Listen and Play: ITL’s Live 2014 NFL Draft Commentary

It’s that time again! That point wherein we’re so desperate for the return of the NFL season that we actually watch the draft. Again, you’ve got to hand it to professional football for achieving the level of popularity that allows them to turn an HR convention into a major televised event.

The guys from Inside the Locker invite you to watch the first day of the draft right along with them. However, because actually sitting through the entirety of the draft requires next level sports nerdery that we’re not even sure we possess, we’ve created our own movie draft game that we’ll be playing throughout the evening.

The objective of the game? To create the perfect movie by drafting actors, directors, and screenwriters. We’ll all start with the same amount of money and a points system at the end will determine whose film reigns supreme. We’ll also note the bigger moments of the NFL draft and discuss sports news, but mostly we’ll just be yelling at each other over who snaked Spielberg in the second round.

Join us live back on this post on Thursday starting at 7pm central. We’ll be fielding your questions throughout the night. The invitation has been issued, you are officially on the clock!

 

Ash & Fern: Who is that guy in the hood?

Whether you call him The Hood, The Vigilante or simply The Arrow, this is the story of a show that is so much better than it needs to be.

For any of you who have ever taken the time to watch a show on the CW, you know that the network’s requirements are as follows:

1)      Hire a young and extremely attractive cast. Acting ability is a bonus.

2)      See #1.

So Arrow was set. They could easily have just skated along on Stephen Amell’s abs and probably still been one of the network’s more successful shows. But then they did something surprising and actually put in the effort to make it good.

Full disclosure, I know nothing of the Green Arrow as he exists in comic books. I was always more of a Marvel girl growing up, and my forays into DC unfortunately usually stopped at the big 2. So I have absolutely no idea how closely the show follows those storylines. In a way I love this. Every villain is new to me. Every twist is a surprise, or at least as much of a surprise as it can be when you know who ultimately has to come out on top. So while I can’t speak to the show’s faithfulness to the comic books, I definitely know what I like.

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ASIDE FROM THE ABS.

 

As a female viewer one of the first things that grabbed my attention was Felicity Smoak. In a genre that too often milks the damsel in distress angle for all it’s worth, she is fantastic. (Don’t worry, there are definitely some damsels distressing elsewhere on the show.) Felicity is brilliant and hilarious and genuine. The chemistry between her and Oliver Queen is palpable, but not in a way that screams romance. Even if it does head that direction, and we all know it always does, Felicity is already a fully realized character who is a member of the team on her own merits.

 

Now let’s talk arrows. You can’t have a show called Arrow without a lot of arrows, and they don’t disappoint. At some point I read that Stephen Amell took archery lessons and that there is an expert on set. It shows. Obviously I have no idea how realistic Oliver’s accuracy is, I’m guessing it’s pretty ridiculous, but it’s cool to think that a person could really do that stuff with just a bow and arrow. Plus some of them explode which is always a good time. To me this seems like a brilliant choice for a TV show superhero. The effects have to be cheaper and easier than super strength or flight would be, but it is every bit as cool.

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And sometimes, there’s even a CROSSbow.

 

Another highlight for me has been the casting. I’m painfully aware of my personal bias on this front, but almost every week there is a guest star that makes me squeal. I love it when John Barrowman pops up anywhere, but it is super fun to see him play someone a little more sinister than Captain Jack. Manu Bennett has been delightful and terrifying as Slade Wilson. And is there any show on TV right now where Tahmoh Penikett hasn’t shown up as a bad guy? I miss Helo. For me Arrow is a weekly trip down memory lane and almost always results in a repeat viewing of some random episode of an old show.

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As it would turn out, the face of evil is incredibly handsome.

One of the coolest things the show has done is present the island as a series of flashbacks. Spending a few minutes every week on the island with a very shaggy Oliver lets us into his psyche and shows us his training without taking away from his current adventures. We slowly learn how Oliver became The Arrow while watching him use his awesome new skills. It’s also super convenient as a storytelling device. Need Oliver to speak Russian to make a scene work? Great news, he learned Russian on the island!

Above all Arrow is a fantastic story that doesn’t make the mistake of taking itself too seriously. Oliver Queen is just conflicted enough to be interesting in between the awesome action sequences. He wants to do the right thing and save Starling City from an ever increasing number of really odd bad guys, but like real life that “right thing” isn’t always black and white. And then, just in case that gets too heavy, there’s an earthquake machine. Because why not?

So while I was as excited as the next girl to see Gotham finally get a green light earlier this week, the fact is there’s already a superhero on your TV screen that’s worth checking out.

