Sex In The City 2 in Theaters Friday..Im so Excited!!!

I am so excited that Carrie and the girls are back!! I am a huge Sex in The City fan. I started watching the show for the fashion, but once I actually sat down and started to pay attention to the characters and their lives, I became hooked. If you haven't had a chance to watch the show order the dvd's from amazon.com (they are amazingly cheap)you will see why everyone is in love with this show. For some women the show reminds them of their relationships with their friends and the men in their lives. Being that I don't have any friends, I watch it because I can identify with Carrie and Samantha the most. Carrie's love for fashion and being down-to-earth and Samantha's bluntness about sex and life period are traits that I can identify with. I'm glad that everyone got their happy ending, but some are saying that the 2 movies are just milking the series. I personally always thought that Standford and Anthony were going to get together. Just like in life sometimes the person you cant stand is the one you wind up falling in love with. I cant wait to go see this in theaters.

Congrats to the Chicago Blackhawks!!

The Chicago Blackhawks have made it to the Stanley Cup. They are fighting for the Stanley Cup against the Philadelphia Flyers. There is a huge rivalry in my house right now because of course as a Chicagoan Im going with the Blackhawks. My s/o being from Philly is going with the Flyers. Im not a hockey fan per-se but when my city is involved in something that deals with sports, I have to stand behind it. So Go Blackhawks Go! Good thing about this whole championship is that no matter who wins or looses my house will feel better about the game, lol.

GameStop Finally Values Its Customers with Updated Reward Program

Finally GameStop has done something that tells us they value their customers. If you are a frequent Game Stop customer then you already know about the Edge Card. Well Game Stop has updated that program and made it 10 times better. I introduce to you the Power Up Rewards card. There are 2 levels to this card. The free card and the Pro card (which retails for 14.99). Which coincedently is the same price you pay for the original Edge Card. The difference between the 2 is that you get what you pay for and you get more. For example, on the Pro card you get a welcome deal of buy 2 used games and get 1 for free. The same 10% off a used game and trade in credit are the same. Funny thing about this new rewards system is that you earn 20 points per dollar on trade ins, used games, accesories and consoles (if you use my Amazon.com Trade In tip you will be basking in the glow of your rewards in no time). So if you only go there for trade ins to buy new used games, this is an excellent deal. You receive 10 points per dollar for buying new games. What can you trade in your points for? Gamestop Giftcards and merchandise. Xbox Live and Netflix Subscriptions, Restaurant and movies rewards and many more. Go to http://poweruprewards.com/Home/Benefits for more details.

Slow Week..

Sorry about the lack of posts. I had to make sure that all of my Final papers in my classes have been turned in. Yes, I'm a college student (bet, you didn't know that). Due to lack of sleep and concentration, I havent been able to focus on anything but school. Good news is that next week I'm free (Yay!!!). I can relax and concentrate on my favorite pastimes (sports, video games, and shopping). Next week I'll be commenting on the BlackHawks going to the Stanley Cup, and the Celtics chances in the playoffs. Next week is a huge sports week!!



XOXOXOXOXOXO

D.Fenix

Game Review: Conan

GGG Overall Review: 7
Replayablity: 3
Ease of Achievements: 4
Multiplayer Rating: 0

This game annoyed me to no end. It annoyed me so much that I didnt even finish it. Meaning that I played on the easiest difficulty and I became so upset with the game that I didnt finish it on the easiest difficulty. But, despite all of that this was really a fun game. Its sort of a hack and slash type of game. All of the achievements are campaign based. There are 4 difficulties that I believe you can play on. Playing this game more than once will help you to get the achievements that are based on how many types of execution kills you have. As you play through the game you collect red ruins that you can use to buy special kill executions. When you master a whole set (which I also believe there are 4 sets of ways that you can execute someone while your fighting), you will get an achievement. This game is really fun, even though I became hugely frustrated. Its a great game to play if you need to release some frustration. You just basically run around killing people as Conan, and rescue naked women that are being held hostage. So..if you have children this is a game that you should play after they go to bed. The women also mildly try to solicit sex from Conan. So, Im quite sure that most men already enjoy this game. The naked women became repetitive after awhile. I started to actually overlook them the more I played. The storyline is interesting enough to keep you playing and the interesting ways that you can kill people are just that.......interesting. Im sure that the higher the difficulty, gameplay will be much harder.



