Now as much as I like blogs to be a place where people can throw their thoughts down at a rapid pace, there’s places like Perezhilton.com and TMZ.com where it goes from opinions to just being ridiculous. Today is no exception.

Mediatakeout.com, kind of like the black sister to Perez Hilton, is driven towards black celebrity gossip. It throws out alot of rumors without much attribution or respect towards anyone.

Last night, they reported singer Nate Dogg died. Nate Dogg had had a stroke late last year and the site said complications stemming from it was the cause of his untimely passing.

Except Nate Dogg is alive. Yes, the legendary hook singer from such songs as Warren G’s “Regulate,” 2Pac’s “All About U,” and Ludacris’ “Area Codes” is still breathing and, actually, doing very well.

So Mediatakeout.com issues an apology, misspellings and all. Click here to view it.

Now there’s one thing to say there’s a rumor where somebody has died. It’s another to flat out say they are dead. I’m sure Nate Dogg has an extended family who most likely have to the series of tubes known as the Internet. They don’t need to be hearing from inquisitive voices that their relative is dead because some two-bit gossip site said so.

It’s just ridiculous and one of the reasons the whole blogosphere will collapse in on itself.

It wouldn’t be another 365 days of the world turning on its axis without Summer. That said, it wouldn’t be Summer without me giving a preview that’s two weeks behind every other publication known to man giving their Summer previews.

So enjoy the heat and when you’re done with that, come into a frigid, “dear God, why is it so cold?” theater…

Movies

1. “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” / “The Dark Knight” (tie)
I don’t normally cop-out to very many things, but for this I’ll make an exception. I love the “Indiana Jones” series and I love selected works from the “Batman” series, especially “Batman Begins.” I expect “Indiana Jones” to be a fond trip down memory lane with lots of laughs and thrills while “The Dark Knight” will be a more visceral, dark experience. Either way, both will satisfy different areas of my movie pallet. Not to mention send me back to feeling like I’m seven-years-old. NOTE: Last year I listed “Ocean’s 13″ as my number one anticipated movie and for that, I apologize.

2. Wall-E No matter how old I get, I’ll always love Pixar films. “Wall-E” looks like it won’t change that as it’s the usual extremely cute main character on a deep, soul-searching journey. Granted, it’s the traditional Pixar formula. But if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.

3. Hancock

There’s been almost every variation on the superhero movie from the great (”Spider-Man,” “Superman”) to the great (”Batman Begins,” “Iron Man”) to the terrible (”Superhero Movie,” “Fantastic Four”). Yet we’ve never had that drunk, surly superhero that truly doesn’t give a monkey’s arse about saving anyone. This trailer, next to “The Dark Knight,” was the one that intrigued me the most as it has the ability to go so many directions. Plus, everybody loves Will Smith.

4. The X-Files: I Want to Believe

So I was a huge “X-Files” fan from the early stuff with a caveman-like Seth Green appearance to when the T-1000 came on and tried to do a FBI-like cover-up of the show’s massive decline in quality. So why isn’t this higher? Well, the last few seasons were massive disappoinments. Especially the show’s finale. Second, I really don’t know much of what’s going on (and, yes, I have seen the trailer). Regardless, nostalgia rides shotgun in my head so I am, of course, very excited.

5. Pineapple Express I’m an unabashed Judd Apatow fanboy. “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” put his productions back on track and hopefully this will keep it going. My only reservation is that it’s comedy/action film directed by David Gordon Green, a director known for incredibly serious dramas. How this will play out when most Apatow films are penis and sex jokes has yet to be seen. So I’m staving off disappointment and putting this at a lower spot.

The rest….

6. Get Smart I trust Steve Carell even though “Evan Almighty” wasn’t good and “The Office” has seen better days. Plus, much like “X-Files,” I loved the old series. So hopefully this will be good.

7. The Foot Fist Way If you saw the supposed Fred Simmons: “Master of the Demo” on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” then you know what true awkwardness is all about. What it actually was was a promo for this faux-documentary about a self-obsessed karate instructor. According to Jonah Hill, its the funniest movie ever made. So I expect so good laughs with a cult following followed by an indie-hipster backlash.

8. Step Brothers Honestly, I’m not really sure if this will be any good but as long as John C. Reilly keeps getting starring roles, I’m happy.

9. You Don’t Mess with the Zohan Same as “Step Brothers,” except the past few Sandler comedies haven’t been very good so I’m really undecided about this one.

10. Wanted This looks like it could be one of the most ridiculous movies ever made. It’s a “Fast and the Furious” for people who don’t care for racing but want to be teased by Angelina Jolie. And you thought she couldn’t top “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” on the absurd-o-meter.