Anybody else out there like Arrow as much as I do?

Moontower Comedy Fest: Erik Charles Nielsen

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Chris got a chance to hang out in a (noisy) hotel lobby with up and coming stand-up Erik Charles Nielsen, who you may not know (yet) from his act, but you DO know from the show “Community” where he plays the character of Garrett Lambert. Erik and Chris get all up into the techniques of stand-up and philosophy of absurdist humor, as well as talking about his experiences on the set of the tv series. Check it out!

Chris and Erik Charles Nielsen

SMARK COUNTRY: Rules Are Extreme. Results, Not So Much

As WWE Extreme Rules ended, I found myself pressing the playback button to watch it again. Not the entirety of it, because the WWE’s version of Extreme Rules never quite lives up if you’ve ever watched other promotions utilize this match type (ECW). But I must say, certain spots really proved the hunger of some of the WWE’s best and brightest.

I’ll leave out the ridiculousness of the “Wee-L-C match,” as that was borderline insulting, which is a shame because there is talent with both competitors (Hornswoggle and Torito).

JACK SWAGGER vs. CESARO vs. ROB VAN DAM: I’ve never been big on triple threat matches where there’s no championship on the line. That being said, the dust being blown off of the Three-Way-Dance rules was a bit of a surprise. Standard triple threat rules mean first pin or submission ends the match and there is your winner. Three-Way-Dance means first person pinned or taps out is eliminated and the match continues until there is one more victory. This match, despite a good showing from The Real American American and The Whole F’n Show, this match’s main purpose was to elevate Cesaro and both competitors did just that. Swagger continues to be the whipping boy of the mid-card and RVD can’t quite be RVD when his opponents can’t work a match at his pace. That being said, these men had a good, if not great match and all evidence points to the next stop on the Cesaro Push Express is the World Title picture. WINNER: CESARO

ALEKSANDER RUSEV vs. R-TRUTH & XAVIER WOODS: Squash matches have their time and place. But at a pay-per-view event, where people pay top dollar for those tickets, a one sided match to push the next “bruiser” big man might not have been the smartest idea by booking/creative. Xavier Woods seems to exist for the sole purpose of being curb stomped by said big men of the WWE and he put on just the showing one would expect as he was knocked out early on. R-Truth is a solid ring worker and did a good enough job gaining audience sympathy with “U-S-A” chants being heard throughout the match. But the “Bulgarian Brute” and his arsenal of Sambo and Muay Thai along with startling agility for a man his size, proved to be too much. Rusev locked on his finisher, The Accolade and R-Truth had no choice but to tap out. WINNER: ALEKSANDER RUSEV

BAD NEWS BARRETT vs. BIG E for the INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP: I’ve made no bones about how I feel about Barrett. Four years doing televised matches and while his promos and vignettes are second to none, his actual ring work still feels like it’s lacking. Well, this match was certainly a step in the right direction. A WWE of 5-10 years ago would have had two big brutes of this size just pummel each other. But the past few years have seen big men with amazing technical prowess and cat-like reflexes, as both competitors showed during this match. This was perhaps Big E’s hardest fought match. Though he had the belt for five months, which is a respectable reign, he really didn’t have many title defenses outside of pay-per-view. Hopefully creative has something better in store as I don’t see how Barrett holding the IC belt yet again does anything to help him or Big E at this point. WINNER: BAD NEWS BARRETT

THE SHIELD (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns) vs. EVOLUTION (Triple H, Batista, Randy Orton): This was expected to be the match that tore the roof off of the arena and it damn sure lived up to that expectations. This spilled out of the ring fairly early on and fights broke out between the competitors around the arena. One amazing spot featured Dean Ambrose running across both announcers tables to leap at two of his opponents. Another moment which would make Paul Heyman proud, featured Seth Rollins dive bombing from the balcony of an upper section to take out HHH and Orton. One thing missing, was the element of Evolution’s egos causing a breakdown during this match. This was so heavily alluded to the past few weeks that it felt awkward that this plot element never came into play. Overall, this was the match that ensured fans got their money’s worth. WINNERS: THE SHIELD

BRAY WYATT vs. JOHN CENA: Steel Cage matches are pretty fun and though I’m not the biggest John Cena fan, he made this one work in some interesting ways story wise. Normally in a steel cage match, instead of going for the pinfall or submission, you can just try to escape the cage. But Bray’s brethren, Luke Harper and Eric Rowan were waiting, at one point with steel chair in hand, for Cena to climb out. So Cena was forced to try to win it inside the cage. Several good spots, Bray’s creepy crab walk and an interesting dynamic with this feud being put into play (Cena’s primary fan base being lulled in by the charismatic Wyatt) made for a satisfying match. WINNER: BRAY WYATT

