We Called It!

Bourne Ultimatum

2007-12-30T05:00:43Z

"He is SO cool!" I found myself saying this about Matt Damon's character, Jason Bourne throughout the third Bourne movie. And that's how the whole movie was...SO cool. If you liked the first two, you're going to love this one. In this movie, Bourne is being chased by authorities as they believe he has committed a crime while he is simply trying to find the truth about his beginnings as Jason Bourne.

The movie moves quickly and is filled with tons of actions. But it's not empty, violent filled action (if there is such). It's smart, it's inventive, it's unique and it's just SO COOL.

I don't want to spoil the details of the plot but it's definitely worth checking out and buying when it comes out on DVD!

Bed Head Superstar Leave-in Conditioner

2007-12-22T03:57:56Z

The summer has not been kind to my already fine (and I don't mean hot or pretty) hair. We put a pool in so my hair has been doused with chemicals almost daily. At my latest stop at the salon last week, my stylist immediately put on Bed Head's newest leave-in conditioner. She recommended using it every day for normal styling and also putting some in before I got in the pool to protect my hair from absorbing the pool chemicals. This stuff has been great. This is the newest hair product at the top of my list. It makes my hair soft and shiny without leaving it greasy in the least. It's easy as pie to spray in and in full Bed Head product fashion, it smells great!

V_BOT by The Learning Curve

2007-12-12T04:08:27Z

Now why couldn't I be a kid in this day and age?! Not only do I have before me a 15" tall and decently weighty transformer robot (reg $129) but this guy has the ability to truly transform into a fully functioning remote-controlled vehicle that even comes with an MP3 adapter to hook up and blast tunes off your mp3 player. I really do like how with a push of a button on the remote control, the bot transforms very nicely into a nice decked out SUV looking vehicle. The bot in car mode actually has the ability to take off! Definitely able to give your small pet dog a good chasing around the house. Granted the turning radius isn't that great but for the size/functionality and attractive stylings of the product I can easily over look something as small as that. Johnny (yes I gave it a name) has the ability to perform 100+ action moves.. they range from a nice karate chop type action to being able to dance while playing your mp3 tunes through it!. Its funny how with certain products you can just expect consumers to personalize them in some way.. I definitely think that this is one of those type of products. You'll probably start seeing lots of YouTube videos showing off how their V_Bot can rock out to certain popular tunes. Make sure you are well equipped with rechargeable batteries and of course a battery charger. This big guy is going to keep everyone occupied and drooling over the million functions it can perform. Important Note: Show V_Bot to anyone and they will want one! This has extreme appeal on multiple levels so be prepared to handle their demands.

Pavonia Skin Care

2007-12-11T01:57:29Z

I’ve always looked much younger than my age, and I’ve enjoyed it tremendously. I was genetically lucky, since I did absolutely nothing special to stay that way. Then I hit my 40s. I thought it was bad at 30 when I finally got hips, but this was worse. Adult acne, wrinkles, and stuff I think they call ‘crepe’ above my eyes. Creepy is more like it. Who wants to see their mother in the mirror? I was not and never would be a dedicated product user, so I needed something that would work simply and quickly. I tried a lot of different products with no real results until I tried the Pavonia line. Crepe-ee eyelids were cured within days, I have very little acne, and the wrinkles have slowed down to a distinguished few. I can live with that. I now use the caviar line that includes a cleanser, a cream, serum and lotion. The gift set of these costs about $350, so they’re not cheap, but they last. And I’m still not a dedicated product user. Although I use the cleanser every day sometimes I skip the rest. I wonder what I’d look like if I was actually a girly-girl?

Presto -- HP Mailbox Printing System

2007-12-04T01:25:06Z

Imagine this. Someone you care about is not connected to the internet. Hard to imagine, but they’re still out there. It could be a parent or grandparent, a brother or sister, a favorite cousin, or even someone's sick child. You call this person every week or maybe even every day. You can’t see them in person as much as you’d like, and you know they’re lonely and feeling left out. You also own a digital camera, but they can’t or just don’t have the ability to have an internet connection or a computer to make messages and pictures easy to share.

Set up a Presto for them and they can receive a daily email from you to brighten their day, without an internet connection. Attach a picture of you waving hello, or of any important event they have to miss. Then when you call it makes talking about the day or event even more special.

For about $100 - $130 you can buy the Presto. It’s basically an easy-to-use printer that receives email up to five different times a day, at times that you control. You set up the account online, set the preferences, and set up payment for the service at a cost of only about $10 a month. Plug in the Presto, plug their phone line to it, and it’s ready to go. Paper and ink are included and can be monitored on-line. Both are easy to replace when needed. No need to worry about spam, either, since you have to specifically set people up to allow them to send to the account. Information cards are also provided that contain access numbers. Your loved one can hand them out to other friends/family members to set themselves up, so they don’t have to wait for you to do it for them.

Go to www.Presto.com and check it out. As a Hospice volunteer I made friends with a lovely lady whose husband had passed away while under Hospice care. Her grown children and grandchildren were connected to the internet, but this lady had no way to receive emails, and no way to set up an internet connection. I hooked her up with one of these and it’s been working great for three months. I’ve yet to have to change the ink. I was also able to set her up to receive ‘Newsstand’ items such as a weekly article from Andy Rooney and daily gossip article from Liz Smith.

