ONLINE TV SERIES

EYE SHIELD 21

2011-09-09T11:45:00.000+08:00

Title:

Eyeshield 21 (US)
Aishirudo Nijuichi (Japan)

Author and Artist:

Author: Riichiro Inagaki
Artist: Yusuke Murata

About The Manga:

Originally serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in Japan, The first 25 volumes of Eyeshield 21 racked up graphic novel sales in excess of 16 million copies, and is the most popular manga series about American football published to date.

It has inspired an animated movie and TV series as well as video games and trading cards. The Eyeshield 21 anime series is now available online on Toonami Jetstream.

Eyeshield 21 is also credited with doubling the amount of Japanese teens playing American football over four years.

About the Author / Artist:

Riichiro Inagaki was born in 1976 in Tokyo, Japan.

Yusuke Murata was born July 3, 1978 in Miyagi, Japan. He won the 122th HopStep Award in 1995 with his story, Partner and won the 51th Akatsuka Award 2nd prize in 1998 with Samui Hanashi (Cold Words).

Story Summary:
Sena Kobayakawa has been picked on and forced to run errands for the bigger kids for years. But his time to shine arrives when he enrolls at Deimon High School and gets recruited for the football team. Apparently all those years of being a go-fer has trained Sena to be amazingly fast and agile, making him a perfect running back.

On his first day of high school, Sena meets the two team members of the Deimon Devil Bats: Ryokan, and Yoichi. Ryokan is a friendly guy who's big, strong and has an infectious enthusiasm for American football. Then there's Yoichi, the devious, scheming quarterback whose skills on the gridiron and knowledge of football strategy is sometimes overshadowed by his fondness for shooting off powerful weapons to convince others to see things his way.

Although both Ryokan and Yoichi are talented players, the Deimon Devil Bats are a woefully understaffed team, with only two full-timers and a ragtag bunch of miscellaneous athletes that Yoichi manages to blackmail, uhm, convince to play on their team on game day. Other teams write them off as disorganized losers who'll never get their act together enough to win. With Sena on their side, the Devil Bats finally have a chance to win (if they can ever teach him how to play the game).

Hoping to keep Sena's talents focused on the football team (and avoid losing him to rival teams or the Deimon High track or soccer teams), Yoichi suits up Sena with a tinted eyeshield to hide his identity and gives him a new alias: "Eyeshield 21." Can Sena's "golden legs" overcome his lack of knowledge of the game of football, and can this mismatched team turn their dreams into championship reality?

Main Characters

Sena Kobayakawa
Sena has always been a good-hearted person, but his meek nature means that the bigger kids often take advantage of him. Sena's life changes dramatically when he discovers that his innate speed and agility makes him a natural athlete for a sport he barely understands: American football.
Ryokan Kurita
Big-hearted and just plain big, Kurita is the wall of defense for the Devil Bats. With a head shaped like a chestnut ("kuri" = chestnut in Japanese), Kurita can be a little slow on the uptake, but his infectious enthusiasm for football inspires Sena to give the sport a try.

Yoichi Hiruma
Hiruma is the quarterback of the Deimon Devil Bats. A brilliant schemer who looks like a Rice Krispies elf gone bad, Hiruma has an endless supply of guns, explosives and a demon dog as well as access to embarrassing information about his classmates, which he shamelessly uses to "convince" people to see things his way.

Mamori Anezaki
Mamori is Sena's childhood friend who's also his upperclassman at Deimon High. She's very protective of Sena, but she somehow never figures out that he's really Eyeshield 21.
SYPNOSIS:
Poor, shrimpy Sena Kobayakawa: he's spent his entire school career being an errand boy for bullies. On his first day of high school, Sena's childhood friend Mamori says that he ought to make some real friends, and he does—in a very unexpected way. When the monstrous, chestnut-headed Kurita begs Sena to join the school's American football team (membership: two), Sena just can't say no. He figures that he won't have to play if he's the team manager, but when another incident causes Sena to dash through a crowd, team captain Hiruma discovers the secret of Sena's lightning-quick legs. Suddenly, Sena is the star of the team, and to hide his identity from rival schools, Sena has to wear a helmet with a tinted eyeshield! Can "Eyeshield 21" take his team to Japan's high-school championship game? More importantly, can Sena survive Hiruma's insane behavior?
REVIEW:
Oh, those crazy Japanese! What will they think of next? A manga about football—and not the one with the round, black-and-white ball, but the American game with the oval ball? There is no way this could work. It's not even a popular sport in Japan! How could they possibly create a manga about a sport that's so... American?

Believe it or not, Eyeshield 21 meets the challenge. And in doing so, it proves an essential truth: that with appealing characters, an entertaining story, and quality artwork, you can create great manga about anything. Even football.

No one's going to question the originality of Eyeshield 21's premise—how many other manga series are there about football?—but the sports genre is full of pitfalls when it comes to plot and structure. Anyone can write a story about a talented underdog hoping to take his team to the top, and writer Riichiro Inagaki tries to avoid predictability by adding some interesting turns and details. Sena's extraordinary speed doesn't just come out of nowhere, for example; it's the result of years running errands for school bullies. His complete ignorance of football also helps readers who are unfamiliar with the sport, as they'll be learning the rules of the game along with him. On a larger scale, though, this first volume is a typical sports story, and the outcome of Sena's first game is no surprise. What really pushes this series above average are its well-defined cast of characters and strong artwork.

It all starts with Sena—the archetypal shounen protagonist, perhaps, but one who steps into his role reluctantly at first. He may be an instantly likeable underdog, but he's also the polar opposite of those talkative, obnoxious, up-and-at-'em heroes that populate so many other series. In order to get Sena involved in football, it takes the maniacal efforts of Hiruma, and if his demonic face doesn't stick in your mind, then his antics will. Despite his sheer ruthlessness, it's hard not to laugh as Hiruma enthusiastically resorts to blackmail in recruiting students for the team. Fortunately, Sena's other teammate Kurita is a much nicer guy, but he's so kind-hearted and huge that if he ever gave Sena a hug, it would end the series because the main character would suffocate. Such striking characters make it easy to tell who's who, and even the supporting cast is memorable: you've got the guy who once stole the panties of the girls' swim team, the guy who kisses a poster of his favorite idol singer every morning, and a rival team ("The Cupids") that brings their girlfriends along to every game. Sadly, the one exception to this is Mamori, the lone girl in the cast; although she's Sena's childhood friend and potential love interest, she doesn't get enough face time to develop a real personality.

Anyone who's ever found actual American football boring (line up, pile up, repeat for two and a half hours) may change their minds after seeing the action sequences in Eyeshield 21. Sena's explosive takeoff as he dashes through the crowd in Chapter 1 is just the first among many other panels that fly off the page with their sense of motion. Manga-ka Yusuke Murata uses any number of artistic devices to capture Sena's speed: blurred outlines, exaggerated perspective, dense speedlines, and freeze-frame techniques. Watch out, too, for the panels where Sena visualizes his routes—it's a clever way of portraying what a star athlete might see on the field. Murata's imagination isn't just limited to action, however. His character designs are equally imaginative, and there's no confusing the three main characters: Sena with his small frame and spiky hair, lanky Hiruma with his demon-like appearance, and Kurita, whose immense size is a hilarious contrast to his simple face. And yes, Murata can draw girls, too, as proven by Mamori's effortless good looks.

Viz puts in a strong effort with their translation and adaptation of this manga. The lively, natural dialog matches the tone of the characters and story, with just the right balance between slang and formality. Although there may have been a strong temptation to "Americanize" this series, Japanese pop culture references stay exactly as they are, so if you don't know who Ai Kago is, you will by the end of this volume. Viz's handling of sound effects—which consists of replacing Japanese effects with their English equivalent—may still be abhorrent to some, but their sense of graphic design keeps on getting better. This time, the sounds blend in with the artwork so well that I didn't even realize the Japanese effects were absent until page 33. Viz also does a good job with the extras, keeping all "Bonus 21" pages that were in the original tankoubon, as well as a profile page with caricatures of the manga artists and staff.

Think about the 60,000 spectators at a typical American football game and ask yourself: how many of them are interested in comics, much less manga? Then think about the 20,000 attendees at a high-profile anime con and ask yourself: how many of them are interested in professional sports, much less football? There's probably not a whole lot of overlap, but if there's one thing that can bridge the gap, Eyeshield 21 might be it. Yes, there are readers out there who have no interest in sports manga and probably never will, but for curious fans who like to try new things, this is a series that promises plenty of thrills and laughs. In the immortal words of Hank Williams Jr.: Are you ready for some football?!

Fullmetal Alchemist - Episode 3 - Mother

2011-04-12T08:45:00.000+08:00

Ed and al are inside of a bookstore, and when al finds a book entiltled 'introduction to alchemy' it takes ed and al back to their childhood. When they start everything out, ed and al are over at winry's house making her a birthday present. when they start the alchemy, she starts to cry and den, her puppy starts to bark, they run over to her and that's where the story begins. when they are going home, they're talking to their mother, trisha elric, and they ask her if she's mad at them for doing alchemy. she tells them she's very proud of them. later that year, ed and al run up to her with little horse like things and show her them. al begins to tell her that his isn't nearly as good as ed's, and she says their both beautiful. when they then go over to winry's house, they are greeted to her and her grandmother, pinako crying. she then tells them that her parents are dead. ed and al walk home with sad looks on their faces as they see their mother walking into the house with a basket full of vegetables. they run into her arms and start to cry. yet another year later they could be found running to their house with baskets full of vegetables for their mother. ed opens the door to find their mother lying on the floor barely breathing. they run to her side crying out 'mom'. after she dies, the boys are devistated, and they attempt to bring her back, but the alchemy fails and takes ed's right leg, and al's entire body. ed cuts off his own arm to save his younger brother, he uses it in a transmutation to attatch his younger brothers soul to the suit of armour in the corner of their fathers work room. the seal that keeps al to the armour is made with ed's very own blood. (watch later episodes to find out more) al carries his brother over to winrys house, and says to them that ed will bleed to death if they don't help him soon. when ed tells pinako that he wants auto mail, she tells him that he's crazy, he also tells her that he wants to join the military, and she tells him that the military is brutal and makes you do things and kill people, but ed still protestes. while winry attatches the auto mail, ed refues to cry, because the pain is nothing compared to what his brother had to go through. when the finally get on their way to central city, before they left, they burnt down their house so that none of the memories of their mother would stay with them...

Fullmetal Alchemist - Episode 2 - Body of the Sanctioned

2011-04-12T08:42:00.000+08:00

SUMMARY:

Determined to find the Philosopher's stone, the Elric brothers confront Cornello in the church's secret basement. However, other followers of the Sun God burst in, and the two brothers are forced to escape. This freedom is short-lived as the devoted citizens surround and capture them. Al is captured by the statues of the Sun God that came to life because of Cornello's "miracles". Edward is caught and. In Depth: With the Philosopher's Stone given to him by Leto, Conero reassures Roze that he will be able to ressurect her dead boyfriend. Confident in his powers, Conero initiates a fight that he will regret. However, his followers arrive in time and force Ed and Al to retreat for the time being. While his followers pursure Ed and Al, the religious leader takes Roze to see her resurrected boyfriend only to find that it has all been a deception. Kain, Roze's boyfriend, is merely the body parts of birds. Meanwhile, Ed and Al have been cornered by the townspeople who are enfuriated by his attempt to kill the high priest. Claiming that the high priest's "miracles" were merely acts of alchemy, Ed and Al try to persuade the townspeople realize that Conero has been decieving them this entire time, but Roze appears and tells the towspeople that the high priest is really capable of miracles because Kain has come back to life. The mob is interrupted by walking statues of Leto undoubtly activated by Conero. The two are knocked out, but when Ed awakens, he is confronted by Conero. His medallion that is proof that he is a Nationally Certified Alchemist is snatched away from him and he is sent to a prison. Meanwhile, the high priest is stuck in a nightmare as a large red serpent sits poised ready to devour him. He awakens to find a woman dressed in black sitting in the shadows. Roze, wanting to confirm the truth behind the miracle, visits Kain only to find a large birdlike chimera in his place. In order decrease the number of people who know of the Stone, the Conero orders the chimera to kill Roze, but she is saved by Al. Conero visits Ed in prison, and his deception is exposed by a hidden microphone behind Ed's back. Shocked, Conero runs outside only to find the townspeople. In order to redeem himself, he activates the statues of Leto . Ed counters by placing one of the stone statues under his control. After using all of its power, the fate Philosopher's Stone cracks and liquifies. With this lead comming to an end, Ed and Al prepare to leave and move onto the next clue. Confronted by Roze, Ed tells her to stand up and walk forward under her own power and will. In other parts of the city, the townspeople search for the fake priest. Instead, they are met by the "real" priest back from his trip. To ease their suspicions and fears, he brings back to life the fallen birds scattered everywhere.

full metal alchemist - Episode 1 - Challenge the Sun

2011-04-12T08:38:00.002+08:00

SUMMARY:

It starts when Ed is making a transmutation circle and Al is looking at him a little worried.So then Ed says-ready? Al nods and both put there hands on the transmutation circle, then the transmutation circle starts glowing yellow, Ed is smiling and then the light turns purple.Things start to go in the circle and when everything finishes Al disapears and Ed losses his right arm and leg Ed screams, Winry hears him, she goes out of her house and say- that was Ed.Of course later he gets a metal arm and leg.And Ed seals Al?s soul in a suit of armor.Then both brothers are in the desert a little older Al is 13 and Ed 14 and Ed says to Al- I hate desserts, its just sand- and Ed sees that Al?s not there and he kneels and asks-Al where are you? and Al responds touching Ed?s foot and almost making Ed have a heart attack- I?m down here I sunk again- Ed pulls him out of the sand.And he asks-I don?t get why do you keep sinking? Al says- I get full - and Ed asks-full of what? while he?s kicking Al?s stomach and after that a pile of sand falls from Al?s body and covers Ed.Then Al moves slowly cuze he new that Ed would be real mad about that, so then Ed explodes out of the pile of sand and starts chasing Al like if he was crazy saying-stop Al - you stop- Al says- you first-.Later they get to a strange city.Ed was so thirsty that he heard water and went running to the fountin but it was a wierd water.He picks up the water with a cup and looks at it well and sighs then a man grabs Ed?s jacket and says-what are you doing?,you now that?s against the law- then they apear in the juice store drinking juice of course.Then a song starts to sound from the radio and everybody ?prays? to their ?sun god? and Ed says -thats freekish-the man says -your budy is an armor and your wereing gloves in a desert and your calling us freeks-then he stops talking and he asks-are you street perormers-Ed spits what he was drinking and says real mad - do I look like a clown to you pops?!!!-then Al stands and breaks the radio because he?s tall and made the juice stand move,the man said you broke it to 200 of pieces - a lot of people come along then Al says -i?m sorry i?l fix it- he makes a transmutation circle around the radio and fixes it and the people say -he?s a miracle maker just like Cornello and Ed says no nothing like that it?s alchemy then Lust apears(Lust is a humunculi) and she says yes he?s a real prodigy of child and is also known as the Fullmetal Alchemist and the people say -ohhh your called Fullmetal Alchemist becaus of that suit of armor you use-while ther?re knocking on it Al says-I?m not the fullmetal alchemist he is- a guy says -ohh that shorty over there- Ed gets mad and grabs two persons and starts spinning around to make them dizzy while he?s spinning he says-want to call me shorty call me half person- he said somethin like that.Lust goes and a girl named Rose comes and says -don?t mind me I woulden?t like to spoil all the fun-.that?s all I can remember sorry.hope it helped :)

Death Note - Season 2, Episode 19 - Visionary Deity

2011-04-11T09:12:00.000+08:00

A head-strong, bored shinigami approaches Ryuk, asking him about his time in the human world. Ryuk replies by telling his recollection of the battle between Kira and L, only to get half way through and find his guest gone, headed towards the portal.

Full Recap
The movie opens with a scene of the shinigami realm, the time some point after the Kira incident. A shinigami approaches others seen throughout the Death Note series demanding to know where the shinigami who did something in the human world is. This shinigami has glowing red eyes and jewel-like teal goggles on his skull forehead. He climbs a narrow stair to find Ryuk, who has changed some since his adventures in the human world.

When Ryuk asks why the other shinigami has come to him, the other replies that he has something for Ryuk, throwing him a shinigami realm apple. Looking at it, Ryuk states he likes ones more juicy before eating it anyway. The other shinigami states that he's bored and wants to go to the human world. Ryuk replies that the human world is boring; what entertained him was the man who tried to change the world. In payment for the apple, Ryuk decides to tell the other shinigami about the man who tried to change the world and become a God.

Light's voice states that someone must do it, that humans cannot continue on the same path they've always walked. The scene shifts into the human world and flashes of human cruelty flash by, some familiar, some not. This transitions into the opening of the movie, showing Light using the Death Note, justifying his clean up of the world. He will be the God of a new world.

Light Yagami sits at his desk in high school, looking out the window in boredom when he sees a black notebook fall from the sky. After class, curiosity gets the better of him and he retrieves it, walking into the shadows to do so. He reads over the rules on the inside and places it back on the ground, feeling his intelligence insulted. He walks away, but moments later returns, unable to stay away.

In the shinigami realm, Ryuk approaches the portal between the two worlds and falls into Japan on a dark and stormy night.

Light arrives home and greets his mother, who wants his exam results. He's scored the highest, as is customary for him. He goes to his room and pulls out the Death Note, looking over the pages and pages of names signifying those he's killed in the name of justice. His gloating his disturbed by a voice, which turns out to be Ryuk's. At first the boy is shocked to find the god of death in his room but he quickly assesses the situation and rolls with it. They test each other, each complimenting and offering insecurities in turn. An agreement has formed between them, one that binds a human with a Death Note to the Death Note's owner.

Ryuk explains that there are no costs to using the Death Note. The only mentionable is that when the time comes, he will write Light's name in his own Death Note. He explains that humans who use the Death Note can go to neither Heaven nor Hell.

The next scene is of Matsuda and Soichiro Yagami at the ICPO international conference debating what to do about the 52 heart attack deaths. They come to the conclusion that they must call L in. L is a detective who has solved every case he's worked, though he chooses which cases he takes on. A voice tells the skeptics that L has already started work on the investigation. The voice belongs to Watari, the only contact the police have to L.

At home, Light finds different websites dedicated to "Kira," the name the public has chosen to give to him. He takes relish in the fact that the world has acknowledged him. The TV program playing in the background is suddenly interrupted, a message from the ICPO is to be played. An airing of someone claiming to be L appears, his name clearly displayed as Lind L. Taylor. Arrogant, disregards what is said until "L" calls him evil. Offended, Light decides to kill "L," writing the name down in his Death Note. The man dies 40 seconds later. Light celebrates his 'victory,' only to discover that it was a trap set for him by the real L, who never believed the ploy would work. He challenges Kira to kill him and Light finds himself further degraded when he cannot do it. L has proved himself and issued a challenge to Kira. Both of them believe they are justice, but only one can prevail.

Some days later, Ryuk tips Light off that he's being followed. Having not noticed this before, Light is momentarily nervous, but is off and thinking after long.

Meanwhile, the Japanese Task Force meets L in person, surprised by his appearance. They introduce themselves by showing their badges and L tells them all that if he'd been Kira, they'd be dead. He warns them not to reveal their names and to call him Ryuzaki. In the month since the broadcast, 23 criminals died, at times when a student would be busy, but the damage has been done. L knows they're looking for a student. He knows the time of death can be programmed and that Kira hates to lose.

In Light's darkened bedroom, Ryuk asks him why he's not writing any names.

L draws out a map of events on the table, showing when the FBI agents, one of who had been following Light Yagami, died.

The scene shifts to the subway where Raye Penber is threatened by Kira. He has been provided with paper on which to write the names of those working with him. The train stops, Penber exits, and has a heart attack. He looks back to see Light Yagami, knowing he's been fooled. Light's method of having Penber kill his own colleagues by writing on Death Note paper.

