The Critic

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Sep 14, 2007 -> 04:00 PM) Hit it tomorrow, Thome. I'm taking the kids and they'd love it. They won't be disappointed by the timing of it?

http://ricflairfinance.com/ WHOOOOOO!!!!! We can handle your Figure 4-closure!!!! WHOOOOOO!!!!!

QUOTE(Bighurt52235 @ Sep 14, 2007 -> 06:33 AM) I havent been to Soxtalk in a VERY long time. I see that cussing is no longer allowed. Apologies. No need to apologize, b****. You can cuss all you motherf***ing want to, the s***ty-ass f***ing filter will just edit the god damn cuss words out. f*** it. Apparently, "damn" is ok, even in conjunction with god.

QUOTE(longshot7 @ Sep 13, 2007 -> 11:47 AM) It just goes to show that it does matter which wrestling news sites you read. I still can't believe people read some of the one on here that they do. LoP is a very accurate site for news, IMO. The columns can be a bit goofy and the message boards are laughable (which ones aren't? ), but the news they report is pretty much on the money. ....plus it's free....

QUOTE(longshot7 @ Sep 12, 2007 -> 12:52 PM) Dave Scherer of PwInsider said yesterday on his hotline that he's been unable to confirm the Booker rumors - so take any "news" with a grain of salt. He is however, on 60-day suspension right now. Brock Lesnar is going to UFC - supposedly, they're finalizing the deal. I noticed this morning that many sites had pulled their Booker reports, so I was wondering what was up. I hope he doesn't quit, he brings something good to most of the crappy gimmicks they saddle him with.

QUOTE(longshot7 @ Sep 11, 2007 -> 04:04 PM) saw Rush last month at the Hollywood Bowl - they played almost nothing but their new album (which meant I didnt know any of the songs) but you know what? I LOVED IT. They're amazing musicians, and just being there was awesome - who cares if I didnt know any of the songs. Also, I'm a punk rocker, so I didnt want to admit that I had even been there, let alone like what I heard, but I loved it - they were brilliant. What do you call someone who hangs around musicans? Drummer. How do you know when the drum riser is level? The drool flows evenly from both sides of the drummer's mouth.

I love Soxtalk and, as an infant, was dropped on my head.

VH1 is showing the best Hogan Knows Best episode. The one where the psycho Hulk superfan spends the day with Hogan and Hulk works him out until he barfs the eggs he drank to look tough. Then Hulk gets him in the ring and throws him around for a while. VH1 wanted the superfan to go over, but Hogan played his "creative control" card.

Cuz you're supposed to already know the lyrics. It's punishment for not paying attention to the artist's vision.

QUOTE(LowerCaseRepublican @ Sep 11, 2007 -> 04:47 AM) Guys, let's be happy an E storyline has continuity. For months we've heard how Hornswaggle is a "little bastard" and the E writers actually brought the plot device to its full conclusion. Plus, instead of only having Vince's new son be "in his pockets" figuratively, they can actually have Hornswoggle be IN Vince's pockets!

QUOTE(Brian @ Sep 10, 2007 -> 08:29 PM) Which would be horrible, and that is why it is probably true. I figure Vince's s***ty soap opera writers can't think of anything to write for someone who can move the angle forward, so they'll go for the stupid joke and squash it.

My prediction stands (but it doesn't stand tall). Hornswoggle.

QUOTE(Brian @ Sep 10, 2007 -> 06:16 PM) That sucks about Booker. He was really succeeding with the King gimic and was one of the highlights on Raw for me. Agreed. Booker's always been entertaining to me, and The E will miss yet another main-event-capable performer.

Lords Of Pain is mirroring Meltzer's report that Booker quit because he was facing a 60-day suspension rather than 30, since Vince determined Booker had a previous Wellness Program violation. Booker was also upset that Vince chose to pull WWE talent from Booker's indie fed, choosing to start a new developmental fed in Florida instead. Booker then reportedly used some TNA contacts to supply wrestlers for his fed, which pissed Vince off. They reported that Booker has a successful hip-hop store and two wrestling schools, so even if he chooses not to go to TNA he'll be fine.

