Ballers Is Back

I caught the first episode of the third season of Ballers over the weekend.

I'm sure I've written about it before. Dwayne Johnson is the main star. He plays a retired American footballer who, in his retirement, is now running a sports agency. It's all about the dramas that sort of profession encounters.

To be honest with you, I watched it only because it's about the business of American football and stars The Rock. They were the only reasons I stuck with it.

Anyway, this season looks interesting. You know why? Steve Guttenberg is in it.

Guttenberg was one of my favourite actors when I was a child. Yeah, I've written all about my love for the Police Academy series in the past (in this post and this post).

So, I'm now only sticking with the series because of The Rock and Steve Guttenberg.

Rowling Was Wrong About Trump Yet Didn't Retract Her Statement

I don't usually get into politics on this blog, but there's something from this weekend that I've found quite annoying.

What happened was this - JK Rowling used her platform on Twitter to blast US President, Donald Trump, for walking past a young boy in a wheelchair and ignoring the child's plea for a handshake as he was about to do a speech.

I wouldn't have had a problem with Rowling doing that if there was any truth to it. You see, the clip she must have seen was edited and it did not show Trump walk up to the child and talk to the youngster.

She used social media to go on a tirade about Trump.

Okay, fair enough, the author was incorrect.

However - shouldn't she have the decency to correct herself and say that she was wrong?

That's the problem with some celebrities. I said it during the referendum last year, they should stay out of politics because no good will come of it.

Also, I am sure no good will come out of me defending Mr Trump. In this case, I have to be on his side. This camera didn't lie.

He DID speak to the child and DID shake his hand.

The author should have correct herself as soon as it was clear she got it wrong.

In my world, if a person cannot admit they've made a mistake - when it's blatantly obvious that they have - then they lose their credibility.

Last Show At The Joe

WWE visits Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan for the last time tonight and - to commemorate the occasion the company has produced exclusive Brock Lesnar shirts for the show.

It looks cool, if I say so myself.

Lesnar will go up against Samoa Joe in one of the bouts on the card.

Tonight's event will be the last thing to be held at the world famous arena. The building is due to be demolished as Detroit is getting a new arena elsewhere.

Ready For Football

I've been preparing for the upcoming NFL season.

However, I don't think I am as ready for it as I usually would be around this time.

I don't know why this is. I just haven't got the high anticipation. Yet.

And trust me - it really is yet.

As soon as the season is upon us, I guarantee I'll be enthralled and following all the twists and turns that ALWAYS happens.

I've ordered all of the magazines I like to buy in the build up to the new season. That's ticked off. Now all I have to do is worry about setting up a new Game Pass subscription for the year. The current one expires at the end of this month, so I have to get a new one sorted next week.

The Original Kong

My nephew has been fascinated with King Kong since the release of Kong: Skull Island. It led me to introducing him to the original movie from 1933.

I had purchased the original King Kong movie in a special set that's exclusive to HMV. The set contains a DVD, Blu-ray and a digital download of the movie as well as a booklet.

I've yet to read the booklet, but we sat down and watched the film on Tuesday afternoon.

To be fair - I thought he would find the black-and-white and dated special effects a letdown, but he did sit through it and found the movie enjoyable.

After watching it, I explained that the original was made in the thirties. Before his grandparents were born. I then told him about the 1970s remake.

The next plan was to purchase a copy of that version of the film. As luck would have it, I found out that it's on television this afternoon when I was leafing through the TV guide yesterday. The cable box is ready to record it.

I'm unsure whether to let him watch the 2005 version of the movie. It was a drag, if I say so myself. Plus, I had a nightmare after watching it! My dream was not about the giant gorilla, though. I dreamt that I was being chased by the islanders who had their eyelids sewn together.

It has been eleven years since this dream, but I still haven't forgotten about it.

Best. Pizza Box. Ever.

This has to be the best pizza box ever.

Pizza Hut is currently promoting the new Spider-Man movie, so the boxes have a picture of Spidey on the top.

It is the best box that I've ever came across. Without a doubt.

Creed II Notes

Check this out..

This is something Sylvester Stallone posted on Instagram the other day.

