RUCKERMORE

What if we said this about people?

2012-02-01T15:50:00.002-06:00

I saw this on the projector I used today... Here's to hoping my "useful life" is very long!

Dear Adam...

2012-02-01T09:47:00.002-06:00

I wrote myself a note today. It's not that I'm mean per se, it's just that I can probably work on being a lot nicer.

And also I need to pick up milk from the store.

My Dad Still Thinks He's a Rapper...

2012-01-29T18:19:00.003-06:00

You may remember my dad's rap debut last year in honor of my nephew's birth. Well, now that the little guy's one year old, just like Jay Z, my dad's coming out of retirement and dropping a new single.

So first, let's refresh your memory with the original: "#1 Grandson."

Now that you've lived through that, I present "#1 Grandson Part 2"... Enjoy?

So there you have it. My dad's rap career is alive and kicking once more.

And to answer the question before you ask it, yes, I'm fielding many offers, but Jay asked me for a couple weeks since he just had a baby and all. I said, "Sure, fine, but only 2 weeks then you better call me back or we're going with Dre."

So I'll keep you posted.

Follow me on Twitter! @adamrucker and @ruckermore

Walt Disney World Half Marathon 2012

2012-01-29T18:06:00.006-06:00

To say I'm not really a runner is generous. I don't run, at all. Or at least I didn't run at all since I stopped playing soccer my freshman year of high school.

But my friend Danielle told me about the RunDisney marathons where you run at either Walt Disney World or Disneyland and at the end you get these big medals shaped like the characters. Then she also told me that if you run at least a half marathon at both Disney World and Disneyland in the same year, you get a third "Coast to Coast" medal as reward.

I'm not kidding you when I say the Coast to Coast medal is most of, if not all of, the reason I decided to start running. And I'm not ashamed!

So for a little more than six months I "trained" in preparation for the Walt Disney World Half Marathon that took place on January 7, 2012. And as fate would have it, I actually love running now! This was my experience start to finish:

As you can see, it was pretty freaking awesome. Disney knows what they're doing.

Which is why I've already signed myself up for the Disneyland Half Marathon in September!

Visit rundisney.com for more details... Hope to see you there!

(If I can do it, you can do it. Seriously. Seriously...)

Follow me on Twitter! @adamrucker and @ruckermore

Cougar Town Viewing Party - Austin, Texas

2012-01-29T15:19:00.008-06:00

What do you get when you mix an incredibly funny cast with a terrible title for a TV show?

Cougar Town!

Yes, a town of cougars seeking to date younger men headed up by Courtney Cox is how this show's premise began. Nowadays, Courtney and her gang of neighbors/wine buddies deliver a consistently hilarious sitcom about drinking wine and hanging out with friends every single week. Well, it was every week until ABC took it off the air with no set return date. That really sucked big time.

But I'm ready to put the past behind me because ABC is bringing the Cul-de-sac Crew (that's what they call themselves) back together for 15 episodes beginning Tuesday, February 14. So cancel those Valentine's Day plans everyone! Or if you don't have any Valentine's Day plans, continue to not have any plans, everyone!

I was lucky enough to be invited to one of the Cougar Town Viewing Parties organized by the show's producers during the hiatus as a way to thank the fans for their support. The party I attended was held on January 28 at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas. Hundreds of people packed the Drafthouse for the party, and let me tell you: it was fan-flipping-tastic!Kevin Biegel, who created the show along with Bill Lawrence (Scrubs anyone?), was there with writer Blake McCormick and cast members Ian Gomez (Come on!) and Dan Byrd.

The show bought drinks for everyone in the audience and brought along three brand new episodes to watch, including the season premiere and episodes four and five. Now, I'm not one to spoil TV shows so I'm not gonna say what goes down, but I will say that imaginary hats were tipping all over the place after each episode aired (that's Cougar Town speak meaning they were REALLY good).

And also, I WILL be "sharking" someone's car very soon after the season premiere airs so watch out, friends.

Episode five features several references to classic Disney movie music as well as a special reuniting of some of the Scrubs gang (including one of my favorites, Sarah Chalk) that inspired such thunderous applause and laughter that we could barely hear what they were saying on screen. Worth it.Finally, after the episodes aired they did a short Q&A session, gave out a signed script, and played PENNY CAN to give away autographed authentic Bobby Cobb penny cans! (I didn't win anything, but had fun nonetheless.)It was a great night with tons o' laughs, my friends. Tons o' laughs.

Now for your homework: WATCH Cougar Town Tuesdays at 8:30/7:30c on ABC and tell all your friends to too!

The conversation can go something like this:

YOU: You know that show Cougar Town on ABC?

YOUR FRIEND: You mean that terrible show about Monica from Friends dating young guys?

YOU: No, but see, no, no that's not what it's about at all. Actually, it's awesome.

YOUR FRIEND: Seriously?

YOU: Yes, seriously. You should watch it, and if you don't, we can't be friends anymore.

YOUR FRIEND: Fine, I guess we aren't friends anymore.

YOU: OK, OK, OK, we can still be friends. Watch it and I'll buy you Chipotle.

YOUR FRIEND: Deal.

So, see? It'll just cost you one Chipotle to get your friend hooked on a great show and to make sure it comes back next year. And you get to keep your friend! Win, win, win!

See you on Valentine's Day!

Follow me on Twitter! @adamrucker and @ruckermore

TOUCH Preview on FOX

2012-01-25T21:22:00.005-06:00

Tonight they aired the pilot episode of Kiefer Sutherland (24)'s new show, Touch on FOX.

The show centers around Kiefer's son Jake who doesn't speak to or touch anyone (including his dad). Jake spends all of his time writing sequences of numbers into a sketchpad and arranging objects in patterns. Most of it doesn't make sense to anyone around him until they start putting the numbers and patterns together and realizing that it all means something.

I was hooked after just the introduction to the show, which includes a voiceover by Jake, a portion of which is included in the video preview below. He says that the universe is arranged in patterns and that everything and everyone is connected (ironic, because he won't talk to or physically touch (or CONNECT WITH) anyone himself).

The show is a combination of Numbers and Crash with a hint of LOST. (Hello, people obsessing over sequences of numbers? PLUS the Man in Black?!?)

I liked it a lot. Yes, some may have found the part where a cell phone was passed around the world allowing a series of fortunate events to miraculously take place between complete strangers a little cheesy, but sometimes cheesy is OK. Plus I'm a big fan of Crash, and to be honest, I'm a little obsessed with finding connections between things too so I didn't have a problem with it.

(I'm the guy that always says, "If I would've had a sandwich instead of soup for lunch, my entire day would have turned out differently." And it's TRUE!)

So I'm a little bummed the show doesn't officially premiere until March 19, but I will certainly look forward to it and more episodes to see where it goes.

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Top 7 of 2011

2011-12-31T14:01:00.000-06:00

I thought, what better way to spend the last day of 2011 than to reflect on some of the incredible things that happened this year?

So now...

In somewhat of a particular order, here are the Top 7 things of 2011:

7. 100th episode of Sundae Sunday:

YouTube is something that's opened a lot of doors for me over the years, and while I've made and posted videos online since high school, setting up the series Sundae Sunday in 2009 gave me a way to share things from my life on a weekly basis with a broader audience. The 100th episode really was an exciting milestone for me, and I'm grateful for all the friends and family who participate in and watch my videos and also for all the cool people I've met because of YouTube through the years. Here's to 100 more!

6. Ran my first 5K

At the encouragement of my friend Danielle, I decided to take up the hobby of running. This was my first ever race, and it was great prep for what's to come. Now, a few more 5Ks (and several pairs of running shoes) later, I'm getting ready to run my first Half-Marathon at Walt Disney World on January 7, 2012.

If anything bad happens, it's Danielle's fault.

5. I fed a dolphin

The one and only time prior to this that I'd been to Sea World was when I was a tiny tiny child. We sat in the splash zone, and I got wet. Let's just say I was NOT happy with Shamu... This trip was a lot more enjoyable. We fed dolphins! And we got to see how incredibly beautiful and amazing (and talented!) all these sea creatures can be.
(Thanks Alex for providing us with this awesome experience!)

4. I was in the Big Brother audience

OK, sure, Big Brother isn't the most... classy of all reality shows, but this season me and my friends Franze and Whitney were ALL ABOUT Big Brother. So naturally, Franze and I signed up to get tickets to a live taping! Months passed and we never heard anything until one Friday afternoon we got an e-mail saying that we were invited to be a part of the studio audience. While I'll admit I was a little skeptical going into it, we grabbed Whitney and made our way out to LA to give it a shot.

And sure enough, there we were right behind Julie "the Chenbot" Chen on an eviction episode of one of our favorite shows. #prettycool

3. Travel

I've always enjoyed traveling, but this year was a banner year for me. Thanks to various circumstances, I've enjoyed the privilege of flying to many cities around the country and doing fun things like several of the things listed above as well as attending a St. Louis Cardinals game during Opening Weekend (Go Rangers!), visiting friends in Austin, and going to the Disney Parks more times than should be allowed.

2. Paris

Oh, Paris, what can I say? You know, sometimes life just hands you things. It says, "Would you like to go to Paris for the trip of a lifetime?" and all you have to do is say yes. That's what happened this year. During a casual conversation with my friend Franze about sometime, someday (far into the future) wanting to visit Disneyland Paris, our friend Theresa offered us a condo located 5 minutes from Disneyland Paris that we could use for a week. WHAT??!??!? It also just so happened that my friend Caitlin is currently studying in Paris and would not only be able to go to Disneyland with us, but she'd also be able to tour us around Paris for three days. WHAT???!?!!

So all Franze and I had to do was get ourselves to Paris and then onto the correct train to our hotel. While the train part proved a little difficult (the language barrier is truly intimidating. Luckily, our destination was "Disneyland," and everyone understands that no matter what language), we made it and had the time of our lives.

The sites were incredible: the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, Notre Dame... everywhere you look a historical icon. And oh, the crepes...

We even got to see my friends the Collinses who were also in Paris at the same time! Go figure.

A trip of a lifetime that would not have been possible without Theresa and Caitlin. Thanks again!

So it's true: sometimes life gives you lemons, but it also sometimes gives you Paris.

1. Charlie Rucker was born!

I'm sure it comes as no surprise to those that know me that this was the most exciting event of my year. Sure, it meant that I had to pass down the reigns as "Baby of the Family," but it was definitely worth it. Charlie came a few weeks earlier than anticipated, so his January 2 birth was both a joyful and surprising occasion. Crazy that it's nearly been an entire year, but we've loved getting to see him grow up both physically and mentally during this time. And though he isn't speaking in full sentences just yet, I'm pretty sure he's been trying to say, "Uncle Adam is my favorite," for quite some time.

So there you have it! The Top 7 Things... Sure, there were plenty of not-so-awesome happenings in 2011 too, but, as Hannah Montana says, "Life's what you make it," so I like to highlight the awesome and let the not-so-awesome things fade into the past.

I chronicled these things and more in my Thanksgiving 2011 video you can see here:

Thanks for watching, reading, and being a part of this great year!