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Sep 9, 2007 -> 01:08 PM) I believe you said it is wet They just put the fuse away for the winter.

Still listed as TBD on whitesox.com.

I just watched a clip of s***ney's "performance" and wow, was she horrible. Half-assed lip-synching (hell, if you're gonna lip-synch, at least TRY to mouth most of the words) and walking through that routine like she was the only one who hadn't learned it yet. Maybe it took too long to get the babies to drink their soda and eat their Doritos before practice?

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Sep 9, 2007 -> 01:58 PM) I'd love to see him get it off of Santana... Today. Will Rincon do? 498

QUOTE(hammerhead johnson @ Sep 9, 2007 -> 11:36 AM) Two in the pink and one in the stink? Ewww. I'm looking forward to giving it a try, though. I'm pushing 30 now, so I might as well be an old man, because stuff like this is waaaaay the f*ck over my head. Like Kid Gleason, I thought that they were flashing gang signs or something. Well, the shame of it for me is this - I learned of The Shocker when WWE wrestler Matt Hardy started using it as his hand gesture towards the crowd and a minor controversy ensued. at myself.

QUOTE(Kid Gleason @ Sep 9, 2007 -> 11:31 AM) You got that joke off the Geek Board. Trust me, in a band world, the bassist is the guy deserving of getting crap most the time. Especially in the music you and I listen to. Drummers are impossible to come by these days (everybody wants to be the guitarist and vocalist), and in what you and I listen to, bass is the easiest for anybody (including dead people) to do. Most people don't understand what the bass is supposed to be doing in band, and they mimick the guitar riff, which is wrong. Anyhoo, you only only the "Best Of" for Rush, right? I'm thinking they weren't thinking of you when putting their set together. It was a 3 hour show? How many songs did you actually think they were going to play that you may have liked? You admit yourself to liking them, but not loving them. Considering the type of band Rush is, and how they really don't consider themselves "has-beens", nor do their fans, I'm not surprised they did the show they did. As for the swansong tour coming up, I'll believe it when I see it. Do you mean they are calling it quits? Considering Rush is a group of best friends who love playing what they play, I expect they will be around until one of them dies. Atleast is sounded good though, eh? That would have SUCKED had the sound been crap. Jokes are jokes, no matter where you get them. Besides, Buzz Kilman on the old Johnny B radio show told that joke (along with 100 other drummer jokes) in the 80's, so no one on the Geek Board made it up either. What I found out far too late was that this tour's setlist was a conscious decision to play rarely heard songs. That wasn't the case the other two times I saw them, so I wouldn't have expected it. I actually was trying to back out and let my cousin's wife go to the show with my wife, but that didn't fly with the Mrs. I thought maybe the show would be 50/50 rarely-heard-to-recognizable. That would have been okay. I have a hard time believing they'll hang it up, too, but after 30+ years who knows? Maybe they'll take a break and then have the triumphant return tour? Who knows? FWIW, my wife was also disappointed, and she's far more of a Rush fan than I am. It was still an okay night out - we ran into a friend we hadn't seen in like 10 years, so that alone made the night worth it. The sound was awesome, but it always is with Rush, and my own personal highlight was the fact that I was able to get out of the parking lot in less than 5 minutes, despite the crowd being well over 20,000 people.

QUOTE(JDsDirtySox @ Sep 8, 2007 -> 11:28 PM) very unhappy with the UFC tonight. I think Henderson was right there with Jackson, and felt the match could go either way... but the judges score cards were ridiculous. But what do you expect... UFC can't have the "UFC Guy" lose to the "Pride Guy" but BY FAR the worst outcome in a long time was the golden boy Bisping being given the fight. I like Bisping... but everyone in the building knew he lost that fight. Dana White (or maybe I should call him Don King) better have the rematch already signed up. I missed the show last night, but I've seen many angry posts online about the Bisping decision. One of the first reasons I got into the UFC (besides the interesting mixture of fight styles, of course) was the idea that the better guy that night wins. If they start throwing boxing-style decisions at me, that's gonna dampen my interest level pretty quickly.

