If there's one thing I have always said ever since hearing Matt Damon wouldn't be apart of any new Bourne film, it's that there cannot be a Bourne film without Bourne. It just doesn't make sense. A Jason Bourne film without Matt Damon just doesn't work. Legacy managed to turn out okay as an action-packed movie that only emulates the real Bourne films. Also, if Jason Bourne is not included, why still call it 'Bourne'?

Photo: Rachel Weisz. Bourne Legacy. Universal Studios. 2012

In my opinion, the Bourne trilogy is best left alone after Ultimatum, and I'm sure many would agree. The acting and action-filled scenes between Rachel Weisz and Jeremy Renner (who I highly dislike) made the film almost worth watching. Had this not tried to be another Bourne installment, but a completely different action film that just so happened to be linked to the whole Treadstone/Blackbriar corrupt conspiracy, then it might have been better received. Overall, it just definitely does not work as another addition to the already completed and brilliant trilogy.

Photo: Renner. USA Today. Bourne Legacy. Universal Studios. 2012.

The action sequences may have been nicely executed, but were still too predictable. And the constant mention of Jason Bourne throughout the movie didn't assist in making the film any better either. If anything, it just makes audience members miss seeing Matt Damon as Jason Bourne. There is still a sense of intrigue, excitement, and action-tipped suspense until the end, where all has stopped and the mood chills out.

Photo: Rachel Weisz. Renner. Bourne Legacy. Universal Studios. 2012. I do not recommend this movie. I don't know why they made a Bourne film without Bourne, or why I even went to see it. But I won't be seeing it again.

From the hilarious, and sudden, culture shock of the off-beat comedy movie to recently televised animated series, which was actually doing pretty well, is Napoleon Dynamite.

Napoleon Dynamite Animated Series. 20th Century Fox. FOX. 2012.

When I first heard about the show I knew I had to see it, especially since the same cast members from the original movie are still taking on the role of the same humorously outrageous characters. The animated version of Napoleon Dynamite will still nostalgically remind viewers of the original film with its silly and bizarre storylines.




Whether or not the show will return on Fox is still unclear to me but I sure hope it does continue.

Mrs. Eastwood & Company. E! Bunim-Murray Productions. 2012.

Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. CBS. 2012.

As much as I agree with Craig on the topic of reality shows, which you can see in the video above, I have to say there is one reality show that doesn't make me hate the 'E' channel with disgust, and that show is Mrs. Eastwood and Company.

I think it's pretty obvious that I am not the average young person and I actually do have a moderate dislike toward the kudzu-growth of reality shows. It's clear that these types of shows are on the high-end of the popularity scale on the television radar, despite the fact that they're more often than not, not really that great. Before Eastwood and Company, the only reality show I ever enjoyed watching was Growing Up Gotti. It was a nice, hilarious, realistic, overall great show on A&E. There might still be episodes of the show that you can see on the A&E website, but I have yet to find the DVDs (yes, the show was that entertaining).


Back to the Eastwoods:

Mrs. Eastwood & Company. E! Bunim-Murray Productions. 2012.

Mrs. Eastwood & Company. E! Bunim-Murray Productions. 2012.

Not only is Eastwood & Co. super hilarious, but it's a real family (almost like a Modern Family-esic type of extended family). But it's realistic in the event that no one on the show is consumed by the superfluously materialistic mindset that is corrupting our television screens as well as our own minds. This is something I've been proud about this show since the first episode. It's portrayed in a way in which the focus is not always on the material, much like with other shows, but instead goes against that superficial depiction and unfair mindset. Not to forget, they're caring, open and accepting Liberals, which being a Strong Liberal myself, just makes me love the show even more.

Mrs. Eastwood & Company. E! Bunim-Murray Productions. 2012.

One of the main reasons why I like Eastwood and Company so much is because it is so hilarious and shows the dynamic between the silly and serious sides of being in or apart of a family atmosphere.
I've realized that many people are critiquing the show in the most negative ways, but I think you would just have to see it for yourself. If you're someone who does watch reality shows, I think it's important to know that when these shows are edited, a lot of content ends up being left out- just as much as many scenes are clipped together. That's why these shows usually seem a bit awkward between scenes.

As easy as it is to succumb to either the love or hate side of how one perceives reality shows, I think with some of these shows a major contributor to why people love watching these shows, setting aside the chaos and whatever else, is that viewers often feel they can relate to the people they see on T.V.  I feel this way with Eastwood and Company, despite the fact that their life and situations are completely different from mine, the simple notion that I can is pretty interesting. And I think one of the amazing things about this family is the fact that they can work out their differences and get on the same page of understanding one another instead of just setting it aside or ignoring it - this, I find to be a good example of how we could learn how to communicate better with each other in life, no matter what relationship dynamic.

Mrs. Eastwood & Company. E! Bunim-Murray Productions. 2012.

"Basic Lupine Urology" is an absolutely hilarious and creative episode of Community, shot Law & Order style with creator, Dick Wolf. You know a television show is stellar when you can see the effort is filled with clever creativity and the attention of detail is applied to every contributing element, resulting in something superb from beginning to end.



