The above monolithic box contains every episode of Friends, the NBC sitcom responsible for Joey, the complete series of which rests comfortably within the confines of one DVD-R. Somewhere. It is thanks to the warm, fuzzy embrace of Friends: The Complete Series (on Blu-Ray) that Fear of a Ghost Planet can venture out into the warm, tranquil waters of the Sea of Blog Giveaways, as we’ve been given the following items that can be added to your home shrine dedicated to the gods of Must See TV:
Two (2) Oversized Cappuccino Mugs
One (1) Picture Frame, “ just like the one on Monica’s door!”
These items are compliments of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, who, of course, encourage you to buy Friends: The Complete Series for your friends this Christmas (on Amazon, if you wish:
). How can you get in on the action? Well, first, check out the following video clips and quizzes …
Then, with that accomplished, head down to the comments section and tell me, dear reader, which Friend you are. A winner will be chosen via random number generator on November 29, at which point in time we’ll be coming over to make use of your new mugs.
I’ve got to warn you though: I’m a bit of a Phoebe.
Rules
You may enter once (1) per day.
Anonymous comments are not acceptable.
Due to the nature of the prize, if you have a P.O. Box, you are not eligible for the prize.
Over at The Analytical Couch Potato, I’ve written an essay about Louie, which, for my money, is the best show on television. It’s a minor pity that FX and Louis C.K. have announced that the show will not be returning until 2014, but hopefully its year-plus hiatus will give C.K. a chance to reenergize his batteries (while simultaneously touring the country with a new stand-up show) and give the show an opportunity to build its audience Arrested Development-style, via discovery on Netflix.
On my end, Louie‘s extended hibernation will give me an opportunity to experiment with the television recap form, and for a television show that’s actually still relevant. Starting next week, Fear of a Ghost Planet will begin offering weekly re-caps of Louie and Arrested Development in preparation for the return of both shows, WWE Monday Night Raw and Parks and Recreation because both shows are currently on the air, and 1966′s Batman because I feel like it. Here’s a snippet of my ACP article on Louie. A link follows.
In 20-minutes, Louie sees his daughters off, declines an invitation to visit his sister, meets an old flame, watches her die, and visits China because, when reading a book to his daughter, the two agreed that the Yangtze River would be a nice place to live. That’s a gross oversimplification of an episode that manages to contrast both the joy of children on Christmas with the agony of the parent who gives all credit to Santa Claus and the joy of a group of hospital employees when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Day with the agony of someone who has just witnessed an acquaintance die, but Louiegoes places—literally and figuratively—most comedies would be unable to locate on a map. Those turns are often dark and almost always absurd, but the leaps of faith Louietakes routinely reward the viewer. When a regular comedy goes for a big, sentimental cliffhanger, it feels cloying. When Louiegoes for one, there’s a sense of relief. The world hasn’t crushed the poor bastard yet.
Tomorrow is Absolute Intense Wrestling’s Point Break, and, as is standard operating procedure here at Fear of a Ghost Planet, I’ve got your card rundown and typical announcerly hyperbole right here. I’m quite excited about this card, so this post is a bit of a long one. Before we get into it, allow me to correct the above poster: Tomorrow’s belltime has been moved forward to 6:00 PM to accommodate overwhelming fan request. You can still pre-order tickets, but time is running out. Go to shop.aiwrestling.com to grab one, or check out AIW’s official Facebook for more information.
The main event for Point Break has been signed, and it’s a dream re-match, as BJ Whitmer defends his AIW Intense Division Championship against CHIKARA’s Grand Champion, Eddie Kingston. The two met previously at Absolution 6 in 2011, during which Whitmer targeted the knee of Eddie Kingston, which was suffering after the events of a CHIKARA Michigan/Ohio doubleshot. Since that event, Kingston has taken to Twitter and YouTube to ask for a rematch, and it happens in just over two weeks at Turner’s Hall in Cleveland.
