Rated PG-13 – 1h56 -

First combine Aladdin with Indiana Jones, but only the semi-interesting parts. Then add Pirates Of The Caribbean minus the Captain Jack Sparrow. That’s Prince Of Persia.

This is Hollywood ‘s grab for your entertainment dollars, but not providing a decent return on investment. At least this isn’t the worst of the worst video game adaptations ever made.

Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time follows pauper turned Prince Dastan(Jake Gyllenhaal,) who with his prince brothers, lead an attack on a rival city. Based on bad information, they believe the city has been supplying weaponry to enemies of Persia. After learning the true nature of the attack, Dastan is considered a traitor. He’s then off reveal the real bad guy and save himself and his kingdom with a magical knife that has the powers of turning back time. (How Cher!)

Jake Gyllenhall offers up his typical boyish charm, but I felt that this effort was a waste of his talents. I’ve seen him do better. Let’s hope the paycheck from Prince will allow him to pick a better role next time. The same goes for Ben Kingsley.

The exception is scene stealer Alfred Molina, who plays a tax dodging, street hustling Sheik entrepreneur with a lot of eyeliner. If there were a Captain Jack Sparrow in this movie, he’s it.

Is it odd that there seemingly is no one in the main cast that is of Persian descent? Not really. This is just another Hollywood adaptation of a video game, designed to make a killing on merchandising and cross marketing. Thankfully they opted for a little more character development than most movie-video game adaptations, which made the time spent watching tolerable.

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To fully prepare for Bratfest this weekend, I thought I’d relive the 10 Brat Challenge we conducted no too long ago.  This was from the 2008 Take Your Brat To Work Day.  I can still taste them.

BTW…I’ll be a celebrity cashier at Bratfest from 3-5 today.  See you there!

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Scanning the news headlines each day, I often come across stores that are whoppers.  This one though, even startled me.

Meet Ardi Rizal. He is a two year old smoking baby.  He favors a specific brand and throws a temper tantrum if he doesn’t get his 40 cigarettes a day.

He’s been smoking since he was 18 months old. His father got him started. The family lives in Sumatra, Indonesia. It says he can blow smoke rings. On account of all the cancer sticks, he is “is too unfit to run with the other children.” His mother says he is “totally addicted.”

If she tries to make him stop, “he gets angry and screams and batters his head against the wall.” Officials offered the family a car if they got the baby to stop smoking. The father says, “I don’t see the problem.”  HELLO!

Two-Year Old Toddler Smokes Cigarettes – Watch more Funny Videos

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     Of all the casserole recipes we here at Madison’s Favorite Recipes received (pasta, tuna, even green bean!), the humble potato was clearly the most included ingredient.  And often with it’s best pal, cheese.  This particular recipe has both, plus some delicious taco meat!  I also loved that you can add veggies, like peppers and onions, to the recipe.  Use a lean cut of ground beef and low-fat cheese to cut the calories a smidge.  Top with tortilla chips, salsa and sour cream if desired.

Prepare julienne potatoes according to box (preheat the oven to box temperature).  Brown and drain a pound of ground beef.  Use taco seasoning packet with the beef, according to directions.  Stir taco beef into potatoes and bake.  With five minutes left, top with your shredded cheese of choice (I went with taco cheese!) and bake until bubbly.

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There were a few open ended plot points.  These guys decided to pick them all apart in 4:41.  Lost fans will enjoy:

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     There are a number of vacation options with Bid for Booms…overnight stays at Great Wolf Lodge in the Dells and entire trips to Las Vegas, Orlando and Sonoma Valley.  When you Bid for Booms, you support Rhythm and Booms, the Largest Fireworks Festival in the Midwest!  Take a look at all the items here.

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The most certain sign of spring appears June 2nd…THE MALLARDS HOME OPENER! There is nothing, and I mean nothing, like a topping off a long summer day with Mallards baseball…and of course; ‘Popcorn, peanuts and cracker jacks’…and what rhymes with “McDonald’s Extra Value Meal”?

