You Can't Fight the World, but Thats Just the Way It Is

I was listening to the band Zero Down, Jim Cherry's band before he died of a congenital heart condition. I noticed every song was about how no matter how hard you try, you'll never change the world, but you can at least try. Its a beautiful concept to me, but the idea of that realization is kind of deep. Is it true, I mean can we really do nothing? I am not sure, but I like to stay an optimist, and hope everything I try to do good for the world will help! If not I guess I am just a fool like Jim was!

The title of the blog comes the song the called "The Way It Is" by Zero Down, go to Fat Wreck Chords website, and buy this album and support the surviving members of Zero Down, and maybe just maybe understand the message Jim Cherry was trying to give to the world.

What Christmas Means to Me

This is a blogpost I decided I'd write for 1 of 2 reasons. First and foremost I am trying to post more content that is interesting and people will like. Secondly, I am writing more to improve my style and form, so doing essay type blog posts like this will help.

When I was younger Christmas was all about the excitement of the morning, and from ages 1-10 the magic of Santa. Waking up at 6 in the morning bugging my parents to start doing stuff. This stuff to me was the highlight of the day.

As I have gotten older though I find something new I like about the Holiday every year. I realized that I am a huge fan of ham and roast, along with all the other common Christmas foods. There is also something REALLY cool about giving someone a gift and knowing they liked it!

Though I could never buy into the "religious" aspects of the holiday, I have always been intrigued by the Jesus mythos especially about the birth. The idea of even thinking back as far as 2000 years ago is already something to wrap my mind around; but adding in virgin birth, a couple fleeing for their lives in the dead of night, and 3 kings giving presents to a baby...just makes it so cool! Its probably the most interesting story in The New Testament.

I have also grown to hate Christmas music...to the point where I walked out on my parents decorating the tree when my dad starting playing some really awful Christmas music! The worst offenders on my list of Christmas songs I hate would have to be that damned horribly depressing song about the kidding getting his dying mom shoes for Christmas...I believe that, that song IS specifically designed to depress death! If I had to pick a few songs I can stand it would be Santa's Beard by They Might Be Giants, 30 Days by nevershoutnever, and Happy Holidays You Bastards by Blink 182.

As far as Television Christmas specials go, there are 3 I HAVE TO SEE! Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Flintstones Christmas Carole, and Olive the Other Reindeer...these specials OPTIMIZE CHRISTMAS FOR ME! If I don't see these specials...I think I would cry! Call me a big softy, but I love Christmas specials, almost all of them. Bonus points if they have a depressing ending or are animated OR both!

So, what does Christmas mean to me? It means good food, god awful music, an interesting myth, and tearjerker TV specials, and maybe, just maybe family to ;)!

Why did Vegeta kill Nappa???

This question has always bugged me a bit since I started watching Dragonball Z (when I was 4), why did Vegeta kill Nappa? The conclusion most fans came up with, due to Vegeta's dialog with Nappa before he killed him, is because he believed Nappa was to pathetic, not truly a Sayian warrior, blah blah blah. Others think Vegeta was just evil and would kill anything, but I have came to a new conclusion; Vegeta killed Nappa because he didn't want Nappa to become stronger than him.

Nappa had a power level of 4000, him being brought to near death by Goku meant that once he recovered he'd have a power level of 8000+ roughly. Now Vegeta could stop Nappa with a power level of 4000 EASILY, even if he tried killing him in his sleep! Now Nappa with a power level of 8000+ given a strategic moment could kill Vegeta as he slept or had his back turned. Vegeta saw Nappa as a threat if he were to get stronger, AND KILLED HIM, to save his own skin later on.

Thats just my theory though...

The Web Home Of MLRTproductions

So for about a year now I have promised a full fledged web page devoted to all things MLRTProductions. It has taken a full year, but finally the website is up! I invite you all to go to http://www.mlrtproductions.com/ along with this website my twitter, youtube, and most noticeably THIS BLOG, have had design changes to match this site. On this site you can get links to my profiles, my videos, and on the chance you hate checking my blog links to my blog posts!

I would like to thank everyone who has supported me thus far, and as I expand my ventures, I hope you guys will come along for the ride, because THIS is just the beginning. So all of you on my blog, my youtube, and TGWTG.com, I love you all!

P.S. The site was created by Famous web designer and certified dork Hammy Havoc, "he offers US$100 - US$250 sites that do it all courtesy of Hammy Havoc (@hammyhavoc on Twitter) who can be contacted on hammy@splitanatom.com and portfolio over on www.splitanatom.com, although his latest portfolio is due to arrive in a few days, complete with photography and a variety of new services including audio engineering."

