everywhere you can read that Texas will beat OU, OU will beat OSU, and OSU will beat Texas. I'm going to go out on a limb and say this won't happen again...at least this season. For a three way tie, those teams will have to beat each other in that way and somehow have the same record. There will be one team to have an extra loss, and I think that will be the Cowboys (that defense still has to prove itself). And not to play homer, but I believe the Sooners will be victorious in Dallas in October and in December will have their unmatched seventh Big 12 crown, the fourth in a row.

2. There will not be a repeat Heisman Trophy winner this year.
Historically, Heisman voters hold previous winners to a higher standard, which is why there hasn't been a repeat winner other than Archie Griffin. Of course on this prediction I could be wrong (I predicted last year there wouldn't be another sophomore Heisman winner and lo-and-behold redshirt sophomore Sam Bradford wins the thing). And the media has all but anointed Tim Tebow as college football's savior (I'm sorry but if I hear another story on ESPN about how he visits prisons and conducts open heart surgery on third-world children I'll have to steal a whole bunch of Florida Gators/Tim Tebow memorabilia and start a bonfire in my backyard). Colt McCoy is also looking to be in the mix, but he would probably be my pick for Heisman out of a pity vote by voters since the Longhorns will again have no run support and McCoy will do his best impression of Vince Young (and win something he didn't).

3. The BCS National Championship Game will be a rematch of last year.
My homerism again comes out, but many agreed that it could happen. The Florida Gators are stacked with talent and returning starters, and Oklahoma can say much the same. It would be a dream rematch for redemption for Sooner fans. I just think outside of Texas no other team has a real shot of getting to the championship game (at least before the season begins). USC usually reloads but has no proven QB. Ohio State has a lot of new names on offense and defense. Virginia Tech has the mystery of how far along QB Tyrod Taylor has developed. Sexy picks like Oklahoma State and Ole Miss will probably stumble along the way a couple times. So my picks are Gators and Sooners, and of course homer pick OU victory 30-24.

4. The Conference Champions:
Big East: Cincinnati - There seems to be no dominate team, but the Bearcats look solid.
Big Ten: Ohio State - A toss-up between the Bucks and Penn State. I will go with Terrelle Pryor.
Big 12: Oklahoma - Record SEVENTH Big 12 title, Record FOURTH in a row. Mark it down.
ACC: Virginia Tech - VTech is in a similar conference streak, going for their third in a row.
SEC: Florida - I hate to say it because I've come to hate that team, but too much experience.
Pac10: Cal - I'm going out on a limb and saying the Bears will steal it away from USC this year.
Mountain West: Utah - Last year's non-BCS darlings have the personnel to do it again.
WAC: Boise State - Has been too dominant over this conference for too long not to win it.
Conference USA: Houston - Dynamic offense poised to make a move this season.
MAC: Buffalo - They can do it again under Turner Gill.
Sun Belt: Troy - I don't know why, and nor do I think I care that much either.

5. The best games will again showcase the Big 12 South.
There might not be the same three-way tie scenario as last season (at least in my predictions) but that's not to say that there won't be any drama. Three of the best matchups of the year will be when Texas visits Oklahoma State, the Red River showdown when Oklahoma and Texas collide in Dallas, and when Oklahoma State visits Oklahoma (think Stoops will call out the fans again to get that extra home-field edge like against Texas Tech last year?).


Well, I said bold predictions, but a lot of these kind of seem like chalk picks. And they are. But what can I say? Hope everyone enjoys the upcoming season! Next entry, the continuation of the Meat Tracks of the Decade and a special music list from the past.

BOOMER!!!

http://www.themeatlife.blogspot.com/

Summer Movie Reviews: From Demons to Revenge

Alright! Back to summer movies! My favorite time of the year, entertainment-wise (football season is my favorite FAVORITE time of the year so to go from favorite to FAVORITE will be awesome at the end of August).

This will be a packed entry, reviewing Angels and Demons, Terminator Salvation, Up, The Hangover, The Taking of Pelham 123, The Proposal, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I know, with Transformers rounding out the review, I am about a month behind. I guess that's what happens when family life begins and this isn't my day job, haha. (That and NCAA Football 10 came out a few weeks ago and I've occupied a lot of time with that too.)

Here are the ratings of the two movies I reviewed last month:
X-Men Origins: Wolverine - 6.5
Star Trek - 8.5


And now the main attractions:

Angels and Demons

Tom Hanks and director Ron Howard team up again to make another film interpretation of a Dan Brown novel. I am not that big on reading books (kind of surprising, huh?) so I had not been exposed to reading Brown's novel, so I went into this with no real expectation. By itself Demons stands pretty well. The film is a big whodunit mystery/chase with some nice surprises.

