Hold Back the Night

The Darkness will block out the sun if we can't find a way to hold back the night! Holy cow, I go away for four months and I miss history in the making?
Watch live video from PAX East 2012 on TwitchTV

Happy Fourth of July!

007 Teaser

The Kings Corner: BFF's, Lumberjacks and Soccer Legend Reps the Kings

Here are a few good articles you should check out. Game 1 of the Western Conference finals is today. Go Kings Go!

 - BFF's

- Lumberjack For the Win!

 - You Go, Beckham!

Kings vs Blues Game 3 Intro

Come On

Step into the light! (Just make sure when you do you're wearing headphones and you have the volume up)

Three Word Phrase

Another web comic for you fine folks.  Three Word Phrase

Overdue

Because our lives haven't tasted the wonderful fruit this video has to offer in some time:

New....AND IMPROVED?

Okay, I'm about ready to switch over this hockey stuff to another blogging website. This new "and improved" Blogger sucks. I can't just copy and paste a video anymore, I have to get it off Youtube or my phone? Are you serious? And if you notice below, the videos are a lot smaller now after you post them. That's thanks to the new "AND IMPROVED" Blogger. Also, after I create a new post, it's way too damned hard to find a "view blog" button. Now I have about a million options on screen at once! Why does everything need to happen this way!? Why do people insists on making things so freaking complicated and they always claim that it's new and improved and more simple than ever. Facebook fucked that up more than once (one of the reasons I don't have a Facebook anymore). Cars have becoming increasingly more complicated. Don't even get me started on freaking touch phones. Remember those simple flip phones? Remember when phone batteries lasted more than 2 hours? Those were the days.

Kings, 2012

Kings, 2001

The video below shows the Kings game winning goal against the Red Wings, that helped them advance to the second round of the playoffs. This was in 2001. It hasn't happened for the Kings since. I watch this video and get chills at the eruption of cheers by the fans win the goal is scored in OT to seal the deal. Man, I want this to happen again. It will, soon enough. This year we're going farther than round 2, I know that much. We can do this!

And guess what? The Red Wings were HEAVILY favored to win that series.

Gotta Love the Flyers

Haha! Burrows is a Bitch

Besides the awesome hit Richards puts on one of the Canucks' biggest crybabies, pay close attention to the 18 second mark. From that point Burrows tries to go shove Mike Richards in his frustration and ends up just falling on his ass again. I swear, the Canucks are one of the dirtiest teams (if not the dirtiest) in the league. They cry more than any other team too. Once they get a taste of their own medicine, they don't know what to do....except cry some more. We put them in their place last night. That's all I have to say. Must suck being the most hated team in the NHL by fans and players alike. I really hope we take this series, I know we can. The whole of the NHL is rooting for us. GKG!

Do A Barrel Roll!

What a dive. This guy is just as bad as Logan Coutoure.

Top 10: Stanley Cup Playoff Beards

Now that the Stanley Cup Playoffs are in full-swing, lets count down one of the greatest traditions in sports...the NHL playoff beard. The tradition basically goes like this...if you make the playoffs, you grow a beard/facial hair, and you don't shave until your team is eliminated. Any head hair, mustaches, or face hair counts as part of the tradition. Lets take a look at my top 10 favorite NHL playoff beards of all time.

*Honorable Mention*

Clark Gillies- A part of the 1980s Islanders dynasty that won four Stanley Cups in a row, Clark Gillies is credited with the creation of the playoff beard tradition. For that, he deserves a mention. Plus that beard is pretty dang awesome.

10.
George Parros- You're pretty much guaranteed a spot on this list when you have one of the best mustaches to ever hit the ice...even if you do play for the not-so-mighty Ducks. Being one of the premier enforcers in the league, I doubt Parros would be as intimidating without it. Best part is, he doesn't just grow it out for the playoffs.

9.
Mike Richards- Yea, sure you'll see Richards with 5 o'clock shadow pretty often, but a beard of this caliber is a rare treat he saves only for the playoffs. This picture was taken when he made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2010, giving him plenty of time to make this beard what it was. Awesome. Hopefully, it will make a return here in LA.