TAMINA SNUKA vs. PAIGE for the DIVAS CHAMPIONSHIP: This is the match that I felt the most disappointed with. Normally Divas matches in WWE are snooze fests unless they involve one of the women that can actually wrestle (I count maybe six out of the near twenty getting TV time). These are two of the best ring workers on the entire roster, male or female. Yet there were so many blown spots that I lost excitement for when amazing spots (like Tamina’s reversal of a Hurricanrana into a slam into the security barrier) did occur. I really hope there’s a rematch coming, because I know these two are capable of a five-star match. WINNER: PAIGE

KANE vs. DANIEL BRYAN for the WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP: This match would probably excite the hell out of someone who is new to sports entertainment. But it really felt like these two performers were paying homage to several extreme rules matches from years past. Everything from using a kendo stick for a crossface style submission, to utilization of a forklift to drive a larger opponent back to the ring. It was a nice trip down memory lane, but when weapons are allowed in a match, some innovation is definitely a requisite…or at least it should be. Overall, a good match and both men will be sporting bruises and scars for the next few weeks. Daniel Bryan has momentum on his side, but how long will he be able to keep the fans behind him and keep upper management content with him as their top guy. WINNER: DANIEL BRYAN

After my second viewing, my feelings haven’t changed. This was a good pay-per-view, but could have been a sleeper hit of 2014, if not for some missed opportunities. What were your thoughts of WWE Extreme Rules 2014?

The Strip Club: 5/4/2014

Comic strips and Sundays have been companions for decades. Who doesn’t recall tearing through the Sunday paper, ignoring the current events and local news, just to find the comics? Communists, that’s who.

Just because the newspaper is on its way out the door doesn’t mean the best part of the paper needs to go along with it. One of Us’ Strip Club features comic strips created and submitted by friends and fans of the site. Check out this week’s entry, a strip that will resonate with everyone who has to endure a painful commute tomorrow.

 

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We’d love for you to start submitting comics for our Sunday “Strip Club” feature. If you’re interested, please contact us at oneofusnet@gmail.com.

The Pre-Weekend Recap: May 2, 2014

Yes, the rumors you’ve heard are true: the Pre-Weekend Recap has returned once again. Look at you, friend of the site. You’ve made it through yet another week loaded with responsibilities, appointments, meetings, tests, hobbies, and all the other stuff that keeps you busy each day.  They tried to defeat you and they failed miserably, so great work champ!

While you survived what was likely a tough few days, you probably had to make a few sacrifices along the way. If those sacrifices happened to be some of the podcasts and articles that premiered on the site this week, you’re in luck! Below you’ll find links to and descriptions of a few samples of the material published on One of Us this week. All you need to do is enjoy the content. Go ahead, you deserve it.

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Bob Hoskins: As He Was Valiant, We Honor Him

The week started off on a somber note with the announcement of actor Bob Hoskins’ passing on Tuesday. Hoskins was a man of immense talent who committed himself fully to each of his roles on stage and screen, even if he wasn’t fond of the part (e.g. Super Mario Brothers). It was this dedication to his craft that made so many of his performances so memorable. Our newest member of the INTERN-Net, Christopher J. Herman, looks back fondly on the veteran actor’s storied career and says goodbye in a respectful and meaningful manner.

 

Infestation: Moontower Comedy Festival

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Moving in the complete opposite direction, the latest editions of One of Us’ Infestation series come from this year’s Moontower Comedy Festival. According to the event’s website, the festival “…brings to Austin, TX some of the funniest, wittiest and oddest world-class comics from around the globe. This marathon of side-splitting nights throughout the city is slated to bring over 100 comedians doing everything from stand-up and sketch to improv and musical comedy.” In the midst of all this fun, Chris Cox and Beau were fortunate enough to score interviews with some incredibly funny individuals, which you can hear by clicking on the links below.

Learn how to avoid being a hack in Beau’s interview with Andy Kindler.

W. Kamau Bell discusses his podcast, The Field Negro Guide to Arts & Culture with Beau 

Mike Lawrence geeks out with Chris and discusses his current tour and his comedy album Sadamantium.

 

The 30 Dozen: Paris, Texas  

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For those of you who missed the first three articles, The 30 Dozen is Brian’s reflection on films that are turning 30 this year, just like him. The fourth article in the series is all about Paris, Texas, a film about a man re-establishing ties with his brother, son, and wife after spending four years wandering far from home. What insights did Brian derive from this tale of a man who just couldn’t sit still, even at the cost of personal comfort and intimate relationships? Well, you’ll just have to read it and find out!

