I must preface this entry by saying that Smallville is probably my all-time favorite television show. It premiered when I was a freshman in high school and over the past seven years I have grown up alongside future Superman Clark Kent, as he too was a high school freshman at the beginning of the series. So think of me what you will but that’s just how it is.
That said, being the well balanced fan that I am, I don’t just praise the show when it excels, I also voice my displeasure when it falls short. And unfortunately, the eighth and final season of Smallville is going to fall very short.
About a month ago, it was announced the creators and executive producers of the series, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, would not be staying on for season eight. Apparently there are film opportunities they wish to pursue that would be incompatible with the schedule of a weekly TV show. This seemed a bit odd and there are many theories as to whether or not they choose to leave or were forced out. They had a seven year contract, but still, they were the ones always excited about the prospect of an eighth season, and being the creators why would they not want to be there to see things through till the end? Regardless of the whys of the situation, they won’t be the only familiar names absent from the credits next season.
In addition to Gough and Millar’s departure, female lead Kristen Kreuk (who plays Lana Lang), is also leaving the series. In fact, due to a scheduling conflict with the new Street Fighter movie she’s shooting in Thailand, her character had to be written out of this season’s post-writer’s strike episodes as she was unavailable to appear. She also had a seven year contract, and an arrangement has been made for her to appear in a handful of season eight episodes to wrap up her character (and make up for the ones she missed this year).
Her exit might actually benefit the series, however. The never ending back-and-forth relationship between Clark Kent and Lana Lang has been one of Smallville’s shortcomings. While in the early seasons it served as the heart of the show, and rightfully so as Lana is Clark’s high school sweetheart in the comic books, after about three seasons of teen angst and no progression in either plot or character development with the would-be couple, audiences (well, me at least) had had enough.
So a season without Lana was certainly appealing to fans like myself who would much rather see Clark focus on becoming Superman than pouting about his girlfriend. And with the producers who had pushed their relationship as a series essential for so long also out of the picture, one might think things were looking up for season eight. And they were. Until this weekend that is.
Michael Rosenbaum (who plays Lex Luthor) also had a seven year contract on Smallville, and while there was talk of this being his final season as well, there was also hope that some sort of deal could be struck in which he’d appear in at least half of next season’s episodes. Well, over the weekend it was made official by the actor himself: Rosenbaum will not be returning to Smallville in any capacity next season.
Yikes, right? The entire series was based upon the parallel journeys of Clark Kent and Lex Luthor, and how the deterioration of their friendship influenced the men who they were destined to become. This was a brilliant concept which was used to much effect throughout the series. Friends who become enemies always make for a compelling story, and Superman and Lex Luthor are two of the most iconic nemesis out there.
So where does this leave Smallville? Not in a very good spot I’m afraid. Luthor was such an integral part of the series it’s hard to imagine an entire season without him, especially as things build towards their inevitable conclusion and Kent finally dons the cape and tights to become Superman. The way I see it, without Luthor, what’s the point? The series finale just won’t be as satisfying with only half of that dynamic present.
The series has been running of fumes for a couple of seasons now and is a victim of its own success. Smallville was originally conceived with a five-year-plan, but being the WB/CW’s highest rated show called for an extension to the story, and now we find ourselves going into an eighth season with only two of the original cast members remaining (Tom Welling as Clark Kent and Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan). I can’t blame the others for leaving though; actors enjoy variety, and seven straight years of anything is a tall order. Each and every one of them gave it their all and honored their contracts; the series just should have known when to call it quits.
This is where shows like Battlestar Galactica get it right. Although at the height of its popularity, the critically acclaimed Sci-Fi Channel series will be wrapping things up after this, its fourth season. Executive Producer Ron Moore wants to go out on a high note and not drag things outs indefinitely, and that’s the way to do it.
Many professional athletes choose to go out on their own terms when they’re still in the prime of life rather than hang around long after their skills diminish and be forced into retirement. I wish more television series took this approach; that way we wouldn’t be subjected to an empty shell of a show in its final seasons. (Also see: Scrubs signing a four-year extension with ABC. Eleven seasons is bad enough, but switching networks too? Is nothing sacred anymore?)