The Mallards ‘Friends and Family’ package has something for everybody (especially if you plan on appearing on ‘The Biggest Loser’); 4 bleacher seats, 4 mallards hats, and putting the ‘T’ in ‘tradition’; 4 Extra Value Meals! BTW: I’m one of those who ADMIT; I like McDonalds, and as I’ve already covered the ‘chocolate covered bacon on a stick at Wisconsin State Fair, then I’ve already covered my ‘health food‘ obligation…:-)

And did you notice – I’ve gone this far into Mallards ‘fanfare’ without mentioning BEER? So far, this blog is suitable for even the ‘youngsters’ (I feel as if i should mention Topo Gigio with an Ed Sullivan voice every time I say ‘youngsters’…:-) However, suitable for youngsters goes right out the window if I stay with the Ed Sullivan theme when Jim Morrison defied ‘Mr. Sullivan’ by using the word ‘Higher’…Ed evidently had powerful forces on his side, as we see how poor Jim Morrison turned out. But that’s another story and let’s not let it interfere with the All American Pasttime…

So enjoy the spring and those long summer evenings at The Duck Pond! And in the spirit of, let’s say, Joe DiMaggio…how about a chorus of ‘Joltin Joe DiMaggio‘? Then again, the only ‘joltin‘ would be my cholesterol level after too many ‘extra value meals’…:-)

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I am a dedicated LOST fan and I’m quite satisfied with the LOST finale, but…

(Here comes the spoiler alert.)

…I don’t think that it was the greatest TV finale I’ve ever seen.  There was a good dose of closure and I feel like the producers gave me exactly what we needed to wrap it all up.  Even with the finale, I still will attest that LOST has been one of the greatest shows on prime time TV.

The show wasn’t an all out shocker.  Evangeline Lilly (Kate) was quoted before the show saying that the characters already knew everything that they needed to know.  There was no significant new growth for our castaways, they just needed to open their eyes to what they already had.  We also knew that these people were all searching for something they couldn’t find in life.

A season finale needs serious closure on the cast.  I always refer back to the cable series “Six Feet Under” as one of the recent greats.  This finale was softer, more romantic and eased you into the transition.

The finale did dish out some needed closure, even if everyone ends up dead.  That’s OK, we’re all gonna end up that way at some point or another.  The point is to learn and improve upon yourself why your here.

Best of all, I loved the fact that LOST went out exactly like it came in.  The first scene of the pilot episode has a post plane crash Jack waking in the jungle and being slobbered on by Vincent, a Golden Lab.  The closing scene finds Jack breathing his last breath in the same location with Vincent laying by his side.

Being a dog lover, I couldn’t imagine a better way to go.

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Rated PG – 1h33 -

Think of it this way: Can you name more than one GOOD movie that’s the 4th sequel in a series? There aren’t many and Shrek Forever After isn’t one of them.

The new entry finds our favorite green ogre feeling the pains of being a new father. Stressed out and upset with his condition, he signs a magical deal with Rumpelstiltskin to give himself one day of what life was like before children. Shockingly, the deal has fine print that Shrek doesn’t read.  He’s not a suave contract negotiator.

Shrek is thrust into an alternate reality where none of his friends in Far, Far Away remember him and faces challenges that remind him that being and Ogre daddy isn’t such a bad gig.

What was missing from this Shrek 4, much like Shrek 3, is the fun. Other than two scene stealing moments from the Gingerbread Man, the laughs are few. Shrek  is also missing the satire it once prominently featured about Fairy Tales. Much of it goes over the heads of this movie’s target audience, but at least it gave adults some reprieve.

Parents: save your money.  Don’t tell the kids that Shrek is in theaters and wait to rent it.

I usually don’t quote fellow critics in my review, but this one was funny and summed it up for me: “Forever After feels like a tired yank on the udders of a cash cow that’s nearly dry.” -  Lawrence Toppman, Charlotte Observer

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     Wouldn’t a massage be great right about now?  Bid for it on Bid for Booms!  RZ & Company has a full body massage up for auction.  And Kneaded Relief Day Spa is offering an express facial.  Yoga will relax you; grab yoga classes from Kaivalya Yoga in Madison.  To keep looking good, bid on Ultimate Salon and Spa’s cut and color auction item and Rejuvenation Spa’s full makeup application offer. 

     By supporting the Bid for Booms auction, you are supporting Rhythm and Booms–the Midwest’s Largest Fireworks Festival!

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