-Adam

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Disneyland Christmas 2011

2011-12-18T23:30:00.000-06:00

The Holidays is one of my favorite times to visit the Disney Parks. This December I was lucky enough to go to the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California and visit both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, and I'm taking you along with me!

Enjoy the Disneyland Christmas Fantasy Parade, The Magic, The Memories, and You projection show, it's a small world, and World of Color as they feature special holiday themes. You also get to see Santa and his reindeer!

We also go on classics like Space Mountain, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, the Teacups, Dumbo, and Mickey's Fun Wheel!

Enjoy!

Comment Question: What's your favorite Disneyland moment (from this video or from your own trips!)?

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Grey's Anatomy - "Dark Was the Night" voice over quotes

2011-11-10T23:00:00.001-06:00

The voice overs (spoken by Meredith) that opened and closed this week's episode of Grey's Anatomy were particularly awesome.
Here they are in their entirety:

Episode Open:

"I had a terrible day." We say it all the time. A fight with the boss, the stomach flu, traffic... That's what we describe as terrible when nothing terrible is happening...

Episode Close:

These are the things we beg for: a root canal, an IRS audit, coffee spilled on our clothes... When the really terrible things happen, we start begging a God we don't believe in to bring back the little horrors and take away this.

It seems quaint now, doesn't it? The flood in the kitchen, the poison oak, the fight that leaves you shaking with rage... Would it have helped if we could see what else was coming?

Would we have known that those were the best moments of our lives?

------------

What an episode! Hats off to Shonda Rhimes and Debora Cahn who wrote this episode.

Such a shame we have to wait until January to see what happens next.

"Dark Was the Night" aired on Thursday, November 10, 2011 on ABC.

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Happy 40th Birthday Magic Kingdom! The Best of Walt Disney World

2011-10-03T18:46:00.000-05:00

In celebration of Magic Kingdom's 40th Birthday, I put together some of my most favorite moments from the Walt Disney World parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Animal Kingdom, and Disney's Hollywood Studios).

Enjoy!

And you can see these videos in full length as well as more from Disneyland and Disneyland Paris by going to my Disney Parks Playlist!

Leave a comment with your favorite Disney Parks moment!

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Disneyland Halloween Time 2011!

2011-10-03T18:43:00.000-05:00

It's my favorite time of year at Disney Parks, Halloween Time at Disneyland! The park is decorated in its fall best, the characters are decked out in the Halloween costumes, and the weather is perfect!

Come along as we experience the Haunted Mansion Nightmare Before Christmas style, the Frontierland petting zoo, the Happiest Haunts guided tour, the Storybook Land boat ride, and World of Color from a completely new perspective!

COMMENT QUESTION: What's your favorite season to visit the Disney Parks?

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My Big Brother 13 Audience Experience!

2011-09-07T22:05:00.000-05:00

There are a few things that I can always count on from summer: droughts, extreme heat, and Big Brother.

Every year the obsession-inducing CBS staple hosted by Julie Chen makes its way onto the airwaves. This year was luckily no exception. Big Brother 13 has consistently kept up good (and increasing) viewership throughout the summer thanks to its high drama and ratings gold cast including returning HouseGuests Jeff, Jordan, Rachel, and Brendon.

Being the super fan that I am, I signed myself up for Big Brother's studio audience waiting list shortly after the season began. I knew the odds of making my way into the 120 seat studio were slim, but it was certainly worth a shot to see the iconic Big Brother house and the "Chenbot" live and in-person.

Much to my surprise, I received an e-mail late Friday afternoon notifying me that I received tickets for four days later at the September 6 taping of the September 7 eviction episode. After I finished freaking out, I gathered my belongings and two of my friends and made my way to Los Angeles early Tuesday morning.

The official arrival time for the studio audience was four in the afternoon, but since we didn't have guaranteed seats we figured we better arrive early to be safe. How early? 1:30 in the afternoon. At that time, there were five people in front of us.

A crowd slowly but surely built up behind us with most of the audience arriving between two and three. At 3:30 we were taken through a parking garage to a second holding area. On the way, we excitedly passed through the set-up of a scene for an upcoming episode of CSI: NY (much to the annoyance of the CSI crew).

Once all the releases were signed and audience members checked in, we finally trekked across the CBS lot to the Big Brother house (sound stage). Other shows filmed on the lot besides CSI: NY are Entertainment Tonight, The Insider, Chen's daytime show The Talk, and Betty White's Hot in Cleveland, which, interestingly enough, films on the stage directly beside the Big Brother house.

Approaching the house was a semi-overwhelming experience as recognizable remnants of past Head of Household, Power of Veto, and Have/Have-Not competitions littered the lot. The grates over which Keith and Jeff squeezed milk out of their cow costumes, a gigantic pizza box, and OTEV the shark (who wouldn't even make his appearance on the show till later that evening) were scattered around the lot.

Finally, like the kids being led into Willy Wonka's chocolate factory for the first time, we were led onto the stage containing the astro turf and front porch facade of the house we loyally spy into three nights a week. I about lost it.

We were placed in our seats on the right side of the set behind where Julie Chen typically stands, and the smiles did not leave our faces until the taping was complete. (One Twitter user asked me if they told us to smile the whole time, and no, they didn't. We just physically couldn't stop smiling even if we tried!)

After having a few minutes of warm up with producers and the voice of Big Brother (the guy you typically hear calling HouseGuests to the Diary Room), Julie made her way into the studio with much applause and fan fare. Julie greeted the room and genuinely looked happy to be there. While we didn't get to meet or speak to Julie individually, she did comfortably interact with the audience, even injecting herself into a debate to set the record straight about who won a particular season (she knows her BB trivia!) After a few touches of makeup and a couple test shots, the taping of our episode (I can say "our" episode, right?) was underway.

It was a bizarre experience to witness the show from the opposite side of the camera-- an experience that is somewhat unique to Big Brother as it is one of the only shows I can think of where the audience shares the stage with the host.

The episode went like clockwork. Julie made her announcements, the tape rolled, and we watched, learning the house's most recent developments at the same time Julie did as she watched on a monitor off stage.

It was fun to see what went on after Julie introduced a new segment of footage. Most of the time it was just a quick set change or a new puff of powder. Occasionally though, Julie would throw out an entertaining quip, like when she turned to the audience and boldly said "YA RIGHT!" after a clip was shown of Tori Spelling telling HouseGuest Adam that she'd name her newborn son after him.

During a break right before the live eviction vote, the audience was reminded that, at this point, the HouseGuests had been inside the house for 67 days and they would want us to be respectful and encouraging no matter who walked out the door.

Personally I didn't care if my arch nemesis from the 7th grade came out of the house; the adrenaline and excitement I was feeling in that studio would make me cheer like a nine-year-old at a Justin Bieber concert regardless of who was there.

As it turned out, Kalia was voted out after a tie was broken by Head of Household, Rachel. Kalia gathered her belongings and exited the house and entered the studio to a rousing roll of applause and cheering.

Kalia, while understandably upset that she was evicted, appeared to be overwhelmed by the support of the unfamiliar faces of the audience-- the first faces she'd seen besides those of other HouseGuests for 67 days. She remarked to Julie, "This is so weird! You're so weird!" explaining that she had only ever seen or spoken to her on the small screen inside the house.

And after just a few words, Kalia was whisked away to a holding room while the Head of Household competition took place. Chen took her spot at the setup on stage left, grabbed the clicker she uses to speak with the HouseGuests, and conducted the competition that would award Adam Head of Household with Jordan coming in a close second place.

As a viewer, I was disappointed that Jordan didn't win HOH, but as an audience member, I didn't care who won. I was overcome with glee realizing that I had just been a part of one of my favorite shows.

After the episode wrapped, they brought Kalia back for an extended interview to be shown on CBS.com. This is when we got to see her reactions to the HouseGuests' goodbye messages (and watch her jaw drop after Rachel's "a cow doesn't change its spots" comment). Directly after, Julie Chen waved goodbye to the audience and we were led out of the building and on our way back into the real world. The reality of what we had just witness still not fully processed in my brain.

From hearing the Chenbot say, "But first..." in person, to actually watching the evicted HouseGuest open and walk out the door 10 feet away from me, every single happening was one I was super excited to see.

It was truly an evening that will never be erased from my memory... or my DVR.

YouTube video reaction directly following filming:

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In-N-Out Burger Comes to Dallas, Texas!

2011-09-04T14:17:00.001-05:00

Sundae Sunday #123 is a very special occasion as me and my friends visit In-N-Out Burger in Dallas, Texas for the first time.

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Walt Disney World: One Day, Three Parks! (video)

2011-08-28T16:07:00.002-05:00

I recently got to go to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida for ONE DAY. It was quite and adventure to see how much I could do in a little more than 12 hours, and I ended up covering a lot of ground!

Come along to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney's Animal Kingdom as I show you how to fit an incredible amount of rides, food, parades, and shows into one day at the Disney Parks.

Comment Question: If you have one day at Walt Disney World, what would YOU do?

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Late Night at the Museum - Dallas Museum of Art

2011-08-21T23:31:00.003-05:00

I spent my Friday night with friends at the Dallas Museum of Art's "Late Night at the DMA."

The four of us explored the museum attempting to become "cultured." While I'm not sure if we were completely successful, we did win a contest there thanks to Paul's knowledge of Lady Godiva (I thought she was just someone that made chocolate).

So come along with us, and get culturized!

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A ROOM FULL OF BALLOONS!

2011-08-21T14:33:00.002-05:00

Me and my friends spent a good part of our Friday night swimming through a room FULL OF BALLOONS! Some may find this scary. I found this entirely incredibly awesome.

The room is a piece done by Martin Creed at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, Texas (disassembled August 21, 2011). We got to see the balloon room in its final days, and let me tell you: it was AWESOME.

And in case you were wondering: 9,000 balloons! Crazy!

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NEW Disneyland Adventures! The Little Mermaid Ride, Mickey's Soundsational Parade, and More!

2011-08-14T13:40:00.003-05:00

Come along with me to Disneyland!

Check out the all new ride, Ariel's Undersea Adventure, the brand new Mickey's Soundsational Parade, The Magic, The Memories, and You projection show, and more!

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Disneyland Paris Adventure Videos!

2011-06-18T10:37:00.004-05:00

I recently got to go to Disneyland Paris for the first time. I chronicled my two day adventure between the two parks there, Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios, into two videos... Enjoy!

Part One:
Part 2:

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Sundae Sunday #108: Keeping it Classy!

2011-03-23T20:50:00.003-05:00

My time at Dallas's Lower Greenville St. Patrick's Day Parade and tacos from a gas station!

Enjoy!

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Songs That Make You Cry #boohoosong

2010-12-03T08:00:00.002-06:00

A couple weeks ago a song popped up on Pandora that about half-way through caused a subtle drop of moisture to escape from the area surround my eye. It was a tear, people.

While I can't tell you what song that was (because my terrible iPhone 3G froze and shut down Pandora as soon as I tried to see), it got me thinking: music makes people cry. And I wanted to see what songs get you all emotional.