Why I haven't written.... one big post from a games nerd

Well folks, I'm sorry I haven't posted a whole lot, but lets get started... I'm not gonna waste any time because I have a lot to talk about. Fallout, Fable 3, Black Ops. Lots to cover, very little time.

So lets start with the easiest one. Fallout New Vegas is a game by Bethesda that follows Fallout 3. The series took a bit of a break, but when Fallout 3 hit it was a phoenix from the ashes of rpgs of the old days. It was long, deep, engrossing, story driven, and amazing. The vats system, love it or hate it, allowed the rpg vets to get there turn based on, and the game also had a first person mode that kinda let shooter fans... well... shoot from a first person perspective. The flaws of the game where not enough to keep it from becoming an instant rpg classic. Solid work from Bethesda.

Well in comes Fallout New Vegas. From the get go you can tell the story got a shot of adrenaline as far as pacing goes. The first scene is actually of YOUR character getting shot in the head. Very instant sort of feel to it. Gotta love that. And that is fantastic. The game is a solid one. The post-apocalypse has never looked so damn good. Its something to behold. Desolate and expansive, the area around Vegas and outside of California is great. The story is one of rebellion and blood shed. As with Bethesda you kind of have an open ended feel to it, but Caesars Legion is painted as mongrels, horrible scoundrels, heathens, while the New California Republic is painted as a government trying to do SOMETHING in the world that you are now forced to live. Sometimes not for the best, but atleast for a cause. Moral ambiguity lends well here and allows the player to feel really like they have to pick either the semi tyrannical regime of the NCR or the INSANE people in the legion. I just noticed a little bit of irony... But not the point

The bad thing about this game... Its Fallout 3 again. There are little changes here and there, but nothing significant. The mechanics, the feel of motion and such are all the same. If you played Fallout 3 you will INSTANTLY know the controls. It is great for an rpg, but some people may find it disheartening that its more of the same...

Except the story. The story is deep engaging and with many different subplots. Every town has its own weight to it. People that know you, remember you, and have a story to tell. Its amazing how deep an rpg can get....

And then Fable 3 came along. And I was amazing at how deep a shallow game can be. The first half of this game is just like Fable 2. Gather a group to help fight an evil ruler. This time the ruler was your brother, your father being the player character from Fable 2. The mechanics changed a bit. In Fable 2 you had 3 colored orbs that came out of people. You gained more yellow orbs for using ranged attacks, green for melee, and red for magic power usage. The more of each gained 3 different experience bars with three different levels for each trait. The more you used melee the buffer you got and the better with your sword you became. In this that idea is scrapped. On the Road to Rule you open chests with different levels of those three traits and you just gain flat experience which gets you tokens to spend. Making the game a bit shallower... I hated that. In Fable and Fable 2 there was a sense of having to practice things to get better, now half way through I could easily just get enough to switch my skills. Easier, but at the cost of something that was defining of the series. It plays well though and I can't fault a game changer that may have made it easier for other to grasp the game a bit.

~~~~~~~~~~~ SPOILER ALERT~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The second half of the game you overthrow your brother. You become king, and you find out the evil things your brother was doing was not without cause. Now the darkness, a magical evil force that is consuming the land just across the sea from your own, is coming towards Albion. It is destructive, as most evil forces are. Now, this poses a problem. Seems your brother was doing evil things because they saved him money, allowing him to gain a mighty large treasury to fund an army to save the kingdom. Now you have 3 options at this point. Do all the good things, spend all the money, and therefore have no money to protect your kingdom thereby letting everyone die. Two, be evil gain a huge treasury and save EVERYONE in your kingdom. Or do all the good things, and try to gain enough money to fill the treasury enough to help Albion save itself from ruin..... Which if you play the game legit is really hard. Interesting moral choices. You do quests every day, make choices for your kingdom thus getting you money or losing it. Then face the darkness defeat it and... Well the ending I'll let you find.

Now, if you want to know a secret... In the game lies a mechanic to buy and rent houses and buy shops. Each one will gain you money every 5 minutes.... You have 364 days till the darkness invades Albion.... But the days don't change unless you do all the quests for that day... So buy a bunch of houses pawnbrokers tattoo parlors barber shops and such around Albion... leave your controller laying on the ground so the camera spins and you don't time out, and leave it be a night or two. All the money, and you can be good... Or you could play a jackass. Your choice

