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Batman Begins premieres next week. Any idea on how much it'll make on the box office on opening weekend?

Actually, he did worse than that. The Monaro's fuel tank is directly under the trunk. For the GTO, Lutz had Holden relocate the tank directly behind and below the rear seats to conform to rear-impact safety regulations. As a result, the car's center of gravity has been severely altered. You forgot to mention that Cadillac stayed in business because of the Mafia. "Boys, show him the trunk!"

All this talk about typecasting and no one mentioned Adam West?

Bon Jovi: This Left Feels Right Island Records/Universal Music, 2003 Produced by Patrick Leonard, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora Roster Jon Bon Jovi - lead vocals Richie Sambora - guitars, backing vocals David Bryan - keyboards, piano Tico Torres - drums Hugh McDonald - bass Track Listing 1. Wanted Dead or Alive 2. Livin on a Prayer (featuring Olivia d'Abo) 3. Bad Medicine 4. It's My Life 5. Lay Your Hands on Me 6. You Give Love a Bad Name 7. Bed of Roses 8. Everyday 9. Born to Be My Baby 10. Keep the Faith 11. I'll Be There For You 12. Always Lowdown From the moment you pick up this CD, you'll think at first that it's just another greatest hits compilation from Bon Jovi - the New Jersey band that has rocked the charts for two decades. But like Diet Coke, This Left Feels Right is a severely watered-down version of the original formula. The CD begins with a new remix of "Wanted Dead or Alive," which sounds rather R&B-ish (even though the band claimed they gave it a Led Zeppelin feel to it). From there on, it goes downhill. Bon Jovi has taken his songs you used to bang your head to in high school and turned them into depressing lullabies. "Livin' on a Prayer" will have you asking who the hell is singing with Jon. Well, it's actress Olivia d'Abo (Rox in The Animatrix: Matriculated), who happens to be married to producer Patrick Leonard (Madonna's former producer). She may be hot, but she just can't sing. Compared to the rest of the CD, this rendition is like Coke with Lime - you'll spew it out on the first sip. Other headbanging classics like "Bad Medicine," "Lay Your Hands on Me," "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Born to Be My Baby" have been reduced to boring attempts at blues. Some songs were just never meant to be played unplugged. "Bed of Roses" is like Coca-Cola C2 - just half the emotion of the original power ballad. Perhaps the only song that sounds better than the original is "Keep the Faith." But then again, the original was practically the worst song they recorded. I can't say anything about "It's My Life" and "Everyday," as they're relatively recent songs. If you're a Bon Jovi fan, you will find This Left Feels Right very hard to accept. And unlike Vanilla Coke, your curiosity won't be rewarded by this CD at all. Now I'm unsure if I should pick up the band's new boxed set 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong - because this CD just feels wrong. Rating: C Links Bon Jovi.com Phenylketonurics: Contains Phenylalanine

One more for the road.

More pictures coming up...

What are you talking about? Cinderella Man is coming up later this week, and Russell Crowe is guaranteed another Oscar nomination.

Well, yeah, but she ain't no Jessica Biel.

On June 10, Mr. & Mrs. Smith will hit theaters. But the question is this: is anyone here gonna watch it? Mr. & Mrs. Smith As for the promotional poster, I have to say that someone did some mad Photoshop work on Angelina Jolie.

And another.

And another.

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Another shot.

I mentioned at the Aircraft Graveyard thread that I was taking pictures today. And now, I'm here to deliver. Here's the F-104 Starfighter "Spirit of Burbank" on display at George Izay Park in Burbank, CA.

Torokun, where did you get that pic of Rob Cohen?

Why don't they donate some of those planes to museums and parks? Around 20 years ago, while my parents drove me to school, I saw an F-104 Starfighter lying around a factory (which was formerly Lockheed Skunk Works) in Burbank. Shortly afterwards, it was repainted and placed on display at a park over by Olive Ave. I'll post pics of the plane later tonight.

So who really shot first - Han Solo or Greedo?

While that may be a good idea, there isn't much to talk about Yukikaze to justify having a separate forum. You'll wind up having that forum cluttered up with 20 threads asking when the next DVD will come out.

Spotted at Tokyo Disneyland, of all places...

The mods have made it clear that discussion on that movie is highly frowned upon. Personally, I think there should be a sticky telling people not to post any threads related to Stealth. Either that or temporarily ban the next person who starts a thread on it.

Yeah, I agree that the media went completely overboard with Danica Patrick and the Indy 500. But you gotta admit that she is hot.

