Tony Island Blog - Sane Thoughts for an Insane World

Welcome to my blog! On July 20, 2009, we'll be celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the first Moon landing. I thought it would be nice, every week, to highlight books, DVDs, etc. that capture those magical days of the Apollo moon missions. This week's entry is the highly recommended Tom Hanks' HBO production From the Earth to the Moon . This is a 12 hour miniseries covering the Apollo missions. I saw it when it was first released on DVD. I remember it being very well done (it was nominated for 17 Emmys, winning 3, including Best Mini-Series). I found it very emotional - for some reason, I'd get choked up watching it. I should watch it again soon... One thing to be aware of: HBO released this twice - once in 1998 as a four disc collector's edition and again in 2005 as a 5 disc Signature Edition. While the Signature edition's fifth disc does have some impressive featurettes (I have the original release so have not seen this disc), HBO remastered the episodes themse...

Welcome to my blog! Well, it's a long weekend here in the United States - the unofficial beginning of the summer season (which will end unofficially Labor Day weekend in September). Monday is Memorial Day - a national holiday we set aside to remember the dead, especially those who died in the armed forces serving our country, from major conflicts like World War II to anti-terrorist strikes in Afghanistan and peacekeeping in Iran. There is a White House Commission on Remembrance which is tasked as follows: "The White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance was established by Congress as an independent government agency. The Commission encourages Americans to honor the sacrifices of America’s fallen and the families they left behind. It promotes acts of remembrance throughout the year and asks Americans to pay our debt of gratitude in memory of our fallen by giving something back to the Nation.The Commission is also tasked to unite the country in the National Mom...

Welcome to my blog! I'm surprised at myself for not ranting about this much earlier! Am I the only one that thought the Star Wars "prequel" Trilogy was a bunch of bullshit? And that Lucas' continuing attempts at modifying the original Trilogy each time they are released is bullshit? I can't wait to read about his changes for the inevitable Blu Ray release - and when I say 'read about' I mean it as I won't be buying the films on Blu Ray. He butchers the original Trilogy with new SFX and changes sequences for whatever warped reason he has THEN has the gall to release the original films (untouched AND un-remastered for DVD) on yet another DVD release. All of this after saying he wouldn't even release the Star Wars series on DVD in the first place! My, what buckets of money does to change one's mind! I waited 28 years to see the final installment of Star Wars and what do I get? Crap. Layers and layers of it. It wasn't as bad as the first two pr...

Welcome to my blog! This post appeared in our sister blog Just Stamps . I thought it was a neat stamp for those of us who grew up with the original Star Wars saga. It's real postage that you can order using the links below. Enjoy! Here's the classic Star Wars logo that started it all over 30 years ago! Use this stamp to let everyone know you're a fan! Episode IV: A New Hope by starwars For more Star Wars stamps and merchandise, shop Star Wars's Gallery . Thanks for reading my blog and Follow this blog!

Welcome to my blog! I thought I'd share this piece of fiction I wrote for a high school English class. Edenville was a typical American town. As a matter of fact, towns like it were spread all across the globe... The meat clever floated effortlessly through the air to its destination. "No! Please, please, stop it!!" pleaded the officer. He moved backwards towards the wall, frantically waving his hands in front of him. "Nooooo......!!!!" The cleaver plunged into his chest. The lifeless mass slumped to the floor as blood spurted wildly, staining the surrounding furniture. Quint moved toward the body, laughing almost uncontrollably. He dipped his finger into the fresh blood and scrawled the words "devil’s domain" on the wall. He licked his finger clean and left. "The third mysterious murder of a police officer within the past two days continues to puzzle police. A police spokesman says detectives are working on the assumption that these recent murder...

Welcome to my blog! Stressed out? Worrying about your next date or the big presentation to your boss? Feeling low? Instead of running to the closest book-store to find a trendy self-help book, get MindHabits . Find relief at the click of a mouse. A video game that is actually good for you? Now, that's a concept! Based on social intelligence research conducted at McGill University, these stress busting, confidence boosting games use simple, fun-to-play exercises that help players develop and maintain a more positive state of mind. I downloaded the demo - it's pretty interesting. They explain each game's scientific basis. You can keep track of your progress with the Progress Tracker. Click on the banner below to check it out! Thanks for reading my blog and Follow this blog!

Welcome to my blog! As a child of the '60s/'70s/'80s, I was first exposed to Batman via the 1966 TV series starring Adam West and Burt Ward. I thought it was the greatest - a comic book come to life. Full of bright colors and colorful Bat-villains, the series never failed to entertain me - over and over again. I loved the addition of Batgirl in the third season and wished it had continued for a few more seasons. Watching it as an adult, the writing is clever and sharp. It's great! Even though I've seen the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher films and Chris Nolan's The Dark Knight (I haven't seen Batman Begins yet), the true "accessible" Batman will always be Adam West. I know the diehards detest the 1966 TV series, but it's their loss as the saying goes. So my question today is: Who's Your Batman? Which Batman do you connect with most? 1960s TV? 1980s movie series or 2000s movie series ... and why? Let us know by leaving your comments below! Thanks...