~~~~~~~Spoilers Over~~~~~~~~~

Now... Black Ops. I won't bother with story or mechanics. Everyone has bought this damn thing like it gives you nudes of Kat Von D or something. Everyone grabbed this game. The Call of Duty games of late have been some of the most popular games on the market. The single player is like a war movie. You feel like a powerful bad ass, and yet have super low points of sadness, like any war movie should do. The mulitplayer is engaging. Great for casual players, the jump in jump out rounds are easy to play, fast paced, fun guntastic games. The leveling system allows for a deep meta game though where the hardcore can race to gain the highest level, or prestige, dropping themselves back to lvl 1. It is a great formula. The story here take a bit of a conspiracy slant. Some fans may not like the single player story because it isn't as much like the last 3 call of duty games as far as story is concerned, taking a more cerebral approach, but I enjoyed the mind game of it. The multiplayer is great, and if your on it add Cilero on xbox live.

To be honest I don't trust treyarch as a developer, but after every last one of my friends got it I kind of had to... And I'm glad I did, totally worth it. Treyarch has been lackluster in the past, but they really did it well this time.

Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (My Chemical Romance Album Review)

My Chemical Romance and I have a twisted past, I liked their debut album, a good majority of their sophomore attempt Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, and to a way lesser extent a couple of songs off of The Black Parade. My problem with My Chemical Romance altogether is...the sound they have developed over the years, has devolved from a tightly bound post hardcore sound, into scene kid vomit. We get it, the world is sad blah blah blah, but tell US a story we haven't heard before. Does their new release, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, tell that story I have been waiting for? Lets find out.

This is a concept album, not that you'd know that unless you went to Wikipedia or read the band's blog. The concept is so loose, its hard to believe that it is even a story. The basic premise of the story is that there are these people in a post apocalyptic world that are trying to take down an evil corporation...I liked this story better when it was Resident Evil: Apocalypse. ANYWAY, that is the story, no other explanation given...and the songs SURE AS HELL don't help. They try to keep a cohesive story together, but it just fails. Chalk a terrible concept up with vanilla lyrics, and you get uninteresting results.

Before I rip into the music to bad, let me just say that there are 3 amazing fun songs, that I REALLY REALLY ENJOYED; "Na Na Na", "Party Poison", and "Vampire Money". Those three songs are what is keeping me from HATING this LP altogether. That being said, THE REST OF THIS CD IS GARBAGE. You have the terrible dance theme "Planetary (GO!)", that I wouldn't even subject my worst enemies to. The only song that is more cringe worthy is the Nu Metalesque song "Destroya" that features sing talking, that would make Ke$ha go DAMN. Another track, that is awful is the lead single, "The Only Hope For Me Is You" the beginning of the song shows promise, but quickly sounds like more of the same, that we have heard a MILLION times.

This is really one of those albums, I WAS LOOKING FORWARD to, I really hoped that My Chemical Romance, could release something that could blow my mind. Instead I am left here feeling kind of empty, and wondering why I wasted my time on three good songs, and 12 songs ranging from meh to awful. Really what I recommend here is go on itunes and buy "Na Na Na", "Party Poison", and "Vampire Money" AND SKIP THE REST OF THIS ALBUM. I give, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, a 2 out of 5.

I will leave you with the video for "Na Na Na"

Top 25 Punk and Punk Sub Genre albums Part 2 of 5

This is a blog series I have been wanting to do for a long time. I just hadn't heard enough punk music to make an actual opinion on what the best of the best is! These are all my opinions, and if you don't like them, then write your own blog! This includes sub genres, so don't complain about there being Emo, Pop Punk, New Wave, Hardcore, or any of the other sub genres that may appear on this list! The lines of punk spread large, so don't leave a bajillion comments saying "Thats not punk".

You can Find Part 1 Here: http://mlrtproductions.blogspot.com/2010/11/top-25-punk-and-punk-sub-genre-albums.html

20. Coral Fang by The Distillers

Very Rarely do you find a punk band led by a chick that isn't part of the Riot Grrrl genre. The Distillers are a rare exception to this unwritten rule. Sure there are songs in their discography that preach womens rights, WHICH I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH. What I have a problem with is female led punk bands that can only talk about women rights thus stereotyping themselves. Anyway back to the album at hand: Coral fang has a lot of energy to it, the kind of music you could blare when your down at the skate park and everyone would be cool with it. Amazing lyrics written by front women Brody Homme (former wife of Tim Armstrong current wife of Josh Homme), combine with this electric powerful fast punk sound, and her deep throaty lyrics. Sadly Coral Fang is the last Distillers album, the band split in 06, and it doesn't look like we'll see a reunion. My favorite tracks off this punk masterpeice are; Beat Your Heart Our, Coral Fang, and The Gallows is God.

