Thursday, June 15, 2017

Torchwood: torchwood_cascade_CDRIP.tor

Big Finish Productions continues to unearth some of the hidden Torchwood archives that never saw the light of day as full-cast audio drama CDs so fans of the hit Doctor Who spinoff can get the same experience as they got from the hit BBC TV series. 2017 promises to bring more Torchwood audio dramas as part of their ongoing efforts to celebrate Torchwood's 10th anniversary since October 2006.

Torchwood: torchwood_cascade_CDRIP.tor

Fans of the hit BBC TV Series already got hooked on the untold case of computer genius Toshiko Sato (played by Naoko Mori) back in the Zone 10 audio drama last year and now, Tosh returns for another untold case which now involves...the deadly consequences of online piracy.

Since the emergence of the internet, online piracy became a rampant outbreak in the digital world and to date, more and more people are illegally downloading movies, music, games, even TV shows, on the internet. In the case of Torchwood operative Toshiko Sato, unauthorized online piracy DO come with a deadly price which involves the lives of whoever downloaded something illegally.

This dystopian take on online piracy is something the fans should be worrying about and in torchwood_cascade_CDRIP.tor, this terrifying addition to Big Finish's Torchwood audio drama CD lineup will shock everyone with its dark, twisted, and dystopic taste with a fair lesson to learn about illegal downloads and its deadly consequences. While this installment terrifies the listeners about the consequences of online piracy, the classic Torchwood recipe continues to flow in every chapter of this installment with all the explosive thrills, spills, and chills in store for Tosh and the other characters, bringing torchwood_cascade_CDRIP.tor a must-listen for Torchwood fans.

While this story delivers a much scary take on a rampant internet trend, all the classic Tosh action is embodied in this audio drama that you can only expect from the world according to Torchwood.

Torchwood: Corpse Day

Big Finish Productions continues to unearth some of the hidden Torchwood archives that never saw the light of day as full-cast audio drama CDs so fans of the hit Doctor Who spinoff can get the same experience as they got from the hit BBC TV series. 2017 promises to bring more Torchwood audio dramas as part of their ongoing efforts to celebrate Torchwood's 10th anniversary since October 2006.

Torchwood: Corpse Day

Dr. Owen Harper (played by Burn Gorman) is a wisecracking medical specialist who likes to poke fun with the Torchwood Cardiff team until his death and resurrection (as demonstrated from Series 2 episodes such as Reset, Dead Man Walking, and A Day In the Death), rethinked his life and times as a Torchwood operative and in this never-before-told tale focused on our favorite medical specialist, it's time for the dead man to tell a tale once more.

Corpse Day is the day when the local constabulary seek assistance on dead cases from Torchwood and for PC Andy Davidson (played by Tom Price), a good friend of Gwen Cooper during her WPC days, he's grateful that for this year, he was volunteered to be a liaison for none other than, you guessed it, Dr. Owen Harper. However, in Owen's case, it feels like death cannot die, and for a dead man like him, this day feels like any other.

Hearing Tom Price and Burn Gorman in this installment is like you are jumping through a buddy cop flick at the start but when the case of grizzly murders kicked in, it transforms into a full-on gory horror experience that it won't really go easy on the listeners and long-time fans alike and in true Torchwood tradition, Corpse Day is a very special feast for the fans who just can't get enough of Owen as much as his on-screen antics from the last decade. 

More than that, this audio drama with a much gory outlook that became part of the Torchwood lore for a decade is more than enough to give themselves a "rat jam." Get it?

Torchwood: The Dollhouse

Big Finish Productions continues to unearth some of the hidden Torchwood archives that never saw the light of day as full-cast audio drama CDs so fans of the hit Doctor Who spinoff can get the same experience as they got from the hit BBC TV series. 2017 promises to bring more Torchwood audio dramas as part of their ongoing efforts to celebrate Torchwood's 10th anniversary since October 2006.

Torchwood: The Dollhouse

Long before the battle of Canary Wharf (known as Doomsday) that witnessed the downfall of Torchwood London, before Torchwood Cardiff emerged under the rule of Captain Jack Harkness, before everything you know about this secret organization that is "outside the government, beyond the police and the United Nations", there were three unsung heroines became involved in the alien mystery spelunking that became the template from this planet. Meet Torchwood Los Angeles.

It's the 1970's, the decade that witnessed US President Richard Nixon's resignation, the global energy crisis, and so on, Marlow Sweet (Laila Pyne), Charley Du Bujeau (Kelly-Anne Lyons), and Gabi Martinez (Ajjaz Awad) arrived in the city of angles to find new life and while this vibrant Californian city has some glitz and glamor in store, this city lies a dark secret where it will put three young girls to the test.

This is an all-new storyline written by Juno Dawson and while this installment has some originality unheard of in the Doctor Who franchise, it feels like it's connected to the original Torchwood storyline while delivering a fresher take on the secret organization we are now familiar with.