Compared to the first installment of the character Robert Langdon series The Di Vinci Code, it is pretty much on the same level entertainment-wise. Demons is more action and a little less story and character development, but works well with everything that goes on in the plot.

Not a bad summer flick. If you still have the opportunity, see this in the theater.

7.0

Terminator Salvation

This film had a lot going against it from the beginning: not directed or written with any assistance from Terminator's creator James Cameron, being directed by cheese McG, and there is the whole Christian Bale rampage on one of the crew members during production. All of this topped off with the disappointment that was Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, there was a large uphill climb for this movie from the beginning.

I don't hate McG, I just didn't think he would be able to be serious long enough to make a decent Terminator movie (he did direct the Charlie's Angels remakes). I was mistaken. Although it is short on actual story, I would have to say that I liked this movie. It is popcorn and it does have some corny references to the previous films, but this succeeds in being entertaining and has enough action to carry the thin storyline. Sam Worthington really stands out in this film.

Although not the classic the first two Terminator films were, definitely worth a watch or two.

7.0

Up

I feel the need to preface this before my review...I'm a Pixar fan. I believe their only miss so far has been A Bug's Life (not that it was a bad movie, just was not as good as the rest of the Pixar lineup). Disney/Pixar is just a hit-machine, just as Disney was a hit-machine in the early 1990s.

Up is probably Pixar's finest achievement in story and concept. Hard to believe but somehow these Pixar characters feel more relatible than most of the characters in live action films. It takes you on an emotional rollercoaster of an old man who had lost the love of his life as he attempts to keep a promise he made to her. Not to say this isn't humorous and fun (how did they make it both sad and fun all in one movie?). Like any Pixar movie, very kid friendly (I took my two year old son to see it in the theater).

Probably the best film of the summer when it is all said and done.

9.0

The Hangover

I'll admit, I was very skeptically going into this movie. This type of comedy is usually hit or miss. I do like this style of comedy but was scared it would be a let down.

Far from it. This is the surprise of the summer.

The Hangover is the story of a group of friends trying to retrace the steps they don't remember taking the night of their friend's bachelor party...a friend they lost and are trying to find. Outrageous and over the top on occasion, The Hangover is full of hilarity. Bradley Cooper shines in this comedy. Great cameo by Mike Tyson. Not a film for everyone but definitely a hit.

Great for multiple viewing with so many quotable scenes.

8.5

The Taking of Pelham 123

I'm a big Denzel fan, so it was nice to find out he was going to be in a movie this summer. Pelham 123 is a heist flick, John Travolta being the hostage taker, and Washington the reluctant hero. This is director Tony Scott and Washington's fourth film working together.

There is enough tension to keep someone entertained, but not enough for it to be a great movie.

It is nice to see Travolta in something again, but as a villain his aggression and cursing dialogue seems very forced. Denzel is decent but it seems he is kind of just dialing in the performance here. What is kind of funny here is actors John Turturro and Ramon Rodriguez are in dramatic roles in this film and then in comedic roles in a movie to come out two weeks later (the last reviewed movie here).

Might want to wait to rent this one, but it'll be a pretty decent Redbox movie.

6.5

The Proposal

For those of you who have read previous stuff from me (all you Xanga users remember HopelessHero?), you will know that I'm not opposed to the chick-flick. I will joke every once in a while about chick-flicks, but when it comes to romantic comedies I usually like them. It is the dramatic chick-flick I'm usually hesitant to see.

With that said, The Proposal was very formulaic and predictable...as most rom-coms are. But it is pretty funny. And I like funny. I usually like Ryan Reynolds and I've always liked Sandra Bullock (except in crappy sequels like Speed 2 and Miss Congeniality 2). So all-in-all this movie is pretty fun.

Good date movie to take your significant other.

7.0

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

The biggest blockbuster of the summer. With the summer now close to its end, this movie will probably make the most money of any movie this year. Off of the success of the first movie, Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf became huge stars. But what could they do to make a sequel to the first movie? I'll let you watch and find out.

As far as a summer movie, this is probably definitive. Big explosions, big action, lots of CGI, cheesy comedy, and a couple of contrived heartfelt moments. If you come into this movie expecting that, then you will not be disappointed. My argument has always been that director Michael Bay will never make a masterpiece, but he will give you a popcorn summer movie. Every single time. And I like a good popcorn flick. I will say that Revenge is about 45 minutes too long, but I didn't really have anything better to do that Saturday.

If you like action movies and just want to turn your brain off for a couple hours, go see this movie.
7.0

Well, the summer is almost over, and there are still some movies I still plan on seeing before it is all said and done. So you know what that means...more reviews to come!