19. Commit This To Memory by Motion City Soundtrack

Everything is Alright, was a track I heard years ago and didn't pay much attention to, besides bobbing my head to it. Then fastforward to a few weeks ago when I was on youtube and searching through punk bands, and I came across Motion City Soundtrack, a pop punk/emoish band, that I fell in love with. I love every track off this album, especially the infectiously poppy Everything is Alright, that I didn't give a second listen to when I first heard it! My favorite tracks are Everything is Alright, Attractive Today, and Make Out Kids.

18. Start Today by Gorilla Biscuits

A Straight Edge, Vegan, Youth Crew, hardcore punk band, a long description, for a great band! I found out about Gorilla Biscuits through the video game Tony hawks American Wasteland which features a cover of Start Today's title track by Fallout Boy. I thought the cover was alright, I looked it up online and found out about the original band. Gorilla Biscuits are everything great about the 80's and early 90's hardcore scene, ANGRY, POLITICAL, FAST lyrics. I love this band, this is their second and currently last record. The best songs on this album are Start Today, Cats and Dogs, and Two Sides.

17. Goodbye Cool World by Bomb the Music Industry!

Bomb the Music Industry! is a band that is best described as a Chainsaw hitting a synthesizer, a guitar, and a bass, with overly fast ridiculous lyrics, AKA an amazing punk band. There is so much emotion in every word sang. Choosing which album would represent this band in this countdown was tough, but in the end it came down to Goodbye Cool World, only because of the 4 part song "The King Of Minneapolis", the first two parts at the second track of the album and the second two at the second to last part of the album. That song is what sold me on this band, and its what secured Goodbye Cool World this spot. Top tracks: King of Minneapolis(parts I&II and parts III and IV), Side Projects are Never Successful, and Fuck The Fans.

16. Adelphia by A Skylit Drive

I am gonna get SO MUCH flack for this choice, before anyone says anything I KNOW ITS METALCORE, but Metalcore is a derivative of hardcore punk, thus can be included on the list. A Skylit Drive is the rare exception to my hate of metalcore. Adelphia is hard to explain why I like it, its just a good album, and it is deserving of being the only metalcore album on this list. My faves on Adelphia are: Those Cannons Could Sink a Ship, The Boy Without a Demon, and See You Around.

BEST OMEGLE CHAT EVAR!

You're now chatting with a random stranger. Say hi!

Official messages from Omegle will not be sent with the label 'Stranger:'. Strangers claiming to represent Omegle are lying.

You: Can you duck my sick

Stranger: with a flu shot maybe

You: You mean a shu flot?

Stranger: no a flu blot

You: Flo Bots are awesome

Stranger: they like... rap and transform and stuff

Stranger: they're super kewl

You: Yes very Keper Suwl

Stranger: lmfao god damn it

You: god gamn it

You: DOH I screwed it up

Stranger: yes you did

Stranger: not so cool now are ya

You: No I am not :(

Stranger: you've messed up a few times, i just let you have your happiness

You: Well then it appears you know to much, and must be assassinated

You: youtubes team of monkeys will take care of you now

Stranger: assassinate this! *nonexistance*

You: DAMNIT, now who am I going to give these concert tickets to

Stranger: sorry, i don't exist

You: Damn you and your non existance!

Stranger: my apologies from the realm of nonexistance

Stranger: which doesnt exist

You: Wait if the realm doesn't exist yet you dont exist in it, doesnt taht mean it really does exist

You: your mind is now fucked

Stranger: the eternal question. you will never know. because the answer doesnt exist

You: Damnit that was a good come back

You: Almost too good, is that you Morpheus

Stranger: no.

You: Neo?

Stranger: it is I Trinity

You: FUCK that was my next guess

Stranger: too bad cuz i'm not trinity either

Stranger: this is smith.

You: AWESOME do the clone thingy!

Stranger: okay

Stranger: done

Stranger: now i am omnipresent

You: WOW I JIZZED IN MY PANTS!

Stranger: i know. i was there

Stranger: i am everywhere

You: if you are everywhere could you also be nowhere?

Stranger: YES

You: but WAIT nowhere doesn't exist...!

Stranger: remember? i dont exist

You: But you can't be anywhere if you don't exist

You: YOUR LOGIC IS FLAWED

Stranger: perhaps I am god. or on the plain of existance as a god would be.

You: That could be the answer...DAMN YOU god you win this round!

Stranger: as i suspected.

Stranger: well...

