I know this is one of those deaths where you could definitely see it coming, as Roger Ebert seemed to have been battling one physical ailment after another ever since being diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2002.  But still, it’s hard not to be affected whenever we lose one of the all-time greats in any particular medium, and Roger Ebert was certainly one of those for film criticism.  I can’t speak for everybody here at Mildly Pleased, but I’m sure Mr. Ebert’s work has had more than a considerable impact on this forum for amateur film & media criticism.

Sure, the late great At The Movies, starring Ebert and his long time friend and sparring-partner Gene Skiskel was a bit before my time.  And yet, when the entire archives from that show were released on to the show’s website in 2007, it had a pretty profound impact on the way I thought about film.  I was just then getting serious about the possibilities of film as an art form, and here were two guys that embodied that love of movies as a medium capable of high art as well as thrilling entertainment.  And I’m certain that the whole At The Movies format also managed to leave somewhat of an impact on the way we do things over on our T3 podcast.  Because along with the unending intelligence of the conversations that took place on At The Movies, you always felt that these guys were very close friends, and were just as eager to make each other laugh as they were to jump in to a heated argument.

As for Ebert as a writer, the man’s pedigree pretty much speaks for itself.  He’s of course the only journalist to ever win a Pulitzer for film criticism, and his work for the Chicago Sun-Times has been syndicated in countless different places.  And despite his fame as one of the few household names in the world of film criticism, you always got the sense that writing was his first love.  Take for instance when Ebert was rendered unable to speak after a series of cancer treatments in the late ’00s.  Yet despite his physical shortcomings, he started producing about as many reviews and as much content as any film critic out there.  And of course, every review was delivered in that very personalized and conversational tone of wit and reverence that had become Ebert’s trademark over the years.

I think it’s always hard to say what impact film critics truly have on the world of filmmaking as a whole, but I think you can undoubtedly say that for four decades, Mr. Ebert was a force for good in a Hollywood landscape that often needed someone like him to demand more of it.  In my book, that’s more than worthy of one final thumbs up.

As you may or may not know, this week, and today in particular, is noteworthy for one reason, and one reason only: Harmonix ceasing to put out Rock Band DLC. They’ve put out new songs for the franchise every week since November 2007, that’s over five years ago for those of you who are bad at estimating time periods, or 281 weeks for those of you that demand precision. We’re all (or at least three quarters of us) big fans of this series, and, though it had to happen and even we were beginning to run out of steam, it’s still hard to say goodbye.

Harmonix announced that the last song they’d put out would be “American Pie” during the last week, and after nothing but Rock Band Blitz rereleases for a while, it seemed like that would be the last original track the game would ever see. But they shocked the world, or more likely me and a couple other dudes, when they announced “American Pie” would be just one part of the “So Long Pack,” a collection of long songs which is the most eclectic and exciting DLC for the series in a while… Maybe ever.

Enough dicking around it, here are the songs:

• Don McLean – “American Pie”
• Neil Yong – “Cowgirl in the Sand”
• Focus – “Hocus Pocus”
• Television – “Marquee Moon”
• Guns N’ Roses – “Paradise City”
• Black Sabbath – “Warning”

This is awesome. I know John and I have always wanted “Hocus Pocus” in the game, and even though I wouldn’t particularly call it a long song, I’m glad it squeaked in there under the wire. Check out the trailer after the break!

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I felt like we should acknowledge last night’s final episode of 30 Rock in some way, since we didn’t actually talk about it on our latest podcast and it seems like on our annual TV podcasts we usually tend be a little dismissive of this show.  Perhaps it’s been an easy show to take for granted since it’s been really the one comedy series that’s been consistently good over these past few years, even if it never quite reached the emotional highs of a show like Parks & Recreation.  But I can’t think of many shows that us here at Mildly Pleased have been loyal fans of for so long, or a show that’s provided us with so many references to slip into our everyday conversations.  I mean how could you not love a show that gave the world Janey Jorm-Jomp, Astronaut Mike Dexter, and “I Want To Go To There”?