Soichiro calls home to request a change of clothing and Light offers to take it over. Penber's fiancee, Naomi Misora, heads in the same direction, determined to share her insight on Kira's powers. She is apprehended by Light, who offers to hear her out in order to prevent information from reaching the wrong ears.

They introduce each other and Ryuk laughs at her name, Maki Shoko. They walk, sharing opinions on Kira's powers. It comes out that she was engaged to one of the FBI agents who were killed. Light is surprised by how much she's inferred from what little evidence he left behind and realizes he must get rid of her.

The Task Force meets Watari, a proper old gentleman.

Light tells Naomi that he thinks they should investigate her theory immediately. Tricking her into believing that he's writing down details, Light pulls out a piece of the Death Note and tries to kill her. When the moment passes and nothing happens, Light realizes something's wrong and almost panics. He realizes she's used a fake name and must now formulate a new plan. Ryuk's laughing when her name is mentioned gave it away. He lies to her, claiming to be on the Task Force, gaining her trust. He discovers that she worked with L before and invites her to join them, requesting her identification. She admits that she lied and produces a driver's license with her real name on it. After writing her cause of death, he reveals that he's Kira, completely destroying her.

L finds out that Naomi Misora came to headquarters and has been missing since. He doubts that she would commit suicide, jumping to the conclusion that Kira got to her. He orders an investigation of those Penber was following, including the Yagami household. Bugs are installed in the house and Light quickly picks up on the change. Ryuk speaks to him but is ignored. Soichiro and L watch, Light's father wonders why Light goes to such extremes to be warned if someone's been in his room and L reminds him that the boy is 17. After checking his clothing for bugs outside the house, Light explains what's happened to Ryuk, recruiting the shinigami to find the bugs and their range by threatening an embargo of apples.

While the families watch TV, L broadcasts a message declaring that 1500 investigators have been put on the Kira case to try and rouse a response from Kira. Light's response gets L thinking, suspecting. Light returns to his room with a bag of chips containing a miniature TV and proceeds to kill criminals while he does work. Ryuk experiences apple-withdrawal symptoms. L finds its suspicious that Light doesn't turn on the TV or computer, but, conveniently, his exams are approaching. Later, Watari reports that criminals reported that day died. Though Soichiro is convinced the families are cleared, L is not.

Later, Sakura TV broadcasts a message from "Kira," who proves his identity by killing off other stations' anchors live. After the first one, L declares that the broadcast must be halted. Ukita leaves in a rush when they are unable to contact the station by phone. The broadcast continues, the distorted voice speaking Kira's ideals in a compromised matter. Ukita reaches the station but before he can force entry, is killed by heart attack. The Task Force sees this and L prevents the rest from doing the same, guessing that Kira is watching the entrance to the station. Matsuda sees a bus barreling down on the station and the scene switches. Soichiro demands the broadcast be halted. Demegawa, the station head, tells him no. He does anyway and confiscates the tapes.

Light analyzes this impostor, content to sit back and wait a while longer. He can't let him keep doing what he's doing though. He needs to get on the investigation team. L wants the same.

Misa and Rem are introduced, the "Second Kira." Rem warns her she could be killed, but she is confident because she has the eyes.

L calls Light while the student is in a library, guiding him to a guarded theatre. L is sitting in the front row. He rises to greet Light, offering his left hand. After shaking hands, L uses a cloth to wipe his hand, offending Light. They sit to watch the second Kira's tapes and the police's response. Light is appalled at the amount of information the impostor drops, all the while observed by L. When prompted, Light says that he doesn't believe that the tapes are from Kira either.

Misa models for a photographer before collapsing for the day at home. Her shinigami, Rem, tells her how she received her Death Note. When a shinigami loves a human enough to kill for them and extend their life, the shinigami turns to dust. A shinigami named Jealous saved Misa when she was supposed to die, sacrificing his own life. Rem took his Death Note and gave it to the girl who caused its owner's death.

Misa approaches Light at his house, having figured out where he lived from his name alone. She offers him her Note; he touches it and sees Rem, confirming that she is the second Kira. He brings her inside and Light asks her how she found him. She replies that it was all because of the eyes. Those who have a Death Note don't show a lifespan to other humans. He worries that she will be caught by the police and that Kira's secrets will be revealed. Misa declares that she wants to be his girlfriend. He declines, saying that her fingerprints were on the tapes she sent. She argues that she had a friend did it for her, that she'd give him her Death Note. He states blandly that she could have removed pages. Misa leaps from the chair, declaring that she doesn't mind being used, that she only wants him to trust her. He asks why she's so desperate and she reveals that Kira killed the criminal that killed her parents, that she's thankful towards Kira for solving her predicament. Light rises and embraces her, saying that while he understands, he can't be her boyfriend, but he can pretend. This appeases her.

At school, Light walks with a college girlfriend, Kiyomi Takada. They see L on a park bench and Light encourages the girl to continue without him. L tells Light there's still a 5% chance he's Kira, that if he dies in the next few days it will be confirmed. Misa arrives, having had a shoot nearby. At first, Light believes this to be a disaster, but then realizes that she can see L's real name. Light's confidence soars, but L's demeanor unnerves him. It turns out that L's simply a fan of Misa-Misa. Having said this aloud, a crowd gathers around the girl, who is soon dragged off by her manager Yoshi. Light and L part and Light pulls out his phone to call Misa--only to find out that she has been arrested for being the second Kira.

Misa is held hostage, bound and blinded. Light wonders what to do and is approached by Rem, who has removed Misa's memories. She threatens to kill him if he doesn't save her. Light agrees to be held as well, to remove all suspicion on him and Misa. During the imprisonment, L wonders if he's correct in his assumptions, considering the actions taken don't represent Kira's way of thinking. Light discards his ownership of the Death Note, losing his memories and evil demeanor. He begs to be released, having realized that he's not Kira. L talks to Misa, asking why she's been imprisoned. She believes it is because she's an idol. Matsuda bursts in, declaring that ignored criminals are suddenly dying.

Light and Misa have both been released, but are confined to the Task Force building. Light is handcuffed to L 24/7. L reveals that he's rather depressed that his assumptions were wrong and Light punches him, annoyed at the pathetic reason. This sparks a fight. L lashes out with his feet, sending Light flying in the opposite direction, declaring 'an eye for an eye.' Misa looks on, unsure what to do. L admits that he wanted Light to be Kira and another round of blows are exchanged. Matsuda calls to interrupt them and L quickly hands up on him.

Still handcuffed together, Light requests L look at something he's found. Many large business owners have been dying recently, boosting Yotsuba's stocks and decreasing the others'. The scene transitions to a boardroom meeting discussing who they should kill next; Rem is in the room. The Task Force is informed that someone from the Yotsuba Group is trying to investigate L with one of L's own aliases. They decide to wait and see the next course of action, but Matsuda becomes impatient and infiltrates the building while the rest of the Force meets with a man and woman who L wants to do the infiltration. Matsuda is discovered quickly passes himself off as Misa's agent. L devises a plan to get Matsuda off the hook by using Misa.

Misa meets with the Yotsuba group at a party. Matsuda pretends to be drunk and does a handstand on the balcony. He slips, apparently falling to his doom, but is captured several floors down. The others on the Task Force play out the rest of the enactment, ensuring the Yotsuba Group believes the man dead. Higuchi, the man who now has the Death Note decides he'll make Misa his wife before he kills her, much to Rem's disgust. While Misa takes a break from an interview later, Rem touches her with a piece of the Death Note and replaces many of her lost memories. She reveals to Misa who now has the Death Note. In a brave act, Misa gets Higuchi to admit he's currently Kira and records it with her cell phone. She presents this to the Task Force with a wide smile.

Higuchi celebrates his success a few nights later only to be called and told to tune into Sakura TV. There is an interview with a man who claims to have overheard eight men speaking of Kira and killing. The screen blocking the men falls, revealing Matsuda. Higuchi goes on a rampage to figure out the name Matsuda gave him. Light and L watch to see how the man kills and are disappointed that he only writes down the name. When 40 seconds pass and nothing happens, Higuchi explodes, realizing the name was a fake. He does the eye deal with Rem and races to the TV station. L realizes he can now kill with only a face and orders he be apprehended.

They follow his progress in a helicopter while those in the station are evacuated. He's trapped in the station and pulls a gun to escape. He makes it back to his Porche and tries to escape but is quickly surrounded by police. He is cuffed and blinded and asked how he kills. He tells them about the Notebook and Soichiro is the first to find it in the car. After touching it, he sees Rem. The Note is brought to L, who stares in disbelief. All the hints he's received come flooding back and he realizes there is another Note. Light has taken the Death Note from L and all his memories come flooding back in a rush. He kills Higuchi with a piece of Note stored in his watch, gaining ownership of the Note and retaining his memories.

Misa digs up a box containing her Death Note and retrieves her memories as well. She opens it and finds a letter from Light. He requests that she write down the name of the man she met when she ran into him at school before she was imprisoned. If she does, he'll love her forever. The only problem is, it's been so long she no longer remembers, and now she is without the eyes. Ryuk returns and Misa greets him cheerfully, explaining that this was all part of Light's plan to relieve them of their suspicions. He also added two fake rules to the Death Note, further securing their innocence. Misa gives Ryuk an apple, which he promptly devours. He gives her a shriveled one from the shinigami realm and she takes a bite, declaring it tastes like sand before throwing it down. She tells him she wants to do the eye deal again.

Misa comes to visit Light and Rem sees that the girl's life has been halved again. Misa touches Light with a page from the Death Note and he greets Ryuk. He invites her to build a new world with him as they embrace in the headquarter entrance.

A flashback from L's childhood shows an orphanage full of discontent, crying children. Watari guides a small L towards a tolling bell, both are silent.

While Light is busy with the Task Force, Misa takes over the job of judgment for Kira. The others realize that Misa's release is the only explanation. Rem realizes this was Light's plan all along, forcing her into action. She must kill Ryuzaki to prevent Misa from receiving penalty.

Atop the headquarters, L stands in the rain. Light approaches him, asking what he's doing up there. He replies that he's listening to the bells, which Light cannot hear. When Light tells him to stop speaking nonsense and L admits that all he ever tells are lies. He accuses Light of the same and the brunette asks him what he means. People aren't perfect, they will lie to protect those they care for. His defense seems to prove L's point.

They return inside to outrage. Apparently L has authorized the use of the Death Note to test it. However, before L can test the 13-day rule, Rem acts. She kills Watari, who deletes the headquarter's data as his final act. L knows something is wrong and immediately notices that Rem is gone. His heart stops and Light realizes before he falls what has transpired. He catches his nemesis before he hits the ground, already in actor mode. The bells continue ringing as silent scenes flash by; the orphanage, the stained glass of the church, Rem falling to dust. Light successfully evokes a panic that they'll all be killed.

Time passes and they visit L's grave, the only ones who attended his funeral. The swear they'll arrest Kira one day, as their final farewell to him. The others leave and Light stays behind, Ryuk at his side. The shinigami is skeptic about the excitement of the future. Unable to control it any longer, Light bursts into maniacal laughter, his prospects high. He falls upon L's grave, rubbing these facts in, slightly crazed before regaining control. In response to Ryuk's claim, Light tells him he'll show the shinigami how to build a new world. As he walks along, people die in horrendous ways; a shot of Ryuk writing the last name in his Death Note flashes by.

Back in the present, Ryuk looks at that name in his worn Note. He speaks, 'you were not God, you were just--' reflecting on the actions the arrogant human took. He looks to the direction of his visitor, who has left, headed for the human world. Ryuk looks up at the perpetually grey sky, telling the absent shinigami that he might just get an experience he'll never forget.

Ben 10: Ultimate Alien - Season 1, Episode 1 - Fame

2011-04-11T08:59:00.001+08:00

After Ben's secret identity is revealed to the world, Kevin and Gwen take him to the person responsible, a young fan named Jimmy Jones. Using the information that Jimmy acquired, the gang discovers the existence of an alien attacking a NASA facility in Orlando.

Full Recap
Ben, Gwen and Kevin sit in shock as Ben's secret identity is revealed on the news. Not convinced that anyone truly cares about his secret identity, Ben decides to leave his house. Unfortunately, dozens of news reporters are there hounding him for details. Kevin suggests that Ben lay low and head to Julie's house until the whole thing blows over. Using his new Ultimatrix to transform into Humungousaur, Ben scares away the reporters and is free to see Julie.

At Julie's house, they watch as a newscaster discusses Ben's potential threat level to society. Unable to decide whether Ben is a threat or a menace, the host of the television show tells the viewers to decide for themselves. In order to cheer Ben up, Julie suggests taking a ride in Ben's new car. While driving, they come across Kevin and Gwen who have information on the person who exposed Ben's secret.

Arriving at the informant's house, Kevin cautions that this "mastermind" could be potentially very dangerous. In reality, the informant is Jimmy Jones, a young fan of Ben's adventures. Jimmy informs the gang that he runs a website that collects pictures of aliens from around the world. After noticing the Omnitrix symbol on all of the aliens, Jimmy compiled a list of their pictures. Jimmy says that he decided to reveal Ben's secret so that people would know how he has saved the world numerous times.

Gwen spots a photo of an alien that she is not familiar with and asks Jimmy where it was last located. Jimmy shows them footage of the alien attacking a top-secret NASA facility in Orlando, Florida. The gang decides to investigate, but instead of taking Ship, Kevin offers them a new method of transportation: the new and improved Rust Bucket. Kevin explains that he decked out a standard issue Plumber ship with tons of alien tech.

On the way to Orlando, the gang takes fire from military fighter jets. Kevin attacks back, ultimately sending one pilot into the air with a parachute that's on fire. Not content with sitting idly by, Ben launches out of the aircraft and transforms into Jetray. While trying to rescue the pilot, the fighter jets begin attacking Ben! Luckily, Ben is able to save the pilots life, but not without being surrounded and captured.

Gwen and Kevin flash their Plumbers' badge to release Ben from a holding cell, while an admiral explains NASA's current problem. NASA has been building its new hyper-spaceship, The Orion, for over fifty years. However, a recent string of robberies has halted production. The admiral asks for Ben's help to stop the alien creature from stealing more pieces from the ship.

When the alien arrives, the Ultimatrix detects an un-cataloged DNA signature and enters stand-by mode. Thus, Gwen and Kevin must take the creature down themselves, but not without Ben's signature of helping. The water creature puts up a good fight, but eventually the Ultimatrix scans the alien and acquires its DNA sample just in time. Ben is now able to transform into Chromastone and fight back. However, the creature blasts a shot of water at Ben and a patch of electrical wires, inevitably electrocuting Ben. When Ben wakes up, he is told that the alien has taken the spaceship's atomic-bomb engine and he needs to get it back.

Using the new Rust Bucket's technology, Gwen and Kevin are able to locate the engine underwater. In an underwater cavern, the group confronts the creature and learns of its true intentions. The creature, named Bivalvan, is repairing his ship so that he can return to his home. Unfortunately, the detonation of the engine would kill millions of people on Earth. In order to knock some sense into Bivalvan, Ben transforms into Spidermonkey. But when Spidermonkey isn't enough to take him down, Ben goes Ultimate and encases Bivalvan in a web.

With the atomic-bomb engine properly defused, Ben exits his Ultimate Spidermonkey form. Gwen notices a strange pink glow in Ben's eyes and Ben admits that his Ultimate form was rather "different." Bivalvan later reveals that he and four other alien friends were captured by an evil monster named Aggregor. Barely able to escape Aggregor's clutches, the aliens were separated when they crash-landed on Earth. Ben promises to find and return Bivalvan and the others to their home-world. Kevin says he will return the engine to NASA and Ben contacts the Plumbers to retrieve Bivalvan.

In the end, Ben is faced with his first day back at high school after his secret was revealed. Julie calms his nerves and they walk in together. Much to Ben's relief, his classmates are appreciative of his efforts in saving the world. Back in the underwater cavern, Aggregor arrives before the Plumbers and intercepts Bivalvan.

WATCH VIDEO HERE!!!

Peacemaker Kurogane

2011-04-08T15:08:00.002+08:00

Peacemaker Kurogane

The chaotic events that preceded the Meiji era (1868-1912), the period where medieval Japan, which had been kept in isolation by the Tokugawa Shogunate (Bakufu) for more than two centuries, stepped into modernism, have always been a source of fascination for both Japanese and non-Japanese alike. The events in question started with the rather innocuous 1853 arrival, in Uraga bay, of the American "Black Ships" commanded by Commodore Matthew Perry. Perry had transmitted to the Shogun a letter from President Willard Filmore, a letter whose content boiled down to this: "stop your isolationist policies or else". The Shogun, afraid of losing power, had then accepted to make certain concessions. This provoked a feud between those wanting to protect Japan's integrity and its allegiance to the Bakufu (the Emperor and his court were favorable to the Bakufu, but for their own reasons...), and the Reformist (foremost the Choshu and Satsuma clans) who wanted Japan to step into the modern world. Thus started a bloody, yet relatively secret war between two ideologies.

Thanks to the popularity of Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X in English), Nobuhiro WatsukiÕs tale of a wandering Samurai of the early Meiji era, most anime and manga fans now know about the Reformist side of the conflict. Kenshin, whose war name was Himura Battosai, fought against the Bakufu's elite warriors, the most dangerous being the feared Shinsengumi, also known as "The Wolves Of Mibu", for some of its most illustrious members came from that area. While the Shinsengumi (whose emblem was the word "Makoto", lit. "Truth") was composed, at its peak, of ten brigades or patrol troops of about 30 men each, it is the names of some of those brigades' leaders that passed to history, names like Okita Souji (1st troop Captain), Saito Hajime (3rd troop Captain) and Hijikata Toshizo (Vice-Commander). It is the story of those "Wolves" that is recounted in Kurono Nanae's Peacemaker Kurogane.

Peacemaker Kurogane starts in 1864, before the "Ikeda-iya Incident" which made the group so well known to wanna-be Samurai heroes (at that time, the Shinsengumi was less than a hundred men strong) and guaranteed them a place in history. A 15 year-old red-haired boy, named Ichimura Tetsunosuke, comes to the Shinsengumi headquarters' gate and demands to join them so that he can avenge the death of his parents, killed by the Reformist. While Tetsunosuke ("Tetsu") is rather short for his age, his spunk and desire to serve the cause charms Okita Souji, who manages to have him accepted as page for Hijikata Toshizo, the feared Vice-Commander of the Shinsengumi. Tatsunosuke, Tetsu's older brother (and master of apologies!) also joins the group as librarian so that he can watch over his rather hot-tempered little brother, whom he loves very much. At first, Tetsu finds his new life cool (even if Hijikata is a rather demanding task master), but he soon discovers the truth about the Shinsengumi: if you want to be one of them, you have to become like them. And the Shinsengumi are blood-thirsty demons, as Hijikata and Okita will demonstrate to him. Tetsu will also learn from Okita that no mistakes can be tolerated in their world and that a slip of the tongue can cost a man his life. Later, Tetsu will meet Suzu Kitamura, who will become his friend. But, unbeknownst to them, they should be enemies, as Tetsu is part of the Shinsengumi, which Suzu hates with a passion and Suzu is the page of Toshimaro Yoshida, the man who killed Tetsu's parents! This revelation, near the end of the series, will drive Tetsu on the edge of madness. Will he be able to continue his search for revenge? And will he ever know why Yoshida butchered his parents like cattle, but spared him? The answers will come on a cold, damp night, while Okita's troop (14 men in all) battles Yoshida's men (more than 40 of them!) at Ikeda-iya (an hostel where members of the Reform movement had taken shelter while waiting for their orders) and Tetsu joins them, taking on Yoshida himself in a bloody fight to the finish...