Stranger: knew.

Stranger: because i am god

Stranger: i am both presant, past, and future, i am both this dimension and all others,

You: game...set...match!!!

Top 25 Punk and Punk Sub Genre albums Part 1 of 5

This is a blog series I have been wanting to do for a long time. I just hadn't heard enough punk music to make an actual opinion on what the best of the best is! These are all my opinions, and if you don't like them, then write your own blog! This includes sub genres, so don't complain about there being Emo, Pop Punk, New Wave, Hardcore, or any of the other sub genres that may appear on this list! The lines of punk spread large, so don't leave a bajillion comments saying "Thats not punk".

25. Start Static by Sugarcult

The track Bouncing off the Walls, initially peaked my interest in this band, after watching American Wedding, but never enough to look up the band until 2008! After discovering Sugarcult, I listened to all their albums and fell in love with Start Static! The tracks Hate Every Beautiful Day, Stuck in America, and Bouncing off the Walls won me over and I still listen to this amazing album when ever I want a pick me up!

24. Energy by Operation Ivy

To look at punk from the Look Out Records days, is to take a look at the beginnings of what would become the Pop Punk explosion of the mid 90s. Well Operation Ivy might not be a name you associate with, the name Tim Armstrong should be...aka the front man for Rancid and The Transplants. Operation Ivy was Tim Armstrong's first band, and they achieved little popularity while they were together, they released some classic punk material on Energy, that would later go on to inspire many punks! The songs Knowledge, Sound System, and Unity are just pure classics and they really set this album apart as an epic!

23. Weight of the World by This Is Hell

Picking this album is going to get me a lot of flack speaking as This Is Hell is a "New Band" and Weight of the World is a "NEW ALBUM". But I don't give a fuck, this is a kick ass album, and it is one of the best hardcore punk albums to come out in like 8 years. The pure energy behind the music, is almost jaw dropping, these guys are amazing! I don't know what else to really say except check out the tracks No one Leaves Unscathed, Bloodlines, and Worship Syndrome!

22. Bleach by Nirvana

Nirvana's first album Bleach, was a very weird pick for me to put on a punk list, but I find this album especially to be extremely inspired by hardcore and pop punk. The sound is very basic, and primitive and very reminiscent of Dead Kennedys. My faves on this one would have to be About a Girl, Negative Creep, and Mr. Moustache [sic].

21. Who We Are by We Are the Union

The first band of the new Ska revival, to really get some popularity. We are the union combines, Emo, Pop Punk, and Ska, to create a match made in heaven! It makes me feel the life that the early and mid 90s ska bands have. Who we are is the album that got me looking into other new ska bands, and it is just wonderful! You Allowance Exceeds My Rent, I am Like John Cusack, and Ourcore are the best tracks on this album!

Next Week I will have my #20-16 on this count down of albums!

Speak Now (Taylor Swift Album Review)

Taylor Swift, is a recording artist I can dig. She writes her own music, and for better or worse, its something a lot of people in pop music don't do! I really enjoyed MOST of her sophomore attempt, Fearless, and I thought her first self titled album was...okayish. So I didn't really know what we were going to see from Speak Now.

The song writing on this album is weird as hell. Some songs with very strong/simple premises fall apart in the lyrical development until they become cluttered story songs, that your not quite sure what the story was about in the end. Then songs like the revenge song "Better Than Revenge", where normally that idea is hard to work off comes off GREAT! Its my favorite track off the album even. It's just a shame that songs like the rambling "Never Grow Up" or the overly dramatic "Dear John" muck this album down a TON.

I am not gonna surprise anyone by saying this...but this album sounds like the other two Taylor Swift albums! Every Taylor Swift song on every album is exactly the same. With exception of maybe one or two tracks. Adding to the bland sounding Taylor Swift music, you also have overly long songs. Counting in at an average of 4 minutes 30 seconds a song, 53 minutes for the whole album, its nearly unlistenable with how much some songs drag on. Their is some silver in the lining of these clouds though, the song "Haunted", is just amazing and beautiful, the layering of drums and guitars just fits it perfectly with swifts voice. Then theres the song "Better Than Revenge", which is the ultimate fuck off song to someone who stole your lover. The song's: Speak Now, Enchanted, and Sparks Fly are pretty good as well! While the rest of the album runs the line of meh, and bad.

To conclude, Speak Now, is a good attempt at a third album from Ms. Swift but it sadly falls apart due to more of the same music, and some dull lyrics! I give Speak Now a 3 out of 5!

I will leave you with the video for the lead single off of Speak Now, "Mine"