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Death is a Dialogue is ready to rock with monsters and wrestlers at the Wrestling with Pop Culture Anniversary Party

Atlanta’s Death is a Dialogue is not only one of the most energetic bands around, it’s also one of the hardest working. The band’s punchy pop punk is laced with heavy riffs and just enough punk rock attitude to keep things interesting. Led by former Drownout front man Jason Lee, DIAD consists of guitarist Joe Galunas, bassist Chris Hein and former Hanging Francis drummer Randall Gregg. DIAD recently finished its first East Coast tour and has played high profile shows with the likes of Quiet Riot, Everclear‘s Art Alexakis, Live‘s Ed Kowalczyk, Naughty by Nature and Hawthorne Heights. The band also played the Atlanta date of last summer’s Warped Tour by winning the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands (Lee also won the same contest the two previous years with The Drownout, and you can vote for DIAD to play this year’s Warped Tour).

Having taken its name from an Emily Dickinson poem and recorded a song inspired by Edgar Allan Poe (“Low Lies Lenore”), the band has also been know to perform while wearing lifesized LEGO heads. DIAD has also been known to play some pretty rockin’ covers of songs by Queen, Rancid, The Offspring and other popular rock bands. So even though these guys may not know much about wrestling, they definitely know a good bit about pop culture, which is why they will be performing at the Wrestling with Pop Culture Anniversary Party on March 28. Coincidentally, this show will also be the band’s first anniversary performance. As we all prepare for the monsters, wrestling and rock ‘n’ roll, Lee and Hein take a moment to talk about this and other upcoming shows.

You guys have played a lot of big shows, but I don’t think you’ve ever performed at an event with wrestling or monsters.

Lee: That’s true. When I think back, I don’t think there’s been any wrestling or monsters, and definitely not the two combined, which is awesome. I’m looking forward to Monstrosity Championship Wrestling, though. That’s going to be badass.

Photo by Kevin Griggs

Why did you guys agree to play this type of show? Are you wrestling fans?

Lee: I haven’t been to a wrestling event since I was a kid, but my favorite ones were Hulk Hogan and the battles between him and Andre the Giant were always totally epic. And the Steiner Brothers. You don’t really hear about them much anymore, so I think those guys are kind of underrated. I think as a kid my favorite wrestler was the Ultimate Warrior because he dressed kind of like an Indian and I’m part Native American, so I guess I could relate to him, minus the hot pink tassels.

Hein: I think it will be cool just to have that ring in front of the stage. And putting rock and wrestling together is going to be cool.

Lee: Yeah. Anytime people are fighting and there’s a rock show going on, it’s going to be a good time.

I didn’t realize when I asked you to play this show that it’s not only the anniversary for Wrestling with Pop Culture, but it’s also the first anniversary for Death is a Dialogue.

Lee: Yeah. It’s a dual anniversary party. And our CD release is April 21 at Vinyl.

I know about Jason’s former band The Drownout and Randall’s band Hanging Francis, but how did the four of you come together to form Death is a Dialogue?

Lee: When the Drownout broke up, I put out ads on Craigslist. Me and Joe had already had in mind that we were going to put together another band. He used to play in a metal band called McClane, which was a very heavy, dark band. I always liked his guitar playing in that project, so we just talked about working together. Then we started putting up ads on Craigslist and auditioning people. We got Randall first, then we auditioned several bass players and some were very entertaining, but not in the right way. Eventually Chris walked in and…

Hein: …owned it!

Lee: Well, I think it was a good start when you actually knew how to adjust the volume on your amp. There was a girl that came in and auditioned and she didn’t know how to do anything. She didn’t know how to tune her guitar, turn up her amp or any of that stuff.

Hein: I’ve always been in bands since I was 13. I moved to Atlanta to go to Georgia State and had to leave the band I was in in Buford, where I went to high school. So I was looking, but I don’t think I was actively looking. But Jason hit me up on Facebook after I saw the ad and I came and tried out and got the gig that day.

Lee: It was funny though because some guy replied to the Craigslist post and I messaged this other guy, whose last name was Heim, saying, “Hey, man. You still coming to audition?” And it was so weird because he was just like, “Yeah, sure!” But it was just some random dude and he didn’t even know what the audition was for because I was messaging the wrong person on Facebook.

Photo by Kevin Griggs

You guys released an EP just a few months ago. Will the new CD be all new material?