QUOTE(Kid Gleason @ Sep 9, 2007 -> 11:22 AM) Is that what they're doing??? I thought maybe it was gang signs or something. Either I'm old, or you are. Well, we know we both are...but ya get my point. Click and learn, Grampa. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shocker_%28hand_gesture%29

When I go to a show, I want to hear songs I know, at least from the headliner. That's why I'm there. Especially if I'm dumping 70 bucks a head. Just so we're clear, I thought Rush sounded great. Tight, professional, no clunked notes. They just played songs I cared nothing about, for the most part. I'd have been so much happier with the first set being new and rarely-heard stuff and the second set being hit-heavy. My Rushtard friend tells me that he believes (or has heard rumors) that the next Rush tour will be their swansong, and that will be a greatest hits tour. Nonetheless, I think I'm done with Rush on the concert stage. Two excellent, satisfying shows and one excellent sounding, unsatisfying one - that's enough for me. What did the drummer say just before he got kicked out of the band? "Guys, I want to show you some songs I've written".

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Sep 9, 2007 -> 10:25 AM) I've seen them 50 times or more and I thought last night was the best they've been. When you have as much material as they do, some are always going to have a problem with the setlist, even rushtards which I suppose I would qualify. Their last 2 tours, the setlists were virtually identical, so I was happy to hear the new one. Entre Nous, Circumstances, Freewill, Natural Science were great. Spirit of Radio, Tom Sawyer and Subdivisions, Limelight will show up on every tour. I'd have liked 2112 to make the cut, but its about a 3 hour show as it is. I really like the new album and they really seem to enjoy playing it. They do play 9 songs from it, so if you don't like it or aren't very familiar with it, this show is probably one you would like to skip. I didn't find them dull at all. I was upfront so maybe I was able to see more I'm not sure, but to be honest, there's probably no way I could ever be bored at a Rush show even if they truly were dull. The encore was One Little Victory from Vapor Trails, actually played during the Connie's pizza race once at USCF in 2006, and Passage to Bangkok and YYZ. Bangkok is 30 years old and YYZ is on Moving Pictures which was released in 1981. Ah, thanks for the correction. The songs were slow and didn't interest me, so I assumed they were from the new one. If I had the chance to see the setlist prior to the pre-sales, I definitely would have skipped this tour. I knew they'd play some of the new disc, obviously, but even given that, the (IMO) lackluster pace and tempo of the show surprised me. I enjoy Rush's music, but not so much the "milder" stuff, which is how last night struck me. I'm glad you dug it, though - many people seemed to as well, so I know I was in the minority. My friend Rick has seen them over 60 times, so he's actually the basis of my term "Rushtard". It's a term of endearment in his case - guys are stupid that way.

I saw Rush last night - here are my three highlights and three lowlights: Highlight #3 - Their sound system is wonderful. Crystal clear enough to hear every slight detail, yet very loud. Highlight #2 - Geddy Lee, much to my surprise, hit almost every high note. I know this wouldn't be a highlight to many people, but I like to hear the songs the way I remember them, and he was able to pull it off. Highlight #1 - Neil Peart. The man is an amazing musician. I don't normally consider drummers "true musicians", but Peart is one in my opinion. Fantastic. Lowlight #3 - WAAAAAAAY too much of the new CD. Snakes And Arrows is nowhere near any of their better work to me. Lowlight #2 - Kind of related to #3, their set lists (two sets) were aimed too much at the Rushtards and not enough toward the people who came to hear the more familiar Rush songs. Simply said, not enough hits. Maybe 6 or 7 familiar songs in a 3-hour show. Terrible ratio. PLUS, two of the three encores were new songs - that's just idiotic. Lowlight #1 - They were just DULL. Excellent musicianship, songs sounded tight and professional, but it just didn't make me want to do anything. All in all, this show was a disappointment. This was the third time I've seen Rush and this was far and away the least impressive of the three.