Well, here we are again. On the cusp of another big summer movie’s post. The official Summer movies edition 2011 is finally here! And what are some of the movies brewing this summer? Well read below.

Remember the movie “Matrix Reloaded?” The first flick (the Matrix) was smooth, free-flowing and a neatly put together movie that all could follow and take in easily. And then, this cool flick garnered a sequel which exploded into a gazillion little subplots and alternate storylines with a bunch of new characters that really became hard to keep track of, not to mention events that didn’t make a whole lot of sense. And that ridiculous rave/orgy had folks scratching their heads. When we left the movie theater, the group I saw the movie with turned to me and said, “ummmmm… that flick was needlessly complicated.”

I think that example explains the typical state we often find ourselves in; frequently complicating things and doing way more than we need to. To some, simplicity comes either. And to other’s, keeping it simple comes as an ordeal. Life’s already complicated process needs no assistance in us trying to one-up it all the time. We’re brought down with complications when you factor in obligations, goals, plans, problems, self-expectations, expectations of others, pressures, and other stuff in general.

Personally, I’ve discovered that I’ve added physical attachments that have inhibited some of my sense of inner peace and balance, but at the same time, has brought me happiness and joy. Some of my peace came at a price, but I’m glad of my accomplishment.

The most recent choices in the last couple of years have actually “complicated” my life, rather than simplified it. Yet, in some weird kind of way, I don’t regret making them. Isn’t that a beaut? Do you want credentials for blogging about simplifying your life? Do as I do and do the opposite! – lol But on the real, I was telling my best friend recently that most of the major issues that I have gone through in my life, have been haphazardly created by me.

It was me who made things more complicated than they had to be; whether by thought or by actions. And even though I have come through scar free (emotional and otherwise) on “most” of them, it bothered me that I didn’t take the simple way out. I mean, what guided me down that path anyway? Was it a sense of excitement and not
wanting to stay still and (gasp) simple?

The people who know me best, know that I’m at my best when I’m dabbling in something. Anything! Not when I’m relaxing or taking it easy. I just LOVE staying busy and active. Sometimes I’m too active. Recently, I pulled out several comic book boxes from my art room’s corner. The more comic books I buy, the more the need arises to keep the inventory in check and in a way that will help me retrieve that special book later with ease.

My 14,000 plus collection is on an excel spreadsheet. Laugh, but it really comes in handy when I have to find Fantastic Four # 167 when the Hulk knocks the ever-living snot out of the Thing. Now, can you imagine my looking for that ONE issue amidst 14,000 books? Of course not. That’s because I took a weekend off 15 or so years ago devoted to cataloguing all of that stuff. Once in a blue, another weekend every several years or so is required to update the inventory, but nothing like that monster weekend way back when.

All this done in the spirit of making things simple for myself. It’s really not as hard as I tend to make it. Just a little attention to detail every once in a while. Which poses a question to me. Am I complicating things purposely because I’m attempting to appease that thrill seeker side inside of me that loves challenges, or is my execution simply… flawed?

When I’ve set my mind to simplifying things, it takes a fraction of the effort to execute it. As usual, it’s just one of those other questions that I will always have for myself. A quote I picked up recently read “It is my belief that the key to my life and my happiness is to just keep it simple” – In total agreement with that statement. And not in just one or two ways, but in every aspect possible.

The Avengers cartoon is finally here. Not to be confused with the original cartoon, Avengers FOREVER that came out just before the turn of the millennium (which I might add wasn’t too bad), and was cancelled early in 2000. Only 12 episodes aired.

The problem I had with that series was that it didn’t feature ANY of the Alpha characters from the core group of the Avengers. It was actually the West Coast stiffs that made up this team; Tigra, Wonder Man, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch and the Wasp This was the exact same roster from the comic book series of the mid-80′s (John Byrne’s version) that this cartoon was based on.

But now, my geek prayers have been answered. Prepare yourselves for AVENGERS: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes airing today on DISNEY XD – Last week, Disney XD aired 20 six-minute teasers (or micro-episodes) of every episode of what’s to come in Season 1. And they look great not to mention this series sticks on point to the current mythology. With that, my FiOS DVR is fired up and all ready to go!

Absolutely, the most important movie that you will see this year. And possibly, for years to come. I’m not going to say a thing. Just see it. Now.

DISCLAIMER: If you haven’t seen any of Tyler Perry’s movies, (where the heck have you been?) you may not get this video, but folks who have will enjoy it alot.

The “WFKAJB”* sent me this video a while back and I just cracked up. One major reason is that the clip is SPOT ON! I also shared it with others on My Facebook page awhile back and was surprised how many people hadn’t seen it before I posted it. But take a look at it and enjoy. DAMN!!!!

**Also, make sure you take a moment to bookmark the Cracked.com website. It’s chock full of funny videos that you’ll enjoy…..