For these reasons and more, I felt this weird sense of closure after last night’s episode of 30 Rock cut to black, almost like a certain phase of my life had just come to an end or something.  I think it has to do with the fact that despite being an avid TV fan, there haven’t been too many series that I’ve gotten into from nearly the beginning and stuck with all the way through.  I mean the last big series finale I can remember watching live was the Friends finale, but even that was a show that I mostly became acquainted with through reruns.  30 Rock on the other hand was a show that I watched a few episodes of in its first season, and then as it really started to come into it’s own in season two, I was an unabashed fan.  And then I kept with it for the remaining seasons, most of which comprised of my college years, and thus helped me get through that part of my life in the only way I would ever want to, with laughter.

On our recent Series Finales podcast, I think we brought up the fact that a series finale should be able to sum up what made a show so enduring while also (especially in sitcoms) giving the audience a heartfelt farewell.  I think 30 Rock‘s finale did a pretty spot on job of both of these, as it reminded us of the vitality of the Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy dynamic, as well as what TGS has meant to this always reliable comedic ensemble.  But on top of that it’s just filled with the kind of off-the-wall gags that no show but 30 Rock could ever pull off so well.  And it even managed to fit in a few more stabs at network television on its way out, with a scene that includes a list of the No-No’s of creating a hit show, which include “Shows About Shows”, “Justin Bartha”, and “Quality”.

As for 30 Rock as a whole, I think it’ll be remembered as the show that managed to pack as many absurd, wacky-as-hell, and often obscure jokes in to a scene as possible.  Whereas a lot of shows in these last few years have used the single camera format as a way of making the half-hour comedy more respectable, 30 Rock in a lot of ways tried to do the opposite, by making itself one of the silliest but also one of the undeniably funniest shows on television.  I don’t know if 30 Rock was ever quite a landmark show, but it was certainly one that provided you with characters that no matter how quirky or self-centered they occasionally seemed, could always provide you with a laugh as well as some weirdly profound riff on what makes this crazy mixed-up world tick.

I wasn’t sold on smartphones until the iPhone came out. Even then, I waited a full year, until the rise of the app store and the release of the iPhone 3G, to ditch my RAZR and step into the new world. I loved it. My iPhone 3G was an amazing device, and while I was initially impressed with things like visual voicemail and having a real web browser, the real fun came as the app store really took off. I felt like I never had an excuse to be bored again, so amazing this device was. And then two years passed and I sold it to my friend on the cheap so I could get an iPhone 4.

I lined up to get an iPhone 4 on launch day, back before we knew about the weird antenna problems and that the white version wouldn’t be available for like six months. I didn’t even tell anybody about my plan, which made for an exciting moment when I had to get my dad’s consent to upgrade (since we’re on a family plan). That 7 a.m. call was pretty terrifying, since if no one had answered, all of it would have been a waste. Fortunately, he picked up, I got the phone, and I have used it every day for the past two and a half years. It’s a great little computer.

With most tech, the best advice on buying is “wait until you need it.” Yes, that new MacBook may be a lot better than your old one, but do you need it? Of course, my definition of need is a bit skewed compared to the average person, but that doesn’t mean I don’t believe in this rule. Phones are an exception to this rule, though. Most providers give you an opportunity to upgrade after a certain amount of time, and I say take it. If it’s something you’re going to use everyday, and in an industry with so much innovation, treat yourself. My iPhone 4 will still be here, as a testing ground for iOS apps and as my MP3 player of choice.

So I began trying to decide what phone to get. The obvious first choice is the iPhone 5, but there was also the Samsung Galaxy S III, an Android phone, and the Nokia Lumia 920, the flagship Windows Phone 8 cell. I look at the iPhone 5, and I’m just not that excited. What has changed in the two iterations between my iPhone and the new one? Well, there’s Siri now, but I don’t understand why I would ever use that. And the iPhone 5 is longer, it looks like it got stretched out. On the software side, iOS is basically the same as it’s always been, except the Maps app is apparently way worse (don’t really use it myself). Apple’s products are so popular and industry-standard, I feel like they are afraid to do anything new and exciting. Now the iPhone is the safe bet, the easy choice. The boring choice.

On the other hand, the Lumia 920. Nokia, always a great phone manufacturer, has been struggling in recent years. They made a big bet on the Lumia 920 and Windows Phone 8, the stakes are actually high. With Android and iOS dominating the smartphone market, Microsoft is desperate to carve out a share for themselves and this Windows Phone 8 is the harbinger of that movement. As someone who cares about UI, I’ve always been a big fan of Microsoft’s Modern (formerly Metro) style, and I think it is way more exciting and intuitive than iOS.

