LET’S PUT A SMILE ON THAT FACCCCE! I finally saw the Dark Knight in a cinemaplex yesterday! I wanted to take a break and watch "The Dark Knight" a few months after its initial release in order to avoid getting drifted by "Top 10 Movie on my all time list" comments...the hype for this one was huge while all kinds of problems surrounded production the bigger of them Ledger's tragic suicide/death...

But was the hype around Ledger's performance and the praise it’s garnered thus far well deserved????
Well, yes and no! While this is probably 1 of the best movie I’ve seen in years it seemed to me that the movie was tooooooo long and actually dead after the 1st half when batman brings back to Gotham City the Chinese dude...It felt like the movie reached it's peek and then went on a downfall with twoface's emerge being the only bright spot...Heck, I though they could have made a sequel out of this piece of tape...

Ain't no hater, I love Batman, my Movies collection includes the original batman and Robin TV series from the 70's... Christian Bale is the best Bruce Wayne since Adam West (that’s the vintage s*** there). George Clooney was by far the worst. Gyllenhall was excellent, Eckhart was dynamic (and his two-face makeup was superb. it looked as though his face was blown off for real), Caine, Freeman, Oldman–all of these guys are accomplished actors. Its the like the dream team or something!!!! Oh yeah, Aaron Eckhart’s performance as Two-Face was fantastic although it will be lost behind Ledger’s Joker...
ENTER the Joker, a homicidal freak who wants nothing more than to burn down the city and break down the spirits of its residents. From the bank heist at the beginning of the flick to the hostages on the boats in the end, Joker proved to be next level psychotic. A true criminal mastermind that’s two or three steps ahead of his competition. His laugh was a murda maniacal one and his sense of humor was sick. Heath Ledger’s Joker was so brilliant that I really felt he made Jack Nicholson’s version seem like something out of a Disney Channel movie. Dude, Heath Ledger wasn’t genius, that was epic, phenomenal. Voice change, mannerisms, tics, the smacking of the lips, the eloquence, that might have been one of the best villains ever. He was scary. Just like Joker should be...
"skimmers...skimmers trying to control their little words...I'm not a skimmer, I'm trying to show the skimmers how...pathetic their attempts to control the world really are..."
The hospital scene and especially the ending is actually going down as a true all time classic....it's called great acting and it's a natural talent...Just check out how Ledger manages to deliver a true epic performance that stands miles above Jack Nickolson's Joker..Can't blame him for being furious over the production for overpassing him...

"It isn't about the money, its about sending a message" - The Joker

As for the haters?? just chill...the only thing you need to do in order to enjoy movies, whatever kind, is to forget it’s fiction...
Rule Number 2: Wanna get out right away??? Watch a movie, its cheaper than catching a Southwest flight... That’s what this movie did. I forgot about all my problems and was living in Gotham City for two and a half hours...When you forget that you’re watching actors live out a written script. That’s what this movie did. I forgot about all my problems and was living in Gotham City for two and a half hours. The flick was so well written that it was like poetry on the silver screen. The twists in the plot and the action was phenomenal. The dark humor was great. The gadgets that Batman was rocking was off the hook. Great dialogs, intelligent story. And the acting was impeccable...

All bullsh*t aside, I have to say it: “The Dark Knight” is almost a true classic. If this movie had any flaws it laid with Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal). It had nothing to do with her acting, she did her, but come on, they couldn’t cast someone attractive? Did it have to be all about the acting? But even though she’s a very good actress, bringing Katie Holmes back instead of Maggie G. would have been perfect. Especially the tougher looking sophisticated Katie Holmes of today not the sweety from Batman Begins!
Also, the ending sucks...Batman has now become the scapegoat, the Dark Knight...I guess it's not a big deal, just another prime example of how we build our heroes up only to tear them down...This movie actually makes you root for the bad guy, Joker!
Extra credit goes for a great music score and a wide range of official posters which manage to intrigue and promote a truly dark side of Batman...

Introducing my brand new movies rating, 5 hate cities means the movie was horrible, I hated it and you shouldn't be watching it while 0 hate city means I almost got nothing to hate , a masterpiece...

Hands down, only 1 Hate city...go watch it if you haven't already!

Ηρθε το φθινόπωρο...