For video, go RIGHT HERE….

Did you feel it this morning — the way the air was crisp and cool, not hot and humid? Or did you notice that the color of the leaves on the trees has really started to change? Or maybe you saw another large, V-shaped flock of geese flying overhead, off on its journey south. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist or a meteorologist to know what’s going on. Fall is finally here! Yes!

The official autumnal equinox occurred, not too long ago now at approximately 1am or so, on September 23rd. Guess what? This marks the official beginning of fall in the Northern Hemisphere. And on the equinox, there are 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night at all locations on Earth. The word equinox means “equal night.” (how professor-like of me)

And do you know what happens then? Well, from now until the winter solstice on December 21st, the days will begin to get shorter. And then the temperatures will drop. I haven’t been able to shake it since I was a little boy. But I’ve always loved the Fall. It reminds me of walking to school, recess, show and tell, and this may sound a bit “oh brotherish”, but I’ve always loved the autumnal colors of the leaves. I REALLY love that. This time of year is just a great walk down the nostalgia path.

Here’s to my favorite season of all; Autumn. What’s yours?

As with many arguments in life, it all boils down to whom you want to wake up next to. -lol

A zombie? No. A werewolf? Yech. Frankenstein’s monster? Get real. Creature from the Black Lagoon. Let’s not get ridiculous.

But a vampire? Now that’s an interesting proposition.

And this is not simply the opinion of the hordes of teenage girls (and former teenage girls) lined up to see this past summer’s vampire flick “Twilight: New Moon.”

Here’s a bit of a little Monster 101 for you: our horror villains represent our fears. We create monsters to be physical manifestations for our darkest thoughts. Freddie Kruger, Jason, Michael Myers, Jigsaw, etc. When we hear of someone who kidnaps a young girl and shreds her to smithereens, we think of the darkness than can pour forth from a seemingly quiet, relatively normal-looking dude (werewolves). When we think of war or terrorist attacks, we think of carnage and violence without compassion, thought, or any morsel of humanity (zombies).

But vampires, they not only represent fear, they represent passion. Desire. Lust. A werewolf will never hold, caress, or kiss you before attacking (unless you happen to have a few Milk Bones in your pocket). You’ll never get seduced by a zombie (unless your prom date has had half a case of Bacardi Breezers). But vampires will do all of that. Vampires are all the best elements of being human–super human, in fact–without the messy shackles of morality, guilt, or norms. They just do what they want. Follow a few simple rules and your reward is an eternal life without consequences.

Sometimes, vampire stories aren’t about expressing our fears as much as they are about conquering them. This is especially true of most vampire stories of the past 30 years. Most of our favorites show vampires struggling to overcome or tame their urges and learn to control themselves. Often, there is a young, beautiful (living) girl who inspires them to re-embrace their humanity. In these stories, the attraction isn’t so much to the vampire itself, as it is to the struggle, the hope for change, and the belief that anything is possible.

There’s a deluge of TOO much vampire stuff right now, (heck even the X-Men are fighting vampires this month) and some of it not that good. Especially this sub-genre of Vampire comedy shit that’s hitting us left and right. I’ve professed that 30 Days of Night has been the best “true” vampire movie since Interview with a Vampire and Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Do you ever see this kind of complexity with other monsters? Nope. Zombies just want to eat brains–nothing deep there. And werewolves…well, they just do whatever werewolves do, I guess, which isn’t very interesting. And all other monsters simply want to terrorize and jack you up!

We not only desire vampires, some of us desire to BE vampires. You see, no one ever fantasizes about becoming any type of monster…except a vampire. Werewolves, zombies–they are “victims.” Their situation was inflicted upon them. And while this may be true of vampire’s victims, some of them turn up wanting to be like them in the end.

Take it from “Twilight’s” Bella for an example: there may be some sporadic hot moments with other supernatural creatures (come on now, she’s a teenager fawning between fangs and fur), but she always comes back to the vampire in the end. Sorry team Jacob. So there it is, pretty cut-and-dried, why vampires are the COOLEST horror villains ever. Case closed! Now, excuse me as I go watch the season finale of True Blood.

My buddy King told me that the Baltimore Comic Con was one of the best of it’s kind last weekend. And even though I had aspirations on attending, when the money’s funny, I’m not even going to tease myself. My best bet is to stay away. But I did finally catch INCEPTION yesterday. Christopher Nolan is growing to be one of my favorite Directors, if he’s not there already. This cat is on one serious roll just straight bringing it one great flick after the other.

