The luchadors want to wish all their friends and family a happy 2008.

Arriba~!

After really digging Bruce Springsteen’s new single, I started to think about all of the older Bruce stuff that I have liked over the years. I haven’t really listened to much Bruce since The Rising, but before that, my dad played a lot of it, including this one.

• Did that sign say “Pun For All?”
  
• Who knew Big Pun was even Big Pun back then?
  
• Cuddle up angel, cuddle up my little dove/We’ll ride down baby into this tunnel of love
  
• Look at how young Bruce looks

Today is my sister’s birthday, so it is in my power to title this blog after her special day. Happy Birday (only she, my dad, and mom will get that one). Oh, what the heck. Let’s tell that story.

Several years ago, on one of our birthday cakes, my mom misspelled birthday as “birday”. So forever, happy birthday is happy birday to us.

Shaun Hill for president? It’s amazing how many 49ers fans think he might be the real deal. Is he our Tony “Chastity Belt” Romo? Who knows? Isn’t it too early, considering that he’s played against a horrible Cincinnati Bengals team and a Tampa Bay Bucs team that threw it’s second string defense on the field for the second half of the game? The one thing I thank him for is simply that he’s made the offense watchable again. And that, for 49ers fans who feel that watching the games this year is akin to punishment, means a lot. We don’t really care that we haven’t seen him throw a pass longer than 20 yards. We really don’t care that he’s been third string for a couple years ago. As long as he entertains us, we’re fine with him.

This past weekend’s game against Tampa Bay was an ugly game, but finished strong. It was also the first time I ever watched a game with my girlfriend. She was either slightly entertained, or just thought the couch was comfortable. Because of the greatest invention of our time, the DVR, we watched the game in about 2 hours. And that was even when the game was paused while I was in the bathroom. During this time, Nate Clements intercepted a pass and ran it back some 70 yards, zig zagging like he was Deion. They waited for me and we watched it again in glee.

The game was bowling shoe ugly for most of the game, but it wasn’t because the 49ers were playing badly. For the most part, even when Tampa Bay was at full strength, the 49ers defense held their own. Jeff Garcia was taking a beating, but also dished out one as well. I’ve always been a Garcia guy and it was great to see him play again. He looks the same as when he left. The difference in the game was when Tampa Bay rested their defensive starters. It was a little easier for Hill to find time to throw and for Frank Gore to find the holes to run through.

And what can you say about Bryant Young? BY might be one of the most under appreciated players in the league. He came into the league as a rookie, on a Super Bowl winning team full of superstars. He was able to play under the radar, but when the stars left, he really showed his value as he anchored the defense, and was the team leader. He played his ass off in his last home game and he’ll be one of those guys who ever 49ers defensive tackle will be compared to, much like every 49ers QB gets compared to Joe and Steve.

Here is what my dad had to say. He wasn’t lonely this week.

This game was similar to last week’s, although the opponent took out it’s starters, but it still resembled the last win. Darrell Jackson, Frank Gore, and Vern Davis all played well again. The defense was enjoyable. Nate, B.Y., Patrick Willis. I can see where this team can be real competitive. It is a little semi-confusing. Is Shaun Hill the real deal? One more game and it should be a game where neither team holds anything back. I have been noticing that the team seems to be rallying behind Nolan, but personality does not win the big games. I have nothing to say about Alex Smith, but what was that guy’s name that Lou Gehrig replaced?

That would be Wally Pipp.

This review was originally posted on Epinions.com.

I’ve never been to a movie that was so so, and yet still received a standing ovation at the end. Usually, movies that receive a standing ovation deserve it. In this case, in the eyes of the kids, it did deserve it. In the eyes of the adults, maybe not so much. But it was an easy movie to enjoy and laugh at, as long as you didn’t take it seriously. I mean, how can you take a movie seriously where chipmunks sing?

I was a fan of the NBC cartoon Alvin And The Chipmunks from the early to late 80s. It featured three singing chipmunks named Alvin, Simon, and Theodore and their human father, Dave Seville. The characters are closely aligned to their cartoon counterparts, but you get an introduction as to how the chipmunks find Dave. Dave is a recording artist who can’t catch a break because his music isn’t hip enough. The chipmunks, who are sick of living in a tree and having to put food away for the winter, jump into a basket that Dave is carrying. The chipmunks find their way inside his house and immediately cause havoc. He throws them out, but lets them back in when he hears them sing. He makes a deal with them and allows them to stay, as long as they sing to his music. After Alvin uses a towel ring as a hula hoop, he comes up with an idea for a Christmas song and calls it The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late). The rest of the film entails their rise to stardom and how an evil producer tries to take advantage of their talents.

Jason Lee stars as Dave Seville and while I wouldn’t have immediately thought him for the role, good for him, because this thing has sequel written all over it. The entire time, I wait for Lee to start drawing comic book characters, but he doesn’t. He plays the piano and guitar and writes music. Other than the fact that he’s going bald, he does ok with the Seville role, though we don’t have anyone else to measure him up to, other than the cartoon Seville. David Cross plays “Uncle” Ian, the evil producer who sees dollar signs with the chipmunks and overworks them. Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, and pop singer Jesse McCartney voice Alvin, Simon, and Theodore, but you could imagine anyone who could make their voice go up an octave would’ve probably done a decent job voicing the chipmunks, since their voices are eventually played at double speed to get their “chipmunk” voices. Cameron Richardson plays Claire, Dave’s ex-girlfriend who ends up helping him in his effort to save the chipmunks. Other than perfecting the Hilary Swank face, Richardson doesn’t do much and she pretty much stays out of the focus of all the scenes.

As a kid’s movie, it’s a winner. It chipmunks do all the right things to make the kids laugh. Alvin, who was always the hip one, calls himself the awesomest. And you also get to hear him sing a killer version of Daniel Power’s Bad Day. Simon is still the smart one, and Theodore is the sensitive one with the big butt. They go for all the easy laughs including flatulence (which never fails to deliver laughs in kid’s movies), silliness, and crazy chipmunk antics. For the adults, you’ll sit through it fine as long as your kid is laughing. The Karate Kid 3 formula works. Instead of Daniel-san leaving Mr. Miyagi for the evil Terry Silver, the chipmunks are scooped up by the evil Ian Hawke. Dave has to save the chipmunks much like Mr. Miyagi had to save Daniel-san. I know that I just compared Alvin And The Chipmunks to Karate Kid 3, but hey, that’s just how my brain works.

The kids will enjoy it. Parents won’t necessarily. But I have a soft spot in my heart for characters I loved watching on Saturday morning. The movie has some easy laughs and you’ll get to hear some classic chipmunk songs.

This is the J5 version baby!

By the way, there weren’t music videos as this time, so you’ll have to settle for young Mike’s face. Just pretend he’s singing. Or do something else while you listen.