Ήρθε το φθινόπωρο σήμερα στη Θεσσαλονίκη.
Σαν να κιτρίνισαν τα φύλλα μέσα σε ένα βράδυ και ο αέρας άρχισε να τα ρίχνει στα βρώμικα από την πρώτη βροχή καπό των αυτοκινήτων.
Ωραία είναι. Δεν είναι ωραίο το φθινόπωρο;
Εγώ αυτό βλέπω από το παράθυρό μου από τη δουλειά… Πλατάνια στην οδό Βαφοπούλου (στην οδό που βρίσκεται το Βαφοπούλειο) με κίτρινα φύλλα…

fou!

Update on Josh Childress....

I have it on good word that Josh Childress, who actually moved to Athens, Greece a few weeks ago, is at least adjusting to the food: He’s eating most of his meals at TGI Friday’s....

PARENTHESIS

Rich people in California send their kids to Stanford University, that is if they are smart and capable enough to make it out of a program designed for the best ...if not the alternative but equally prestigious destination for over spoiled teen life is USC...

END OF PARENTHESIS

Apparently, Friday's has been at the base of Josh's food pyramid since the move to Athens...Friday's is decent and all, but I expected more out of you, Josh. I was awaiting the award-winning Greece guidebook you were supposed to pen with that Stanford education, highlighting all of those secret hole-in-the-wall eateries with the best souvlaki and the cutest little coffee shops with TO DIE FOR desserts. But instead you bring me Jack Daniels chicken and mozzarella sticks? Shame on you, Josh. Shame on you....c-mon man, you r in Greece where food is supposed to be fresh and good...if you still want to stick with the fast food be my guest and check "Taste of America in Greece" by an American in Athens...

Late 20’s. Καιρός για αποφάσεις ή να περιμένω τα 30’s; ‘Έχω ακόμα μια δεκαετία!

Glad to see "fou" back with a nice piece about what exactly is inside young people's mind these days...

Έχεις τελειώσει με σπουδές. Έχεις τελειώσει από φαντάρος, αν είσαι αγόρι. Έχεις βρει μια δουλειά (μπορεί όχι την τέλεια αλλά κάτι είναι κι αυτό). Μετά;

«Πρέπει να κάνεις οικογένεια» αντηχούν στα αυτιά μας οι φωνές των μαμάδων, των μπαμπάδων, των γιαγιάδων και πάσας εκνευριστικής θείας.

Οικογένεια. «Μικροί δεν είμαστε ακόμα» θα πει κάθε αγόρι της ηλικίας αυτής και μερικά(αν όχι τα περισσότερα πλέον) κορίτσια της ίδιας ηλικίας. Και η απάντηση έρχεται σχεδόν σαν παλιά χιλιοπαιγμένη κασέτα, με την ταινία να κρέμεται φαγωμένη έξω : «Εγώ στην ηλικία σου είχα δύο παιδιά».

Τι γίνεται; Τι έχει αλλάξει τελικά και εμείς είμαστε τόσο μικροί για γάμο όταν εκείνοι στην ηλικία μας είχαν ήδη την πολυπόθητη οικογένεια; Οι σχέσεις, οι δουλειές, οι άνθρωποι; Τι;

Έχει απασχολήσει πολύ αυτό το θέμα. Έμενα η αλήθεια είναι ότι δε με απασχόλησε ποτέ μέχρι τώρα. Δεν είμαι από τα κορίτσια που ονειρεύονται το γάμο τους και ξέρουν τι νυφικό θα βάλουν και πως θα έχουν τα μαλλιά τους εκείνη, την πιο ευτυχισμένη μέρα της ζωής τους.

Η αλήθεια είναι ότι όσο περνούν τα χρόνια έχει αρχίσει να καλεί την τάξη μας. Κάθε καλοκαίρι και πιο πολλοί γάμοι. Και σιγά-σιγά αρχίζουν να παντρεύονται και κολλητοί. Εκείνοι που πίναμε προχθές ποτά και δεν τους περνούσε καν από το μυαλό να βολευτούν σε ένα δυάρι για να ξεκινήσουν και αυτοί την οικογενειακή ζωή.