There is no multiplayer for this game, which I think is a good thing. It would take too much away from the storyline. Not just that..how would they even be able to fit multiplayer options into a game like this? As always if you want a guide to help you get a 1000G's in this game head on over to xbox360achievements.org. The Amazon.com price for this game as of today is: NEW- $9.01....USED- $2.60

PROS
Fun hack and slash gameplay
Great storyline
Interesting ways to kill people
Naked women (I knew some people would enjoy that, lol)
Achievements are story based

CONS
Some of the battles are very, very, very hard

GGG Music: Mayer Hawthorne- I Wish It Would Rain

Every now and then you'll hear a song that will just blow you away and make you re-evaluate your musical choices. WELL..Ladies and Gents I introduce to your Mayer Hawthorne. I love this song not just for its old-school laid back soul, but because its arrangement is so simple but also complex. Its a HUGE break from most of the OTHER things on the radio. Music now has become so watered down that I refuse to listen to the radio. Music now has no substance and everyone is either rapping, singing, or auto-tuning about the same thing. What happened to men singing about love songs, feeling genuine pain from a breakup, or any of the natural things that happen during a relationship. Women are disrespected so much that our children are growing up disrespecting all of the men, women, and elders in their lives. People can take a lesson from Mayer Hawthorne. Simple is better. I happen to like Mayer Hawthorne because even though he looks like a nerd (which I think is his image)he's very in-tune with his audience. So check out his cd A Simple Arrangement. There are alot of gems on the cd. BUT I will let you take a listen for decide which ones you like best. Mayer Hawthorne has the GGG stamp of approval.

Happy Mother's Day To Me

I know that I'm like a week late, but I wanted to say a belated Happy Mother's Day to every mother, woman that aspired to be a mother and women who are helping to raise children that are not their own. The happiest time of my life have been spent with my children. There are many words to describe many things. I cannot find just one word to describe what being a mother feels like. From the day that both my boys were born, I never truly knew what genuine love was...until I looked at them. My sons are my children, my best friends (especially when the Wonder Pets or Noggin is on, lol), and the loves of my life. So to all women who not sure if they think that motherhood is for them I say this. Imagine that you have met someone that gives you total unconditional love. Imagine that when your having a crappy day this same person can smile or give you an unexpected surprise that you never expected. Or how about that this same person can strive you to do things that you never could achieve. That's what being a mother means to me.

Jeremy Scott Mickey Mouse Adidas Sneakers..

Jeremy Scott has released a Mickey Mouse Edition to his line of Adidas shoes. I love these shoes and eventually I will own them. They are soooo cute!! They are different and will attract alot of attention. I believe these shoes were made only for men. So ladies if you want a pair these, you will have to convert your size to a men's size. Most likely I will get these when I get my Dooney & Bourke Disney Tassle bag (scroll down and see it).Last Ive heard these shoeshave been released in Japan, but they have not been released in the US. There are some on ebay, but I refuse to pay 300+ on a sneaker. Handbag yes, but not a shoe I can scuff and mess up.

May & June 2010 Xbox 360 Upcoming Game Releases

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands-May 18, 2010

Alan Wake (Limited Collector's Edition)-May 18, 2010

Attack of the Movies 3D-May 18, 2010

Alan Wake-May 18, 2010

Shrek Forever After-May 18, 2010

Red Dead Redemption-May 18, 2010

Split/Second-May 18, 2010

UFC Undisputed 2010-May 25, 2010

Backyard Sports: Sandlot Sluggers-May 25, 2010

Sniper: Ghost Warrior-May 25, 2010

Blur-May 25, 2010

Ben 10 Alien Force: The Rise of Hex-May 30, 2010

Puzzle Chronicles-May 30, 2010

MorphX-Jun 01, 2010

Pure Futbol-Jun 01, 2010

Alpha Protocol-Jun 01, 2010

Backbreaker-Jun 01, 2010

Bass Pro Shops: The Hunt-Jun 01, 2010

Superstars V8 Racing-Jun 01, 2010

Snoopy: WWI Flying Ace-Jun 02, 2010

Naughty Bear-Jun 08, 2010

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11-Jun 08, 2010

Green Day: Rock Band Plus-Jun 08, 2010

Call Of Duty: The War Collection Activision Jun 08, 2010

Green Day: Rock Band-Jun 08, 2010

Toy Story 3: The Video Game-Jun 15, 2010

Naval Assault: The Killing Tide-Jun 15, 2010

Transformers: War for Cybertron-Jun 22, 2010

Field & Stream: Total Outdoorsman Challenge-Jun 22, 2010

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Collector's Edition)-Jun 29, 2010