8.
Henrik Zetterberg- A lumberjack style beard at its finest. Then again, when you play for the Red Wings and make the postseason every year since signing with the team, I guess you get a lot of practice at forming the perfect playoff beard.

7.
Claude Giroux- What's most important hear is that his beard matches his uniform. Bravo.

6.
Scott Hartnell- One of the scruffiest players year round, Hartnell always has a impressive playoff beard. Notice how many Flyers players made this list? Hmm.

5.
Chris Mason- Quite an impressive beard there. One important thing to keep in mind is that the Blues were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round when this picture was taken.

4.
Mike Commodore- The bright red Chia Pet. When you have a combination of crazy hair and an awesome beard it's a guarantee that you'll make this list.

3.
Paul Mara- This beard just scares me and I'm sure it did the same to a lot of Paul Mara's opponents. Too bad he didn't make the playoffs this year as he remained an unrestricted free agent.

2.
Bill Flett- Another Flyer. Well deserving too. Definitely one of the most impressive beards in NHL history.

1.
Lanny McDonald- Hands down, my favorite beard of all time. Lanny McDonald played during the era in which the beard tradition began and boy did he excel at the art. I mean, his beard looks like it's on fire! And he's on the Flames! Glorious.

GKG!

I'm loving all of the comments by Kings fans about last nights victory over the Canucks. I might have a Kings Corner write-up about it later. Great stuff. The video that Andy posted below was just one of the many awesome moments the Kings had. Downside of last night...dish network.

What is Beauty?

This goal:

Play Ball!

Now that MLB is in full effect, I decided to post a couple of links to websites belonging to Andy and my favorite teams. As always, they're on the right side of the blog. Enjoy.

Two Girls, No Cup

Summary of Last Night

Orange Crush Goal

So happy to have him on the Kings.

Trust

We're making the playoffs. Guaranteed.

History Will Be Made

I have that Mike Richards moment framed and autographed. He'll be growing out that beard in a Kings jersey soon enough.

The Kings Corner: Kings vs. Oilers

Alrighty, I'm happy to say the Kings are looking good! Great win for the boys tonight who are fighting in a very tough conference to make the playoffs, and an even better win for J-Quick. Quick recorded his 10th shutout for the season, setting him up as the league leader in shutouts this year.

34 seconds into the third period of a scoreless game, Slava Voynov scored his 8th goal of the season on a one-time slap shot from an assist by Anze Kopitar. Brad Richardson also picked up an assist on the play.

With 2:32 remaining in the game Dwight King picked up a goal which helped all of us King's fans breathe a little bit easier. Mike Richards assisted on the goal. It was a beautiful pass that led to a beautiful shot.

Kings Win! 2-0

The King's defense was a HUGE factor in tonights play as they outshot the Oilers 37-19.

I've gotta hand it to the Oilers goalie, Devan Dubnyk. If it weren't for some of his excellent saves I believe we could've put at least 4 pucks in the net. The Oilers offense on the other hand was fairly absent most of the game due to the aggressive play by the Los Angeles Kings defense. To prove a point, the Oilers went on a 4-minute power play and didn't get a single shot off. The second best defense in the league shined tonight and I can't stress it enough.

As the regular season comes closer to the end, the Kings get ready for their last two games...both of which we face-off against the San Jose Sharks. The playoff race is still tight, but if we continue to play the way we have been, we'll be just fine. I only have one thing to say for the Sharks and their fans....

Smile you son of a b-!

*Sources*

LA Kings Insider

Line Change!

Okay, I switched things up just a bit here. If you look to the right there is a whole separate section for Los Angeles Kings related websites. I also added a new one, All the Kings Men. It's a neat podcast a few diehard Kings fans run. One of which is the author of The Royal Half. Good stuff.

Music Friday

Been on a Social Distortion craze as of late and figured I'd share a favorite of mine (and yes, I realize it's a cover, but it's a damn good song anyway and Social D. is where I heard it first)...in acoustic form (which I kind of think makes it a little better).

...and "Story of my Life"...(if I remember correctly, I was at this show...in that mosh pit)

...and "Telling Them" Last one. I promise.