 

The Original Gentlemen: The Sandy Saga of Silicon Valley

You have to hand it to the Original Gentlemen, so far they have a 100% success rate in their efforts to bring you one episode every two weeks. Admittedly, it has only been two weeks since the promise was decreed, but hey, those numbers do not lie. In any case, on this edition of the OG, the crew rants and raves about X-Men films and comics, give their initial thoughts on HBO’s Silicon Valley, resurrect a tune from a LEOG long past, and answer listener questions. It’s everything you love about this show, so don’t delay, press play!

 

Highly Suspect Reviews: The Amazing Spider-Man 2

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This weekend, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man returns to the silver screen to face off against a number of super-villains while trying to maintain his relationship with Gwen Stacy. Can Spider-Man save the day from each of the threats in this movie or will he be crushed by innumerable plot threads? Brian, Chris, Beau, and JC gather around the mic to let you know whether or not this tale of suspense is amazing or not, so give it a listen and plan your weekend accordingly.

 

Inside the Locker: Beef Nuggets!!!

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BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEF NUGGETS!!!!!

Don’t worry, you’ll understand after you listen to this week’s episode of your favorite geeky sportscast.  Join Brian, Elliott, and JC as they talk about Donald Sterling’s lifetime ban from the NBA, the Star Wars: Episode VII casting news, and the NBA Playoffs with a longtime friend of the program and an encyclopedia of basketball knowledge, rapper PHZ-Sicks. This is certainly a beefy nugget of an episode that you do not want to miss.

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If you like what you’ve seen here, please be sure to share our stuff with others who might enjoy it. There’s always more internet to conquer, so help us on our quest to unite the internet under one banner! Have a great weekend!

Moontower Comedy Fest: Andy Kindler

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Andy Kindler is a giant among comedians. It’s a shame more of you non-comedian types don’t know that fact. Beau got a chance to sit down with this walking encyclopedia of the current state of comedy (Andy gives the state of the industry speech every year at Montreal’s Just For Laughs Festival) to talk about the scene from the 80s boom to the 90s bust and the current comedy renaissance. Have a listen! And be sure to check out Andy’s seminal National Lampoon article The Hacks Handbook here.

. It’s your go-to guide to becoming a hack! (and exactly what you should avoid in order to not become one)

Kindler

Inside The Locker: Beef Nuggets!!!

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Yes, the intrepid sports nerds of Inside the Locker talk a whole heap about the lifetime ban of Clippers owner Donald Sterling from the NBA. And rest assured, the current NBA playoff picture is discussed with special guest: rapper and friend of the show PHZ-Sicks. And fear not, the guys also engage in some hilarious hypotheticals thanks to your tweeted questions. But let’s be entirely honest, the real reason to listen to this episode is to discover the origin of Beeeeeeef Nuggets!!!

It’s better if you don’t ask, just listen. And get familiar with Beef Nuggets, you’re gonna be hearing it a lot.

 

Show Breakdown…

 

Scores & Stories (2:05)

Protectors

Topics Discussed: Donald Sterling meets The Ban Hammer, Star Wars Episode VII cast announced, Israel Idonije’s comic book, Update from the VY Drone: Vince is headed to the QB Phantom Zone, Is Jerry Jones crazy supervillain enough to trade Tony Romo for the No. 1 pick to get Johnny Hubris?

 

 

NBA Playoff Breakdown (with Special Guest PHZ-Sicks) (44:12)

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Longtime friend of the show, rapper PHZ-Sicks, calls in to break down, like a mad genius professor, the current climate of the NBA playoffs. PHZ schools all of us with his Sick knowledge of the game so this segment is definitely for hardcore baskethoop fans only.

You should ABSOLUTELY be checking out and supporting PHZ-Sicks’ tracks, the guy is absurdly talented.

Here’s his latest music video…

 

Cheers from the Cheap Seats (79:09)

We take a few of your Twitter questions leading to one of the most hilariously hostile hypothetical discussion to date. This is also the pivotal segment in which the world is introduced to Beef Nuggets; the man and the now trademark catchphrase.

 

 

Make sure you follow us on Twitter. The L.A. Clippers will continue to protest until we hit 500 followers.

