I just got out of this weekend's hottest movie in Evan Almighty and really liked it. Evidently others liked it as well as it took home the No. 1 spot in the box office for the weekend, edging out 1408 and The Rise of the Silver Surfer. Going into the movie, I really didn't know what to think. All of the critics downplayed the movie so much and the media didn't seemed real pumped for it, so I think that had me expecting the worst. Thankfully, they were wrong.
Steve Carell is his usual wacky self and he does a pretty good job of reinacting the story of Noah. The animals really cracked me up and it's just one of those all-around good natured film with a lot of light-hearted humor that makes it enjoyable. Like in Bruce Almighty, there's a good message you can get out of it too- something you probably least expected. It won't be the best movie you see this summer, but it definitely won't be the worst. Go check it out.
You'll also get to see a preview of a movie coming out around Christmas, The Water Horse, a story involving the Loch Ness Monster. It looks like it'll be great.
Coming to a theater near you this weekend is Evan Almighty, a spin-off from the much-enjoyed Bruce Almighty, one of my all-time favorites. When I first saw Bruce, I have to admit the possibility of a sequel never hit me. After hearing the idea, my first reaction was an "are you kidding me?", but I soon warmed up to it. The first one was already a little out there and seeing the previews made me think it was mocking God and the Christian faith. I soon heard stellar reviews, saw it for myself, and left amazed.
Likewise, I've bought into Evan Almighty. It's brilliant. Steve Carell is one of the biggest names in the comedy world, thanks in part to The Office, and the idea of him building an ark for a flood is just crazy enough that it'll be hilarious. Those of us who have seen Bruce can easily remember one of the funniest scenes of the movie where Evan Baxter, played by Carell, went on a tirade while on air at his newscast. I've never laughed so hard in a movie as I did when I saw this scene. What's even better, it gets me every single time no matter what. So if you haven't seen Bruce, see it, and then go see Evan. And if you have seen Bruce, then go see Evan. Treat yourself. For we are in the midst of greatness. It'll be sure to please.
It's been a tough year so far for me and Astros fans and last night sure didn't help. They took a 9-4 lead into the bottom of the 7th against baseball's second-best team, the Angels. After Chad Qualls, Dave Borkowski, and Trever Miller (I know...who?) took the mound for us, it ended up as a 10-9 loss and in the process, sent the Astros back to 10 games below .500. While some might blame the manager or the players, I blame one person- Tim Purpura, the Astros GM, whom I will now refer to as Tim Poopura.
Poopura took the stand as GM after Gerry Hunsicker shockingly resigned after the 2004 season. While he was GM, Hunsicker was one of the best in the business. He's the one who brought Randy Johnson to H-Town at the '98 deadline, Pedro Astacio at the '01 deadline (back when he was considered good), and Carlos Beltran in June of '04. He saw Mike Hampton become a 20-game winner, and discovered one the of the best in the game today, Roy Oswalt. And oh yea, he signed Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens in 2004. And then, Poopura took over....
I was fine with Poopura until the offseason where he failed to sign Carlos Beltran. Beltran loved Houston, he wanted to come back. He would have been a fixture in center and a much coveted threat in the lineup. He's the best five-tool player in the game today and passing on him created a huge offensive void the team could really be using today. At least we've now found Hunter Pence to play center, but he'll never be what Beltran could have been. Poopura then overpaid Clemens to join the team in June of '06. I still think he did this just to save his image. 'Hey, let me sign Roger and then everyone will be happy and won't notice the mistakes I've made'.
Fast forward to today and nothing has really changed. We still have one of the least intimidating lineups in the league, and as last night showed us, our bullpen is an absolute disaster (minus Brad Lidge and Dan Wheeler on a few nights). I won't even get started on what I think of Rick White. We have the worst 7-8-9 hitters in the league with Adam Everett, Brad Ausmus, and the pitcher. Everett and Ausmus are both the worst hitting players at their position in the majors. Going into the offseason, Poopura knew this, but he didn't change it. The Carlos Lee signing was about the only thing that I've applauded. He's done well so far and has won many fans over, as witnessed by the Los Cabillitos fixture out in left field. Bottom line: If things don't get better fast, Poopura deserves to be shown the door.
For those of you who didn't know, I've spent the first half of my summer doing the summer school thing over at UNC. Today I wrapped up the first session with two grueling finals, so I get the pleasure of two off days until I return to the fire Thursday through July 27. What really shocked me was how much I really enjoyed summer school. I think only having to worry about two classes made it so nice along with the fact that everything seems so much more relaxed. Only having class three days a week didn't hurt either.
