Tabz – Page 31 – QuadrupleZ

Hank – Does Father Really Know Best? Yes, Yes he Does.

November 6, 2009November 6, 2009 Tabz Leave a comment

Watch Hank on ABC Wednesdays at 8/7c

I’ve often lamented the lame dads on TV these days. Finding an awesome dad in a popular show is the equivelant of Indiana Jones treasure hunt. For awhile it seemed like good father figures were hard to find outside of the occasional diamond in the rough like Keith Mars (Veronica Mars). I’m not saying they have to be “Father Knows Best” style, but real characters who genuinely love their kids and aren’t complete idiots, abusive, or absentee. This is probably because my own dad is so awesome, that it’s hard to see bad fathers on TV.

So when the WB Word of Mouth team asked us to blog about Hank and what the best fatherly advice we’ve received, it got me thinking about fathers on TV. Hank has one of those redemptive father stories that makes him unique (and awesome). Previously wrapped up in his work Hank finds reality set in when he was laid off and moved back to his wife’s home town. Hank realizes that he doesn’t know his kids, or how to relate to them. Yet, Hank tries. And, in the end, that’s what makes great father advice. The genuine desire Hank has to connect and help his kids shows in every scene. Like the scene below:

In this scene Hank has started working at the same place as his daughter, Maddie. In an attempt to teach her the value of hard work and employment after Maddie wants her own computer. While Hank spends most of the epsiode touting the plattitudes of hard work, but it’s not until he’s really honest about his own feelings that he really gets through to her.

My parents have given me a lot of advice over the years, directly or indirectly. It seems like many of the phrases are echoy in my head (just ask my friends how many times I’ve said ‘my dad says..’). The best advice though it all has been the quiet moments where my dad just shares his life. Something about that just makes all of the verbal lessons mean something more.

So, here’s to great dads on TV, characters like Hank, Keith Mars, Richard Castle and Tim Taylor. The world needs more of them, making mistakes, giving great advice and being loved. Especially for all of us who have the world’s greatest dad at home.

Disclosure: I have been hired by Warner Bros to help raise awareness for Hank.

TV Review: Supernatural 5×7 – The Curious Case of Dean Winchester

November 6, 2009November 6, 2009 Tabz Leave a comment

Watch Supernatural Thursday nights (9/8c) on the CW.
Not caught up? Buy Supernatural: The Complete Fourth Season on Amazon.com

Non-Spoilery Review:

So far in the Supernatural season we’ve had so much about the overall arch that it was nice to take a break and do a “case of the week” type story. While the episode isn’t the highlight of the season it still cleaned up some important emotional points. Sadly it was one of the most poorly constructed (story-wise) episodes I’ve seen from Supernatural in a long time.

Rating: [rating:2.5]

Quotes of the Episode:

Dean: And you beat me here.
Bobby: Brains trumps legs, apparently.

Sam: Have you seen … you?
Dean: The old chick in Titanic, I know.

Doctor: You expect me to believe you’re CDC?
Sam: Excuse me?
Doctor: It’s just that you’re a day early. First time in history I haven’t sat on my ass waiting for you people.
Dean: New administration. Change you can believe in.

Spoilers after the cut.
Read More

Music Review: Fort Knox Five and The New Gold Standard 2

November 5, 2009November 5, 2009 Tabz 1 Comment

Looking for some funk in your life? Tired of the only options to keep your groove being pop-rock choices (like the Black Eyed Peas)? Then you need to do yourself a favor and check out this group – Fort Knox Five or pick up The New Gold Standard 2 available on November 17, 2009. If you can’t wait, you can check out their music on their Myspace page or download their DJ mix “All Good Things Come in 5’s” for free from SoundCloud.com.

About Fort Knox Five

FORT KNOX FIVE is a DC based funk and global recording four-part group and they’ve had a huge impact on the international funk and breaks scene over the past couple of years. With the release of five critically acclaimed singles on their own independent label, Fort Knox Recordings, the FK5 have been thrust into the spotlight and caught the attention of music lovers around the world.

Review:

I received an advanced copy of the album for review and knew nothing of Fort Knox Five before listening. What impresses me the most about the Fort Knox Five songs on this album is the complex layering of sounds, instruments and vocals. This truly is modern funk at it’s best. With some of the songs feeling extremely old school (like the Jazz-funk track “The Sax Pusher”) to the modern, Eastern-influenced single “Shift”. All of these songs are great for a club or to get you moving at home.

“The New Gold Standard 2” is a compilation and a follow up to 2006’s “The New Gold Standard” and contains 15 new tracks including “Shift” featuring hip hop and international masterminds Afrika Bambaataa and Mustafa Akbar. It’s great to have a compilation album that isn’t just the same 14 songs you already have on your iPod and one new song, so if you’re looking for some new music, this is a great purchase.