So I posted a tweet and a status and awaited your replies:

This is what you said:

@MllePace: Somewhere Over the Rainbow
@5states & @girlyrocker: Michael Giachino's "Life & Death" (this is the guy that did the music for LOST)
@danaherlihey: "Videotape" - Radiohead, "Skinny Love" - Bon Iver
@penacolada: "The Luckiest"- Ben Folds
@beckyggxoxo: "Ooh Child Original"- The Five Stairsteps
@alswic: "Don't Take the Girl" - Tim McGraw, "Sarabeth"- Rascal Flatts

@vaolivares21: "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic
@simplyregina: "The Letter" from Billy Elliot
@steph315: "Don't Forget"- Demi Lovato
@kell_rose: Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton always makes me cry
@whatabout_ken: "Full of Grace"- Sarah McLaughlin
@AudreyPrincessa: "Push and Pull"- Nikki Costa, "To Zion"- Lauryn Hill
@studio_gal: "Same Old Lang Syne"- Dan Fogelberg
@ShadowFuzzy: Nearly all the Lost soundtracks, but especially 'Life and death'&'There's No Pl. Lk. Home' make me get Jears :'o
@jstevens428: rascal flatts-ellsworth. I don't cry at songs or movies really, but this song almost gets me every time I hear it.
@dougjbarker: I'd give you a list of songs, but I know you'd just use it against me in the future. You can't trick me that easily, RUCKER! (Why would I trick you???)
@mrsjthornton: "All the Way" by Frank Sinatra and Celine Dion and a bunch of movie soundtracks like Star Wars, Hook, and more!
@pennylane14: How much time do you have? Keane "Somewhere Only We Know" Rascal Flatts "Fast Cars and Freedom"
@robert_tracy: "Nightswimming," REM
@surefinewhatevr: Both Sides Now - Joni Mitchell
Ain't that the truth??

I also got 23 comments on my Facebook Wall! (Click HERE to Read Them All)
Here are some highlights:
Leiliane: Stop Crying Your Heart Out - Oasis
Valen: The Blower's Daughter - Damien Rice!!
Fidel: I Could Fall in Love - Selena =(
Svein: Casimir Pulaski Day by Sufjan Stevens
Mariana: Cinderella!!!! from steven curtis chapman, and you need to see the videoooooo :(

So what I learned from all of this is that:
1) You people cry... a LOT.
2) Celine Dion's Titanic theme still has the ability to depress people.
3) Music is a wonderful and beautiful thing that can really get at people's emotions from a million different angles.

What about me? Besides the song from Pandora that I don't know the name of, there's only one other song that makes me shed a tear... "I Can Only Imagine," by MercyMe. I've sung this at no less than 10 funerals of close friends and family members, so if I ever hear it on the radio, it has got to go. Otherwise I'm done for.

But now my plan is to make one big mixed CD, drink about 5 bottles of water, and let the sobfest begin... Who's with me?!

Just kidding. It's Friday! And life's awesome!

Go out and celebrate!

(Continue to send your #boohoosong suggestions to my Twitter and Facebook!)

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E-mail Me! RuckitUp@Gmail.com
Check Out My Website: RuckitUp.com

Sunday Hot Links

2010-08-22T14:24:00.005-05:00

It's a blazing 100 degrees outside in Dallas today so why not serve up some hot links to go along with it?

Big Brother's most recent cast off talks to EW.com about the Zingbot 3000
A point and shoot camera w/a projector built in?! Sign me up!
Emmy Award-winning episode of "6-bee," Jimmy Fallon's version of Glee, from Late Night
Changes to Disney's plans for Fantasyland
Follow my friend Geoff's trip around the world on his photo blog (currently in Spain)
The Expendables continues to rule the box office while Jen Aniston's The Switch tanks
My new Sundae Sunday #79: Back to School... But Not for Me!

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Fall Shows to Freak Out About

2010-08-09T15:13:00.009-05:00

The start of the new fall season is like Christmas to me. The anticipation of new television series builds and builds until finally the box is unwrapped and leaves you either jumping for joy or ready for to get in the returns line.

Here are the shows I'm most excited about seeing this year:

FOX:
Lone StarA Texas-based drama (films in Dallas) about a conman (James Wolk) working for his wife's father who's an oil tycoon (Jon Voight), while hiding his other life with his girlfriend who lives 400 miles away. Wolk's wife is played by Friday Night Lights' Adrianne Palicki, so that's reason enough for me to watch.

Running WildeNot really sure what this one's about, but it doesn't matter as it comes from the makers of Arrested Development and stars AD's Will Arnett and Keri Russell of Felicity fame. It'll either be really great or really stupid, but well worth the risk.

CBS:
Hawaii Five-0

This reboot of the classic TV show stars LOST's Daniel Dae Kim and that guy from that JLo movie (Alex O'Loughlin). I've heard great things so far about this show- let's just hope it can survive longer than O'Loughlin's other short-lived CBS series, Moonlight and Three Rivers.

SurvivorIt isn't new, but this show never seems to fail, and with this season's gimmick being young vs. old and including Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson, I'll definitely be there.

NBC:
The Event

It's entirely possible NBC has set themselves up for complete failure by promoting this show as "the new LOST," but from what I've heard, there is reason to have high hopes for this series. The "event" refers to some sort of coverup involving the president (Blair Underwood) and the government and all the drama surrounding it. Sounds to me like a single season of 24, so mad props to them if they're able to sustain the plot for very long. But my LOST-loving soul is ready for a new drama to get sucked into.

The ApprenticeAgain, not necessarily a new show, but definitely one that's been resurrected from the trash bin. NBC let this go a few years ago, opting instead of its spinoff The Celebrity Apprentice, but based off Celeb's success, they're bringing the original back. I hope it can go back to its season 1 days of old-fashioned challenges with crazies like Omarosa and a great winner like Bill Rancic. I'll forget about that Apprentice LA misstep. Also: BRING BACK CAROLYN!

Law & Order: Los Angeles

Though nothing will ever be as good as SVU in my mind, this change of locale could be just what this classic franchise needs (the original L&O was just cancelled). This version will star Jericho's Skeet Ulrich, Spiderman 2 supervillain Alfred Molina, and Crash's Terrence Howard.

ABC:
Nothing.

Nah, I'm kidding, but really there's not too much to be excited about from ABC's fall slate, as they've got a pretty good schedule as it is. The new show My Generation has an interesting enough premise: the show centers around a group of individuals who were high school seniors in the year 2000 and how their lives have changed in the 10 years since then, but I haven't heard much else about it. Matthew Perry's Mr. Sunshine also looks promising, but does not yet have a premiere date.

What about you? What are you most looking forward to? Did I leave anything off? Am I insane?

Leave your comments here, or on Facebook or Twitter!

And for the latest and greatest scoop on everything TV, my favorite reporter is E!'s Kristin Dos Santos @ WatchWithKristin.

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Saying Goodbye to Friday Night Lights...

2010-08-03T11:47:00.005-05:00

This past week, not only did I say goodbye to Austin, Texas and the University of Texas campus I've lived on for the past two years, but I also said goodbye to Panther Stadium, the set of Friday Night Lights.Throughout its five seasons of filming, Friday Night Lights has called Austin home, filming in various recognizable locations around the city. Panther Stadium, located across from Austin-Bergstrom Airport, is one of the key locales. Now that filming for the fifth and final season (airing this fall on DirecTV and next summer on NBC) is finished, I made sure I got a couple snapshots of the field before all the Dillon Panther signage was fully removed (it's rumored that the field will be used by a real high school in the future).
If you've never seen Friday Night Lights, I HIGHLY recommend watching it and starting at the beginning. The DVDs are available incredibly cheaply on Amazon.com and you can even stream the pilot episode for free on Amazon On Demand, which is sure to get you hooked.

Enjoy!

PS: While watching an episode last night, I noticed Tami and Eric (the amazing and Emmy nominated Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler) drove by my FAVORITE Mexican restaurant in Austin (and that says a lot), La Feria. It's on South Lamar, and I HIGHLY recommend the Fajita a la Mexicana if you're ever in Austin. Wow.
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Jane Austen's Fight Club

2010-07-24T21:11:00.002-05:00

I never saw the real Fight Club, but I bet this one's funnier.

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Big Brother 12: Most Annoying Season Ever?

2010-07-18T21:59:00.005-05:00

We're only two weeks into this season of my favorite reality show to deny that I watch, CBS's Big Brother, and I already feel ready to flip the switch.

Is it just me or is this not the most annoying cast ever to fill the Big Brother house? Now, don't get me wrong, I understand the general purpose of the show is to put 13 of the most terrible, attention-seeking, self-centered people in the world in one house for 60 days and see what happens, but I don't ever remember it being this bad.

In seasons past I've grown to love those people. Like in BB6 with Janelle, Kaysar, and Howie, or BB11 with Jeff and Jordan. But this year I'm embarrassed to be on anyone's side.This season it appears that Brendon and Rachel are attempting to be Jeff & Jordan 2.0, but their showmance happened so quickly to be believed as genuine, and it immediately put a giant target on their backs for everyone in the house to aim at. Also, these two tout their chemistry and science degrees to prove their intelligence, yet both continue to make dumb moves when it comes to BB game play.

(As I type this, I'm ashamed that I care this much.)

But despite my not-liking Brendon and Rachel, they are the two in this house I like the MOST.

The rest are just pretty terrible. "The Brigade" is an attempt at an Italian-style mafia group led by Enzo, or as he prefers to be called "The Meow Meow." And, really, there's nothing else to say about that. Then there's Hayden, who, and I'm not a Big Brother historian here, I'm pretty sure is the LOUDEST houseguest ever to exist. He is SO LOUD during his confessionals. Is he hard of hearing? Are they telling him to shout?

Turn his mic down, good grief.

Oh, and Annie being the saboteur and getting voted out on the first week was an #epicfail, which is too bad. That could've been fun.

So anyway, I could talk about the rest of them (Britney has no reason to be as bitter and unlikable as she is after only being there 2 weeks), but I don't care that much. I'll give it another week or two and see where we are.

Do yall like any of the contestants?

Who are your favorite contestants of years past?

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Angry Birds Tutorials

2010-07-14T12:50:00.002-05:00

So if you're like me and have an iPhone, you're PROBABLY addicted to the game, Angry Birds.

The levels can be pretty tough, so I decided to started making video tutorials to help others save some time (and sanity).

Here are the first two for levels:

Level 4-5:

Level 3-6:

Enjoy! And GOOD LUCK!

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FINALLY - Connie Britton Nominated for Emmy

2010-07-08T08:39:00.003-05:00

Friday Night Lights's Connie Britton finally got the recognition she deserves for her insanely realistic portrayal of a small town Texas mom/high school principal.

Connie, I love you, and let's do lunch in Austin some time.

Guero's?

Also nominated: Kyle Chandler. Woohoo!!

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New York City/Meeting Michael Buckley

2010-07-02T17:08:00.003-05:00

I recently got to take an awesome trip to New York City/Connecticut and visit a good friend/incredibly famous YouTuber, Michael Buckley, from YouTube's What the Buck Show.

These are the two videos chronicling my trip:

Enjoy!