PS. I know it’s been a while since my last update, but with exams, papers, and final projects I haven’t had much time these past couple of weeks. I promise a much higher frequency of updates from here on out. To quote my favorite superhero: “Sorry I was away for so long. I won’t let you down again.”
Frustrations continue to pile up for the struggling Cougars and against Texas-San Antonio on Wednesday night, things reached a boiling point.
Head coach Rayner Noble was ejected during a drama-filled second inning and senior second baseman Ryan Lormand was tossed for arguing a called third strike in the sixth. The Cougars’ defense committed a season-high six errors.
Worst yet, the Cougars suffered their third loss in the last four games, 11-9 in 12 innings, at Cougar Field. The game, which lasted 4 hours and 52 minutes, was the longest of the season for the Cougars (27-18).
UTSA freshman right fielder Tyler Carpenter struck the deciding blow with a one-out, two-run double off Cougars sophomore reliever Taylor Hammack (0-1) in the top of the 12th, snapping a 9-9 tie. It was quite a turnaround for Carpenter, who was 0-for-6 entering the at-bat.
Roadrunners sophomore closer Zach Calhoon retired the Cougars in order in the bottom of the 12th to seal the win. Calhoun (3-1) failed to protect a two-run lead in the bottom of the eight, but rebounded to allow only one run on one hit with four strikeouts in five solid innings.
The Cougars head into this weekend’s three-game home series against Conference USA rival Memphis searching for solutions to their dilemma.
“We’ve got to do everything better,” said UH assistant coach Kirk Blount, who managed the Cougars after Noble’s ejection. “We’ve got to play better defense. We’ve got to pitch better. It seems like it’s been something different every game.
“I have to credit out offense. Scoring nine runs ought to be good enough, but (not) when you make six errors. That’s a quality team (in UTSA) over there and if you keep giving them opportunities to get free base runners, it’s going to bite you.”
The Cougars squandered early opportunities at runs when two base runners were thrown out at home by UTSA junior center fielder Michael Rockett on consecutive plays in the bottom of the first. The real drama, however, would come in the next frame.
The Roadrunners (33-12) put runners on at first and second base against Cougars freshman starter Jared Ray with two outs. The next batter, freshman second baseman Ryan Hutson, cracked a deep fly ball to left field that appeared to hook to the outside of the foul pole.
Home plate umpire Bob Charmo initially called the play foul, but UTSA head coach Sherman Corbett ran out of the dugout to protest the ruling. Charmo, first-base umpire Greg Oros and third-base umpire Ed Nelson huddled to discuss the call, and after a few minutes, they ruled the play fair and credited Hutson with a three-run homer that put UTSA ahead 3-0.
In response to their decision, Noble charged out of the dugout and confronted the umpires. Oros ejected Noble from the game, and that only further angered the head coach, who kept up his verbal assault on the umpires.
The scene ended with Noble dropping to his knees at home plate and covering it with piles of dirt.
“When Coach Noble got ejected, that was a pretty good spark for our club,” Blount said. “We’ve been in kind of a doldrums a little bit, and guys were starting to questions some things, not as far as their skill level.”
The Cougars responded quickly, scoring two runs in the second and five in the third to take a 7-3 lead. Sophomore center fielder Zak Presley and senior left fielder Jake Stewart provided the biggest blows with a two-run double and a two-run homer, respectively, in the third.
UTSA, however, would chip away slowly to retake the lead. Sophomore designated hitter Tim Palincsar hit a two-run single in the fourth, and the Roadrunners would pick up two more runs in the seventh to tie the game at 7.
UTSA went ahead 9-7 in the eighth after Rockett cracked a solo homer and junior left fielder Aaron Powell hit an RBI-double.
The Cougars got those runs back in the bottom of the eighth, but that would be all the offense they would muster with Calhoon slamming the door the rest of the way.
“Honestly, he’s our closer and we were hoping he would have done that in the eight inning,” Corbett said. “I would have liked to have saved him until the ninth. But with the way the game was going and I think (junior reliever) J.P. Holton getting a little bit tired, it necessitated us bringing him in.”
The Daily Cougar will be taking a break until Summer classes start on June 2. We hope you enjoyed our coverage this semester, and we look forward to continue bringing you the best in news, sports, opinion and entertainment.
