When in Rome, and the highway to the suck zone.

Jim Rome or George Plaster? uh, Jim Rome

For the first time in 5 years, I've changed the station on my radio. It's official, I'm boycotting Nashville's 104.5 the zone. Not that they care.

While there has been some major growth and improvement in the chemistry of the morning show in the last few years, the overall quality of 104.5's programming has become inconsistent. Hell, the major star of the morning show leaves an hour early, leaving an awkward 60 minutes of talk radio.

Don't get me wrong, there is talent in this market and on this station, but to me, they are stretched thin. One of the things I loved about the show was the inclusion of national programming, which was a nice balance to the local coverage. In particular, the early addition of the Jim Rome show to the daily schedule added an electric, diverse, and different take then what local programming could provide.

So, last year, when the station cut Jim Rome's live opening hour for a delayed broadcast of Dan Patrick, I was definitely disappointed. Regardless, I could see that the station was working to improve the quality of programming, so I stuck it out.

Then, last week, 104.5 announced that they would be pulling the Jim Rome show all together to make room for another local show - a 3 hour show. To make it worse, it was tough to hear that there was so much hate for the Jim Rome show, and I feel that in some way I should speak out in his defense.

Rome can indeed be a polarizing figure, but the truth is, he's created a brand and a niche that sets him apart and above other sports talk radio. While he does venture outside of sports, it's no different than Dan Patrick, in fact - it's a more precise and focused take. When he does talk sports, he's bold in his opinions and the first to admit when he's wrong. When it comes to interviews, he's by far the best. He asks thoughtful and relevant questions, as oppose to the hypothetical ramblings of his competitor, Dan Patrick.

Okay, enough of the make out session. It's okay if you don't get it, but damn 104.5, give your listener some diversity. And, I do listen to Dan Patrick, on Direct TV 101, in real time.

104.5, we need to spend some time apart. I need to see other people. It's not me, it's you. It's all you.

Brad's bad movie that's oh so good/ep. 2

So, I didn't really write anything this week, but I'm trying really hard to keep my weekly segment up.

I've been watching HBO's Big Love recently, which is great by the way. In honor of ole' Billy Paxton, this week's movie is Trespass. Featuring Bill, William Sandler, Ice T, and Ice Cube, you know, back when they were scary.

I like this movie. For those of you who have streaming Netflix, you're in luck.

Brad's bad movie that's oh so good suggestion.

Okay - I'm pretty bad with weekly segments, but I've been going back and watching some older movies from the 90's and had this idea.

Brad's bad movie that's oh so good suggestion.

Now, they are not all older and some may not be that bad. Make no mistake, though - there are no Oscar nominees here.

First up, The Perfect Getaway. To surprise my wife with a Timothy Olymphant movie, I went with this. It's also stars Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich. Don't read anything about it, just put it in. (That's what she said.)

Leave the right one alone...

I just finished reading a blog about the year's upcoming sequels and remakes. While sequels such as Wall Street 2, Iron Man 2, and Harry Potter all look great, certain remakes are questionable.

Clash Of The Titans seems reasonable - new technology, and what not. Same with The Wolfman. Jackie Earle Hailey's perfect casting of Freddie Kruger (A Nightmare On Elm Street) should be midly interesting, but I don't see any need for a remake. Remember Halloween?

I will say, a Ridley Scott/Russell Crowe Robin Hood sounds pretty badass, even though I doubt Bryan Adams and Kevin Costner would approve. Oh, and yes, I will see The A-Team.

In general however, this unoriginal Hollywood road to the big screen does leave a bad taste in my mouth. There are two remakes this year in particular that leave me especially frustrated.

First on the list, has to be The Karate Kid. There is nothing, and I mean nothing, that can be done to capture the magic of the original. Hell, that movie made my dad cry.

Let's be honest, Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita are excellent, and Johnny and the Cobra Kai are some of the best movie villains ever. Elisabeth Shoe is looking oh so cute, and the car, the station wagon - I still drive down hills and pop the clutch just because of that movie.



So how do the studios plan to top this? Jackie Chan and the son of the Fresh Prince. (Sigh) I think youtube user: demonhunter02 sums it up best - the "remake" looks like shit compared to the original.



Then there's the not so well known, not so old, remake of Let The Right One In, called (drum roll) Let Me In. Released in 2008, this Swedish adaptation of the book by the same name isn't even two years old. As soon as the first critical success came in from film festivals, the rights for the English language version was secured.

They do make subtitles - I know, I've seen it and I don't speak Swedish. I'm all for an Americanized remake of a foreign film, if they can add something to it. Oh yeah, if it's not just over a year old.

I'd suggest checking out the Swedish version before heading to the theaters for a remake. In my opinion, Sweden plays a big part in this movie.

Just a note, the less you know about it the better. This trailer doesn't really give anything away. Also, I didn't like this movie until a few days after watching it.

Can't you just see the Swedish, remaking Rambo. No offense, Sweden.

