Mr. Ebert, I beg to differ. Transformers Totally Rocks

Even when I don't agree fully with Roger Ebert, I can understand his point of view. Not when it comes to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Mr. Ebert and the rest of the film-reviewing world decided they didn't like this latest Michael Bay film. They didn't understand the story, thought there were too many explosions. The comedy, they said, was sub-par, nonsensical.

I and the rest of the film-viewing world beg to differ. The film raked in $201 million this weekend. I saw it on Sunday, and as I was leaving my noon-time screening at the megaplex, hundreds more people were standing in line. Many for a second time.

"I didn't expect to like it," an elderly woman said on her way out. "But it was good, and it had a lot of chuckles."

"That. Was. Awesome," a little boy told his father.

I agree with the kid.

If you ever owned a Hasbro Transformers toy as a kid, were a fan of the cartoon or enjoyed the first Bay film, you'll most definitely enjoy Revenge of the Fallen.

The Last Airbender: Teaser Trailer

If this trailer is to be believed, M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender is going to be freaking awesome!

The Passing of an Icon -- Reactions

"It's taken me a moment to grasp this ... I understand life and death are part of the same magnificent cycle. But ...I litterally stopped and broke down When I recieved ' that' text . Mike's music lives in my DNA. It's bigger than tabloids...that music shaped me . The freaquency is real My heart and artistry are truly influenced and forever impacted. ..." -- Erykah Badu on Twitter

"His passing will be grieved far beyond that of any other singer, composer, producer, dancer and choreographer, in the history of the world. Indeed, in my very firmest, personal, belief there will never, ever, be another Michael Jackson!" -- Don Cornelius

"Michael Jackson was my generations most iconic cultural hero. Courageous, unique and incredibly talented. He'll be missed greatly." -- Russell Simmons

"He was a kind, genuine, and wonderful man. He was also one of the greatest entertainers that ever lived. I loved him very much and I will miss him every remaining day of my life." -- Liza Minnelli

"I am so grateful to have worked with the King (and always will be King) of the music industry. He was a gift to the world, he is a bright light and I wouldn't be surprised if the world stopped spinning tomorrow." -- will.i.am

"It is extremely difficult. It's an incredible shock to me. I dont have words to say. I will miss Michael. The world will miss Michael. His greatness was perfection. Michael was one of those people who wojldnt stop until he was perfect. And he kept going. I will miss his light. I will miss his star. He upped the standard." -- Donna Summer

"I hope he's remembered as a great musician, and not for the circus sideshow that has become his life over the last several years." -- Jamie Foxx

"My heart is overcome with sadness for the devastating loss of my true friend Michael. He was an extraordinary friend, artist and contributor to the world. I join his family and his fans in celebrating his incredible life and mourning his untimely passing." -- Brooke Shields

"This loss has deeply saddened me! It is with a heavy heart I composed this statement. May God cover you Michael. We all lift your name up in prayer. I pray for the entire JACKSON family particularly Michael's mother, children and all his fans that loved him so much. I would not be the artist, performer, and philanthropist I am today without the influence of Michael. I have great admiration and respect for Him and I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to meet and perform with such a great entertainer, who in so many ways, transcended the culture. He broke barriers, he changed radio formats! With music, he made it possible for people like Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama to impact the mainstream world. His legacy is unparalleled. Michael Jackson will never be forgotten." -- Usher

Michael Jackson, Music Icon, Dead at 50

"Like the loss of sunlight
On a cloudy afternoon
Gone too soon"
-Michael Jackson, Gone Too Soon

These lyrics seemed appropriate today, as Jackson's death came hours after Farah Fawcett's.

Grey's Anatomy: Remember when it was good?

Seriously, remember when Thursday night everything stopped for an episode of Grey's Anatomy? When the drama between Christina and Burke was so thick nothing else seemed to matter? When you actually gave a damn about what happened to Meredith and Derek?

Then, there was the dismantling. The removal of Isaiah Washington and thus, the end of Christina and Burke. Kate Walsh leaving Seattle Grace to launch the insanely pathetic Private Practice spin-off. Ellen Pompeo did something to her face and she was no longer remotely interesting to watch. And Katherine Heigl and T.R. Knight got really, really annoying, on and off camera.

As the producers and writers spend the summer months trying to write themselves out of a season finale that left two major characters on the brink of death and the others kind of not doing anything interesting, I propose the following to breath life back into the show:

• Bring back Burke. The reintroduction of Washington's character would lend the show some much-needed dramatic gravitas and provide for an interesting set of complications now that Christina has moved on with that guy who was in HBO's Rome.
• Kill George and Issie. They spend the last season not doing much, and we hate them and rather Seattle Grace find interns we actually care about.
• Fix Ellen Pompeo's face. Okay, that was just mean. But seriously, the Meredith Derek thing is stale. Her family dramas were much more interesting.
• Let Bailey get her groove back. Why hasn't this powerhouse actress been given a romantic storyline. She's getting a divorce, so she needs to now have some fun. Give her an intern or two to play with. That might be fun.
• Let some patients live. E'rbody been dying this season. Don't they remember that Deny's story was interesting because they gave him room to grow as a character before killing him (ditto with the crazy chick who had to get a new face). Bring some folks on. Let em hang a little bit, then kill 'em in sweeps. We'll appreciate it.
  

Return of the Slayer?

So, two of the producers of Buffy the Vampire Slayer are talking about rebooting the franchise. This would awesome considering the UPN show and its spin-off Angel were, shall we say, seriously kick ass escapism. The problem, though, is the absence of idea man, Joss Whedon. Now, we admit Whedon's newest series, Dollhouse, was some stupid sh*t, but the Buffyverse he penned was top-notch genre TV with smarts. What has Fran Kazui done since Buffy (and did you even know the name before I asked this question)? Well, she and her husband, Kaz, bank-rolled Angel (also Whedon's idea) and produced nothing else, according to IMDB. If they don't bring Whedon in on this reboot, I pray they get no support and their idea dies where it now stands.

Terminator Salvation

Terminator Salvation is cold and gray, dusty and loud. People die. Machines reek havoc. And the only hope for mankind is John C ... I mean, a new guy whose name I can't remember.

The only thing that annoyed me about this movie was the presence of this newest character. I won't tell you why he's important, just in case you haven't seen it already. But his presence makes no sense to us.

Everything else about the Terminator mythology remains intact. John Conner is alive. He's morphed from Nick Stahl to Christian Bale and is leading a band of resistance fighters. His wife Kate (Claire Danes in Rise of the Machines, but here, a pregnant Bryce Dallas Howard) is by his side. His mother, Sarah, is present too, but only in voice; he listens to her "chronicles" on cassette tape for inspiration and direction. John's father, Kyle Reece, is present as well, but he's yet to grow into Michael Beihn and is a teenage Anton Yelchin.

Half of mankind believes John is their salvation. The other half think he's full of shit. The machines, though, know better. They've got John and Kyle on the top of a termination list, and they've set about a complicated plot -- which includes some time travel (you knew there would be time travel, for god sakes, this is Terminator), brainwashing, bombs, missiles, explosions, and the California governor, either in a cameo or just some look-alike CGI.

Salvation is not a think film. It doesn't tug at the heart like T2; but it's a decent action flick, enjoyable... much more than, say, the third movie in the series, which blew so desperately hard the negatives should be erased.