It's a pad filled with notes for the sequel to Creed. The actor/director wrote that it consists of 439 handwritten pages that would translate into around about 120 typed pages.

He appears to be working on Creed II, but that's not all.

Look at one of the hashtags on the image (if you can't see it properly, click on the image). Notice the '#drago'?

I guess he's hinting that Dolph Lundgren could be reprising his Rocky IV role as Ivan Drago in this movie. It would work considering Drago is the boxer that killed the Apollo Creed in Rocky IV. The current franchise - Creed - is based on Apollo's son, Adonis, pursuing a career in boxing.

Would be interesting to see if the script has Ivan Drago's son as the main villain.

I'm getting ahead of myself, though. The movie is evidently in the early planning stages and won't be with us for years.

A-Team Back On In The UK

I noticed that Spike TV over here in the UK has started to air episode of The A-Team.

The show brings back some fond memories. I have watched a couple of them, but they're on when I'm sorting dinner out and usually forget about to watch.

I did manage to see the first-ever episode. It was interesting to see that a different actor played Dirk Benedict's role of 'Faceman'. It was something that I never knew until the other day.

I'm hoping to find myself watching the episode that Hulk Hogan appeared in. Unless I watched that particular episode when I was a child and have forgotten about it, I have never seen it.

I loved this programme. Had all the toys, a t-shirt among other things. I also remember buying a cereal that I had no intention of eating (Shredded Wheat?) only to get the mini comic that was inside.

Up To Date

I'm finally back up to date with New Japan's G1 Climax.

I missed a few days when I was unable to use the Internet properly. so spent Friday to yesterday catching up with the three shows I missed in my absence.

Today's show is on as I type this. I'm watching it live, so - yeah - absolutely back up to date!

Appetite For Destruction At 30

My favourite rock album turned thirty years old yesterday. I wish I had known before publishing yesterday's post, because I would have dedicated the post to it.

The album is Guns 'N Roses' Appetite For Destruction.

I first must have came across it in 1988. This would have been the second summer I spent with my relatives on an American air force base in Germany. I would sleep on the floor of my cousin's bedroom and he would play the album before bed.

It took me a few nights, but - by the end of the holiday - I loved having it play as I lay there in that room.

Even as I type this now, I wish I could relive those visits. I loved the two summers I spent over there. Whenever I listen to the album, memories of the final visit to Germany flood back.

I didn't immediately buy the cassette when I returned home. I remember buying it with my Christmas money - or gift vouchers -  in late '88 or the New Year of '89. I still have the cassette and I even upgraded to a CD back when I had my first CD player.

It's just gone midnight as I'm writing this. As soon as I finish, I'm going to listen to the album as I try and get myself to sleep.

Back

I'm finally back online properly.

A new modem was sent to me today and - fingers crossed - I'm all back to normal.

I don't know how much I spent on mobile Internet the past two days. It was more than I liked, that's for sure.

It has just gone 6pm BST as I type this and now I have one thing on the top of my 'To Do' list and this is to catch the two nights (or mornings!) of the G1 Clumax.

Need to be up to date by tomorrow.

Hotspot

My modem broke on Tuesday night.

I'm currently on the iPhone's WIFI personal hotspot typing this post up because I won't be able to come online properly until my ISP has sent out a new modem/router.

Typically, it chose one of the worst weeks of the year to go down. In fact, it picked a day when there was a lot of wrestling news what with Shane McMahon being a passenger on a helicopter that had to make a crash landing yesterday and also the talk that Brock Lesnar is eyeing a return to the UFC.

I had better get off this hotspot. Back tomorrow... I hope.

Stan Lee Honoured Outside The TCL Chinese Theater

I found myself watching an American new channel yesterday evening. The reason, to start off with, was because I saw that there was a live police chase going on. I clicked on the link, but the chase had ended. The news then cut away to Hollywood where they were honouring Stan Lee outside the TCL Chinese Theater.

Stan Lee gives a speech outside the TCL Chinese Theater

Lee, who created so many of Marvel's iconic characters, deserved it. There's no doubt in my mind. The guy is a legend. It was cool that I was able to see the ceremony live.

Stan Lee placing his hands in cement at the Chinese Theater

Robocop Was 30 Yesterday

It was interesting to find out that the movie, Robocop, was thirty years old yesterday.

