Ranking the Pixar Films; # 1 May Surprise You...

Pixar released another animated masterpiece with Toy Story 3 this past week. So it got my thinking; where does this newest installment of the Toy Story saga rank among the other Pixar Films? Well, I decided to do my own little rankings of the Disney & Pixar Films.

There have been 11 films released since Pixar came into the picture, but I have not seen Ratitouille yet so I will refrain from ranking it on my list. This leave 10 movies for 10 spots so all will make the countdown. This was a lot harder than I thought as there is not a bad movie of the bunch. Try ranking them yourselves and see what I mean.

So without further adieu, here are my Disney & Pixar Movie Rankings (Beware # 1 on my list may surprise you a little):

10. Toy Story 2: I was not as sold on this movie as everyone else. Don't get me wrong it was a good movie; it was just not as good as Toy Story 1 which so many people claimed.

9. The Incredibles: The Incredibles were better than I thought it was going to be. It was a very enoyable Superhero flick.

8. Up: Up was a different breed of movie. It was a crazy storyline, but it worked perfectly for the film. I have actually only seen 9/10 of the movie, but I really enjoyed what I've seen.

7. Toy Story 3 For my notes on this movie, see my previous blog post. Its a "review" of the feature!

6. A Bug's Life A Bug's Life is a good movie, but still not my favorite animated feature featuring insects. ("Antz" is one of my favorite animated features ever!) My favorite part of this film was David Hyde Pierce, who was the voice of the stick bug, he was hilarious!

5. Toy Story 1 Still the best and greatest by far of the Toy Story Trio. The superstar power in this movie is what makes it so powerful. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are a great duo and the supporting cast fits in nicely.


4. Wall-E: This movie sends a strong statement about the environment more than anything else. I am not afraid to say that I enjoyed this movie. Wall-E reminds me of a combination of two characters from movies that I love (ET and Johnny-5 from Short Circuit). Although he doesn't say much in the film, he is a very lovable character indeed!


T2. Finding Nemo I couldn't pick between Finding Nemo and my next selection Cars for the 2nd and 3rd spots so I called it a tie. Nemo is one of the most relaxing Pixar Films out there. There is a great story, enjoyable characters and not a lot of suspenseful action which makes it so relaxing. Plus, I still think Ellen deserved an Oscar nomination for her role as Dory, but that is an argument for another day.

T2. Cars As I said before, Cars is tied with Nemo for 2nd. I can't pick between the two. Cars has a good cast which includes # Tony Shalhoub, Bonnie Hunt, Paul Newman, Owen Wilson, George Carlin, and Larry the Cable Guy as Mater. Mater may just be my favorite character of all Disney and Pixar Films (but that's another list for another day). Mater is like Dory from Finding Nemo; silly, not too bright, but loving and lovable. If not for my favorite film, these two would be battling for the top spot. But instead, they are in a dead heat for second place.

Now for all you Disney buffs out there, I'm sure you know what movie remains and makes the top of my list. For those of you who don't, here it is.... my favorite Disney & Pixar Film....

1. Monsters Inc Anyone surprised by this? Well, you shouldn't be. Maybe its the fact that is has to do with Monsters and I like the supernatural or maybe its the fact that Billy Crystal does a funny as hell job as Mike Wazowski. I think it is a strong combination of both factors that make me love this love. Plus the storyline is new and creative. Who thought of the door idea and scream power? Props to the writers on this one. Throw in John Goodman playing Mike's best friend, James P. Sullivan and I am sold. Billy Crystal makes this movie for me, but there are so many strong points that make it stand out as my favorite Disney and Pixar film!

Now that I think about it; it would be interesting to make a list of the top Disney & Pixar Characters. What do you guys think? Let me know if you even care! lol

Disney & Pixar Do it Again In Toy Story 3!

So I gave into temptation and saw Toy Story 3 in theaters Sunday morning. I had seen the first two Toy Story Films in theaters as a youngster so I think that this would complete the circle.

The movie turned out to be more than I personally expected. I would mark it ahead of Toy Story 2 on a scale, but still behind the first one when ranking the three movies. The story line was good. It has a different feel from the first two movies, but I really do not know why. Maybe it was just the knowing that this is the last and final chapter.