The class I enjoyed the most was definitely ITAL 333: Italian Film & Culture (no chance Business Law could be my favorite after the final just took me all 3 hours). We watched an Italian film everyday and then closed class discussing the symbols and themes the director put into the movie. I have to admit, I saw some great movies that I definitely wouldn't have ever seen had it not been for this class. Below is a list of some movies you should seriously consider renting or adding to your queue on Netflix.
1. Life Is Beautiful. A lot of you may have seen this already, but if you haven't, it's a must-see.
2. Cinema Paradiso. Another funny one about a kid, Toto, and his love for the movies (see right).
3. Bicycle Thief. A bit darker and a sadder story, but still one that will move you.
4. Rome Open City. A movie about Italy and WW2. One of the first neorealist movies.
5. Fistful of Dollars. Did you know Italians were fascinated with American westerns? They called them 'Spaghetti Westerns'. This one features Clint Eastwood in one of his earliest roles.
And just because I like saying the name because of the rolling r-sound in Italian (as my family has noticed), you should also check out La Terra Trema, one I have yet to see. If you happen to catch any of these films, let me know, I'd love to talk about one.
On the way back from church this morning, I found out some very troubling news. America voted Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" as the No. 1 song on G105's American Top 40. How in the world is this possible? Are the same clowns that put Sanjaya into the top 10 on American Idol voting for this garbage? Why anyone likes this song is absolutely beyond me. It might be tolerable the first few times you hear it, but after you hear it every single day, all you can do is shake your head.
Even more troubling is that I seriously can't think of a day in the past month where I haven't heard this song. Somedays I feel like I'm avoiding it, and then I'm at my gym, 02 Fitness, and they're blasting it like there's no tomorrow. If you just randomly turn on G105, I'd say there's a 50-50 chance you hear it. Speaking of 02- you'll hear some of the most interesting music there (I won't mention the 24/7 techno). Somehow they were able to get a remix to "Girlfriend" (unfortunately), but my favorite is when they play C-SIDE's "MySpace Freak". It's hilarious- treat yourself.
Since I decided to name the blog after my nickname, I thought it'd be interested to let you know where it first came from. Surprisingly, I don't think I was ever called it until late freshman year in high school during one of the first practices of baseball season. It was a rather unique practice- it took place in the parking lot of our school. We focused on a lot of fundamentals that day, such as running the bases. I never knew there was a right way to go back to 1st on a pick-off move....
The nickname was born by Coach Nielsen (who had a pretty unique approach to the game) as we did a drill running to first. I was just about to start when he yelled, "Alright Bearden...The Bear!". From that moment it has stuck with me much to my delight. I'll admit at the time I didn't think much of it unitl a few teammates began to use it for the rest of the season. For this, I give much credit to Vince Villafranca, Colin Holloway, and Dan Schneider- some of the 'Founding Fathers' if you will. 
Today, friends and family alike often refer to me in that name and it's been a lot of fun. Some of the best times happen when I golf with Villafranca and somehow I drive my ball into the woods time after time off the tee box. He says- "That's your home man. You're the Bear, that's where you belong. You need cover, there's too much open space on the fairways." Good times.
If you've followed the NFL at all within the last five years, you're sure to know The Beerman who returned kicks for the Saints, Michael Lewis. He wasn't the biggest, the strongest, didn't have the best form, but he played with what a lot of players in the NFL lack- heart. He could absolutely fly on the field, giving the Saints great field position every time he touched the ball. You thought he could take it to the house every time he touched it (Reggie Bush does that now), as he did here. He even made the Pro Bowl one year, a lot for a guy who wasn't drafted, was a practice squad player, and was literally a Beerman in his hometown New Orleans before he made the team.
In his short career, he was one of the most exciting players to touch the ball for the Saints. An ACL injury slowed him down a little over the past few years, but his story is one you can't forget. We'll never forget you Michael.
Welcome to the blog of The Bear, Brent Bearden. What has inspired me to tackle this adventurous world of blogging is somewhat uncertain. The thought has come into my mind for the past few weeks and I finally took some action. It feels good, I have to say. I think some of it has to do with the blog found on TarHeelBlue.com that really opened my eyes to how much fun it can be. The final trigger may have been when I heard about Greg Oden blogging on PTI...Anyways, welcome. I'm not going to make any promises about what I will put up here, but it will cover a broad variety of things. You are sure to see a few things about sports (which if you know me like you should, is a given) and some things here and there about things in the news and things I encounter that I find interesting. What's even better is that I am actually writing this as if people will read, but I abide by this principle: "If you write it, people will read. People will most definitely read." (Thank you Field of Dreams and former ESPN employee Harold Reynolds for that one). Have a good weekend peeps. And like the picture indicates: The Bear has been unleashed.