Here are the movies I still want to catch before the summer is out, hopefully I'll get to see them:

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

Public Enemies

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

The Ugly Truth

Funny People

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

District 9

The Time Traveler's Wife

Inglorious Basterds

There are other movies out that I will either wait on seeing or probably have no intention seeing (Land of the Lost and Harry Potter being the latter):

Drag Me to Hell (in the safety of my own home)

Land of the Lost (wow, how did they ever sign Will Farrell to this movie?)

Year One (looked like could be either really funny or flop-o-licious)

Bruno (Sasha Baron Cohen seems like a one-trick pony to me)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (haven't had any interest in any these movies since the first)

Next entry, we'll continue the College Football Preview with the Meat Life's Five Predictions!

http://www.themeatlife.blogspot.com/

College Football Preview: The Best Teams of the 2000s

Less than two months to go until the college football season begins. The last two seasons we have seen crazy scenarios and exciting matchups. There have been a handful of teams that have stood out as the Football Bowl Subdivision power elite this past decade. To start off the countdown to the college football season, I have listed the best schools this decade in the FBS.

1) USC Trojans (93-22, .809)

Reggie "Give My Parents A House" Bush

National Championships – 2*, Conference Championships – 7, Top 10 finishes – 7, Heisman Winners – 3. It is hard for me to list and talk about these first three teams being a Sooner fan, but you cannot deny the success USC has had this decade. No one in the Pac 10 has been able to challenge them on a consistent basis. They have won an AP National Championship in the controversial split in 2003, have won a BCS National Championship the following year and appeared in another championship game the year after. The Trojans seem to reload every year and Pete Carroll always seem to be in the national hunt. It has also been hard to have more star-power than the Trojans (Carson Palmer, Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, Mark Sanchez…and that’s just on the offensive side of the ball).

2) LSU Tigers (90-27, .769)

Anonymous LSU Tiger

National Championships – 2, Conference Championships – 3, Top 10 finishes – 5, Heisman Winners – 0. The only school to have won BCS titles with two different coaches (Nick Saban and Les Miles). In the competitive SEC, LSU has been the most consistent team in the conference over the course of the decade. The team trademark has been defense since Saban, and had carried over in the Miles era (at least until Bo Pelini left). The only thing holding them back would be no real Heisman contenders…or you could say that it speaks well to how much of a team the Tigers really are with no real star standing out.

3) Florida Gators (87-28, .757)

Douche bag #1...I mean the Second Coming...I mean Tim Teblow

National Championships – 2, Conference Championships – 3, Top 10 finishes – 4, Heisman Winners – 1. This would have been a sexy pick for the #2 slot with the second coming of Jesus as their Heisman QB (I know, I’m taking shots at them already). I placed more importance on wins and top 10 finishes. But it is hard to argue the Gators haven’t been a force in the SEC, especially in recent years. At the beginning of the decade it seemed they would never be able to replace Steve Spurrier…that is until Urban Meyer took over. Two BCS Championships in the last three years. If only they got a hold of Meyer earlier (thankfully not).

4) Oklahoma Sooners (102-19, .843)

All Day baby...all day

National Championships – 1, Conference Championships – 6, Top 10 finishes – 7, Heisman Winners – 2. If not for BCS woes, Oklahoma could be the team of the decade. OU has the most wins of any schools in the decade (although they have played more games than any other school). They have had two Heisman winning QBs (Jason White in 2003, Sam Bradford in 2008) leading them to BCS Championship games. They have the most BCS Championship appearances (4). And when it comes to conference play, the Sooners have won more twice as many conference championships as anyone else in the Big 12…combined. In the first half of the decade it was all about the dominating defense. That has since shifted to prolific offense (maybe changed since Mike Stoops left the program). Now if Bob Stoops can straighten out their post-season, maybe they can end the decade in the #1 slot.

5) Ohio State Buckeyes (91-23, .798)

Heisman winner Troy Smith

National Championships – 1, Conference Championships – 5, Top 10 finishes – 6, Heisman Winners – 1. The Buckeyes seem to be suffering from a similar virus the Sooners suffer from. In a similar situation, the Buckeyes could have also found themselves at #1 of the decade with another BCS Championship, losing back-to-back title games to SEC schools (Florida in 2006, LSU in 2007)…both in blowouts. Ohio State has rocked the Big Ten, winning at least a share of the conference crown five times in nine years. Jim Tressel has not only ruled the Midwest, but has also ruled rival Michigan, winning the last five matchups.

