TWD No. 1 in THR Power Rankings (Spoiler Inside) – Marathon Continues

Merle Dixon played by Michael Rooker Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

Merle Dixon played by Michael Rooker Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

Michael Rooker, Norman Reedus Talk Merles Death; TWD No. 1 in THR Power Rankings – The Walking Dead – AMC.

It’s Saturday, March 30, and if you haven’t seen last Sunday’s Walking Dead, then I have bad news for you, Merle Dixon has been killed … twice. His human form was killed by The Governor and his zombie form was killed by his brother Daryl.

Merle has been the antagonist in TWD for, well, all three seasons. In Season 2, he was even a pain in the butt when he showed up in Daryl’s mirage. So he even knew how to antagonize when he wasn’t even a regular cast member.

But he really showed his ass in Season 3, he and his stump known as “Little Merle.” If you haven’t seen The Talking Dead from last Sunday, then you’re really missing out. Michael Rooker, Greg Nicotero, David Morrissey and Reggie Watts all joined Chris Hardwick to talk about “This Sorrowful Life.”

Greg Nicotero is a great guest on any media outlet. He’s very informative and shares with “you” the ins and outs of episodic direction. I’ve never seen an interview with any director that’s so revealing on why he does this or does that.

Click the link above to read a list of media accolades and links to all things Walking Dead. Entertainment Weekly talks to Norman Reedus about Merle’s death and he tells The Hollywood Reporter that he “wants a ferocious revenge” for Merle’s death plus many, many more.

The Zombie Apocalypse continues through Sunday on AMC, as they show all three seasons leading up to the Season Finale of Season 3, which looks to answer all those questions Chris Hardwick and all the fans of TWD have been asking all season:

Will Rick stop seeing ghosts by Season 4 or will the prison dwellers request an intervention (or a séance)?

Will The Governor be re-elected now that he’s put the citizens of Woodbury in danger of being taken “prisoner?”

Will Glenn and Maggie have a ceremony or just exchange rings?

Who will emerge as the new leader @the Prison?

‘The Voice’ Season 4 Premiere Recap

Levine Tweet

‘The Voice’ Season 4 Premiere Recap: Blind Auditions Begin, Usher and Shakira Debut.

If you didn’t the see 2-hour The Voice Premiere, then you probably didn’t see the winner of Season 4 perform. Even Adam Levine was tweeting that he was “calling it” which was retweeted about 8,900 times.

Judith Hill definitely stole the show on Monday. She comes from a family of music – both her parents were strong music makers, playing with Chaka Khan and other great names, and herself chosen for Michael Jackson’s This Is It tour, rehearsing with him for months only to be devastated by his sudden death. She was invited to sing at his memorial service and like she says, her phone didn’t stop ringing afterward. But she felt that it wasn’t right to suddenly make it after what transpired with his death.

So now it certainly seems the time. Click on the link and read what everyone else has to say about the Premiere. I’m putting my money on Judith Hill. Here’s your performance from YouTube, plus I’m sure NBC.com has not only her performance but also her bio, since she’s now on TeamAdam.

10 Ways to Get Ready for The Walking Dead Season 3 Finale

Ten Ways to Get Ready for The Walking Dead Season 3 Finale This Sunday – The Walking Dead – AMC.

The Zombie Apocalypse Marathon has already started, Monday night at 8/7 CT with the very first episode of The Walking Dead, “Days Gone Bye.” Since I have a brand new DirecTV Genie, I recorded all the episodes from Season 1 on that, because there’s just a ton of space (and Season 1 is by far my favorite).

There are certain episodes in Season 2 that are my favorites, for instance when the barn is emptied and when Glenn and Maggie go to town and Maggie gets attacked by a walker and Glenn beats him to death with a shelf (he always finds unique weapons to use against walkers).

While you’re reading the link (Ten Ways to Get Ready …) click on the link on the right side of the page about Steven Yeun Chats with Jimmy Kimmel. Great stuff.

I’m so glad I’m getting The Walking Dead Magazine so I have some regular Walking Dead material to feed my jones once Season 3 is over. In the most recent issue, there’s an interview with each of the brothers Dixon (Daryl and Merle). Also, I’ll hang on to Season 1 on my Genie so if I really start to jones I can watch a few episodes here or there. I also bought a Kindle Fire HD and have some Walking Dead apps on there which will tide me over.

Have you taken the all-new The Walking Dead Which Character Are You? quiz yet? You can get to it on the list of 10 Ways to Get Ready for the Season 3 Finale.

So what are your waiting for? Click the link above and have fun.

Conn. senators demand NRA ‘cease and desist’

Conn. senators demand NRA ‘cease and desist’ making robo-calls to Newtown residents – NY Daily News.

Frank Kulick walks past a display of wooden crosses and a Jewish Star of David representing the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on his front lawn.

Frank Kulick walks past a display of wooden crosses and a Jewish Star of David representing the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on his front lawn.

Democratic Harry Reid said last week that including the assault weapon ban in the gun control package would likely cause Republicans to block the entire gun-control package, including measures that have bipartisan support.