Lee: At first we were going to release another EP with all new songs. The time frame of everything got pushed back a little bit, but we also thought, “Why do just another EP like that?” So what we’ve decided to do is release three songs at a time and do that three or four times this year, then at the end of that come out with a full album where we can put all the songs on there. I love EPs, but when I’m listening to EPs in my car I feel like they’re too short. If you’re driving somewhere, especially in Atlanta traffic, you’re in the car for at least an hour and I feel like people might get tired of it repeating over and over again. That was the only complaint we got on the last record was that it was too short. So we’re going to take our time with this and we’re going to release three songs at a time digitally and do some limited presses of signed copies for our fans and stuff. But at the end of all that we want to put all those together and do a full length that is pressed professionally so we can actually sell something that will be a complete piece of work. So on April 21 we’re releasing a disc of three songs and we’re only making 60 copies.

Since you’re having your CD release after this show with monsters and wrestling, are you concerned about having all that kind of chaos going on around you?

Hein: I think it will make it better.

Lee: Yeah, the more chaos the better. It just adds to the show. I’m really excited about playing a show where there’s a wrestling ring in the room, like Chris was saying earlier. It’s something we haven’t been able to do before because it doesn’t happen very often. Especially the fact that there’s going to be monster wrestling. I can’t wait to see that. It’s going to be great.

For more information, go to www.deathisadialogue.com.

“The Hunger Games” borrows heavily from other stories to satisfy sci-fi appetites

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Sometimes new pop culture trends slip right by while I’m busy watching wrestling and stuff. Such is the case with The Hunger Games, the new film based on the first book in a trilogy of novels by Suzanne Collins.

Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) takes aim in “The Hunger Games.” Photo by Murray Close

Apparently these books appeal to the same tween audience as the Harry Potter and Twilight books, both of which also became pop culture phenomenons before I had even figured out what they were about (I still haven’t had a chance to see any of the Twilight movies). But I’m actually glad I didn’t know that before seeing The Hunger Games because I saw similarities to various other stories playing out on the screen.

Set in a dystopian America segregated into 12 concentration camp-like districts, the titular games are a perverse way for The Capitol (the movie’s Orwellian governing group, which employs elaborate costumes and grooming to further elevate itself from the commoners) to entertain itself while maintaining control over the populous. It’s basically the same concept as 1987’s The Running Man and 1975’s Death Race 2000, only instead of using convicts in this kill-or-be-killed cross between a game show and reality TV, a male and female between the ages of 12 and 18 is chosen from each district to “play.”

Contestants are then placed in a wilderness setting where they have to first obtain their chosen weapons, then fend for themselves when it comes to food and survival. The only way to win this Darwinian game is to be the sole survivor. Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence), who has been the lynchpin for her family since her father died a few years earlier, volunteers to represent her district after the Mad Hatter-esque Elizabeth Banks announces that Katniss’ younger sister has been chosen. She’s paired with Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), which causes a bit of tension from the beginning since Katniss is leaving her sort-of boyfriend (Liam Hemsworth) behind.

Starting with the elaborate opening ceremonies and carrying over into the absurdly posh talk show segments that precede the games, Peeta makes his feelings for Katniss known, but it’s not clear if he is being sincere or if he is just trying to keep the show interesting. Either way, the two must soon fend for themselves against those chosen from the other districts, as well as the Big Brother-like overseers who are able to do things like insert giant pitbull-like creatures into the vaguely Matrix-like setting in order to keep the world watching.

Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) announces Katniss’ admission to the Games. Photo by Murray Close

The Hunger Games does a great job of displaying the brutality that can come when people (especially adolescents) are placed in such cut-throat conditions. Alphas take charge, alliances form and boundaries are created as each teen fights for survival, or for the glory that comes with winning the game. Under the surprisingly astute guidance of Haymitch Abernathy (a drunkenly flamboyant Woody Harrelson) and stylist Cinna (Lenny Kravitz), Katniss refuses to play by the rules, which does not please The Capitol (especially after it has assisted her a couple of times by sending a magical salve that makes people heal as fast a Wolverine).

From what I understand, this is all eerily reminiscent of the 1999 Japanese novel Battle Royale. Like Harry Potter and Twilight, that’s another book/film I have yet to experience. Though I can’t attest to its similarities to these stories, I can say that The Hunger Games does borrow heavily from the aforementioned The Running Man and Death Race 2000, as well as 1984, Brave New World, Mad Max and, to a lesser degree, Romeo and Juliet, both thematically and visually. So regardless of its inspirations, The Hunger Games is more than just a showcase of pretty people (though that is definitely part of its appeal). And it’s sure to appeal to teenagers crushing over the film’s young stars as well as sci-fi fans who like a bit of substance with their futuristic stories.