If you’ve seen any of his movies, they are definitely well written and executed with deft precision. (Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Prestige) And always with an interesting twist without making it look like THAT’S the affect he was looking for. (M. Night, take note) And if you haven’t seen INCEPTION, check it out. And I would strongly suggest IMAX too if possible. Your senses will thank you later

And as if things couldn’t get any worse, this weekend’s Dragon-Con in Atlanta is predicted to be pretty damn good as well. (I’m sure you’ll tell me all about how great it was Mr. Dre!) Man, talk about selfish. I’ve only enjoyed possibly one of the best summer’s I’ve had in, probably FOREVER! And here I gripe truly wishing that there was another whole month of summer left. (Not September, but a whole extra month)

But, as with all good things, they must come to an end. So my Labor Day festivities appear to be limited to being here in sunny Virginia (hopefully it’ll be sunny) and the ushering in of the “unofficial” end to the summer. So, what will YOU guys be getting into for the Labor Day weekend?

Everyone knows the story of the ultimate boyscout Superman. The Superman storyline has been rebooted more times than I can recall, but one such reboot took place in the 80’s shortly after the Crisis on Infinite Earths, story arc. In that universe, Kryptonite was made much rarer and many of the multicolored varieties were eliminated. The only sample of Kryptonite on Earth was a single fist-sized chunk, caught in the tail of the infant Kal-El’s (Superman) rocket and carried to Earth along with him upon the explosion of Krypton.

This sample had been stolen by rogue government operatives before Superman ever knew of it and cut apart for examination. Several of these samples ended up in the possession of criminals, especially Lex Luthor, who used a piece to power the cyborg Metallo and, after discovering its debilitating effects on Kryptonians, LL created a ring with a Kryptonite gem to keep Superman at bay.

This backfired badly on Luthor, as long-term exposure to Kryptonite radiation from the ring gave him cancer, leading to the amputation of his hand and then apparent death. Superman took possession of the ring and entrusted it to Batman, stating that he was the only person he could trust with the ability to kill him if necessary.

All of this is just a fictional and a fancy metaphor to the point I’m trying to make. Superman “entrusted” Batman with the ONLY thing in this universe not named Doomsday that could kill him. He didn’t give it to the Green Lantern (a dude who knows a little something about rings right?) or the Flash. He didn’t give it to Shazam, Wonder Woman or even Aquaman. Any one less than Batman wasn’t considered. Superman was steadfast.

Don’t give ‘em Kryptonite. I wasn’t always, but in my younger age, I’ve grown to be a pretty cocky guy. No, no, no… I know some of you have trouble believing it, but it’s true.(smile) And I don’t care one bit about it either. But because of my cockiness, I’ve also grown quite complacent. And unfortunately, my complacency went hand in hand with my mouth running off a mile a minute with personal intel.

Mentally, I’ve been in a place for the better part of 2 years trying to rectify some inequities and in the past, I inadvertently showed my cards. In essence, showing weaknesses I probably shouldn’t have exposed. Well, it bothers me because I would think that if there are a group of people that you can show or share your weaknesses with, it would be your closest friends and family. I am Superman and they are my Batman.

Well, how’s this for a sticky situation? What do you do when you have people in your inner circle (close friends or family) that use your weaknesses against you? What if after trusting Batman with Kryptonite, Batman decided to use it against Superman? Going back to my previous question, I have to be “frank.” I’m sorry, I just didn’t have a plan set aside that included the same people I shared these things with, were the same ones that would be using those very same things against me.

And that got me thinking about the importance of never showing your weaknesses, and how important it is to never, ever expose them to anyone, not even someone close to you. But, even THAT is b.s. isn’t it? I mean, not EVERYONE will use your weakness against you. Not everyone will make you pay for sharing it with you, and not everyone is responsible for the actions that 1 (or a few) took against me. So, should they all pay for it? The answer is a resounding “of course not.”

Contrary to what I’m writing here, showing your weaknesses to a friend or family is NOT a mistake. Not always. Let’s say for the sake of argument, I was to tell you I have an aversion to roaches. I share this weakness with my bestest bud Scoobie. And one day, in the fit of an argument, Scoobie says, “well you know what MF! I thought that I’d get a cooler full of roaches and that’s right! I’ma let the entire mother lode of all of those sticky sons-of-bitches out into your car. WITH YOU IN IT!!!”

His reaction and the method he chose to deal with our argument, had absolutely NOTHING to do with the argument. Obviously, using this extreme tactic would be a major advantage to Scoobie the Antogonizer practically paralyzing me in the process. Why would my bestest bud do such a heinous thing to me? Is it because he could? I practically placed that Kryptonite rock into the palm of his hand.

Heck, I may as well had gift-wrapped it too. What’s funny is, 2 years ago, I probably would have revealed right here in this blog what weaknesses I have, and which ones have been used against me in the past. But I play it safe nowadays picking very carefully who knows what. I hate playing the guarded individual, but when in Rome.

When I listened to Hal Urban’s audio book last summer, a line in his journal stood out to me. It went “A man’s standing in his universe is a reflection of his actions, reputation, demeanor, and respectability. Each facet of his standing takes years to build, through the promises he has made and kept and the discretion he has used with the information he has been privy to along with who he has shared that information with.”