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How to Not Hold the iPhone 4

2010-06-30T01:07:00.007-05:00

Apple recently told a customer who was concerned about his brand new iPhone 4 losing reception when he held it in his left hand to, "Just avoid holding it that way."

"That way" is when your hand touches both sides of the antenna strip in the side of the phone. And in case you were wondering what that looks like, look no further than Apple's iPhone 4 FaceTime commercial, where nearly every cast member holds the phone "that way."
Interesting...

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Savage the Dog Sings Spongebob

2010-06-29T13:15:00.004-05:00

I was visiting a friend's house this week when I met Savage the dog and discovered that he had a special talent for singing the theme song to Spongebob Squarepants!

Savage is a Bouvier.

He has never had vocal lessons.
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It's Called a Vuvuzela

2010-06-11T17:16:00.005-05:00

That annoying hum numbing your brain while you watch the World Cup isn't the sound of a swarm of killer bees, it's 90,000 people breathing through these annoying plastic horns called "vuvuzelas."

They are apparently a long time South African tradition, but goodness me, they are as irritating as 90,000 mosquitos buzzing in your ear.

To learn more, watch the video below.

And to hear more, just turn on any game at the World Cup.

Enjoy!

(PS: I kinda want one...)

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Oh My Glee... Thoughts on the season finale

2010-06-09T13:13:00.013-05:00

"We didn't even place," Artie laments during last night's season one finale of the FOX hit, Glee, after the team loses at the glee club regional contest. To which my immediate reaction was:

"Of course you didn't place. You NEVER rehearsed."

So is my main gripe with the television show said to spark the fire in America's youth to pursue the arts.

(And before I get the inevitable defenses from the diehard Gleeks, I acknowledge and understand that this is a show not fully based in reality and that it's more about having a good time with music than it is about accurately portraying lives of American high schoolers. Also, I generally enjoy the show so just hear me out.)

I just had a hard time watching this group of kids feel sorry for themselves about losing a contest they didn't really work for.

Here's the deal kids: when you DO practice, you look like Vocal Adrenaline with great music and sick (in a good way) choreography. When you don't practice, and instead spend the entire year pointlessly performing countless songs that you'll never sing again, you end up huddling around Artie in his wheelchair and clapping.Just look at Sue Sylvester's multi-award winning cheer leaders. Any episode we see them in, what are they typically doing? Rehearsing.

But the glee club on the other hand always just seems to magically pull numbers out of thin air complete with stage blocking, CD quality vocals, and new costumes. The only real issue the group faced this year was when Rachel came down with a case of "laryngitis." Not the kind of laryngitis that takes away your voice, but the kind that just makes you sing wrong notes to Miley Cyrus songs.

There were no late nights in the auditorium perfecting choreography, no hectic fundraisers to find a way to pay for costumes, and no dress rehearsals for the contest that the entire spring semester was dedicated to preparing for.

I wanted to pull for them, but I almost had no reason to (besides the fantastic song selection).

Here's to hoping Sue Sylvester becomes a for real co-director next year and that she breaks out that megaphone and whips those kids into shape, Cheerio style.

-----------
Besides that matter, I really enjoyed the music last night. "Any Way You Want It" reminded me of freshman year of high school performing that with my glee club, the Showboaters. Memories. Lea Michelle and Jonathan Groff's vocals were spot on and the rest of the cast had definitely improved over the course of the year (woo, Santana!).

I'm glad Glee's been renewed (for two more seasons already), and I'm eager to see what they do next.

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My Problem with "Parenthood"

2010-06-05T11:53:00.008-05:00

I like the show, but I can't stand most of the characters! The only cast members that I enjoy seeing on screen are Lauren Graham, Peter Krause, and Mae Whitman. Unfortunately, as this is a show about a huge family, there are nearly 1 million other cast members to deal with.

The premise of the show is appealing. After all, I've enjoyed watching the drama in the huge Walker family unfold for the past few years on ABC's Brothers and Sisters. But what Parenthood doesn't seem to understand is that you can be flawed and dramatic and still likable.The patriarch and matriarch of the family played by Craig T. Nelson and Bonnie Bedelia are not only flawed, they're annoying. They could stand to take a few lessons from the Sally Field School of Endearing Angry Acting. These characters, who are supposed to be foundation of the family, and the show, are the ones who make it uncomfortable to watch. The rest of the family is fine, but characters like Erika Christensen's Julia and Sarah Ramos's Haddie are so emotionally hard that it's difficult to like them.

I hope that in its second season, the writers work to make these characters into real people you want to succeed rather than people you don't care to see failing.
PS: I have to give the "I Thought I'd Hate You But You Turned Out Alright" award to Dax Shepard for stepping up and being great in the show when I completely expected him not to be.

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Losing It With Jillian Michaels

2010-06-03T10:45:00.000-05:00

The show is called "Losing It" in reference to the people's loss of weight (and baggage), but let me just say: its other meaning is that you, the viewer, will also lose it emotionally.

I watched the first episode featuring the Mastropietro family, and GOOD GRIEF! Tears I didn't know existed in my body flowed down my cheeks as they spilled their emotional baggage that led them to become as unhealthy as they were. I was very surprised to be so pulled into the episode, as tears are rare on my face and are usually only reserved for shows or movies with scenes depicting unfortunate circumstances involving dogs.

Jillian has one week to do a complete 180 change in a family's lifestyle. This means the hour's time is split among exercise, emotional, and nourishment needs. At times it may seem the family changes too quickly to believe, but you have to consider that editing a week's worth of footage into 40 minutes makes it impossible to see all that happens. Besides, they build entire mansions in one week on Extreme Makeover, so who says a little diet and exercise isn't doable? Plus, we get to see Jillian's trademark rage monster unleashed on several occasions, making the time watching the show well worth it, regardless of how it turns out.Sure, the premise is cheesy: "Dad only has 6 weeks to slim down and fit in his tux for the wedding, can he do it???" ...6 weeks later... "He did it!" But that's what feel-good reality television is all about. Cheese. And tears. And more cheese.

This show won't give you specific diet plans or exercise regimens (Jill probably wants you to go to JillianMichaels.com for that), but it will inspire you to work harder on whatever it is you are doing, and it will prrrrobably make you shed a tear.

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LOST Series Finale Recap Video

2010-06-01T13:25:00.003-05:00

I've had a blast filming live reaction and recap videos for this final season of LOST.

My friend Allison and I put together a fun pre-finale special where we talk about our favorite episodes of the series, flash into a sideways universe as Jack and Kate, and present our favorite moments of the season in music video form to "Lost in the Moment," by Oh, Hush!
For the series finale, we were invited to Kristin Dos Santos's party at the E! studios in Hollywood, and we had an awesome trip, which we recapped in our finale video.

Thanks for watching with us this season and make sure you're subscribed on YouTube and Twitter for more fun!

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LOST 6.15 Across the Sea - Live Reaction/Recap Video

2010-05-12T01:50:00.002-05:00

This is the video recap for LOST season 6 episode 15, "Across the Sea," which aired May 11, 2010 on ABC. My friend Allison joined me to summarize the night's events and share our personal reactions to the show as it aired.

WARNING: Video contains Spoilers if you have not yet seen this episode!

Tonight's episode focused on the back story of Jacob and the Man in Black/smoke monster. It guest starred Allison Janney as their mother, and there was a LOT of information to take in. Watch the video for the whole rundown and our reactions...

SHARE your theories in the comments section and tell me your thoughts at Twitter.com/AdamRucker

Thanks for watching, and subscribe for more videos and a new LOST recap every week!

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LOST 6.14 The Candidate - Live Reaction/Recap Video

2010-05-05T09:23:00.004-05:00

This is the video recap for LOST season 6 episode 14, “The Candidate,” which aired May 4, 2010 on ABC. My friend Allison joined me to summarize the night’s events and share our personal reactions to the show as it aired.

WARNING: Video contains spoilers if you have not yet seen this episode!

This episode was absolutely bonkers. There was death all over the place.
Watch the video for the whole rundown and our full, extremely emotional reactions…

SHARE your theories in the comments section and tell me your thoughts at Twitter.com/adamrucker

Thanks for watching, and subscribe for more videos and a new LOST recap every week!

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Cougar Town Quotes "Letting You Go" 4/28/10

2010-04-29T15:43:00.008-05:00

Cougar Town is quickly becoming one of the most reliable comedies on TV right now. It is consistently funny week to week and every episode is full of hilarious quotes. In fact, for this episode, it may have been just as effective to post the entire script because everything was funny.

But here are my favorite quotes from episode 1.21 "Letting You Go," which aired Wednesday, April 28 on ABC.
Laurie: My boyfriend, Smith finished law school. He comes home today!
Ellie: Wow, that is so... Jules, what's the word for "who cares?"

Jules: (looking at a glass with leftover wine) You know what? I'm gonna drink it.
Grayson: It's 8am on a Saturday.
Jules: So? This is just like a mimosa! Except for it's got wine instead of champagne and no orange juice.
Laurie: That sounds delicious!
Jules: Mmm! Wine in the morning on weekends. Let's all think about it people!

Laurie and Smith are making out:
Laurie: I forgot how smooth your teeth are!
Roger (Smith's dad): I'm glad you're home too, son. Forgive me if I don't eat your face.
Laurie: I'm sorry. I have a rule that every kiss must last at least three seconds. It's what the Obamas do.

After Smith accepts Roger's invitation to golf:
Roger: Well thank you. I know you'd prefer to spend your time letting her try to trick a baby out of you.
Smith: Dad, please...
Laurie: I'm allergic to latex and birth control pills!

After Travis receives a college rejection letter:
Jules: How you holding up there, honey?
Travis: It doesn't feel great to get turned down by a school with four grammatical errors in their rejection letter.
Bobby: You know, I got into that school.
Travis: Cool, kill me.

Laurie: You see that guy over there? (Jules looks) Jules! Don't look right at him! (Jules looks again) I said don't look!
Jules: When I hear "don't look," I can't help but look! It's my most specific reflex.

After Travis gets accepted to two schools: Ellie: Wow! So it's either college 20 minutes away in Sarasota, or 20 hours away in California. Which one do YOU want him to go to?
Jules: Doesn't really matter what I want. It's his choice!
Travis: The weather is so good in California!
Jules: Ya, it also has earthquakes, and uhh, race riots. So you know, everybody just CALM DOWN!
Ellie: And there it is.

Jules tricks Travis into coming downstairs by pretending to be hurt:
Jules: Travis, help! I'm hurt!
Travis: Ya, I'm not falling for that again.
Jules: I'm serious this time! I've twisted my ankle. It might be broken!
Travis: (runs downstairs) Oh no, what?
Ellie and Bobby: SUCKA!
Travis: Great job, adults.
Jules: I just wanted to talk to you. How are you gonna decide between these two colleges? I mean, one is known as the jewel of central southwest Florida, and the other one's in a state where people lean out of their car windows and shoot you in the face.

Jules and Travis hug:
Travis: Let's not get weird.
Jules: If I could, I'd have them trim me down, so small... That I could (whispers) live in your blood!

