Workout Update: P90X Day 28

Day 28 was the last day of recovery week, which I just used as a rest day. I do feel refreshed going into Phase 2 and the two new lifting workouts. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 27

Day 27 was the sixth day of recovery week, which meant yoga again. I just did the "main" part of it (up to the ab exercises) and skipped the end, which I will probably do going forward. There was no big change from when I did it earlier in the week.  

Workout Update: P90X Day 26

Day 26 was the fifth day of the recovery week, which meant doing core synergistics again. It really went exactly the same as Tuesday. I could do the same amount of reps and had to modify or skip the same exercises I did then. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 25

Day 25 was the fourth day of recovery week, which was x-stretch. As much as I hate the yoga routine, I love this. It is the perfect length (just under an hour), and it does not have a ton of overly advanced moves. Had this been included in Power 90, it would have been perfect to get people ready for the P90X yoga routine. 

4K-UHD/Movie Review: Dogma

 

Dogma is the 1999 film written and directed by Kevin Smith. It was the fourth film in what is known as the View Askewinverse, which is the series of comedies written and directed by Smith, which at the time, included the films Clerks, Mallrats, and Chasing Amy. It stars Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Salma Hayek, Jason Lee, Alan Rickman, and Chris Rock, as well as Smith and Jason Mewes as the characters Jay and Silent Bob. George Carlin and Alanis Morissette also have what amounts to extended cameos. Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson (who were the leads in Clerks) made cameo appearances, and Janeane Garofalo and Bud Cort have small roles. In the film, Affleck and Damon play fallen angels named Bartleby and Loki, who attempt to exploit a loophole in their banishment to Earth and re-enter Heaven, which, if successful, will wipe out everything in existence. Fiorentino plays Bethany, a counselor at an abortion clinic who is undergoing a crisis of faith and is recruited by the angel Metatron (played by Rickman) to stop them. She is aided by Jay and Silent Bob, as well as Rock's character Rufus, and Hayek's character Serendipity, while Lee's character, the demon Azrael, tries to stop her. 

The 4k set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a standard blu-ray disc. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is very good. It is definitely an upgrade over the initial DVD release, and a good, but not outstanding upgrade over the blu-ray (which had been out of print for many years). The UHD disc includes the two original commentary tracks, one with Smith, Affleck, Lee, Mewes, producer Scott Moser, and Vincent Pereira, which focuses on the movie itself, and the second is a technical commentary track with Smith, Moser, and Pereira in which they discuss more of the details about filming and getting the movie made. New features include a short introduction by Smith for the 4k release that plays after the disc loads, a new making-of documentary that runs almost an hour and a half that features updated interviews, a portion of a Q&A session with Smith after a screening of the film, an interview with Smith that runs about 15 minutes, the original trailer and a 25th anniversary trailer, and a few shorter featurettes. 

The standard blu-ray contains the films and both commentary tracks (although the track with Smith and the cast includes video pop-ups that are not in the version on the UHD disc), the intro by Smith, and all the legacy content carried over from the original release. Those include about an hour and a half of deleted and extended scenes, a 40-minute documentary focusing on the very stupid controversy surrounding the film when it was made, some storyboard sequences, more trailers and TV spots, among other things. As with the original release, most references to Miramax and Harvey Weinstein are censored from the extras (with only a couple of exceptions).

The film is good, but it will definitely not appeal to everyone. First and foremost, it is a crude comedy with crude humor (as is the case with most of Smith's movies). It happens to involve religion, unlike what some think, it does not make fun of religion or faith in general. It is a comedy that is set around religious concepts, some controversial and some not. Smith, who was a practicing Catholic for years, wanted to make a comedy that explored the religious dogma he learned growing up. He does poke fun at the Catholic Church, but not the concept of faith in general. Ultimately, if you do not mind crude humor and swearing, it is a good movie that actually teaches some aspects of Christianity and Catholicism, which some people may not otherwise know. If you can accept that, the movie is absolutely worth watching. 

