Batson's Blog

We're halfway through Pumpkin Spice season here, so I figured I'd review a few of the items I've tried since I'm (slightly) Pumpkin Spice-obsessed. Pumpin Spice Twinkies I didn't see this last year, so, whether or not it was actually new, this amazing item was new to me. Ever since they went defunct and then came back a few years ago, Twinkies has been experimenting with different flavors (chocolate covered, banana flavored, etc.). Their experimentation paid off. Twinkies usually gets the flavoring right and, in this case, it was no exception. It's got the soft outer layer of a Twinkie, but has a very nice (and not overwhelming) pumpkin spice flavored-filling inside. Sometimes companies that go the pumpkin spice route end up missing the flavor.  The pumpkin spice M&M's, for example?  Way too much spice there.   Final rating on this one: 4 and a half stars out of 5 . Pumpkin Spice Extra From a new item to an old one.  I'm not s...

In the day and age of epic Avengers movies and Batman vs. Superman , it seems that ensemble superhero movies are the new norm. You have Hulk apparently appearing in the next Thor movie.  The Flash appeared in an episode of last season's Supergirl . Superman (not Henry Cavill) is going to be making appearances in this season of Supergirl . Then you have Ghost Rider appearing in this season of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D . In Season 2 of Daredevil , you had Elektra and The Punisher making appearances. Even Deadpool had a little crossover assistance from Colossus (because Fox couldn't afford to get any big names, as Deadpool stated in the movie). That's a lot of crossover situations there. I'm thrilled, as a fan. It's fun to see different superheroes interact with each other and it really stirs up the storylines. It got me thinking though: are there any superheroes left who could carry a television show or box office on their own? The X-Me...

Two characters in the 1980's Filmation Masters of the Universe series who were somewhat underused were King Randor and Queen Marlena --- the parents of Prince Adam/He-Man. Of course, due to them being the King and Queen of Eternia, they were fairly prominent in terms of their status.  They certainly had more appearances than someone like Ram Man or Buzz-Off, but what they contributed to those episodes was usually fairly minimal. The 2002 Mike Young Productions writing team seemed to focus a little more on Randor and Marlena --- treating them more as a king and queen, showcasing how they made decisions on Eternia and had parts in peace treaties. It was definitely a little more realistic than the more kid-friendly Filmation version. As far as costuming goes, I think Randor's depiction in MYP is the way to go over the very jester-looking depiction in Filmation. Marlena is a different story. She looks extremely bland, to me, in the MYP version. She stands out a bit ...

I'm a huge fan of Pumpkin Spice (pretty much anything that comes in that flavor). There are dozens of products of the Pumpkin Spice variety that are available right now. However, Pumpkin Spice isn't the only delicious flavor available this Fall. Deep Fried Twinkies These are amazing. If you haven't tried them yet -- they're everything you'd imagine they'd be. They taste like Twinkies that were deep fried. The same delicious, golden outer covering. The same delicious creamy inside. This time, they're warm though. I microwaved them rather than using the oven because -- well -- who has time for the oven, right? I did run into the issue of the inside warming up much quicker than the outside. However, I ended up liking it that way. I wasn't sure if the deep fried tag was just a gimmick or if it would actually taste different. It's not just a regular Twinkie. It's a deep fried Twinkie. The taste is definitely there. I would sugge...