Samurai series are pretty popular these days and it seems that studio GONZO (Blue Submarine #6, Yukikaze, Last Exile, Vandread) wanted a part of the action. It seemed that adapting Nanae Kurono's Peacemaker Kurogane would be a good choice for such a series and they were right! I was quite impressed by this series' story and for more than one reason. First, the arrival of Rurouni Kenshin, while tremendously successful and entertaining, had only shown one side of the war that preceded the Meiji era. It is true that the first OVA series of Kenshin had shown some of the Shinsengumi's activities and main characters (mainly Saito and Okita), but, that was not enough to give us a good idea of who these guys really were and what they were fighting for. That is taken care of in great detail in Peacemaker Kurogane, since we meet ALL the important figures of the Shinsengumi and we get to learn their motivations. Second, it quickly becomes evident that Tetsu is NOT just a gimmick to give us an entry in the Shinsengumi's world. He is a true character with motivations of his own, not just the "Character You Can Identify With". Third, we get to see ALL the sides of the Shinsengumi. OK, Okita is girlish and very kind, but he is also a monstrously efficient killing machine that loses all humanity in battle and the switch between the two is instantaneous (Hijikata is even worse!). The same goes for all the other Shinsengumi guys, including the peaceful Yamanami and the good-natured Kondou. The result of this is that you can never guess what is going to happen next, as the characters can go from humorous banter (the episode with Hijikata's Haiku book is a riot!) to murderous rampage in a flash! Keeps you on your toes and at the edge of your seat, believe me! And fourth, the story is gripping, as you really want to know what is going to happen to Tetsu and how he is going to vanquish his inner demons.

As for the animation, once again, Studio GONZO delivers the goods. The character designs are superb (even if some of them are hard to distinguish from one another. Ex. Hijikata and Yoshida), even if they are a bit "kiddy" for such a subject. The character design of Tetsu is very particular (weird eyes!), but it does make him unique. As for Okita, his feminine looks may have been exaggerated to emphasize his strength and murderous abilities. Kenshin fans will probably be EXTREMELY surprised by the way Hajime Saito is portrayed in Peacemaker, as he is at the antipodes of Kenshin's Saito! And how can we talk about Peacemaker's character designs without mentioning Saizou, Okita's little pig, who is as cute as he is bad tempered! The animation itself is beautifully done for a TV series, with especially fluid movements in battles.

In short, although I had not expected much from this series, I found myself enthralled by it and felt a bit betrayed when it became evident that there would only be 24 episodes! My only warning for this series would be about its violence. A few episodes (the death of Ayu-ne and the ones at Ikeda-iya) are particularly violent and disturbing, so, despite the somewhat "kiddy" look, this is not for little kids. If you are a fan of Kenshin and have the chance to see Peacemaker Kurogane, then do it, you will not be disappointed!

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION

2011-04-08T15:07:00.002+08:00

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION

Over the years, Studio Gainax has been responsible for some of the greatest achievements in the field of Japanese animation. Masterpieces like WINGS OF HONNEAMISE, TOP O NERAE: GUNBUSTER! and SECRET OF BLUE WATER have now become the stuff legends are made of. It has been four years since the completion of that last work, which was probably the studioÕs greatest success, and it is now time for a brand new Gainax TV series. SECRET OF BLUE WATER had been heavily inspired by Jules Verne's 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA and, as such, featured a Victorian era atmosphere and technology. The new series, called SHINSEIKI EVANGERION (NEON GENESIS EVANGELION), is much closer to MEIOU PROJECT: ZEORYMER and TOP O NERAE: GUNBUSTER! and refers to the Christian bible, Hebraic scriptures, Babylonian mythology, even to the Kabbalah, as parts of its inspiration. It indicates the possibility of the "Tree of Life" (or "Zephiroth"), which is seen in the opening animation, being an important detail in the unfolding of the story.

The direction, by Hideaki Anno, is rather similar to TOP O NERAE: GUNBUSTER! and shares the same feel that is unique to Anno. The events also unfold much the same way as in GUNBUSTER. NEON GENESIS EVANGELION offers the viewer a terrible and unstoppable menace from outer-space, a assortment of huge, weird monsters, special forces created to counter them, the gigantic humanoid machines designed and built with tax payer's money and a bevy of cute girls running around in skimpy pilot outfits. One exception is that the principal character, Shinji Ikari, is a boy instead of a nubile, teary female teenager.

The character designs, by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, are similar to the ones that were found in SECRET OF BLUE WATER, yet somehow different. They look less "cartoon", especially Shinji, who has the haunted look of a autistic child who is suddenly forced to wake up from his dream world. The most beautiful design is definitely Rei Anayama, nearly a female version of Shinji, but with light blue-silver hair. Those two characters are the most interesting to date, but, since the series is only a few episodes old at the moment this article is being written, it is quite possible that more interesting ones will pop up as time goes by.

However, the most "special" feature of NEON GENESIS EVANGELION is its mecha designs. Done by manga artist Ikuto Yamashita, who specializes in weird, high-tech shapes (he did DARK WHISPER, one of the most visually stunning manga of the last decade) and worked on both GUNBUSTER and SECRET OF BLUE WATER, they are truly unique in the world of Japanese animation mecha. The way they are built, the way their cockpit is designed, their very shape, breaks the mold of the giant robots as the genre's fans know it and even challenges the viewers to re-adjust their way of thinking about such machines. Their unique color schemes (the EVA-01 is dark purple and neon green!) are the finishing touches to these strange, but wonderfully detailed designs.

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION is a worthy successor to TOP O NERAE: GUNBUSTER! and SECRET OF BLUE WATER. It has only been playing for a few weeks, but has already collected a huge amount of praises for all its aspects, be it story, character development, mecha designs and music. It will very probably join the likes of SUPER DIMENSIONAL FORTRESS MACROSS and MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM in the ranks of the groundbreaking mecha series. This only shows that, contrarily to the rumors, Studio Gainax was not dead. It was only taking a breather and preparing its next attack upon the unsuspecting animation world.

DIRTY PAIR FLASH

2011-04-08T15:05:00.002+08:00

DIRTY PAIR FLASH

Although the Dirty Pair have been a favorite for years, their original design, by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, was in serious need of a overhaul. This has been done with Dirty Pair Flash, the latest OVA series featuring the two most dangerous trouble consultants in the universe. Since the story tells the adventures Yuri and Kei as teenagers, this OVA is definitely cuter than the previous ones. The two girls were totally redesigned, from their physical looks to their uniforms. Kei is still a fiery redhead, but she now has a lock of blond hair, which gives her a "kiddy" look, and her eyes have gone from brown to green.. Yuri is a lot cuter than she was and her hair is now purple, giving her the same "kiddy" look as Kei. She also has huge eyes (big surprise!). Their uniforms are more in keeping with today's anime fashion. They are less revealing than the old ones, but much wilder in their design, especially Kei's. The relationship between the two characters is also quite different; they are at the beginning of their careers and much less patient with each other. As in the old times, Kei uses a handgun, but Yuri has a kind of "beam sword", which she uses with great efficiency. Some people will probably love the baby Mughi, which is probably cuter than the girls themselves. All in all, the new Yuri and Kei are a mix between Dragon Half and Super Cat Girl Nuku Nuku, but they are still easily recognizable as themselves.

The story of the first OVA episode is rather straightforward and is, in fact, only a character development episode. It begins with Yuri strolling in a crowded street, wearing a rather cute sailor uniform. A man, pursued by a bunch of thugs, is shot and drops a card in her hand, telling her to keep it away from the thugs. Yuri starts to run and bumps into Kei, who seems a little peeved by the fact that her night out is ruined. The chase scene (which will not take the rest of the episode) starts in earnest and the girls use all the means of transportation they can find, including a bicycle and half a car! In the end, the thugs, tired of playing, pull out the heavy weaponry and transform their car into a big purple and pink mecha. Seeing this, the girls do their own transformation (their clothes are made of a "memory plastic", which transforms into their uniform at will) and start to hit back, making the thugs' lives rather miserable. Finally, a diminutive Mughi comes to their rescue, the girls both put the thugs under arrest and deliver the card to the WWWA office.

This OVA is fun and entertaining, as well as keeping the "chaos and mayhem" tradition of the Dirty Pair. We thought the new character designs would bother us, but they proved very efficient. There is a lot of action, the music is dynamic and the animation is decent, although it sometimes shows some lack of detail. We are sure that the "transformation" scene of the two girls will get the undivided attention of more than one male viewer (Kei's is rather eye popping -- keep that remote handy!). All in all, Dirty Pair Flash is a good buy and proves to be as good as the original ones.

BLUE SEED

2011-04-08T15:04:00.005+08:00

BLUE SEED:

Ancient Japan has left us many legends, which have inspired a great number of artists in the fields of animation and manga. Works like Masamune Shirow's ORION, Kei Kuzunoki's OGRE SLAYER or Hayao Miyazaki's KAZE NO TANI NO NAUSICAA are well documented examples of the extent of this inspiration.

Shown on TV a little more than one year ago, BLUE SEED, by Yuzo Takada (3X3 EYES, SUPER CATGIRL NUKU NUKU, EVERYDAY IS SUNDAY) is one of the more recent works to draw inspiration from Japan's immense wealth of legends. A 25-episode series produced by the BS Project, BLUE SEED was based on one of Takada's own manga works, named COMICS GAMMA. He directed the whole project himself and the result was Takada's own brand of romance, action and comedy in its purest form. Basically, BLUE SEED recounts the battle between the forces that ruled ancient Japan and the ones that rule the Japan of today; the war of the spirit world against the formidable industrial power of today's Japan; magic against science and technology.

However, the Legend began eons ago, when Japan was still a young land and the gods were still living amongst humans. Susano-O, the storm god, had been traveling through Japan and, one day, his wandering led him to the Hi river, in Izumo. This is where he met Ashi-na-zuki, the earth god, and his wife Te-na-zuki. Both of them were very sad, for each year, Yamata-no-orochi, the eight-headed dragon, would come and devour one of their eight daughters. Now, it was the time of the dragon's return and he would take away their last daughter, princess Kushinada. Susano-O listened to their story and proposed to slay the monster if they gave him their daughter's hand. The parents gladly accepted and Susano-O prepared for battle. Under his supervision, the old couple prepared an enormous quantity of sake (rice wine) and divided it in eight gigantic bowls. Then Susano-O transformed the princess into a comb and stuck her in his hair. When the dragon appeared, even Susano-O was impressed. It was as long as the eye could see, trees grew on its back and each of its eight heads had eyes like burning amber. When it saw the bowls of sake, the monster devoured them and became drunk. Susano-O, waiting for that moment, drew his sword and killed it. Then he took the sword that was in the dragon's tail (that sword later became part of the imperial regalia) and restored the princess to her true form. They married in Suga and their children became mythological heroes.

In BLUE SEED, thousands of years have passed and the Aragami have been asleep for all this time, thanks to the legendary power of princess Kushinada and Susano-O's female descendants. It was said that this mysterious power consisted in a kind of energy, which was liberated by its owner's death and could contain the Aragami. However, fifteen years ago, the birth of the Fujimiya twins, Kaede and Momiji, split the power of the Kushinada in two and the Aragami woke up, starting the Aragami war. The Aragami is much like a plant and uses "Mitama's" (blue seeds) to take control of any living creature and transform it into a monster that only serves the Aragami's cause.

To thwart the plans of the Aragami, the Japanese government created the NLMB (National Land Management Bureau). Headed by Daitetsu Kunikida, the NLMB fought the Aragami on all fronts and even kidnapped Kaede, the oldest Kushinada twin, to study and develop weaponry based on the legendary Kushinada energy. The NLMB's scientists also discovered a new ceramic that could contain that energy. Even if Kunikida had adopted Kaede, that did not stop him to use her as a weapon. With time, Kaede started to feel the need to discover this "destiny" her adopted father was always talking about. One night, she went to the Aragami and disappeared, leaving Kunikida in grief. However, he knew that the monster had not won yet, for there was another Kushinada, an ordinary girl named Momiji Fujimiya. The only question was: would she be able to stand up and face the storm?

DRAGONBALL Z

2011-04-08T15:04:00.004+08:00

DRAGONBALL Z INTRODUCTION

It is said that he who holds the seven crystal Dragon Balls will be granted one wish by the Eternal Dragon which is summoned by the gathering together of the Balls. The wish may be for power, untold wealth, or immortality -- the possibility are endless. However, he who seeks to have his wish granted is wise to choose his desire carefully, for once the wish is granted, the Dragon Balls are once again scattered to the four corners of the Earth, where they await the next determined wish seeker. It is rumored that there is another set of Dragon Balls -- the original ones which are even more powerful than the Earthly ones. The rumor purpoirts that the original Dragon Balls remain on the planet Namek, where they were created.

The epic saga that has topped ratings chart throughout Europe and Asia has finally come to the US. DRAGON BALL Z, the creatio of Akira Toriyama, Japan's most well-known and popular animation artist, has dominated the Japanese television ratings charts for more than ten years, consistently remaining the number one children's show there. The saga has achieved top ratings in Europe as well, dominating the competition in France where, for three years the show was "number one ... maintaining a 65% rating since premiering," according to Nikket Trendy, and in Spain, where Sofres reports that the show exploded on the scene, recording average market share topping 75%.

DRAGON BALL Z is a mystical action adventure series of riveting stories, driven by extraordinary characters who embody the essence of good and evil. The series is filled with magical moments of wonder which reveal the charm, humor, strenghts, weaknesses and foibles of the characters, adventurers, wise sages and diabolical villians that make up its casts of players.

Throughout the milennia, the battle between good and evil nas raged unchecked. There has never been a dark force of evil so strong or so powerful as the Saiyans. With nothing left to conquer ontheir own planet, Vegeta, the mighty Saiyans have swept across the universe, leaving a path of destruction in their search for new worlds to overtake. Now they have come to Earth...

DRAGON BALL Z is the story of a fearless defender named Goku, his beautiful wife Chi Chi, their son Gohan and a handful of friends dedicated to defending the Earth and that is good against the treacherous forces of darkness, as embodied by the evil Saiyans. The evil which lies within the hearts of Saiyans is so strong that they have only to send one of their kind to bring about the destruction of entire planets. But the Saiyans quickly learn that darkness is no match for the spirit of righteousness that burns brightly withinb the hearts of individual like Goku -- those dedicated to a cause.

The saga begins with the arrival on Earth of Raditz, a Saiyan who reveals that he is Goku's older brother. Interrupting the Great Peace, Raditz sets in motion a great battle between good and evil which moves mountains, changes the course of rivers, and even alters the Earth's weather patterns. Before he is ultimately defeated, Raditz reveals that a contingent of Saiyans even more powerful and treacherous than he is coming to Earth. All that stands between them and their takeover of the planet is the small, but determined. band of heroes led by Goku.

It is extremely ironic that Goku should be the one to lead the stand against the aggression of the evil Saiyans, for he himself is a Saiyan, a secret that he only now learns. He was originally sentto Earth as a baby, programmed to destroy the planet as he grew up. The plan went awry when he was discovered in the wilds as an infant by a peaceful old man who raised him and changed his life -- and destiny -- forever. A near-fatal head injury scrambled Goku's programming, leaving him innocent and pure of heart, Earth's ultimate champion of good. While both he and the beautiful princess Chi Chi are young, Goku saves her life, and she grows up to become his wife. A loving partner and a doting mother, Chi Chi raises her son to use his brain rather than his brawn. Peaceloving and pure of heart, Chi Chi is also a formidable martial artist who can defend her loved ones against the forces of darkness.

Gohan, Goku's and Chi Chi's young son, is the shining hope ofthe future. Blessed with the best qualities of both his parents, he is pure, honest and trustworthy. Peaceful like his mother, Gohan rises to the defense of the Earth when the future of the planet becomes threatened by the Saiyans. His life is lived somewhat in conflict as his peaceful nature is often challenged by the evil forces which constantly pose a threat to mankind.

Master Roshi is the wise and ancient master of martial arts who trained Goku to be the champion he has become. Now extremely old, Master Roshi has lived on a deserted island for many years as a hermit, but is still an extremely powerful channeler of energy. In fact, it is he who taught Goku and his ever-faithful friend, Krillin, the Kamehameha, an energy force which is so powerful that it can destroy mountains. The cause of good is indeed fortunate to have Master Roshi on its side. And Goku is fortunate to have as his confidante, Krillin, a short, bald, and extremely tenacious defender whose loyalty and dedication are unequaled.

Krillin originally studied martial arts with Goku under Master Roshi, and the two were fiece rivals, but after seeing how strong the Power of Light burned within Goku, Krillin began to hold Goku in very high esteem. Now the two are the best of friends, working side by side against the evil that threatens the harmony of the planet.

The second strongest being on Earth is Piccolo. Once Goku's sworn arch enemy with his own evil agenda, Piccolo has joined forces with the powerful defender in order to defeat the greater and more powerful evil of the Saiyans. Once Goku's son, Gohan, begins to build a strong emotional bond with Piccolo, the alliance between Goku and Piccolo grows even stronger. Should the day come when the Saiyans are forever driven from the Earth, it remains to be seen what will happen between Goku and Piccolo.

Handsome, brave and strong, Yamcha happily joins with Goku in his noble quest. Usually accompanied by his devoted feline companion, Puar, Yamcha harbors a not-so-secret crush on Bulma. Tien is an intense man with three eyes whose power is so strong that he can crush rocks on his head or stop a waterfall's flow. Joined by his princely companion, Chiaotzu, Tien readily accepts the challenges of the small, but determined band of defenders he has joined. And then there's Yajirobe. Officially, he's part of the team, but he's also the first one to head for the sidelines at the faintest mention of battle Ñ but make no mistake, Yajirobe is there for his comrades when the pressure is on.

Rounding out the contingent of heroes who strive to rid Earth of evil and darkness is Bulma. A misguided woman whose personality is sometimes hard to take, she is gifted with incredible determination and technical talent. A mechanical genius who can fix and operate anything, Bulma is fiercely dedicated to the cause of good, and is a valuable member of the team.

The Namekians, those people from the peaceful planet Namek, are an interesting and introspective race. Their hierarchy is based on the villages in which they live, each governed by wise and revered Elders. Physically,the Namekians are best described as a combination of reptile and insect -- green, and able to regenerate limbs. Each is born to preform one function in life. For example, one is a soldier while another is a healer. They were born to do this, and they will do this until they die. The people of Namek are dedicated to peaceful living.

Quite opposite from the Namekians are the Saiyans, who are evil to the core. They are the strongest and most powerful force of darkness ever to enter the universe. Born long ago to a primeval force on a farway planet, the Saiyans grew into a warrior race so devastating and relentless that their own planet, Vegeta, could not survive the centuries of destruction. Ultimately, they united into one unbeatable and overwhelming force.

Now a supreme warrior race, holding conquest above all else, the Seiyans are obsessed with continued training to become even more treacherous and deadly. Targeting other planets, the Seiyans leave choas and destruction in their wake. They have subjugated the peaceful people of the universe, and have destroyed those who dare to stand up to them, Now, they have set their sights on Earth as their next, and greatest, conquest.

Led by Vegeta and Nappa, the Seiyans arrive on Earth. The evil Vegeta is intent on obtaining the Dragon Balls so that he and he alone can become master of the entire universe. With unlimited capabilities to create evil Saibaimen soldiers, Vegeta and Nappa launch their attack against the Earth, only to be resisted by the small band of fiecely determined heroes who bravely stand against them. The ultimate battle between good and evil has begun, with Goku and the others commited to defending the Earth against the otherworldly invaders.

With heavy doses of warmth, humor and insight in each episode, DRAGON BALL Z delivers an epic saga filled with action and adventure which appeals to kids of all ages. Characters such asthe just and heroic Goku and his pure and peaceful wife, Chi Chi, provide positive role models for young viewers, while the storylines, which actively promote the domination of good over evil, also deliver a strong message. The kids of America are certain to join forces with their Asian and European counterparts to rally behind the mightiest, funniest, and msot righteous heroes the Earth has known, as the mystery of the Dragon Balls begins to unfold.