With graduation upon us, The Daily Cougar is also looking for responsible, motivated students with good communication skills to come on staff for the summer and fall. The Daily Cougar is not limited to journalism majors, so we invite any enrolled student at the University to apply. Applications are available in Room 151 of the Communication Building, near the University Center Satellite.
Good luck with finals, and keep on reading.
Did you guys know the Pope was here?
I don’t think I’ve ever been more sure
of ANYTHING. EVER.
Major League Baseball is about two weeks into the regular season and, after month of spring training and roughly 50 regular season at bats, baseball’s everyday players are starting to find their form.The Minor League Baseball season is in full swing too, so what better time to see how the everyday players of tomorrow are fairing? Let’s see what Baseball America’s top five prospects have been up to.
1. Jay Bruce – Outfielder, Cincinnati Reds (AAA Louisville Bats)
The 12th overall pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Bruce has been baseball’s top prospect since 2007. Though he will likely get some quality playing time in the majors this season, especially if the Reds continue to struggle, Cincinnati has not been able to find a spot for him on the major league roster due to their veteran outfield depth (Ken Griffey Jr., Adam Dunn, Corey Patterson and Ryan Freel).
Bruce is currently hitting .294 with two homeruns and seven RBIs in 51 at bats. He will have to improve, especially his power numbers, if he wants to make a strong case for a call up. He hasn’t had a multiple hit game in his last five games and has only two homeruns in his last 10. The Beaumont native will need to get things going if he wants that phone to ring.
2. Evan Longoria – Third Base, Tampa Bay Rays
Beginning the season with the Durham Bulls, Longoria played in seven games before being called up by the Rays after Willy Aybar was put on the disabled list. The Long Beach alum was the third overall pick by the Rays in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft and is one of four Rays in Baseball America’s top 20 prospects.
Longoria hit .200 with two runs and one RBI in seven games for the Bulls before making his Major League debut, but has turned it up on the big stage, hitting .333 over four games with four runs and a homerun. He has worked his way into the sixth hole in the lineup and if he can keep up his production, he could keep the starting job even after Aybar returns.
3. Joba Chamberlain – Pitcher, New York Yankees
One of the Yankees most touted prospects in years, Chamberlain has been on the Major League roster ever since being called up prior to last season’s playoffs. Unfortunately, he left the team on bereavement leave after Sunday’s game to tend to his father, Harlan, who has a serious medical condition.
Chamberlain is 1-0 in his four appearances, allowing just three hits while striking out six. The big right-hander has started the season in the bullpen, but could make the transition to the starting rotation this year if Yankees need him to. He will be a major factor in whether New York is successful or not this season.
4. Clay Buchholz - Pitcher, Boston Red Sox
After throwing a no-hitter in his second big league start, Buchholz worked his way into the heart of Red Sox Nation, as well as the team’s 2008 starting rotation. Although he was brought up frequently in the offseason as possible trade bait for Johan Santana, Buchholz will likely remain in Boston for the foreseeable future.
Buchholz record sits at 0-1 after two starts this season, but his 3.27 ERA and 10 strikeouts show that he is being effective on the mound. He lost his first decision of the year to a hot Toronto Blue Jays team, but proved his worth against the rival Yankees, pitching six innings and giving up just one run. The Texas native seems to have a bright future ahead of him.
5. Colby Rasmus - Outfield, St. Louis Cardinals (AAA Memphis Redbirds)
Although Rasmus is projected to make his Major League debut this season, he has remained with the Redbirds so far this year. He was the No. 28 pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft and is the only Cardinals prospect in Baseball America’s top 80 prospects. St. Louis does not have a deep outfield and will likely bring him up should any of their current players struggle.
Rasmus is off to a slow start, hitting .125 through 52 at bats with one homerun and an RBI. Although he has nine walks, he has struck out 11 times and will need to improve his productivity to make the big leap. If he doesn’t, veteran hopeful Juan Gonzalez could make his return to the big leagues should the Cardinals need a fill in.
