Ministry Bandleader Collapses in France - Orlando rock music | Examiner.com

Ministry Bandleader Collapses in France - Orlando rock music | Examiner.com

Get well soon, Uncle Al!

DC Comics and Film Stars React to Colorado Shooting Tragedy - Orlando Comic Books | Examiner.com (Director's Cut)

DC Comics and Film Stars React to Colorado Shooting Tragedy - Orlando Comic Books | Examiner.com

Yeah. Now, here we go.

First of all, I might be done reporting on this subject altogether. Unless it involves something positive (and no, I don't count the depressing stories of those who had so much to live for yet were gunned down in an act of heroism), I may well be done with this. You've probably noticed a pattern--hell, more like a glut of Examiner articles hitting this thing lately. There are (mostly business) reasons for that, but I have to draw a line at exploiting something like this for that purpose. Kinda like the Bret Michaels run I did when that dude had a stroke. But I digress.

I might be done with this because now the story is wading in to that dense, muddy swampland where there are monsters around every corner. Like the media (particularly ABC news) driving in to the ground as much as the ground the idea of James Holmes being called "The Joker". They take one witness statement and alluva sudden, they have their "hook". Makes me want to punch someone there in the dick for not only being un-creative enough to make the too-obvious comparison, but for forever associating that character and Batman as a whole with this nonsense.

You know, ABC...I was born at night, just not last night. (Actually that's a bald-faced lie; I was born on a rainy Monday morning, which explains quite a bit in terms of mindset.) You're owned by Disney, who now owns Marvel, who would love nothing more to crush their competition. But stop polluting and poisoning an iconic character just to sensationalize a tragedy and use it as a crass business move.

The next turn for the worse is Torrence Brown, Jr. You may not know the name offhand, but you will soon because he's filed the first lawsuit in regards to the shooting. A guy who saw his best friend die. But didn't take a bullet himself. And isn't related to anyone. Waited an excruciating five days to sue somebody.

Now, I'm all for a good lawsuit. If it were someone who actually got shot or a family member of someone who did, I understand it. This is uhMERR'ka, dammit. We have the right to haul infidels in to court and makes ourselves richer off the suffering off of others. And by suing the theater for not having a guarded back exit door (because what theater does?), Holmes's doctors (because they were just dying to conduct a psychological experiment on the man), and Warner Bros (because Holmes allegedly mimicked the content of a movie that he'd never seen before because it premiered the night this happened), that's exactly what this feels like to me.

Hate to say it Torrence, but if this is a cash grab off the misery of others, you're just as sick as ABC News for exploiting this for your own gain. And I can't be in the same company as either of you.

It's hard enough living with myself sometimes having to do several stories about something like this. There's a fine line walked between covering the news and exploiting it. I've always busted my ass to make sure I don't cross that line. Sometimes to extremes of ignoring said news altogether because I don't want to walk in to that trap. There aren't many "journalists" (and I use that term very loosely, especially when dealing with mass media) that have any kind of integrity, much less enough to realize when enough is enough in dealing with a particular kind of story and walk away. It's one of the reasons I did the piece on Steve Vai about the same time; something - and someone - I can at least respect and balance out this aberration to society. And that's to say nothing about the shooting and James Holmes himself.

So, no more Aurora for me. Done. I'm letting these victims and families - including that of Holmes, who had to have no idea this was coming and are living in their own private hell right now - get some peace in peace.

New Order Returning to the US - Orlando Rock Music Examiner

Steve Vai Brings New Album and Tour to Orlando - Orlando rock music | Examiner.com

Steve Vai Brings New Album and Tour to Orlando - Orlando rock music | Examiner.com

The first of two. Not much to say here other than, "Good. Can't wait to hear it."

Now, the next one? Yeah, I have something to say. Again.

Analyzing Two "Man of Steel" Trailers - Orlando Comic Books | Examiner.com

Analyzing Two "Man of Steel" Trailers - Orlando Comic Books | Examiner.com

Yeah, two of them. Very interesting marketing idea. Or just simplifying what played at SDCC and realizing this could have been a really confusing solo trailer...