The film was one of my favourites back in the day.

I read the novel that was adapted from the screenplay back when it first came out. I was too young to go to a cinema and watch it, but I did manage to see it when it was released on VHS years later.

Then - when I had Sky TV - I recorded it and must have worn that tape out. One of my memories of the first few months of high school is watching Robocop while eating my breakfast as I prepared to head out to school.

I wrote all about it in 2009 after purchasing the film on DVD. I haven't watched the movie in the eight years since publishing that post, but I did find myself on YouTube viewing a documentary about the movie not so long ago.

One thing I also haven't done is watch the remake. I don't even know if I want to anymore. The original is good enough.

Side Note - There was a Robocop question on The Chase yesterday. Perfect timing!

The Female Doctor

I was in the dining room talking to my nephew yesterday when I heard the rest of the family discussing the new Dr. Who.

The Wimbledon final had just finished and the BBC had just did a teaser showing that it was a female.

I wasn't surprised. I read an article a few weeks ago that mentioned Jodie Whittaker's betting odds to be the next doctor had fallen, so I figured it was close to cert. Still, I guess it wasn't a sure thing until the announcement.

The first thing I thought when eavesdropping was 'I bet Twitter will be in meltdown right now' as I anticipated a lot of negative comments about the doctor having a new gender.

I took a look through a few comments. The majority of tweets were coming from people going on about how people were laughing at the people who may have been upset at Whittaker getting the role. The only problem - I didn't see ANYTHING negative about the casting. It was all positive where I was browsing.

Not that I went out of my way to find it. I looked for a few minutes and came across nothing but praise for the decision.

As for me? I have absolutely no issue with it. The only issue I have is being unable to find a person with an issue over it!

The G1 Climax Is Almost Here

It's almost here.

New Japan Pro Wrestling's G1 Climax 27 begins early tomorrow morning.

The tournament will take place across the next month and will conclude on August 13th. I'll try and catch it live every morning that it's on. However, I doubt I'll watch the first event as it begins at 7am BST. I can easily watch it on demand a couple of hours after it has finished.

From there, the majority of dates are at 10:30AM my time with the main tournament matches beginning around lunchtime. It's doable.

Hell, I know it's doable because I've been able to stick to the schedule for the previous two tournaments.

As for who I think will win - my guess is it'll be Tetsuya Naito. I'm sure he was my pick last year, but he lost in the finals.

The Scratch Card Decision

If you read Thursday's post, you're more than likely aware that I have won twelve pounds on National Lottery scratch cards after starting off with a £1 purchase.

I closed the post noting that I was £11 up and was contemplating buying twelve more cards just to see how things pan out. However, I wasn't sure if I would go that route.

Well, I've decided to do just that.

Not yet, though.

I'm going to leave it a week or so and then return to the very same shop and buy the twelve cards.

I guess that's a plan. Not sure if it's a good one, though.

WWE Once Again Revising Its History

I see WWE is back to revising its own history.

The Mae Young Classic - a tournament pitting female wrestlers from all over the world - began its taping last night. In said tapings, the company apparently debuted its first-ever female referee. You know, because it's progressive in the 21st Century, right?

The only problem - there was a female ref in the 1980s.

I've seen people like Dwayne Johnson defend this on Twitter with the point that the new lady referee is a first-ever full-time female ref.

Okay.

Rita Chatterton worked for the World Wrestling Federation from 1985 to 1986. She appeared on a Geraldo Rivera show sometime after that alleging that WWF/E owner, Vince McMahon, sexually assaulted her. This resulted in McMahon taking Rivera to court over the recording.

Scratchin'

A few weeks ago, I was buying the papers and thought I'd treat myself to a National Lottery scratch card.

I brought it home, scratched the card and won £2.

From there, I decided that - on my next visit to the same shop - I'd claim my prize but, instead of cashing in for money, I'd purchase another two cards with the winnings.

I did that. I won £10 on the second card I scratched.

I spent the past few weeks wondering whether to go all-in and buy ten cards the next time. The reasonable part of me was telling me to quit while I was ahead, but the blogger in me knew it would make for an interesting story.

Look what won the battle...