Once a man gets on a motorcycle he becomes a part of a brotherhood, forming a bond with other dudes that have similar interest, like: motorcycles, hot chicks, beer, hot chicks, motorcycles, steaks and hot chicks sitting on the back of their motorcycles.
Anyone that has ever owned or frequently ridden a motorcycle knows that there are certain traditions, rules or laws.
The most important rule. Two grown men shall never ride on the same motorcycle together. This rule is an absolute, with one exception.
Here’s that exception. The two guys must best friends or related by blood (in-laws don’t count), and the world and all its hot chicks must be in danger of being annihilated. The only way to save the world and its hot chicks is for the two guys to ride the motorcycle together.
That’s pretty much the only exception. Oh, Judge Dredd forgot to mention that while riding, the dude in the back must be facing the opposite direction. It might sound ridiculous, but rules are rules. Judge Dredd is sure all the motorcycle riding dudes out there understand.
The only reason Judge Dredd even brought this topic to the attention of all the manly men out there is because he witnessed two dudes breaking this sacred biker law this weekend.
Judge Dredd was riding his super-manly, ultra-fast Yamaha R6 (which, by the way, kicks so much butt you’ll go blind) on 610 this weekend when he passed up two men on one of the most testosterone injected bikes known to mankind, a Harley. Judge Dredd made sure to pass them quickly so not to be infected with their sissyness, but he made sure they saw him shake his head in disappointment as he did so.
The whole thing sent a shiver down Judge Dredd’s spine.
In fact, Judge Dredd has officially decided to turn this motorcycle law into a one the the sacred Commandments of Man Decree.
As of today Judge Dredd decrees that two men shall not be permitted to ride on the same motorcycle together — unless the world and all of its hot chicks are at stake and the only way to save it is for two dudes, that are either best friends or related by blood, to ride a motorcycle together. And they have to be facing opposite directions when riding.
Offenders will be punished by being forced to sit through a series of 30 baby showers in two days.
Judge Dredd has spoken.
Marvel vs. DC, King Kong vs. Godzilla, Lord of the Rings vs. Star Wars. These are debates that keep nerds awake late into the night and spark stimulating conversation at high school lunch tables across the country and around the globe. Last weekend, cable networks put one of them to the test in a ratings war worthy of a galaxy far, far away.
Spike TV, who recently acquired broadcasting rights to all six Star Wars films, aired the prequel trilogy of Episodes I, II and III last Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively. TNT simultaneously aired the Lord of the Rings trilogy (one film a night as with Star Wars), and the results might surprise you.
Before we delve into the numbers, let it be said that The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King are all unquestionably superior films to The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. The Academy Awards certainly agree with this assessment, as the Rings trilogy collected 17 Oscars (including Best Picture for 2003s’s King) while the Warsprequels garnered a grand total of zero.
Being adapted from the immensely popular novels by J. R. R. Tolkien, the Rings films have a strong narrative and tell a clear, concise story. Fans of the books had high expectations which were more or less met, with only a few plot points here and there being understandably altered for the film presentation.
George Lucas’ Star Wars prequels on the other hand were based off of early script notes he had written in order to give the characters of his original films a solid back-story. When it came time to flesh them out into three full length motion pictures, Lucas found himself having to pad out the story. He himself has admitted that the majority of Episodes I and II are filler.
It is truly a shame that Lucas did not take the time to seriously map out exactly what he wanted to do with each film in the trilogy and complete all three scripts before filming ever began. Since he did not, we were left with three films each having a distinctively different feel and not quite tying together in the end.
Sub-plots such as the rise of Emperor Palpatine are handled well, but the main plots of the films such as the invasion of Naboo in Menace, the assassination attempts on Queen Amidala in Clones, and the hunt for General Grievous in Sith fail to connect into a cohesive story. Supplementary materials such as novels and video games help mesh the films together, but these should not be necessary for the basic understanding of a film’s plot.
The characters suffer as well as their characterizations and motivations lack consistency. At first Amidala finds Anakin Skywalker’s attraction to her in Clones an annoyance, but later in the film confesses she “truly, deeply loves” him. In Sith, Skywalker’s reasons for turning against the Jedi and embracing the Dark Side are constantly in flux. At first it is only to save Amidala, but then he seems to truly believe the Jedi are evil and trying to take over the Republic.