It can be an emotional movie; I loved the ending, but it was sad. I'll admit it. Very nicely planned out ending, but it was a little emotional. There is one shocking scene in the movie that really made me gasp, but I'm sure you will see it for yourself when you go.

I will not go through the trouble of retelling the plot as you probably already know it well enough already that you do not want to hear my rehashing of the tale. If you liked the first two movies; go see it. It is a fitting end to the Toy Story Triology.

The Toy Story movies may be over and done with but you will always have me and my blog, To Infinity and Beyond! (Yes that was corny I know, but a fitting ending to a Toy Story review)

Gotta Love Dollar Store CDs!

So I was visiting Dollar Tree the other day. It was my first trip to a real dollar store in awhile so I was curious to see if there was anything new recently. There wasn't much there in the way of stuff I wanted until I strolled down the book aisle and something caught my eye. Sitting there in the bottom shelves were three whole sections of CDs for a dollar apiece.

I scanned through the large number of CDs. There wasn't really that much variety. It looked to contain just about 8 CDs with numerous copies of each. My search revealed some "bigger name" artists. In the end, I bought myself 4 CDs: Round Room by Phish, Barenaked Ladies are Me by Barenaked Ladies and both of the albums by the overnight sensation James Blunt.

Granted these artists are ones who've I listened to occassionally and I already own an album apiece from Phish and the BN Ladies. However, getting an entire albums from 3 successful artist tickled my fancy so i got those 4 CDs.

I mean, this is how I looked at it. Single downloads are usually around a $1. Having said that, as long as I like one song on each album then it is a good deal. If I like 2 or more songs then it is a steal. I mean 12 songs for a dollar is about 8ish cents per track. Is that a great deal or what? Gotta love dollar store CDs!

Super Tuesday: The Return of 2 Music Legends

So, I am sitting here online down the shore, yes I know it happened. I found an outside Internet source and am currently "borrowing" their Internet to relax and enjoy myself down here. However, the point of this post is not to discuss how I am online during this time; it is too mention two notable CDs that are coming out tomorrow.

Now if you have seen my Facebook status, then you know what two artists are releasing albums tomorrow. They are two of my favorites of all time; one I knew about for quite a long time and one that I just found out about last night (yes I am as shocked I didn't hear about it sooner). The albums are Mojo by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Bingo by The Steve Miller Band.

Now I listened to the entire Tom Petty album last night as I found it being streamed online and I am currently listening to the new Steve Miller album which I just discovered online this morning. I will not review the albums now, but maybe at a later date so stay tuned. Be warned though, I was never good at reviewing albums, but we shall see.

The one thing I will comment on is that both albums are different then you know and expect from these two legends. It is not to say that it is not good stuff. All the songs I have heard from both albums sound great to me. I have been reading outside reviews and they rate both CDs very highly and I can see why by listening to them both. One thing i have noticed from both albums is how identifiable the singers still. While it is obvious that Tom Petty and Steve Guitar are older than they used to be, but they still sound the way they did from their earlier albums. Age hasn't affected either of these men in any way, shape or form.

Anyway you slice it, tomorrow is going to be a great day for the music world with 2 legends releasing new albums after significant gaps of time before they last stepped into a studio. For Mr. Petty, its been 8 years and for Steve Miller; its been an astonishing 17 years. Regardless, I think its safe to say that both albums have been worth the wait.

I would recommend fans of either artists to pick up their respective CDs.You won't be disappointed.

Time for a Break

Hello All!,

For those of you who read my latest Phillies post, you already know that I am taking a break down the shore for a few days. All the great ones need a break sometime for everything and just need to take a step back and look at everything.

I am no exception. Tomorrow morning I will head down the Jersey Shore for a well needed break. A lot has been going on in my life and I just need some time to think about everything. I will still have my phone so texts are always welcome; just be patient if I don't get back to right away.

Until I speak to you lovely readers again, have a good weekend and I will speak to you soon.

Good day all!

- Your Blogger, John

The Goalball Diaries: A Weekend at the Nationals

This weekend, I had a chance to volunteer / observe a National Tournament. However this tournament was not in any sport that you hear about every day on the radio. This was the Goalball Nationals being held at the University of Delaware.

Never heard of Goalball? Well, trust me, you are not alone. It is the official sport of the blind and visually impaired. It consists of two teams of three players each, at least three on the court at any time, playing against each other. The games usually take place in a gym with a flat surface and with a specialized ball containing a bell in the middle of the ball that makes noise when you roll it.