The Hunger Games. Directed by Gary Ross. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks. Rated PG-13. www.thehungergamesmovie.com.

Daniel Bryan defends the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Sheamus in his first WrestleMania match

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Whether you like him for being an underdog champion or hate him for stooping to such tactics as putting his diminutive girlfriend AJ in harm’s way in order to keep his title, you have to respect the fact that Daniel Bryan has overcome a lot of obstacles on his way to his current World Heavyweight Championship reign in WWE. From wrestling around the world as a top indie contender to his tumultuous relationship with his NXT mentor The Miz to overcoming giants like Mark Henry and the Big Show to retain his title, Bryan has been a bit of an indie hero since entering WWE’s ranks. In a somewhat odd twist of fate, he finds himself in one of WrestleMania XXVIII‘s main events defending that title against Sheamus, the same man he faced in the WrestleMania XXVII dark match for the United States Championship last year. As the man previously known as Bryan Danielson gets closer and closer to the biggest match of his career to date, he talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about his rise from indie wrestling obscurity to World Heavyweight Championship gold. If you’d rather listen to the interview, check out the March 21 edition of Ringside Rap.

Courtesy WWE

Last year at WrestleMania you were the United States Champion in what was basically a dark match against Sheamus that devolved into a battle royal. How does it feel to be going into this year’s WrestleMania holding the World Heavyweight Championship in one of the main events against the same opponent?

It feels really vindicating that both me and Sheamus for the past year have really stepped up our games to be at the point we’re at now, to be in a World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania. Last year was such a bitter disappointment that we weren’t on the actual main show because I really felt that, if we had been given the opportunity, we really could have done something to steal the show. This year that’s what we intend on doing. I absolutely intend on, for my first WrestleMania match, to go out there and steal the show.

I didn’t even think about the fact that it will be your first WrestleMania match.

Yep.

I talked to you briefly last year at the WrestleMania Art Auction when you were still the U.S. Champion and I remember asking you if you thought holding that title was a stepping stone towards bigger opportunities in WWE. You’ve obviously had bigger opportunities since then and you’ve overcome some big obstacles as the World Heavyweight Champion. As you return to Atlanta for Raw less than week before WrestleMania, do you know what your role on that show will be?

You never know what’s going to happen at Raw. You literally never know. You show up having no idea what’s going to happen or what you’re going to do. But I can only assume it’s going to be a huge show and there will be big plans for everybody because that is the last Raw before we head into ‘Mania. That’s always one of the most exciting, unpredictable shows of the year.

Like I said, you’ve overcome some big obstacles as champion, but Sheamus is a little different opponent than the Big Show or Mark Henry. How are you preparing for him at WrestleMania?

I prepare for him the same way I prepare for everybody. I keep doing my grappling, my kickboxing and all that kind of stuff. The thing with Sheamus is he’s tough to keep down, he keeps coming at you and he hits very, very hard. But he’s also kind of an idiot. So if you can goad him into doing something stupid, he’s bound to do something like that if you can take advantage. I wrestled him on SmackDown six weeks ago and I goaded him into doing something stupid. You can just get away with things like that with people like Sheamus.

Courtesy WWE

A lot of people said last year’s WrestleMania was a changing of the guard because a lot of the matches featured veterans facing younger guys. But this year, your match included, WrestleMania is relying on the vets to carry the card. You’ve only been in WWE for a few years, but overall you have a lot more experience as a wrestler than a lot of the other people. How do you feel about this year’s card and your spot on the card?

It’s definitely an exciting card, but I’m ultimately a little disappointed that it isn’t trying to establish new stars more. Hell in the Cell is going to be awesome with Triple H and the Undertaker. Rock and Cena is going to be an amazing atmosphere. But come April 2, those guys aren’t going to be on the road full time. Those aren’t going to be going on the European tour with us. Those guys aren’t going to be doing all that kind of stuff. This is really the biggest WrestleMania of all time, so for them to be more highlighted than some of the younger guys who are going to be continuing on the wrestling tour, it’s kind of unfortunate. I would have liked to have seen Undertaker wrestle somebody from my generation. That would have been cool to see somebody from my generation to take on the Undertaker and potentially beat him. That said, this year’s WrestleMania card is stacked. It’s just going to be an awesome show, but from a performer’s standpoint I wish there were more younger guys getting opportunities.

On the same token, you and CM Punk have become these unlikely indie heroes as the two main champions in WWE over the past few months. A lot of people thought that you especially would not still be champion by the time WrestleMania came around. From that perspective, how do you feel about guys who aren’t necessarily new, but are still somewhat new to WWE, getting a bigger spot?