And these rudimentary plot issues don’t even scratch the surface of the prequel’s shortcomings. Add to them stilted acting, juvenile humor, and a gross overuse of CGI and what should have been the tragic tale of Anakin Skywalker’s fall to the Dark Side ended up being the tragic demise of Star Wars as a respected film franchise.
But what was this blog originally about? Oh yes, the ratings war between Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. Well, despite all the negativity surrounding the prequels, they ended up beating the Rings trilogy according to Nielsen Media Research statistics. The Phantom Menace outperformed The Fellowship of the Ring by approximately 1 million, Attack of the Clones beat The Two Towers by a strong 1.4 million, and it was close but Revenge of the Sith edged out The Return of the King by 0.2 million viewers.
There could be many reasons for this, and a full-out Lord of the Rings vs. Star Wars debate is for another day, but I think it comes down one thing: length. The Ringsfilms are just too darn long. Not many people have the time to sit down and watch a three hour plus movie on television. Those that would probably own the trilogy on DVD anyway, the extended editions at that, so why would they waste their time with a full-screen version with commercial interruption?
And as disappointing as they may have been, the Star Wars prequels are still a fun watch every now and then. In fact, it would not be out of the question to argue there are some aspects in which they are superior to the Rings films. Music for one, as well as exciting battle sequences and memorable characters, heroes and villains alike. But as I said, that is a topic for another time…
As you may have noticed, we’ve had some problems with spam comments. I was hoping to avoid doing this, but at least for the time being administrators will have to approve comments before they go up (blogs only, this shouldn’t affect comments on the main Web site). This will probably cause some delays, but The Daily Cougar staff will try to check as often as possible to make sure comments go up as soon as possible.
Thanks for your patience, and hopefully none of you got roped into the slot machines, the mp3 downloads, the car parts or any number of products, services and lewd photos being offered.
NBC is where it’s at tonight.
My Name is Earl
30 Rock
The Office
Scrubs
E.R.
All new!
Pop a squat at 7 p.m. and don’t get off the couch til 10 p.m. You know you want to. Resistance is futile!
In a world where terms like legend and icon are haphazardly assigned to celebrities left and right and there seems to be little discernment in such classification, Charlton Heston was truly the genuine article.
A highly acclaimed and talented actor, as well as strong political activist, Heston was a giant both on and off the screen. His charismatic performances were as memorable as they were outstanding, earning him an Oscar for Best Actor in 1959’s Ben-Hur.
Best known to nerd nation as Colonel Taylor in 1968’s Planet of the Apes (and its sequel, Beneath the Planet of the Apes), Heston frequently found himself in the realm of science fiction.
He was the star of 1971’s The Omega Man, based off of Richard Matheson’s novel I Am Legend and recently remade into a film of the same name starring Will Smith, and 1973’s Soylent Green. Both are rather grim visions of the future, with Omega being post-apocalyptic and Soylent a dystopian-style tale. Heston also dabbled in television sci-fi, making appearances on The Outer Limits and SeaQuest DSV.
Heston became a polarizing figure in his later years with his strong conservative stances on many issues, most notably gun control as he served as President of the National Rifle Association from 1998 until 2003. Heston had been an active American and proud patriot throughout his life, serving in the United States Army Air Force during World War II and being heavily involved in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. He accompanied Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during his 1963 march in Washington D.C. and even went so far as to join the picket lines outside of a segregated movie theater that was premiering one of his films (El Cid).
In 2002, Heston announced he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, but handled his condition with class and retained his dignity until the end. When actor George Clooney made light of his aging colleague’s condition, defending his comments by saying, “”Charlton Heston is the head of the National Rifle Association; he deserves whatever anyone says about him,” Heston responded as a true gentleman.
“I don’t know the man - never met him, never even spoken to him, but I feel sorry for George Clooney. One day he may get Alzheimer’s disease,” Heston said.
Heston passed away on April 5, but he leaves behind a larger than life legacy in not only the film world, but the political one as well. At a time when Hollywood role models are few and far between, Heston was a man of conviction and integrity who used his fame as a platform to better the quality of life for the common man.
Mr. Heston, this nerd salutes you.
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