My Favorite Video Games of 2011

Ladies and Gents, the moment you have been waiting for for far too long. It's time to bring you MY favorite games that were released way back in 2011. I tried to make sure I could beat all the games I bought last year before making this list...but it wasn't happening. So, two very important games being left off of this list strictly for the fact that I haven't completed them yet...The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and Gears of War 3. With that said, here's the list. Enjoy, and yes Uncharted 3 kicked ass.

Best Games of 2011

1. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Ah, yes. My favorite video game series of all time. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was one of the best games I have ever played so of course number 3 had to be good. My expectations were so high, and I was confident Naughty Dog would deliver yet again. I was right. People may disagree with me on this, but I believe the latest adventure in the Uncharted series was the best one yet. The visuals are improved (how this was even possible I have no idea), the character development was also improved and very interesting, and of course...the writing was top notch. I have never been more attached to characters in a video game. The excitement factor of this game is even greater this time around. There were multiple moments where I caught myself practically drooling in amazement. All I have to say is "cargo plane" and anyone who played this game knows exactly what I'm talking about. This game captures moments of intensity, desperation (look at the picture above for a reference on the desperation I'm talking about), sensitivity, intimacy and humor better than any game I've ever played...and even better than most movies. Bravo Naughty Dog, you did it again.

2. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

This game is MASSIVE. There is so much to do in Skyrim. I'm 160 hours into the game with no end in site. From the moment you complete the fist quest you are dropped right in the middle of this world, and the rest is up to you. No two players have probably had the same experience with this game. With countless dungeons to explore and quest to complete, this is one of those games that can keep you entertained for months...maybe even years.

3. Batman: Arkham City

Do you remember how great Arkham Asylum was? My favorite superhero game ever. Well multiply that by 5 and you get Arkham City. Most of the famous villains and heros from the Batman universe make an appearance in this game, which is intriguing enough, but it's the vast open-world of Gotham City that makes this the masterpiece it is. Even more so than Arkham Asylum, you will really feel like the Dark Knight when playing this.

4. Dead Space 2

Another game that exceeding the original in my opinion. Holy shit this was scary! With even creepier villains and locations, this game will keep you on the edge of your seat. Great sci-fi horror fun.

5. LA Noire

I have a soft spot for law enforcement and this game captures a lot of what they do pretty well. Investigating crimes is fun and engaging and the life-like visuals are breathtaking. I love that Rockstar uses the faces of real actors to play their characters. Great stuff.

6. Mortal Kombat

My favorite fighting game of all time. The creators of Mortal Kombat decided to go back and remake the original three MK games and put them together in an awesome new story mode. Other than that the versus mode is a blast and then there's the Challenge Tower you can tackle as well. And boy are they serious when they say "Challenge" Tower.

7. Modern Warfare 3

I don't know why Call of Duty gets so much hate. If you have a great formula why change it? Yea, the story may be a little short but it's still a blast. The shooting mechanics are still better than any other first person shooter game and hell, you get to play as Delta Force!

8. NHL 12

I LOVE hockey and this game comes closest to the real thing. Simple enough. Just wish I could find a Kings picture. Go Kings!

9. Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Unique. That's what this game is to me. It's a first person shooter with unique perks, and a unique futuristic setting. My favorite part about this game, punching through walls. Awesome.

10. Battlefield 3

Play the multiplayer and you'll understand why this game made the list. So intense.

Most Disappointing Game of 2011

Killzone 3

I think I'm done with this series. Not enough going on as far as story and character development. Just another first person shooter.

Most Breathtaking Visuals

Uncharted 3

Gorgeous. Beautiful. Amazing. Breathtaking. Call them whatever you want, the graphics in this game cannot be compared to any other game.

Best Multiplayer

Battlefield 3

Like I said before, intense. Even more important, you actually want to play in a squad in this game. Unlike Call of Duty where everyone is a one man army, in Battlefield 3 you are encouraged to fight with your teammates.

Best Video Game Character

Nathan Drake (Uncharted 3)

He's the man. My favorite video game character of all time. He's funny, he's badass, he's a smart ass, and he has a huge heart believe it or not. Anytime an Uncharted game comes out, it's almost guaranteed he'll make this spot on my list. If only he were real. Guess we'll have to settle for the next best thing...Nathan Fillion.