This is one of Community's best episodes! Similar to "Remedial Chaos Theory", it is episode I would share and recommend to those who aren't familiar with Community.

In "Basic Lupine Urology" the group is assigned to a biology project of growing yams but when the group discovers that their "A+" yam has been smashed and destroyed, the story soon turns into a Law & Order yam-homicide mystery that must be solved. Between Troy and Abed taking on the good cop/bad cop routines, Sherley taking  on the part of supervisor/coordinator leading to the possible sources, Brita's troubles with the picture-taking, Anne and Jeff as both the other investigative police and lawyers of the trial, while everyone else either helping with assistance or assumed a suspect of the crime.  Basically, there were several roles that were precise in their embodiment.






The integration of Community's silly and chaotic elements blended with a super melodramatic parody of Law and Order seriousness is a spot-on portrayal from start to finish, everything was synthesized.
Even the introduction into the show was an amazing and super catchy fusion of the two. The writing, dialogue, wardrobe, mise-en-scene, editing/filming techniques, and strong commitment to the roles described above all stylistically come together to provide the overall feel of the episode which goes beyond just resembling that Law & Order feel, but re-creates it with good precision. 

I think it's become apparent that I've constantly talked about Go Max Go Foods on this blog perhaps a bit more than I need to. But what can I say, except that the candy is good to Flashback to a previous post or two.

 

Cleo's

In earlier posts, I've discussed the Snap, Jokerz, and Mahalo, but I didn't mention the Cleo's - A chocolate candy that will make the mouth feel as if it's swimming in a sea of chocolatey deliciousness. With it's light, slightly crisp sides and smooth delicious peanut buttery center. It is the best peanut butter chocolate cup candy!

A slow start, fun, trippy times, and strange nudity are all the components that come together to bring the exaggerated idea of hippy-culture to the movie screens in Wanderlust.

Jennifer Aniston. Paul Rudd. Wanderlust.

Wanderlust, despite it's almost immovable start, is a movie that still seems to keep an audience somewhat engaged, but it's definitely an acquired taste.  If you're someone who is inspired or intrigued by the common idea or exaggerated concept of hippy-culture you're most likely going to enjoy the film. But if you're not so open-minded, I wouldn't recommend it.



One of the main themes of Wanderlust is the way it looks at life and the way a person chooses to live it. Even though this might be the most clear and evident message within the film, it is an important one. This is one of those movies that takes a somewhat different perspective on life and the contrast between living a life that you want to live, or living the life that has been set up by societal views of how you "should" live. One being the path that may make a person most liberated and free, while the other way of life might led to dissatisfaction and a lack of fulfillment as they follow the established and confining societal norms that dictate who they should be/what they should do.



Wanderlust is not the best film at all. It is one of those movies that has some funny moments, several crazy moments, and is just good enough for a weekend when there's nothing better on TV.

Ingredients:

• Wheat Buns!
• Trader Joe's Meatless [vegan]meatballs 
• Org. Ketchup 
• Tomato
• Lettuce
• Onion
• Avocado 

Step 1:
First thing, the meatless meatballs take 10 minutes to cook so that's what you start with. While that goes on, the toasting wheat buns as well as the slicing and dicing of vegetables (tomato, avocado, etc.) should be in process:




Step 2:
After the meatless m-balls are done, all you have to do is put everything together

Veggies first or...

meatless veganballs first

Taking a picture of this burger with the wheat bun was difficult and ended up looking like this... But hopefully you will make it your own and enjoy it as well!

"Sex. Drugs. Vampires. Who wouldn't like it?" says a friend of mine in a previous conversation. 

And I admit, the show is interesting.

For me, the aspect of True Blood that stands out most is its way of showing how pervasive, elusive, and easily normalized prejudice and hatred can become. If vampires and other mythic creatures actually did exist, our world would easily look just like this show. Many of the tv shows and movies about mythical beings living among humans seem to metaphorically represent the common, negative "isms" in our society.

True Blood. HBO.

In the event that season five is in the works, I would like to talk about this True Blood phenomenon that shook our pop culture to the max. At first I went into it thinking: "what is the big deal with this show?" and "why is everyone talking about it?" So I figure that there must be some awe-spiring spark-factor to this show - only to find out that there is. By exploring these all-curious questions of what this show is about, I watched the first episode, the second, and suddenly... I was hooked.

Knowing there was no turning back, I ended up going through the whole first four seasons. There are several in fact, depending on each individual person. For instance, the fact that some might like it because of the HBO-raunchiness that just oozes off the television screen; while others like it for it's strange originality and continuing plot-twists. Or perhaps the evident fact that people obsess over this show for both reasons and more.

Character development is also a huge factor of the show. I don't think I actually realized how intense and profound character development can be until I saw this show. After working my way through all four seasons, I felt as if I knew the characters so much so that I could easily assume what one character would do or say in a certain moment.  And I think that's something that is pretty amazing.

True Blood, HBO.