Presto – it was just that easy.

Vacation Week!

2007-08-06T05:08:21Z

WeCalledIt.com is on holiday for this week! We'll be back with more reviews!

Nascar - A Fast History - Greg Fielden

2007-08-01T05:15:46Z

Its no secret that Im a Nascar fan, and you've got my father-in-law to blame/congratulate for this occurring. I did have a run in with some Nascar fans back in my mid-90s but for whatever reason I had written it off as merely being a southern pride sport... I was correct, to a certain degree , with that assumption but as of late that is clearly no longer the case. We've got drivers from all over the place and as of this season we've got an international participant too. I came across this book at my local Barnes & Nobles store and figured it would be time to read up on how this sport has matured with brief reviews of all notables events. Here's a brief listing that I found particular interesting: Jocko Flocko the Monkey Copilot Hudson Hornets winning the majority of races from 51 - 53 and then disappearing Nascar Converitble Division First Daytona 500 Cale Yarborough , Donnie Allison and Bobby Allison engaged in fisticuffs I also did enjoy how it provided a review of each year's series winning driver and one can understand why certain things are just the way they are. The book has a very coffee-table type appeal to it, where you can simply flip through it and focus on what interests you most and it doesn't require you to have read anything prior. For $6.99, located in the bargain section, its a great deal for those who want to learn some history or for those interesed in refreshing their memories of this crazy crazy sport.

Around the world in 80 days - Michael Palin

2007-07-30T05:04:17Z

Monty Python's Michael Palin gets asked to do a repeat of explorer Phileas Fog's adventure of travelling around the world in 80 days. At first I was thinking this was going to be a no-biggie in terms of meeting and in fact being able to easily beat the 80 day restriction.. but its absolutely amazing to see how certain parts of the world are still operating like time hasnt changed since the first attempt. Luckily Michael's up-beat humor always keeps the viewer entertained and hopefully optimistic that though he's close to 2 weeks behind schedule and stuck drifting 6 days in the indian ocean on a dhow , ancient wooden boat with no modern day facilities, with a crew of individuals whom dont speak English. It was also interesting to see quirky observerations - such as how in China you could buy a calculator but the checkout person would stll use an abacus to figure out how much change to give you back. I did see that apparently he has been since asked to go on additional adventures (Pole to Pole and Sahara). This is a great series to watch, shows the true reality of the countries he visits and gives you a very well informed view of what to expect if you were to set foot in any of those locations.

Hairspray

2007-07-27T13:36:44Z

I have never seen a version of this movie..whether the original movie, on Broadway or even a high school play. Honestly, I was a little skeptical. But my sister who had seen it on Broadway this year insisted it would be great. I walked out of the theater saying, "I love that movie. That was a great movie." Nikki Blonsky was perfect for the role and she did a fabulous job. She hardly quit smiling or dancing the entire time and she just did such a great job. John Travolta was hilarious as her mother. And hearing him say tired as "tard" or iron "ern" made me crack up every time. Amanda Bynes was cute as could be and her physical humor always entertains me. Although my sister tells me Diana DeGarmo fulfilled the role better on Broadway. Veterans Christopher Walken and Michelle Pfeiffer did a great job. Michelle had a very Cruella Deville vibe about her that went over well. One might have hardly recognized Zac Efron with the suits and slicked back hair. His blue eyes and inate charm pulled off the Elvis type role of Link to a tee. The storyline was great. The fluff of the dance show seemed to be grounded with the deep-rooted integration issues they dealt with. My only issue with this movie was that there were SO MANY songs. Yes, it was a musical but every time they turned around they were singing. And according to my sister, there were songs in it that were not in the original. The songs weren't bad, in fact I enjoyed them. Just be prepared to hear a lot of singing. If you enjoyed movies like Grease or High School Musical, you will definitely like this. And even if you didn't, give this one a try. You might be surprised.

Twix Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

2007-07-24T05:08:06Z

As I get closer to a milestone birthday, I find that I am less able to eat yummy stuff like this and not notice a difference. It's too bad because if I could, I'd eat as many as these as I got my hands on. This bar replaces the traditional caramel Twix with a chocolate bar on the bottom and peanut butter on top, all coated with chocolate. Yummy. When I was eating it, I thought it tasted just like an Oreo might with peanut butter instead of icing. Ironically, that same week I ran into Oreo's new peanut butter cookies at Target. Go figure. Anyway, these new Twix PB bars are definitely on my candy bar list.

Wireless Belk Flip KVM

2007-07-23T05:24:26Z

Wandering through Circuit City I found that the Flip now provides a wireless option! ($80) Read about my original Flip review and just imagine the control button now being a wireless button.. Im slowly getting rid of wires within my office.