DRAGON BALL SUCCESS

DRAGON BALL Z, the international hit animated series, made its U.S. debut Fall 1996. With more than 500 episodes in the overall series which has posted top ratings in both Europe and Asia and over $2.95 billion in related merchandising worldwide, DRAGON BALL Z is ready to explode onto the U.S. market with 26 half-hour filled with all the action and mystery that has captivated audiences the world over. Produced by FUNimation Productions Inc. and syndicated by Saban Domestic Distribution, the series has already cleared stations representing more than 86% of the country.

This epic saga has topped the Japanese ratings charts for more than ten years, consistently remaining the number one children's show there. In France, the show has dominated the competition as well, and for three years the show was "number one... maintaining a 65% rating since premiering," according to Nikkei Trendy. The trend continue into Spain as well, where Sofres reported that the show recorded an "average market share topping 75%."

Having made $140 million in DRAGON BALL Z merchandising in 1994 in Japan alone, Bandai is proud to be the master toy licensee in the United States. As Paul Nojima, President of Bandai America explains, "Dragon Ball has been one of Bandai's most successful toy lines in history, and we are very excited to be a part of DRAGON BALL Z in the U.S.A."

What accounts for the amazing success of the television series and merchandising of DRAGON BALL Z is a combination of items including the incredible richness of the story line and the depth and endearing personalities of the vividly portrayed characters. No wonder, though. It was created by one of Japan's greatest authors, Akira Toriyama.

Whatever the reason, DRAGON BALL Z is captivating American audiences. It is a mystical action adventure series of riveting stories, driven by extraordinary characters who embody the essence of good and evil. Join Goku, the hero of the story, and his allies as they battle for all that is good against the evil force of the Saiyans. It is already achieving high ratings making it one of the top syndicated animated series in the USA and has been selected by TV GUIDE as one of its top ten best new shows for kids in its October 26th Parent's Issue. As TV GUIDE reports, "Japanese animation (anime, to the initiated) is rapidly becoming a full-fledged fad here, and Japan's top children's show is riding that wave into the US syndication. An Action epic, DRAGON BALL Z (Check TV GUIDE listings) turns the Superman myth upside down: Its hero, Goku, also came to Earth as an infant with powers far beyond those of mortal men Ñ but he was sent to destroy the planet, not defend it. Fortunately, a wise martial-arts master (along with a bonk on the head) turned him away from evil toward family values..."

The Genius Of Akira Toriyama

Akira Toriyama is often referred to as the successor of Osamu Tezuka (ASTRO BOY, KIMBA THE WHITE LION) who is credited with popularizing manga in Japan. Toriyama followed his great success DR. SLUMP, which sold over 28 millions copies and spawned a 400 episodes animated series which rated #1 in Japan, with an even greater phenomenon, DRAGON BALL, which has sold over 109 millions (as of July '95).

Toriyama's work appeals to children of all cultures as evidenced by his international success. He broke new ground with DRAGON BALL's "edgy" drawings and unique battle movement. But Toriyama's abilities go beyond his pen: he is particularly known for his ability to create strong stories which embodies the values of hope for the future, friendship, strength and effort. Human nature is the essence of the world of Akira Toriyama.

DRAGON BALL has not only spawned over 500 episodes of animated shows, but has created a merchandising frenzy with sales of $2.95 billion in related merchandise.

Akira Toriyama has reached a status few artists can hope for. An Akira Toriyama Exhibition has recently toured nine public art galleries and other venues drawing attendances of over 330,000 people. This is the second time in history a manga artist has achieved this level of notoriety (the first being Osamu Tezuka). The National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo has made an unprecedented move by exhibiting a manga artist's work. The works of Akira Toriyama can be seen displayed with that of artists such as Monet and Miro.

FUNIMATION

DRAGON BALL Z is produced by FUNimation Productions, Inc., a company dedicated to the development of quality children's entertainment.

Gen Fukunaga and Cindy Brennan Fukunaga are Executive Producers of DRAGON BALL Z. Gen Fukunaga is President of FUNimation and has a formation in Electrical Engineering and Business Administration. Previously, he was Product Manager for Tandem Computer and development engineer at IBM. Cindy Fukunaga is Vice-President of FUNimation and heads the company's marketing and licensing efforts. She has an MBA and was previously an advisory marketing representative for IBM.

Daniel Cocanougher and Barry Watson are Producers of DRAGON BALL Z. Mr. Cocanougher is Vice President of Production of FUNimation. He was CEO for several companies and has a formation in Electrical Engineering. Mr. Watson is a graduate of the University of Texas and has worked on animation projects in supervision of voice direction, casting, writing, mixing and both offline/online editing. He was previously a stage actor.

All texts provided by FUNimation and Saban Entertainment. DRAGON BALL Z ©1996 Bird Studio/Shueisha/Toei Animation. Licensed by FUNimation Production, Inc. All Rights Reserved. DRAGON BALL Z and all logos, characters names and distinctive likenesses thereof are trademark of Toei Animation.

The Cape - Season 1, Episode 10 - End Game

2011-04-06T14:40:00.001+08:00

Fleming covers up his deal with Scales by framing Marty Voyt, and Dana takes on Marty's case as a public defender. When Fleming's men go after Dana, Vince is forced to step in as The Cape and rescue her, Marty, and Marty's family and get them all to safety.

Full Recap
In her white-painted room, Orwell begs for the phone to stop ringing.
Dana and Trip are at home watching the news, which is showing footage purportedly from Orwell of ARK officer Mick Reese demanding payments from Scales. Vince is in his lair, watching the same footage. Orwell arrives and he tries to congratulate her, but she ignores him at first. She finally admits that she's suffering from migraines, and Vince offers to do what he can to help her. Orwell wonders why he's trying to help, and he insists that he's her friend. She dismisses her headaches, saying they'll be over soon, and they both watch the broadcast of Reese's shakedown.

Fleming gives a press statement claiming ignorance of the corruption within ARK, and asking to conduct his internal investigation. He tells his press that his men already have a lead and are preparing to make an arrest. Vince and Orwell watch from the crowd.

At home, Marty's children C.J. and Leyla are watching the news, while Susan asks Marty why he isn't at city hall. They fight, and she warns that his job is tearing them apart. She suggests that he resign, but Marty warns that you can't resign from ARK. ARK vans pull up outside and troopers break into the house, dragging Marty away in front of his family.

Art of the Deal

Fleming comes to see the imprisoned Marty and tells him to take the blame without protest. If Marty tries to warn anyone of what really happened, Fleming will have his family and children killed and then dispose of Marty and make it look like a suicide.

As Vince and Orwell watch the footage of Marty's arrest, Orwell suggests that they need to get Marty to connect Fleming to Chess. Before they can come up with a plan, Orwell gets word that Dana has been appointed as public defender to Marty.

Dana visits Marty and warns that she's the only friend that he has. She figures that he's being framed just like Vince was, but Marty warns her to let it go before Fleming goes after him, and he's doing what he has to, to protect his family. Dana refuses to let it drop, saying that she went through the same thing that Susan is going through now, and promises to stand by him and give him the chance that Vince never had. Marty tells her that he'll think about it and Dana goes to work on getting bail posted for him.

Vince packs his Cape costume and leaves the lair, telling Orwell that he knows Dana will never yield and that he has to protect her.

Fleming invites Scales to the tailor shop where he is having a suit measured, and warns the crime lord that they're in it together. Scale isn't impressed, pointing out that the tape shows him being shaken down by ARK. However, Fleming warns that if he goes down, Scales won't be able to hold onto his territory. He has Scales fitted for a suit with his compliments, and tells Scales to shut down Dana without making her a martyr by killing her.

Dana's boss Travis comes to see her at the office and she wonders if he's going to bar her from the case. He warns her that Fleming's defense lawyers will use Vince's guilt to undermine her case, and Dana asks Travis to be her co-council. She wants to get Marty out of Palm City and into the hands of the Federal authorities, where they can get the Voyts into witness protection. Travis agrees to check with his contacts, and Dana leaves for home. Once she leaves, one of Scales' men calls Travis, telling him to convince Dana to drop the case before someone breaks Trip's legs.

In the parking garage, two of Scales' men attack Dana. The Cape comes to the rescue, knocking them out. Dana thanks him but he warns her that she has to think of Trip because Fleming won't stop coming after her. Travis arrives, wielding a stapler, and The Cape blames him for leaving Dana unprotected. They start quarreling, and Dana interrupts to admit that she'll be more careful in future. Now that she's gotten a reaction, she figures that Marty is innocent and he has to testify. Travis and The Cape promise to be there for her, and the latter disappears in a puff of smoke.

In Broad Daylight

Susan meets with Marty and asks if Dana is helping him because he was involved with Vince's criminal activities. When he denies her accusation, Susan asks if Dana's statements against him at his promotion party were true. Marty admits that he was in cahoots with Fleming and turned a blind eye to his activities, but he did it to protect her and their children. If he turns against Fleming now, they'll have to go into witness protection and build new lives for themselves, but at least they'll be together. Susan promises to stand by him as long as he does the right thing and brings down Fleming before he destroys another family. The guard tells them that Marty has made bail, and Marty assumes that Dana set it up.

As the press gathers outside ARK headquarters to cover Marty's release, Dana arrives and uses her credentials to get inside. She and Marty compare notes and realize that someone else has posted bail. Suspecting a trap, Dana tells the ARK troopers to keep Marty inside, but they refuse and take him out into the mob gathered outside. Vince is in the crowd and realizes that it's a setup as Orwell confirms the bail was posted anonymously. Two fake reporters draw concealed guns and prepare to shoot Marty, but Vince intervenes as The Cape and disarms them. As their leader fades into the crowd, the press take pictures of The Cape protecting Dana, Susan, and Marty, and the hero takes them with him, escaping under cover of smoke bombs.

The Cape takes Dana and the others to a magic shop on loan to Max and Rollo. Rollo eyes Marty suspiciously while Max shows the family around. Meanwhile, The Cape checks Dana's purse for tracking devices, and finds a keychain with a photo of the Faradays on nit. He asks where Trip is, and Dana assures him that the boy is with her parents. The Cape destroys her cell phone so Fleming can't track the GPS inside, and Dana asks why he's angry. The Cape assures her that he's not, and explains that he's planning a way to get Marty and his family out of the city.

At the tailor shop, Fleming is playing chest against the owner when Scales arrives. Fleming asks him to deal with Marty and The Cape since his ARK troopers have failed repeatedly. Scales agrees, but insists that Fleming will no longer force him to pay protection. The CEO quickly agrees.

The Hunt

ARK Commander Saxton searches the Voyt house with his troopers. He spots Leyla's cell phone holder and calls ARK to start a trace.

Orwell brings Leyla and C.J. to the magic shop to reunite them with their parents. She tells The Cape that ARK has sealed the city, and Rollo suggests they use a carnival freight train to get the Voyts out of Palm City. However, they'll have to get the Voyts through Trolley Park to the freight yard. The Cape tells them that he'll take care of that and to put the plan in motion.

Marty pulls Dana aside, unaware that The Cape is listening to them. The former chief of police admits that he helped Fleming frame Vince, who was innocent all along, but that he tried to keep Vince from going to the rail yard the night of his murder. Dana slaps him and asks what Vince's last words were, and Marty admits that he doesn't know. She demands to know how Marty could ruin Vince's good name, and he insists that he did it to protect his family. However, now he's trying to save her and Trip, and tells her that Fleming is the real Chess. However, Marty warns her that she can't tell anyone or Fleming will come after her. The Cape, listening, prepares to confront Marty but Max stops him, saying he understands. The Cape goes to watch over the Voyts... who are unaware that Leyla's cell phone just activated.

Secrets and Lies

Later, Vince and Orwell go to the roof of the shop and talk. She warns him that if he tells Dana his true identity, Dana will be at risk. Vince warns that he can't handle the situation much longer, but Orwell assures him that it will be over in a few hours once they get Marty to safety, and then Vince can go home. Vince asks if she's okay, and Orwell warns him that someone is watching her, but there's nothing she can do about it. As she leaves, Marty comes out and Vince dons his mask and hood. Marty thanks The Cape and insists that he's not evil, but has had to do what he did to protect his families. He's been living in hell since Vince's death, beating himself up for freezing rather than saving Vince. Marty figures that if Vince had been in his position, he wouldn't have frozen.

Scales goes to a dockside warehouse and meets with his men, who are torturing a shopkeeper for information on The Cape.

The Cape finds Dana crying in a corner, and she asks who he really is. She figures that he's helping her because he lost someone, and thanks him for giving Trip hope. Max interrupts before The Cape can say anything, and says that it's time. Leyla's cellphone rings and everyone realizes that they've been compromised. The Cape has Max and Rollo take Marty's family to the freight yard, and Orwell to take Trip and Dana to safety and wait for his call. He thanks Max for all of his help, and then leaves with Marty.

Endgame

ARK troopers arrive but are unable to find the secret entrance into the magic shop. Once they spread out, Max and Rollo take Marty's family out. The Cape and Marty draw off the troopers and head for the freight yard by a separate route. Scales arrives, spots their escape route, and follows.

Marty and The Cape get to the freight yard ahead of Max and the others, and Marty starts to panic. The Cape calms him down, telling him to wait until his family is on the train. The Voyts arrive and get into a freight car, but Scales steps out of the shadows and prepares to gun down The Cape. Marty leaps in front of his friend and takes the bullet. ARK troopers arrive but arrest Scales, and The Cape uses the distinction to pull Marty away into hiding.

At the freight car, Susan hears the gunshot, but Max tells her to stay put and goes to investigate.

The Cape tries to do what he can for Marty, but it's clear the bullet wound is a fatal wound. Marty tells the hero to get out and let him do one good thing. The Cape removes his mask and assures Marty that he didn't kill his friend. With his dying breath, Marty has Vince promise to take care of Susan and the children.

That night, Fleming gives a press statement admitting that Marty died in dishonor, but they have Scales in custody, proving that ARK can handle the job. When the reporters ask about The Cape, Fleming promises to bring him to justice.

Orwell takes Dana and Trip back to their apartment. As she checks for surveillance devices, Orwell admits that she moved around a lot during her childhood, and never had a place to call home. She admires a photo of Dana and Vince, and says that it's better that Dana didn't have any warning of what was going to happen. The alternative is much worse: to see it coming and be unable to change it. Orwell tells Dana that she always reads the ending of books first, and tells her that Vince loves her, present tense. As Dana ponders her words, Orwell wishes them luck and leaves.

At the carnival, Max pours out two glasses of Vietnamese snake wine, and he and Vince offer a toast to Marty.

WATCH VIDEO HERE!!!

Charmed - Season 8, Episode 22 - Forever Charmed

2011-04-06T14:28:00.000+08:00

Piper & Leo, with help from Coop's ring, must travel back in time to change the events that lead to the deaths of Piper's sisters and the manor's destruction. Meanwhile, Billie uses her power of Projection to do the same thing and finally realizes the truth in what her sister has become; many familiar faces gather to help Piper in her time of need.

Full Recap

Piper and Leo go to Phoebe’s apartment where the Book of Shadows is. While she looks for some kind of solution, Billie returns to Magic School and confronts Dumain, revealing Christy is dead. Dumain suggests she project herself back into the past and save Christy.

Piper and Leo arrive at Victor’s and Piper breaks the news. Victor reveals he knows about Coop and Piper realizes he can help them. She summons Coop and asks to borrow is ring so she can go back in time. Coop agrees but warns it doesn’t always work as desired. Leo goes with her and the two of them go into the past in 1975 where they meet a young Victor and Patty in bed, when Piper was 3 and Phoebe hasn’t been born yet. Later they try to explain things without giving away too much, and finally revealed Paige and Phoebe are dead and that they’re the Charmed Ones. Patty suggests they use their family magic to get Piper to where she needs to go. The three of them take the ring and go to Grams, but end up in a future where Piper and Leo are old and have been waiting for them.

The old Piper and Leo reveal it’s 50 years in the future and that Phoebe needs to focus on who she wants to get to with her heart, not her head, and they must work together to get rid of the Hollow. They try again and see Grams talking with a young Piper. After young Piper leaves, they introduce themselves and Grams faints. Piper reveals that Patty is dead at that time.

Dumain walks Billie through the process for her to travel back into the past. But when he mentions she has to focus on the Triad she suspects something is up and finally realizes she’s been manipulated. Dumain tells her go back and ask Christy so she’ll understand.

While Patty tries to wake Grams, Leo points out that he could be taken away again. Grams wakes up and Piper makes introductions and tells her she must help save the Charmed Ones. Billie projects herself back into the past at the Manor, just as the past Billie and Christy arrive. She warns them but past-Billie sends present-Billie flying and goes on to fight. The battle starts to play out as before but then Piper, Grams, and Patty arrive to cast a spell which drives the Hollow out of all o them prematurely. The present-Billie and Piper merge with themselves in the past, and then Billie and Christy teleports out.

The Angel Of Destiny who brought Leo arrives to take him back again. Piper explains everything but notes they’re back where they started. Then the future Wyatt and Chris appear to reveal someone has screwed up their future. Billie and Christy are walking and Christy doesn’t believe they’re being used and goes off on her own.

Chris and Wyatt explain that Wyatt lost his powers in the middle of a demon fight and came back to the present. Piper figures out Billie and Christy stole Wyatt’s power using the Hollow. Coop arrives and Wyatt recognizes him as “Uncle Coop,” and then Chris and Wyatt take Patty to see Victor. Victor is confused and finally patty finds out they’re separated.

Christy tells Dumain that Billie has abandoned them but there’s a way to revive the Triad without her. Grams is working on a potion when Henry arrives to talk to Paige. Coop insists on confessing his love to Phoebe but Phoebe can’t handle it and goes to talk to her sisters after giving him the ring back. Dumain teleports in to grab Coop and the ring, while Billie shows up and asks to talk to them.

They hear her out and she explains about the Triad, and future-Chris and Wyatt show up and reveal that Dumain is involved. Phoebe calls for Coop who can’t respond, and Chris and Wyatt reveal that Coop was sent so Phoebe could fall in love with him, and it wasn’t a forbidden love. They explain that in the future they’re as one and all she has to do is think about him to summon him. She does so and he appears, in great pain. He reveals Dumain took his ring and they plan to go back in time.

Dumain is talking with the Triad in the past when Dumain and Christy arrive, but the Charmed Ones and Billie arrive as well and destroy the Triad, then both Dumains. The Halliwells explain that Billie sent them back, and Paige takes the ring. Christy accuses Billie of betraying her but she throws a huge fireball. Billie deflects it back and destroys her.

All the Halliwells are reunited at the Manor and Wyatt has his powers back. They reveal Billie has gone her own way. The Angel of Destiny arrives with Leo and reveals that’s how the battle was supposed to end, and it’s all worked out. Victor and Patty arrive with the children and Coop reveals he can take everyone back and make sure they won’t remember what they’ve learned. Everyone has a happy moment before going their ways.

Later Piper comes down and says they should write everything down in the Book of Shadows. Each write down what they’ve experienced and we see what will happen in the future. Coop and Phoebe marry and have three children, and Phoebe publishes a best-selling book. Henry continues to look after his parolees and has three children with Paige, who continues to help the next generation of witches. And Piper and Leo trained Chris and Wyatt and finally opened a restaurant, while Leo trains at a reclaimed Magic School. It ends with an elderly Piper reading their saga to her granddaughter, then going upstairs with an elderly Leo past the pictures of all their family, past and present, on the walls. The other grandchildren come into the manor and the doors swing closed one final time.

Scrubs - Season 9, Episode 13 - Our Thanks

2011-04-06T14:23:00.000+08:00

The med students are coming around to the end of their first semester of med school and begin to figure out their medical specialty. The students are also in charge of giving a speech at a ceremony to thank the families of the cadavers that they have been studying.