Plenty has changed for both men over the past year. Kingston, of course, went on to win CHIKARA’s 12 Large: Summit, capturing the CHIKARA Grand Championship in the most important match of his career. He made his return to AIW as the surprise sixth entrant in a six-man scramble, winning the contest after delivering multiple backdrop drivers to “The Anarchist” Arik Cannon. Whitmer, whose successful comeback culminated his his winning the Intense Division Championship at Absolution 7, ending a year long feud with Flexor Industries. Kingston and Whitmer are independent wrestling royalty, and a confrontation between the two is a must-see event for true fans of the sport of professional wrestling.
At Absolution 7, Tim Donst made good on an Absolute Championship match he’d won the rights to in 2011, beating Johnny Gargano, Shiima Xion, and [NAME REDACTED] in a four way elimination match for the title. He didn’t have long to celebrate (heck, he technically doesn’t have a physical championship to celebrate with, at the moment), but Donst didn’t let that deter him from going out and finding a man he considered a suitable challenger, the high-flying phenom ACH.
ACH, who made it to the finals of the JT Lightning Invitational Tournament before losing to [NAME REDACTED] after an intense exchange of finishing maneuvers, has become a star in AIW, no mean feat for a man who originally found his way into the promotion as a participant in an untaped dark match. He’s taken on and defeated the likes of AR Fox, Willie Mack, Colin Delaney, and ROH Television Champion Adam Cole, and many AIW fans would agree with Donst that ACH is deserving of a one-on-one tilt for the richest prize in AIW.
Special tag team action comes to AIW’s Point Break, as the Irish Airborne duo of Dave and Jake Crist take on Adam Cole and the debuting Kyle O’Riley—FUTURESHOCK. At Absolution 7, the Irish Airborne were part of the evening’s special tag team attraction, taking on former ROH World Tag Team Champions The Briscoe Brothers. Now they find themselves up against another of independent professional wrestling’s best tag teams in the ROH Television Champion and his partner/rival, who he has fought with and teamed against in ROH, PWG, and around the world!
Now the duo make their way to Cleveland, Ohio, both looking for their first victories in AIW competition. A win over the Crist brothers, given their standing as recent former AIW Tag Team Champions, would put Futureshock into title consideration for sure. A win for the Airborne, however, would thrust the brothers Crist right back into contention themselves, along with proving beyond any shadow of a doubt that Ohio is indeed for killers.
The AIW Women’s Title will be on the line at Point Break, as AK-47 Allysin Kay (4-1) makes her third defense against the undefeated “Crazy” Mary Dobson (3-0)! After defeating Jennifer Blake (2-2) at #JLIT and settling the score with Mia Yim (1-3) at Girls Night Out 7 in a wild steel cage match, AK-47 puts her championship on the line against an opponent who could very well qualify as her most dangerous yet!
“Crazy” Mary Dobson hasn’t been in AIW for long, but she’s already carved out a rather unique place in company history for herself. In Girls Night Out competition, she is 3-0, having beaten the likes of Heidi Lovelace (0-3), Trash Cassidy (0-2), and ‘Lil Naughty (0-1). Her matches against Cassidy and Naughty were both contested under “Pondo Rules,” which, simply explained, means that there are no rules. She has braved light tubes and thumbtacks, she’s been powerbombed through a stack of chairs by “The Passion” John Thorne, and now she faces the toughest competitor of her young career in the AIW Women’s Champion. Safe to say that if AK-47 brings the machete she favors to Cleveland, Dobson won’t shy away.
One has to wonder if Allysin Kay’s edge in experience and caliber of opponent gives her an advantage over Dobson, or if it means that the champion may be looking past her challenger to a possible confrontation with the currently out-of-country Hailey Hatred (8-0), or another contender to her throne. Nevertheless, Dobson represents a unique threat to the title, a legitimate threat to score an upset and bring an end to AK-47’s reign. As if the title weren’t enough, AIW management has decided that wins and losses scored at non-GNO events count towards Girls Night Out win/loss records, so a victory is that much more important for both women.
The demonic duo of Obariyon and Kodama shocked AIW to its very core at Absolution 7, emerging at the entry way just as the AIW Tag Team Championship match between Youthinazia and Aeroform was set to begin. Accompanied by the lovely Veronica Ticklefether, The Batiri demanded to be included in the match, and their wish was granted. Not only was it granted, but The Batiri made good on their surprise entry, winning the AIW Tag Team Titles and taking them back to their cave on Bled Isle.
