Bourne Without Identity

In 1983, Toyota chairman Eiji Toyoda summoned a secret meeting of company executives, to whom he posed the question, “Can we create a luxury vehicle to challenge the world's best?" The original Lexus LS 400 was nothing short of revolutionary. It was quieter, it has outstanding fit and finish, it was madly reliable. It did what it was designed to do. Challenge the world's best. Fast forward 20 years(Happy Belated Birthday Lexus) and I believe the Toyota Motor Corp executives need to ask a new question. What is our brand identity? For a brand whose mission was to compete with the worlds best it was mission complete. But how do you take Lexus to that next level...copy 70s-80s General Motors? Uninspired design? See photo, CHECK! Shameless rebadging? See ES350, LX570, CHECK! No identity for brand? DING DING We have a winner!

What hallmark does Lexus have to fall back in a crowded luxury market? Performance? I think BMW or Infiniti! Design? I think Audi or Cadillac! Innovation? I think Mercedes. Lexus you are the new Buick. Or would that be a slap in the face to the new Buick because the new Buick LaCrosse recently beat the Lexus ES350 in a comparo. A BUICK!!! The median age of Lexus buyers is 56 and no identity Lexus will no longer be the brand that middle to upper America aspires to own anymore.

But the since its conception it was not designed for its own niche. It was designed to challenge the world's best. That it will do but I believe Lexus will have to have an identity and not remain tarted up Toyotas! The LS600 was a start with the 8speed transmission and automated parralel parking and maybe the high tech theme can work. But if i wanted a Prius i would buy a Pruis not a HS 250h, if I wanted a Highlander I would buy a Highland not a RX350, if I wanted a Camry I would buy a Camry not a Lexus ES350. Give me a reason to want a Lexus other than wanting to look like I have money. And no Hiphop cant save you because you can only rhyme Texas and Lexus so many times.

Brightest Light, Blackest Night

So, between work and my job (if you only knew) I’ve had time to really get back on my comic book steez. Shout out to Dragon’s Lair on Burnet and 2222, those fine folks have been taking care of my imagination for the past few months. There have been four entities that have really stood out to me since I’ve gotten back in the zone. The first is Stephen King’s “Dark Tower” series, a collection of books that came started in the late 80’s and just finished their run a few years back. The follow a man named Roland Deschain, a member of a famed community of defenders known as Gunslingers, as he follows an evil entity across different dimensions trying to take control of the universe. I’ve always been a big fan of King’s work, and a while back Marvel got the bright idea to make the series into a graphic novel. The series actually starts before the novels, as a kind of prequel explaining how Roland came to wander across the desert alone. The entire series has a strong gothic style and tone, and the drawings are all top notch. Can’t wait for the next issue!

The next has been Marvel’s “Dark Reign” Saga, which chronicles the rise of famed crazy man and Spider-Man foe Norman Osborne as he comes to be responsible for the security of the United States. “Dark Reign” takes place across 10+ comics, and let’s be real, I’m not gonna follow em all, so I stick to the basics: Norman’s own comic, in which he recruits a few super villains and repackages em as all your favorite heroes, appropriately entitled “Dark Avengers.” My faves in this book are definitely Norman and Daken, Wolverine’s son, who are both a bit nuts and absolutely brilliant at once. One of it’s companion piece’s is “Dark X-Men”, which takes the same format of “Dark Avengers”, enlisting some oft forgotten Mutant castaways and makes them America’s new mutant fighting force. The stars here are certainly Mimic and Cyclops, who is more so involved in the tie-in, called “Utopia”

The old school comic fan in me is loving the “Green Lantern: Blackest Night.” I caught the new Green Lantern DVD on bootleg a week ago (I know, I’ll cop it when it drops) and remembered the greatness that is the Green Lantern Corps. The whole Black Lantern idea is creepy and visually unsettling, but both are a welcome change to maybe my own personal bias against DC comics. It’s only one issue in, but something tell me I’ll have to go back and check out the “Sinestro Corps War” and the rest of the tie in books.

The last book I’ve gotten into seemingly came out of nowhere. I was reading IGN’s list of the best 100 comic villains, and one of the characters included was Lucifer. Effin’ Lucifer. I consulted the superheads (word to K. Steffans) at Wikipedia, and found the book was under the Vertigo comics imprint, meaning that is had to be at least passable. I picked up the first volume, and the very first story blew me away. IGN said it best when they explained the guy doesn’t lie, he always tells you exactly whets going to happen, and it makes for great stories. I’m already on the second volume, and the world they create with biblical references and fantastic creatures makes for a great read. I recommend all of these books, and promise you that you won’t be disappointed. And if you are, oh well.

Hurrican Chris, D - Louisiana?

Yes my friends, your favorite Ratchet City representative took his 51/50 stimulus plan all the way to the House of Representatives (of Louisiana, to be clear and comedic.) It's hard for me to poke fun... well, difficult in the sense that I think HC is a real talented kid, and I wonder if he sees the humor in this, even though, lets face it, this is a rare opportunity. I'll let you guys weigh in on this one...

The Killer D's

So, while I've been working like a madman, I've turned to unlikely arenas to house my fun. Believe it or not, my high score's bee suffering as a result. I barely touch the 360 nowadays, what with Vanessa dominating the living room (we'll get to that one of these days). So, in order to get my media fix, I've turned to the DVD to save me (word to Chris Jericho) from boredom. The first show I got into was Dexter, a Showtime series based on the works of Jeff Lindsay. Dexter is a blood splatter specialist for the Miami-Dade police department, as well as a faux vigilante serial killer. The series focuses on his inability to come to terms with the very human emotions he swears not to have. Complete with a strong supporting cast and the beautiful Miami backdrop, I'd recommend this series to anyone looking for a change or pace fro the reality show cheese fests that plague the world of TV.