Full Recap

Denise casually asks Drew if he wants to get married. She figures that they've been dating for four months and it's a good next step to take. Drew thinks that she's gone a little crazier than usual. He's happy with the way things are, they work, and they shouldn't change things up. Denise agrees with him and then says she'd rather they make a baby instead, slightly joking. The water damage from the floor upstairs has caused a big hole in the wall separating their two rooms. Denise thinks it would be a good idea to live together – to merge their two smaller rooms into a bigger suite so it's as if they're living together. Drew freaks out, especially after Denise starts moving her things into his room. He decides to separate the rooms and cover up the hole with a curtain. He also takes the liberty to move all of Denise's belongings back into her room. Later, Drew realizes that he's been a jerk and apologizes. He tells Denise that he's terrified by change, but he eventually comes around. He tells Denise that he loves her and comes in with a sledgehammer to tear down the wall. It turns out Denise was the one who had actually created the hole in the wall – it was her only way of saying that they should move in together.

It's been two weeks since Cole's operation and Turk is happy to report that Cole is cancer-free. Cole is so psyched that he was saved by a surgeon he's inspired to become one. Dr. Cox could not be more thrilled that Cole would become Turk's protege. Turk, is not thrilled by this at all and tries to downplay how cool surgery is. This doesn't shake Cole as he gets extra excited to shadow Turk. After consulting with Drew, Turk decides to put Cole through a variety of challenges to demonstrate how boring surgery can be. He has Cole hold a surgical clamp in one spot for many hours. He tears two teddy bears apart and challenges Cole to sew them up before he can. If Cole can do this, then he has the chops to be a surgeon. After Cole doesn't finish, he decides to practice on 17 of Lucy's stuffed ponies, much to her shock and dismay. Dr. Cox has a chat with Turk. He tells him that he doesn't get to choose who he mentors, and reminds him of the eight years he had of J.D. following his every move. Turk gets the point and tells Cole that he would be happy to teach him.

The first semester of med school is almost over and the students need to give public thanks to the families of the cadavers they had been studying and dissecting. Lucy seems to be the only person in the group to honor Ben's memory. Despite her team's lack of compassion, Lucy goes on to do research on Ben's life and to create a special tribute for him. All goes well until she meets Ben's son and learns that Ben was a terrible father. His son was only there to see Ben put into the ground. Lucy gave a touching speech that made even Ben's son feel better. She said that he may not have been great during his life, but Ben's death helped many students learn to be a doctor and she's thankful for that.

Survivor - Season 22, Episode 7 – It Don't Take a Smart One

2011-04-05T16:32:00.000+08:00

On Zapatera, everyone is now aware of a tribe division after David's vote at the last Tribal Council which really worries Sarita. On Ometepe, Phillip continues to question his loyalty to his alliance with Rob, something that Rob picks up on when they both volunteer to witness the Redemption Island duel. Later, Phillip argues with the women for some crispy rice after they insist the rice is for Rob.

Ometepe win the reward/immunity challenge and enjoy a picnic on an active volcano and when Zapatera arrive back at their camp, David is immediately a target for the vote. But before Tribal Council, the men on the tribe think Sarita may be a better choice.

WATCH VIDEO HERE!!!

Doctor Who - Season 5, Episode 14 - A Christmas Carol

2011-04-05T16:21:00.000+08:00

Location: Sardicktown

Date: 44th Century

Enemies: Kazran Sardick

Amy and Rory are trapped aboard a space liner crashing on a distant planet. The only way the Doctor can save them is to alter the timeline of a lonely old miser, the only one who can control the skies and allow them to land safely. But the Doctor may go too far in changing a man's life...

Full Recap

A passenger spaceship liner plummets toward a cloud-covered planet, and the captain and pilots desperately try to regain control. They detect a distress signal coming from the honeymoon suite, and try to determine who is there. Amy and Rory enter the bridge and tell the captain that they've sent a signal to a friend who can help them. As a small capsule approaches the liner, the Doctor sends a signal to Amy to prepare for rescue.

On the planet in the town of Sardicktown, Kazran Sardick is in his vast tower from which he controls the town. A poor family, the Pettigrews, have come to see him. The wife, Isabella, asks for the release of her sister Abigail for just one day to celebrate Christmas. Kazran has Abigail's cryogenic "ice box" brought in and tells them that she's being held as an asset against his loan to them. Their meeting is interrupted when the planet's president calls to ask Kazran to use his control of the clouds to let the liner land safely. He refuses, unconcerned about the death of the four thousand and three passengers and crew.

There's an unearthly noise from the roof, and then the Doctor drops down the chimney. He admits that he couldn't resist on Christmas Eve, insists that he's a close personal friend of Father Christmas. He notices Abigail inside the freezer unit, and then goes to the control console. He's unable to get it to work, and Kazran explains that the controls are isomorphic, one-to-one, and only he can use them. Once he confirms that Kazran is telling the truth, the Doctor asks him to help the passengers, but Kazran refuses, insisting that there are too many people on the planet already. The Doctor warns him that he'll do whatever it takes to save the people aboard the liner, and that whatever happens to Kazran is on his own head. Kazran has his guards escort the Pettigrews out, and the young boy throws a coal, hitting Kazran in the head. He lunges at the boy and prepares to slap him, but hesitates at the last moment. The Doctor notices the exchange and looks around the room. When he sees a portrait of Kazran's father Elliot, standing in front of a Christmas tree and looking down on an empty seat, the Doctor realizes that Kazran hates his father and congratulates him. He points out that Kazran didn't hit the boy, meaning he isn't his father, and that he's already halfway out of the dark. The Doctor then strides out past the guards.

Once he's out on the street, the Doctor calls Amy and tells her that he has a plan to deal with Kazran. Eric Pettigrew, the family father, thanks the Doctor for standing up to Kazran and then warns that they have to get inside before the fish come out. The Doctor wonders what he's talking about, and Amy warns him that the liner only has an hour left before they crash. However, he takes an interest in a school of fish swimming through the fog and circling a nearby streetlamp. As the Doctor reassure Amy that he's working on a plan, the loudspeakers start playing a Christmas carol, and the Doctor gets an idea.

Kazran dozes off in his chair, but comes awake to see a recording he made of himself as a 12-year-old boy. He watches as his father, Elliot, interrupts his younger self's project to summon the fish from the cloud banks using recorded singing. Elliot tells the younger Kazran to obey him and slaps the boy when he resists. The Doctor emerges from the shadows and explains that he found the recording on an old drive, and he's sent the servants away. Kazran watches the recording, which shows Young Kazran crying as Elliot leaves. The Doctor asks if the fish ever came, and Kazran tells him that he learned then and there that nobody ever comes. He tells the Doctor to get out and the Doctor agrees, but warns that he'll be back... way back.

Seconds later, Kazran watches the recording and sees the Doctor arrive at the window of his younger self's bedroom. The Doctor says he's the boy's new babysitter and then talks to Kazran directly via the recording, warning him that he's going to change the old man's past. Startled, Kazran realizes that his memories are changing to accommodate the Doctor visiting him in the past.

In the past, the Doctor tells Young Kazran that he's the new babysitter, and the boy explains that his father invented a machine that tamed the sky. The fish only come down when Elliot lets them, and the Doctor offers to bring a fish now. He rigs is sonic screwdriver as a lure and then hides in the cupboard with Elliot. As they wait, Young Kazran explains that he was sick on the day that the control device failed, and all of his mates have stories of when the fish came. The Doctor continues to record everything that happens so that Kazran can see it in the future and watch it along with his changing memories.

A fish finally arrives and the Doctor goes out to investigate. He realizes it has a small electrical charge, and wonders if there are larger fish. A shark suddenly swims in through the window and eats the fish and the sonic screwdriver. The Doctor leaps into the cupboard and bars the door shut, and tells Young Kazran that he has an idea about how to save the liner in the future. The shark slams partway through the cupboard door, its snapping jaws inches away from the Doctor and Young Kazran. Seeing a green glow inside its throat, the Doctor gets an idea and reaches inside, activating the sonic screwdriver.

The shark is stunned, and the Doctor realizes that it's dying now that it's outside the cloud belt for an extended period. Young Kazran cries over the dying fish, and the Doctor warns that it wouldn't survive the trip back to the upper atmosphere. They need a life support unit to protect the shark during transport, and Young Kazran gets an idea. He leads the Doctor to the tower's basement, where hundreds of people are frozen in cryogenic units, "ice boxes." They can't get in without the combination, and Young Kazran says that Elliot won't tell him the combination until he's older.

In the future, Kazran is swept up in the moment. He yells out the combination and the Doctor arrives via the TARDIS, having traveled back to see Kazran and get it. The Doctor then goes back to the past and uses the combination to open the storage area, which is built on a cloud bank that is used to power the freezing units.

Once inside, the Doctor sees Abigail, who he recognizes from the future. Young Kazran plays a recording she made saying that she's thankful for Elliot's philanthropic gesture in freezing her. The boy explains that his father loans money and then takes family members and keeps them in cold storage as collateral. The Doctor's half of the sonic screwdriver starts beeping, and he realizes that it's repairing itself... along with the half in the shark's stomach. The beeping gets louder as the shark tracks the signal to the basement. It tries to attack them and Young Kazran takes refuge between the storage units. He hears a woman singing and emerges to discover that Abigail has emerged from her unit when they activated it, and her singing has calmed the shark. The Doctor realizes that her singing causes a resonance of the ice crystals that make up the cloud banks, and that Elliot uses sonic waves to calm the storms and control them.

In the future, Kazran turns to look at the portrait of his father, and discovers that it has changed into a portrait of Abigail.

In the past, the Doctor puts the shark into Abigail's ice box and then takes the TARDIS up into the cloud banks, with Abigail and Young Kazran accompanying him. They release the shark and Young Kazran takes a photo of Abigail.

In the future, Kazran looks through his old mementos and finds the photo of Abigail.

As they watch the shark swim out into the clouds, the Doctor notices a counter marked 8 on Abigail's ice box. When he asks her about it, she asks if he's one of her doctors. Before he can pursue the matter, an alarm goes off. The Doctor takes the TARDIS back to the basement and puts Abigail into another ice box. As they close her in, Young Kazran promises that they'll be there for her in a year on Christmas Eve.

One year later, a second's passage for Abigail, the Doctor and Young Kazran release her again. They take her out to celebrate Christmas Eve, unaware that the counter on her container has decreased to 7. Outside, the Doctor uses his half of the sonic screwdriver to summon the shark, and then use it to tow a sleigh. They ride across the town, celebrating. When they're done, they promise Abigail that they'll be back in another year for an even better Christmas Eve.

In the future, Kazran looks at the souvenirs and photos of his and the Doctor's trips through time with Abigail on each Christmas Eve. One year, a now-adult Kazran and the Doctor release Abigail, and she asks them to stay on the planet in this time. They agree and she goes to see the Pettigrews. She watches from outside the house, crying, and Kazran finally comes over and asks why she's unhappy. Abigail admits that she can't be with them, but the Doctor quickly gets them all invited into the house. Isabella is uncertain about Adult Kazran, warning Abigail that he's just like his father. Abigail stands by her friend, but says that she can't stay for Christmas Day. When she hears that, Isabella moves the Christmas Day dinner up to Christmas Eve, and invite Adult Kazran and the Doctor to join them. As they celebrate, Adult Kazran and Abigail secretly hold hands beneath the table.

Afterward, the Doctor and Adult Kazran take Abigail back to her freezer unit. She asks the Doctor to leave them alone for a minute, but Adult Kazran realizes that she plans to kiss him and asks the Doctor for advice. The Doctor tells him to take the chance, and the happy couple kiss.

In the future, Kazran finds a photo of the three of them in California in 1952. He remembers finding Abigail alone by the pool, and asking what's wrong. She tells him, and the Doctor finds them kissing a few minutes later. He is ready to go, discovering that he's somehow become engaged to Marilyn Monroe and she is insisting they get married right away. When they ignore him, he goes to get married. Adult Kazran then asks Abigail what they're going to do, and she admits that there's nothing they can do.

Back on the planet, they place Abigail back in her freezer unit. Adult Kazran then tells the Doctor that he's done with their Christmas Eve tradition, and he has work to do for his father. Hurt at the abrupt dismissal, the Doctor asks if he's bored, and then wonders what he's hiding. Adult Kazran refuses to answer. When the Doctor asks him about Abigail, Adult Kazran says that he knows where to find her. As he goes, the Doctor gives him his half of the sonic screwdriver and says that Adult Kazran can use it to contact him if he never needs him. As the Doctor leaves, the counter on Abigail's box goes to zero.

In the future, Kazran looks at the portrait, which once more shows his father.

The next year, Elliot presents the completed control system to Adult Kazran and says that with it, they can control the planet, and control the population by controlling the fish and using them as a weapon of terror. Adult Kazran walks away, angry, and goes to his desk. As he contemplates the sonic screwdriver, the Doctor taps on the window. Adult Kazran looks angrily at him and closes the drapes, and then puts the sonic screwdriver in a drawer with the other discarded mementos of their Christmas Eves together.

In the future, Kazran finds the sonic screwdriver in the drawer. The President calls him to once more ask for his help. An embittered Kazran says that as an old friend took a very long time to teach him, life isn't fair. As he hangs up, a hologram of Amy appears. She says that she's the Ghost of Christmas Present, and Christmas singing fills the tower. Kazran follows it to the basement and sees holograms of people singing inside of the freezer area. Amy explains that they're holograms of the passengers, the people that will die because of him. They're singing in the hopes that Kazran will change his mind, but Kazran tells Amy that people can't change. He stalks through them to Abigail's ice box, and tells Amy that if it hadn't been for the Doctor, he never would have known Abigail. When she wonders why Kazran doesn't release Abigail, he explains that Abigail was dying when she went into suspended animation. Each time they released her for a Christmas Eve, it used up a little more of her remaining time. Now she has only a single day left to live, if he chooses to release her. Angry, he asks Amy how he can choose which day will be Abigail's last.

A desperate Amy reverses the transmission, letting Kazran see what's going on the liner. The passengers are still singing, and Rory explains that the Doctor hoped he could use the resonance of the singing to calm the ice crystals, stabilizing the clouds. It's not working, but the captain hasn't told the passengers that, knowing it would destroy their last hope.

Kazran still refuses to save the liner. Amy cuts the transmission, and the Doctor is in the basement with Kazran. The Doctor apologizes for not realizing what they were doing for Abigail, and what she meant to Kazran. Kazran tells the Doctor that he was better off when he didn't know Abigail, and thanks to the Doctor's meddling he has a broken heart where before he had none. When the Doctor tells Kazran that he must now see the future, Kazran insists that he knows the future, and he'll die alone and bitter like everyone else. The Doctor refuses to accept that he believes that, and explains that he's already shown Kazran his future: he's brought Young Kazran from the past. The boy stares in horror at what he's become, and Kazran lunges at the boy and prepares to hit him. He stops, his hand raised, as he remembers everything that has happened, including Elliot beating him. He then embraces his younger self, sobbing and apologizing.

With only five minutes left, the Doctor calls the liner and tells them to lock onto his signal. Kazran goes to the controls to let the ship land, but discovers they won't respond to him. The Doctor realizes that when he changed Kazran's life, he turned him into a man that Elliot would never turn over control of the system. The only thing they have left is Kazran's sonic screwdriver half, and the Doctor gets an idea. He realizes that he can use the resonance between that and the sonic screwdriver half still in the shark's stomach to transmit a signal into the cloudbanks. However, there is only one sound that they know has the proper resonance: Abigail's voice. Kazran has no choice but to release her. She's shocked to see that he's waited so long to release her, and is now so old. Kazran warns her that if she stays out of the unit, this will be the day that she dies. Abigail, realizing the cost, says that it's finally time for her to have a Christmas Day.

The liner runs out of time and plummets through the cloud banks... and stabilizes. They can hear Abigail singing from the planet. On the planet, the Doctor, Kazran, and his younger self watch as Abigail sings on the street. The Doctor tells them that when the two halves of the sonic screwdriver resonate on the same frequency, it will unlock the clouds for the first time in a very long while. It begins to slow, and the people come out to celebrate. The Doctor takes Young Kazran into the TARDIS to return him to his proper time, and Abigail and Kazran wave goodbye.

Later, Amy and Rory find the Doctor making snowmen. As they go to the TARDIS, Amy notices that the Doctor is pensive and asks if he's all right. He admits that it will be the last day that Abigail and Kazran have together, but everything must end so that everything can be started. As they prepare to depart, she asks where Kazran and Abigail are, and the Doctor tells her that they are taking one last trip with an old friend.

In the sky, the shark tows an exultant Abigail and Kazran through the clouds in a sled.

White Collar - Season 2, Episode 16 - Under the Radar

2011-04-04T10:17:00.000+08:00

Neal finally gets to confront the man behind Kate's death and finds out the truth about one of the history's biggest mysteries.

Full Recap

Neal is struggling as he carries a large cardboard box down the street, Peter strolling casually at his side. Neal complains about the weight of the box, but Peter tells him that he probably doesn't complain when he's lugging laser cutters and borescopes are. Neal counters that "When cracking safes, I have a sense of purpose." At a look from Peter, he corrects himself. "Had – had a sense of purpose." Peter says brightly, "Well, now you have a new purpose! Carting these Rolex knock-offs to evidence!"

As Peter and Neal enter the office, Sara is standing at Neal's desk – she has made a discovery. Peter goes to assemble the team as Sara asks to speak to Neal alone. As Peter leaves, Neal looks at her expectantly, but all she says is, "You look well." Relieved, he tells her that she does, too, and compliments her hairdo as they walk towards the employ conference room. Sara confronts him about their steamy kiss in the archives, leaving Neal to stutter, "Well, it was . . ." "Hot. It was hot!" finishes Sara with a smile. Neal deliberately misunderstands her. "Yeah, it was hot – back in the stacks, no A/C – it was like being back in college." "You never went to college," Sara reminds him, but he assures her that he did a lot of research. Peter, Jones and Diana are watching Sara and Neal studying a document with their heads close together, and speculatively, Diana inquires, "When did that happen?"

In the team meeting, Peter tells the team they have a chance to take down Vincent Adler, and describes Adler's billion-dollar Ponzi scheme. Sara has determined that Adler is looking for a sunken German U-boat off the coast of New York. They don't know why, but they can use the fact that he is looking for it to track him down. As the meeting breaks up, Peter asks Jones and Diana to search for another lead – Alex Hunter. Jones and Diana roll their eyes and mutter, "Yeah, we already know Alex," they say, with a meaningful look at Neal. Sara picks up on the not-so-subtle byplay, and when they are alone, she teases Neal. He admits that "calling her an acquaintance might have been an understatement," but Sarah assures him that he owes her no explanations – she, too, has lived a life, but if there is anything between them, to please not lie to her. "I would never lie to you," declares Neal, smiling. "Yes, you would," says an unsmiling Sara. "So – Alex." "Over – a long time ago," Neal assures her. They arrange to meet the next day at one o'clock for lunch at his place.

At Neal's apartment, Mozzie is fiddling with the fractal antenna attached to a computer. Peter, Neal and Mozzie speculate as to what might be on the U-boat – Mozzie suggests plutonium, or Hitler clones. As Mozzie waits for the antenna to warm up, Peter notices an Art Deco- style painting of the Chrysler Building that Neal has painted in electric blues and oranges, "to keep up my technique." Mozzie tells them that the antenna will only work if they are very close to the U-boat, because the SOS signal from the boat would be week after 50 years. Peter thinks that Alex may have a better idea exactly where the boat is, but Neal has been unable to reach her. Calling her again, he's shocked when Adler answers Alex's phone. He tells Neal that he has Alex and to "call off his dogs." Neal him that he can't do that, and Adler replies, "Neither can I," and hangs up.

