January 2009
This is a list of posts published in January 2009.
My Favorite Things – Top 5 Games of 2008
A few days back, I gave you my list of all the movies I saw in 2008 (that had been released between October 2007 and December 2008) and ended with My Top 5 Favorite Movies. That post has become an annual tradition round these parts. I know, real original, right?!?!?!?
Well, I’m just stealing a page from everyone’s playbook. And these year end lists are all the rave. That said, I specifically segregate these lists as being My Favorite items versus what I would consider the Best. The two can co-exist after all. I just think its more fitting to let you know which films spoke to me or which ones really entertained me versus spotlighting those I may respect but may not revisit again in the future.
As Yin to that Yang, I’m here to give you... Continue reading »
Lost – ‘Jughead’ – 5.3
Before I dive into this week’s rundown, I wanted to throw a shout out to frequent contributor Chris – a longtime friend – who along with his wife Melissa welcomed their first child, and son, Anthony to this Earth. Chris is already teaching Anthony about complex string theory and quantum physics in hopes that his son can help him follow all these time travel shenanigans on Lost.
Now that Chris is sleepless in Somerville (I’m not revealing his true whereabouts but that’s close enough), I’m sure he was hitting this site last night ’round midnight cursing me for not having the recap up sooner. Sorry dude – you’ll just have to make do with TNT’s constant airplay of the Patrick Swayze hillbillies vs. the mob flick, Next of Kin.
And now – on wi... Continue reading »
My Favorite Things – The Top 5 Movies of 2008
With another year off the books, I wanted to start ’09 by taking a look back at some of things that really entertained me in 2008. To that end, I’m planning a three-part series where I will provide you with my choices for My Five Favorite Games of 2008, My Five Favorite Movies of 2008 and then an umbrella topic – My Five Favorite Entertainment Experiences of 2008.
Notice I said Favorite and not Best.
Now, my lists are bound to be different than your and most likely, vastly different than those of the professional critics who get paid for this sort of thing and thus have a larger catalogue of personal experiences to draw from. And since this is my list, my ground rules for the eligibility requirements are bound to be different than yours. That said, I welcome you to add your Top 5’s ... Continue reading »
Fists of Flannel – 90′s Pop Culture Trivia Contest
“Pop Quiz, Hot Shot.”
Know what 90′s movie that’s from or are you just curious to know what I know? Either way – have I got the contest for you.
Starting next Monday, February 2, 2009, The Ed Zone will launch a new trivia contest, similar in structure to The Ho Ho Ho Throwdown and Breakin’ Big Hair Brawl that I’ve run on this site over the last couple of months. Where Ho Ho hit Christmas and Breakin’ targeted the hazy, crazy 80′s – Fists of Flannel is about to get all angst-ridden on your collective ass.
That’s right, this new contest covers Nineties Pop Culture (movies, TV, music). While our contestants’ ages typically span a wide gulf, I am fairly confident that all of you were alive just a little over a decade... Continue reading »
Lost – ‘Because You Left’ & ‘The Lie’ – 5.1 & 5.2
Arctic blasts that steal your breath away. Ice encrusted snow the color of television tuned to a dead channel. And three hours of Lost!!!
Ahh, January. The most wonderful time of the year.
Of course, the first Lost post always find me a little rusty but I can work my way through the mire fairly quickly. You see, I have total recall over most any piece of entertainment I’ve ever viewed (apparently remembering that it was WKRP’s Mr. Carlson who guest-starred on Different Strokes as a local deviant with designs on Dudley is my super power). So, I figure another paragraph or two and it’s like I’m back, pedaling that proverbial bike.
Here on this 4th day of the work week, I flip the calendar pages backward and find that it’s been 8 long months since we last saw the Jack Pack or Oceanic 15 or whatever the ... Continue reading »
My Top 10 Favorite Posts of 2008
Every year around this time, I like to compile my Top 10 list – recounting my favorite pieces posted during the year. I know that smacks of extreme narcissism but the damned site has my name plastered over every square inch so I think I regifted the humble pie a few years back. If one of you is eating it, check that Born on Date.
Anyway, I’ve been pimping this site big time due to my recent dive into the waters of Facebook and the large number of reacquaintances I have forged in the last few months. In addition, I listed the annual reminder in the 2008 Christmas Card so I usually see a small spike in readership as my assorted friends and family are guilted into stopping by for a spell. I kid – of course – I don’t write this to have someone read it. I do it just because I need a... Continue reading »
de Blob – Nintendo Wii
[Editor's Note: For those that don't know, I'm on staff performing freelance reviews for a web-based game site. I get titles sent to me on a recurring basis and am charged with playing and reviewing them. The upside is free games and exposure. The downside - no pay and some dreadful games from time to time. Read on to see if this is one of them.]
At their big E3 Press Conference in July, Nintendo did a curious thing. They cancelled Christmas. At least, that’s the way it felt to the legions of fanboys (myself included) who have looked to the Big N’s annual briefing for news of the next big platformer or property that would be keeping us warm once the leaves fell and the holidays descended. With no new IPs announced or return engagements from their back-catalog of marquee mascots on order, Wii owners looked with... Continue reading »
Wario Land: Shake It – Nintendo Wii
I grew up among the Greatest Generation of video gamers – those who spent their time in the trenches waging war with antiquated technology like the Atari 2600 – fighting the good fight while trying to peer through the fog of war (represented by a monochromatic mass of pixels) in hopes that something beautiful rested on the other side. When the Nintendo Entertainment System resurrected gaming as a hobby and later, a mainstream entertainment choice, we knew our grunt work would pay off. The NES gave birth to Super Mario Brothers, the great 2D adventure that arguably fathered the billion dollar gaming industry we revel in today.
And while we live the good life now, with Wi-Fi enabled super consoles linking battalions of virtual soldiers and adventurers across the globe, those who stayed on this meandering path thr... Continue reading »
The Breakin’ Big Hair Brawl – Round 6 – Results Edition
[Editor's Note - The Leaderboard is below and MAKE SURE YOU SCROLL ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM FOR A LITTLE SURPRISE!!!]
We have three ties in the top 6 so I am really hoping today is the day that someone stumbles. Otherwise, we hit the Bonus Round. Yup, as I a mentioned the other day, I have a contingency plan designed to break this log jam apart should we reach the end of this day all knotted up.
Alas, that’s a matter for a different day.
So, here’s the drill. You have until 7:00 a.m. EST Saturday morning, January 17th to get me your answers. The answers can be sent to theedzone@gmail.com or via private message on Facebook. Results will be up tomorrow morning.
Should we reach a tie – I will post the Bonus Round starting on Mon... Continue reading »
The Breakin’ Big Hair Brawl – Round 5 – Results Edition
[UPDATE: The answers have been appended to the questions below. At the very bottom you'll find the current Leaderboard. Round 6 (the final round) Questions will be up Friday January 16th 2009 - by 8:00 a.m. EST]
Here we are at Round 5 and we have a number of traffic jams at the top, with 7 of the top 8 contestants tangled in a tie. With so many people playing, I drew up a contingency plan. If we should have a tie following the end of Round 6, for anyone in the top 3 slots, I’ll post a special playoff round of 5 Questions. And we’ll proceed in that fashion (Playoff Rounds of 5 Questions) until we have three clear-cut winners.
Let’s hope it never comes to that.
Now, I wanted to spotlight an incorrect answer I received in Round 3 simply because it made me laugh so much, I almos... Continue reading »
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The Ed Zone and EdHumphries.com is maintained by Ed Humphries - a man with a tenuous grasp on the nature of narcissism.
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