With all those alien stuff, youth life, drama, suspense, and thriller, The Dollhouse sets apart from all the other Torchwood installments Big Finish has to offer while evoking the spirit of the hit spin-off series that became as relevant as today's world affairs.

Torchwood: Visiting Hours

Big Finish Productions continues to unearth some of the hidden Torchwood archives that never saw the light of day as full-cast audio drama CDs so fans of the hit Doctor Who spinoff can get the same experience as they got from the hit BBC TV series. 2017 promises to bring more Torchwood audio dramas as part of their ongoing efforts to celebrate Torchwood's 10th anniversary since October 2006.

Torchwood: Visiting Hours

For the latest installment in the long line of Torchwood audio drama CDs, Rhys Williams (played by Kai Owen), the boyfriend turned husband of Gwen Cooper, takes on what's going on inside St. Helen's Hospital and his visit with his mother Brenda became a living nightmare they will face inside the hospital.

St. Helen's Hospital has been faced with series of unexplainable events following numerous people inside keep dying of natural causes every night and their bodies disappeared without a trace. Rhys comes to the hospital to visit his mam, Brenda, who had her hip replacement finished but the visit has became nightmare and with no one else around them, all that Rhys and his mam hope is to survive the night until the mystery at St. Helen's is unearthened.

This audio drama has a blend of horror and mystery in a Torchwood kind of way and while this is plainly moderate at first, the terror it blends on this latest Torchwood audio drama keeps on lingering until the very end and it feels like you're living in a nightmare full of monsters while trying to survive the night. Best be told, never try to listen to this one in the dead of night because of the terror waiting to unleash in every chapter but if you're brave enough to survive the night, this Torchwood audio drama will hit you with everything it got.

Aikatsu Stars! no Ongaku 01

Premiered last April 2016 on TV Tokyo, Aikatsu Stars! is an all new adventure that is separate from the original Aikatsu and it centers on the life and times of a girl named Yume Nijino who attends at the Yotsuboshi Gakuin to become the best idol in the school. Little girls across Japan have been tuning in every Thursday nights for more of Yume Nijino and the others as well as being part of the Aikatsu Stars experience via the Data Carddass game from Bandai. Because it's been a year passed since the show began, the original soundtrack of Aikatsu Stars has arrived for nostalgic pleasure.

Aikatsu Stars! no Ongaku 01

This two-disc compilation features the songs and score from not just the first season of the TV series but also the Data Carddass game inspired from, including TV-sized versions of the show's opening and closing theme songs as heard from the TV series. For an added bonus, there's the Christmas song as heard from Episode 37 of the series, titled We wish you a merry Christmas AIKATSU☆STARS!ver.

While supplies last, this original soundtrack comes with the special Lemon Creme Skirt card for use in the Aikatsu Stars DATA CARDDASS game, just a way of saying thanks and keep on watching Aikatsu Stars, which is now on its second season airing every Thursday nights on TV Tokyo.

TRACK LISTINGS:

Disc 1
01:スタートライン!(TV-size)
02:今回のおはなし
03:虹野ゆめ、いきまーす!
04:びっくり箱
05:おもしろいじゃない!
06:四ツ星学園
07:目指せS4!
08:花の歌組
09:鳥の劇組
10:風の舞組
11:月の美組
12:憧れのアイドル
13:気になるアイドル
14:学園長
15:This is Rock!!
16:ゆりちゃんと一緒
17:がんばらなくっちゃ!
18:S4 TV~キラキラするのがお仕事です
19:「CA物語」のテーマ
20:「ガリギャル」のテーマ
21:ロックへのいざない
22:ロック甲子園
23:ROCK☆ROCK☆GIRLS!
24:「リトルフェアリー物語」のテーマ
25:魔王の城
26:M4王国の妖精
27:アイキャッチA
28:みんな大好きめでたい焼き
29:アイキャッチB
30:はじけるホネホネブラザーズ
31:幹部のチームワーク
32:Let's Dancing!
33:天真爛漫アイドル
34:「ボディ・バード」のテーマ
35:「太陽に燃えろ」のテーマ
36:はばたくツバサ
37:先輩の教え
38:アイドルの学園生活
39:セルフプロデュースの極意
40:夜空のファッションタイムです
41:悔し涙
42:月想う太陽
43:月と太陽
44:さらなる成長
45:四つの星