I have just began to scratch away...

Card #1 - £1.00

Card #2 - Nothing

Card #3 - £10.00 

Card #4 - Nothing

Card #5 - Nothing

Card #6 - Nothing

Card #7 - Nothing

Card #8 - £1.00

Card #9 - Nothing

Card #10 - Nothing

I'm now £11 in profit. Here begins the inner turmoil - do I quit while I'm ahead or buy another twelve cards?

More About Gotham Season 3

Remember last week when I wrote about becoming fed up waiting for Channel 5 to get around to airing the third season of Gotham and taking matters into my own hands and streaming all twenty-plus episodes online?

Well.. it looks like the DVD/Blu-ray will be hitting shelves before Channel 5 gets around to airing at least the first few eps.

The DVD/Blu-ray box set is scheduled for release in this country on August 28th.

It makes Channel 5's purchase of the third season somewhat redundant, doesn't it?

Take A Look At Amazon UK's Listing - It States August 28th

Marvel Netflix Marathon

After buying a Netflix account to watch GLOW, I've moved onto a new mission of sorts.

I want to get through all of the Marvel series' before my subscription expires.

I'm currently on the first season of Daredevil. From there, I'll watch the other shows like Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage in the order that they were released.

There's a second season of Daredevil sandwiched somewhere in-between these shows, so I'll get to it soon. I am enjoying season one and looking forward to the second as I am aware one of my favourite Marvel characters of all time - The Punisher - is in it.

Which leads me on to the future. The Punisher is getting his own show in the autumn. I am 100% watching that!

Oh, and there's a crossover series where most of the Netflix Marvel heroes - and heroine! - are together. This is coming up soon which means I have to get this marathon sorted as soon as I can.

When Irish Eyes Are Rolling

Faux pas of the day goes to the Irish Herald for its back page story concerning Romelu Lukaku, who signed for Manchester United over the weekend.

The sports headline reads 'Lukaku Is Ready For Work' and goes on to detail how the player is hopeful that he can replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic at United.

One problem.

They used a picture of British rap artist, Stormzy instead of Lukaku!

Whoops would be a huge understatement.

I Forgot To Publish A Post. So, Here Goes..

It has just gone 1pm and I have just realised that I haven't published a post here today!

I had an idea that I wanted to write about yesterday. I thought to myself that I would wait until this morning to write about it, but have totally forgotten to do it.

Unfortunately, I have no time to do this today. Therefore, I'll have to get to it sometime next week. It isn't a big thing, so it isn't even worth the wait!

Bradley Lowery

I was very sorry to read that Bradley Lowery passed away yesterday after a battle with cancer.

Bradley was the young Sunderland fan who the club had a mascot and struck up a friendship with Jermain Defoe.

Just seeing how Defoe and the youngster bonded was special and I can't help but think the club and player are heroes for what they did to the child and his family.

It wasn't just Sunderland, though.

Bradley was taken in by many football clubs and even the England national team. They all went out of their way to make memories for the Lowerys.

Summer Screech

The summer nights have forced me to sleep with the window open. It's not abnormal for me to do this every time the season rolls around. I like laying there in the early hours hearing the birds chirping away to start off the day. I find it kind of soothing.

I've probably experienced this sound since I was a child, but only started noticing it the last fifteen years or so. I'm on record saying that I am not a huge fan of the summer as I'm an autumn kind of guy, but I admit, I like the summer sounds at that time of the morning.

BUT.

You knew there was a but coming, right?

This year, I've been waking up to the noisiest bird ever. It's squawking every single morning and is ruining the sounds of the other chirps.

The bird, or whatever it is, makes a screeching sound that reminds me of the opening to the theme from Hitchcock's Psycho.

It could be worse, I guess..

(As I was about to hit 'Publish' I heard the bird again!)

Grotbags Dies

There's somebody at the door, there's somebody at the door.

Not just any door.

I found out earlier this morning that Carol Lee Scott has passed away. Scott is most famous for playing the character of Grotbags on television shows that featured Rod Hull and his puppet, Emu.

Being born in the late 70s, I grew up watching the shows that starred Grotbags as the antagonist to Rod Hull and Emu.

