Dick Cheney: Asshole

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The CIA withheld information about a secret counterterrorism program from Congress during the Bush administration on direct orders from then-Vice President Dick Cheney, current CIA director Leon Panetta told members of Congress, a knowledgeable source confirmed to CNN.

Constitution shmonstitution, Dick knows what is best for you! How much would you give for just one punch to this lying prick's face? We'll start the bidding at $1000. Maybe that would wipe that perpetual sneer off of it...

Call Of Juarez: Bound In Blood on the way

I just got a notice from GameFly that they have shipped Call of Juarez: Bound In Blood to me. This was #1 on my list, so I am eager to play it. Good buddy Dave Roland speaks highly of it, and I love the western theme, so I am hoping this one is worth checking out. The single player portion is supposed to be pretty short, so this seems like the perfect sort of game to rent rather than buy. I'll give impressions as soon as I can.

GameFly

I just joined GameFly so I can rent games rather than always having to buy them. I went for the plan that allows you to have only one game out at a time as I rarely ever have 2 games going simultaneously unless 1 is a sports game, and I usually buy those. For $15.95 a month you can rent one game at a time and keep it as long as you like. You then also have the option to buy the game if you'd like. With so many games that pique my interest, but not enough to spend $60 on, this seems like a smart idea. The 1st month is 40% off and you can cancel at any time.

I'll let you know how I like the service and if I think it is worth checking out.

Valkyrie - quick hit review

Barb and I watched Valkyrie the other night and I was pretty impressed - this despite the fact that A.) I am not a Tom Cruise fan and B.) I obviously knew how the story was going to end. Cruise gives a decent performance here; in fact I think he is a pretty decent actor overall. I just have a hard time separating his phony Scientology persona from his film roles. I guess when you come right down to it, that's my problem and it's something I usually get over before too long whenever I watch one of his movies.

Anyway, Valkyrie is the story of an assassination attempt on Adolph Hitler by high-up German commanders in 1944. The cast is full of familiar faces such as Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Terence Stamp and the always dependable Tom Wilkinson. Everyone in the cast shines, particularly Nighy as General Friedrich Olbricht. Director Bryan Singer is able to keep the action and suspense taut even though the eventual outcome is well-known by anyone with a smattering of world history. For this he gets high marks, as well as for pulling of a really handsome production of WWII Germany. The music is appropriately stirring throughout and the movie pays off with an emotion ending. If I were giving out grades, and I guess I am, I would give Valkyrie a nice, handsome B; it was better than I expected and I would recommend the movie to anyone interested in WWII history.

Gran Torino - quick hit review

I finally got around to seeing this movie as my wife and I watched it tonight. I enjoyed it; while it's nothing spectacular, overall it is just a good, solid movie, a quiet drama. A nice performance by Clint Eastwood is the center of the film. He does seem to be playing the role he usually plays, just at an advanced age, but he pulls it off with gruff charm and humor. I really liked the way the relationship played out between him and the 2 kids that live next door. They were excellent as well. My wife enjoyed the movie quite a bit too. If I was grading it, I'd give it a nice, solid B.

Up next is Valkryie. I love WWII history/historical fiction so I am looking forward to it, though Tom Cruise can be really hard for me to take at times. Still, the rest of the cast is stellar (it doesn't get much better than Tom Wilkinson, IMO), so it should be well acted and the story line is intriguing. We hope to watch it early this week.

Michael Jackson related news

ENOUGH ALREADY!!!

Welcome, Pete!

My good friend Pete got a new Xbox 360 (a Jasper unit, no less!) and is hooked up to Live. The first game he got was Sacred 2, so we are chomping at the bit to do some co-op gaming. We are tentatively scheduled for Friday. I'm really glad to have him aboard and can't wait to hook up with him. Welcome aboard, Pete!