Evan Almighty

2007-07-20T05:05:11Z

I was a fan of Jim Carrey and Bruce Almighty . And I'm a fan of Steve Carell (please watch The Office if you do not). But I am NOT a fan of Evan Almighty. I honestly could write a screen's worth about this movie. What I liked was Steve Carell, Ed Helms (also from The Office. You should watch that show if you don't, you know) and Wanda Sykes. They were really funny. I also liked that the movie wasn't irreverant toward God or the story of Noah and the Ark. Steven Carell can be humorous but take things overboard in some of his stuff (think 40 Year Old Virgin) but this had a positive spin on God and the story. Here comes a BIG "but". But I'm really disappointed in the plot. It was extremely hard to believe even with all that suspension of disbelief stuff. The way he interacted with his work personnel was just weird. I mean all those birds in the office and how his coworkers in reality seemed to accept his explanation? That just wasn't good. And why the beard and why the outfit? And why would he stuff his outfit into his regular clothes and no one say anything until they were piled up on his desk?? And my biggest pet peeve about the movie were the animals. In the original Noah's Ark, the animals were on there to save them and repopulate the earth. I get that. *spoiler here* But this was a local flood and there were all kinds of animals including polar bears and penguins brought in from all over the earth to get on the ark. And then they take a two minute ride into DC with all the animals and then it's over. Why the animals?? And how come they just flooded the country's capital and no one mentioned it or mentioned ANY after affect of it? OK, I'm on a rant. Needless to say either I don't get something or I'm being too picky. Either way, I'm sorry I can't recommend this one.

HP Pavilion DV9500t

2007-07-17T05:09:48Z

I've been a Dell loyalist since the start of time.. their products never seemed to die and customer support was always decent. I was in the market to purchase a new laptop and since all the shows I seem to watch lately have HP laptop commercials littered within them (and they look really good), I decided to go check out their laptop line just to see what's out there. I honed in on the DV9000 series line, and went ahead building a custom high-grade entertainment laptop (aka the desktop killer) and ended up building up on the DV9500t model. Starting off with looks, they look pretty damn good. I really like the glossy black finish (the screen is glossy too) with a very nice script-like pattern that runs throughout the entire product. The dv9500t also offers few smaller changes, such as the addition of a fingerprint reader and a different Webcam from the other Pavilion models. Here's a quick overview of what this beast looks like from the inside..

Price as reviewed/starting price	$2,015/$1,199
Processor	2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300
Memory	2GB of 667MHz DDR2
Hard drive	200GB at 5,400rpm
Graphics	256MB Nvidia GeForce Go 8600M
Chipset	Quanta 30CB
Operating system	Vista Home Premium
Dimensions (LWH)	15.5x11x1.6 inches
Screen size (diagonal)	17 inches
System weight/weight with AC adapter	7.9/9 pounds

HP are doing something I havent seen the others (specially Dell) market is their laptop line of accessories.. reviewing their laptops they had an assortment of colors and skins that could be applied to the laptop to further personalize your machine. Very Apple of them to do that. Like almost all desktop killers, the Pavilion dv9500t's keyboard is full size and includes a 10-key numeric keypad. The somewhat compact touch pad includes a scroll zone, and I can appreciate the touch pad on/off button, which is handy when you want to use an external mouse. I'm still in the honeymoon period with this laptop, if I find anything I dont like.. believe me I'll come back and update this posting.. but for now I've been extremely impressed and I strongly suggest that HP be a candidate if you are in the market to buy a laptop.

TrueBlue - Blueberry drink

2007-07-16T05:01:45Z

I'm not a big "drink fan". Some people I know are always on the lookout for new drinks and and constantly have a drink nearby. I'm not really one of those. Especially when it comes to any type of fruit drink. Old-fashioned grape juice and orange juice and maybe some apple juice are about as far as I go. So I was a little hesitant on trying this Blueberry juice. But honestly, the drink was REALLY good. It reminds me a lot of grape juice but lighter and less tangy. It's a very smooth fruit drink and doesn't taste like you're drinking liquid sugar. However, my kids enjoyed it all the same. Definitely one worth trying!

Larry Winget – “Shut Up, Stop Whining and Get a Life”

2007-07-11T17:01:01Z

I first noticed Larry Winget on ‘Big Spender’ on A&E. There was something greatly satisfying in seeing him confront people who were spending money they didn’t have, telling them the unvarnished truth about their bad habits and, ultimately, teaching them how to manage the money they did have and feel much better about it. I was impressed enough to buy and read this book. The basic idea is that, “What you think about, talk about, and do something about is what comes about.” I would guess even Larry wants us to add “read about” to the list, too – he has quite a few other books out there for us, which I truthfully feel no compunction to read. This one is enough. But as for this book, we already know this stuff! There's no Secret, really, and Larry lays it out in his unvarnished, often irritating and sometimes anger-inducing manner. What I personally like about this book is that even though I don’t agree with everything in it, when you’re finished reading it you should be finished reading all the ‘inspirational’ books you’ll need*. It’s time for action. This book might just give you the righteous anger you need to inspire yourself, and you’ll get further faster with that than by reading book after book after book looking for inspiration. *I am excluding all religious inspiration such as the Bible, the Koran, etc., etc… Although Larry Winget has included some opinions on religion in his book, I skipped that chapter due to my own personal rules about politics and religion…