The show's setting within itself is pretty interesting. Set in a somewhat old-time, very small southern Louisiana-town, several fictional, mythological, and supernatural occurrences take place here, and it's all mixed up in one show. That alone is something I don't often see. Possibly because I'm someone who doesn't like anything that is even slightly scary or supernatural - but with this show it's different. The intricate character relationships and plot-twists are what really makes the show what it is, and what makes it addictive.

True Blood. HBO. 2012.

While watching this series I couldn't help but think of how the social issues in the show relate and compare to those in American society.

It may not be healthy, but it tastes pretty great.


So you got your vegan ice cream with several varieties in both brand and flavor. My favorite brand of vegan ice cream has always been by So Delicious. They have so many options, it's incredible; with various flavors and ingredients, including your choice between coconut, almond, or soy milks. So Delicious is not the only vegan ice cream brand, several others are on the rise in the market and they are incredible as well.

Moving on to simple vegan ice cream sandwiches! All I did here was take the vegan-friendly Back to Nature chocolate chuck cookies, and put some coconut mint chip vegan ice cream in between two of the mini cookies. Then added some carob chips in between.




Just for laughs, SNl/Lonely Island "Dear Sister"


Back To Nature 27168 D...$34.29 Boncui.com

Vegan Blueberry Mini Muffins

Yum!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 C. Earth Balance or oil
• 1/4 t. Salt
• 1 C. Organic, raw, or turbinado sugar - maybe even agave
• 2 C. Flour - I used whole wheat
• 1 Tbs. Baking Powder
• 1 teas. Vanilla extract
• 1/2 C. Soy, almond, coconut, or rice milk
• 2 C. Blueberries

I got the idea for this recipe from somewhere I don't remember a couple years ago...



Mix wet, mix dry - separately. Then mix them together and place in muffin trays.
Set them in the oven on 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until tops are full.
And they should come out looking like this - minus the green-tinted lighting.

This is pretty much how to make breakfast taste awesome 101. You make a banana split sundae and this is how it is done..

I thought it would be a nice idea to put together some of, what I think are, the most absolutely hilarious videos from the late night talk shows that I've seen from this past month. So, as we said in the school news video production class, "let's go check it out!"

How do I know these are funny? Because in all of these videos, I found myself laughing super hard through the whole thing - So yeah, take a minute or two to check them out!
 


Starting off with an amazing, amazing, hilarious - it really is this amazingly hilarious - video from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Downton Sixbey (2012, Fallon, NBC)



 From all the Downton fever going around (not a real fever), I realize whenever I try to write Downton "downtown" I always end up writing "downton."

With all that said and done, I think this was an explosively funny week for the always creative and always funny non-stop "giggle factory" of Late Night. Not to forget the fact that this week was "perm week", the guests were hilarious, the old-timey, jazzy 1920's flashback-radio show with Will Smith, and the latest, Housewives of Late Night (2012, Fallon, NBC), which is actually so much better than the real hour-long episodes.





Moving on to the very off-beat eccentric and versatile, yet still remaining the very on-beat versatile humor-- I'm talking about the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. There are so many hilarious moments from this show that I don't even know where to start, but that's all I can say. I mean, if you haven't seen this show, you should definitely check it out!



Overall, throughout the whole show, Craig will have you busting out laughing at the most unexpected moments.




You can see another super hilarious interview with Mila Kunis, that I talked about, here. Or you can just click here to go directly to the interview.



Another talk show I noticed getting attention was an interview David Letterman did with Brian Williams. The interview, which can be seen at Huffington Post, concerns a few important political issues, which make it worth seeing.

Well, hope this made laughs and informed because that is the point of this post. If there are any other late night-related shows/videos that you think are fully hilarious, feel free to leave a comment or a link.

Sources:
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. NBC. WXIA, New York. 2012. Television.
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Lassally, Peter. Letterman, David. CBS. Worldwide Pants. Los Angeles, California. 2012. Television.

Lazy Vegan Nachos

Here are four different and very easy nachos to make for awesome snacks. The first will be a vegan version of the "traditional" nachos.

• Tortilla chips!
• Daiya vegan-cheeze - I used 1/3 c.
• Water (half the amount of vegan-cheeze)
• Peppers: green, red, jalapenos, chili peppers, etc.
• A dash of grounded black pepper 

Melt the Vegan-cheeze in a pan with water or almond milk at half the amount of vegan cheeze used so that it will be creamy. Add in black pepper, green peppers, and any other choice of vegetables.


Oven Vegan-Cheesy Chips






















I'm sure many people have done this before, but for those who haven't, all you have to do with these is put shredded vez-cheeze over chips and slide them in the oven.

Then slide the "half-baked" vegan-cheesy chips onto a plate and done! Just don't over-bake.



Spinach Vegan-Cheesy Chips

I just added some fresh spinach into the mix. Originally, I was going to make a spinach-artichoke dip, but I figured this works easiest/laziest. Always wash off the spinach...




Avocado Nachos

If you don't have or, like myself, run out of vegan-cheeze, you can always resort to avocado nachos or a type of guacamole.

I just mashed some avocado, added some black pepper and herbs, then enjoyed with a few chips.

Avocado? Yes.