Book Review: Star Wars: Trials of the Jedi

 

Trials of the Jedi, published in 2025 and written by Charles Soule, is the conclusion to the High Republic era storyline involving the Jedi and the Republic's fight against the Nihil. Obviously, we know that Marchion Ro would have to be defeated for the Skywalker era to occur, but this details how he was taken down and finally reveals the full history of the Nameless creatures and how they are tied to the mysterious blight that has been devouring planets. It also (at least potentially) sets up how the Sith line that went through Palpatine may have started. Since the events in the book are set approximately 130 years before The Phantom Menace, there would have been time for a potential Sith reveal toward the end of the book to make sense. 

The hardcover version of the book is just over 420 pages long. It was a fairly quick read, but not as fast as some of the other High Republic novels, mainly because the storyline shifts between several different settings. Most of the story is set on the Namless' homeworld, Planet X, but parts of it are set on the planet Eridau, on Coruscant (both in the Jedi Temple and the Senate building), and on a world being consumed by the blight. Ultimately, it is a good conclusion to the bulk of the High Republic story (the Acolyte era is considered the end of the High Republic, and there have already been a couple of novels set during that time). The storyline in the novel starts out a bit slow, but picks up well in the last third of the book. If you have enjoyed the prior novels set during the High Republic era, this one is absolutely worth reading.

CD/Music Review: Ashanti: Self-Titled Debut Album

 

This is Ashanti's self-titled debut album, released in 2002. Ashanti had been writing for other artists, penning hooks for various rap and hip-hop artists. The album contains 17 tracks, some of which are very short "skits" or interludes that last around a minute or less. The tracks are mostly dance/hip-hop, fused with a bit of pop or ballads. The three hit singles from the album are "Foolish" (which spent several weeks at the top of the US charts), "Happy" (which reached the top 10), and "Baby" (which peaked at number 15). Some tracks are collaborations with Ja Rule, Irv Gotti, and one a remix of Foolish, titled "Unfoolish" features The Notorious B.I.G., using a sample of one of his tracks. The album's total run time is just over an hour.

The CD liner includes several pictures of Ashanti, a track listing with production notes, a separate track listing with lyrics for each track, and a thank-you note. Ultimately, if you are a fan of late '90s/early 2000s R&B and hip-hop, you will probably like this album. While there is some rap on it, it is mostly an R&B album that showcases Ashanti's wonderful vocal talent and singing. Some of the tracks, especially the skits, have swearing in them, so you probably want to avoid playing some of the tracks around young kids. It is absolutely worth listening to, with several tracks worthy of inclusion on one or more playlists.

Workout Update: P90X Day 24

Day 24 was the third day of recovery week, which meant doing Kenpo X. It went well. I noticed I could keep up with the cast more easily this time than in the prior few weeks. I skipped the useless stretching at the beginning and used the punching sequence as a dynamic warm-up. 

CD/Music Review: Anastacia: Freak of Nature

 

Freak of Nature, released in 2001, is the second studio album by Anastacia. Like her first album, this one blends sounds from different genres, blending funk, soul, pop, and R&B. The album consists of 13 tracks totaling just over 50 minutes. Most of the tracks are upbeat dance numbers, but on this album, she also includes more ballads. It was a good follow-up to her debut album, but it was not the same jump in quality that, for example, Adele had from her debut album, 19, to her second album, 21. 

The CD liner contains pictures, track listings (with production notes but no lyrics), and a thank-you message at the end. Ultimately, I would describe the album as good, but not great. I think part of the issue that Anastacia faced was that she came along at a time when the pop charts were dominated by people in their early 20s (Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera), and she (despite looking much younger than her age) was in her mid-30s so putting out songs trying to compete with the "pop princesses" just did not work. I think the album would have been a bigger success if she had stuck with material geared toward the age group beyond the clubbing scene. That said, it is still worth checking out if you liked her first album.