It’s interesting because CM Punk has been with WWE since 2005 and came up on TV in 2007. He’s been in some big matches and he’s been in some big WrestleMania matches. So this isn’t his first rodeo. He has earned his spot being in the WWE Championship match. For me, it’s honestly been a dream come true. I honestly did not think after WrestleMania last year that I would be anywhere near the position I’m in this year. It’s one of those things where it’s a real true blessing and I feel very fortunate to be in this spot. There are a lot of guys who haven’t gotten that opportunity, so it’s interesting. Me and CM Punk wrestled each other in front of about 35 people in a 45-minute match in 2005. The two current top WWE champions – the WWE Champion and the World Heavyweight Champion – seven years ago wrestled in front of 35 people against each other. To me that’s just incredible that now we’re going to be on the same show as the champions wrestling in front of close to 80,000 people.

Ring of Honor recently released a best-of DVD, Bryan Danielson: The American Dragon, that features a match between you and Punk, among a lot of other matches. What did you think about Ring of Honor showcasing your career prior to going to WWE?

I think that’s awesome. They actually sent me a link to it and the matches that are on there and everything and I thought, “Oh, OK. That would be kind of like the best matches I had in my Ring of Honor career.” It wasn’t. It was just the best matches I had up until 2005. So they must be planning on releasing another one, too. There’s another huge gap of matches that weren’t on there that should be on another one. I think it’s cool and I think it’s important that they capitalize on my success and CM Punk’s success because you need places like Ring of Honor to develop the new stars. Me and Punk are as good as we are because we honed our craft in Ring of Honor in front of those hardcore fans who wouldn’t accept anything less than our best efforts. You need a place like that for new stars to come from.

I look forward, when I watch the Ring of Honor shows, to see who’s going to be next to come up to WWE. Right now under developmental contract is Seth Rollins, who wrestled in Ring of Honor as Tyler Black. He did amazing last weekend. He came up to the live events and did a dark match on Monday and everybody was like, “Wow! This guy’s really good.” That’s something I knew from the beginning, but he needed that opportunity to showcase it.

Since you keep talking about giving younger guys a chance, assuming you’re still the champion after WrestleMania, and with the recent influx of Ring of Honor and other big indie guys in Florida Championship Wrestling, is there anyone on the current WWE roster or in FCW that you’d like to have a shot at your title?

It’s funny because I talked about giving younger guys an opportunity, but deep down there are still guys that I’m a fan of. These are the guys that when I was growing up I watched and thought were amazing. I would love to be in a program where I was wrestling Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship. That doesn’t seem likely, but that would be so much fun. I’d love to be able to wrestle the Undertaker. The Undertaker appeared on WWE TV when I was, like, ten years old. Being able to wrestle him for the World Heavyweight Championship would be awesome. Or guys like Triple H and all that kind of stuff. All of that would be amazing, but I would love for Seth Rollins, for Dean Ambrose, who wrestled in the indies as Jon Moxley, Antonio Cesaro, who was in Ring of Honor as Claudio Castagnoli, I would love for those guys to come up shortly after WrestleMania and give them opportunities for the World Heavyweight Championship for people to see what those guys can do. They’re really incredible.

Of course Chris Hero, now known as Kassius Ohno, seems to have made a nice debut in FCW recently.

I haven’t seen his debut, but I can’t wait to see it. I’m going to try to find it on YouTube.

For more information, go to www.wwe.com.

Cody Rhodes readies himself for the Big Show at WrestleMania

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At WrestleMania XXVII, Cody Rhodes had one of the best matches of his career in front of his home-state audience against one of WWE‘s smallest competitors, Rey Mysterio. This year, Rhodes goes into WrestleMania XXVIII in Miami as the Intercontinental Champion to face a man billed as “The World’s Largest Athlete,” the Big Show. Friction has been building between Rhodes and the Big Show since Show eliminated Rhodes from the Royal Rumble in January. But over the past few weeks, Rhodes has been determined to embarrass Show by pointing out his lackluster showings in previous WrestleManias, while continuing his campaign to restore the Intercontinental title to the prestige it once held. Before he takes on the biggest challenge of his career, Rhodes talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about the Big Show, Goldust and returning to Atlanta for the final Raw before WrestleMania. You can also hear the full interview on the March 19 edition of Georgia Wrestling Now.

Last year WrestleMania was in Atlanta, your proverbial back yard. This year it’s in Miami, but the last Raw before WrestleMania will be in Atlanta. What do you have planned for that show?