Laurie: But drama is such a turnon! It makes my lady parts beep.
Jules: Would you rather be with someone emotionally stable or someone who, at game night, carves "die bitch" on the kitchen table because you think he sucks at Jenga?
Laurie: There are positives and negatives to both.
Jules: There really aren't.
Laurie: I know. And, honey, I am sorry about your table.
Jules: That's OK. I added a T so now it says "diet bitch." So actually it's really helpful!

Jules is watching Travis sleep in his bedroom: Travis: Are you watching me sleep?
Jules: You don't usually wake up.
Travis: You've done this before?
THERE'S A MONTAGE OF ALL THE TIME'S ELLIE'S WATCHED TRAVIS SLEEP
Jules whispering to Ellie and Laurie in Travis's room: Leah, Joel, Alexis... That's only 7. Come on, we've gotta be able to figure out all 8 Gosselin kids.
Laurie: Jon?
Ellie: No, he's the creepy, disgusting, wants to be famous father...
Jules: OH! Collin!

Travis: Are you watching me sleep again?
Jules: When I squint, you look just like your sonogram picture!
Travis: Memories!

And the song at the end of the episode was "Something Beautiful" by NEEDTOBREATHE.

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I've Seen [Most of] Toy Story 3! (no spoilers)

2010-04-29T01:16:00.008-05:00

THERE ARE NO SPOILERS IN THIS POST!

Last night I got to see the first 65 minutes of the third film in the Toy Story trilogy, and I was beside myself with excitement. It's been more than 10 years since Toy Story 2, arguably one of Pixar's finest films (even though they're all incredible), was released, but the gang is all back together in this extremely hilarious, and presumably final, take on the toys' story.

When I say it's hilarious, I mean it was really really funny. The movie is chock full of lines for adults (that kids will still laugh at even though they don't really get them), and the addition of many new characters adds a new life and humor to the story. Like I said, I won't spoil anything, but the character voiced by Michael Keaton (which you can see here if you want), really steals some spotlight in this one.

After the screening, I tweeted the following:Which was then retweeted by the director of Toy Story 3, Lee Unkrich:Which I thought was pretty freaking awesome!

But it really was epic beyond all epic and an action-packed Mission Impossible-like adventure (Woody is Tom Cruise in this one) that people will love.

It was especially special for me because I grew up with Toy Story. The first film was released when I was 8 years old, and even though I'm 22 now, this movie made me feel like I was just a little kid again.

OK I'm done gushing about it.

Oh, and I should mention that they raffled off a Buzz Lightyear toy just like the one in the films (spaceship box and all), and I did NOT win. Needless to say: I was pretty bummed, and it will take a while to get over it, but in time I will.

In time, I will.

The full film (which is being finished today, per @LeeUnkrich's tweet) is in theaters June 18 in Disney Digital 3D (and 2D)!

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American Idol Shania Twain Week - My Take

2010-04-27T14:20:00.005-05:00

Well there wasn't a new episode of LOST this week so I thought I'd tackle that "other" show on TV Tuesday nights, American Idol. This week's theme is Shania Twain music and I contribute my own medley of Shania songs, and I sing the HECK out of it if I say so myself.

But you be the judge.

Enjoy!

Songs included:

Up
Don't Be Stupid
Forever and For Always
Rock This Country
I'm Gonna Getcha Good

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The Definitive List of Classic Movies I've Never Seen

2010-04-16T13:01:00.000-05:00

Over the past 22 years of my life I have seen many, MANY movies. I couldn't begin to try to count them all. But it has come to my attention that while I may have seen a great number of movies, I have NOT viewed a number of classic films, which I should have seen, "if you are a human being," according to many of my friends.

In order to retain my status as a true "human being," I decided that I should set out to view these films. So I've made a list of the classic movies I've never seen, and I invite you to share your thoughts on them.

Back to the Future:Yes, it's hard to believe, but I've never seen this Michael J. Fox classic or any of its sequels. I would like to think that I have a pass on this one since it came out two years before my birth (1985), but still, given that it's an all-time favorite of many of my friends, it goes to the top of my must-see list.

The Sound of Music:It came as a shock to many of my musical friends when I mistakenly mumbled during conversation concerning The Sound of Music, "Oh... Ya, never saw that." The silence and tension that followed was palpable. I feel like I should see this movie, but it's nearly 3 hours long! I'm not sure I can handle that much "do a deer"ing.

Bambi:I think I never saw this one cuz my sister was scared of it when she saw it, and as a result, I never got to see it either. Alice in Wonderland and Old Yeller fall into the same boat. As a pretty big fan of Disney movies, the not-seeing of these films probably causes the most cognitive dissonance in me.

The Princess Bride:Don't know much about this movie other than that everyone I've ever known has referenced it at least once in conversation. Also never seen Ghostbusters.

Braveheart: My brother practically won't talk to me since I've never seen this, one of his favorite movies. I've also never seen Last of the Mohicans, which for the longest time I thought was the same movie as Braveheart. Whoops. Similarly, haven't seen Gladiator, Saving Private Ryan, or Schindler's List.

Terminator:Or any of the Terminator movies, for that matter.

The Silence of the Lambs:
I've never been one for really scary movies. I mean, the scariest movies I've ever seen are The 6th Sense and What Lies Beneath, which is why I haven't seen this or another classic, Psycho. I did see Paranormal Activity, however, and that was more laughable than scary, IMO.

Rudy:I know, I know, I'm practically not even American anymore. I've never seen this OR the classic Field of Dreams, but I have seen Remember the Titans and Angels in the Outfield, so that's basically the same, right?

So this, I believe, accounts for the most classic movies that I've never seen.

What do you think? Am I out of my mind? Have you seen all of these?

Should I skip any? (I finally watched A Christmas Story for the first time this year and it was a total snooze.)

Lemme know in the comments and at Twitter.com/AdamRucker

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LOST Final Season Video Recaps

2010-03-31T14:32:00.004-05:00

If you've been to my YouTube channel recently, you probably noticed that I've started a new regular video series. Since this is the final season of LOST, my favorite show on television, I decided to commemorate each episode by recording weekly recap videos, which include clips of myself and my friend Allison watching the show.

The latest episode: 6.10- The Package
Due to LOST's typically shocking nature and Allison and my energetic personalities, there are plenty of OOs, Ahhs, and WHAT THE HECKS?! to be seen throughout the episode, and they're all shared in these videos.

Whether you watch LOST or not, you may find these entertaining, so give 'em a try!

6.09- Ab Aeterno:

6.08- Recon:

You can see all the recaps HERE!

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If I Can Dream

2010-03-03T12:49:00.010-06:00

Simon Fuller, the creator of American Idol, has just introduced to the world his latest creation, If I Can Dream. IICD is a completely Web-based series from Hulu.com featuring five aspiring performers living in Hollywood.

The show is a mix between Big Brother and American Idol, with a little America's Next Top Model mixed in. Viewers can watch the houseguests 24 hours a day at ificandream.com, switching between the more than 50 cameras installed around the house. But unlike most reality shows, this is not a competition. There aren't any judges, and the stars aren't going to get kicked off.

So who are the dreamers?

There's Amanda, Ben, and Kara, who are all aspiring actors, Giglianne, an aspiring model, and Miley Cyrus's ex, Justin Gaston, an aspiring singer/songwriter.

I just finished watching the first episode, "The Road to Hollywood" special, and I have to say I was shocked to find that I actually kinda liked it.

I was expecting the "dreamers" to all be really annoying and full of themselves but I didn't find them to be that way. Granted, it's only been one thirty minute episode so that could change in a heartbeat, but I'm mildly optimistic.

So check out the first episode here:

And head to IfICanDream.com to watch the dreamers 24 hours a day...

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Taylor Swift's Record Label Says We Shouldn't Judge Her Singing

2010-02-04T10:58:00.010-06:00

We all saw it: the excruciating performance by Taylor Swift at last week's Grammy Awards... right before she won album of the year. Now, I'm the first to say that people have their off performances. Even the best of the best sound terrible sometimes for whatever reason. But this wasn't the first time Taylor's sounded bad. It was like the 50th time she's sounded bad live. The only difference was that this performance was SO bad that everyone noticed and it couldn't go overlooked.

Now, the head of Taylor Swift's record label is saying that it isn't about the live performance and basically we shouldn't be judging her... I've bolded all of my favorite parts of the article.

Label chief defends Swift's Grammy performance

Feb 4, 7:07 AM (ET)

By CAITLIN R. KING

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The head of Taylor Swift's record label is fired up and ready to defend his superstar from people who are criticizing her Grammy-night performance.

"She is the voice of this generation. She speaks directly to (her fans), and they speak directly back to her," said Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta in a phone interview. "This is not 'American Idol.' This is not a competition of getting up and seeing who can sing the highest note. This is about a true artist and writer and communicator. It's not about that technically perfect performance."

Borchetta first responded to the backlash in The Tennessean. Asked by The Associated Press why he felt the need to defend Swift, he said because the criticism was "just over the top."

"It's that classic thing that critics do of building something up and then wanting to tear it down," he said.

Swift rehearsed her performance and duet with Stevie Nicks two different times at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in front of a crowd of people. Critics were nicer then. Entertainment Weekly wrote of the rehearsal, "The two women's voices complimented each other nicely on the harmonies of 'Rhiannon ...'"

But on Sunday night's Grammy show, Borchetta said Swift had a technical issue that made her worry about her performance. (Attempts to reach The Recording Academy for comment went unanswered.)

"We had a volume problem in the ear. So, she was concerned that she wasn't able to hear everything in the mix," Borchetta said. "That's just part of live TV. ... So you're going to have difficulties on occasion. Unfortunately, on one of the biggest stages, we did have a technical issue. She couldn't hear herself like she had in rehearsal."

----------------

Firstly, I have to say that there is NO way that Taylor Swift is "the voice of this generation," and I don't even have to explain that.

Second, I found it interesting that he brought up that this wasn't American Idol, a show on which Swift herself wouldn't make it past the first round. You would think he wouldn't want to bring that up, especially considering the show is on RIGHT NOW and features performers of a much higher caliber (not all, but many of them).

Then came, "It's not about that technically perfect performance." Hmm... I bet the other performers that night (and really any performer in the world) would beg to differ.

And finally, the classic excuse for bad performances, "She couldn't hear herself."

How come this never happens to good singers? It seems so unfortunate that the only in-ear monitor systems that fail are the ones for people who can't really sing well in the first place... (Remember years ago when O-Town bombed at Miss America? It was the sound system's fault then, too.)

Look, I'm not out to get Taylor Swift. I have her CD; it's good. But if you don't want to be judged for your live performing skills, don't perform live.

Welcome to America. We judge people.

UPDATE: Kelly Clarkson responds to Scott Borchetta's knocking American Idol.

GO KELLY!!!

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LOST Season 6 Premiere Live Reaction / Recap

2010-02-02T23:51:00.006-06:00

This is my live reaction to the season 6 premiere of LOST. Get my reactions AS they're happening on this CRAZY episode! Warning: there are some spoilers in this recap if you haven't seen the episode yet.

Jack, Sawyer, Kate, Sayid, Hurley, and the gang are all back for the final season of ABC's LOST. This is how the first episode went down.