At the office, Diana theorizes that Alex is working with Adler, but Neal disagrees. Peter cautions them that they can't make any assumptions, but feels that if they find Alex, they'll find Adler. Neal has Mozzie ask around, and discover that Alex was in town two weeks previously trying to pawn off silver through Ted Eames. Neal is surprised – Eames is pretty small-time. Neal comes up with a scheme to approach Eames with the fake Rolexes. The next day, Mozzie and Neal approach Eames with the watches, but are "surprised" by a police raid. Using some sleight of hand, Eames and Neal trade the fake Rolex back and forth, appearing to keep Eames clean of stolen goods. Winning Eames' confidence, Eames tells Neal that the last time he saw Alex, she was heading to the conservatory gardens.

The security cameras at the gardens show Alex going in, but not coming out, although the side gates have no cameras. Peter and Neal separate and begin to search the garden for clues. Peter loses Neal, but when his cell rings, it's Adler. Warily, Peter pulls out his gun, but Adler tells him to "holster your gun and get in the car." A dark limo is on the curb – the door swings open, and Neal is inside, with a trapped look on his face. Peter enters the car, and is confronted by one of Adler's men. Adler is in the front seat, and greets them. He forces Peter to unlock Neal's anklet, and then makes them drink a glass of tea with knock-out drops mixed in. They pass out.

Neal wakes up muzzily to Alex's concerned face. As he regains consciousness, Adler enters and, opening the windows, they see a U-boat in a warehouse – Adler has found it. As they walk out to examine it, Adler explains that it was scuttled near the end of the war. It turns out that one of the crewmen on the boat was his father. He needs Neal because, when the boat was scuttled, it was armed with explosives in case anyone came along later and tried to enter it. Neal asks Adler what he will do if he refuses, but Adler taunts him: Neal may tell himself he'd doing it to protect Peter and Alex, but Adler knows that Neal is just as curious as he is to see what is on the boat.

The hatch has been cleverly rigged with an old Enigma machine attached to dynamite. Peter and Neal struggle to defuse it, but accidently trip the timer, starting it off. They can't possibly guess the correct Enigma combination, but Alex suggests using "MIDAS", a word suggested by a story that her grandfather use to tell about a king who had a golden touch. Her grandfather was also the radio operator who received the U-boat's final SOS signal. Neal types it in, and it disarms the bomb.

Meanwhile, Sara arrives at Neal's apartment for lunch and is surprised to find only Mozzie. After exchanging some friendly banter, they realize that Neal is uncharacteristically late. Alarmed, they contact the FBI. Diana checks Neal's anklet, only to find that Peter's key removed it at the conservatory garden. She tells Sara that they will stop by and pick up Sara and Mozzie to begin searching for Peter and Neal.

Open the hatch, Neal and Peter carefully climb into the U-boat, and discover a fabulous treasure trove of art and antiquities that had been collected by the Nazis during World War II. Neal declares that it is worth billions of dollars. "It has to be the greatest collection of art that has ever been found!" he says in delight. Poking around, they discover the SOS transmitter that Mozzie can use to find them. Neal secrets it. Adler joins them, and now that Neal has served his purpose, he, Peter and Alex are no longer needed. Adler and his assistants lead them away and they are drugged again.

Diana and Jones have picked up Mozzie and Sara in a panel truck, and Mozzie's computer antenna suddenly picks up the U-boat's signal. Curiously, it is moving. Mozzie gives directions toward the source of the signal.

Neal, Peter and Alex regain consciousness. They are tied with plastic ties and chained to cement blocks at the bottom of a strange pit. Neal realizes that it is an empty ship dry dock. However, Adler's men are turning on the water, and the dry dock begins to fill with water. Frantically, they look for a way to escape. Luckily, Alex has a blade hidden in her bra. Neal uses his teeth to extract it, and moments later, they are free. As they climb out of the dry dock, Adler's men spot them and begin shooting. Luckily, Jones and Diana arrive at just that time, and capture them. Neal turns to Alex, thanks her and gives her a lingering kiss. Looking up, he sees Sara staring at him, wide-eyed, standing beside an uncomfortable-looking Mozzie. Sara turns away.

Back at the office, they are going over what they know in the conference room – it is assumed by now that Adler knows that they have escaped. Alex volunteers the information that Adler was planning to ship the treasure back to Europe at the end of the week, so Peter decides that since they have a bit of time, he and Neal should go home and get some rest. Alex describes the building they were held in, and Peter tells the team to concentrate on looking for that type of building, with a buoy nearby.

As Neal is wrapping things up, Sara approaches Alex and begins chatting. Jones alerts Neal to the fact that his ex and his current at now talking, and offers to be his "wing man", which Neal turns down. Neal "casually" wanders over to the girls. Sara wanders away, and Alex tells Neal the story of the sub, and how her grandfather had encoded the signal of the SOS into the music box; however, after Germany lost the war, he fled to the U.S. and the music box was lost. On his deathbed, he gave Alex the key to the music box and implored her to find it. Alex tells Neal that he reminds her of the treasure: "some wonderful fantasy that's just out of reach." She leaves him with a kiss on the cheek and an admonition to "take care of yourself." Neal finds Sara and begins to apologize, but is interrupted by Peter, who insists that Neal and Sara come for dinner at his house.

At Peter's house, Sara and Neal are uncomfortably silent, in stark contrast to Peter and Elizabeth's playfulness. After dinner, as Peter and Neal are talking quietly, Elizabeth chats with Sara, and admits that while she does worry about Peter, "I knew who he was when I fell in love with him." "You never tried to change that?" inquires Sara, and Elizabeth is surprised. "No – why would I?" and assures Sara that "for better or worse" has actually turned out for the better. "Do you trust Neal?" Sara asks Elizabeth. "Neal is a lot of things," muses Elizabeth, "but when it counts – you can trust him." Peter and Neal see Elizabeth and Sara deep in conversation, and when Neal wonders what they are talking about, Peter assures him that they are talking about Neal. "Me?" says Neal in surprise. "Boy, do you have a lot to learn about women," declares Peter, and goes on to tell Neal that he feels like the luckiest guy. "That's not who I am," says Neal. "You just have to figure it out," Peter assures him. "And when you do, you'll be the luckiest guy." Later, Sara accepts Neal's apology, and reminds him that he owes her lunch.

The next day, the FBI team begins to scour the docks looking for the warehouse. Neal hears a buoy and follows it, finding a warehouse close by. As he tries to enter, he is confronted by Adler, who tells him that the art is on an 18-wheeler ready to be moved. Adler offers Neal a deal – if he gets Adler past the FBI's perimeter, Neal can have half of the treasure. "Wow – that sounds like a really good deal," says Neal, "You must think I'm an idiot." "No, I think you're an opportunist," corrects Adler. "You took everything from me," declares Neal. "Only after you tried to do the same to me!" Adler reminds him. Neal demands to know why Kate had to die. Adler tells him that the explosives on the plane were Kate's idea – he and Kate parachute out over the ocean, the plane explodes, and everyone would live happily ever after. But then she called Adler and told him that Peter had arrived and threatened to ruin everything. "So you blew up the plane early," realizes Neal. "If I had waited another thirty seconds, I would have blown you up, too," grouses Adler. "Am I supposed to be grateful?" Neal asks, and Adler tells him that Neal was the closest thing to a son he ever had. "No. I'm nothing like you," Neal assures him. Adler sneers, "There's nothing sadder than a con man conning himself," and encourages Neal to join him. Neal tells him to go to hell, and at that moment, there's an explosion from the warehouse. Neal runs up to the warehouse. "Tell me you got the TNT out!" he yells at Adler. They pry open the door, in the face of another large explosion.

Meanwhile, the explosion has caught the attention of the rest of the team, who come running up. Neal and Adler are lying on the ground, stunned. Neal recovers first, and stares at the carnage. Adler, enraged, aims his gun at Neal, accusing him of arranging for the explosion. Neal vehemently denies it, but Adler declares, "You won't get away with this." A shot rings out, and Adler falls – Peter has shot him. Neal, staring at Adler, is stunned. "He was going to kill me," he says woodenly, and Peter, wrung out, asks him, "What did he mean, 'you won't get away with this?'" "I don't know," says Neal. Diana and Jones gently lead Neal away from the fire. As Peter begins to follow, a burning fragment of a painting falls to the ground in front of him. As it catches his eye, he is startled to realize that he has seen that fragment before – it's part of the painting of the Chrysler Building Neal was painting. "Dammit, Neal!" he exclaims to himself, and runs after them. Pulling Neal aside, he accuses Neal of starting the fire. Neal earnestly assures him, "Those were masterpieces, I would never have burned them, you know that." Peter doesn't believe him. "No, but you'd steal them!" "I don't know what you're talking about," declares Neal as he turns to walk away. But Peter is convinced that Neal has somehow finished the con on Adler. "I'm not lying to you now, Peter. I didn't steal the art," repeats Neal, but Peter accuses him: "I think you did." Exasperated, Neal turns away, but before he does, he tells Peter, "Then prove it."

Neal walks into his apartment, and sees a key on top of a small envelope. The card inside the envelope is typed and reads. "77850 Ganesvoort St, Unit A, New York, NY. YOU'LL THANK ME." Curiosity piqued, we see Neal entering a large warehouse-style building. Carefully peering in, he enters, and then finds himself surrounded – by the treasure from the U-boat. Standing in the middle of the treasure, he is still for a moment before a smile breaks across his face.

White Collar - Season 2, Episode 15 - Power Play

2011-04-04T10:15:00.000+08:00

In order to unmask a collision scheme, Neal and Peter switch their identities.

Full Recap

Elizabeth is organizing a gala opening at a museum for Andrew Stanzler, a very demanding client. Stanzler visits the site and makes a change in the plans, and when Elizabeth diplomatically comments to his assistant, Brooke, that Stanzler "knows what he wants", Brooke hesitantly asks her if her husband really works for the FBI. There's a problem...

It's a record hot day in New York, and Peter is installing a window air conditioning unit, since the demands on the power have caused black-outs around the city and their central a.c. system has conked out. Elizabeth returns and when Peter asks her "how is the world's most evil man?" Elizabeth tells him that they need to talk about Stanzler. His assistant suspects that Stanzler, an energy trader, may be causing the blackouts, based on overhearing a conversation with another trader. Brooke thinks that Stanzler may be withholding supply during peak hours, and then reselling it to the city at triple the price. Peter is concerned – the blackouts have caused three deaths, and has cost New York millions of dollars. Brooke is too afraid of Stanzler's temper to come in to the FBI to discuss it, so Elizabeth suggests that Peter meet Brooke at the museum. "And bring Neal," she suggests. "Why Neal?" "Oh, honey, she's really nervous. And you know, Neal has a calming smile." Peter is unimpressed with Neal's "calming smile."

Neal runs into Sara on the street – she is back from Argentina. She had been chasing one of the crates they had found, which had been smuggled out of an Argentinian estate that was subsequently burned down. Showing Neal photos, Sara suspects that Adler had stayed there after he left the U.S., and then torched it. She talked to Rosa, who worked at the estate, who said that Adler was obsessed with finding a German soldier named Gerhard Volkner. Neal tells Sara that he will pass Sara's information on to Peter. They give each other an awkward goodbye, and after a moment's confusion, walk off in opposite directions.

At the museum, Brooke is nervous because Peter hasn't shown up yet. Neal is there, and Elizabeth anxiously asks him to check on Peter's whereabouts. A quick phone call reveals that Peter has been delayed by a traffic accident and won't be there for almost 20 minutes; meanwhile, Stanzler's out-of-town meeting has been cancelled and he is on his way to the museum, to Brooke's consternation. Peter tells Neal to keep Brooke calm at all costs. Thinking quickly, Neal strolls up to Brooke and Elizabeth and, pecking Elizabeth on the check, introduces himself as Peter. Elizabeth is startled, but plays along. "Peter" earnestly asks Brooke to please help, because if she is right, her boss is hurting a lot of people. "You can trust my husband," Elizabeth assures her, with a wary glance at "Peter." Brooke reluctantly agrees, and then goes to greet Stanzler. "Did we really just do that?" wonders Elizabeth, but Neal's more pressing question is who is going to tell Peter what they have just done.

At the office, Peter is livid. "You impersonated a Federal agent!" he exclaims. Neal is apologetic, but tells Peter that "you told me to do whatever I had to do!" "I didn't tell you to commit a Federal crime!" snaps Peter. Neal maintains that if Brooke finds out about the mistaken identity, she will be spooked and leave. Peter's phone rings; Elizabeth is downstairs with Brooke. He explains that they are going to be honest with Brooke and tell her about the switch. He gets an earful from Elizabeth, who apparently also thinks that is a bad idea. Reluctantly, he goes to the bullpen and announces that "for the next hour, and only for the next hour, you will call Mr. Caffrey 'Special Agent Peter Burke'. No questions, no laughing – just do it." The bullpen is snickering, and Peter adds, ". . . and never speak of this again!" Elizabeth and Brooke enter the office, and after a moment's awkwardness, "Peter" leans in and kisses Elizabeth on the cheek again, to Peter's dismay. Peter walks up, and Elizabeth introduces him as "Neal Caffrey." Neal and Peter are stunned and exchange looks. "Neal" introduces himself to Brooke as a consultant, "a criminal who made a lot of very bad mistakes which landed me in prison. But now, I assist the FBI." Brooke accepts this explanation and Elizabeth and Neal listen with mouths open.

In "Peter's" office, Brooke explains that Stanzler's company is a broker, and that since power is an unregulated commodity, it can be bought , hoarded, and trigger an artificial shortage. "Neal" suggests that "Peter" talk to the Commodities Trading Commission. Brooke asks to speak to "Peter" privately. "Peter" sends "Neal" for coffee, to "Neal's" chagrin. Brooke tells "Peter" that she didn't want to mention it in front of "Neal,", but she thinks that Stanzler is searching for a burglar, based on a cryptic phone conversation Stanzler had with someone named Bill Roscoe. She Googled the name and discovered that Roscoe has a record for breaking and entering – something "Peter" is already aware of. At the coffee station, Jones twits Peter about getting Neal's coffee, and Peter threatens that Jones will be getting him mocha chai lattes for the rest of the month for that crack. Diana joins them, and is delighted at the role switch – she wants to tease Neal by taking "Peter" a file. Peter takes the file on Gerhardt Vogner, but it is empty – the Department of Defense classified his information when Vogner moved to the U.S. after World War II. Since it's been more than 50 years, Peter thinks he can get it de-classified. Peter returns to his office, as Diana and Jones giggle.

Neal fills Peter in on Brooke's information. "Sounds like a job for Neal Caffrey," comments Peter, but Neal warns him that Stanzler has already "made" him, but Peter points out that he can continue playing "Neal" and find out what is going on. "I'm taking control of this case before it goes any more sideways," Peter declares, and tells Neal to have Brooke put "Neal Caffrey" on the books. Neal is skeptical that Peter can be a convincing thief.

In Neal's apartment, Mozzie is welding something. "Welding is much harder than it looks – I deserve a 'medal'" chuckles Mozzie. Neal rolls his eyes at the pun as he makes a fake FBI ID badge with his picture instead Peter's, as Mozzie goes on to describe his eBay shopping for a particular antenna. Neal grouses about the amount of paperwork needed to send someone undercover. Mozzie wonders why Peter isn't doing it, and Neal tells him that Peter has stuck him with the paperwork since he is "Peter". Mozzie cautions him against impersonating a Federal agent , "otherwise, I'll find you wearing wingtips!" Neal shows him the completed ID, and Mozzie throws up his hands in mock despair. "Too late – the metamorphosis is complete," he mourns. Peter and Sara knock on the door, and Neal quickly slips the ID into his pocket. Peter indicates the welding project and asks, "Do I want to know?" "Not yet," answers Mozzie. Peter has a DVD of why Adler is so interested in Vogner. The DVD contains some old WWII film footage, one showing Vogner as a radio operation in the Euro headquarters after the fall of the Third Reich. When he fled to the U.S., he claimed to have top secret information to share; however, he was sent to a detention center on Ellis Island, and whatever information he had disappeared with him when he escaped a few weeks later. Sara wonders what information Vogner could have that Adler would be interested in 50 years later. "I have a feeling it has something to do with the antenna that Mozzie has been building," speculates Neal, and Mozzie agrees, "That makes sense, since he was a radio guy." Peter suspects that Vogner probably just jumped into the Ellis Island line for naturalization with a fake name, and entered the country that way. He suggests a search of the immigration records from that time. Mozzie suggests that the next time Peter is poking around in classified files that he should look for information on the "death of the electric car." "And I can throw in some stuff about crop circles," says Peter sarcastically. It takes Mozzie a moment to realize Peter is mocking him.

Later, as he is leaving, Peter assures Mozzie that the U.S. government isn't conducting mind control experiments. Mozzie is unconvinced. Neal and Sara begin to walk down the street, with Neal carrying a gym back. Sara is going to dinner, Neal is going to the gym to swim. She asks him how that works with his ankle bracelet, he tells her that it's waterproof. Under his breath, he then asks her about the "guy trying to cover surveillance," and she confirms she has seen him, too: "You're talking about the man at 6 o'clock?" Neal reaches over and pulls Sara into a one-armed embrace, and Sara whispers that the surveillance man realizes that he's been seen. "So, how long do you want to stay here?" asks Neal, and Sara suggests waiting until they see his next move. He spins her around so he can see the surveillance guy, but a dark car speeds up to the curb and the man jumps into it. Neal runs towards the car, but it gets away. "You ok?" asks Neal, and Sara reassures him that she's been followed before. "Well, whoever he is – he knows you're working for us," observes Neal.

Peter and Elizabeth are going over a map of the gala and the exhibit, so that "Neal" can impress Stanzler with his understanding of the museum's security. Elizabeth observes that "it's sexy, watching you plan a heist." Peter laughs as he prepares to leave. As he begins to get into the role of "Neal" he loosens his shoulders and intones woodenly. "I'm Caffrey . . . Neal Caffrey." Elizabeth stifles a laugh. "You don't like my Neal?" asks Peter, and Elizabeth explains that Neal has a way of "pulling you in when he talks, a kind of quiet, sexy whisper." "Oh, sexy, huh?" says a disgruntled Peter, with his hands on his hips. "And he doesn't put his hands on his hips," cautions Elizabeth, "he gets people to do what he wants by charming them – he doesn't rely on a badge." As he begins to leave, Elizabeth reminds him to remove his wedding ring. Reluctantly he takes it off, commenting that "I feel naked without it." "Maybe you could wear a hat?" suggests Elizabeth, a suggestion that Peter refuses.

Brooke introduces "Neal" to Stanzler, who studies "Neal." "Neal" says, in a somewhat gravelly whisper, "I understand you're looking for anacquisition." Stanzler asks how he knows that, and "Neal" tells him that Roscoe told him. "But whatever the job is, I'm your man," declares "Neal." Stanzler scoffs that everyone in his business says the same thing, but "Neal" tells him that he could rob the museum in 20 minutes. Stanzler is skeptical – the security equipment is the best. After discussing specifics, "Neal" tells Stanzler that they should skip the display and go straight for the private collection. "How do you know about that?" demands Stanzler, and "Neal" flashes him a smile. "I told you – I'm the best."

At the office, Peter tells the team that Stanzler needs a thief to steal a flash drive from another trader named Francis Luntz. Diana wants details about the meeting, but Peter brushes her off. His theory is that Stanzler and Luntz are using their combined power to create temporary shortages. Jones wants to know if "Neal" flaunted his past crimes, but Peter ignores him. Neal is somewhat surprised: "But how did you get him to hire you?" he asks. "I'm that good," smirks Peter. Apparently, Luntz videotaped one of their meetings, and Stanzler wants to retrieve it. Diana wants to know why they don't just get a warrant, but Peter isn't sure exactly what is on the flash drive, and if it's not enough evidence, then they have burned their case. "But I do need a warrant for Luntz' home," he tells them. "I don't need a warrant to break in," interjects Nealsotto voce. "Well, this 'Neal Caffrey' does," declares Peter, as Neal waves his hand dismissively. As the team leaves, Neal tells Peter about the tail the night before. He believes it's Adler that's having Sara followed. "Everyone that's looked into him – Mozzie, Kate – they've all been hurt," Neal tells Peter. He is meeting her at the Archives, and Peter encourages him to stay close to her. Peter then goes on to tell Neal, "When we break in, I'm going to need some training . . ." Neal grins. "Gotcha covered," he assures Peter.