With WrestleMania on the horizon and a one-on-one contest with the Big Show – last year it was with the smallest guy, this time it’s with the biggest guy – I’m sure I’ll be doing my damnedest to get under the Big Show’s skin. I’m a firm believer in what I’ve said about him. The Big Show is one of WWE’s top performers, but his WrestleMania moments haven’t exactly been immortal moments.

I definitely think you’ve gotten the best of him so far by showing him at the WWE restaurant and all that kind of stuff.

That’s the best one. Yeah.

Courtesy WWE

I guess a big question for me is, why did you choose the Big Show? Your brother Goldust was doing a Twitter campaign to face you at WrestleMania for the Intercontinental title, so why did you choose to go after the Big Show?

I’d love to work with Goldust. I’d love to stand across the ring from him and find out more about my brother. But it just happened to be that the Intercontinental title is very much in need of its moment at WrestleMania. I set out to bring it back to where it was, and I don’t actually know if I’ve done that. But I know going against one of WWE’s top names perhaps of all time, the Big Show, puts it in a position for me to maybe do that. That’s why I shifted to myself and the Big Show. If I knock off one top guy after another, the Big Show is on that list.

I don’t recall the Big Show having ever held that title before, but I know Goldust has held it and is considered by some to be one of the best Intercontinental Champions of the past few decades.

That’s actually the one title Show has not held. When I heard that I was a bit in disbelief. As far as things are concerned with Goldust, I wouldn’t count out me and him ever competing against one another. Certainly I can see that down the road. He’s had some shoulder problems and safety is a number one concern. I’d love to remain the Intercontinental Champion after WrestleMania and I’d love to follow up on all these things he’s brought down on me on Twitter and get in the ring with him, certainly.

Like you said earlier, last year your WrestleMania opponent was one of the smallest guys (Mysterio) and this year it’s the biggest guy. You’re not necessarily one of the bigger guys on the roster, so what are you doing to prepare for a match with somebody the size of the Big Show?

Well honestly, I’m not one of the bigger guys on the roster, but if you really take a look at the roster, I’m actually pretty close to one of the bigger guys on the roster. I’m not as tall as Randy [Orton], but I weigh about the same. I actually will say that I was concerned with the Big Show. I’m looking at him and I think he’s 400 pounds. If I’m going to be in the ring with him, I want to be as big as I can be. One of the things I’ve started implementing is high volume workouts, which is lots of sets, lots of reps, high carb, high fat, high protein, low sugar. So I’ve actually got a nice little diet written out for this thing. I didn’t want to show up too small.

I’m trying to remember now, have you ever faced the Big Show one-on-one?

No. I have yet to compete one-on-one against the Big Show. I’ve had tag matches and fatal four-ways, and there was an incident where there was an Armani three-piece suit I had worn for a long time and he ripped it to shreds on one of the pay-per-views in 2011. So we’ve had a brief, brief history, but we’ve never actually mixed it up on a fair one-on-one scale.

Last time I talked to you, you pointed out that WrestleMania XXVII was a changing of the guard of sorts with a lot of the more established guys facing a lot of the younger guys. This year’s card seems to be relying heavily on the more established guys, and in your match in particular the Big Show has a lot more experience than you do. How do you think your match stacks up against the rest of the card?

I think you don’t really know until WrestleMania is said and done and in the books what matches really captivated you. There are matches that are positioned to really captivate you: The Rock/Cena, Triple H/the Undertaker. Those guys, a hundred percent of the time, deliver. But that’s the beauty of WrestleMania. I feel it stacks up very well and I feel that there’s a lot of people that for a long time wanted to see the Intercontinental title genuinely defended on WrestleMania. Prior to the WrestleMania in Orlando, which was, I think, a three-minute match with Rey Mysterio and JBL, the title had not been defended on a WrestleMania since X8. For me that’s one of the more important things, so I think it stacks up well.

Another thing we talked about a lot last year was your history in Georgia with your father, Dusty Rhodes. With the Four Horsemen and Ron Simmons being inducted into the Hall of Fame this year – especially the Four Horsemen with your father’s history with them – what is it like to be part of the WrestleMania where those guys are also being inducted into the Hall of Fame?

Every WWE superstar and diva has so many appearances, then WrestleMania is Sunday and the Hall of Fame runs deep into the night usually. Sometimes you look at it and say, “If they could do it on Friday…” But once you’re there, once you’re in the seats and watching the Four Horsemen being inducted into the Hall of Fame, Ron Simmons being inducted, Mil Mascaras being inducted into the Hall of Fame, that’s motivating, I don’t care how late it goes into the night, just to see those little clips that our team put together of the Four Horsemen. That’s the best thing that can happen at WrestleMania, and it’s extremely motivating.