Best Supporting Character

Sully (Uncharted 3)

Nathan Drakes best friend and father figure. Sullivan is also the man. He may be getting old, but he'll throw down with the best of them and he always has Drake's back, no matter what the cost. A true and loyal friend.

Best Female Character

Elena (Uncharted 3)

Seeing a trend here? What can I say, Naughty Dog's strongest point is their characters. Elena is every mans dream women. A kind heart, and never afraid to get her hands dirty to do what's right. Also, her and Drake are the greatest couple I've ever seen in a game. There is actually one scene in Uncharted 3 where the relationship between Elena and Drake really gets to me. It will tug on your heart strings. The most powerful and emotional scene in a video game I've experienced this year.

Worst Main Character

Cole Phelps (LA Noire)

I could not relate to this guy at all. He's a dick. That is all.

Greatest Villains

Alduin (Skyrim)

Basically there's a prophesy that says a Dragon God will destroy the world. This is that Dragon God. Bad ass.

Mr. Freeze (Arkham City)

I love Mr. Freeze. He's one of my favorite Batman villains. I thought he looked great in this game.

Least Favorite Villain

Talbot (Uncharted 3)

This guy pissed me off. What a prick he was. The scene where you have to chase him down on foot....ahhh man, I wanted to beat the shit out of this guy.

Favorite New Character

Charlie Cutter (Uncharted 3)

Charlie is a big bad ass who looks like Jason Statham. He is funny and gets along great with the rest of the Uncharted crew. Hope to see him again in the next game.

Best Gaming Soundtracks

-Uncharted 3

-Arkham City

-Skyrim

Well there you have it. It was a great year for gaming but obviously Uncharted 3 was my ultimate game of 2011. Here's what I'm looking forward to in 2012...

- Bioshock Infinite

- The Last of Us

- Mass Effect 3

- Far Cry 3

Keep it real homiez!

The Marauder

Loves me some Top Gear...loves me some Marauder:

What's This Blog Called Again?

Okay, I'm starting to realize that the majority of what I write about (even though I haven't done much on here consistently for a month at least) is hockey. More specifically the LA Kings. I'll attempt to mix things up in the near future and write about more than just my hockey obsession. Not to say I'll slow down on my hockey writings. Just that I'll increase productivity and give you guys some other stuff as well..........hopefully. No guarantees!

The Ice Just Got a Little Colder

Ugh. What a tough loss for the Kings tonight. However, we must not lose hope! Never surrender! In continued support for my boys I posted a link to the right to another good Kings blog. It's a pretty funny/light-hearted site. Hopefully you enjoy it. The blog is called "The Royal Half."

Go Kings, Go!

The Kings Corner: Offensive Powerhouse?

I know, I'm sorry! It's been awhile but I have a good excuse....Mass Effect. Good, right?

Okay, lets get this here Kings Corner rolling. Today we're going to talk about...offense. A month ago nobody wanted to talk about the Kings offense. In fact, there wasn't any offense to talk about. Well, since acquiring Jeff Carter right before the trade deadline things have most definitely changed.

According to unofficial Kings' statistician and historian, Nick Nickson, the King's aren't merely scoring more since getting Carter. They're scoring more than anyone else in the Western Conference. Read that again...let it sink in. Awesome right? Nickson ran the numbers, and the Kings have scored 42 goals in their last 12 games. That's an average of 3.5 goals per game! Since Feb. 25th the only team to average more goals is Pittsburgh, who've averaged 4.25 goals over the last 12 games (yowza). After todays practice, Justin Williams agreed with the popular theory that Carter's addition has provided balance to the offensive attack.

WILLIAMS: "I think we seem to trust each other a lot more on the ice. We're doing our own jobs, and trusting that other people are going to do theirs. I think, because of that, we're reading off of each other pretty good and moving our feet. We're working together as units out there."

As you can see here, some NHL players are pretty frustrated with the way the Kings have been playing lately.

*SOURCES*

LA Kings Insider

Goon

Why wasn't I informed of this sooner?

Balloons

Motherfuckin' balloons!

Stuck Songs

A few songs I've been digging a lot lately:

(actually the whole album to Hanna was pretty cool)

That's all for now.