Workout Update: P90X Day 23

Day 23 was the second day of recovery week, which meant doing Core Synergistics. It is a full-body workout that uses exercises that engage your core. There are some Yoga exercises, such as Bow and Boat, as well as other functional exercises, like lifts and reaches, using small weights. Only a handful of exercises in the workout require weights, and they are all high-repetition exercises (to help with muscular endurance), so you will be using lighter weights (the heaviest that anyone in the cast uses is 15 lbs). Some of the exercises (even the modified versions) are very challenging and advanced (like the Dreya rolls toward the end of the workout). So, did as many unmodified exercises as I could, modified others, and skipped those I cannot yet do, even in the modified versions. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 22

Day 22 was the first day of the recovery week between Phases 1 and 2. That meant doing Yoga again. There was not much difference between when I did it on Saturday and today. But it was nice to have a day off from lifting. 

CD/Music Review: Anastacia: Not That Kind

 

Not That Kind is Anastacia's 2000 debut album, released after she gained notoriety on the late-1990s MTV talent show, The Cut. The album contains 13 tracks in all, including four singles: "I'm Outta Love" (the most successful and popular song on the album), the title track "Not That Kind," "Cowboys & Kisses," and "Made for Lovin' You." The songs on the album are quite eclectic in terms of sound. Some very much sound like late '90s/early '00s dance pop tracks (although slightly different from what younger stars like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera were doing), Cowboys & Kisses is a mix of pop and country, and some are slower ballads. She has described her style as a mix of soul, pop, and rock, and that definitely describes the mix of genres on the album. 

The CD liner contains pictures of Anastacia, a listing of all the tracks with production notes (but no lyrics), and the requisite thank-yous. While Anastacia never broke out into superstardom, she has a very good voice and was one of the better lesser-known pop acts of that time. The album is absolutely worth listening to and has several songs worth of inclusion on one or more playlists.

Workout Update: P90X Day 21

Day 21 was the rest day, so I just did ab-ripper (which I skipped on Legs and Back day), again doing 15 reps of all the exercises except Mason Twists, which I did all 50 reps of. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 20

Day 20 was yoga, which I did up to the point of doing the ab exercises (so basically, I skipped the final 17 minutes). I did all of the moving asanas, but in the last block, where they do Warrior 3, Standing Splits, and Half Moon, I just held (or attempted to) Warrior 3 the entire time. I felt it was better to work on my balance than try to get into poses that I could not do all that well years ago, and definitely do not have the stamina or balance to pull off yet. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 19

Day 19 was the final legs and back workout for Phase 1. I used the same weight as I did last week for the weighted exercises, but I will be able to bump a couple of them up for the first workout in Phase 2. I was also able to get a couple of more pull-ups in on some of the pull-up variations. I am saving ab-ripper for the rest day. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 18

On day 18, I again swapped out Yoga for Kenpo, mainly because I did not feel like doing an hour plus of Yoga. There was nothing huge to report from this one. I was still not feeling great, but better than I did a few days ago, so it was kind of a middle-of-the-road effort.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Frasier: Season 3

 

The 24-episode third season of Frasier aired during the 1995/1996 TV season. All of the primary cast members returned for season 3, and there was a new recurring character introduced in the season premiere: Mercedes Ruehl playing Kate Costas, the new station manager who immediately has tension with Frasier. There were several notable guest appearances this season, including Tony Shalhoub, Harris Yulin, and Jane Kaczmarek. Harriet Sansom Harris returned in her recurring role as Frasier's agent, Bebe, and Shelly Long made her second appearance in the series as Diane Chambers. This season, instead of a one-second, blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo like Long had in season 2, this time she actually has a storyline that makes another hilarious nod to Cheers and provides closure to Diane's and Frasier's relationship. And, of course, there is the usual cavalcade of celebrity voices playing characters who call into Frasier's show. This season, they include Matthew Broderick, Carrie Fisher, Terri Garr, Blair Brown, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Billy Crystal, Ed Harris, Laura Dern, Ray Liotta, Jodie Foster, Randy Travis, Katarina Witt, Mrs. Fields, and David Duchovny. The series continues to primarily be a story-of-the-week procedural, with serial storylines intertwined. This season, the main storyline spanning the majority of the season involves Niles' relationship with the still-unseen Maris. David Hyde Pierce really stole the show this season, playing Niles. John Mahoney,  Jane Leeves, and Peri Gilpin also had several wonderful moments throughout the season.