For more information, go to www.wwe.com.

“21 Jump Street” puts a Hill-arious spin on teen cop show

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It’s inevitable that a lot of people are going to hate this new 21 Jump Street movie simply because it’s such a departure from the late ’80s/early ’90s TV show on which it is based. And I’ll admit I went into it with somewhat low expectations for that very same reason. But to my surprise and delight, 21 Jump Street is hilariously clever and entertaining, with enough nods to the original series to keep at least some fans happy.

Of course with Jonah Hill starring, you know it’s going to be amusing. But one of the major complaints about this take on 21 Jump Street is that, unlike the TV show, it’s a comedy. But the fact that the movie openly acknowledges that it is rehashing an old idea and cashing in on an established franchise is exactly what makes it work. It’s not a remake, but a sequel, with former high school nerd Morton Schmidt (Hill) and his hunkier counterpart Greg Jenko (Channing Tatum) reluctantly teaming up while training to become cops. After they prove to be incompetent officers, even as bicycle cops patrolling a park, the duo is reassigned to the secret Jump Street project, which still operates out of the abandoned church from the TV show.

Under the guidance of Ice Cube, who plays a stereotypically angry black police captain who, again, openly acknowledges that he is filling such a stereotypical role for comedic effect, Schmidt and Jenko are sent back to high school to find out who is dealing a lethal new drug called HFS (which stands for “Holy fucking shit” thanks to the hilariously hallucinogenic effect it has on the high schoolers consuming it). But a lot has changed since Schmidt and Jenko last walked high school halls, and a bit of role reversal takes place thanks to the fact that tree huggers, homosexuals and academic achievers are now the cool crowd and dumb jocks no longer rule the popularity hierarchy.

It doesn’t take long for both of them (especially Schmidt) to get sucked back into the high school life and try to catch up the things they might have missed out on the first time around. As a result, the bumbling duo continues to screw up, eventually getting them expelled and making Capt. Cube angry enough to kick them off the case. Continuing to follow in the cop caper formula, it’s after they are kicked off the force that they start to get big breaks in the case, giving them an opportunity to redeem themselves and prove that they can become good cops. But not without a few more mishaps, some silly self discovery and a couple of clever cameos that tie everything back in to the 21 Jump Street of old.

21 Jump Street is clearly not what fans of the TV show might be wanting or expecting. But since that would have been a difficult undertaking in itself, the film ultimately benefits from putting its own comical spin on things while simultaneously acknowledging its original audience.

21 Jump Street. Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Starring Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Brie Larson, Dave Franco and Rob Riggle. Rated R. www.21jumpstreet-movie.com.

Matt Morgan looks to regain TNA Tag Team Championship at Victory Road

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Since his Total Nonstop Action Wrestling debut in 2007, “The Blueprint” Matt Morgan has been one of the company’s most dominant forces in the ring. Often referring to himself as “the DNA of TNA,” Morgan has been on the verge of title contention a few times, but only recently tasted singles success by becoming the first Heavyweight Champion for Ring Ka King, TNA’s Indian promotion. But it’s been his tag team success with the equally dominant Crimson that has kept American audiences watching as the duo has battled the unlikely pairing of Samoa Joe and Magnus for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Having lost the belts to Joe and Magnus last month at Against All Odds (and failing to regain them a couple of weeks later in an Impact Wrestling rematch), Morgan and Crimson look to get back on the same page this Sunday at Victory Road and regain the title belts. As he prepares for this pay-per-view event, Morgan takes a moment to talk to Wrestling with Pop Culture about his recent successes.

You and Crimson have made a formidable tag team despite your differences as of late. What do you think it will take for the two of you to get back on the same page and get your titles back this Sunday?

That’s a very good question, and you hit the nail on the head as far as the differences going on between the two of us. I think our Achilles’ heel is not so much miscommunication. The way we started, we tried to outshine one another. But I’ve been in other tag teams where that just doesn’t work. Sting put us together for a reason and that was to go get the Tag Team Championships and hold those damn things for a very long time, not to lose them to Joe and his boyfriend Magnus. So we just need to put our competitive natures aside and put them in the right direction, which is Joe and Magnus, do what we do best and go out there and dominate. There’s no reason in hell why the two of us should not be the most dominant tag team in pro wrestling today, other than pure ego. I’ve got a hell of an ego, I can admit that. But I put that thing in check for the greater good of the team and he needs to do the same damn thing.

You’re obviously focused on this big tag team match this weekend, but is the tag team scene where your heart is? You’ve been on the verge of title contention a few times and some people think you’re long overdue for a singles reign.