6) Texas Longhorns (97-18, .843)

Vince Young...before he went insane

National Championships – 1, Conference Championships – 1, Top 10 finishes – 6, Heisman Winners – 0. For Texas, there has only been one thing keeping them from being a dominating force in the Big 12 and in the country…Oklahoma. Texas has ended up second or losing a tie-breaker to OU six times in the last decade (including the controversial THREE-way tie a year ago, I emphasize the THREE for those Texas fans who forget they were also tied to Texas Tech). If Mack Brown wasn’t the Sooners whipping boy in the first half of the decade, the Longhorns could have also had a shot at the #1 spot. Instead they are stuck at midnight missing their crystal slipper…I mean trophy. They’ll always have the asterisk. And Vince Young.

7) Miami (Fl) Hurricanes (83-29, .741)

Willis McGahee before the injury

National Championships – 1, Conference Championships – 4, Top 10 finishes – 4, Heisman Winners – 0. No offense to Randy Shannon, but why did the Hurricanes fire Larry Coker again? (Oh yeah, because he wasn’t able to keep his team disciplined that culminated in an all-out brawl with FAU) The Canes dominated the first half of the decade just as they were a force since the mid-1980s. BCS Championship in 2001, lost in overtime in the title game the next year and in 2000 was kept out of the title game by the BCS and Florida State despite beating them earlier in the season (this BCS thing is full of controversy, huh). Where they really went wrong was leaving the Big East in 2004, where they dominated, to the ACC where they have consistently disappointed. Shannon has them in the right direction, so we shall see where the future of “the U” is going.

8) Boise State Broncos (98-17, .852)

Ian Johnson after the Statue and before he disappears of the face of the planet

National Championships – 0, Conference Championships – 7, Top 10 finishes – 1, Heisman Winners – 0. Perhaps if they were in a BCS conference, one could argue that Boise State is the best school of the decade. They have the best winning percentage in all the FBS (the first half of the decade under Dan Hawkins, the second under current coach Chris Petersen). They have won their conference as many times as USC during the same time frame (in the WAC and the now defunct Big West). Or as some would argue that the only reason they have such a high winning percentage would be the quality of competition in the WAC doesn’t stack up with the power conferences (with the only real challengers in the conference being Fresno State and Hawaii). The Broncos shining moment came at the expense of an over-achieving Oklahoma team in their Cinderella-like Fiesta Bowl win in the 2006 season, in a thrilling overtime victory that became an instant classic. The victory propelled them to their only top 5 finish.

9) West Virginia Mountaineers (77-35, .688)

The Dynamic Pat White

National Championships – 0, Conference Championships – 4, Top 10 finishes – 3, Heisman Winners – 0. In the last half of the decade, the Mountaineers were probably the most exciting team offensively, dominating the Big East under Rich Rodriguez. The coming-out party was the Sugar Bowl in the 2005 season, upsetting the heavily-favored Georgia team. After that the school has been trying to duplicate that success for the most part, especially since Rodriguez ditched the team to take the Michigan job. Current head coach Bill Stewart now has the job of replacing the only QB to start and win bowl games in all four years of his college career in Pat White.

10) Utah (76-33, .697)

The Utes upset Alabama

National Championships – 0, Conference Championships – 3, Top 10 finishes - 2, Heisman Winners – 0. Utah is the only non-BCS Conference team to ever win two different BCS bowl games, and with two different coaches (Urban Meyer in 2004 and Kyle Whittingham in 2008). Would be the model example of how a non-BCS team can have success in the BCS…except for the fact that they are trying to get Capitol Hill to replace the BCS with a playoff system (I wonder why? Not really). Last year the Mountain West Conference that Utah belongs to stepped up its game with two teams finishing in the top 10 (TCU) and a third in the top 25 (BYU). Maybe they can replace the ACC or Big East in the BCS (haha probably not).

Others receiving votes:

How did Eric Crouch win the Heisman? More importantly, how did Nebraska pull off a play that Oklahoma couldn't in the same game? Oh yeah, that's right, because Nate Hybl can't run and fell down.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (74-40, .649) – The second Heisman winner (Eric Crouch) and even though still trying to resurrect, the Cornhuskers were a force in the early part of the decade (some idiot up there just decided to fire Frank Solich and hire Bill Callahan).

Florida State Seminoles (78-38, .672) – Bobby Bowden had the first Heisman winner of the decade (the old-man Chris Weinke), a BCS Championship appearance, and has four conference championships (but none since 2005).

Virginia Tech Hokies (89-29, .754) – “Beamer-ball” has led to great defensive and special teams, giving the Hokies three conference championships including the last two. Highlights also include Michael Vick (pre-dogfighting) and outshining “the U” in the ACC since the move in 2004.

