Heroes Season 2 - Heroes NBC - Heroes Spoilers

Warning - Heroes Season 2 Spoilers Ahead - Don't Read if You're Not Interested in Heroes Spoilers

Another tv show my wife and I enjoyed was Heroes. We watched the first season of NBC Heroes on HD-DVD and were hooked. In particular, the alternate future stuff was cool. And the final few storylines and the ultimate episode of season 1 were terrific. So we were really disappointed with Heroes season 2.

Until the last two or three episodes, that is. Boy, have they turned it around. Even the lame romance with Claire's new flying boyfriend has gotten interesting. The first turning point where Heroes season 2 redeemed itself was when Horn Rimmed Glasses guy killed his old partner. The second turning point was when Peter teleported himself and the Irish gal into the alternate future where 93% of the planet was dead.

And the final turning point was when we found out who Adam is.

We have high hopes for the final episode in this story arc, which is coming next Monday. I've read that it's been written to be a possible season finale, in case the writers' strike prevents the season from being completed. If next week's episode is as cool as the last three or so episodes have been, then Heroes season 2 will be worthy of its audience. But if and when they return after that, the creators need to avoid the debacle that was the first half of Heroes season 2.

Friday Night Lights Cancelled - Friday Night Lights Renewed

I read an article on a site somewhere, and I don't remember which site it was, that said that Friday Night Lights was possibly the best drama on television. We saw the 2004 movie Friday Night Lights, and we liked it okay, but even though I'm a big fan of Billy Bob Thornton, it just wasn't all that. (Certainly not the greatest sports movie ever made, which was one of the lines I'd heard to describe it.) But I figured the wife and I would give it a shot after reading such a rave review of the television series.

And here's the truth: the Friday Night Lights reviews were correct. The show is terrific. I can't think of a better television drama right now. TV has become a wasteland of cop shows, medical dramas, and reality shows. In that environment, Friday Night Lights is such a refreshing change of pace it's not even funny. The wife and I haven't even finished watching Season 1 on DVD yet, but we're hooked. We've never seen an episode as it aired on television.

And the show is about a subject with which I'm familiar. I live in a small town in Texas which loves football, and I grew up in another small town here that also loves football. And Friday Night Lights nails the source material. The show seldom rings a hollow note.

The actors and actress are authentic as they can be, and I've developed quite a crush on Connie Britton, who plays the coach's wife. (I believe she also played the coach's wife in the film version.) I noticed in the credits that they mentioned "Texas casting". Most shows with characters from Texas botch the accents and mannerisms. But not this one. These characters ARE Texans.

I've seen that phrases like Friday Night Lights cancelled and Friday Night Lights renewed are popular search terms in Google for the show. As far as I know, the viewing audience for the show is fanatical and a high income demographic. So I can't imagine that the show is doing badly enough to face cancellation. With any luck we'll see many seasons of renewals, because I love the show and don't want it to end.

Poor Richards Cafe Plano TX

The wife and I had breakfast today at Poor Richards Cafe in Plano, TX. I've meant to eat there for years but never gotten around to it until today. The restaurant is located near the intersection of Avenue K and Park in Plano, TX. Since we live in Wylie, it's only a 20 minute or so drive. I wish now that I'd eaten at Poor Richards Cafe much sooner. The food there was sublime.

Poor Richards Cafe looks small from the outside, like a tiny breakfast joint. This is deceptive, as the cafe actually has enough seating for 260 people. On a Sunday morning at 9am, one might think that a breakfast restaurant would be crowded. (Ballards here in Wylie had a 15 minute wait at this time yesterday morning.) But since they have so much seating, Poor Richards is able to seat even large parties quickly. We didn't have to wait at all.

My wife ate gingerbread pancakes, eggs, bacon, and homestyle potatoes. I had the Benedict omlet, which consist of ham, cheddar, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes, which is then smothered in a generous portion of Hollandaise sauce. Our waitress was a lovely young woman who entered our order into a Bluetooth, which instantly broadcast our order into the kitchen. Our food arrived in what seemed like moments. Everything was hot, fresh, and delicious.

Next time I eat there, which will probably be tomorrow and/or Tuesday, I'm going to try Poor Richard's eggs and their bacon cheeseburger omlet.

Turns out they have an awesome website at Poor Richards Cafe. You can learn more about the history of the cafe in their history section (turns out they were established in 1973), look over their menu, and even find their recipe for chicken soup. They're open 7 days a week from 5:30am to 2:30pm, and breakfast is available anytime. The address for Poor Richards Cafe is 2442 Avenue K, Plano, TX 75074. The phone number for Poor Richards Cafe is 972-423-1524. They do takeout, so you can call ahead and order then pick it up.

My favorite breakfast restaurant in the metroplex used to be the Mecca, but now it's Poor Richards Cafe. I recommend the restaurant to anyone. If you eat there, tell them Randy Ray sent you.

Hitman Movie Pics - Timothy Olyphant

Hitman is a movie about Agent 47, a lonely assassin who was robbed of his childhood. We saw the picture the day before Thanksgiving. (We being my wife, my son, and I.) The Hitman movie is rated R for bloody violence, nudity, and sexuality, but the violence wasn't that bloody, and the nudity was more plentiful than sexual. If you've played any of the games in the Hitman franchise, you're familiar with the premise of the bald assassin without a name. Vin Diesel was rumored to be starring in the movie for ages, but the filmmakers finally settled on Timothy Olyphant in the lead role.