I couldn’t agree any more with that. Winning the Tag Team Championships is ultra important and one should take pride in wearing them. But at the same time, I got into pro wrestling for one reason and that’s to be the top dog and be the World Champion. I know it sounds like a catch phrase, but that’s what I truly believe. I came out of my mom’s womb a future World Champion and I’m sick of waiting.

TNA recently had success in India with Ring Ka King and also drew some large and enthusiastic crowds in England. Do you think TNA has the potential to grow in other international markets?

When we did the Ring Ka King thing in India, I’ll be the first to tell you I had no idea what was in store. I had never been there before. I know we get a lot of Indian fans tweeting and saying, “Why doesn’t TNA come to India?” Lo and behold, we launched Ring Ka King. I haven’t been to enough other markets to answer that properly, but I would imagine with the success of Ring Ka King there’s got to be some places out there that are just dying to have a wrestling show of their own. That’s what Ring Ka King is. The Indian fans have something they feel is their own and when they’re energetic about something they come out in droves. I’m talking about when you’re leaving the show they stop your car and they’re shaking it. They treat you like you’re a Beatle down there, no exaggeration. I would want to be a part of it if there is a project in store to go to another market and do another company under the TNA umbrella. I think Ring Ka King’s been a great blueprint, pardon the pun. So why not try it in other markets?

It’s funny that you refer to Magnus as Joe’s girlfriend considering that they’ve gotten the better of you and Crimson more than once, including matches for the tag team title. It was also Magnus who defeated you for the Ring Ka King Championship. What makes you think you and Crimson can get back on the same page and win the title back this Sunday?

Would you rather me refer to him as his girlfriend? Magnus has gotten a lot better, and in my opinion this is nothing he hasn’t been capable of doing since he started. I wrestled Magnus in his very first match with our company at a house show in England – Gladiator vs. Gladiator I believe was the billing. He’s very young, he has great aptitude, he’s very intelligent and he’s a good promo. In the meantime, I think he’s also stepped up his in-ring ability. I think that happens with every wrestler. When you get an opportunity to be put into a spotlit angle and the attention is on you, it’s easier for you to get more confidence out of that. You’ve got to be really bad to blow that opportunity, but Magnus is the opposite. He’s stepped up and really has improved in the ring.

I noticed his confidence rise when we were over in India. It was a good opportunity for all of us to go over there and I was the first champion. We established who our babyfaces were and now there’s a heel group RDX led by Jeff Jarrett with Abyss, Scott Steiner, Sonjay Dutt and Magnus. Once you put the title in the hands of that group, it’s that much more dominant. So now the fans are just dying to see a group of babyfaces, or one babyface, come out there and serve those bad guys their comeuppance. That’s what this business has been built upon for years and that’s what I think has been so successful in Ring Ka King.

What makes us think we can beat those two? We’ve done it before and to be perfectly honest, we’re bigger, stronger and way more athletic. If we are on the same page, I like us being on the same page better than those two being on the same page. That’s why I think we can beat them.

Your partnership with Crimson has kind of outlasted many people’s expectations. Going into Victory Road, do you think this match will show what each of you guys can bring to the table individually?

The four of us have been working together for a long time, especially me and Joe. We were working together for a little while and developed some really good chemistry. We threw Crimson into that mix in a three way on one of the pay-per-views and we stepped up putting together better matches with the three of us. Now throw Magnus in, who I have been working with previously for months in India, and worked earlier on with with the British Invasion when I tagged with Hernandez, so I knew what all four guys could do. And so does Joe. When we’ve teamed together in these matches, we’ve tried the best we could to showcase each of our talents, hide our weaknesses, play to our strengths and go out there and put on the best matches possible. I can’t stand how I keep hearing that tag team wrestling is dead, it’s not what it used to be. To a degree, there are certain truths to that. So it was up to us to check our egos at the door, go out there and put the match first. When you have four guys like us who don’t put ourselves first, but put the match and the story first, the result will be the match we had at the last pay-per-view. And I’m hoping we can go out there and do even better this next pay-per-view.

As a wrestling fan, are there any other matches you’re looking forward to seeing?

I’m a huge wrestling fan at heart. I wouldn’t be staying away from my wife four days a week if this wasn’t something I had crazy fandom over. I like Austin Aries a lot. He goes out and performs his job as a villain and makes those fans boo him. I’ve got respect for a guy who does that. No matter how many times the fans might cheer for him and might be impressed with the moves he can do, at the end of the day the guy still goes out there and makes sure he performs his job. No matter who he’s wrestling against, they’ll end up getting cheered as a result. That’s a heel’s job at the end of the day, so I respect Austin for that alone. But his in-ring ability is just ridiculous. I like his storytelling, I like everything about his promos and I’m very much looking forward to his match.