Chest Flexor and his premiere tag team, meanwhile, weren’t very happy about Absolution 7. After losing the AIW Tag Team Titles, Aeroform figured that they would have a one-on-one opportunity to win them back. That didn’t happen, obviously, but now Flip Kendrick and Louis Lyndon have their shot, and Chest Flexor has yet another opportunity to bring some gold back to Flexor Industries. The big difference is that they’re not facing Matt Cross and Josh Prohibition, but a tag team that may not even be human. And for all the chaos Chest Flexor has been known to cause around an AIW ring, Veronica Ticklefeather has been known to stick her baton into other people’s business.
Speaking of Veronica, what, exactly, is her relationship with The Batiri? Veronica was seen at the JT Lightning Invitational Tournament scouting members of the AIW roster, but her appearance alongside The Batiri at Absolution 7 was still something of a shock. Veronica has been quite public in saying that she only associates herself with winners, and The Batiri have proven themselves to be just that. Is there more to the story?
It’s a Girls Night Out Showcase, as Mia Yim (1-3) takes on the surging Veda Scott (2-2) at Point Break! Yim, fresh off a disappointing loss to Girls Night Out Champion Allysin Kay in Girls Night Out 7’s main event steel cage match, is looking to bounce back in her final AIW appearance before heading to Japan full time. The Blasian Barbie, in her relatively brief time in AIW, has been involved in four classic match-ups, three of which have been for the GNO Championship, and nothing would make her happier than to secure a victory over Scott, bumping her up on the GNO leaderboard and building a solid case for another championship opportunity when she returns from the land of the rising sun.
Scott, meanwhile, has begun picking up victories in GNO competition, and with her 2-2 record currently sits in seventh place on the leaderboard. A victory here and a loss for “Crazy” Mary Dobson (3-0) would make Veda part of a tangled web of women who sit atop the board as an active wins leader. If anybody thought that her current engagement with Gregory Iron, AIW’s disgruntled “Handicapped Hero,” would slow Veda’s momentum, those thoughts were quashed at Girls Night Out 7 when Iron helped Scott defeat the debuting Courtney Rush (0-1). Iron has promised in a new YouTube video to be at Point Break, and one has to figure that he’ll be there in Veda’s corner. Will he provide Veda with moral support, or will he be an active participant in the match, distracting Mia Yim as he did Rush?
At the JT Lightning Invitational Tournament and at Absolution 7, both Davey Vega and Ethan Page made waves for themselves as singles competitors. During round one #JLIT action, an argument could be made for either Vega’s match with ACH or Page’s contest with Willie Mack being the best of the night. At Absolution 7, both men nearly came away with the six man scramble match that was eventually won by CHIKARA Grand Champion Eddie Kingston. Now, at Point Break, Page and Vega are set to collide in what looks like Point Break’s show stealing match. Take a look at each man was able to do during that six-man scramble to see why.
Both Vega and Page are trying to find their footing in AIW. Vega is without his regular tag team partner Mat Fittchet. Page is without a win to his name. Vega has had singles success elsewhere. Page has recently added the lovely Seleyza Sparx as his valet. Both men are hungry for success, looking to climb into contention for an AIW championship, and the road to a title shot begins right here.
Fatal four way action comes to Point Break this Sunday, featuring the self-proclaimed “Extremely Cute Wrestler” Colin Delaney, Facade, “The Barn Owl” Gary Jay, and the debuting Josh Alexander. Delaney and Facade came out of Absolution 7 with a loss for their respective efforts, Jay wound up brutally assaulted by Da Latin Crime Syndicate, and Alexander is looking to make a name for himself in the United States, so there will be plenty on the line this weekend as all four men want desperately to climb the ladder in AIW. Who will come away with the win this weekend?