We enjoyed Hitman even though it was mostly silly fluff. I like action movies, but I prefer action movies with a more intelligent plot and better dialogue. Hitman is fun, especially when scenes in the movie echo scenes from the various video games, but in many places, the dialogue falls flat. A good script doctor would have made a world of difference in this film.

The violence wasn't gratuitous. Hitman is a movie about an assassin, so violence is expected. The entire romance plot was contrived though, and the nudity was gratuitous. That might bother some people more than it bothered me. I don't mind nudity in films. In fact, I like nudity in a movie, but I prefer nudity that has more of a point. The filmmakers were trying to make a point about what a lonely and bizarre life Agent 47 had lived, but the whole subplot didn't resonate with me. Roger Ebert called the parts of the movie that examined the relationship between the Russian woman and Agent 47 "absorbing", but I've disagreed with Ebert before.

Timothy Olyphant turned in a workmanlike performance. He'd be better off finding better roles, but Hitman will probably see large audiences. And the exposure will be good for his career. I'd like to see Timothy Olyphant branch out into a romantic lead or something like that. He's a good actor with a lot of potential. His performances on Deadwood were really outstanding.

Depending on how protective you are, you might want to leave the kids at home. My son is almost thirteen. Unlike some of my friends, I'm more concerned about him viewing violence than sex on screen. Most parents get it backwards. Violence is worse than sex. On the other hand, if your son knocks the hell out of someone, you don't have to worry about helping to raise a baby.

You'll find some Hitman movie pics below. I'm going post more Hitman movie pics again later.



That's a pic of Timothy Olyphant's head from behind.



Another pic of Agent 47 from behind.



A Hitman movie poster.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles - John Hughes

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, so last night the family watched Planes, Trains and Automobiles. 1987 was a good year for a lot of things, especially if you were a teenager at the time, or if you happened to like John Hughes, Steve Martin, and John Candy. I love all of John Hughes' great movies, of which there are many, and I despise his crappy movies, of which there are also many. Planes, Trains and Automobiles is one of John Hughes' great movies.

The idea of watching Planes, Trains and Automobiles as a Thanksgiving tradition was Roger Ebert's, who gave the movie a great review. Ebert mentioned that his family watches Planes, Trains and Autombiles every Thanksgiving in one of his editions of Roger Ebert's Home Movie Companion. We had trouble finding it on DVD, but my wife finally got a used copy from eBay.

If you've never seen this movie, it's an Odd Couple type tale about two travelers, one of whom is trying to make it home in time for Thanksgiving. Steve Martin is the fussy straight man, while John Candy portrays the funny sloppy guy. Various disasters stand in the way making it home on time, many of them caused by John Candy's character. (Candy plays a shower-curtain ring salesman, but he doesn't just sell shower curtain rings. He sells the best shower-curtain rings in the world.)

Planes, Trains and Automobiles has one of the highest ratings on Rotten Tomatoes that I've ever seen at 97%. But the movie deserves its high rating, as it's a real holiday classic. Some of the music sounds hopelessly dated and 1980's, but since those were my teenage years, I don't mind a bit.

The best part of the movie for me was the look of understanding and happiness on my daughter Mary's face during the climax of the movie. I think some of the plot was over her head, but in the end, she got it.

Conan Xbox 360 - Conan 360 Video Game

This post is all about my experiences playing Conan Xbox 360. I'm going to refer to the game as Conan 360 as well as "Conan X-box 360", just for fun and variety's sake.

I've been a fan of Conan the Barbarian since I was in high school. Growing up in Bonham, Texas, life could get pretty boring sometime, and thanks to the local bookstore, I was able to escape the tedium by visiting Robert E. Howard's imaginary world of Hyboria. That's where Conan of Cimmeria walked the planet as a slayer and a reaver. (Howard was also from small town Texas.) So I was pretty happy when I saw that there was such a thing as "Conan 360".

The game, Conan Xbox 360, is fun, and it nails the feel of Robert E. Howard's Conan tales. Combat is the order of the day, and it's appropriately brutal and gory. I noticed on the cover that one of the reasons Conan was rated "M" was because of the nudity. And the game offers plenty of eye candy. The nude maidens that Conan rescues throughout the game look the same except for variations of hair and skin color. The quotes from the maidens as they were rescued were entertaining too.

Conan is voiced by Ron Perlman, who gives a fine performance as the barbarian. The score of the game fits the game too. Honestly, this video game portrays Howard's version of the barbarian's adventures better than the movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger did. And I've never seen any of the other versions of Conan, on television or otherwise. (Was a big fan of the Conan comic books though.)

My daughters even tried playing the Conan 360 game, and Maddie is playfully imitating some fo the combat moves. (She throws a right, then a left, then does a pirouette and punches with both hands, grunting at appropriate times.) She's five years old, so it's cute.

And no, I don't think she'll grow up to be a slayer, reaver, or barbarian like Conan just because I let her play Conan Xbox 360 growing up.