APB Realtime-Jun 29, 2010

Singularity-Jun 29, 2010

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4-Jun 29, 2010

Front Mission Evolved-Jun 29, 2010

Spearfishing-Jun 30, 2010

Metalocalypse: Dethgame-Jun 30, 2010

Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter-Jun 30, 2010

Puzzle Quest-Jun 30, 2010

Deadliest Warrior: The Game-Jun 30, 2010

Risk: Factions-Jun 30, 2010

Dream Chronicles-Jun 30, 2010

Dead Rising: Case Zero-Jun 30, 2010

Super Meat Boy-Jun 30, 2010

Blazin Balls-Jun 30, 2010

JoyJoy-Jun 30, 2010

Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge -- Special Edition-Jun 30, 2010

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Decade Duels-Jun 30, 2010

Unbound Saga-Jun 30, 2010

Red Dead Redemption: Outlaws To The End-Jun 30, 2010

3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures 2-Jun 30, 2010

Space Ark Strawdog-un 30, 2010

Blacklight: Tango Down-Jun 30, 2010

Olu-Jun 30, 2010

Grapple Buggy-Jun 30, 2010

Tecmo Bowl Throwback-Jun 30, 2010

Glam: Dooney & Bourke Disney Tassel Handbag

I just love, love, love this bag. Sure a $180 + taxes is alot to spend on a handbag for some people, but this handbag is too cute to pass up. The kid in me loves this bag because of the colors and all the detail. Plus, who doesn't love Mickey & Minnie Mouse, Dumbo, Cinderella, Donald, and Goofy? The adult in me loves the bag because it is sure to be a rare collectors item as they are selling like hot cakes. This bag is sure to attract the attention of anyone who is carrying it. I'm know that I'm getting ahead of myself so let me back up. Disney signed an exclusive contract with Dooney & Bourke to design Disney handbags, wristlets, and tote bags that are available only on DisneyStore.com (they are all sold out on the totes and handbags), Disney Cruise Line, and Disney Parks. Each bag is unique because of the way the fabric is put on each bag. There are many handbags to choose from. Unless you can catch a quick flight to a Disney Theme Park or catch a cruise on the Disney Cruise Line, Ebay would be your best bet. Be prepared to pay over the regular price though. If you don't care about that, by all means go for it. I am in love with the one above, but here are pics of all the bags.

Game Review: Shrek The Third

GGG Overall Review: 5
Replayablity: 2
Ease of Achievements: 8
Multiplayer Rating: 0

Being that the final installment of the Shrek series is about to hit theaters this month, I decided to post what is probably the best Shrek game (that is until the newest Shrek game comes out in a few weeks). This is a quick game to get easy achievements, or if you have kids to spend some QT time with your kids. It is a kid's game, but the game play is so fun that adults will like it too. As you play through this game you get to fight as Shrek, Donkey, Fiona, Puss, and Sleeping Beauty. Each has their own finishing move. As you play through the game you get in-game coins that you can use in the gift shop. In the gift shop you can buy multiplayer games (even though there are no multiplayer settings). Each outfit that you buy for each character gives them additional strengths and fairy dust bonus's. There are 3 setting for this game. Normal, Charming, and Grim. Each has their own set of achievements for completing each difficulty. Also in the gift shop are the option of buying character commentary. This is a great game that will satisfy the kid in all of us. I mean its a kids game its not supposed to be perfect. As of today, the Amazon.com price for this game is as follows: NEW- $2.99 and USED-$2.75. If you need any help with getting 1000G's in this game, head over to xboxachievements.org.



Here are the pros and cons to this game:

Pros
Fun game
Great game to play with your kids
Easy Achievements

Cons
No multiplayer

RIP Lena Horne

Yesterday on Mother's Day coincidentally, we lost a legend. Most people my age only know Lena's image. They know nothing about her achievements as an African American woman. I remember seeing Lena Horne as little girl on Sesame Street. This is what I remember seeing...