Εντάξει εδώ μπαίνουν πια, πιο θεμελιώδη ερωτήματα, όπως το πώς διαλέγω κάποιον για να τον παντρευτώ. Είναι αυτός που τυχαίνει να έχω μία καλή ή κακή σχέση εκείνη την εποχή μαζί του; Είναι μήπως κάποιος που είμαι πολλά χρόνια μαζί του και παρόλο που δεν λειτουργεί η σχέση, πρέπει να κάνω το επόμενο βήμα για να τακτοποιηθώ και εγώ; Ποια είναι τα κριτήρια; Τι πρέπει να έχει ένας άνθρωπος για να τον πάρω από το χέρι να ανεβούμε τα σκαλιά του δυαριού και κατ’επέκταση της εκκλησίας, του δημαρχείου κτλ;

Και αν δεν υπάρχει κάποιος, που να πληροί τα δικά σου κριτήρια; Τι κάνεις; Φαντάζομαι διαλέγεις αυτόν που πλησιάζει περισσότερο σε αυτά. Αν δεν έχεις διάθεση να ψάξεις το τέλειο. Η το παίρνεις απόφαση και λες ότι έχεις διαφορετικές προτεραιότητες στη ζωή σου, με τη μανούλα να μαραζώνει από τον καημό της(«γιατί το δικό μου το παιδί δεν μπορεί να βρει κάποιον να φτιάξει τη ζωή του; Κλαψ!»)

Ας αφήσουμε όμως τις μαμάδες. Περνούν διάφοροι άνθρωποι από τις ζωές μας. Σχέσεις που κρατάνε, σχέσεις που διαλύονται, έρωτες, πάθη… Πως παίρνεις για κάποιον την απόφαση να κάνεις το παραπάνω μαζί του… Και αν κάποιος από αυτούς που άφησες πίσω σου ή κάποιος που δεν έχεις βρει ακόμα είναι ιδανικότερος;

Η ρομαντική άποψη είναι η εξής: «Την/τον αγαπάω και μ’αγαπάει». Σοβαρά τώρα φτάνει αυτό;

Μία πιο συμβατική άποψη είναι «Περνάω καλά μαζί του/της και μου προσφέρει κάποια από αυτά που θέλω». Συμβιβασμός η διορατικότητα;

Τι πρέπει να κάνουμε τέλος πάντων; Ας πει κάποιος καμιά ιδέα… Με ποιον το παίρνεις απόφαση; Με τον τρελό σου έρωτα; Με αυτόν που σου προσφέρει την περισσότερη ασφάλεια; Με αυτόν που έχει τα περισσότερα λεφτά (γιατί είναι και αυτό ένα κριτήριο, έτσι;);

Φτάνει με τις ερωτήσεις. Ας μιλήσω για μένα. Οι ανασφάλειες μου ήταν πάντα αυτό που με χαρακτήριζε. Και υπήρξαν άνθρωποι που τους απέκλεισα από τη ζωή μου. Άνθρωποι με τους οποίους παθιάστηκα αλλά δεν μπόρεσαν να με βοηθήσουν να ξεφύγω από τις γαμημένες ανασφάλειες μου. Και διάλεξα εκείνο που είναι πιο κοντά σε αυτό. Στη ασφάλεια. Την πιο ασφαλή λύση. Με κάνει κότα αυτό; Και τι έγινε αν δεν είμαι τρελά ερωτευμένη; Και τι έγινε αν είναι μπερδεμένα τα αισθήματα; «Άσε τους συναισθηματισμούς και τους έρωτες», μου έλεγε ένας από τους ανθρώπους που είχα δίπλα μου. « Άλλα πράγματα έχουν σημασία, να μπορούμε να συνεννοούμαστε, να καταλαβαινόμαστε».

Ποιον διαλέγεις τελικά να έχεις στη ζωή σου;

Αυτόν που αγαπάς εσύ πολύ ή αυτόν που σ’αγαπάει πολύ;

Και πιο από τα δύο σε κάνει πιο εγωιστή;

Εκτός αν είσαι τυχερός και είναι αμοιβαία τα αισθήματα, μωρό μου…

P.S . Διονύση καλή καινούρια αρχή. Είσαι πολύ τυχερός που έχεις τη ευκαιρία να κάνεις μια καινούρια αρχή, παρόλο που αυτό σημαίνει ότι άφησες κάτι πίσω.

fou

I'm out you fools! Ball till ya fall...

Party time is over and I 'm finally out of town after a long and "soul destroying" 6 month period that had really nothing to offer...Yap, that's right I moved out and I'm enjoying every single minute out of it.. And while I'll probably miss some of my friends and family in Greece and especially in Hate City it feels good that in the place I'm currently living I get appreciated by people I don't even know...All hood baby, all hood! Just going back to Cali...