Favorite line of the night: "Nothing's irreversible."

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LOST: Beginning of the END

2010-02-02T13:03:00.006-06:00

I'm sitting in religion class right now, trying desperately to stay awake. I attempted to go to sleep early last night, getting in bed before 1am, but my body wasn't aware of this change of schedule and didn't allow me to sleep even a wink until at least 2:30. So today has been rough: lying and deception was painful as I tried to hide the fact that I was dozing right in front of the professor's face. I was just praying he didn't see me nod off and ask me if I was having trouble staying awake. You can't so much lie to your lying and deception teacher. It just isn't smart.

So tonight is finally the premiere of the final season of LOST. I still remember getting hooked on this show when it first aired 6 years ago. Though it is easily my favorite TV show ever now, I must admit that after seeing the initial previews, I thought it would be the most ridiculous show ever and canceled after 3 episodes. I was wrong.

I've found that I'm USUALLY wrong when it comes to whether or not a TV show will be good: that same year (2004) I was at Universal Studios Hollywood on a backlot tour when the guide told us to be quiet because we were passing by an active set for a "new TV show on ABC called Desperate Housewives, starring Lois & Clark's Teri Hatcher." It took me no less than 3 seconds to turn to my mom and sister and say, "Well THAT'S clearly going to be terrible."

And six seasons later, here we are.

Oh, this is good: talking about TV is definitely helping me fight off the zzzs.

I don't know what to expect tonight on LOST. I don't WANT to know what to expect. I didn't even crack open my Entertainment Weekly, as it said "warning: contains spoilers!" and I don't do spoilers.

All I know is that I just want questions to be answered. Duh.

And for some reason, the biggest question that comes to mind for me is: WHY was Libby in the insane asylum with Hurley??? Freaking Michael had to shoot her before we ever found out.

So come on, LOST. Don't let me down.
On a different note: this week must be "Rachel McAdams Week" at the University of Texas. Tomorrow night they're showing "Mean Girls" in the Union and the next night is "Time Traveler's Wife." And that is AOK with me.

PS while I'm on the subject of Ms. McAdams, let me just say: good on ya to her for somehow being able to play so many polarly different parts. I couldn't believe Regina George was the same person who played Allie in The Notebook.

Not that I've even seen The Notebook or anything... No, no, I just heard about it from a friend.

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American Idol Dallas Auditions 2010

2010-01-27T17:30:00.012-06:00

The Dallas, TX auditions for American Idol air(ed) January 27, 2010 on FOX, and here's a behind-the-scenes look at the first round auditions that were held at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in July 2009.
The video pretty much sums up everything from round 1.

The one thing I didn't include was that throughout the day, PAs would occasionally bring out small groups of very well dressed and trendy-looking young people and place them throughout the crowd. Camera crews then filmed them "waiting" to audition with the rest of us.

This struck me as a little odd. Whether they were people who had indeed already waited and auditioned or people who had not waited at all, it still made obvious how many portions of the show are staged for the camera.

Over the next few months, more audition rounds were held at the W hotel in Dallas.

(I had to cut out the name in the sign)
I was lucky to attend the final Dallas round to support a friend as they auditioned for Simon, Randy, Kara, and guest judge Joe Jonas. After arriving (as instructed) at 8am, we waited in the hotel while Idol filmed interviews with many of the contestants. The judges were not even scheduled to arrive until 1:30-2 in the afternoon. I noticed that none of the contestants seemed of the "odd" persuasion, which made me think they had scheduled the "good" and "bad" auditions on separate days so as not to tip people off.

This is video of me singing with my friend Maegan Wright, who was featured on the Dallas audition episode of American Idol and got a ticket to Hollywood.

One thing I found really interesting was that before auditions began, a producer (Ron from the video) talked with everybody and instructed the singers to not be afraid to talk back to the judges if they disagreed and even if Simon said to stop singing, to keep on singing or sing another song if you felt you weren't given a fair chance.

This may explain why all those "crazy" people on the show continue to sing even when they aren't asked to (but they end up looking like idiots).

The way it worked was that the auditioner would go up stairs (the auditions took place at the Ghost Bar at the top of the W hotel in downtown Dallas), the family would wait by the door, and after the audition was finished and they were headed back down, Ryan Seacrest would join the family for a few seconds before the big "I'm going to Hollywood!" or not moment.

Though I'm not positive, based on the demeanor of the crew, it seemed like most of the time they knew whether or not someone would be going to Hollywood before the audition even occured. There were only a few people that did NOT get golden tickets to Hollywood on this day, which further backed up my assumption that this was the day of good singers.

So all in all it was an interesting experience. I certainly knew that much of the auditions were staged and planned in advance, but it was a little magic-ruining to see it happen right before my eyes.

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Sundae Sunday State Parks!

2010-01-27T12:48:00.005-06:00

So this week's Sundae Sunday #50 focused on my dear friend, Candice Woods. Candice is currently in the national tour of Legally Blonde playing the role of Pilar (Elle's best friend).

Candice is so incredibly talented; she was cast in the Broadway production of Hairspray while we were still in high school! I'm so glad to know her, and you will definitely get a kick out of getting to know her in this video.
Coming up next week on Sundae Sunday, you'll get to see a trip I took to two Texas state parks with my friend, Cassie.

Here's a little photo preview of that!

Pedernales Falls:

Cassie's Always Wanted to be Like Ariel:

We somehow make our way up the enormous Enchanted Rock:

That's all coming up this weekend so be sure to check it out at YouTube.com/ajruck

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Cougar Town Quotes (1/21/10)

2010-01-21T17:18:00.007-06:00

Last night's episode of ABC's Cougar Town starring Courtney Cox was chock full of funny quotes I thought deserved sharing.

Here we go (S.1. Ep. 13: Stop Dragging My Heart Around):

After Jules' husband Bobby is told he needs to move his boat (that he lives in):
Bobby: It's times like this I wish I owned my own parking lot.
Jules: Really? That's what you wish for?

As Jules' son Travis is going out for the night:
Jules: Be home by midnight, and don't forget our rule: do not wake me up when you get home.
Travis: Solid parenting, as always.
Jules: I'm a better mom with sleep...

Climbing into Bobby's boat:
Jules: You have any of that pink wine?
Bobby: I got white wine.
Jules: Well, mix in some Kool-Aid and make it pink. I've still got some white trash in me.

Laurie: It doesn't matter anyway, Grayson. Any chance you had with her is gone after the way you defiled me last night.
Grayson: Defiled you?
Laurie: That's... not a good thing?
Grayson: That... No!
Laurie: I've been using that word wrong, like, forever!

Bobby: Something stinks and I can't find it. I'm worried it's in my nostrils. Will you smell the inside of my nose and tell me if it stinks?
Grayson: At any point in your life have you ever said to yourself, "Hey, here's a thought I shouldn't verbalize"?

Next two quotes embedded below!

Jules telling frequent songwriter Grayson an idea she has on the phone:
Grayson: No Jules, I don't think 'Sex with the Ex' would be a great song... (hangs up)
Jules (to Ellie): That was odd, and he is wrong. That would be an AMAZING song. Hey, you wanna jam out some lyrics?
Ellie: What is with this stupid neighborhood and the song writing??

Laurie: Hey, so, I did what I always do when I have a big dilemma: I thought it out while I got a tattoo.
Grayson: A Chinese character! That's so creative! How did you think of that? What does it mean?
Laurie: I thought it was the symbol for 'strength,' but it turns out it just means food. That's OK, though. I like food.

After coming up with a brilliant idea:
Jules: I'm gonna write a book! And they're gonna put me on Oprah!
Ellie: Oprah's retiring in like a year.
Jules: Oh ya, and she's never gonna be on television again!

Laurie (outbursts in the middle of a conversation): It was raining! And REO Speedwagon rocks so hard!
Jules: What are you talking about?
Laurie: ...What?
Ellie (pointing at Laurie): Just do what I do and treat it like white noise.

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Wendy's Spicy Chicken Nuggets: Where's the Chicken?

2010-01-21T11:20:00.010-06:00

The fast food giant that made the phrase "Where's the beef?" famous has some explaining to do when it comes to its chicken nuggets.While I cannot deny the wondrous sensation that fills my mouth when I take a bite out of one of Wendy's new spicy chicken nuggets, I must admit the disappointment that filled my heart (and stomach) today while eating my favorite 99 cent lunch.

I've never been much a fan of Wendy's nuggets in the past, but the new "spicy" take on the old classic quickly won me over. Today, however, I noticed something quite scary about these so-called "nuggets" of chicken.On the outside, they appear plump, full, and begging for consumption. I took a bite of the first, and it was good, but when I looked down again at the half-eaten nugget, what I saw scared me to my inner fast-food-loving core.

The nugget appeared to be hollow.
The wave of disappointment hit me like the large puff of air that comes out of a brand new giant bag of potato chips that's only half-way filled.

I finished that nugget, blowing off my concern in hopes that the next nuggets would improve upon the issue. But I was only disappointed more as I continued to eat. Nugget after nugget revealed large hollow gaps within the battering.It was as if some sort of chicken particle matter was just sprayed into a fried nugget shell.

The experience was still very much like that of eating a real nugget of chicken from say, McDonald's or Chick-fil-a, but in comparison, Wendy's nuggets delivered merely a suggestion of chicken and hardly any real pay-off.

So the moral of this story is: Wendy's "nuggets" are fantastic-- there's no denying that. But if they insist on using this chicken particle filler, maybe the fast food restaurant whose motto is, "You know when it's real," could stand to at least top it off or change the food's name to "spicy chicken particles."

Fin.

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Back to School

2010-01-19T11:37:00.004-06:00

And so begins another semester of school for one Mr. Adam Rucker.

But this isn't just any semester, it's the FINAL semester of school for me EVER. I'm taking 13 hours, which is the least amount of school I've taken in years so I'm definitely looking forward to that. Among my classes are: Lying & Deception, a class I should be admittedly too good at, a religion class, astronomy observation (I guess we look at stars?), computer-mediated communication, and rhetoric of popular culture, another class I should be admittedly too good at.

So in honor of my almost-graduation, I decided to take a trip back in time for my YouTube series, "Sundae Sunday" this past weekend, where a friend and I go back to our middle school to visit with some of our teachers from 6th and 7th grade. These teachers are the most memorable teachers I've had, and they definitely had a huge impact on my success in middle school and my continued success through high school and college.

Enjoy!

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Amazon Mp3 $5 Albums Holla Back!

2010-01-08T17:32:00.006-06:00

So I'm not sure people know this, but Amazon Mp3 (their version of iTunes) has ridiculously good prices on full album downloads!

I just got Phil Wickam's new CD "Heaven & Earth" for $5 ($9.99 on iTunes). And the site has TONS of other great albums for only $5 too, like Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga "The Fame," Radiohead (there's a $1.99 Radiohead album!), Coldplay, Norah Jones, Joshua Radin, Rihanna, Fergie (if you're into that)... The list goes on and on.These downloads are just as good quality as iTunes downloads and go directly into your iTunes program to work with your iPhone, iPod, or whatever you have to play them.

SO- moral of the story: check it out on Amazon Mp3 first before you waste $10 on iTunes.