I’ll Go to Hell Before I See…..

1. The Love Guru

I’m going to guess that this movie, much like “Epic Movie,” is a scientific experiment to see if people really care what they see on the big screen. I’m guessing they just want to see if people just have too much money and need to rid themselves of it immediately. The sad thing is Mike Myers is, or at least used to be, a really funny writer and comedic. The first “Wayne’s World” and “Austin Powers” are genius. It’s too bad this is what has become of him.

2. Meet Dave

I’m going to guess that this movie, much like “Epic Movie,” is a scientific experiment to see if people really care what they see on the big screen. I’m guessing they just want to see if people just have too much money and need to rid themselves of it immediately. The sad thing is Eddie Murphy is, or at least used to be, a really funny writer and comedic. The first “Nutty Professor” and “Beverly Hills Cop” are genius. It’s too bad this is what has become of him.

As for music, there’s alot of good tours coming to the Midwest this summer. But as for albums, not a lot has caught my eye. But I’ll keep you updated if it does because I know that you will lose many hours of sleep over it.

If you would like to see past summer previews here are some links…..

Summer 2007 Preview

Summer 2005 Music

Summer 2005 Film Preview

So there you go. Enjoy your summer accordingly.

It’s been awhile since I last posted and there’s two reasons why….

1 - I’m trying to find a full-time writing job.

2 - GTA: IV. It’s honestly like a really good, really long movie.

Anyways, Summer is here. Thank Gord. Though that really means little to me other than one of my jobs is over.

Songs of the week

Weezer - Heart Songs No band seems to be able to divide its fan more than Weezer. I think everyone agrees that almost all of “Make Believe” was absolute garbage. The leaked tracks from “The Red Album” are, in my opinion, much better than their last two albums (not that it would take much), but some fans would say otherwise. Regardless, this is Rivers paying tribute to all that inspired him.

Jason Mraz - Butterfly Jason Mraz is one of those musicians that I figured would just be around forever like a matchbox twenty or Jack Johnson. His last album proved that wasn’t the case as you still have to have a solid album. His new one is alot less polished and self-indulgent. But it’s still Jason Mraz, no changing that. This is one of the better songs on the CD and by far the most sex-fueled one he’s ever written.

Is this the future of the music industry? Most likely..

The Offspring offer their new single, “Hammerhead” for free… Click Here to get it

On top of that, without any hype, press or preview that this was coming, Nine Inch Nails releases an entire album, “The Slip” for $0. Click Here to get “The Slip”

Absolutely amazing. Coldplay, The Offspring, NIN. Granted, these are bands with alot of clout, but it will be interesting to see if this is what will become the industry for bigger bands that really don’t need the sales to stay afloat.

Nifty Fact: Drummer Josh Freese has drummed for both The Offspring and NIN. He has also played drums for Sting, A Perfect Circle and pretty much any other band that needed a drummer.

So why will this week be absolutely awesome…. Let’s count the ways….

“Grand Theft Auto: IV” comes out tonight. It seems like it’s been forever since “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” was released and this looks to take the reigns as the best GTA yet. GTA’s creator, Rock Star Games, must have had something sinister in mind releasing it the week of or before Finals Week for most college students. But I’m pretty sure this will diminish my hopes of my skin ever looking anything other than “glow-in-the-dark pale.”

New “Dark Knight” teaser to be released tonight. Eff yes.

Sneak Preview of “Iron Man” on Tuesday. Excellent.

The generous folks in Coldplay will be giving their single of “Violet Hill” away for free starting tomorrow. You can get it here.

Running a 5K early Saturday followed by a festive gathering of folks. Should be a good time.

Songs of the Week:

Mark Ronson /f/ Nate Dogg, Ghostface Killa, Trife and Saigon - “Ooo Wee” Of course this was the song I left off of yesterday’s party mix. This is the ultimate summer party jam. You may recognize it for being in the opening credits for “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” or “Hitch.” Forget that you probably don’t know anybody in the song besides Nate Dogg and put it on.

The Bird and The Bee - “F—ing Boyfriend” The Bird and The Bee is one of those groups that I automatically wrote off because I hated their name (yes, I do that sometimes). Then I listened to the “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” soundtrack and found this gem on there. It’s like a dirty Imogen Heap/Frou Frou song. Gotta love that female electronic music.

Tags: coldplay, grand theft auto 4, harold and kumar escape from guantanmo bay opening song, mark ronson, the bird and the bee, the dark knight