From how I see it, rap went mainstream in the '80s with Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys. And while Run-DMC and the rest of the East Coast were rapping about their Adidas, the Los Angeles-based N.W.A. rapped about crime, gangs and defying the police with their debut album Straight Outta Compton. Meanwhile, the Miami-based 2 Live Crew rapped about sex with their album As Nasty As They Wanna Be. Both N.W.A. and 2 Live Crew received unwanted attention from the media because parents were suing them after their kids bought the albums and got themselves expelled from school. Since then, gangsta rap has become a multi-billion dollar industry as neighborhoods became rougher than ever before. But then, I don't know a lot about gangsta rap, as practically nobody picked it up in the Philippines during my high school and college days. The music scene over there was mostly hard rock and alternative, and people beat the crap out of those who sported baggy pants and listened to hip-hop. Hair metal music was mostly about decadence - drinking and partying all night. The only major exception was Guns 'N' Roses, as their songs focused on anger, hate, sadness and even suicide (it's a surprise that Axl Rose is still alive). Ironically, GNR may have indirectly influenced alternative music (notice the similar themes of their songs). On a side note, thank God for Sirius Satellite Radio, as they have Hair Nation 23 - a station that plays nothing but old-school glam-rock.

Uhhh...okay. I guess you also dig Air Supply.

Yeah, I know. The last DL CD I got was Vault back in '95. I missed out on their last three CDs - Slang (1996)*, Euphoria (1999)** and X (2002)*** - because I was concentrating more on collecting anime. However, I will pick up those CDs later next month. * Slang received mixed reviews mainly because it just didn't sound like Def Leppard. It sounded too much like light grunge. In the Rock of Ages liner notes, Joe explained that the album was released during the band's darkest times. ** Euphoria won back many of the lost fans, as it revived the band's trademark music style from the days of Pyromania and Hysteria. *** While Slang was grunge-like, X sounded rather too pop-like. But then again, that's what happens when you get the same production team that worked with Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys.

Well, since this is pretty much the MW music thread, I might as well post a CD review here. Def Leppard: Rock of Ages - The Definitive Collection Bludgeon Riffola/Island Records/Universal Music, 2005 (North America Release Only) Roster Joe Elliott - lead vocals Phil Collen - guitars (1982-present) Vivian Campbell - guitars (1992-present) Pete Willis - guitars (1980-1982) Steve Clark - guitars (1980-1990) Rick Savage - bass Rick Allen - drums Track Listing Disc 1 1. Pour Some Sugar On Me 2. Photograph 3. Love Bites 4. Let's Get Rocked 5. Two Steps Behind 6. Animal 7. Heaven Is 8. Foolin' 9. Rocket 10. When Love and Hate Collide 11. Armageddon It 12. Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad 13. Rock of Ages 14. Hysteria 15. Miss You in a Heartbeat 16. Bringin' On a Heartbreak 17. Switch 625 Disc 2 1. Rock! Rock! Till You Drop 2. Let it Go 3. High 'N' Dry (Saturday Night) 4. Too Late For Love 5. No Matter What 6. Promises 7. Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes) 8. Women 9. Another Hit and Run 10. Slang 11. Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion) 12. Rock Brigade 13. Now 14. Paper Sun 15. Work it Out 16. Die Hard the Hunter 17. Wasted 18. Billy's Got a Gun "Do you wanna get rocked?" Lowdown It's hard to believe that 25 years and 10 albums have passed since the British rock band Def Leppard made their presence known in the music industry. In 1980, the band released their debut album On Through the Night. But it wasn't until 1981, when Robert John "Mutt" Lange stepped in to produce their second album High 'N' Dry, resulting in the band's trademark music style of harmonious guitars and vocals. Two years later, in 1983, Pyromania was unleashed, eventually selling over 13 million copies worldwide. But before Def Leppard could finish recording a follow-up album, tragedy struck in late 1984, when drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm in a car accident. Many thought the band was doomed, but Allen proved the skeptics wrong when he managed to play drums live with only one arm. In 1987, the band released Hysteria, launching them into superstardom with over 16 million copies sold across the globe, backed by seven chart hits including the top-5 singles "Pour Some Sugar on Me," "Armageddon It" and the #1 power ballad "Love Bites." No other hair metal band (not even Bon Jovi) has achieved as much success in the '80s as Def Leppard. But as Def Leppard reached the pinnacle of their career, tragedy struck once again in 1991. Guitarist Steve Clark died as a result of overdosing alcohol with painkillers. Still, the band managed to complete their 1992 multi-platinum CD Adrenalize in memory of Clark. Vivian Campbell (formerly with Dio and Whitesnake) stepped in to replace Clark, and since then, the band never looked back. To commemorate the band's achievements over the past two decades, a new two-disc compilation CD has been released. Much like the 2004 international release Best of, Rock of Ages is an updated version of Def Leppard's 1995 greatest hits CD Vault. Relive the school days of banging your head and playing air guitar once you pop each disc in your stereo. And while you're at it, check out the booklet, which includes liner notes that tell about each song. If you grew up listening to hair metal, then Rock of Ages is a mandatory add-on to your CD library. First-time listeners will also want to pick this up to sample the ultimate Def Leppard experience. And to believe Mariah Carey actually covered one of their songs... Rating: A+ Links Def Leppard.com