Olympics came by just like that while pretty must everybody was on vacations and there was really nothing special about them except maybe Michael Phelp's phenomenal performance going 8 for 8 and Chinese gymnasts going gold while being under age...The funniest thing for me though has been the medal count! The Americans claim to be the winners with 110 total medals compared to China's 100 while those damn Chinese got almost double the gold medals compared to US (51 to 36)...So while in China, and in most parts of the world, the medal tally is calculated by the number of gold medals in US people believe that they actually won the Olympics..In my opinion this was 1 of the worst Olympics for team USA with dissapointing results in sports like boxing and track & field where they used to dominate...just check what happened to the 4*100 relay team both men and women!!!
Here’s the top 20 Olympic gymnastics falls of all time...I know I know, but I had to come up with some funny shit right??? You can't beat number 1 but number 2 is actually my favorite..

And what about Fidel Castro going public in favor of the Cuban guy that hit the referee...I got nothing against Fidel or Cuba but there is conspiracy and there is madness old guy, I guess you can hardly sererate them those days...it is called "fair play" and I'm pretty sure it's not being teached in communist countries amigo..

Thanx but no thanx, this blog isn't done yet...I'm actually working on developing a new section about pros and cons of American fast food and American cuisine in general...what is hot and what is missing...like In'N'Out baby they just don't know!!!
That's of course after playing the damn tourist and checking all sightseeing and vista point areas around the Bay Area...

My Big Fat Greek Contract!

Josh "My main man" Childress: “The NBA is great, some of the most fun four years of my life. That obviously isn’t gone. But I think this opportunity is great.”....yeah sure, I feel you hommie, can you say $$$$$$??

For all those cats outside there getting overexcited and learning to spell C-h-i-l-d-r-e-s-s let me break it down for you:

• Josh is an NBA talent, not gonna argue about it, a dynamic forward with a multitude of skills and few weaknesses...His 11.3 ppg ranked 112th in the NBA last season, putting him behind guys like Jamaal Tinsley and Ronnie Brewerat...at the end of the day he's above average at everything but outstanding at nothing..so please stop calling him Kobe, Lebron or whateva he still ain't a big time NBA player...and definitely not irreplaceable as he was replaced by Mo Evans, yes the same Evans that rocked an Olympiakos jersey 4 years ago..funny how life turns out...
• What is a fact though is that this is the most lucrative deal in Euro history!!!! It is also very important to understand that this contract is loaded with perks, from a car and a house to the team actually picking up the taxes on the contract. So, in terms of value, it might be worth a little more than $20 million, total. With NBA guys having to pay tax on their salaries, a three-year, $20 million contract is actually more like a three-year, $12-14 million deal...In the meantime, for Josh, who is reall a nice guy, this really was about an opportunity to make the kind of money he just couldn’t make here in the NBA. Sure, he’s not happy that the Hawks didn’t jump to sign him up, but Olympiacos came hard after him and made him feel wanted. And Josh understands the value of money — this is a guy who spends most of his cash on sneakers and video games, hardly bank-breaking items. Here's a great example, courtesy of SLAM Magazine 120:

  "My next purchase is probably going to be a watch with this money I saved up. Marvin Williams and I played a per diem game all season, trying to see how much money we could save. Each day we get like $98 to pay for our meals. And when you’re at hotels like the Ritz, room service breakfast is like fifty freakin’ bucks. So Marv and I tried to eat more normal meals and get out from the hotel, maybe going to nearby diners or whatever, and instead of spending $50 we’d spent like $7. For the whole season, I ended up saving $4,100. He had like $3,400. (We went on the honor system.) It made me realize that I don’t need to spend that much money. Just because it’s convenient doesn’t mean you don’t have to spend it."