Jock Samson once considered the Submission Squad his friends. His partners. His allies. When Jock needed help in his war against The Duke, is was The Submission Squad who came to his aid. By their powers combined, Jock and the Squad became the Four Stallions, and, for a short time, looked ready to run roughshod over Absolute Intense Wrestling.
But then Absolution 7 happened. Jock Samson and The Duke settled their issue in a Texas Bullrope Match. They stole the show. The AIW crowd, who Jock had insulted for months, showered him with praise. Jock even shook hands with The Duke. And just like that, the Four Stallions stopped riding with one another. The Submission Squad’s monthly team building exercises went unattended by Jock. Their phone calls to Jock’s mother’s house went unanswered. The Submission Squad may be used to disrespect, but they’re not accustomed to taking it for very long. They’ve laid out the challenge to Jock: Be there at Point Break this Sunday and fight like a man. If there’s something Jock has proven over his short AIW career, it’s that he’s all man. He’ll be there, but who’ll be watching his back?
All this and more can be yours for the viewing tomorrow, for just $15. Few wrestling cards this fall will have this much action, and it’s the first evening in some time that all four AIW Championships will be defended. Once again, there’s still time to pre-order tickets at shop.aiwrestling.com, but tomorrow, you’ll be taking your chances at the door. Until tomorrow, here is the Point Break edition of Intense TV, featuring clips from the last Whitmer/Kingston encounter, ACH’s 30-minute Iron Man Match against AR Fox, and a fatal four way featuring Tim Donst, Facade, Ethan Page, and Flip Kendrick.
Absolute Intense Wrestling returns to Turners Hall on August 4, 2012, for Girls Night Out 7, the first show in company history featuring an all-woman card. I’ll be there in my official capacity as “women’s (wrestling) expert,” and as a mostly unbiased judge of wrestling cards, #GNO7 looks like the company’s strongest to date. As always, there is a strong mix of national, international, and local talent, along with the promise of two massive feature bouts.
In the main event of the evening, Allysin Kay defends her AIW Women’s Championship against “The Blasian Barbie” Mia Yim. The two have had a bloody, violent history in AIW, and at #GNO7 they look to settle the score in the promotion’s second-ever Steel Cage Match. Cage matches don’t happen often in indie wrestling (for two good reasons: they’re expensive, and they take an incredibly long time to set up), and are only booked when the situation calls for it. Yim and Kay have met twice in an AIW ring, and there was blood both times. In their first match, Yim broke Kay’s nose with a stiff kick, which resulted in a war of words across twitter and various podcasts leading to an anxiously awaited rematch. At Girls Night Out 6, they met in an unsanctioned Fans Bring the Weapons match for the vacant AIW Women’s Championship. The match saw the use of light tubes, machetes, and garden hoses, but came to an end under dubious circumstances when Kay’s estranged manager Chest Flexor interfered, costing Yim the match and the title. The new champion, none too happy with Flexor’s interference, took her frustration out on the leader of Flexor Industries, asking for the match to be restarted so she could finish Yim herself.
Instead of doing that, AIW’s acting president Matthew Wadsworth promised a third encounter, one in which nobody could interfere. Now one of the most intense rivalries in AIW’s history (and, indeed, in wrestling today) comes to a close in one of the sport’s most barbaric enclosures. Cage matches in independent wrestling aren’t for the faint of heart or the weak kneed. Given the heat between the two and the title that’s on the line, blood will likely be shed and reputations will be made or broken. Both women have done great things in the past year, and this match is the culmination of their hard work and sacrifice. Only one of them can leave the cage a champion. The woman who does will have staked a claim as being one of the best in the world. Read more
It’s the end of another school year, and with it comes the end of my time in Bowling Green, Ohio. To celebrate the fact that I’m moving back to civilized society, where I’ll be paying $10 for movies, Fear of a Ghost Planet is co-hosting a reading with Heavy Feather Review, who are celebrating their one-year anniversary. The event is charmingly called I am Not Afraid of You and I Will Kick Your Ass, and features the literary stylings of
The reading goes down tonight, 8:00 p.m., at Kamikaze’s Nightclub. Drinks are not expensive, parking is ample, and asses will likely be kicked. See you there.