This song made me cry. All I could think about was how beautiful the song was because Lena's voice captivated me as a little girl. Something about her voice was soothing, perfect, and sultry. She actually taught me that all colors are okay, and that every color is beautiful no matter what their struggles are. Lena taught me this realization at the age of 3. It wasn't until I was 6 that I remember seeing Lena on The Cosby Show. I remember how crazy Bill Cosby's character was about Lena. Now that I'm older I know what Lena's real importance was. She was the first African American women to exude her lady like grace on the big screen, and she was a civil rights supporter. We will never see another Lena Horne...ever. Ive been hearing that there is talk that Oprah will be producing a Lena Horn biopic with Alicia Keys starring as Lena. Resemblance wise I can see that working. I just hope that she has the acting skills to pull that off. RIP Ms. Lena Horne, you will surely be missed.

Game Review: Trivial Pursuit

GGG Overall Review: 5
Replayablity: 3
Ease of Achievements: 8
Multiplayer Rating: 0

Nerdy, trivial geeks unite! If youre tired of all the same slasher, gun-toting, military, rock games that are on the market this game is perfect for you. I would recommend this game for someone who is new to the Xbox 360 game world, beginners, and people who want to entertain guests (party setting). Being that 1 vs 100 is on hiatus right now, this was the game I played to get my nerdy trivia fix. Some of the achievements are not the easiest to get so this is a challenging game. There are 2 or 3 that depend on sure luck, but they are obtainable. I guess if I had time I would have had them by now. Achievement whores should ONLY buy this game if they are interested soley in the achievements. I should warn everyone though the best way to enjoy this game is through the DLC. They have question pack in sports, movies, television (how I gained most of my achievements), and video games. Clear The Board, Classic Mode, and Facts & Friends are all the game types you can play. Clear The Board is the most challenging, and Facts and Friends is the most fun. The worst part of this game is that there is no XBL multiplayer. Which to me defeats the purpose. What good is knowing all these facts if we cant beat someone on Xbox Live? The only thing that involves Xbox Live for this game is to download your score on the leaderboards. Again, what good is this feature if I cant challenge someone who has a better score than I do? Bragging rights as a female gamer are VERY important. The absolute worst part of owning this game are the questions about foreign movies, television, etc. If your not from overseas this will hurt your chance of obtaining most of the in-a-row achievements. This is why I stress that buying DLC question packs are a must. Nothing is funnier than the stumped look on my s/o face when he is asked this question for the entertainment wedge: Where do the Golden Girls live? Answer: Miami, Fl. Your avatar is also in the game which is cool. My only wish is that they will re-do this game and add better features. If you want to take a shot at getting 1000G's in this game head over to xbox360achievements.org. As of today May 9th, here are the price listings for this game: New-$15.86 and Used: $12.29.



Pros
Great DLC questions
Good game for a party
XBL avatar in Facts and Friends mode

Cons
No XBL
Foreign questions ruin fun of the game

The State of Music Today..

As I was doing my homework today, I was listening to Mary J. Blige's classic My Life album. Just like most women, this album has gotten me through some of the best and worst times of my life(no pun intended). There is a hint of loneliness, sadness, desperation, and a yearning to be loved and acknowledged. Mary is a Capricorn just like me and our birthdays are like 2 or 3 days apart (which explains how I can understand what I hear in her voice, lol). Anyway, I observed something today about the state of music. What is that you ask? Music today sucks. Yes Im quite sure that you already knew that, but I mean it really really sucks. Sex was not as relevant, being a goon was not as important, and not every song was so much about getting money. Music was fun, and it made you want to dance. Puffy knew how to do one thing and that was make you dance. I just cant get into the Plies, Young Money (I like Drake, even though he looks like Sam the Eagle from the Muppets, lol), Young Jeezy, etc crowd. I remember when world premieres meant something. I remember gathering at my great-grandmother's house to watch the world premiere of Michael Jackson's Bad video like it was a movie. I remember every single holiday watching Motown 25. This went on for like 6 years straight. EVERY SINGLE HOLIDAY...We watched it so much that I imitated MJ and ran into my grandma's RCA tv which resulted in a painful trip to the ER. Im 27 years old and I would rather listen to V103(Chicago radio station) than WGCI (also Chicago radio station). Why? Old school songs are classic, timeless, and can take you back to certain places. I miss when I used to cut school to watch Making the Video on MTV to see the new Backstreet Boys or N'Sync video. Hey Im eclectic...dont judge, lmao. Or waiting to see who was going to be on TRL. BET set the standard back in the 80's and after Video Soul and Teen Summitt were taken off the air, BET has never been the same. I vowed to only look at BET for their award shows and thats it. Unless they are honoring artists of the past there is no reason to watch it. Im ashamed as a african american mother to let my son watch anything on BET. I want to raise a respectable, honest, hard-working african american man. Not a get money hoodlum. Im just as ashamed at BET as Bob Johnson's wife. Im ashamed at what has happened to the state of music. Maybe some day all this hoo-ha will go away and I can get to listening to quality music. I wont hold my breath waiting for it though.