Disc 2
01:1, 2, Sing for You!(TV-size)
02:試練
03:楽しい日々
04:今週のアイカツWAVE
05:オーディション スタート!
06:迷わぬ心
07:ステージ大成功!
08:夢へとつづく道
09:ドレスメイク講座
10:煌めくM4
11:ブロードウェイドリーム
12:四ツ星学園祭 後夜祭
13:やっぱりステージって最高!
14:ノー モア ネガティブ!
15:あれれ?
16:アイドル1年生
17:がんばれよ、ゆでダコ
18:ツンドラの歌姫
19:ちがうからこそ素晴らしい
20:憧れの存在
21:学園長の決意
22:厳しい現実
23:乗り越えるべき壁
24:不思議な謎の力
25:思い合う絆
26:つながる想い
27:星々のきらめき
28:永遠の輝き
29:S4決定戦
30:SHINING ROAD
31:スタージェット!(TV-size)
32:輝く星
33:新しいゆめに向かって
34:スタートライン! ~Next Stage Ver.~
35:ささやかな願い
36:S4任命式
37:未来へ導くもの
38:episode Solo(TV-size)
39:So Beautiful Story(TV-size)
40:We wish you a merry Christmas AIKATSU☆STARS! Ver.

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

2017 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup - Pocono 400


Sunday's NASCAR Monster Energy Cup race in Pocono has became one heck of a close-combat match between whose going to take the checkered flag at the end of the race and with thrills like this, petrolheads of America are surely want to see more NASCAR action like this.

At the end of Lap 50, Kyle Busch cleared Stage One while in Lap 56, someone missed a gear change and that's the #88 with Dale Earnhardt Jr. behind the wheel. In Lap 95, Jimmie Johnson slams the wall in Pocono while struggling to turn left during the heavy impact.while Jamie McMurray's #1 car caught in flames. In Lap 99, at the end of Stage 2, Keselowski almost turned Chase Elliot while in Lap 150, the heated catch-up between Ryan Blaney and Kevin Harvick is just too darn hot to miss and in the end, Ryan Blaney wins the Pocono 400 race.

Next race is on Michigan on the 18th of June.

Renault Koleos II

Renault's first crossover SUV, the Koleos, is now on its second-generation and it's now larger, roomier, and more luxurious than the old Koleos it replaces while most of the modern-day Renault DNA has been injected inside and out so you might expect that this is just another Renault with the same look as the other new Renaults from the range but it's too early to tell about it until later. So, what's it all about?

2017 Renault Koleos
It's hardly almost a decade passed since Renault introduced its first ever 4x4 crossover to the world and for this second-generation Koleos, it's ready to mark a new beginning for Renault's first crossover in the lineup with new design, new interior, and new features that will keep it competitive in today's conditions. As mentioned earlier, most of the modern-day Renault DNA has been injected inside and out so you will notice that it dons the same exterior cues from the Espace, Talisman, Scenic, and Megane. As on the inside...

2017 Renault Koleos interior

Renault's becoming the French equivalent of BMW because like Bimmers, the Renaults of today are donning the same new interior look and pretty soon, most Renaults will don the same interior over and and over again but what's that really for?  Cost-saving measures? No one ever know but onto the subject of being larger than the old Koleos, seating for five people still holds but it's surprisingly roomier than the old Koleos as well as the boot space good enough for all those open spaces. In addition to that, offers luxury car features in a not-so-expensive crossover such as BOSE Surround Sound System and it even comes with Renault's R-Link 2 that comes with smartphone connectivity that works well with your iPhones and Androids courtesy of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

2017 Renault Koleos

The new Koleos is powered by an all-diesel lineup consisting of a 1.6L and a 2.0L Energy dCi engine with 175PS of power and 380Nm of torque with CO2 emissions of 156g/km. They are mated with either a 6-speed manual gearbox and an XTRONIC CVT sourced from Nissan. Because the new Koleos uses the same underpinnings from the Nissan X-TRAIL, it comes with ALL-MODE 4x4-i made to tackle any surface and weather with ease. With settings like AUTO, LOCK, and 2WD, this system makes the new Koleos to adapt through any road conditions no matter the weather and due to its new platform which is a joint effort of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, it feels very moderate to drive on the road.

2017 Renault Koleos

Active Emergency Braking System, Lane Departure Warning, Safe Distance Warning, Traffic Sign Recognition, Blind Sport Warning, Tiredness Detection, rear view camera, Automatic High/Low Beam headlines, parking sensors, and Easy Park Assist, these are some of the safety features the new Koleos has to offer and it can be controlled via the R-Link 2 tablet on the dashboard. This is like usual formation for Europe's cars because it's EU regulation for most cars to come ready with safety tech and why would anyone care about it anyhow.

The new Renault Koleos starts at 29,900 Euros while the more luxurious Initiale Paris variant, with special luxurious equipment on it and exclusive colors, costs 41,400 plus on-road costs. So, while the design is plain stale for a modern-day Renault, the new Koleos is a big step for the crossover market and with the ALL-MODE 4x4-i system, R-Link 2, and larger dimensions, expect some healthy reception about the newly regenerated crossover from Renault.

Photo: Renault