I’ve been using Windows 8 since the weekend it came out, and I don’t get why so many people are complaining about it. Most people claim to have a problem with the Start Screen, but find it fine as a neat Start Menu replacement. I spend most of my time on the desktop, which feels a lot like Windows 8, maybe a little better. There certainly are problems, like weird redundancies and inconsistencies between the two environments, and ultimately it feels like a half measure between a brand new approach to Windows and a desire not to alienate anyone. But at least it feels new. I got Mac OS X Mountain Lion when it came out and at this point I’ve forgotten what it changed. Yet everyone loves Mountain Lion and hates Windows 8.

Well, I’m tired of this new Apple that’s afraid to change anything. While Microsoft is out here changing everything, Apple is introducing an iPad that’s slightly smaller than the real iPad and slightly bigger than an iPod Touch. I’m going to go with Microsoft on this one. Now, sure I admit that this is me being a crazy person. And if anyone asked me what smartphone to get, I’d tell them to get the iPhone 5. I’m pretty sure the iPhone 5 is the best phone in the world right now.

But I’m going with something that gets me excited about my phone again. I preordered the Lumia 920 last week and my shipment got delayed, it’s supposed to show up tomorrow. I’m pumped, can’t wait for the weekend to be over. It’s something wholly new, and it sounds like it’s one hell of a phone, too. I hope I like it, cause I’m going to be stuck with it for a while. And if I don’t, at least I’ll have another post to write. And I can’t wait for how excited I’ll be to upgrade to an iPhone 6 in two years.

Now if you’re asking why I didn’t pick the Galaxy S III, well… I don’t like Android. For no reason.

As the official MildlyPleased.com Star Wars Correspondent, I’m here to give you my take on the madness.

Now that I’ve had a few hours to try to process this, I can safely say this is the biggest development in the entertainment world in my lifetime. It still feels fake.

It came out of nowhere. All of a sudden I wake up, and someone posts it on Facebook. I click the link, it’s a press release. It looks legit, but it doesn’t sound legit. I tune in to the entire 45 minute conference call, listening to the technical financial jargon and all the big wigs at Disney talking about how this is their latest move to become the ultimate authority on literally all intellectual property that anyone cares about.

My first reaction was a cringe. For some reason, Disney has a negative connotation with me. I don’t know why. Maybe I just think, “That shit’s for babies. Babies suck.” But then I remember Disney owns Marvel. Marvel doesn’t feel like Disney. Disney owns Pixar. I’ve loved like 90 percent of what Pixar’s accomplished in the last 20 years.

But Star Wars? Star Wars is literally my favorite thing ever. I love it so much I was blinded for years, trying to convince myself that the prequels had any redeeming qualities. And now Disney? The Mouse has control of my favorite franchise? To quote Double Rainbow guy…What does it mean?

I guess for me it boils down to the projects are now out of the hands of Lucas. I like the fact that he’s still a “creative director”. There’s nothing wrong with that. The universe was built in his mind. The only reason the prequels sucked were because while he has a talented imagination, his laziness in the execution of those films was so transparent and his power was so great that no one could question him. He’s now out of the directors chair and more importantly out of the screen writers chair.

While I’m excited in the possibilities by looking at what Disney has seemed to do with Marvel in a hands-off approach, for some reason the biggest thing I fear is some kind of demented, incestual Boned Wars themed episodes that are continuously made until I drown in my own vomit.

I would rather watch Episode I a thousand times than subject myself to just the opening credits of Boned Wars one more time in my entire life. That piece of shit is so wretched, it’s literally unforgivable. That’s what I think people fear. They hear the word “Disney” and they think babies. Remember, babies suck! They like stupid shit.

As long as I can convince myself that Disney is a gigantic corporation full of smart people that want to save the franchise from the last 20 years of depressing tales, I think I can stay cautiously optimistic. Until more details surface, we’ll just have to wait and see.

We have a vested interest in this, but I think you should check out the new trailer for the latest movie from the Otteni brothers, Squatch.

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