Peter arrives at Neal's apartment for a training session with Mozzie. At first, Mozzie invites him to take a pebble from his hand, but Peter refuses. "Kung fu?" he asks, incredulously. Mozzie then asks him for $20. Peter at first refuses, but when Mozzie asks him if he wants help or not, Peter pulls $20 out of his wallet and hands it to Mozzie. Folding it, Mozzie declares, "First lesson: We take. We never give."

Neal meets Sara outside the Archives. She is disgruntled because it may take up to four weeks to get the immigration information she needs. Neal, however, has a plan. Back at the Archives, his charm has gained the cooperation of the clerk, who goes so far as to apologize for her previously brusqueness. He flashes his "FBI badge" and they are led to the records. Neal and Sara are surprised at the number of records from 1946 that will need to be reviewed.

At Neal's apartment, Mozzie is attempting to teach "sausage fingers" Peter how to pick a lock. At a knock at the door, Mozzie looks up and announces, "Ah, our guest speaker," as June walks in carrying an old jacket and inquires, "How's he doing?" Mozzie shrugs, and June goes on to tell him, as she places the jacket, with bells attached to the bottom, on a dressmaker form, that "Byron would be so thrilled to know that his training jacket was back in the game!" She then inquires knowledgeably, "Are you teaching him to run across?" "No, scratch on dick," "With the farmer's pass?" she asks. "Eh, Neal wants to run a bird dog." "Hm. He's a fed." Peter is utterly confused at the street lingo. Mozzie has a bug that he wants Peter to place in Stanzler's pocket before the heist –t he trick is retrieving it afterwards without Stanzler realizing it. Peter attempts it a few times, always setting off the bells. "This is impossible," he grouses. Mozzie demonstrates a light, two-fingered retrieval, and June explains that the first two fingers are used as tweezers. After long practice, Peter masters the art of pickpocketing.

Neal and Sara are laboriously sifting through archive records. Sighing, Neal sets a file aside and regards Sara. "So, tell me, Repo – what's your angle on all this?" Sara tells him that if Adler spent his life looking for something, that means that the payoff has to be bigger than the billion he has already stolen. "That's all?" asks Neal. "I like the mystery," says Sara. They exchange a long look. "I know what it's like to have a lot of questions," she offers, and tells Neal that when she was 13, her sister ran away and they never heard from her again, and how she used to go to her sister's room to get some idea of what her sister had run away to. "I never found the answers I was looking for – but, if we find Adler, maybe you can have some closure with Kate." Neal is silent.

At the office, as Peter gets underway, Neal compliments Peter on learning so quickly, and, referring to Mozzie, Peter admits that "there's a very good teacher under that shiny head of his." Peter asks about the archives, and Neal says that's going to take a while. "Ah, another late night with Sara, eh?" asks Peter. Neal is nervous about Peter's heist, and begins to offer him warnings. "You don't give me the 'be careful' speech. I invented the 'be careful' speech," retorts Peter. "OK, then," shrugs Neal. "Go out there and make me look good."

Peter meets Stanzler on the corner across from June's house. Quickly, he places the bug in Stanzler's pocket, while Stanzler instructs him to enter the master bedroom and look for a drive labeled "Project Edison." Stanzler warns him that he will only have 20 minutes, total. Peter enters the Luntz mansion's courtyard in the trunk of Stanzler's car. As Stanzler goes in, Peter hops out, and quickly goes to the basement door and picks it open, and finds his way upstairs.

At the Archives, Mozzie is helping Sara with research, admitted that Vogner has earned his admiration. "He learned to work the system. One day he was here, and the next – poof!" Sara asks if Neal sent Mozzie to watch her, and he tells her indignantly that no one "sends" him anywhere. Sara is unconvinced.

Peter reaches the bedroom. Neal authoritatively tells him to "look in drawers and cabinets. People usually hide things where they are easily accessible." Diana gives him an inquiring look, and Neal hastily adds, "as Mozzie taught you." Peter finds a Centurion safe key, and Neal advises him to look for a wall safe. Peter locates the safe and the flash drive, and prepares to download the video. Meanwhile, Diana is listening to Stanzler's conversation and alerts them to a turn in the conversation: Stanzler has revealed that someone from East Coast Hydroelectric may be causing the blackouts, and who will be at the party on Saturday. Peter tells them that they will wait until Saturday and take down all three of them. He leaves the same way he came in. He hands Stanzler the flash drive, and Stanzler hands him an envelope full of money, and then asks him if he wants another job. He tells Peter to be at the museum at 5 o'clock – tell no one, ask no questions. Peter agrees.

Peter and Neal review the video tape and the plans for Saturday with the rest of the team. Diana describes how they intercepted Stanzler's suit from the cleaners and inserted a video camera in place of the lapel button to record Saturday's conversations. Jones and Diana will be in the van, and Neal will be accompanying Elizabeth, pretending to be Peter.

At the party on Saturday, Neal and Elizabeth are standing together as Stanzler walks up, muttering to Brooke that if "any of the employees drop anything, they're fired." "I see you really know how to motivate your employees," observes "Peter" dryly. Stanzler introduces "Neal" to "Peter and Elizabeth Burke", and "Neal" slyly compliments "Peter" by telling him that "you married up!" Stanzler takes "Neal" away to meet some very pretty girls, as Elizabeth mutters to Neal, "So, this is undercover work, eh?" "I'm sure he's hating every moment of it," he assures her, as they watch Peter chatting easily with the young women. Stanzler then leads Peter through a door to the displayed collection. "You donated all of this?" asks Peter. "Yeah," shrugs Stanzler, and then points out Luntz, telling Peter that his friend Francis needs to be watched – he isn't having a very good day. Stanzler leaves, and Peter walks up to Luntz. Mistaking Peter for the ECH person, Luntz tells Peter he wants nothing to do with it, it's gotten much bigger than he expected, and that he is out. Peter asks him, "Did he tell you I was Chip Wheelock?" "Yes," answers Luntz in confusion, and Peter dashes off. Luntz tells Peter that he has leverage over Stanzler, but Peter tells him that he doesn't anymore, because he took it. As they are talking, Peter is trying to exit the gallery, but all the doors are locked. He calls Jones, who tells him the doors are locked due to a security brownout. Diana rushes in and tells Elizabeth that they need the backup generator, which is downstairs. Luntz is confused – "Who do you keep talking to?" and is alarmed when Peter tells him "The FBI." Peter has figured out that, with the security brownout, Stanzler is going to evade the security cameras and circle back around and kill both Luntz and Peter. As he works at picking the lock, Neal reports that he has sighted Stanzler across the reception room, and follows him. At that moment, the museum goes into complete blackout, which locks down the galleries. Stanzler gets away from Neal, and Jones tries to describe his movements to Neal using the hidden video camera. They race to the Stanzler Gallery as Peter fumbles with the lock. Luntz urges him to hurry, but Peter tells him sarcastically, "I wasn't trained to do this in the dark!" Jones warns Peter that Stanzler has entered the gallery and has a gun. Peter and Luntz duck away in the dark, but Stanzler begins shooting into the shadows, breaking glass cases as he shoots. A moment later, the generator kicks the lights back on. Taking advantage of Stanzler's surprise, Peter leaps on him and drops him to the ground as Neal comes running in with the rest of the security staff.

Outside the museum, Neal compliments Peter: "I didn't know you had moves like that!" Peter tells Neal that "I didn't know you had an FBI badge like that." Neal explains that he needed one to be a convincing FBI agent. Peter accuses Neal of enjoying playing him, and Neal admits that there is a certain "allure" to the profession. Peter admits that being Neal Caffrey has its charms, but that he had to work a lot harder fitting into Neal's world than Neal had to work to fit into Peter's. Peter pats Neal on the shoulder and tells him "Good work!" – as he deftly lifts the ID badge from Neal's pocket. Neal walk away, and Peter is joined by Elizabeth, who hands him his wedding ring and receives a kiss. Neal watches their affectionate embrace wistfully.

Back at the archives, Neal brings Sara a foil package of finger food from the reception. Mozzie is in a corner, going through microfiches, and suddenly, the lights begin to close down – more blackouts. As Sara reaches for a flashlight, Neal leans in and begins to kiss her. The kiss quickly turns steamy, as he pushes her against the wall and urgently begins to remove her lace jacket as she quickly begins to unbutton his shirt. Mozzie is engrossed in the microfiche, seemingly unaware of the passionate embrace a few feet away. Suddenly, the lights come back on, and Neal and Sara suddenly realize their state of undress. As they are smiling at each other, Mozzie walks up, calling for Sara. As he finds them, they spring apart like guilty teenagers, clothes every which way. "Uh – hi, Neal," Mozzie greets him uncertainly, and begins to back away, but Sara calls him back, wondering what he has found. "Um – well, the urgency transcends the awkwardness," he decides, and shows them a file – he believes he has found Vogner, who apparently entered the U.S. as "Michael Hunter." "Let's go find him!" exclaims Sara, but Mozzie tells her that he died in New York the year before. His obituary shows that he had one surviving relative, his granddaughter – Alexandra Hunter. Neal and Mozzie exchange an enlightened look.

Alex Hunter is walking a dark street, and telling someone on a cell phone that she is headed towards the location now, and is on her way. As she moves down the street, we see that she is being followed purposefully by a man in a dark hoodie.

How to center date header and change font size

2011-04-04T09:47:00.000+08:00

"Do you know how centre the date?????"

Open the template editor by going to Dashboard > Layout > Edit HTML and look for these codes:

/* Posts
-----------------------------------------------
*/
h2.date-header {
margin:1.5em 0 .5em;
}

and change it to

/* Posts
-----------------------------------------------
*/
h2.date-header {
margin:1.5em 0 .5em;
text-align:center;
}

and if you also want to change the font size, add this line - font-size:200% or font-size:12px; or whatever values you wish, so that the codes become

/* Posts
-----------------------------------------------
*/
h2.date-header {
margin:1.5em 0 .5em;
text-align:center;
font-size:200%;
}

Human Target - Season 2, Episode 13 - Marshall Pucci

2011-04-02T13:12:00.000+08:00

The mysterious woman implicated in the death of Marshall Pucci comes to the team for protection, and the team try to lure out the people responsible. Chance and the others soon discover they are outmatched and outgunned, and have to take extreme measures to survive.

Full Recap

Ilsa is in her office drinking and looking at the photo of her husband Marshall with his alleged mistress. She remembers back to a year ago when she called him while he was on a trip to Africa, and jokingly wondered if he was having an affair. Ilsa listened as Marshall realized the taxi driver was taking him somewhere against his will, and told her that he would love her forever.

Now, Chance arrives and Ilsa tells him about her memories would have been of happier times if she hadn't seen the photo, and then kisses Chance. After a moment, she draws away and Chance starts to apologize. He insists that it's under control, and she says good night to him and leaves.

The next day, Ilsa tells the team that she's moving back to London, and has set up a breakfast bar. Chance says that it's about time, and Winston wonders if they've had another fight. Ames says that Ilsa is leaving because Guerrero botched the assignment and never found the girl in the photo. Ilsa arrives and claims that she's going back to London to run the charity there. She thanks them all for their hard work and for putting up with her, and they share a toast. Ilsa then abruptly leaves, and even Guerrero is surprised she didn't try to hug them. Winston figures that Ilsa wanted Chance to ask her to say, but he figures she really wanted to go back to London.

As Guerrero leaves, a woman approaches him. He draws a gun on her, and she explains that she's Julia, the woman in the photo. She says that she needs protection.

Chance drives to the airfield and tells Ilsa that they've found Julia. She isn't interested, until Chance tells her that Julia knows who killed Marshall.

At the agency, Julia explains that she worked in Marshall's medical program in Africa, and he found a weapon cache hidden in his supplies. He took photos and was going to blow the whistle, and turned up dead. Julia thought they had found the photos and came to them, and Ilsa accuses her of being in the photo at the bar at the Lamont Hotel. Julia claims that she met Marshall there for the last time and he gave her tickets so she could get clear while he turned in the evidence. She insists that she's been on the run ever since, and that Marshall always loved Ilsa. Ilsa accepts her story and promises to help Julia get her life back.

After the meeting, Chance warns Ilsa that they're up against professionals who were able to kill Marshall and cover it up. She wonders if he's worried about her, and Chance insists that if the people are as dangerous as he believes, they're all in danger. Winston gets a phone number from Julia from the men who are after her, and Ilsa tells him to call and set up a meeting.

The team arranges the meeting at a park. Ilsa sits with Julia, while Chance watches and spots four men undercover in the park. Ilsa reassures a nervous Julia that she'll stay with her. Julia gets a call from the man threatening her, Bill Fickner, and Chance starts to warn her not to take the call. The enemy scrambles their transmissions and Ilsa answers it, and Fickner tells her to go to the nearby BART station and meet him in the last car. Winston is unable to break their high-level firewall.

In a warehouse, Fickner coordinates a team of men, and has them scramble the team's signal while sending in a bus to block Chance's vision.

On the street, Ilsa decides on her own to go into the subway. When the bus leaves, Chance realizes that Ilsa and Julia are on the move. He runs after them, and Guerrero drives after him. Fickner changes the traffic lights, causing a car to slam into Guerrero's car. Meanwhile, Chance gets to the two women only to discover that there's been a substitution, and they're two of the enemy. They try to shoot him and he easily subdues them, but he loses Ilsa and Julia.

Aboard the BART train, Ilsa tells Julia that she's safe. Julia draws a gun on her and directs her to the back of the car. She asks for the photos, but Ilsa insists that she doesn't have them. Julia assures Marshall that she's been lying to Ilsa and the others just like Marshall, and she's the one who killed Ilsa's husband. Ilsa pulls on the emergency break, and Julia. Ilsa grabs her gun and runs out onto the tracks, but catches her foot in the rail as an oncoming train approaches her.

Chance hears the noise through the sewer grate and enters the tunnel. He finds Ilsa and pulls her down so that the train can pass safely over the two of them. They watch as Julia leaves in the original BART train.

Back at the office, Ames wonders who they're up against, and Chance, Guerrero, and Winston realize that they're dealing with the CIA. They cut off the cameras, and Fickner orders his men into the office. They find nothing, unaware that the team has slipped out down the fire escape. Winston figures that Julia's boss is a rogue agent, and he used Marshall's program to sell arms. They figure they have to run.

Once his team has secured the office, Fickner comes in and tells them to find out everything they can about the team and their families, so that they can apply pressure.

Guerrero drives away with Ames and sticks to the parking garages to avoid satellite surveillance. When Ames says that she'll be going to Mexico with him, Guerrero tells her that they're going to split up once they're out of the country. He drives back to the office, willing to risk getting killed rather than spend his life with her.

Winston and Chance take Ilsa to a motel. While Winston goes to get food, Ilsa takes a shower and then worries that she's put the team at risk. Chance assures her that it's just a normal day for them, and figures they need to find the photo evidence to put Fickner away. Ilsa wonders why Marshall hid everything from her, and admits that she can't handle it. Chance tells her that she's the strongest person she knows, and that Marshall knew it. He asks her to tell him everything about her relationship with her husband, and she admits it'll be hard for her to discuss with Chance. Winston comes in, realizes that they're having a "moment," and quickly leaves.

At the agency office, Fickner goes over the files on the team while Guerrero listens from outside. The CIA agent reads Guerrero's file, dismisses him as a freak, and finds out that Guerrero has a child. In the car, Guerrero tells Ames to take the car and goes inside.

Chance goes over everything that Ilsa has told him, and she reveals that she got a letter from Marshall. She shows it to Chance, who points out it's signed by a Mr. Ross. Ilsa explains that every month they met at the Lamont Hotel in the bar, pretend to be strangers, and spend the night together under false names. The photo of Julia and Marshall was taken in the same bar. Chance asks if they always stayed in the same room.

Chance and Ilsa enter the Lamont Hotel and she collects the key to their suite from the aide. Winston taps into the security cameras and realizes that Fickner's men are there. Fickner tells his men to let Chance and Ilsa find the photos and then go after them. When Chance and Ilsa go to the tenth floor, Fickner orders his men to close in. His troopers burst into the room and discover that Chance has disappeared, and "Ilsa" is Ames wearing Ilsa's clothing. Meanwhile, goes to the real suite and starts searching.

Fickner orders his men to kill Ames, but Chance drops down from the ceiling and shoots them all. Julia calls for backup and her men move in.

Ilsa searches the suite while Winston warns Chance that there are reinforcements moving in. Chance tells Ames to get out, and Winston warns Ilsa that she's out of time. Ilsa spots a painting of a woman and realizes that it conceals a microchip with the evidence. As she leaves, Winston mentions that Julia is on her way up. Ilsa draws her stolen gun and goes to find the woman who killed her husband, while Winston tells Chance what's going on. She ignores him when he tells her to leave.

Ilsa captures Julia and takes her to the roof, and Winston tells Chance where their teammate is heading. Chance tells Ames to get to the van while he goes to get Ilsa, and then starts climbing the wall up.

The power goes out at the agency, and Fickner figures the team is in the building. He sends his men out to look. Their signals quickly go dead.

On the roof, Ilsa shows Julia the microchip and tells her that it's over. She demands to know Marshall's last words and every detail. Julia says that it doesn't matter, and he needed to be eliminated because he got in the way. Ilsa prepares to eliminate her, and Chance arrives. However, he tells Ilsa to hurry up before Fickner's men arrive. She prepares to shoot, but then gives the gun to Chance. The CIA agents arrive and surround them, and Chance tells Ilsa that they're always have Geneva. Winston and Ames are listening in, and realize he's talking about when they jumped off a tall building to escape. However, there has to be a body of water below.

Julia demands the microchip and Chance asks Ilsa to trust him. He then takes her hand and they leap over the side of the building. Julia and the CIA agents stare in shock.

At the agency, Fickner grabs a gun when he hears the elevator arrive. He opens fire only to discover the elevator is empty... and Guerrero gets behind him and captures him. Guerrero forces Fickner to order his men to surrender, and Ames and Winston arrive to take them captive. They wonder what happened to Chance... who is dangling from a gargoyle on the side of the building. When Ilsa starts to slip, Chance holds tight and tells her that he'll never let her go.

The next morning, Guerrero drives Fickner to the waterfront and handcuffs him to the wheel of a car. He says that Fickner has found his pressure point, and that's the issue. Guerrero walks away and Fickner starts his car... and it blows up.

Winston tells Ilsa that he's turned over the microchip to the government and the newspapers, and Fickner will get what he deserves. Ames says goodbye and steals Ilsa's bracelet, but Winston catches her. Ilsa tells her to keep it, and gives Winston a hug and a friendly kiss. She notices that Chance isn't there, and tells Winston to pass on her best wishes.

That night, Chance comes back from what he claims is shopping. Winston isn't fooled, even when Chance claims he forgot Ilsa was leaving that day. When he calls his friend on it, Chance says that there's no point, and Ilsa can make her own decisions. Winston says that he's scared for the first time, and Chance figures that somebody will get hurt, and it's too late to stop her. His friend notes that they still have the CIA systems, and Chance drives for the airport while Winston keeps the traffic lights in his favor.

Chance arrives in time to see a plane depart. However, he realizes that it's not Ilsa's plane. She emerges from a nearby hangar where they're preparing her plane. Chance gives her a casual goodbye and she turns and walks away, and Chance asks her to stay. Ilsa asks if he's asking because the team needs her, or he does. He agrees and they start to kiss, but the pilot interrupts to inform her that they've cancelled the plans like she asked. She admits she's going to stick around for a few more days to handle some errands, and says she'll see Chance the next day. Ilsa gets in her car and leaves, while Chance smiles and says that he'll see her tomorrow.

