Category: Musings

Oh Hey, This Is Still A Thing…

I wanted to wait on this for a couple days before dropping it; the last piece of business that will be published as I make my way back home…

But yes, the Khan audio program – a thing that was teased back in the last decade when new Trek was on the verge of being unleashed – is finally premiering in September. And it’s giving old Trek veterans like Tim Russ and George Takei some work… yes, this is a Khan thing that they somehow turned into further adventures of Captain Sulu. What a world.

To be honest, this is the thing that intrigues me the most. Not because I’m anxious to learn more about Khan and how we’re going to butcher this character even further (despite the involvement of Star Trek II director Nicholas Meyer), but I’m fascinated to see how well this performs and if it will lead to other similar projects. For all the talk about wanting to produce more legacy Trek content, I’m surprised that the thought never occurred to follow the same road as Doctor Who; pivot to audio dramas. I’d imagine it would be more cost-effective (only hire actors to speak in a booth and have some bits of music and sound here and there) and you’d be able to tell stories that wouldn’t be bound by whatever broadcast restrictions or limitations are imposed.

Star Trek isn’t about the special effects. It’s about the stories… and sometimes, the science helps too. You don’t need TV to tell good stories, just good performers and a good script.

Hopefully KHAN gets the ball rolling on that.

On The 31st Day… I Continue To NOT Watch Section 31

It is July 31st of the year 2025 and I am following the 31st Rule Of Acquisition, which is to never make fun of a Ferengi’s mother. And why would I do that? She gave me good financial advice, such as not wasting money on a subscription service like Paramount Plus so that I can continue to NOT watch the Section 31 streaming motion picture starring Academy Award Winner Michelle Yeoh.

Though, to be honest, I didn’t need Ferengi to follow that advice. I was heeding that just fine beforehand. Still, I thanked her for the advice and the tube grubs.

Oh Wait… Never Mind…

Could you have at least waited for Season 3 to end before you teased the next one?

Also, you only have a dozen-ish episodes left and you’re wasting one of them on a MUPPET SHOW?

At least Stargate used Supermarionation for their puppets. At least THAT was different… and also well done, but it was just a bit. Maybe this is just a bit… I’m hoping it’s a bit…

Starfleet Academy Trailer… Meh

The next great Star Trek series to take place in the 32nd century, featuring a ragtag crew of Starfleet cadets who will no doubt experience conflict among each other, fight in the shadows to preserve the light, and presumably find a way to defeat Pau Giamatti’s alien villain from unleashing some sort of superweapon thing… that’s the general plot, right?

I like the Klingon hybrid… I like that Robert Picardo still has work… I like that the Jem’Hadar have infiltrated Starfleet… I’m not feeling Holly Hunter’s narration, but that could also be because this wallpaper music is so loud and overpowering that it just… eh.

Honestly not really feeling this one… it doesn’t look bad or anything, but it just feels like generic sci-fi schlock… which, I guess, could be the same argument made for any Star Trek series made that isn’t coasting on nostalgia.

Starfleet Academy airs in 2026. I’ll be holding off for the next season of Strange New Worlds in the meantime unless the next trailer really blows my socks off.

Neglected Waterfront Architecture

While clearing away some old e-mails, I came across a question from someone who used the question box gimmick on the blog, back when that was a thing. For those who don’t know, I used to do an audio thing called the DTM-Cast and every so often, I pull out a few questions that would be submitted via this gimmick. I may revive the thing if there’s interest, but otherwise, it really doesn’t matter.

So this person asks if I still watch Billy Corgan’s NWA program, to which my answer would be no. For those who don’t know, Smashing Pumpkin frontman William Patrick “Billy” Corgan had acquired the National Wrestling Alliance a few years back after a failed attempt to acquire TNA. He gave the promotion a reboot that featured a throwback to the glory days of the old NWA shows, but with more modern stars. The first year or so showed some problem and was the launching pad for a lot of names you might know today.

And then COVID happened and things got derailed.

Nowadays, NWA has a show on the CW app that you can watch… and that’s why I’m not watching the show… but even the few clips I’ve seen them post on Youtube hasn’t really inspired me to follow the promotion. Even before that one PPV with the James Mitchell bit – if you don’t know, here’s some musings to kinda bring you up to speed – the show had lost a bit of its luster. Going from Nick Aldus to the former Brodus Clay as your reigning World Champion soured things (not necessarily due to politics, but mostly because the Brodus Clay of the 2020s was nowhere near as good as the Brodus Clay of the 2010s… and he wasn’t even all that great in the first place!) The matches nowhere being as good, lots of unknowns, other things… eh, it was a show that I enjoyed when it started, but eventually went in directions that soured me on the product.

It’s worth noting that since that one PPV, the NWA has never held another PPV event. While they still do things like Crockett Cupp or the NWA Anniversary Shows, those end up airing as episodes of their main show, Powerrrrrrr. And since those are on the CW App… well, zero chance of me watching, is there?

(Apparently, they’re also on Twitter, but fuck off if you think I’m spending time on Twitter looking for whatever version of NWA exists now.)

So… I guess what I’m saying is… the answer is no.

Later.

Hulk Hogan

Anyone who knows me or has frequented this blog knows that I was never a Hulkamaniac. Seldom few times where I was a fan of his act and his exploits both backstage and outside the ring have tainted my views on the man as time went on. Hell, you could probably argue that Terry Bollea is one of the few people on this earth that I’ve grown to hate over the years through reputation alone.