If you’re interested in learning more about Fort Knox Five check them out on Twitter, Fort Knox Five, or Myspace. Also check out their upcoming shows in November in Hawaii, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Product Review/Giveaway: Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters [CLOSED]

November 4, 2009November 4, 2009 Tabz 17 Comments

In order to participate in this giveaway please read all of the rules at the end of this post.

Being on the go a lot, I love snacks that travel well. From walking around Disneyland to a trip to the beach, I need munchies that can stand up to heat, being shoved in a bag and taste great with anything. So when I received four bags of Nature Valley’s new Granola Nut Clusters, I was more than happy to review them.

About Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters:

Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters are a bite size blend of 100% natural ingredients that include select roasted nuts, whole grain oats and a touch of honey – a wholesome and delicious pick-me-up any time of the day. If you love nuts, you´ll enjoy this flavorful little snack featuring the perfect combination of sweet & salty flavors paired with a crunchy texture that you can see and taste. And with the first unique cluster-shaped granola packaged in a handy re-sealable pouch, it´s perfect for sharing on the trails or in your living room!

Review:

Since I already was a huge fan of Nature Valley’s bars, I was interested to know if the same quality would be put into their nut clusters. I tried all four of the current flavors and am happy to report that the same delicious ingredients and combinations of ingredients were present. With many packaged foods with nuts it’s hard to get nuts that don’t taste, to some degree, stale or the flavor of a wood chip. But the nuts in these granola nut clusters are absolutely delicious. My favorites were the almonds and cashews.

The nice thing about the clusters is they’re easy to eat without a lot of mess, so they’re perfect for a trip or eating around the home. And the protein and slightly sweet/salty combo made them a perfect mid-day pick me up at work when my energy was flagging. I also loved the packaging, the resealable bag actually sits up nicely, so the clusters are easy to get to and easy to store.

Warning though, these were so good it was hard to stop at just eating one or two!

Contest!

The good folks at MyBlogSpark and Nature Valley want you to win the same product pack they sent me (see pictured above)! In addition to the 4 varieties of Granola Nut Clusters, you’ll receive an eco-friendly sling backpack, binoculars, stainless steel water bottle, and a flashlight.

Main Entry: (you must complete this entry in order to participate, otherwise all other entries will be disqualified)

Visit Nature Valley’s page for Granola Nut Clusters and come back and leave a comment with which flavor you’re looking forward to trying!

Extra Entries:

1. Tweet this review using the text below and leave a comment with your Twitter handle:

Win a Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters Prize Pack at the QuadrupleZ blog: http://bit.ly/1MKPNr #giveaway

2. Leave a comment on another QuadZ post (come back here and leave a comment to say you did so)

3. Subscribe to us via email: Subscribe to Quadruple Z by Email (leave a comment to say you did so)

4. Blog about this giveaway and leave us the link in the comments.

Winner will be chosen on November 12th, 2009 at 9AM Pacific. US entries only. Leave a separate comment for each entry & a valid email address/blog URL. Winner, chosen at random, has 3 days to claim their prize, if there is no response a different winner will be chosen.

Written for MyBlogSpark as part of a campaign for General Mills, who supplied the product for review & giveaway. Other than a product sample, no compensation was received for this post.

Open Letter to My Email Box

November 3, 2009November 3, 2009 Tabz Leave a comment

Dear Email Inbox,

While I’m extremely pleased with my Gmail email and the lack of increased spam I receive I’m tired of you. Every day I get hundreds of emails, most of them are great from friends, relatives, and collective colleuges in the new media world. There’s more from websites and blogs I’ve signed up for. The problem with all of these types of emails? They want me to do something.

Click here, sign up here, buy this, edit this, and etc. All of them require me to do something. Emails from Facebook saying that someone commented on a post (and I’d better write a reply). Another email from Twitter saying that So and So has started following me (and I’d better hurry up and follow them back).

So, email box, I grow weary of you. I want a filter that will just go click, flip, add, burn and butter just as you want me to without me having to think about it. Of course, the problem with most automated systems is what if I really don’t WANT to follow that person or write the other guy back? The auto-filter does not have my capacity for reason.

Instead, why don’t you stop giving me so much to do? Why don’t you go bug the other folks who get 5 emails a day? It might be fun to start seeing other people.

Don’t think of this as the end. Just the end of the beginning.

Love,

Me.

TV Review: Legend of the Seeker 1×1 & 1×2

October 27, 2009October 27, 2009 Tabz Leave a comment

Non-Spoilery Review

Legend of the Seeker on the outside might look like just another Xenia or Hercules-style show (which isn’t entirely a bad thing in my opinion) that’s way too campy to be taken seriously (point in fact all three shows are produced by Sam Raimi). Yet the show has a surprisingly awesome cast, beautiful shooting locations and a story line that is compelling and, at times, complex. If you enjoy fantasy odds are that you’ll really enjoy Legend of the Seeker, which is based very loosely on The Sword of Truth novels by Terry Goodkind. Since I watched both episodes together we’ll review the first two episodes together. More spoilery review about the pilot episodes “Prophecy” and “Destiny” after the cut.