The object of the game is simple; to score as many goals as you can on the opposing team. Teams alternate rolling the ball back and forth at various speeds trying to get the ball past the three players on the opposing team who literally lay out and attempt to block the ball when they hear it coming. I have told a few people about this game and some of the common responses I get are, “Sounds easy to do” or “that sounds plain boring”.

Sounds easy enough? Wrong! These players are skilled, athletic and very good at what they do. It takes practice, practice and more practice to get the correct forms and techniques down pat. I have the privilege of playing a little Goalball when I was younger, and I can honestly say, it is one of the more difficult things that I ever attempted. To any sighted person who says that this game sounds easy and simple to do, I would invite them to play a round of Goalball and then I can pretty much assure you that they will be singing a different tune.

One cannot judge a game boring until they have seen its best players battling on the biggest stages. This weekend was the top of the pile tournament. Only the best teams made it and they showed their talents off. The game of Goalball is fierce and the players will do anything to win. These Nationals were intense right down to the championship games on both sides for the men’s and women’s teams. If that’s not intense enough for you; try watching a 1-on-1 battle between two pro Goalball players. Now that is an intense battle.

How did I ever discover and get into Goalball, you ask. Well, my younger brother and his friend Michael are members of a young, up and coming team from this area called the Wolfpack. They are the “B” team to “Venom, the last 2009 and 2010 National Champions, who are also from this area. When I was in high school, My brother Matt would play Goalball weekly at a school in Philadelphia. Every now and then, I would attend his practices and be offered a chance to play a little in the games. I’m not going to lie, the time playing Goalball was very enjoyable. Sadly, I haven’t gotten the chance to play in years.

As I stated early, the “A” men’s team from the area, Venom, took the first place prize in the Men’s side and our women’s team took the Bronze position. Sadly, the Wolfpack finished 8th, but that was not too shabby for one of their first National Competitions. Although I saw much well played Goalball over the weekend, the highlight of the weekend for me was when my boneheaded brother scored on his own goal. Yes, I kid you not. I haven’t taken a break from ragging on him about it either. But in all seriousness, the Wolfpack performed admirably. Congrats guys!

I didn’t get a chance to take many pictures, as most of the time there I was volunteering and working behind the scenes, although I will attempt to post a photo in this post, but no promises that it will actually work. Friday night, I had the honor of keeping score for one of the gyms. It was a strenuous task if I do say so myself. Well, not really. But after awhile of not scoring and nothing to change; I would find myself daydreaming only to come back to reality having to immediately double check and see if I had missed anything and thankfully, I never did. Luckily, I made a new friend in the 10 Second Timer and had her to talk to all night. That helped keep my head in the game, so to speak, during the night. Overall, it was a fun night and everyone involved did a wonderful job especially that awesome score keeper. Good job everyone!

My family and I ventured back to Delaware on the Sunday and for the first 3 matches, I was goal judge, basically judging whether or not the ball actually went in the ball and chasing down rogue balls that were thrown or hit out of play. That involved a little more movement than the score keeping job and it had me on my toes the whole game. I didn’t really get a chance to take photos and or videos until the men’s final game which I took a video of and a few photos here and there. Look out for it all to be placed on Facebook at a later date, once my Internet allows me to post some videos that is!

Overall, it was a fun weekend. Attending the Goalball Nationals on Friday and Sunday was enjoyable as I described and the Phillies actually won a few games this weekend, so it was a plus.

Some Things Never Change....

One of the more memorable things about my high school, Monsignor Bonner for those of you who don’t know, was the diverse cast of characters that stepped through its doors. There were the loudmouths, the tools, the players, the smart crowd, and the nerds to name a few. Today, I traveled with my younger brother to see Bonner’s baseball team take on Great Valley in the PA State Playoffs.