Here's the link to Amazon Mp3 $5 album page!

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3 Weeks with My Brother - Nicholas Sparks

2010-01-06T14:56:00.005-06:00

I just finished reading "3 Weeks with My Brother," a memoir written by popular author, Nicholas Sparks. I'd never read any of Sparks's books (such as The Notebook or A Walk To Remember), mostly because those books are for chicks, yo! But I'd certainly heard of him and was interested in reading about how he became the successful author/screenwriter he is today.

3 Weeks chronicles a trip around the world he took with his older brother Micah. Scattered among descriptions of the countries and monuments they visited are flashbacks through Sparks's life, offering great detail into who he is. The Sparks family was plagued with tragic circumstances throughout his life, and Nicholas details his dealings with those situations and how his relationship with his brother grew because of them.

Sparks is known for his great ability to draw readers into his stories, and because 3 Weeks is the telling of his own story, I was quickly engaged. The book offers a great deal of insight into the inspiration for a lot of Sparks's writing (like the story behind A Walk To Remember), and is a great read for anyone, Sparks fan or not.

So check it out!

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Lucy Realized She Is a Dog

2010-01-05T12:27:00.002-06:00

After 8 years of life, my Maltese dog Lucy just came to the realization that she is, in fact, a dog. She is chewing on her first bone ever and even tried to bury it in the back yard.

2010 has already brought some big changes!

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AVATAR Will Blow Your Mind

2009-12-28T11:09:00.014-06:00

It generally takes a lot to blow my mind, but AVATAR did it... many times over.

I went into the experience expecting a lot, considering the rave reviews I had heard from family, friends, and critics throughout the past week, but because I didn't read up much on the movie, I didn't know exactly what to expect, and that is just how I like to go into a movie watching experience.

Showtimes were sold out all day at Dallas's only true IMAX (size-wise), so I got tickets to the fake IMAX at the AMC down the street, and let me tell you, I was not at all disappointed by the smaller screen. Even calling it "smaller" is stupid because it's still huge. And because AVATAR's aspect ratio when shown on IMAX nearly fills the entire screen, it was well worth the extra dollar for the IMAX upgrade.

Now, on to the movie: it was incredible.

Without getting into storyline (because I don't do spoilers, even though it wouldn't really even matter with this film), I will just say the visual effects employed in this film are unmatchable. They make the dragon fight scene in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire look like I made it on my home computer.

The 3D added amazing depth and sensation to every scene whether stationed in a military bunker or flying through the floating Hallelujah Mountains. The image was, however, overwhelming at times, due to my vulnerability to motion sickness, but I just removed the glasses during a few indoor scenes when the 3D was less necessary in order to relieve the overwhelmingness.

James Cameron has been developing AVATAR ever since Titanic was finished in 1997. But he said he waited to make the movie until technology caught up with his vision for it. And thank God he did.

As my dad said, "It made Star Wars look like kindergarten."

I also loved the casting of the movie. Relative newcomer Sam Worthington was great as lead character/avatar Jake Sully, and Zoe Saldana (Star Trek) was perfect as Neytiri.

It was very interesting to read about the new motion capture technology used to create the avatars and Navi. Particularly that they were able to view the CGI characters on monitors in real time as the actors played them. Crazy stuff you can read more about on the Avatar Wikipedia page.

Also liked that Ana-Lucia from LOST came back from the dead for the movie and that Phoebe Buffay's brother Frank is still getting work.

Moral of the story is: go see AVATAR in IMAX (big or small).

It'll blow your mind and then some.

I can't wait to see the influence it has on movie making in the future, including the two sequels already planned by Cameron "if the movie is successful." But seeing as it already has the highest opening of any original non-franchise, non-sequel film in history, those sequels are already a done deal.

PS: the night after I saw the movie I had crazy cool dreams I was flying through mountains and rain forests. That alone was worth the $13 ticket price.

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My Christmas Gifts!

2009-12-27T16:01:00.003-06:00

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Princess and the Frog "Blue skies and sunshine!"

2009-12-11T22:34:00.008-06:00

Disney's "The Princess and the Frog," was finally released this weekend, returning the studio to the 2D hand-drawn animation that Walt Disney made famous. The last attempt Disney made at a hand drawn feature was 2004's mega flop, "Home On the Range." No wonder it took so long to bring it back.

Princess and the Frog was a visually stunning tale of Tiana, a New Orleans native who dreams of one day running her own restaurant. I liked that we got to see Tiana from a young age as well as when she was older. It definitely added a more personal connection to the story.
The story uses the classic tale "The Frog Prince" as the basis for its fairy tale adventure when Naveen, a prince visiting New Orleans, is turned into a frog by the local voodoo practitioner.

The artists went above and beyond on the colors and detail throughout the movie. They were even able to make the dark, swampy, mossy setting a beautiful sight to be seen.

The voices in the movie were great, too. Tiana, voiced by Anika Noni Rose (From Justin To Kelly, Dreamgirls), is fantastic speaking and singing. Her mother, voiced by Oprah Winfrey is... Oprah Winfrey. And Disney mainstay Jim Cummings (voices Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Pete...) was great as Ray the firefly.

The music by Randy Newman (Toy Story) was better than I had expected and perfectly fit the jazzy New Orleans setting.

My favorite song by far was "Dig a Little Deeper," sung by Jenifer Lewis (Meet the Browns) as Mama Odie. Lewis performed for a period as Motormouth Maybelle in the Broadway production of Hairspray, so she's no stranger to rousing musical numbers.

Ray and Louis, the sidekick firefly and alligator, were hilarious sidekicks to Tiana and Naveen and even struck an emotional, tear-filled chord in more than one audience member...

I don't like movie spoilers so in this review they are none.

Just go see the movie for yourself, and enjoy this great addition to the Disney animated family.

Leave your thoughts in the comments or send them to me on Twitter!

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My Fajitas Were a Success!

2009-12-10T11:24:00.004-06:00

If you know me or follow me on Twitter, it should not come as surprise that I rarely cook. The food service industry has been very kind to me over the years (well, except for the short while I worked as a waiter at the Olive Garden, but that's a different story.)

Last night, though, I thought I would take advantage of my non-existent schedule and cook up one of my favorite meals, fajitas. Though it's rare that I cook, I picked one of the most non-mess-up-able meals you could choose.

I went to Central Market to get a good cut of marinated fajita beef, onions, jalapeños, and limes for the occasion. After speaking extensively over the phone with my brother-in-law, I felt prepared enough to take on this Tex-Mexican tradition.

The first step in preparation was to sprinkle the skillet with the juice of a lime then set the lime halves in the skillet to cook along with the rest of the food, infusing the flavor.

Well, no less than 14 seconds after I did this, the overwhelming steam/smoke from the limes engulfed the apartment and set off our rather sensitive smoke detectors... So my friends and I opened the doors, turned on the fans, threw the skillet on the patio, and tried to diffuse the cloud before it set off the alarms and sprinklers in the complex, ruining not only my dinner, but everyone else's lives.

The limes were simply removed from the pan, and the crisis was averted. But it was close... I should have known better; after all, the lime sprinkling is the trick restaurants use to make the fajitas appear sizzling hot as they bring them to your table.

In the end, the fajitas turned out great, along with the addition of black beans, guacamole, and Glee, which is what we watched while we ate.

¡Olé!

PS: what did you think of Glee? I enjoyed this episode more than most, but I'm still waiting for the pizzaz from the pilot episode. Maybe they're saving that for regionals?

Who knows. I guess we'll find out in April.

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What's with all the TINY food?

2009-12-08T15:40:00.004-06:00

OK so I'll admit: at one point or another, I too thought the tiny burgers were cute (as my selection from Ruby Tuesday above presents), but what is with the rampant overtaking of our nation's food supply with miniature versions of our favorite foods?

Not only has the mini burger/sandwich craze trickled down to even the fast food restaurants, like Jack in the Box, but now they're making other foods that were already small enough even smaller!

Chili's just announced their new mini TACOS.

Though they may appear to be somewhat normal-sized in the picture, don't be fooled by the camera's trickery. Just compare them to the slice of lime in the photo, and you'll see that they're not much bigger, and I GUARANTEE you they don't come loaded with that much meat.

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like "mini" is code word for "small" and "rip-off."

It all reminds me of that tiny cell phone Will Ferrell skit from SNL.

How small is small enough?

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Love My Little Cousins

2009-12-08T14:20:00.004-06:00

Since school's basically out (I only have one more final and a presentation next week) I decided a day trip to Houston to see my little cousins would be fun!

So I sprung myself upon them, and luckily everyone was able to make it to dinner at Texas Roadhouse (delicious).

Ruthie, my birthday buddy, and Ki.

Rachael, Isaiah, and Aunt Jane.

Jena!

Rachael being too cool for pictures.

I had a great time seeing everybody... I wish I would have gotten a picture WITH all of you!

Congrats to cousin Jana for getting a job before she even graduated!

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Christmas Party in the USA

2009-12-08T13:59:00.003-06:00

Watch my latest video for RuckitUp.com featuring footage from my first Christmas party of the year!

My eccentric friend Allison, Hannah Montana, and my big ego are all there!

Enjoy.

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Faith and Positivity in Tough Times

2009-12-08T13:50:00.004-06:00

CLICK HERE to watch a video from Matt Chandler, the pastor at The Village Church in Dallas a day before surgery to remove a brain tumor. Matt only found out about the tumor a little more than a week ago on Thanksgiving, yet still is full of hope.

Great message!

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I called the Nick Jonas solo act a long time ago... The Administration goes on tour

2009-12-01T01:51:00.010-06:00

The most talented Jonas Brother, Nick announced yesterday via his newly established Twitter account, @nickjonas that he and his band, "The Administration" would be embarking on a mini US tour this January promoting Nick Jonas and the Administration's first CD, "Who I Am."

While this may leave some Jonas Brothers fans shocked and confused, I'd just like to point out that I called this Jonas breakaway last July, via my Twitter account (@adamrucker):It didn't take a genius (though I often consider myself to be one) to see this coming. The signs were all there: Kevin getting engaged, Joe not being very good anyway, and Nick clearly taking center stage on the Jonas Brothers World Tour this summer.

The tour will cover 14 cities in the US and begins January 2 in Dallas.

January 2 Dallas, TX House of Blues - On sale 12/5 at 10 AM
January 4 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium - On sale 12/5 at 10 AM
January 6 Washington, DC Warner Theater - On sale 12/5 at 10 AM
January 7 New York, NY Beacon Theater - On sale 12/5 at 11 AM
January 9 Philadelphia, PA Tower Theater - On sale 12/12 at 10 AM
January 12 Boston, MA Orpheum Theater - On sale 12/12 at 10 AM
January 16 Detroit, MI Fox Theater - On sale 12/12 at 10 AM
January 17 Chicago, IL Rosemont Theater - On sale 12/5 at 12 PM
January 19 St. Louis, MO The Pageant - On sale 12/12 at 11 AM
January 20 Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom - On sale 12/12 at 10 AM
January 21 Minneapolis, MN State Theater - On sale 12/11 at 12 PM
January 23 Denver, CO Paramount Theatre - On sale 12/12 at 10 AM
January 26 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern - On sale 12/12 at 10 AM
January 30 Berkeley, CA Zellerbach Auditorium - On sale 12/12 at 12 PM

Ticket presale begins today (Dec. 1) for fan club members and are on sale to the general public this Saturday (Dec. 5).