Senator Feinstein, who won passage of a 1994 assault weapons ban that expired after 10 years and reintroduced a similar bill after the Newtown massacre, said last week that her bill was dropped because “the gun lobby is inordinately powerful.”

In the meantime, the Americans who mourn the children of Newtown, Conn.; the victims of the Aurora, Colo. shooter; the three women who were shot down at the Azana Salon & Spa by Radcliffe Haughton; the 6 killed at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek and many others before them and how many more before 2013 comes to close are beginning to feel like the Washington political machine is spitting on the graves of those that have been buried thanks to shooters using assault weapons and other guns purchased illegally.

On Sunday, March 24, Mayor Bloomberg (New York) and Wayne LaPierre from the N.R.A. appeared separately on “Meet the Press.”

Bloomberg pledges to create a permanent counterweight to the N.R.A. He said his new $12 million dollar ad campaign supports universal background checks and targets 10 senators in home states over the current 2-week recess. It’s intention is to draw out 90% of the public who support expanded checks.

Bloomberg and the senators wants the ads to tell the public in those 10 states what people are doing in Congress … who’s voting for what. And then they can make their own decisions.

The N.R.A. once supported the national instant check system in the late 90s. But LaPierre made clear that will no longer be the case. “It’s not fair, it’s not accurate, it’s not instant. The mental health records are not in the system, and they don’t prosecute any of the criminals that they catch. It’s a speed bump for the law abiding.”

What’s the newest strategy of the N.R.A., bombarding Newtown residents with robo-calls urging them to oppose proposed gun control measures and sending out postcards urging their local legislators to vote no on “dangerous anti-gun legislation.”

In some cases, they have actually called Newtown residents.

In this instance, I think the N.R.A. have pardon the pun… shot themselves in the foot.

Read the link (I actually bored the pun from them) and read more …

‘The Voice’: New Coaches For Season 4

‘The Voice’: New Coaches And Season 4 Talent Preview (VIDEO).

NBC’s The Voice premieres this Monday with a two-hour episode followed by a one-hour episode on Tuesday, March 26.

On April 30 and May 7 the show will again feature a two-hour episode. Struggling in ratings, NBC is hoping The Voice will provide a boost.

The two new coaches, I’m predicting, may be just what NBC need to increase ratings. Usher is filling in for CeeLo Green and Shakira is filling in for Christina Aguilera. Both CeeLo and Christina are taking breaks from The Voice to focus on their own projects.

Personally, it will be nice to have two new coaches added to the mix. I was always one to believe that a change in cast wasn’t all bad.

Click the link to read what Adam Levine and Blake Shelton have to say about the new coaches plus you can preview the talent AND see what other networks have renewed, cancelled or are “on the bubble” about.

The Walking Dead Magazine, Newstand, TFAW.com, download

#1 Previews Exclusive Edition

#1 Previews Exclusive Edition

I’m in Walking Dead heaven. No, I haven’t been consumed by one of them. I received two issues of The Walking Dead magazine from Titan Magazines, a division of Titan Publishing Group Limited.

Number 1 covered Nov/Dec 2012 and #2 Jan/Feb 2013. I’m also due to receive #3 along with my Walking Dead #108 comic. They are so totally awesome (OMG, I sound like I’m 17 and just out of high school. Excuse me a minute while I go somewhere and slap myself in the back of my head a few times).

I received my magazines from TFAW.com. There are actually two types: the Previews Exclusive Edition (which are the ones I’m receiving from TFAW.com) and the Newsstand Edition. I’m not sure at this moment how different they are. Earlier today I downloaded a free version of #3 (newsstand edition) to my Kindle Fire HD. Once I receive the Preview Exclusive Edition of #3 from TFAW.com I can compare the two to see the difference between the two.

The covers are definitely different. But that’s not the best part. Every page has something to do with The Walking Dead. I’m only halfway through #1 and I’ve already read a great article about Robert Kirkman and how he sees the story in the comics vs. the story we watch on Sunday nights.

#1 Newstand Edition

#1 Newstand Edition

Number 1 covers late last year (Nov/Dec 2012) so much of what’s in this issue is previewing what’s upcoming in Season 3 but there’s still so much about The Walking Dead – it’s like a massive clearing house of information.

For example … in the Head Shots section there’s a write-up about the San Diego Comic-Con from July 2012. Gentle Giant exhibited an exciting piece of new merchandise that’s due for release in early 2013. I checked their site and it’s not out yet, but I added my email to their customer list so when they release it for sale, I’ll be notified.

What is it you ask? Ever receive a bag of plastic army men when you were a youngster? I never did, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t buy a few bags of them for party gifts a time or two. Gentle Giant will be releasing something on that same order but not quite … yep, you guessed it … The Walker Horde. I can’t wait to get mine.

The Walker Horde coming soon from Gentle Giant.

The Walker Horde coming soon from Gentle Giant.

Dumb Ways to Die – a Catchy Little Tune

On Tuesday (March 19) I received an email from Ad Age Digital asking to vote on the funniest Viral ad of the year.

The awards themselves are coming to Ad Age‘s Digital Conference in April. This year Ad Age decided to honor the funniest branded videos along with the most-watched campaigns, brands and agencies.