To say that I was scared of Grotbags when I was kid would be an understatement. She frightened the hell out of me. 

Pantomime comes around once a year. However, when the kids were treated to a villain like Grotbags, they had the opportunity to boo a baddie more frequently.

That's what I'll take from my memories of Grotbags. She was television panto at its very best. 

Today's news makes me glad I was at the right age to experience Grotbags properly. Had I been just a little bit older, I probably wouldn't have been as fearful of her as I was.

Yesterday's Hot Dog Contest

For the past few years, I've been aware of the hot dog eating contest that takes place in the USA. I've heard all about the champ - Joey Chestnut - so decided to check it all out yesterday.

I watched the contest. All I can think of are three words.

Only. In. America.

ESPN ran the thing like it was a proper sporting event with stats and commentators calling the action.

Chestnut won once again. This time he ate seventy-two hot dogs. In ten minutes.

Yes, you read that right. In TEN MINUTES!

I struggle eating ONE, so cannot imagine how the competitors felt trying their best to eat the most in ten minutes. 

Crazy stuff.

Gotham Season 3 Update From Channel 5

If you read yesterday's post, you'll be aware that I had been on the Channel 5 website to see whether it had any information about Gotham season 3.

I decided to email customer service and have just had this reply.

'We can confirm that we have the broadcast rights to season 3 but no transmission dates at present.'

Not that it matters much to me as I have watched the season, but thought it was worth throwing this out there for anybody still waiting.

It's looking like the UK will be at least a year - if not longer - behind the States at this rate.

I've Watched Season 3 Of Gotham

I gave up waiting for Channel 5 to get around to airing season three of Gotham and managed to find a way to watch all twenty-two episodes.

It took about ten days or so to get through them all. I had a mega binge yesterday. I can't recall how many episodes I watched, but - trust me - it was a lot.

The series began on Five a few years ago. They were, at first, a few weeks behind the US. Then - for season two - it started in January over here after kicking off in the autumn overseas.

I had been keeping a close eye on the TV listings since January to see if the latest season would show up. Alas, my wait was in vain. Figuring that it was June and the US will have season four soon enough, I decided to watch it online.

In my opinion, this was the best season of the three. I wasn't too keen on the middle one, but - in hindsight - it did set up a lot for the third.

I'm now a year ahead of Channel 5. so will have to find ways to watch season four when it launches in the autumn.

Here's something funny..

On Channel 5's customer help page, of all the images behind the search bar it's of Gotham.

Avoiding G1 Special Results

It's one of those days where I'm avoiding the Internet.

Well - avoiding the pro wrestling area of the Internet.

It was night one of New Japan Pro Wrestling's G1 Special from California at 1am BST this morning. I was going to watch the first hour or so on New Japan World. The event aired live on US TV and I couldn't help but sense that, for some reason, the UK would be blacked out by the streaming service because America was unable to watch over the Internet because AXS TV had the immediate broadcast rights.

I didn't want to wait up and find out my concerns were correct, so decided I would watch on demand this morning.

That's what I'm doing as I write this. Interestingly, it's the US TV edition. I get to listen to Jim Ross calling NJPW.

Night two is tonight at 1am. It isn't live on US TV, so I don't have to worry about blackouts.

Thoughts After Watching All Eyez On Me

The Tupac Shakur biopic, All Eyez On Me, came out in cinemas this week.

I thought it was okay. I knew most of the story before I watched it. There were parts I did have a problem with and it affected my overall opinion.

There was a scene in it where 2Pac was on stage performing Hail Mary at the House of Blues and I thought to myself 'wait there, Hail Mary wasn't released until after he died'. Of course, he could have still sang it at the venue because the performance was around the time he was working on the Makaveli album the song appears in. I ended up reasoning with myself that he did sing it at the show. However, I checked when I got back online, and he did not sing that song on that night.

When something minor like that uses artistic licence, I begin to question some of the other things in the movie. That's why I have to give it an 'it was okay'.

The casting was great, though. The actor who played Biggie Smalls (AKA The Notorious B.I.G.) in Notorious returned for this movie. The guy who plays 2Pac in it looks so much like him. I wrote about him in December of 2015 when I first became aware of the movie. He certainly looked and acted the part.