Human Target - Season 2, Episode 12 - The Trouble With Harry

2011-04-02T13:09:00.000+08:00

Private investigator Harry returns when Chance is hired to protect a security agency owner's fiancé. Meanwhile, two members of the team grow closer, and Ilsa goes on her first field mission.

Full Recap

Christopher is at a bar, handcuffed, when private detective Harry spots him and comes over. Christopher tells him to stay away, but Harry refuses and orders a drink. Christopher tells him to focus on the game on the TV and talk about it, or they'll both die. A man comes over and Harry spots the gun on him, and Harry plays along. The man with the gun nods and walks away, and Christopher tells Harry that it started a few days with a new client.

48 hours ago

Winston brings in a client, Sarah Han, who explains that her fiancé Henry Claypool threatened to kill her. Ames doesn't know who Claypool is, and Winston explains that Claypool is a recluse that lives in a heavily-guarded compound in Marin, and runs a private security organization. Sarah saw some of Claypool's files and realized he has a subgroup that works as a hit squad. Claypool learned what she saw and said he'd kill her if she tried to tell anyone. Ilsa arrives and asks to talk to Guerrero in private, and reminds him that he was supposed to keep her apprised of his progress in the investigation of the photo of Marshall Pucci with a woman. Guerrero says that she has a number of fake IDs, and says that she was probably Marshall's mistress.

Christopher figures that they need to get inside the compound and access the standalone computer so they can tie Claypool to his hit squad. Winston warns that it is heavily guarded, and Claypool's office has temperature control sensors and laser beams across the floor. Ilsa watches from the door, and insists on introducing herself to Sarah as the head of the company. Christopher talks to her in private, and Ilsa says that she wants to go out into the field to take down Claypool, who tried to work with Marshall. However, Christopher figures that Ilsa is taking it personally because Marshall lied to her and had an affair, but she wants to help Sarah with Claypool. She asks Christopher to let her help.

Now

Harry is surprised that Christopher let Ilsa go on the mission, but Christopher says that she had a good plan. However, he warns that their plan went bed and one of them didn't get out. Claypool wants the information they took in return for their prisoner. Christopher then explains that he's the prisoner, and shows Harry that he's handcuffed to a bomb beneath his chair.

Christopher says that he'll understand if Harry leaves, but Harry insists that Christopher will be there for House. In response, Christopher says that he has eight minutes before the exchange occurs. He tells Harry to order a martini with extra olives, but Harry demands intel. Christopher reluctantly proceeds.

48 hours ago

Winston tells Ames that she'll pair off with Christopher on the break-in, and Ames says she has some catching up to do. Meanwhile, Guerrero doses a bottle of wine with sodium thiopental. Ilsa is ready to go, but Winston and Guerrero privately warn Christopher that she's not the one for the job. He insists that he's the one who is in control of the operation.

The next day, Guerrero drives Ilsa in via the compound, while Christopher and Ames hide in the trunk. Guerrero describes what happened to the last man who tried to break in, and he's buried somewhere in the woods. She suggests that it's not too late to turn around, but Ilsa insists on helping Sarah, who is back at the compound. Meanwhile, Ames asks Christopher if he's seeing someone romantically. She can't understand why he isn't with someone, and suggests she can set him up with a very "friendly" friend named Melanie. Christopher tells her that he isn't interested, and tells her to focus.

Guerrero pulls up to the main house and the guards search the trunk. The head of security, Vaughn, confirms that it's empty, and then escorts Ilsa inside. The guards tell Guerrero to wait in the service area while they park the car. Once inside, the manager tells him to fold handkerchiefs. Once Guerrero is alone, he flips a switch on a remote, letting Winston tap into the security cameras.

Once they're alone, Christopher and Ames emerge from the secret compartment in the trunk. Ames continues to talk about Melanie, saying she's just interested in sex. They head inside while Winston overrides the security cameras.

Ilsa meets with Claypool and gives him the bottle of wine as a gift. They both watch Sarah, training her horse in the field, and Claypool says that she'll be joining them. Ilsa expresses an interest in the horse, but Claypool says he doesn't see the appeal.

Winston directs Ames and Christopher to Claypool's office. They only have ten seconds to lower their body temperature. They cross over on the shelves and Ames gets to the sensor and sprays it with a fan. Christopher then uses an aerosol to reveal the light beams. He jumps across the tables and stairs to the desk with Claypool's computer. However, the table has been moved from where it was in Winston's plans. Winston tells him to wait until Ilsa serves the wine, so that she can get the password.

In the study, Claypool pours the wine and Sarah comes in, Ilsa suggests that she wants to hire his security team to handle aid camps working with the Pucci Foundation. Claypool starts to take a drink, but notices that Ilsa isn't drinking. She makes an excuse that her doctor has forbidden her, and Claypool puts down his glass as well. Guerrero figures that Ilsa has blown it and starts to go to the study, but Ilsa says that she'll disobey her doctor's orders and proposes a toast. Once he sees her drink, Claypool drinks from his own glass as well. Christopher realizes that Ilsa has dosed herself with the sodium thiopental, much to Guerrero's disgust.

Now

Harry returns from the restroom as Vaughn and his men watch Christopher. The private eye slips him the toothpick from the olives and one of his socks, and Christopher tells him to buy a specific bottle of Scotch from the shelf. Harry then points out that Christopher never let him go on a mission, but he let Ilsa go on the mission. Christopher wonders what he's getting at, but Harry refuses to answer and tells him to finish he story.

Then

Ilsa and Henry both start feeling queasy. Claypool realizes there's something in it and Ilsa cheerfully insists on telling him the truth, that they gave him sodium thiopental to get him to give up the password. Christopher tells Guerrero to hold off and give Ilsa a Christopher to recover the situation. Ilsa has Sarah tie up the weakened Claypool, and Winston tells Guerrero to go in and Christopher to go for the computer. Guerrero uses a steamer to block the security camera.

Christopher leaps for the desk and jumps for the table. He loses his balance and falls, hanging by his fingertips on the desk.

Once Guerrero has blocked the lens, the head of staff comes in. Guerrero takes him out and dumps him in a laundry bin, and then heads for the study.

Christopher pulls over the keyboard and waits for the password.

Guerrero gets to the study and quickly gets Claypool to tell them the password. Ilsa thanks him and admires his dress sense. When Christopher gets the password, he enters it and starts downloading the files... which will take three minutes.

Vaughn spots the steamer in the kitchen and realizes that something is wrong.

Guerrero prepares to take Sarah and Ilsa out, but there's a knock on the door. Ilsa goes to the door and tries to keep Vaughn out while she's still telling the truth. Meanwhile, Guerrero gets out with Sarah. When he tells Christopher the news, Christopher is angry and insists that there must have been another option. Guerrero says that there wasn't, but admits that Ilsa has guts.

Vaughn finally has enough, hears Claypool knock over an end table, and has his men grab Ilsa. Christopher finishes the download and gives it to Ames, who leaves. He then tells Winston that he's not going to abandon Ilsa and drops to the ground, setting off the alarm. The troopers start searching the grounds, while a doctor tends to Claypool. Vaughn warns Ilsa that her friends are in trouble.

As Guerrero pulls out in the limo, Ames arrives and dives into the back with Sarah. The troopers spot him and pursuit, opening fire. Guerrero tells Winston to blow the gate, and it explodes on cue. As the trio escapes, Claypool tells Vaughn that Sarah is one of them. Vaughn tells his men to trace the limo's plates, and they warn him that there's another hostile on the grounds. Vaughn listens as gunshots ring outside. A man comes in and they open fire, unaware that it's one of their own men. Christopher dives beneath the corpse, then beneath the table, takes out Vaughn's men, and leaves with Ilsa.

As they flee across the grounds, Ilsa admits that he was right and she might have been in over her head. She keeps saying the truth, admitting that she finds Christopher sexy and that she's sorry for insisting on participating. Christopher notices that it smells like horse manure, and realizes that he's found their escape. He and Ilsa mount up and ride out on the road. A motorcyclist pursues them, and Christopher tells Ilsa that he's hopping off and she needs to get the horse over the fence. He admits that he probably won't escape, but Sarah has the information they need to take down Claypool. She insists that he can't go, but Christopher tells her that he knew something might happen with her. When she asks why he did it anyway, he doesn't answer but just sends her on her way. Christopher then fires two shots to draw the troopers' attention.

Now

Christopher tells Harry that Ilsa will be arriving with the information. Harry notes that Christopher is off his game because of Ilsa, and figures that his judgment is clouded. He notes that Christopher dodged the question of why he took Ilsa on the mission, and it's because he has feelings for her. Ilsa arrives and Christopher tells Harry to buy him some time. Meanwhile, Ilsa meet with Vaughn and turns over the flash drive. They confirm that it has the uncopied information. Claypool comes in and tells her to join Christopher at the bar. As she approaches the bar, Christopher puts his plan into operation and tells Harry to buy him ten seconds. He uses the toothpick from the olive to pick the handcuffs.

Harry tries to tie a cherry stem in a knot with his tongue to distract Vaughn, and gets punched in the face for his efforts. Christopher props the wine bottle between the bar and the chair, holding it down. He moves away and then breaks the bottle, setting off the bomb. He grabs Ilsa, takes a gun, and gets Ilsa to cover. As he shoots, he complains that Ilsa never thought there might be a double-cross. Christopher finally runs out of ammo, and Vaughn approaches him. He prepares to shoot... and Guerrero takes him down from behind with his belt knives. Winston has captured Claypool as he tried to escape. Harry recovers and insists that he handled things amazingly well.

As the police and fire squads clean up the bar, Winston asks a friend on the force to keep Ilsa's name out of the case. Christopher insists that he and Harry could have handled it, but Winston explains that he sent Harry there, setting him up on a fake date with "Laverne." Winston explains that he picked Harry because he was the least threatening character they could get in past Claypool's men and yet somehow mess up the bad guy's schemes. As they leave, Ames says that she knows why Christopher didn't want a date, and loudly says that he has a crush on somebody on the team. She figures he has a crush on her, but everybody just leaves... except Harry, who tries to pick her up. Ames ignores him and goes.

Back at the office, Ilsa is drinking and looking at the photo of Marshall and the woman. Christopher comes in and assures her that everything is fine. Ilsa admits that Marshall was having an affair, and worries that it's how she'll remember him. Christopher tells her that if Marshall cheated on her, he's an idiot and deserved better than her. Ilsa gets up and kisses him.

gif's for my blog

2011-04-01T14:27:00.000+08:00

What I've learned so far.

1. To work on blogger, .gif's need to be very small: a small number of pixels and a small number of frames. .
.I start with a new Photoshop image that is 200x200 pixels, with a transparent background.
.To keep the size small and the lines crisp, I draw my images within Photoshop using my computer mouse. Lines are typically 1 or 2 pixels thick.
.I use bucket painting sparingly, because it seems to reduce the number of frames.
.The larger the image size, the fewer frames you can have and still have your .gif run on blogger. With my small and simple images, I get about 10 frames maximum.

2. It is very helpful to make sketches of each of the animation frames before you start.
Its faster to sketch on paper. Work out the number of frames, the images, what parts will move, ...

3. Drawing Hints
.At this small size, lines blur when they are rotated. You can see this, for example, on the catnip leaves in the Cat .gif (April 24,2010 posting) in my blog. I now redraw objects in the new position instead of rotating them. The rotating arm in my Design Process .gif, (April 24, 2010 posting) was redrawn for every frame.
.When you copy and paste a part of an image with a transparent background, Photoshop moves the copy. When I want to copy a piece and keep it in the same place in the next frame, I use this process:
.Bucket paint the background of both layers (layer copying from and layer pasting to).
.Copy and paste onto new layer.
.Using the Magic Wand, select and then delete the bucket painting in the old and new frames.

4. Create all your animation frames in Photoshop, then move to ImageReady just to create the .gif.
.It is MUCH easier to manipulate your images in Photoshop than in ImageReady.
.You need to create a separate layer in Photoshop for each frame of the animation.
.Use a simple layer naming system to keep track of the animation layers, such as "Frame 1, Frame 2,...."

5. Rename and resave your .gif file every time you change it.
.Somewhere between ImageReady and the post editor, your .gif file updates get lost. Any change in the file name is enough to solve this problem. I give the file a name, and then just sequentially number each version. For example: "Design Process 8" might be the eighth version.

6. A successful .gif will animate as soon as you import it to the updated post editor.
Unfortunately, I haven't come up with an exact formula for determining how many frames I can have in a .gif, I just guess. I insert the .gif in the post editor and see if it runs. If not, I go back to ImageReady and start removing frames (remembering to rename the .gif file after every change) until the .gif runs. This can make it hard to plan an animation. I often have to revise my design for fewer frames than I had wanted.

Example: My first .gif
This .gif shows a square that jumps between two positions every second.

1. Open a new image in Photoshop: 200x200 pixels, transparent background, 300 pixels/inch resolution. (File>New)
2. Draw a medium size black rectangle. (Toolbox>Foreground/Background Tool>set Foreground as black,Toolbox>Rectangle Tool)
3. Create a duplicate layer, name it "Frame 2". (Layer>Duplicate Layer)
4. Move the rectangle in layer 2 to a new position.(Toolbox>Move Tool)
5. Rename the first layer as "Frame 1". (Layer>Layer Properties)
6. Save as "Squares 1.psd" (File>Save as)
7. Jump to ImageReady (button at bottom of Toolbox)
8. Click on the arrow in the upper right hand corner of the Animation palette.
9. Select "Make Frames from Layers"
10. There should be two frames in the animation box now, each showing the square in a different position.
11. Click on the right-hand arrow again, and click on "Select all Frames".
12. Click on the "0 sec" below one of the frames, and select 1.0.
13. Select File>Save Optimized As, and save in your selected folder as "Squares-1.gif".
14. Go to your blog, create a new post using the new post editor.
15. Select "Insert Image" and insert your Squares-1.gif.
16. The square should jump between 2 positions every second.

Blogger FAQ and Help

2011-04-01T14:14:00.000+08:00

Header
Insert an image to the left of Blog Title and Description
Add a Horizontal Navigation Bar in Header Image
Unable to remove Header Image

Blog Posts
Arrange, customize and shift the Blog Posts and Footer elements
Insert a picture or image beside the Blog Post Title
How to have standard or pre-formatted text in Blog Posts
Add Highlighting to Text and Background Color in Text Box
Change Blogger Post URL - SEO Tip
Change the Post a Comment Link
Add scrollbars to text within Blog Posts

Sidebar
Add Background color and image to Sidebar Titles [read]
Have different Background colors for each widget [read]
Style and Position Sidebar Images [read]

Footer
How to align Blog Post Footer elements to the left [read]
Move Comments Label to below Post Title [read]

Links and Labels
How to add Hover, Mouseover and Rollover effects for links [read]
Remove automatic number count in Labels widget [read]
Remove link underlines in Blog Posts and/or sidebar [read]
Be notified by Blogger when there is a Backlink [read]
Change and Edit Labels in Multiple Posts [read]

General
How to change Background Colour of TicTac Template [read]
How to remove the Pencil or Screwdriver and Wrench icons [read]
How to add animated graphics in Blogger Post and Sidebar [read]
Add Text Box or HTML textarea code in Blogs [read]
Know the limits on our Blogger account [read]
How to take Screenshots or Screen captures [read]
How to change and transfer Blog ownership [read]
Change font size and font styles in template [read]
How to center align Page Elements [read]
How to insert a separator line between each comment [read]

Blogger limits update & workarounds

2011-04-01T14:09:00.000+08:00

Blogger Help: What are the limits on my Blogger account? is overdue for updating as the number of blogs in a single Blogger/Google account is still stated as unlimited. In truth, Blogger.com has limited it to a maximum 100 blogs per account. However it is easy to go around this limit as you can create a new Blogger/Google account, create a new blog then invite your old account as team blogger and after acceptance of the invitation, make yourself (old account) as administrator.

Update 2: Thanks to Mary of Google Sites Hints and Tips who says that the limit of 100 team members per blog is actually a limit of 100 invitations and that by forwarding an invitation email, the forwardee can accept the invitation and become a team member as well and in this way, one can have more than 100 team members per blog. I have tested forwarding an invitation email and can confirm that the forwardee who was not invited directly can accept and thereby become a team member. However I do not have 100 email addresses to test this workaround and will welcome updates from anyone who have actually successfully added more than 100 team members per blog. You can leave a comment or contact me via my contact form.

Update 3: After accepting that invitation email this was the message from Blogger:

Your invitation for ????@gmail.com for your private blog "Make Money Online" has been accepted, but using a different email address. It has been accepted by ####@yahoo.com.

If your invitation has been accepted by someone you do not know or did not intend to invite, please visit the Permissions tab of your blog where you can choose to revoke access.

Thanks,

The Blogger Team

Below are the list of all the limits now updated:

What are the limits on my Blogger account?
We try to give you a lot of room to play here on Blogger, so you'll see that a lot of the important "limits" here aren't really very limiting. But just in case you were wondering, here is some information about about what a single Blogger account will hold.

Number of Blogs: You can have as many blogs as you like on one account Update: You can have a maximum 100 blogs in one account).

Number of Posts: There is no limit on the number of posts you can have on one blog. They will all be saved on your account (unless you manually delete them) regardless of whether you are publishing archives or not.

Size of Posts: Individual posts do not have a specific size limit, but very large posts may run you up against the page size limit. (See the next item.)

Size of Pages: Individual pages (the main page of your blog, or your archive pages) are limited to 1 MB in size. This will allow for a few hundred pages of text, but it may be a problem if you are listing hundreds of posts on the front page of your blog. If you hit this limit, you will see an error message saying "006 Please contact Blogger Support." You can get around this error by lowering the number of posts on your main page, which will have the added benefit of making your page load faster as well.

Number of Comments: A post can have any number of comments. As with archived posts, if you choose to hide comments on your blog, all pre-existing comments will remain saved on your account.

Number of Pictures: Up to 1 GB of total storage, shared with Picasa Web

Size of Pictures: If you are posting pictures through Blogger Mobile there is a limit of 250K per picture.

Team Members: There is a limit of 100 members per blog.Update: This limit is actually a limit of 100 invitation per blog. By forwarding an invitation email to another email address, that email address can also be a team member of a blog and in this way, one can have more than 100 team members per blog. seeworkaround

Number of Labels: Up to 2000 unique labels per blog and 20 per post.

Blog Description: Limited to 500 characters, with no HTML. Adding additional characters or HTML may cause it to revert to a previous setting.

"About Me" Profile Information: Maximum of 1,200 characters.

Profile Interests and Favorites: Maximum of 2,000 characters in each field.

mosley to knockout pacquiao

2011-04-01T13:51:00.002+08:00

The Pacquiao vs Mosley fight is going to happen less than 2 months to go before Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley face off in MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA for the WBO (World Boxing Organization) Welterweight Belt. Manny Pacquiao got the WBO belt from Miguel Cotto who won it from Shane Mosley. Shane Mosley got the belt from Antonio Margarito in January 2009 by knocking out Antonio in the 9th round of their fight. Now, Shane Mosley is going to get it from Manny Pacquiao.

Pacquiao vs Mosley is promoted by Top Rank Promotions in association with MP Promotions, SSM Promotions, Tecate, Showtime and MGM Grand. Head promoter Bob Arum believes that the fight between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley on May 7 will be very entertaining. “Styles make fights” as what many promoters and boxers say. Both Manny and Shane Mosley are warriors and loves to throw a lot of punches. They believed that throwing a lot of punches can overwhelm the enemy and possibly score a KO in any round.

Watch Pacquiao vs Mosley live stream is available via Showtime PPV for only $54.95. The tickets to the Mosley vs Pacquiao fight venue is already sold-out so the only option now to watch the fight is through pay-per-view.