Georgia Bulldogs (90-26, .776) – Since Mark Richt has brought Georgia back to relevance in the SEC, winning two conference championships (2002 and 2005). Has yet to produce and lift the Bulldogs to the national forefront, but hard to do so with LSU, Florida, and now Alabama and Ole Miss surging in the SEC.

TCU Horned Frogs (83-28, .748) – Three conference championship (2000, 2002, 2005), a wealth of talent in the hotbed that is the state of Texas, and some guy that used to go there named Ladainian Tomlinson. And why did the Big 12 pickup Baylor instead of TCU?

Oregon Ducks (77-35, .688) – Two conference championships early in the decade and in 2007 almost another one (and a BCS Championship bid?) had Heisman frontrunner QB Dennis Dixon not gotten injured toward the end of the season (talk about bad luck, they went on to lose a total of four QBs in four straight weeks).

Michigan Wolverines 76-36, .679) – Outside of being controlled by Ohio State the last five years, the Wolverines started the decade with three conference crowns in five years. There is also a reason they are the winningest program in FBS history (but if they keep having 3-9 years like last year maybe not for long).


The next College Football Preview entry will have the annual Meat Life Five Predictions. My very next entry will be the Summer Movie Reviews continued!

themeatlife.blogspot.com

Michael Jackson: The Last Tribute / MeatTracks of the Decade

The Last Tribute

I am watching the Michael Jackson memorial. I had it recorded on my DVR because I was at work not able to watch live.

Michael Jackson. An entertainer. An innovator. A philanthropist. A polarizing figure. Everything he was for the 50 years of his life, if he wasn't anything else, he was a spectacle. In the many songs he wrote, the many dance moves he made, the millions of records he sold, Jackson touched the soul and inspired greatness. Yes, he was strange. Yes, he was controversial. But even with all the madness that surrounded the latter years of his life, you can't discount the impact the man had on music and popular culture.

There are so many words that can describe Jackson. I have one: remembered. Every once in a while I'll roll to his tunes and every now and then a contemporary song will remind me of one of his songs. During his turbulent years in the 1990s and 2000s, I chose to remember Jackson as the guy who leaned so far forward in the Smooth Criminal/Moonwalker video or the guy who danced on the lit sidewalk in the Billie Jean video instead of the guy pleading his innocence on national TV or strolled into a courtroom in pajama pants.

There was no one like him before, and although immitated, no one in the next 50 years will be like him. So instead of remembering when he held his kid off the balcony window, remember the Motown special he first moonwalked to. Remember the first time you tried to do the Thriller dance or remember when you sang along to The Way You Make Me Feel just for fun one night with your friends.

Remember MJ.

It has been a crazy summer with all the celebrities who have passed on. I'd also like to say goodbye Steve McNair, I'll always remember playing for the Titans in Madden 2001 for PS2 and cheering you on with 1:48 left on the clock on that last drive in Super Bowl XXXIV.

MeatTracks of the Decade: Deluxe Edition

I had a busy month last month with my birthday and all the doctors appointments for my wife, so I'm playing catch up a little bit on this segment. Again if you haven't already known, this is chronicling my favorite tracks this decade. We'll first start this edition out with a few artists that were inspired by Michael Jackson.

-Alien Ant Farm’s “Smooth Criminal” (2001)

One of the few good Michael Jackson covers. I love the kid in the mask in this video. This song along with Blackstreet's "Billie Jean" cover and Mariah Carey's "I'll Be There" cover are probably my favorite MJ covers. Fall Out Boy's cover of "Beat It" did not move me, their lead singer's voice kind of annoyed me in that song.

-Usher’s “U Got It Bad” (2001)

Probably my favorite Usher song. You can see the influence of Jackson throughout Usher's music and dance style.

-Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River” (2002)

I gotta say one thing about this song...this is SO about Britney. Now, I'll admit, I listened to a little *NSync...not much but enough. I always thought Justin was the Michael of *NSync. And this song set Justin apart from his former group.

-Ne-Yo’s “Sexy Love” (2006)

When I first heard this song, I said to my brother, "Wow, this reminds me a lot of Michael Jackson." Well, a Michael Jackson with less range. That summer I jammed out to this song so much in my car.

-Chris Brown’s “Kiss Kiss (featuring T-Pain)” (2007)

Now, since Chris Brown is younger, his influence is more Usher. But Usher was inspired by Jackson, so Chris Brown is indirectly influenced by Jackson, especially in his dance style. That and I love this video.

And now more tracks. These are anthems of some sort. Anthems in clubs and in my car stereo. These are some songs I rock out to and sing along to almost every word.