And yet here I am writing some sort of tribute post… go figure.

It’s no secret that he’s had his share of controversy and it’s no secret that he hasn’t been seen or greeted in the best of lights… and yet no matter what you thought of the man or his beliefs, you cannot deny that he played a MAJOR role in bringing professional wrestling and the idea of sports entertainment to heights that the business had not seen before. Anyone who was around in the 80s knew the name Hulk Hogan, regardless of whether they watched wrestling or not. You knew who he was and nine times out of ten, he was the first guy that came to mind when someone thinks of the word “wrestler.”

Yes, the man has had his demons. Yes, he has done some pretty shady and shitty things. Yes, he has said some things that goes against common sense and decency… but he was also a man who was adored by millions. No one can deny the impact that he’s had on this business. To some people, he was the scummiest man on earth. To others, he was a superhero on the same level as other big 80s stars. Others will perceive him as a good family man or best friend. All of these are equally valid. And for anyone to celebrate his passing because he did or said a few things he didn’t agree with… man, I don’t know what to tell you other than… that doesn’t work for me, brother.

That’s all I have to say. My thoughts and prayers to his family and friends.

RIP Hulkster.

Crabby…

Empty space because I have nothing of note to say at the moment… I have some time off and some of it is being considered on an extended out of town trip where I will be as far away from people as possible… okay, that’s a lie. I’ll likely be in a hotel room in a crowded city that’s riddled with construction cones and closed off roads… but at least everyone will speak proper English.

For what it’s worth, I’ve been doing… well enough. I’ve done my injections for the Crohn’s and I’m supposed to set up a time for a scan somewhere down the line.  For now, it’s been relatively quiet. I’ve been relatively healthy. And I haven’t killed anyone… on purpose or otherwise.

Should I let that hang or do I put a disclaimer in the event people think I’m being serious about that last bit? It’s the Twitter age; everyone’s a goddamned moron by choice… I’d use stronger wording, but I’m trying to be nice here.

In any event, I’ve been getting some stuff ready for future video fodder. Mostly in the bang some shit off the bucket list because that’s mostly done. There’s also some stuff being prepped for the future and there’s quite a bit of holes I need to fill beforehand. So let’s just say that there’s stuff being worked on.

I do want to do a live show before I leave… should I leave… I’m still on the fence on that.

Atari To Release Pac-Man… Again

“Hey, Atari! When are you guys releasing a new Atari 5200+?”

“Did you say new 2600+? Here’s a new 2600+ with PAC-MAN!”

“Aw hell nah.”

Yes, they’re putting out another 2600+… but it comes in a Pac-Man color scheme and also includes a new 7800 port of Pac-Man… that also includes the original 2600 port of Pac-Man that everyone hates.

On the flip side, however, they’re also re-releasing the 7800 versions of Galaga, Dig Dug, and Xevious, so if you’re looking to fill those gaps in the 7800 collection, you’ve got a more convenient way of doing it… no love for Pole Position, though. I’m kind of shocked at that since the pack-in title for the 7800 was Pole Position II.

Maybe they’re saving that for the 7800+ recolor.

Goldberg’s Retirement Speech

So, for those who missed it, Goldberg had his retirement match at Saturday Night’s Main Event last weekend; a losing effort against World Champion GUNTHER. And then as he was giving his retirement speech, the show went off the air. WWE eventually posted the entire speech on Youtube.

Some folks (including Goldberg) assumed that the timing was a rib on Goldberg and the whole thing was due to whatever heat was left over between he and HHH over shit from two decades ago, when the reality could have been that NBC was dead set on ending the show at a certain time and the show ended when it did. It’s no different from when Sting had his retirement match at an AEW PPV last year and only had ten seconds of PPV time to cut a speech that was eventually posted online afterwards. Sometimes, it’s just bad timing.

Could they have timed it better? Of course they could have… and had it been the other guy in charge, I could absolutely believe this whole thing to be a complete rib… but in this case, I’ll give WWE the benefit of the doubt. This was out of their hands. I blame the peacock. Direct your spears towards NBC, Bill.

Still, for someone like Goldberg to be salty about how their retirement match turned out? I don’t know, man. I’ve seen others have last matches that turned out far worse than what you got. Kurt Angle wishes he could redo his last match. Ric Flair wishes he could have ten more last matches. With all the hype and hooplah over Goldberg’s last match… I personally didn’t care much, but someone must have cared enough to push for this to be treated as a bigger deal for a guy who was known for his time OUTSIDE WWE.

Don’t worry about that. Just go to the theater and watch Superdog.

No, Seriously, Superman Is Good…

No full review or anything like that. No deep dive… if I feel like it, we’ll do one towards the end of the year… but I will say this much. It’s nice to have a Superman movie that isn’t ashamed of being a Superman movie. It’s nice to see a comic book movie embrace the absurdity of the universe it’s establishing. It’s nice to see a movie that isn’t five hours long.

Does it have issues? Sure, there are some emotional bits that are undercut by a stray joke here and there. You could make the argument that they may have crammed in too much, but I thought they did a fine job of balancing everything out. You’ve got a good Superman, you’ve got a good Luthor, the side characters have their moments… and then there’s the dog.

The dog is the best part of the movie.

No doubt it’ll be the best part of [REDACTED.]

So, yes, Superman is good.