The blu-ray set is a three-disc set that is, as of this writing, still only available in the complete series release. The individual seasons are only still available on DVD (which is a four-disc set). All the bonus content that was included on the DVD release is carried over. Those include interview segments with Grammer and Pierce discussing the brothers' storylines this season, an interview with the series' art director, a list of some of the celebrity voices, and another featurette on the mystery of Maris. All of the bonus features are included on the third disc, while on the DVDs, they are spread across the four discs. The A/V quality of the blu-rays is good and a significant upgrade over the DVDs. However, in some episodes, I did notice that the audio and/or video were not as good as in others. 

Ultimately, the third season was strong, especially once the Maris-Niles storyline (and the resulting consequences) took off. The two best episodes of the season were episodes 13 ("Moon Dance") and 14 ("The Show Where Diane Comes Back"). The spoof of Cheers characters in episode 14 was hilarious, and the chemistry between Leeves and Pierce in Moon Dance was wonderful. So, if you liked the first two seasons, this one is worth watching.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Boogie Nights

 

Boogie Nights is a 1997 film about the golden era of porn and is very loosely based on and inspired by events in the life of John Holmes. It was written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starred Mack Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, Heather Graham, and John C. Reilly in the main roles, and Don Cheadle, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Luis Guzman, Nicole Ari Parker, Nina Hartley, Thomas Jane, Melora Walters, Robert Ridgely, Alfred Molina, Phillip Baker Hall, and Ricky Jay in supporting roles. The story begins in 1977, when Wahlberg's character, Eddie Adams, is discovered by Reynolds' character, adult film director Jack Horner, while working as a busboy at a Hollywood nightclub. Adams, who it is hinted is very well-endowed (and we find out at the end of the movie just how much so via a prosthetic penis), takes on the stage name Dirk Diggler and becomes the biggest name in porn as the story progresses into the mid-1980s. The first half of the film shows the glamorous side of the life of porn stars in that era, specifically the money, sex, and partying. The second half shows the dark side of that lifestyle and how the lives of some performers were ruined by the rampant drug use, the struggle (and sometimes inability) to get out, and how slimy some of the power brokers could be. Many of the events in the film are based on things that happened to real porn actors over the years.

The 4k release is a single-disc edition released in 2025 after the film was remastered. It carries over most of the bonus content from the original DVD release, but not all. The director's commentary track, deleted scenes, and music video are carried over, but the character profiles are not, nor is the ability to jump to specific musical numbers in the film from the disc menu. It also includes additional bonus material for this release, including more deleted and extended scenes focused on John C. Reilly's character, a two-part Q&A session, the first part featuring Anderson and Reilly, and the second featuring just Anderson, filmed in 2025. There is also a second commentary track featuring Anderson and many of the actors, spliced together from several conversations. It was not a situation in which the entire group was in a room watching the film and recording commentary as it played. Instead, it was created from several conversations, such as Anderson discussing the movie with some actors separately, and others where a couple of the actors were in the same place discussing the movie. In all, Wahlberg, Moore, Graham, Reilly, Cheadle, Macy, Guzman, and Walters all appear at various points in the second commentary track. Of the two, Anderson's solo commentary provides the most interesting details on the process of making the film. The A/V quality of the 4k restoration is excellent. The film looks and sounds great in the UHD format and is a very significant upgrade from the original DVD release.

The movie is well-written and very-well acted. While it does have a lot of nudity and sexual content (as well as fake drug use) it was not gratuitous and fit within the story being told. That said, it is definitely not family-friendly. It was the film that helped launch or further the careers of many of the cast members who would go on to become A or B-list stars, and revived Reynolds' career (even though he reportedly hated filming it and went on record as saying he never watched it). Ultimately, if you are a fan of good dramas, especially period pieces, this is absolutely worth watching.