For more information, go to www.impactwrestling.com.

If you think you’ve seen “John Carter” before, it’s because you have (sort of)

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Even before you sit down to watch the new Disney film John Carter, there’s something awfully familiar about pretty much anything you’ve seen about the movie leading up to its release. But once the interplanetary action begins to unfold, the déjà vu really starts to set in. The weird thing is, that familiarity comes from many different sources.

These are not the, um, Tharks you're looking for.

In much the same way that the recent Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (read my review here) blurs the lines between fantasy and reality by presenting the works of Jules Verne, Robert Louis Stevenson and Jonathan Swift as non-fiction, John Carter is told from the perspective of author Edgar Rice Burroughs as if he is reading the memoirs of his uncle, the real Carter (Taylor Kitsch). Carter’s abrupt jump from post-Civil War adventures in the American Wild West to the similar terrain of Barsoom plays out in much the same way as 1984’s The NeverEnding Story, with the viewer seeing the action as Burroughs reads it.

Upon his mysterious arrival on this unfamiliar planet, Carter soon learns that there are some big differences between the deserts he was just traversing on Earth and the arid landscape of what we soon learn to be Mars, which is in a Mad Max-like state of unrest as its inhabitants are at odds and its natural resources are dwindling. After some clumsy trial and error, Carter discovers that he has almost Superman-like strength on Mars, and he can leap tall buildings in a single bound. These special powers soon attract plenty of attention from the natives. Though he is unable to fly, the red-skinned humans of Helium (who unfortunately do not talk like munchkins as you might expect of people who live in Helium) have mastered that technique with their floating ships, years before the inhabitants of Carter’s home planet have ever seen such things. (You see what they did there, with the people from Helium being able to fly? Clever.)

Thanks in large part to the beauty and spunk of Helium’s Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins), Carter quickly falls in with her people in their fight against the Zodangans (also human) and the Tharks (tall green creatures that look like a cross between the creatures from Avatar and Star Wars‘ General Grievous, with

Should I pet you or run for my life?

Predator-like tusks on their faces). And from the pod race-like scenes to the premise of an unlikely leader and his rag-tag group of allies (including a dog-like creature that is clearly a giant salamander/Boston terrier mix with six legs) trying to unite opposing factions against a common enemy, John Carter has George Lucas written all over it. Or is it the other way around?

The reason so many things in John Carter seem so familiar is because the Burroughs book on which it is based (A Princess of Mars) was a huge influence on Lucas, James Cameron and many other sci-fi and fantasy writers and directors. So its not that this film borrows heavily from other stories, but that those stories have been borrowing heavily from this and other Burroughs works for decades (he’s also responsible for the Tarzan books). Though the movie is an accurate adaptation of Burroughs’ original adventure, and it’s a rare combination of visual accomplishment (in 3-D no less) and an intriguing story, it’s doubtful most moviegoers will realize that movies like Star Wars, Flash Gordon and Avatar likely wouldn’t exist had the John Carter books not been written.

Regardless of that potentially inevitable setback, the movie has a lot going for it. Director Andrew Stanton has proven himself with the animated features Finding Nemo and WALL-E, and John Carter is definitely a great introduction to what he can do in a live action setting. And like so many other live action Disney movies (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea comes to mind), John Carter is sure to become one of those movies that ingrains itself into the minds of children and other adventurous spirits.

Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins) is about find out what happens when an Earth guy asks you to pull his finger.

The only weak link in the story comes when a Carter-sympathizing Thark gives him some sort of potion that connects him to Barsoom, allowing him to suddenly understand the planet’s inhabitants, regardless of what language they speak. In turn, they can also understand him despite his Virginian dialect. Though this magical potion and its abilities seem a bit far fetched, at least this movie offers some sort of explanation as to why people from different planets are able to understand each other, unlike many sci-fi and fantasy stories.

But with all the unifying monster-fighting action, the developing love story and visually stunning 3-D effects, John Carter is sure to please most moviegoers, even if many of them think its ripping off all the movies it has inspired. And with ten sequels in Burroughs’ Barsoom series, Disney has plenty of opportunity to create a new sci-fi film franchise.

John Carter. Directed by Andrew Stanton. Starring Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Thomas Haden Church, Samantha Morton, Ciarán Hinds, Mark Strong and Dominic West. Rated PG-13. www.disney.go.com/johncarter/.