A couple of them I’ve seen, and to tell you the truth, one of the campaigns I’m happy to fast forward every time it shows up on my DVR. That just happens to be the “It’s Not Complicated” campaign from BBDO Atlanta for AT&T. I’m sure you’ve seen it a hundred or more times in its various form. It features a guy sitting around a kindergarten size table doing a focus group with … you guessed it … kindergarteners.

He asks them various questions which can’t be answered intellectually by kids 5 and under.

Also featured is “Double Impact” Liquid Plumr by DDB in San Francisco, which I’ve seen many times. The one on the Ad Age site is super long so I got to view the eye candy and enjoy that one even longer than usual.

The “Secrets Revealed by Smartwater” for Smartwater by AR New York features Jennifer Aniston really stinks and I’m not just saying that because I think Jennifer Aniston is as dumb as a box of hair.

Then there’s “Paper is Necessary” by Leo Burnett, Paris for Le Trefle which I loved and moved into my Number 1 position immediately.

“Muscle Music” by Wieden & Kennedy in Portland for Old Spice is clever but that’s about all I have to say about it.

But once I saw “Dumb Ways to Die” by McCann Melbourne for Melbourne Metro Trains I not only had that cute little song stuck in my head but I was chair dancing to it before it was even over.

See for yourself:

Only 2 Episodes Left of The Walking Dead – Lots of Fun on The Talking Dead!

418ph1YBPvLIf you haven’t watched Episode 314 “Prey” yet, then for YOU there’s actually 3 episodes left. But for me, who usually has episodes of The Walking Dead stacked up on the DVR, this is the first season where I have watched them as they happen on Sunday.

The only thing I’m not watching as it happens is The Talking Dead, which I have to say is truly a guilty pleasure. I’m so glad TTD has gone to a full hour. Chris Hardwick is made for that show like butter is made for popcorn.

Guests on Sunday included Todd McFarlane, Kumail Nanjiani and none other than Andrea – Laurie Holden. In the past, seeing a cast member on TTD meant that they had “died” on The Walking Dead – but alas – that’s no longer true.

Maggie made an appearance last week, Emily Kinney (Beth) was recently on, and Steven Yeun (Glenn) has appeared on the hour long format.

In case you don’t know the name Todd McFarlane, perhaps you know the name “Spawn.” In 1992 he helped form Image Comics by pulling the occult anti-hero Spawn from his high school portfolio and updated him for the 90s. That move encouraged a trend in creator-owned comic book properties.

On Sunday’s TTD, Chris Hardwick had a short showing how McFarlane is using computers to create action figures of The Walking Dead characters. It was fascinating. Andrea said she wanted McFarlane to sign hers when she gets one. I don’t blame her one bit.

According to Amazon, where the McFarlane Toys The Walking Dead TV Series 3 figures are available, Meryl Dixon is the #1 Best Seller (shown). Amazon has them priced at around $20 each and has a great selection of both heroes and zombies.

Adam Lanza plotted Newtown, Conn.’s Sandy Hook massacre for years

Lupica: Morbid find suggests murder-obsessed gunman Adam Lanza plotted Newtown, Conn.’s Sandy Hook massacre for years – NY Daily News.

When the Sandy Hook shooting first happened I predicted that Adam Lanza’s mother Nancy, would hold the key to the tragedy.

At a recent International Association of Police Chiefs and Colonels in New Orleans, Danny Stebbins, a colonel from the Connecticut State Police shared some startling facts about the Sandy Hook shooting.

From an article written by Joe Kemp/New York Daily News dated Monday, March 18, Adam Lanza might have been trying to top all other mass murderers (records).

Black paper over a classroom’s window spared an entire classroom of children, and caused Adam Lanza to bypass the room entirely.

But it’s Colonel Stebbins comments from the recent conference that’s really frightening … law enforcement reportedly found a 7-foot-long, 4-foot-wide spreadsheet with names, body counts and weapons from previous mass murders.

Adam Lanza was on a quest for notoriety. His mother, who was the first victim on his quest, was making straw purchases of guns for him all along and ignored the fact that he was getting more and more fixated on them.

You should read the article in its entirety by clicking the link.

Kim Kardashian, Kris Humphries divorce case heats up

Kim Kardashian, Kris Humphries divorce case heats up: Court documents show marriage scenes were ‘scripted, reshot or edited’ for reality show – NY Daily News.

The train wreck known as the Kardashian/Humphries marriage reality show is finally coming to light. As the nydailynews.com reports in this revealing article, scenes were “scripted, reshot or edited.”

Now I can understand some editing of a reality show, but scripting and reshot is a huge no-no. But then we are talking about the Kardashians, aren’t we?

Just so you know, this is one of the few times I will write anything about 1) a reality show of this low caliber and 2) the train wreck known as the Kardashians.

Click on the link above and don’t be surprised by what’s reported. The train wreck is set to hit town again on May 6 when Kayne West’s baby mama is due in court again.

Let’s just pray that there’s not a deal in the works for a reality show for the new couple. I don’t think there’s a network that stupid.