The Age Of The Instant (My favorite things from the last decade)

So, to preface - a few of things may have been invented in the 90's, but didn't become prevalent until this decade.

Here we go...

Digital Video Disk - I remember seeing you in a small little bin in the Best Buy toward the end of the last decade, but your players were $500 plus. Not to mention, only Blockbuster's in upscale neighborhoods bothered to stock a few of you. But baby, over the last ten years, you've brought the noise. So much in fact, that you're already on your way out, compliments of HDTV and Sony's Blu-Ray format.

For a while you were the man. Highest quality sound and video, more room for extras, interactive content, commentaries, and alternate ending. Plus, I could also store two of you for every one video cassette on the bookshelf. Perhaps best of all, I could now watch full TV seasons. Twas beautiful.








It used to be that One Hour Photo was the quickest way to enjoy your fun photos. Maybe you were on vacation, drunk, little Suzie's birthday, you know, whatever. 'Let's run them down to the pharmacy, I've got a few errands to run, anyway. We can just wait for them.'

Well, in the age of the instant, is there anything better than the digital camera? No more ruining the film, or being let down when the photo didn't take or turn out well… no more film, no more shoe boxes of pics. Nope, now you're only limited by the size of your hard drive. Hell, most of us have camera on our phones now.











Sticking with technology, Apple's imac and ibook G4 were definitely great ways to spend your time computing. With the base unit and swivel screen the virgin white imac worked as smooth and clean as it looked.












Also, the 14 inch ibook was a great, and in some ways superior choice to the more upscaled Powerbook. Comfortable design, nice size screen, yet still compact. The white casing helped keep it cooler then the Powerbooks, so you didn't have to worry about setting your jeans on fire.









Apple didn't stop here, in fact, perhaps their greatest contribution to technology came along in the form of the ipod, which eventually would bring about the iphone.













'All of your music in one place, one device. Can you play it in your car? Yep. At home through your stereo? Yep. And, look! This is called itunes and you can buy all of your media here and it works seamlessly with your ipod.'

As the CD heading toward the light, and record stores became graveyards, itunes gave us the feel and excitement of browsing a record store without ever leaving your house. While some thought itunes would devalue, or make the concept of an 'album' obsolete, the ability to buy singles made me feel like a kid buying 45's or cassingles. Oh yeah, key word is buy, not download for free. Way to go, Lord Jobs.

The talk of wizards such as Steve Jobs, brings me to the next stop on our list - Hogwarts. That's right, even though he made his debut before the year 2000, Harry Potter has been a big part of the last 10 years. Between the books and it's big screen counterparts, most of us have been 'bewitched' (ba dum dump), by the magical world created by JK Rowling.

If you've read the books, then you've seen the movies. If you've seen the movies, you may not have read the books. If not, then what the hell are you waiting for?

As the books grew longer and the plot thickened, the movies did there best to keep up. At this point, they assume most folks have read the books and get it. However, if you haven't, well - you've missed a lot of shit. A lot. Important characters and story lines have been completely omitted and major events have to altered to compensate.

JK Rowling's writing is brilliant. There's no wasted words and no meaningless details. Everything has purpose, and each book adds value and relevance to the others in the series.













Now, after you've finished reading all the Harry Potter books, let's talk about some television. I loved TV shows in the 80's, but I was just a kid. Although, there were some great shows back then. Now, the 90's… um, they didn't give us shit. Except for 'Friends'. Well, and 'Seinfeld' - can't forget that. However, the last decade could be considered a return to the 'golden age' of TV.

24, Alias, Lost, The Shield, Battlestar Galactica, and The Wire are all great examples of the compelling and daring storytelling that came across the tube over the past ten years. Mad Men, Big Love, the list goes on.













But, wait. How do I go back and watch these shows? Are they in syndication? No, but have you heard of Netflix? If's definitely one of my favorite contributions of this decade. Keep the discs as long as you want, no late fees. Perfect for making your way through a series.












Okay, now some folks will definitely argue this next item on the list, but let's be honest - would this decade be the same without one, Thomas Edward Brady, Jr. Winner of three Super Bowls, impregnator of super models, and just better at life then everyone else. Rumor is that he was spawned from the loins of Zeus himself. Just be thankful that Tom doesn't want to have sex with your wife or daughter. It was be like trying to stop a asteroid with a wiffle ball.










The final item on my list has to be (drum roll), Sony's Playstation 3. I remember when the PS3 came out at for a small price of $600. I thought, damn - guess I'm SOL. But, a few years later the price came down and with the combination of HD DVD/Blu-Ray Player and gaming, it became a reasonable expense. However, it's more than just those things. What it is, is a complete media center capable of all sorts of bad assery.

System updates, firmware updates, the PS Store with movies, games, and shows for easy download. Not to mention add-ons. Also, it now supports Netflix streaming.

Oh yeah, and you can play DJ Hero.