Future Flix

So aside from the big movies that I've been waiting for this year like The Dark Knight Rises, The Hobbit, and Prometheus, when I found out about these next few movies I kind of started drooling at the awesome.

Iron Sky (particularly excited about this one)

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (though I'm more partial to Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter)

Act of Valor

Yep. Gonna be a good year for movies.

Happy Birthday Mike Richards!

I hope you are partying hard with family, friends and fellow teammates. Get jiggy wit it, drink up and try to forget about todays loss.

The Kings Corner: Richards, Andreoff, Weekly Highlights

Hey all. I apologize for lack of posts, Kings related or not. I've been pretty busy the last couple of weeks and to make matters worse, I've been sick this week. Yay! Also, right now I'm watching The Kings battle the Panthers at the moment. What that means is that this here article isn't going to be as content filled as usual. In fact, it's going to straight-up lazy!

Here's a link to an LA Kings Insider article that features everything listed in the title above. You've got a great interview featuring Mike Richards where he discusses his frustrations with his recent lack of scoring. There's also a bit about King's prospect, Andy Andreoff (last years third round pick). Finally, there is a highlight video for your viewing pleasure. Sorry again about the lack of content guys. This weekend I should have some free time and I'll try to get more for you.

You should be watching the game today. For those of you who don't remember December 3rd, 2011...it was the day that Florida Panthers winger Sean Bergenheim put a hit on Richards that caused a concussion. Well, tonight we may see some revenge in tonights reunion. There's that and the fact that the Panthers have had a hit out on Richards for awhile due to this. Then this happened as a result. By the way, that hit by Richards was later found by refs and tons of video reviews to be a clean hit. Yea...nice. Shoulder was down, beautiful hit.

Also, it's Mike Richards' 500th career game today. Here's to many more games in the future!

New Spiderman Trailer!

Funny stuff.

I was watching the new show "Luck" with my dad and as Richard Kind is an actor in it, I was reminded of a video I saw a couple months back that gave me a good chuckle.

New & Used from Richard Kind

Yikes!!!!

The Fame Makers and The Los Angeles Kings!

The Fame Makers with the Los Angeles Kings from Anze Kopitar

Space Avalanche!

Came across this comic strip site. Reminds me a bit of PBF comics. Get your laugh on! *Warning!* Some blaspheming ahead.

Space Avalanche

More Music for your Friday

Hey all, looks like Birdmonster's back with a new tune (and hopefully a new album in the future). Check it:

http://birdmonster.bandcamp.com/

Oh Chuck Norris...

Because of this article you lost points in my book, sir.

Music for your Friday

The Silent Comedy. Enjoy that beef!

Movie Awards 2011

Welcome to Sam's movie awards for 2011! A couple things before you get started...

1. I did not go into detail on most of this stuff. Just pointing out what I liked and didn't like and keeping it simple. So if you're looking for well-written descriptions of why I chose these movies then I'm sorry, you won't find that here.

2. I'm starting the list with my least favorite film of the year. I've got to get it off my chest.

Other than that, I hope you enjoy this not so well made list with fancy pictures! Yay!

Most Disappointing Movie

-The Thing

There were only two things I didn't like about this movie. 1, The animation was HORRIBLE. 2, they showed the Thing WAY too much. Sadly, those two things are enough to make me wish this film was never made. Was not necessary.

Best Animated Movie

-Rango

I have to admit, this was the only animated movie I saw last year. Nevertheless, it was quite good. The Animation was superb!

Favorite Comedy

-Horrible Bosses

This movie was funny! I laughed a lot. Yup.

Favorite Superhero Movie

-Thor

This movie was just a lot of fun for me. That is all.

Favorite Character

-The Driver, Drive (played by Ryan Gosling)

Yea, that's a hammer in his hand. Yes, he's a badass. And yes, he can drive really good.

Least Favorite Character

-Banshee, X-Men United

Ugh, so stupid. Really?! Just....nevermind.

Favorite Villain

- Dave Harken, Horrible Bosses (played by Kevin Spacey)

What a dick! That's all I have to say about that.

Least Favorite Villain

-Lord Voldemort

I realize that this guy is supposed to be the most evil and heartless wizard ever to walk the planet, but seriously! Why does he make some of the goofiest faces I've ever seen by a villain?! And some of his lines too, just...wow.

