Many of you who know me know my admiration and borderline fanboy fascination with Bruce Campbell. He's the Star of the Evil Dead series including the preeminent classic Army of Darkness. I'll give someone a nickel if they can answer this little trivia question. What is Ash's full name in the Evil Dead series? Besides just this series, Bruce Campbell has been in over 60 different projects in both film and television since 1975 and still going strong. He may have never headlined any super-blockbusters, but he is still a great actor who I feel many working-class people can relate to. Anyhoo, back in 2002 Bruce, Ossie Davis, and director Don Coscarelli (Beastmaster, Phantasm series) made a clever little picture called Bubba Ho-Tep. This film was never picked up for distribution by any major film company, so Bruce and others behind the film are taking this picture around the country and showing it wherever they can. In some cases Bruce is there in person to promote the film at the showings. Aaron found out about Bruce coming to DC to be at the opening of the new Landmark Theaters in DC and for a screening of Bubba Ho-Tep. He would be doing Q&A sessions at the end of each screening. Well, despite the short notice and the cold and snow and having to walk 8 blocks to the Metro, I was down with it. So Aaron and I got tickets and ditched work early to head to DC to see the man himself. First off, the movie is pretty good. It interjected a little drama in terms of the elderly, but overall was really funny and well done considering its budget. After the movie Bruce cruised in to plenty of applause and stood at the front of the small theater. He unfortunately had to endure a few of the usual stupid questions such as "Are you going to make an Evil Dead 4?" and "What about Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash?". Now Bruce is a pretty non-nonsense kind of guy. Ask him a stupid question and he will make you look as stupid as the question...in a nice way. I myself was to nervous to speak up so I had Aaron ask him what his next project is. It will be a TV project called The Man with the Screaming Brain. Afterwards Aaron and i tried to go to ESPN zone for dinner but the wait was too much so we headed home reciting the mantra: "We saw Bruce Campbell." I can now take that task of my list of things to do before I die.
Saturday morning I woke up with a strange and irresistable urge for for something Nintendo-related. So after more than a year of holding out, I broke down and purchased a Gamecube. It was actually a smart thing to wait in my opinion since the price of a new system is only 99$ and re-furbished system is only 80$. I traded in a couple of games and for only 75$ I have a re-furb Gamecube, 6-month warranty, 4X memory card, a GBA link cable and a reservation for Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles (probably the main reason I bought it). That night Aaron, Stevie, and I went to Hooters then headed back to my place for some gaming and watched Red vs. Blue and The Last Samurai. Both were outstanding. I rented Mario Kart: Double Dash so now I bring the blue sparks baby. Even Jesus brings the blue sparks.
As for Sunday, well what better way to wrap up a great weekend than with FREE FOOD. Ghobash, an acquaintance of mine, recently finished school and is headed back to his homeland, the United Arab Emirates, in a couple of weeks. So how does he celebrate? He took a bunch of us to the Malibu Grill and traeted us to dinner. Now I know what you're thinking. Isn't that backwards? Well, honestly...yes it is. But if you got the money (which he does) and like us enough, who am I to argue with him taking me to dinner. I mean we are so damn cool that if you knew us and were planning to move away I am sure you would also want to throw a party for us. However, I do feel some small pangs of guilt or maybe it's just indigestion from the pounds of meat I consumed. I guess I can come up with some small gift for his going away. If anyone wants to go in on it with me, I have a couple of ideas. It's the least I can do since he contributed to one of my best weekends ever.
Later