After standing within a large group of current Bonner boys, I have to say that nothing has changed. Bonner boys these days are still the same cocky, loud, sexual innuendo lead males that were around during my days. Even though many of you may paint those qualities as negative, one cannot deny the ingenuity of those guys. The highlight of the day ended up being when a group of Bonner guys attempted to move an entire bleacher from a surrounding baseball field and bring it over so they could sit. I mean, the original bleachers were blocked off and they were charging money to sit there. Yes, Charging money to sit in a public area; that’s classy all right; although on game days, the Phillies pull the same crap actually charging money to get into the park because so many people park there and walk to the ballpark since it sits just across the street from Citizen’s Bank Park. Neither is very fair if you ask, but I digress. Anyway, a park security man stopped them after they lifted the bleachers off the ground. I know, I know, what a total buzz kill.

As for the game, the Friars ended up losing 4-1 :( . This was actually my first Bonner baseball game that I had ever seen occurring just a short 3 years after I graduated. Yes, I know I’m a bit behind. But, as they say, its better late than never. Despite the loss, the team had a great season and I commend them on a job well done. We’ll be back next year boys; I’m looking forward to it.

Saluting the Best College Coach Ever: The Late, Great John Wooden

My Readers, I regret to inform you that I have to bring to you more sad news, this time from the World of Sports.

In the same week one of baseball’s legends retired, the college basketball world lost one of, if not, the greatest coaches in college sports history. Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden passed away at the age of 99 last night in a California hospital.

Now I must apologize that I cannot write as much about John Wooden as I did Ken Griffey Jr. as I am too young to have had the privilege of witnessing the legendary teams that Wooden constantly had on the basketball court. How good were these teams? From 1976-1973, Wooden’s UCLA teams had an amazing winning streak of 88 straight games. During his career, his teams had 4 perfect 30-0 seasons, a 38 game winning streak in NCAA tournament games and a record 98 straight home wins on their home court. If that is not signs of an elite coach then I don’t what is. Wooden was the model of consistency.

Players attested to his humbleness and he worked two jobs at the start of his career to get bye. Wooden was famous for his Pyramid of Success, which includes such elements as Industriousness, Friendship, Loyalty, Poise and Intentness. Today’s coaches may view this Pyramid differently with fame, money, and tournament appearances at the top of their list. There is a serious shortage of coaches like Wooden today and that is truly a shame
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I’m sorry I cannot say more on the man, but his reputation speaks for itself.

So, I salute you John Wooden. We need more coaches in the league like you these days. You were the best, and my only regret is that I am too young to have seen you in action. Rest in Peace my friend, hope your afterlife is as successful as your mortal, yet sometimes appearing immortal, life was here on earth.

And Then There Was One....

I come to you with a sad heart bearing some sad news for all your Golden Girls fans out there. It seems we are now down to one of the famous quartet as actress Rue Mcclanahan, who won our hearts as the promiscuous Blanche Devereaux on the show, died from a massive stroke earlier today. She was 76 years old.

As a fan of the show Golden Girls, it is shocking and saddening how quickly these ladies are falling from our midst. She now can join Sophia and Dorothy up there for a big piece of cheesecake and discuss old times like they did so many times on the show. R.I.P Blanche.

Betty White, the last remaining star of the show was deeply hurt by the death of her costar. "Rue was a close and dear friend. I treasure our relationship," White, 88, said in a statement. "It hurts more than I ever thought it would, if that's even possible."

It looks like Betty will have to live forever to keep the show’s living memory alive. Here’s hoping that she can…

My Top 25 Classic Rock Songs!

 102.9 WMGK recently held their “Philly 500”; the countdown of the top 500 classic rocks songs as voted on members of their network.  As I had noted before, I did disagree with some of the top choices on the countdown. Having said that, I decided to do a mini countdown of my own favorite classic rock songs. So I present to you, my audience, my top 25 Classic Songs. Feel free to comment, I would love to hear people’s opinions on my short list here:

My Top 25 Classic Rock Songs:

25 (tied). Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen

25. Life During Wartime – Talking Heads

24. Rock & Roll – Led Zeppelin

23. Radar Love – Golden Earring

22. Maneater – Hall & Oates

21. Crocodile Rock – Elton John

20. Renegade – Styx

19. American Girl – Tom Petty

18. Clampdown – The Clash

17. Behind Blue Eyes – The Who

16. All the Young Dudes – Matt the Hoople

15. The Boys are Back in Town – Thin Lizzy

14. Who Are You – The Who

13. I Want to Know What Love Is – Foreigner

12. Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin

11. Paradise by the Dashboard Light – Meatloaf

10. You Make My Dreams Come True – Hall & Oates

9. Scenes from an Italian Restaurant – Billy Joel

8. Free Bird – Lynyrd Skynyrd

7. We Didn’t Start the Fire – Billy Joel

6. Philadelphia Freedom – Elton John

5. Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton

4. Your Song – Elton John

3. Piano Man – Billy Joel

2. Don’t Stop Believing – Journey

1. American Pie – Don McClean

 Artists with multiple Songs:

3- Billy Joel, Elton John,

2- Hall & Oates, Led Zeppelin, The Who

11 out of 26 songs belong to one of my  6 favorite classic rock artists. Is it any surprise that the two greatest piano players of our time have nearly a quarter of the songs? If you know me, then the answer to that would be NO! Let me know what you think! 

ESPN Cannot Have Me!

A wise friend once told me that “I would never be hired by ESPN because I actually knew what I was talking about.”

Now the reason I label him as “a friend” is because I honestly cannot remember who told me that, I just remember that it was said to me and I have to admit that he was right on the ball. No pun intended. I even forget the discussion, but I can probably assume we were viewing some show and or game on the aforementioned ESPN station when someone said something that was stupid, wrong, or just down-right uneducated about baseball. This is not a rare occurrence for ESPN. One cannot watch the network within hearing at least one thing said that makes the educated viewer cringe.  

Now what does that have to do with recent events you may ask. Well, I was viewing the MLB page of the ESPN website when I came across a video entitled “Trouble in Philadelphia”. As a diehard fan of the Phillies and as a fan who cannot explain to their current power outage, I was curious to see what some of these “experts” believed was wrong with the Phillies recently.   Now the video was just a minute long so I knew there was not going to be much of an analysis in it. However, when the video finally played, I was even more disappointed than I was when I first saw the video.

For those of you who haven’t seen the video, I am going to give you a summation of what it contained. (Warning: Spoilers ahead) The video was John Kruk’s “analysis of the Phillies recent struggles. His conclusion?  To paraphrase the Kruker: “The Phillies are struggling to win because they are not scoring runs. They are not hitting with runners in scoring position and are not hitting home runs.”

How much do they pay these “experts” to analyze these games?  That was not an analysis, it was pointing out the obvious. I could have done a better job and I know for a fact that I have. At least once, but I think more, I have posted my analysis of what is going on with the Phillies. Analysis involves breaking down the obvious points that Captain Obvious Kruk pointed out in the video.  I think its safe to say that watching that video may be the most pointless minute of my life. I could have told you everything that he said in that video. What exactly was the point of telling people what they already knew? I’m confused.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love John Kruk as much as the next Phillies fan, but he has fallen into the trap that is ESPN. Here is the problem with ESPN and it all comes down to two simple terms: Bias and ignorance. ESPN has chosen their favorite teams and players and they are the teams and players that they cover most. You cannot watch an episode of Sports Center without having extended segments involving the Yankees, Red Soxs, Mets, Lakers, Penguins, Capitals, Patriots, Colts and Celtics.  Do they realize there are more teams then this in their respective sports? Do they even consider that there are more hockey players then Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin or that there are more NBA players then Lebron and Kobe? Earth to ESPN: Derek Jeter, A-Fraud, and Albert Pujols are not the only players in the MLB! Even if they attempt to talk about their favorites, they continually show little ability to understand and analyze. Take this video as just a small shred of evidence.

For those of you ESPN viewers, you know exactly what I am talking about. If you aren’t, just watch one day and you will know what I am talking about. If a team is hot and not listed here then you may hear about them, but once they go cold, ESPN could care less about them.  I witnessed a top 10 plays once where one of the  top plays was a play by Mariners shortstop Jack Wilson I believe it was. Did the hosts discuss Wilson’s play? Well very little. Most of the conversation was concerning Derek Jeter and how the play resembled what Wilson had done. Even during other sports plays, they managed to work a Derek Jeter comment in there.  If that is not bias, then I do not know what is. Here’s a tip guys, I know Derek Jeter isn’t gay so get off his d*** for once. Thanks.

Even if the day ever came that I was offered a job by ESPN, there is a high chance I wouldn’t think twice about turning it down. I have too much dignity to associate myself with those bias, uneducated twerps that work for that network. My friend was right; I know too much to work there and they cannot afford me even if they wanted to.