Rated R – 1h43

It’s not like the world was begging for a remake of the 1982 John Carpenter film, but in the world of sci-fi horror, it’s not a grave mistake to bring this pronoun of a story back.

The Thing (2011) is set in 1982. Confused yet? Graduate student Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is recruited by a Norwegian scientist for her necropsy skills to a base in the Antarctic. There she and a team of about a dozen recover an alien creature that’s been frozen in the ice. It comes back to life and possesses the power to morph into it’s victim to conceal it’s own identity. It’s a similar plotline to the 1982 version with some detail changes.

Note: The 1982 John Carpenter was a remake of a 1951 movie The Thing From Another World, which was also based on a short story.

There are a few fright factors that work in this movie. The toothy creature is quite gruesome and disgusting, but in a fun scary movie way. Since it also has the ability to hide itself within the group of survivors, paranoia drives the suspense.

One semi-intense moment involves a tooth check of the humans to determine if anyone has been body snatched. The imperfectness of the life and death test ratchets up the intensity mid way through and was enough to keep my interest going. There’s also a nice dark ending to look forward to.

Where The Thing doesn’t work, is how it all plays out. This is a run of the mill, scary things jump from the shadows movie. The little soldiers fall one by one, building up to a final showdown. The redeeming factor is that creepy aliens are sci-fi gold and it’s fun to watch these kind of scary movies.

Logically speaking, you could easily shred the movie. Why would the alien reveal itself one person at a time? Why would the alien have teeth like the Sarlacc Pit? Why does an Antarctic base have military grade flame throwers? That’s all beside the point.

This is more about a good run-for-your-life gore festival. So, was the remake necessary? No. Is it mindless escapism? Yes. More please.

Adele has a very unique voice and image in the music industry today.  Unfortunately her voice isn’t coming anywhere near for a while.

She’s canceled her upcoming U.S. tour due to a hemorrhage in her vocal chord.  Ouch!  Get better girl.  I wonder if too much rolling in the deep was the problem?

Apparently Justin Bieber fans are making it known that they do not tolerate any other musicians in the world.

Jazz singer/bassist Esperanza Spalding won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist on Sunday, beating out Bieber among others. That sent legions of Bieber fans into an online rage.

They changed her Wikipedia page and raged against her on Twitter:

“SHE IS F****** REATARD THAT NO ONE HAS HEARD OF SO B**** PLEASE DIE !”

“JUSTIN BIEBER DESERVED IT GO DIE IN A HOLE. WHO THE HECK ARE YOU ANYWAY?”

Jeesh, what happened to being a graceful loser.

Maybe it was the same people who were upset in 2008, when David Archuleta lost on American Idol?

American Idol Freakout

Hey Charlie Fans!

Unless you are a still-in-denial Bears fan, you are well aware that the Green Bay is going to the Super Bowl this weekend! Even if you mostly hate football (like me), there’s nothing to hate about having a really good excuse to drink beer, eat food, and party like a true Wisconsinite, because honestly, it’s been a really long time since we have been able to celebrate a Green and Gold trip to the Super Bowl.

How long, exactly? I’m glad you asked.   

The last time the Packers were in the Super Bowl:

*Titanic had just debuted in theatres, making about a bajillion dollars.

*There was no such thing as an Ipod, a text message, or a plasma screen TV.

*People were jamming out to that brand new, hit song “Barbie Girl.”

*Everyone was really concerned about how Monica Lewinski was performing at her internship.

*The Spice Girls were not only relevant…they were actually popular. So was Hanson.

*Computers looked like this:

*Cell phones looked like this:

*And the Internet looked like this:

Hopefully this post has not only made you feel incredibly old, but showed you that it’s ok to get more than a little rowdy this weekend, because it’s been a looooooong time since the Packers were in the Super Bowl, and the wait is finally over!

And if you think that the Party Patrol would miss a good Packer Party, you are so wrong. We will be out and about on Sunday afternoon handing out Green and Gold Cupcakes from Cupcakes-a-Go-Go, prizes from Bud Light, and Charlie FM schwag. Be sure to check out Facebook for live updates from Chip and Amanda on the big day! GO PACK GO!

Cousin Adam reviews the new action remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson film; The Mechanic.

Today’s the day where we might find out which is mightier…Man or Machine.

An IBM super computer named “Watson” is playing a practice round today against Ken Jennings, who won a record 74 consecutive “Jeopardy!” games in 2004-05, and Brad Rutter, who won a record of nearly $3.3 million in prize money.

They got over the hurdle that the computer couldn’t hit the buzzer like a human. ‘Jeopardy!’ felt that in order for the game to be as fair as possible, just as a human has to physically hit a buzzer, the system also would have to do that,” IBM spokeswoman Jennifer McTighe said. “Now Watson has its own real buzzer.”

A real contest among the three, to be televised Feb. 14-16, also will be played at IBM, but the date hasn’t been made public.

Here’s one of Ken’s more famous bloopers….