Watch a video wrapup of the entire kickoff show of the Jonas Brothers World Tour this summer at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium:

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Is 22 too old to get into Legos?!

2009-11-09T10:34:00.005-06:00

Growing up, I never was able to wrap my head around the idea of Legos. Getting a new toy for your birthday that you then had to spend hours putting together was never that appealing to me.

Heck, the one time I did get a small Lego set (it was a tiny ambulance), I attempted to put it together, and after 5 minutes of low-effort trying, I asked my friend David to put it together for me.

My parents were not so proud.

But now that I've gotten older and gained a little more patience, I think I'm ready now to take on Legos. And now that Lego has these rockin' cool stores everywhere, I get excited just thinking about the prospect of getting a Lego set and actually putting the whole thing together.

I mean look at this awesome PIRATE SHIP!!And the accompanying "Loot Island."COOL!!

So the question is: is 22 years old TOO OLD to be getting STARTED with Legos?

I appreciate your input.

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I was on ABC's World News! Whaaat?

2009-11-09T10:25:00.003-06:00

So last week I was surprised to find out via friends and family that a short clip from one of my YouTube videos had been featured on ABC's World News with Charles Gibson during a story about the popular Texas gas station, Buc-ee's.

Check out the video from ABC News HERE! (My clip is toward the end)

And watch the original YouTube video below...

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I actually feel bad for Ashlee Simpson

2009-11-01T23:02:00.007-06:00

It's quite a rare position that I currently find myself in: feeling bad for one Mrs. Ashlee Simpson Wentz.

Though I do not follow her on Twitter, I wanted to see what she was up to after being canned from her new CW show, Melrose Place, so I headed over to her Twitter page.

And what did I find but her last tweet written on October 20 saying, "On set with Heather Locklear and Brooke Burns- these ladies are freakin awesome- such a fun day!"And 2 days later she was fired. (Also canned was co-star Colin Egglesfield.)

Oops.

What makes it even greater is that rumor has it that a huge part of the reason she was fired was because her new, and much more experienced, co-star Heather Locklear couldn't stand her and demanded her gone.

I don't even watch the show. But I did see the first episode and kinda couldn't believe she got the job in the first place so I can't say I'm surprised.

Look, I don't get joy out of the fact that she was fired. In fact, I find it kinda sad. Being as famous as she is and not tweeting for this long is a huge sign of defeat in this day and age.

So she better get on it before she loses everything.

Not that there's much to save...

Related Story: The Audio Animatronic Ashlee Simpson Appears on Jimmy Fallon

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Balloon Boy: Another Triumph for Journalism

2009-10-15T14:59:00.008-05:00

Journalism claims another trophy today with its fantastic reporting of the now falsely-proven "Balloon Boy" story, where a 6-year-old boy in Colorado supposedly floated into the clouds above Colorado after climbing into and untying a homemade balloon from his back yard.

The story instantly dominated all American news coverage while we all watched in horror as the balloon flew across the sky and eventually landed in a field, but what's the best part?

Balloon Boy was never actually IN the balloon.

Nope, Balloon Boy was found later in his own HOME. Yep.

So Journalism: you got got. Again.

Now, granted, you took information you received from authorities and relayed that to us, but the only problem with that is: it was WRONG. Factually incorrect. And it is your responsibility, as the public's watchdog, to report only the facts.

There were no "allegedly"s or "reportedly"s. That boy was IN that balloon, and I bought it.

Not cool.

Next time a story comes in that sounds like a plot from the most recent Disney-Pixar movie, maybe you should do some followup before you get the American public in an unnecessary tizzy.

The good news is I think I've got a great Halloween costume idea!

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Crazy Cool Coca Cola Freestyle

2009-10-14T12:26:00.004-05:00

Have yall seen the newest development in soda fountaintry from Coke?!

This Coca-Cola Freestyle soda fountain provides consumers with more than 100 choices for drinks in one small space. I don't understand how it works, but it's pretty freaking cool.

Can't wait to see this in real life.

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Obama to win slew of Oscars and Grammys

2009-10-09T08:42:00.034-05:00

After the recent announcement by the Nobel Committee that U.S. president Barack Obama would be receiving this year's prize for peace, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences have announced that they will follow suit in honoring the beloved president.

"Now that we realized we can give the president awards without him having really done much for them, we thought it would be nice to treat him to a few to say 'doin' good, buddy!'" Tom Sherak, the current president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said.

There is no word yet on which awards the academies will be awarding Obama, though Neil Portnow, the president of the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences has a few ideas up his sleeve.

"I would like to see a win certainly for best children's album because he is so good with kids and possibly, well, no, definitely a win for album of the year cuz even though he hasn't produced any music as of yet, we're sure that if he did decide to put together a CD it would be freakin' awesome," Portnow said.

Though the Oscars and the Grammy award ceremonies will not take place until 2010, both presidents have said they are open to "just giving him the trophies now anyway."

No word yet on whether MTV will incorporate Obama into its VMA or MTV Movie Awards in 2010 as well, though it is rumored that VH1 is already courting the president for next year's DIVAS special.

-------------
© Adam Rucker 2009

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Is Flash Forward the new LOST?

2009-09-24T19:23:00.007-05:00

Probably.
The new ABC sci-fi drama opened with a close up of our main character Mark Benford (played by Joseph Fiennes) waking up amongst a ginormous disaster scene reminiscent of the opening on LOST featuring Matthew Fox waking to find the disaster following the crash of Oceanic flight 815.Mark finds a chaotic scene in downtown Los Angeles following a crazy event that caused everyone in the entire world to black out and "flash forward," seeing their lives 6 months into the future.

In this first episode we see glimpses of Mark's flash forward, and we will, presumably see glimpses of the other characters' flashes on future episodes, stretching the mystery throughout the season.

So let's go over just a few of the obvious similarities between Flash Forward and LOST:

Mysterious wide scale disaster? Check.
Outlaws on the run? Check.
Beautiful cast? Check.
References to Oceanic Airlines? Check.
Random animals where they don't belong? Check.
Flashes (forward or backward)? Check. Check.
Plot full of literally THOUSANDS of mysteries? Check. Check. Check.

The similarities between the two shows were almost so obvious that it was ridiculous. I mean, a kangaroo hopping through the streets of LA? Can anybody say POLAR BEAR?!

Almost as random as the kangaroo were guest appearances by Family Guy creator and star, Seth MacFarlane and the Famous Jett Jackson, but you know, whatever works.

Flash Forward has the perfect opportunity to establish itself as the new mystery drama once LOST disappears after its final season next spring. Not that anything can ever fully replace what I believe to be the best drama TV show ever, but there's nothing wrong with having a 2nd best.
I have high hopes for Flash Forward, especially considering it will soon feature LOST (and Lord of the Rings) veteran Dominic Monaghan and already includes Desmond's girlfriend Penny (Sonya Walger).

I'm excited for the amazingness that is yet to come!

PS it looks AMAZING in HD, but what doesn't?

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Gluten Free is the Way to Be! (But only if you have to)

2009-09-22T11:18:00.006-05:00

So it's been a little more than a week now since I found out that I'm allergic to basically the entire world of food (wheat, gluten, cheese, milk...), and so far it isn't so bad. (Check out my allergy announcement below.)I already feel better after cutting out most of those foods that I was found allergic to. There is, of course, the negative result of me finding out how much I truly love all those wheat-containing products like bread, tortillas, anything that's breaded and fried, etc. It's that whole "don't know what you've got till it's gone" thing.
A conversation about frosted animal crackers that two girls were having next to me in the library just about sent me over the edge, and visions of a hot-off-the-stove grilled cheese sandwich frequently dance through my dreams, causing a wave of disappointment when I awake.
I'm finding refuge in many potato products like chips and french fries (unfortunately I'm also allergic to corn, which knocks out all of my favorite tortilla chips), but one can only eat french fries for so long before they *gasp* get sick of them.

So I turn to you, blog-reading, gluten-free public. Got any ideas for me? What do you eat? Where do you eat?

I found that Pei Wei has a gluten-free spicy chicken meal option, which just about makes my life (I've had it twice already in the past week).

I'd love your ideas and suggestions!

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Bing Visual Search is Pretty Freaking Cool!

2009-09-14T14:52:00.006-05:00

Finally something cool about Bing.com that Google doesn't have!

I just discovered Bing's new visual search feature via this post on Mashable.Basically it's a way to find things that you know what they LOOK like but can't remember the name... Great examples are searches for "Dog breeds" or "popular celebrities." It's like a police lineup search engine!

Once you find what you're looking for, you simply click the picture, and it will run the search and provide you with more information.

Check it out! It's pretty fun.

(You may need to download a plugin called "Silverlight," but it's fast and worth it!

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Kanye West's VMA Taylor Swift Outburst and Beyonce Keeping it Classy VIDEO

2009-09-13T22:52:00.009-05:00

Well, Kanye West has, yet again, shown us just how un-classy he can be during tonight's VMA Awards on MTV when he interrupted Taylor Swift's Female Video of the Year acceptance speech to say how much better Beyonce's video was...

MTV Shows

Thank goodness Beyonce was able to class it up at the end when she won her award for Video of the Year (Single Ladies) and invited Taylor back up to the stage saying, "I remember being 17-years-old, up for my first MTV award with Destiny's Child, and it was one of the most exciting moments in my life. So I'd like for Taylor to come out and have her moment."

MTV Shows

Thank you Beyonce for making up for what was probably one of the most terrible moments in Taylor Swift's life.

Seriously, though, how many chances are people gonna give Kanye West before they finally say it's enough?

Personally, I've never bought his music or supported him, and I hope the rest of the world finally realizes that no amount of talent can make up for being a complete [fill in the blank].

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Mandy Moore to voice Disney's Rapunzel

2009-09-11T14:29:00.006-05:00

Former teen pop star-turned movie actress, Mandy Moore will be lending her voice to Disney's upcoming "Rapunzel" CGI animated feature (out Christmas 2010). Since Mandy can both sing and act, she'll be used for all of Rapunzel's vocals.Sounds like a good choice to me! She's got a great voice and will fit within the wholesome family image that Disney likes to portray.

It is insteresting to note, however, that more and more, Disney seems to be employing a tactic of other animation studios of using big named voices in the title roles to draw attention to their movies. Obviously, Disney has always included famous voices like, Whoopi Goldberg, Ellen Degeneres and Robin Williams in their movies, but those were more supporting roles.
Unlike classics The Little Mermaid and Beauty & the Beast, Disney's new princess films The Princess and the Frog and Rapunzel employ young actresses who are already extremely successful names (Anika Noni Rose and Mandy Moore).

The studio seems to want to have a real girl young viewers can connect to, and from a company that is basically surviving off Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and Demi Lovato, this shouldn't come as a surprise.

At all.

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