• It is called poor management and Atlanta has been so familiar with it the last years...Apparently a change did occur this summer, with Billy Knight resigning, Hawks fans throwing a parade, Rick Sund being hired and poor poor Hawks fans having to witness 1 of the biggest fiasco in team sports history....This really wouldn't be happening if Atlanta took care of its business. By low-balling Josh Smith and Childress last summer, (when they had the chance to agree on an extension) the Hawks allowed themselves to saunter into July '08 with two potential crises. Both players got better over 2007-08 (shocking! good young players get better!) and Atlanta really shouldn't be in the business of losing either. Attention out there!!!!! this is the same franchise that rumor has it is considering two blockbuster sign-and-trade proposals for josh Smith...the other restricted free agent who can be considered nothing more than a cornerstone player...you have to be able to sign your franchise player if you seriously want to compete, right???? As for whenever he decides to move back, If the Hawks don't resign Childress, they won't be able to sign a major free-agent, either. If they resign Childress, they'll probably severely overpay him...deadend baby!
• If you really want to feel what I'm saying and how lame the Hawks management has been you gotta check the Hawks GM statement regarding the departure of Childress:

“We were informed this morning by Josh Childress’ representatives that he has signed with Olympiakos in Greece, and we want to wish him the absolute best with his future career in FIBA (FIBA is the governing body of international basketball competition, not the European league or clubs. Childress and Olympiakos have nothing to do with FIBA).
We have a great deal of respect for Josh and appreciate his contributions to our franchise. We were very comfortable when we began this process that if Josh were to play in the NBA, he would remain with the Hawks. This is a unique situation with Greece, and to my knowledge it is believed to be the highest contract ever awarded in Euroleague history.
We feel we presented a very fair and competitive offer to keep him in Atlanta, and we will now move forward with the options we have to improve our roster.”

• Finally a big kudos to his agents ...with an opt-out clause (not a buyout) after each year of the deal Childress can fly back home just like that...he will still be a restricted free agent for the next 2 years but I'm sure Atlanta will be able to move him easily (with a sign trade the most likely scenario) since he is already screwing their cap...AGAIN: If the Hawks had overpaid Childress with, say, an $8 million annual contract, they would be able to go get a $12 million player in free agency next year ... and they'd have Childress's production! Instead, nothing and nothing. Good work, Sund!
• Josh, I love you man, but you really can't go out and pull those silly comments....“I’m excited about playing for Olympiacos this upcoming season. They are a great organization and Athens is a great city. It will be an adjustment, but I’m thrilled about this opportunity.” Wow, is Athens really that great or r you missing something homie???? I guess you ll be spending all your time in those nice places, right????

(A big thanx goes out to Cat for the video)

Question of the day: Seriously,what is going on with the music in mostly all of the beach bars around Chalkidiki and deucebags getting a groove with it????? Why do they keep throwing a mix of house-acid-punk-greek rock-with a J-Lo fake mixtape?????

And whatever happened to those songs???

Old school funky French rap baby!!!!! yeahhhh, you got schooled!

PEOPLE ARE DISGUSTING...SERIOUSLY

During the last 24 hours I've experienced the following somehow shocking moments of truth:

• An Italian friend considering himself an artist and working in the field of theater as an actor, director, producer and scene-painter among others told me in the midst of a discussion we had: "Of course I don't like to work, that's why I became an artist..."
  
• Another friend, this time a Greek doctor, was telling us how he ignored skipped a call from a family friend on a Sunday claiming how "Ain't no human too? Can't I enjoy a day at Chalkidiki without being bothered????" Somebody should probably remind him of the oath he gave right? Didn't think so in a society where we treat doctors as the closest to god and where malpractice law has yet to appear...
  
• Dinner yesterday was at a famous fish tavern around Thessaloniki where we were urged by the owner to have swordfish among others...I have to admit that the pick was awfully delicious, what I didn't know and was revealed to us afterwards was that the meze was the outcome of illegally fished baby swordfishes..More info here...Speechless I considered myself for the rest of the night....

Shaq definitely made sure to back my column the other day by delivering a massive freestyle beatdown of Kobe at a club...

Check this stretch of lyrics…:
"Last week, Kobe couldn't do it without me...
Now that’s the difference between first and last place....
I’m a horse, Kobe ratted me out,
that’s why I’m getting divorced.
He said, Shaq gave a bitch a mil.
I don’t do that, ‘cause my name’s Shaquille.
I love ‘em, I don’t leave ‘em.
I got a vasectomy, now I can’t breed ‘em.
Kobe how my a*s taste?
Everybody, Kobe how my a*s taste?
Yeah, you couldn’t do without me.
Kobe, you can’t do without me.
Kobe, you can’t do without me"

Yeah, nothing personal there at all, right???