For me, Wednesdays in the summer always meant one thing: Gas! Not the “Ewwwww” kind of gas! I’m talking about Charlie FM’s free gas giveaway every Wednesday at Stop-and-Go locations in the Madison area. Now that the summer has ended, here are my top 5 favorite summer Stop-and-Go memories:

5.  One of our Party Patrol employees saw our giant Stop-and-Go soda mugs and thought like a true Madison college student (If they can hold soda, they can also hold beer…). I’ve heard his 8 roommates all use giant Stop-And-Go mugs on Badger Saturdays, but those are just rumors, right?

4. When you go out to gas stations, seeing dogs is inevitable. However, one week we stopped a little girl and her mom to give them free prizes when we noticed a lizard clinging to the girls shoulder! “This is my Gecko! Wanna pet him!?!” she squeeled.  Not at all what we were expecting!

3. Exuberance is always welcomed when it comes to Party Patrol! One woman apparently mistook me for Ryan Seacrest, as she proceeded to loudly sing her own (very catchy) “I Got Free Gas From Charlie FM!!” song. Go to our previous blog posts to see this songstress in action!

2. Me: “Just for filling up today, I have a free gift certificate to Stop-and-Go
Old Man: “I’m not at a Stop-and-Go!”
Me: “Umm, I think you are. Would you like a free gift card?”
Old Man: “I’M NOT AT A STOP AND GO!”

1. When we gave one man a Free Gas Card, as soon as he walked into the gas station the Party Patrol girls looked at each other and exclaimed, “That guy looked EXACTLY like Morgan Freeman!!!” The best part? On his way out, we got him to do a voice recording, so if there is ever a Planet Earth episode about Charlie FM, we’ve got it covered!

Sadly, summer has ended and the giant soda mugs have gone away just like long nights at the Terrace.  But don’t be sad, Charlie lovers!  Our fall Stop-and-Go season means we have coffee mugs of all shapes, sizes, and fabulous colors to hold all your favorite warm beverages. And of course, we are still giving away gift cards for free gas and snacks at Stop-and-Go.

Check out our Facebook page for hints to the next Stop-and-Go location we will be Party Patroling. And be memorable!!!

Hey guys! Hil-Dawg here!

By far, my favorite experiences this summer have been when people from the community invite the Party Patrol to, well, patrol their parties! Two times this summer, I have been there when fans of Charlie FM have requested that the Party Patrol stop by their backyard parties to hang out, play games, and eat! Ok, I get that they are also motivated by the promise of free prizes and schwag, but every single time, fun has been had by both party patrons and Party Patrol members alike.

Once this summer, Coach Mike and I got the chance to go to a family reunion held at a backyard in Sun Prairie. This reunion, however, wasn’t just your standard cookout where the only entertainment is waiting for your crazy uncle to get drunk and pass out in his lawn chair. This was one epic family reunion. There were lawn games, a pool, a trampoline, T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase “I’m Moms favorite,” and plenty of food to go around. To top it all off, they had the Party Patrol to spice things up that much more. After daring a brave young man to jump in the pool with his clothes on, we gave the winning team of lawn toss an awesome prize, and I even got to show off my ex-poms girl moves in the trampoline. After we left the event that day, I remember thinking, “Jeez! These people know how to throw a party!”

Just recently, another family in Stoughton requested the Party Patrol to come to their apartment complex cookout. Expecting to see a grill and a few families hanging out, no one was more surprised than me when over 30 little kids bombarded me and the Charlie Horse the second that we arrived. Between the Bouncy Castle, the magician, and the homemade cotton candy, I’m pretty sure this was the backyard party of every 6 year olds dream. Not only that, but the families were awesome and made sure that 2 hungry Party Patrol girls (and 1 very hungry horse) didn’t leave without a full stomach. I couldn’t imagine a more fun apartment complex to live in – especially if you’re a kid!

When I look back on both of these events, its clear to see why these were the highlight of my summer. These groups of people didn’t just invite the Party Patrol for free goodies – they made us a part of their families for the hour or two we were lucky enough to be there. Getting to know the awesome people in the community is why I love being on the Party Patrol…….and ok, getting paid to jump on a trampoline doesn’t hurt either.

- Hil-Dawg

Here’s the deal: Till last week, Steve Slater was a little-known flight attendant on JetBlue, the American low-cost carrier. Then he publicly dissed a passenger and became an overnight Internet sensation and cult hero…

The incident enraged Slater enough to abuse the passenger over the public address system, declare he’d “had it” after 20 years in the business, activate the emergency chute and slide down to the tarmac, pausing only to grab a beer from the drinks trolley. Then he walked to the car park and drove home…

Soo, we decided to do a reenactment with the Charlie Horse. Check it out!



Hey Guys! You HAVE to check out this awesome video of the Charlie Party Patrol’s favorite moments of the summer 2010!

We had a great time going to little league games, ultimate Frisbee and sand volleyball tournaments, festivals and parades, and hot spots all over the Madison area.  We took the Charlie Horse with us, played trivia games and had hula hooping competitions to win some sweet Charlie schwag.  Take a look…