Game Review: Army of Two: The 40th Day

GGG Overall Review: 7
Replayablity: 2
Ease of Achievements: 6
Multiplayer Rating: 2

Don't get me wrong, I love Elliot Salem and Tyson Rios. I actually liked the first Army of Two. That game really wasn't developed to its full potential, so I really didn't play it at all. But this time around they made a much better game. What I like about this game is that its not your average video game. There are moral choices in the game and like my granny used to say, " Every choice you make in life, has a consequence". If my great-grandmother was alive today I'm sure that she would love Army of Two:TFD. The great thing about the choices are that no matter what you choose, good or bad choices are awarded with achievements. But you will have to play 2 or 3 times to see them all. There are 3 levels: casual, normal, and Hardcore. Cool thing about the Hardcore difficulty, if you complete the game on that setting you will receive a 100G's. Trust me, its not as simple as it seems. I was up plenty of nights frustrated that I could not complete a level because of the stupid AI. Which I will talk about in a minute.



Completing this game for a full 1000G's is going to take time. If you don't have to use the AI...DON'T. It's more frustrating than you will ever know. This is one of those types of games that are good to play co-op. Meaning this is a game that you can play with your s/o and have some boo-loving time, lol. You can upgrade your weapons with in game cash that you will receive (I cant give away how you get the cash because then that would spoil the game play for you.) Any game that lets me put a pop can and a bayonet on a gun, is the game for me, lmao. The AI does really dumb things like stand in the middle of a gun fight. Aggro helps, but is not needed most of the time. If your the type of person who doesn't like disturbing images then this is NOT the game for you. There are going to be dead Chinese bodies located all over the game. The good part though is that you will be able to save hostages in the regular campaign and in the downloadble content and get achievements for them.



Now lets talk about the multiplayer....... A COMPLETE WASTE. I hated it..the only good thing about the multiplayer is that you can make your own custom mask, upload it to the game and get a 5G achievement for it. There is also an achievement for inviting a friend to a multplayer game. Of course they have to play the game with you in order for you to receive the achievement. The downloadble content should be passed up like a knockoff handbag. For a mere 800 MS points you can play through 2additional chapter's and not be credited for your achievements. You heard me right, this is something that EA is aware of but has not fixed since the launch of the downloable content in the middle of April. No they aren't refunding the points because of this error, and that grinds my gears. I couldve bought more songs for Rock Band and had a more enjoyable time. But overall I gave the game a GGG rating of 7. Ladies and Gents, if your a gamer on a budget, here's a secret tip that Ive learned. Amazon.com is a gamers best friend. You can save unbelievably in costs. They trump Gamestop hands down. As of today May 7th, the prices of this game are as follows: USED-$28.99..NEW-33.90. Shipping on most games are $3.99. For a complete guide of how to get 1000G's in this game go to xbox360achievements.org.

Here's a wrap-up to the pros and cons:

PROS
Excellent game to play with your S/O (good game for co-op)
Achievments aren't all that difficult to obtain
You get to upload your own custom masks and play with them in the campaign and in the multiplayer modes.
The head shots are amazing
Weapon customization
The storyline
The moral choices and their consequences

Cons
Horrible multiplayer
Downloable content is a ripoff
AI acts very stupid
Once you have bought everything for the weapon customization you will just be collecting money for nothing.