Workout Update: P90X Day 17

Day 17 was the last Shoulders and Arms workout of Phase I. I was able to bump the amount of weight up for a couple of the exercises, but I mostly used the same weight as I did last week. I will probably be able to bump up the weight for some of the exercises that are included in the Phase II workouts after the recovery week, because there were some that I easily hit 10 reps on.  

CD/Music Review: Marc Anthony Self Titled Album

 

Marc Anthony's self-titled album was released in 1999. It was his fourth studio album and his second English-language album. It contains 15 tracks; most are ballads or Latin-dance tracks. Most of the songs are in English, but the last few are in Spanish. The most popular song on the album is probably "I Need to Know," which peaked at number 10 on the US Top 100 chart. The best song on the album, in my opinion, is the first track, which is the ballad "When I Dream at Night." The CD liner contains pictures, the track listings (which include lyrics and production notes), and the traditional thank-yous at the end. Ultimately, this is a wonderful album with a good mix of songs. While many pop acts back in the late 1990s sounded very similar, Anthony's album was not a cookie-cutter carbon copy of what was popular at the time. It is absolutely worth listening to with multiple tracks worthy of inclusion on one or more playlists. 

CD/Music Review: All Saints: Self-Titled Album

 

All Saints was a 1990s "girl group" from England. Their debut self-titled album was released in 1997. It contained 12 tracks, mainly ballads and R&B dance numbers, along with a couple of covers. The biggest hit on the album (and the best overall song) was the ballad Never Ever, which reached number one in several countries and peaked at number 4 on the Top 100 in the US. The CD liner includes pictures of the group members, track listings with production notes (but no lyrics), and separate "thank you" messages from each member. 

Of course, in the late 1990s, the Spice Girls were the dominant girl group, eclipsing all others, and All Saints did not gain much traction. Ultimately, the album is okay, but not great. The covers of Lady Marmalade and Under the Bridge were okay, but did not achieve the success of Never Ever, and the other tracks just sound like cookie-cutter '90s pop songs. While I would not call it a must-listen, if you were a fan of the group in the '90s or just a fan of '90s pop, it is worth checking out. 

 

Workout Update: P90X Day 16

Day 16 was Plyometrics. I felt pretty shitty during the workout, so I modified a lot, even modifying some of the modifications in the video. But I got through it, even if it was not the greatest workout I have ever had. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 15

Day 15 was the final chest and back workout for Phase I. My numbers did not increase substantially from last week, but I was able to increase the amount of weight I used for the standing rows (what are called heavy pants) in the workout up to 35 lbs.  For ab-ripper, I continued to do 15 reps on most exercises, except for the twists at the end. I did 50 reps of that one.

Music/CD Review: The All-American Rejects: Move Along

 

Move Along is the 2005 studio album by the rock band The All-American Rejects. It is the band's second (and most successful) studio album. It consists of 12 tracks, including three singles that reached the top 15 on the Top 100 chart: Dirty Little Secret, Move Along, and It Ends Tonight. Move Along is (in my opinion) the best track on the album, but all of the songs are good; they have a nice mix of sound and are not carbon copies of each other. The album definitely sounds like an early-2000s rock-oriented pop album and will definitely bring you back to that era if you lived through it. The CD liner features production notes and pictures of the band members. It does not have a "traditional" track listing and lyrics. Instead, it has pictures of handwritten notes for each track, containing some of the lyrics for each song. Ultimately, the album very much feels stuck in its era. If you are a fan of early-2000s pop, especially the non-boy-band rock portion of the genre, you will probably like this. If so, it is worth listening to and includes several tracks worthy of inclusion on one or more playlists.

Workout Update: P90X Day 14

On Day 14, I just took a rest day. It was very much needed, and I feel like I have recovered well from the prior week's workouts.