-Jimmy Eat World’s “Sweetness” (2002)

Brings me back to freshman year. This is probably my favorite Jimmy Eat World song. My favorite memory connected to this song was singing along to this riding in Justin's car along country roads.

-Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” (2002)
Awesome to hear in the club. At first I didn't like this song, that is until I heard it in the club. A lot of songs actually end up like that during college.

-50 Cent’s “In Da Club” (2002)
I'll have to admit, for all the hype before he debuted, I was a little underwhelmed by 50. Club anthem in any event. My favorite memory involving this song was when my cover band did part of this song. If you have the tape, give it to me...so I can watch it once then destroy it.

-R. Kelly’s “Ignition (Remix)” (2003)
Awesome song to sing along with. Definitely another club/party anthem. This came out back when all the remixes to songs were better than the original put out. That original Ignition song sucked balls.

-Jay-Z’s “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” (2004)
Instant classic. When I first heard this I thought "OH SHIT!" The beat hits you hard and his verse catchy. I played out this song on Winamp when I still had that program pre-meatPod.

-Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out” (2004)
Rocked out this song one Winamp as well. No one memory attached to this one, just fun.

-Modest Mouse’s “Float On” (2004)
Great song to sing along to, especially on Rock Band. When I first heard this song when it came out, I was like "Wow this guy can't sing at all, maybe I have a chance to be famous..." Haha, yeah right.

-Fat Joe’s “Lean Back (Remix featuring Lil Jon, Eminem, & Mase) (2004)
I'll admit on this one...played out. But was awesome in the club and loved the remix. Eminem was great on this and it was funny that Mase came back that year.

-Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” (2004)
I think the album this song came off of marked the revival of Green Day. Earlier in the decade they were written off and to be honest their music was getting softer. Not necessarily a bad thing, but definitely different. Green Day's reinvention was complete and this song was awesome. Another song my cover band played.

-Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot (featuring Pharrell)” (2004)
Oh so classic on the dancefloor in the club or the front seat of the car cruising through town. Pharrell's peak in producing.

-The Dandy Warhols’s “We Used to Be Friends” (2005)
First heard this on the OC and then became the Veronica Mars. Love this song in the car.

-Kanye West’s “Gold Digger (featuring Jamie Foxx)” (2005)
Admit it, when you first heard it you thought it was crazy for Kanye to sample Ray Charles. Made sense to have Foxx since he just played Charles in Ray the year before. I remember this was on my playlist on my old mp3 player (pre-meatPod days) on the way to my summer class.

-The Killers’s “When You Were Young” (2006)
It is kind of odd, this reminds me of the summer before my son was born. Reminds me a lot of the month I lived at Thanh's house. It first came out then, so I guess that is probably why. Served as sort of a transition song of sorts, the end of one stage of my life and the beginning of the next.

-Rihanna’s “Umbrella (Remix featuring Jay-Z and Chris Brown)” (2007)
Probably the biggest song of that year. For some reason I like the version with Chris Brown better. The song works very well as a duet. Another song that I didn't like at first but then caught on.

-Kanye West’s “Stronger” (2007)
Another Kanye track where listen and go "how does he get the idea to sample Daft Punk?" Awesome song and still rock to ocassionally in the car.

And always to close out this segment, the previously covered MeatTracks of the Decade:

-Linkin Park’s “Pushing Me Away” (Original 2000, Remix 2002, Live 2007)
-Linkin Park’s “My December” (2000)
-Eve 6’s “Here’s To The Night” (2001)
-Fabolous's "Young'n (Holla Back)" (2001)
-Jagged Edge's "Where the Party At? (featuring Nelly)" (2001)
-Clipse's "Grindin'" (2002)
-Jimmy Eat World’s “A Praise Chorus” (2002)
-Coldplay’s “The Scientist” (2002)
-Jay-Z's "La La La (Excuse Me Miss Again)" (2003)
-Mae’s “Summertime” (2003)
-Blink 182’s “Miss You” (2004)
-Thrice’s “Stare at the Sun” (2004)
-Finley Quaye and William Orbit’s “Dice” (2004)
-Jimmy Eat World’s “23” (2004)
-Fall Out Boys’s “Sugar, We’re Going Down” (2005)
-The Foo Fighters’s “Best of You” (2005)
-The Killer’s “Smile Like You Mean It” (2005)
-Youngbloodz's "Presidential (featuring Lil Jon)" (2005)
-Acceptance’s “So Contagious” (2005)
-Fort Minor’s “Where’d You Go?” (2006)
-Justin Timberlake's "My Love (featuring T.I.)" (2006)
-Nelly Furtado’s “Say It Right” (2006)
-Taking Back Sunday’s “MakeDamnSure” (2006)
-T.I.'s "What You Know" (2006)
-Anberlin’s “Godspeed” (2007)
-Shop Boyz's "Party Like a Rockstar" (2007)
-One Republic’s “Apologize” (2007)
-The Starting Line’s “Island” (2007)
-Rick Ross's "The Boss (featuring T-Pain)" (2008)
-Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" (2008)