The 6th Annual ‘Wear Your Cap To School Day’ Event for Pediatric Cancer Kicks-Off on October 23rd!

October 22, 2009October 22, 2009 Tabz Leave a comment

The non-profit organization Caps for Kids, along with national sponsors New Era Cap Co. and Hatworld/Lids, are proud to announce that the 6th Annual “Wear Your Cap to School Day” event will take place on October 23rd in schools across the United States. This fundraising initiative encourages students to donate $1.00 for the chance to wear their favorite cap in the classroom. All monies raised support Caps for Kids’ mission of providing celebrity signed headwear and scarves to children being treated for cancer.

“Having cancer at any age is a traumatic experience but having it as a child is even more anguishing,” says John DeWaal, Caps for Kids President. “Wear Your Cap To School Day is a great opportunity to illustrate to students that their small donation can have a big impact to kids in their community.”

Interest in the program continues to spread across the US with schools in more than 38 states participating and over $340,000 raised to date to benefit Caps for Kids. In 2008 alone, more than $90,000 was generated, marking a record of growth for the organization.

For more information on Wear Your Cap to School Day visit www.wearyourcaptoschoolday.com and Caps for Kids visitwww.capsforkids.org.

Win Dinner with Edward James Olmos!

October 21, 2009October 21, 2009 Tabz Leave a comment

Calling all Nuggets! Here’s your chance to win a trip to Los Angeles to dine with Edward James Olmos. Frakkin’ awesome, right? But we’re not just going to bestow this honor on anyone. You’ll need to fill out the “Viper Pilot Application” form so that we know you qualify for consideration. You will be asked to answer 10 questions. Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

1) Knowledge of Battlestar Galactica TV series as displayed in the answers
2) Creativity in formulation of answers
3) Clarity of thought in presentation of answers.

So grab your gun and bring in the cat. Good hunting!

Click here to find out more: http://www.ugo.com/battlestarcontest/

Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories Brings Books to Kids

October 12, 2009October 12, 2009 Tabz Leave a comment

When I was a kid, there was a fun local restaurant that would give a Golden book with the kid’s meals. Long after my McDonalds toys had broken and/or disappeared I had those books. So I really loved the fact that my all-time favorite cereal (yes, I started when I was 2 and I still eat Cheerios) was going to be giving away six million children’s books free inside Cheerios boxes (Starting in October 2009). Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories will offer 5 different books (in English and Spanish) published by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. One of offered books is a new book in the popular “Trucktown” series, available only inside Cheerios boxes.

Of course, a big bummer with prizes inside the box is not knowing which prize you’re getting. But Cheerios has made it easy with a a special cut-out window on the front of the box, so you can select the specific book you want, or you can collect all five.

In addition to the books, Cheerios is also making a financial donation to First Book, an award-winning children’s nonprofit organization that gets new books to children from low-income families. Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories kicks off during Give a Child a Book Week, October 12 – 19. With the help of Cheerios’ financial support, First Book will give a year’s worth of books to every child participating in 50 selected reading programs, one in each state across the country.

For more info check out: www.spoonfulsofstories.com.

(Photo: PRNewsFoto/Cheerios)

Podcast Review: Why You Should Listen to Murder at Avedon Hill

October 12, 2009October 12, 2009 Tabz Leave a comment

Listen to Murder at Avedon Hill (free) || Listen to Murder at Avedon Hill on Podiobooks.com

Crossing genres can work extremely well. Case in point is one of my favorite TV shows – Firefly (SciFi/Western). Of course, for this to work the artist/creatorhas to have some basic understanding of both genres to serve them well. After finishing “Murder at Avedon Hill” (MaAH), I can assure you that author P.G. Holyfield not only brings an entertaining fantasy story but a compelling mystery. Even if fantasy isn’t your cup of tea (or if tea isn’t your cup of… well, you get the idea) Holyfield spins a compelling tapestry of characters, situations and, of course, murder.

If you haven’t heard a podcast novel yet, they’re rich (and mostly free) sources of entertainment. MaAH is a novel, read by the author and featuring some sound effects and guest voices for the various characters. This gives you an enhanced narrative experience. Holyfield brings in a rich cast that adds color and life to his already deep characters.

Even though I really enjoy Holyfield as a person (I’ve met him on two occasions and have had multiple virtual conversations with him), I was not prepared for how awesome it was.

Murder at Avedon Hill follows the adventures (and mis-adventures) of Arames Kragen, retired Aarronic Advisor and scholar of prophecy, and Arrin, his young assistant. On a journey they come across a murder at the picturesque town of Avedon Hill. Much like a Agatha Christie novel, there’s a small town with hidden secrets and everyone seems to have a motive. Dash in sprinkles of magic, vampires, and fantasy and you have a compelling story.

If you enjoy a good mystery and some classic fantasy, you’ll enjoy Murder at Avedon Hill.

For more information:

Murder at Avedon Hill website.

Murder at Avedon Hill on Podiobooks.