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The Show Account–@ITLCast
Brian–@BriguySalisbury
J.C.–@jcdeleon1
Elliott–@ITLElliott
Adam–@the_beef

Movie Review: The Amazing Spider-Man 2

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For the first time ever it would have actually been appropriate to give a sequel the secondary title, ‘Electric Boogaloo”. Missed opportunities. But Beau, Chris, Brian and JC point out lots of other ones in this latest addition to the Spider-verse, as Andrew Garfield, under the direction of Marc Webb, puts on the red and blues and swings in the direct path of no end of trouble, including Jaimie Fox as an autistic stalker who becomes “Electro” and Dane De Haan as, erm, Harry Osbourne….I guess.

I don’t want to say too much here; even in the review there are elements that are hard to say aren’t somewhat spoilery. It’s not a film you can review without giving away some stuff, so I’m just warning ya. But you might be surprised all the things they DID like about this one. Which may come off as faint praise nonetheless.

Bob Hoskins: As He Was Valiant, We Honor Him

“I was three parts pissed. We were going to a party. And this bloke comes around and says: ‘Right. You’re next. Have you seen the script?’ And I got the leading part.”

That was Bob Hoskins and his very honest description of how he landed his first role while accompanying a friend to an acting audition in 1968.

 

Sadly, it was reported by the actor’s publicist on Tuesday that Hoskins, 71, passed away due to pneumonia. He spent his final moments surrounded by his family. In 2012, he retired from acting when diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

It’s always sad when an artist passes away, especially someone who has worked in theatre, television and film for more than forty years. Hearing about Hoskins passing and his poor health prior to his death is pretty disheartening. He was an actor whose career spanned across multiple genres of film.

His breakout in cinema came in the form of the 1980 film The Long Good Friday. He played Herman Shand, a British gangster attempting to go legit as his many businesses come under the attack of a series of bombings. He would continue to star in multiple projects throughout the 1980s including The Cotton Club (1984) and Brazil (1985.) It was in 1986 that Hoskins would receive his only Academy-Award nomination for Best Actor for Mona Lisa. The neo-noir film followed George (Hoskins), a recently released convict who chauffeurs a high-class call-girl to various clients.

SMB

Despite being involved in many critically acclaimed films, Hoskins had always been quite candid about the low points in his career as well, especially the universally reviled Super Mario Brothers (1993), which he starred in as the title character.

“Super Mario Brothers. It was a fucking nightmare. The whole experience was a nightmare. It had a husband-and-wife team directing, whose arrogance had been mistaken for talent. After so many weeks their own agent told them to get off the set! Fucking nightmare. Fucking idiots.”

Even with his powerhouse performances in Mona Lisa and The Long Good Friday, many people can’t help but fondly remember him as the alcoholic private investigator Eddie Valiant in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1989). What is now considered to be a classic, Who Framed Roger Rabbit showed us that a mix of classic animation and live-action could look spectacular. It was Hoskins’ performance however that really made that picture what it is today. The toon-hating detective was the audience’s guide in a world that was dominated by the likes of Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Daffy Duck and the voluptuous Jessica Rabbit.

Roger Rabbit

The dedication that he brought to picture is still astounding to this day. Having to pretend that you were talking to a three foot tall white rabbit wearing suspenders must have been a pretty unusual shoot. Hoskins has made many a comment on the filming of the picture over the years.

“I think I went a bit mad while working on that. Lost my mind. The voice of the rabbit was there just behind the camera all the time. The trouble was, I had learnt how to hallucinate.”

Since Roger Rabbit, Hoskins has starred in Hook (1991), Nixon (1995), David Copperfield (1999), Unleashed (2005), A Christmas Carol (2009), Neverland (2011) and Snow White and the Huntsman (2012).

Hoskins left a sizable impression in cinematic history and that makes it difficult to summarize the man in a single statement. Whether he was playing a cockney accented gangster, or an exasperated detective, Hoskins gave it his all. He loved his work and was brutally honest about himself and his career. I think I’ll let him have the last few words.

“I came into this business uneducated, dyslexic, 5ft 6in, cubic, with a face like a squashed cabbage and they welcomed me with open arms.”

Hoskins is survived by his wife, Linda Banwell, and his four children.

Did you know: In the distant 1990s, Chris Claremont, the writer of many classic X-Men storylines, including Days of Future Past and The Dark Phoenix Saga, wanted Bob Hoskins to play Wolverine. Claremont pitched the idea of an X-Men film starring Hoskins to James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow. Cameron would have produced the film while Bigelow filled in the director’s chair. The project fell apart after Claremont and Cameron met with Stan Lee who wanted to make a Spider-Man movie. Cameron abandoned the Claremont’s X-Men idea in favor of a Spider-Man film. The proposed Cameron directed Spider-Man movie would later share the same fate as the X-Men project.

Thanks to The Wrap for unearthing that last bit of incredible trivia