Next entry:
the beginning of theMeatLife's College Football Preview, featuring the Schools of the Decade
and Summer Movie Reviews continued!

themeatlife.blogspot.com

Great Sports, Summer Movies (!), and more MeatTracks of the Decade

Great Sports

Well to start off, we have some great series so far in the NBA and NHL playoffs. I always say sports-wise that this is a great time of the year. There is a game on almost every night whether it be basketball or hockey. What would make this part of the year even better is if there were football on (haha, but then they would be playing year-round and that wouldn't make sense).

The NHL playoffs have been a sort of refreshing resurgence of the league. We just witnessed a classic in the conference semis pitting the best players in the game against each other in Pittsburgh vs. Washington. Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin. Personally I prefer Ovie, but the Caps were outgunned in the end in a full seven games. The other set of series have been great as well. Even though they are down 2-0 right now in the West finals to Detroit, it is nice to see the Chicago Blackhawks back in the playoffs.

The NBA playoffs started as merely a countdown to the Kobe vs. LeBron matchup everyone is waiting for in the finals, but we have been treated to some good drama. Both series Boston was involved in were classics, going the full seven and advancing in probably the best series in the last decade against the Bulls and also going the distance with Orlando but falling short. Injuries brought the defending champs down. Denver has been a surprise strength in the west, while Orlando shocked the odd-on favorite Cleveland in the opening game of the series.

Overall, good TV. Always a treat to have them play until mid-June, that way I get to watch some great sports on my birthday.

...and now to
Summer Movies!

Another reason why I love the summer. Yes, I am a sucker for the summer blockbuster. From May till August I usually go broke going to the movies. The past couple years I've had to take my viewing at the theater down a notch, but this summer I'm turning it back up! I've seen two of the major releases so far, and the following is what I rate each.

I will be rating on a scale of 10, 10 of course being masterpiece and 1 being the lowest piece of crap. Those are extremes though, since most of what I have seen so far in my life have not merited either of those ratings. I don't like to get plot synopses, so you'll get my feelings on how the movie is as far as entertainment value and content.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine


This is kind of an odd premise, since the three X-Men films before featured a lot of backstory and were told from a Wolverine-centric perspective. One this thinking, I positioned my initial expectations a little lower. X2 was my favorite of the series and for a while was the top comic book movie in my book (before the reboot of the Batman series put out back to back classics). The first X-Men was a good one, and while The Last Stand was a solid film, it was underwhelming after the experience that X2 was.

On to Wolverine, the movie felt uneven. It was entertaining, but the storytelling felt incomplete. Not much character development for those around Wolverine and Sabretooth, so you don't really feel attached to them in some of the dramatic scenes. It relies heavily on what is already known about Wolverine and Striker from the previous films. The action was still very good, although the CGI was inconsistent. There are a couple scenes where you can really tell it was CG and felt like the graphics in that scene were still in development (and I'm talking about the theater release, not the leak that was online a few weeks before the film was released).

Overall, I give X-Men Origins: Wolverine a 6.5. Solid summer action flick, but don't expect to be attached to the characters too much.


Star Trek


A little background on where I'm viewing this from. I am hardly a "trekkie." I did used to watch a little bit of the original series and I liked The Next Generation. The series after TNG I never really got into because it felt cheesy (on a higher level of cheese then the first two). I do like the movies that have come out of the franchise for the most part. I was kind of happy to hear that J.J. Abrams was working on the reboot of this franchise, he has had solid projects beforehand. Abrams is a little ADD when it comes to franchises though, starting one project and then ditching it and moving on to the next.

So Star Trek...I have to say, great movie. From the opening scenes this movie goes full throttle and barely slows down. Good story and the characters keep a lot of the traits of the original series but create a new world of its own. Great action and the special effect were superbly done. If there weren't and high expectations for the upcoming Transformers sequel, I would say that Star Trek would probably be the movie of the summer. We'll see in a few months where it ends up landing.

Star Trek gets a 8.5, and I'm happy to say that this franchise has new life.

I have yet to view Angels and Demons, I will soon I would imagine. Also next on my list for May is Terminator Salvation, Night at the Museum 2, and Up. A nice mix of adult action and kid movies.


