Batson's Blog

May 31 is National Macaroon Day, so Happy Macaroon Day! What better way to celebrate than with a stop in NoDa at Amelie's to try a macaroon for the first time? I stopped by earlier this week because I knew there was a large selection to choose from. I'd always looked at the cookies in their display case and wondered what they tasted like. I was always a little hesitant to try them. Something about the name -- "macaroon" -- reminds me of something that should taste like a nut. Almonds, walnuts. It's strange, I know, but I'm not the biggest fan of nuts, so I didn't want to have a cookie that tasted like one. Upon closer inspection a few weeks ago (there was a long line at Amelie's, so I was right in front of the cookies for about a minute and a half), it didn't look like they were made of nuts at all. Instead the macaroons looked a lot like a whoopie pie, except not as soft. There were a wide selection of pastel-colored macaroons at...

The minute that Oscar Mayer announced they’d released a bacon-flavored hot dog , I knew I had to get me some. During a Wal-Mart stop last week I found them. I took them home. I made them. I ate them. I was disappointed. They weren’t bad, but, yeah, I was a little disappointed. I put what should have been complete awesomeness into the microwave when I got home. It started popping at about 45 seconds, so I took it out, put some ketchup on a bun and had myself a meal. One of my friends who had already tried them said he didn’t taste the bacon flavor. After having a few bites, I could see what he meant. The hot dog didn’t taste like a regular hot dog. There was something a little off about it. I guess maybe it did have the vague taste of overcooked, crispy bacon, but it wasn’t very distinguishable. It didn't taste the way I was hoping it would have. I wasn’t ready to give up on these hot dogs just yet though. I got out the frying pan, threw some I Can’t Believe...

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I was a Star Wars guy. Before the 2009 Star Trek , I was not that familiar with the Star Trek universe. I remember seeing bits and pieces of a few episodes of The Next Generation back in the ‘90s – and then again when they were in a constant repeat cycle on SpikeTV in 2003 and 2004. Outside of that, I didn’t know too much though. That’s why I enjoyed seeing Kahn in the new Star Trek movie . He was a completely fresh character for me. That being said, he wasn’t the most impressive looking villain of all time. He was pretty much an emo Star fleet member – dressed in all black, wearing a leather coat at times as well. Who was the coolest looking villain, you ask? I have a top 10 list below. Let the countdown begin! Loki Thor’s younger brother is a wimp by comparison, but Loki still manages to look pretty cool with his gold, curved, antler-like helmet and his green cape. He looks like a king from another world – so job wel...

Whenever I think of 2009’s Star Trek , I think about the scene where Captain Kirk’s parents are killed and he’s sent on a course to Earth – Superman style – in a small vessel. I was awestruck that such an emotionally powerful scene happened so quick into the movie. It was something I just didn’t see coming. It’s because of the tone set by that very first scene that one doesn’t know what to expect when watching Star Trek: Into Darkness . J.J. Abrams isn’t afraid to kill off a character – even those you aren’t expecting anything to happen to. He makes that clear with Star Trek: Into Darkness . That’s not to say that there’s a plethora of death in the new Star Trek movie, but it’s not one of those movies where you know that everybody is going to come out alive and well by the end of the 123 minutes. I was wondering, at the beginning of each scene, if the majority of Captain Kirk’s Star fleet were going to get out of their predicaments alive. That takes your emotions on one ...

January 2010: TNA Impact went live against Monday Night Raw . RVD debuted. Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff were part of that show. Jeff Hardy returned to TNA. It was supposed to be a huge show in TNA’s history. They didn’t prove to be much of a threat to WWE’s ratings, but TNA did garner 3 million viewers for the opening hour of Impact . They dropped to 2.2 million by the end of the show, while Raw reached 5.6 million viewers . It was an experiment. While it wasn't a complete failure, it wasn't a huge success. It was clear: TNA wasn't ready to challenge WWE in a new version of the Monday Night Wars, despite many people hoping that was the case. I think now may be the right time for TNA to take another chance. Since 2010 TNA hasn't made a lot of progress with their ratings. The most recent edition of Impact got just a 1.07 -- that's the highest Impact rating sine April. However, a general consensus amongst the Internet wrestling community is that ...

Well so much for my prediction. Last week I predicted that Fast 6 would have a tough time getting number one at the box office since it was facing competition like Iron Man 3 and Star Trek: Into Darkness (both opened earlier in May) along with The Hangover III , which opened Thursday. It's time for me to eat crow though. Fast 6 ruled the box office , with $98.5 million in the U.S. and more than $250 million worldwide. So about those roles The Rock wants in Star Wars and Transformers, along with a possible role in a Marvel movie?? I think some movie studio executives may be ringing his phone, texting his mobile, sending PMs on Twitter and knocking on The Rock's door. Related Content: • 2013 - The Year of The Rock? • G.I. Joe: Retaliation - reviewed. • Iron Man 3 - reviewed. • Hollywood's Best Espionage Agents

Making a trip along South Boulevard this week, I noticed a large cupcake sign sitting on the side of the road . I figured I’d better stop and check it out. Sure enough, there’s a small dessert shop called Kai’s Kookies and More . There are some small tables with two chairs each inside . While there are cookies and brownies and bars and other goodies, cupcakes certainly seem to be a staple of the shop. There’s an entire list of flavors. Not all the flavors are available every day though. I immediately noticed a strawberry cupcake that Strawberry Shortcake herself would have probably had in her house. They were supposed to have a Marble Cupcake and an Oreo Cookie Cupcake that day, but they were already out, so I settled for a Red Velvet instead.