My Top 10 Favorite Movies of the 2011

10. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

I thought this was even better than the first one. There was more depth to this one. Not to mention Sherlock faced off against his greatest enemy and rival, Professor James Moriarty (played excellently by Jared Harris). The final bout between Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty was pretty awesome. Also, there was one scene that my sister and I were laughing at for about 5 minutes so that was very memorable.

9. Fright Night

I didn't think I would enjoy this one as much as I did but I was very entertained. This is one of two movies that I saw in 2011 where I really loved Colin Farrell. There were quite a few moments where I thought everyone was good, nothing bad was going to happen, they were safe and then BAM! Nope.

8. Footloose

Shut up. I loved this movie. The dancing was actually very entertaining, and the story had heart. An emotional movie. It was a lot of fun, and humous at times too. AND Julianne Hough is hot! So leave it alone, I loved it and you can't change my mind.

7. Transfomers: Dark of the Moon

Shut up. I loved this movie too! I've always been a fan of the Transformers movies. I enjoy the action and the special effects. I love the scores composed for the movies, and you know what, I like Shia LaBeouf.

6. Hugo

Wow, this movie was good. This movie was well acted by everyone who was in it. Just a real talented group of performers. The story tugs at your heart strings too. I'll admit, I teared up....maybe more than once. Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass) never disappoints either.

5. Super 8

This sci-fi movie reminded me of classic Spielberg. J.J. Abrams directed and wrote this movie so hey, I was good with that. C'mon, he was responsible for the new Star Trek remake which was AWESOME. The kids in this movie were great. Each with their own unique personalities and they each added something memorable. Another very touching movie.

4. Hanna

Great thriller. Everything in this film was done very well in my opinion. The music, the villains, the fighting scenes. It all worked well. Man, Cate Blanchett plays an excellent villain. She pissed me off so much! And Eric Bana impressed me, as he always does. The scene with him in the train station was the best part of this movie for me. But of course, Saoirse Ronan steals the show.

3. The Adjustment Bureau

A story about controlling ones own destiny. This is a great and thrilling love story about two people who want to be together but an unseen force will do whatever it takes to keep them apart because it's not part of the "plan." I found this movie to be very suspenseful, despite having no shooting or explosions. Most of all, I thought it was a unique twist on how we might perceive what higher power may be out there.

2. Drive

Even I was surprised to find out this wasn't my favorite movie of the year. Wow, what an INTENSE movie. The funny thing is, this movie stressed me out, had me biting my nails, and made me so freaking nervous...and hardly a word was said! It's not the writing in this movie (don't get me wrong, the writings great) but the actions and emotions portrayed in this film that makes it so powerful. I believe this is Ryan Goslings breakout year in the industry, and this is the movie I will instantly think of when I think of his abilities as an actor. Seriously, I can't really say anything else...you just owe it to yourself to check it out.

1. Warrior

Okay, so I barely just watched this movie two days ago and my God was it amazing. I didn't think I would like it this much, honestly. I mean, I'm not really into MMA (mixed martial arts) but upon watching this movie I realized that it is so much more than that. Don't get me wrong, the MMA fights that are on display in this film are pretty awesome. I actually did a sort of fist pump and yelled out "hell yea!" during one of the fight scenes and it was 2:30am! Yea, that's how compelling this movie was to me. I popped it in at 2:00am thinking "oh, I'll just watch the first 20 minutes and fall asleep." Nope. Watched the whole damn thing. Didn't yawn once. Cried a few times though. Yes, this movie is DEEP. More than the MMA, this movie is about the tragedies and hardships families face, and what it can take to gain back the love the family may or may not have ever shared. Everyone did an excellent job in this film. Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy were the stars but damn, Nick Nolte was powerful! Definitely a standout performance. Did I mention the soundtrack? As soon as I finished watching this movie for the second time in the same day I jumped on itunes and bought the soundtrack. Everything about this movie really hit me hard and made me realize what a film can do to peoples emotions. Bravo.

Well there you have it er'body. I hope you enjoyed this. Again, I apologize for the lack of detail in my writing but either way I hope you got something out of it. These were my favorites, feel free to submit some of yours. Until next time!