...and the finale....
MeatTracks of the Decade: the 2000s.

Continuing to list my fave tracks of this decade, this installment will be some of the more somber songs. Not necessarily emo or anything like that, just more reflective. After those there will be a list of the previous MeatTracks.

-Linkin Park’s “My December” (2000)
I included this track not for any emotional significance but because this is one of the coolest tracks. At the time it came out, me and my friend David were really into LP and they had first came out. A friend of his found it and burned it on a CD. I didn't believe Linkin Park could do a slow song, listening to their debut CD that came out a couple months before. Who knew turntables and strings could be so dramatic.

-Eve 6’s “Here’s To The Night” (2001)
This song probably holds special significance to a lot of people who graduated high school in 2001. It was our class song and I first heard it on the slideshow during senior assembly. Everytime I hear it I'm brought back to those hallways, those night drives through the country roads, those afternoons in the back yearbook room.

-Coldplay’s “The Scientist” (2002)
My favorite Coldplay song. No emotional situation attached to this one, just a great song and a cool video. Although when I hear this song it reminds me of the time I helped Tommy cut this PSA for an assignment he had. We spend a good couple hours cutting a 30 second PSA about child abuse or something. Good times.

-Blink 182’s “Miss You” (2004)
Great song. Brings me back to spring 2005, so many things happening. My illness, a breakup with a longtime girlfriend, friends graduating college and leaving, and the rollercoaster of emotions that accompanied those times. At first I didn't really like Blink 182's self-titled album, but after many listens and this song it grew to be my favorite.

-Finley Quaye and William Orbit’s “Dice” (2004)
Another great song. Heard this on the OC back when that was "the" show. Just the back and forth dynamic between the two vocalists reeled me in. No particular memory attached to this song, it is just one of the most played songs on my iTunes/iPod/iPhone.

-Jimmy Eat World’s “23” (2004)
My fave Jimmy Eat World song. This song didn't really impact me until the year after the Futures CD came out. And that year I was only 22 (haha). Brings me back to summer 2005 when I was contemplating a lot of things in my life. This song again popped up on my playlist when I was actually 23 that very next summer when my life came at a crossroads leading to the life I have today.

-Acceptance’s “So Contagious” (2005)
My wife introduced me to this song when I first met her. I would later describe this as "our song," my then-fiance proceed to respond "we have a song?" She wanted to dance to a different song at our wedding, and I pretended to agree with her...until I sang this song acappella for our first dance.

-Fort Minor’s “Where’d You Go?” (2006)
One of my wife's favorites when we were first dating. I am a big Linkin Park/Mike Shinoda fan and was all over this CD when it came out. Later this would remind me of the times in Norman when I lived in Lawton for a short period of time after college.

-Nelly Furtado’s “Say It Right” (2006)
No real memory attached to this song. This is probably my favorite track produced by Timbaland. The beat is so infectious and Nelly Furtado's lyrics aren't bad either. This was a top played track on my iTunes for a while.

-One Republic’s “Apologize” (2006)
I was introduced to this song when sitting in on my brother's radio show my last year in college in 2006. It was remixed a year later by Timbaland and became a huge hit. I still prefer the original version.

Previous MeatTracks:
-Linkin Park’s “Pushing Me Away” (Original 2000, Remix 2002, Live 2007)
-Fabolous's "Young'n (Holla Back)" (2001)
-Jagged Edge's "Where the Party At? (featuring Nelly)" (2001)
-Clipse's "Grindin'" (2002)
-Jimmy Eat World’s “A Praise Chorus” (2002)
-Jay-Z's "La La La (Excuse Me Miss Again)" (2003)
-Mae’s “Summertime” (2003)
-Thrice’s “Stare at the Sun” (2004)
-Fall Out Boys’s “Sugar, We’re Going Down” (2005)
-The Foo Fighters’s “Best of You” (2005)
-The Killer’s “Smile Like You Mean It” (2005)
-Youngbloodz's "Presidential (featuring Lil Jon)" (2005)
-Justin Timberlake's "My Love (featuring T.I.)" (2006)
-Taking Back Sunday’s “MakeDamnSure” (2006)
-T.I.'s "What You Know" (2006)
-Anberlin’s “Godspeed” (2007)
-Shop Boyz's "Party Like a Rockstar" (2007)
-The Starting Line’s “Island” (2007)
-Rick Ross's "The Boss (featuring T-Pain)" (2008)
-Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" (2008)

I'm not sure what I'll profile on the next ten, I'm debating on anthems or more party hits. Who knows, maybe a mix of both.

Catch you guys on the flip side!



themeatlife.blogspot.com