More Details Surrounding "The Dark Knight Rises" Colorado Tragedy

More Details Surrounding "The Dark Knight Rises" Colorado Tragedy - Orlando Comic Book Examiner

All this going down the same day my family's involved in a hit-and-run auto accident (with no serious injuries, thank God)? Yeah, I'm contemplating petitioning Congress to make July 20 a holiday - "National Suck Day". Wherein we all get to stay home, not leave the house, relax, and just let all the bad news and vibes float by outside until it's all gone.

Violence Both Real And Imagined Surrounds "The Dark Knight Rises" (Plus Commentary)

Okay, here’s part one:

Violence Both Real And Imagined Surrounds "The Dark Knight Rises" - Orlando Comic Book Examiner

And that leads right into part two: nerd community, you’ve really started to disappoint me and piss me off here lately.

This is probably a somewhat overstated, but by far the most blunt example why. I can remember when being a “nerd” was akin to being an outcast. The reason this community started building a following was due to outcasts discovering each other through the internet and bonding over the likes that separated us from the rest of them.

The problem is now that, we’ve won. The kids that picked on us in high school now get what we were trying to say. Our mark is all over the culture. The comics we were made fun of for liking in middle and high school are now the subjects of billion-dollar franchise films and top-rated television shows.

That’s apparently given some of you some sense of entitlement to be able to dictate taste. Some of the outcasts have become the hipsters. That? By itself? Is bad enough. But the ones that paint themselves as some bastion of moral upstanding and tolerance and then went on to perpetrate a stunt like this?

To adapt and paraphrase Jesse Custer in Preacher, “Why is it that the biggest champions of the nerd cause are often the worst example of it?”

Yeah, I get it. “Batman” is the be-all and end-all. The last two movies took a character that looked outright stupid (no, Joel Schumacher, we haven’t forgotten) to an icon now and forever more. But people are allowed to have a differing opinion. it’s one of the things that makes us human. Probably one of the values some of these clowns held high around their buddies, but then go and betray with an anonymous screen name and license to be dick. Typical two-faced cowards. The bane of the existence of this community. And yes, I am aware there are unintentional puns all over that last paragraph.

But the point is, if you’re a “paragon of virtue”, then be what you claim you are. Being faithful to a character is fine, but losing your mind and behaving in a manner that said character would kick your ass for is idiocy. And it’s a problem we’re seeing too much of lately. Whether it’s something like this or people getting up in arms over a drawing, people are so eager to complain, whine, and puff out their chest for a ridiculous reason or cause, and it’s making the rest of us look bad.

There are certainly people that represent us well, and they’re all over the place. This is, in no way, an indictment of the whole community. But those of you that are losing your minds and letting the new vogue of geek culture influence you into thinking you’re now the tastemakers and that you can behave like jackasses? Knock it off. For all of our sakes, stop misrepresenting us and learn some modicum of human behavior.

And the ones that threatened Marshall Fine and Eric Snider online hiding behind a keyboard? I hope authorities can trace an IP address and lock your dumb asses up. That’d be a good start.


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The above was written at roughly 5:00am. After waking up four hours later and seeing the news of the shooting, I feel that this is almost silly.

Almost? Yes, almost. Because what was said above still needed to be said. Matter of fact, I feel like it really needs to be said now. All the bodily harm those idiot anonymous commenters were throwing at Marshall Fine and Eric Snider? Yeah. This shooting is what those morons were “joking” about. This violence and senseless tragedy we're watching unfold now? This is what they wished on someone else.

I figured the Rotten Tomatoes bit would give the community a black eye, but this is so much worse. Take the two together and this is what people think. Strung-up nerds who can’t handle when a grown-up talks bad about their favorite comic book. Thanks a lot, you guys.

I feel really bad about what this could potentially do to the community. But I feel much worse about those no longer with us or badly hurt because of it.

Nerdapalooza 2012 Full Lineup Revealed (Plus News)

Nerdapalooza 2012 Full Lineup Revealed - Orlando rock music | Examiner.com

Yeah, I know. Talk all that trash about why I have to come back and then go away again for a while. Good grief, I’m starting to feel like The Rock.

I at least have a good(ish) excuse, though. I’ve been trying to get something huge off the ground. I don’t want to speak too much on it yet because I have a lot of work to do yet to see if it’s at a point that it’s even doable. Working on that. I’ll let you know more once I know.

Anyway, this is the good news. Next after this comes the bad news, along with something I need to say. Stay tuned