I hear you loud and clear Hal. However, I believe it simply takes one itsy bitty crack to destroy that mans’ standing in seconds when his strength of character comes into question. It doesn’t take much for someone to destroy you; it only takes the right misstep.

And all across history, there was one common trait that was shared by all of the great generals, business tycoons, warriors, rulers and Supermen. They successfully and repeatedly exploited the weaknesses of their enemies. How else was one going to win?

And the worse part is this. ANYONE can use your weaknesses against you, NOT JUST YOUR ENEMIES. Someone very close to you ( business associates, your girlfriends, your boys, your friends, your wife, your husband, etc., etc., etc..) knows some small facet of your life that they can use against you when the time is right. And unfortunately, the ones that are the closest to you are always the ones who will be able to inflict the most damage (collateral or otherwise), because you NEVER expected your weakness to be used against you by someone you trust.

And all you did was merely place Kryptonite into their hands. Sadly, not every Superman has a Batman that they can trust.

President Wyclef Jean. Maybe just President Jean. Yeah, it’ll take some getting used to. If you don’t know by now, let this blog post serve as notice and information to the small masses among you that one of my favorite artists, Wyclef Jean is running for the President of Haiti. They are saying that Clef is the potential front-runner to this November’s election. No, really.

Born in Haiti, but raised in Brooklyn, Clef is attempting one incredible and pretty dicey transformation. Consider the odds that are stacked against him. He’s attempting to become the President of one of the poorest and most dysfunctional countries, at least in the western hemisphere if not the world, and attempting to run an election during a very turbulent time. The country is not more than 7 ½ months removed from a devastating earthquake that killed nearly 300,000 people. And before the earthquake, Haiti was already in very bad shape. Famine, lawlessness, poverty, pestilence; Man, let’s be real. The Haitian masses suffer some of the most debilitating and depressing misery of any people on the planet.

And these facts are staggering. My country’s been mired in a long history of political oppression, a very large populace in a small country (so tragically exposed by the large numbers of fatalities in January’s earthquake which was centered on a small area) lack of knowledge and literacy and that’s not even the worst part. Most, if not ALL of this misery is human caused; and not by many, but a fraction of those inside of Haiti and outside of it who have both the wealth and power to control.

I don’t think that I’m being melodramatic when I say that the country needs to be turned upside down and started again from the ground up. If ever a country was in desperate need of an all-out reboot, or some form of a system restore point, it’s Haiti. (pardon the computer terms. My beast just caught a virus lately and.. ehh, never mind.) And while I love the guy, I just don’t think that Wyclef is the man to do it. Passion alone, and Lord knows he has plenty for mother Haiti, will not help him overcome the massive tsunami of heavy criticism that will rain on his head when the country continues to mire in hopelessness.

And unfortunately, that will continue because, lets face it. Wyclef is NOT a politician. Yes, his vision is huge and as the unofficial ambassador of Haiti, his credentials in that aspect come unparalleled. However, Clef should consider this. Before he goes traipsing off to Haiti and attempting to fix someone else’s issues, my man has got some stuff going on in his own back yard that he needs to address first.

Hell, it hadn’t been a week since he announced that he’s running for President before the shots began ringing out. I mean, could he not have known that the worldwide attention this presidential bid would attract would open him up to all kinds of criticism and scrutiny. The Smoking Gun’s got paperwork stating that he owes a couple of million dollars in back taxes. I’m like Clef, “what the fuck bro? You earn nearly $16 or $17 million annually! Pay that joint off.”

But, in the end and as far as I’m concerned, whether the brother hasn’t paid his taxes or is under scrutiny because of the mismanagement of funds in his charity Yele Haiti, or if Haiti’s electoral commission, known as the CEP, will even approve his candidacy because there are questions about whether he meets the residency requirements to actually run in the first place, in my humble opinion Wyclef is simply not qualified to be President.

He hasn’t studied politics, law or economics. What he should do is place his celebrity and resources (he’s got the fame and the money to do it) behind a young Haitian person who is skilled in those things and more importantly, that he or she understands how the world works and how to address Haiti’s limitations and Haiti’s potential. I love Wyclef but when I look at him, I don’t see leader. Well, maybe leader of the Fugees, just not a leader of a country. I won’t condemn the man for dreaming big though. Very often in this country, people bash other people mercilessly because they dream big. It’s refreshing to see the brother look in the mirror and say “dammit! I’ma do it. I’m going to run for President!” So, I won’t be doing that. He simply needs to set his dreams on something else that may not hold the lives and futures of so many of his fellow countrymen and women at bay.

As I completed this post, Breaking News revealed that a source claims that Wyclef Jean is NOT on Haiti’s candidate list. More to come on this I’m sure.