Also, I've gotten into the award-winning HBO series Deadwood, which ran for four seasons a few years ago on HBO. It focuses on the small mining camp located in South Dakota in 1876, and takes an urban spin on such historical characters as Wild Bill Hickock, Seth Bullock and Al Swearengen. Ian McShane portrays Swearengen, a local pimp who quickly becomes to character you root for, even as he plots to kill those in his way, beat whores who give him grief and berate his minions at every term. There are very few shows in which the very world seems to be as alive as the characters are, and this is one of em.

So what do you all think? Anything I'm missing? Any other shows out there worth the time to backtrack and get caught up on them?

Coming to terms...

What's really goin' on? The last few months have been crazy, so crazy that I've all but neglected the three of you who check this page for updates. Hopefully you will forgive me in time. I feel like personally, professionally and hell, even artistically, I've grown by leaps and bounds. But enough about the silly shit, what's been happening in this world of ours? My Black President hasn't done anything wrong, and for lots of folks not doing bad doesn't equal doing good. M opinion is that dude had very little room for error based on what he had to work with, but I'm not gonna fault anyone for NOT fuckin' up.
Then we got these boys out in Israel, losin' their goddamn minds, killin' everything in sight and actin' like things are supposed to be gravy. Someone email me a list of the things, products or otherwise that Israel makes, sells, etc. and I'll cut em' out of my wallet as well as my vocabulary.

Ol' punk-ass Kobe finally got his ring, and I'm applaud hard work, like we all should. Out of respect, that fact that he's a selfish, loudmouthed inconsiderate brat will come second to the fact that he is the most driven, determined entity in sports. Here's to you champ!

Chris Brown got a slap on the wrist for two-piecing his beau, and things seem to suggest she said, or did something harsh enough to push dude over the edge. Still wasn't ok,at all, but well, what's done is done... He wouldn't get away with puttin' his hands on any bitch I know, but that goes without saying...
So, just a few quick thoughts... I'm back at it folks, catch you o nthe flip.

Wrestlemania Review

Ladies and gents, another Wrestlemania has come and gone. Was it good? Yes. Was it great? No. But all in all, I feel the product was solid, and worthy of the price tag (and J paid the price tag, so it’s all gravy.)

Naturally, the strongest match was the HBK Taker matchup. What was so good about it? Well, you had two of the best to ever do it performing on the biggest stage of em all. The hype was good, the segments were dam near flawless, and they pulled out all the stops for their encounter. Granted, there was simply no way HBK would win because it wouldn’t elevate him at all, but he went out there and made us believe that if he did win it wouldn’t be for shame.

This match, however good it was, was not the main event. That went to the Orton/HHH match. The buildup was great, and the match itself solid, but I can’t say I really understood the outcome. For all the work they did to make Orton look unstoppable, HHH came out on top, and came out fairly dominant in the end. I’m not one of those guys who take every chance he has to bash Hunter, but I just don’t feel there was any reason to have him defeat Randy.

The other world title match was just fine for what it was. I’m a John Cena fan, and though I can understand why he gets a bum rap, he continues to go all out each and every week and I reward that. Edge is one of my favorite guys in the business, and he always puts on a great show. So did the Big Show, who will always be more athletic than he ever gets credit for. Cena getting the belt back feels VERY temporary, and were gonna have to pay attention to how long that lasts.

The only heel to actually pull out a victory was Matt Hardy, in a match that was well executed and told one hell of a story. Matt and Jeff have grown by leaps and bounds as singles competitors. Here’s hoping they get drafted to different shows, so that they can both continue their ascents to stars.

Money in the Bank was more of the same, in that again, we got to see the talent that exists in the upper-mid card. Kofi Kingston joined Shelton Benjamin In the “if I only had a manager I’d be world champ” club, which could double as the “I’m the best SVR player in the company club.” Good to see MVP get face chants, and everyone have a role in the match. I’ ma big CM Punk fan, but I don’t really understand why he got eh nod here… Woulda loved to see my guy Christian get the W, but you know I mark out for Canada like that…

I loved the Jericho vs. the Legends match. If you’ve never watched the Steamboat/
Savage match from Wrestlemania 3, you don't know what you’ve been missing. Those two could have gone another half hour, and Jericho showed why pound for pound he’s the best thing left from the “attitude” era. Rourke getting that shot in on him was cool with me, and in my eyes that guy is gold. He used to roll with ‘Pac, remember?

The Divas match was good for Nostalgia purposes. Natalya’s gonna be a star guys, her look is good, and she can strike an anime pose like nobody’s business. And if you don’t know why her execution is so crisp, think about her lineage…
Mysterio always pulls out great WM outfits, and the Joker getup was gold. The quick defeat of JBL and his post-match resignation reminded me that he was the guy who made John Cena four years ago.

I was very disappointed that we didn’t get to see the tag title match on the broadcast. Miz/Morrison and the Colons and magic in the ring, and I may have to cop the DVD just to bear witness.

Again, in all, a solid Wrestlemania… but here’s hoping things keep an upswing, or that TNA puts some pressure on the big boys…

Back on my bullshit...

I know it’s been forever and a day, but I’ve got a good excuse: I got me a jizzob! I’ve finally adjusted to the work schedule (after a month) so expect to hear a lot more from me. The sad thing is. There hasn’t been a whole lot for me to talk about. I do wanna thank everyone that came out to my SXSW show, I appreciate the love and support. The next shows scheduled for late June, and it’s gonna be a bit different than anything we’ve done so far. I’ve been back on my gym game, and there’s no time like the present, cuz the job had me on a fast food IV. So my pledge, to the five of you that read this site, is that I’m refocused on what's important: my half cocked ramblings… wait…