In a bit of a surprise announcement on Tuesday evening, Jimmy Fallon announced on The Tonight Show, that Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon is headed to Universal Orlando. I am not well versed in Fallon's incarnation of The Tonight Show, but the Universal blog describes it as a race around the city. 

I guess on the show, Fallon sometimes has a segment where he challenges celebrities to "races." We as the guests, will enter the studio, and be challenged by Fallon to a race. As we race, guests will encounter all the famous New York landmarks, and run into some interesting characters along the way. 

To make way for Fallon, Twister: Ride It Out, will close on November 2nd. While personally I think Twister is long overdue to be axed, the Fallon idea is kind of weird. However, it does have me a bit intrigued as to what they can pull off. I think it is the popular thing these days, to automatically hate everything a theme park does.  

While basing an entire attraction around Jimmy Fallon and The Tonight Show does seems a bit strange, and out of place, I reserve judgement until we actually get to ride the thing. And believe me, I am not the biggest Fallon fan...

​You can see the announcement below.

Greetings internet dwellers!

Lots of fans consider season 3 of The X-files to not only be one of the best, but THE best season of The X-Files. Everything in season 3, is very tightly wound. There are a few episodes towards the end where the season loses some mojo, but overall, season 3 is a great season.

There are so many memorable episodes to come out of season 3. We are introduced to the black oil, alien bounty hunters, the history of Mulder's father, and some rather unique standalone episodes. Peter Boyle, won an Emmy for his guest spot in Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose, and the show was taking some risks.

Season 3, has a lot of humor interjected into it, which I love. I mentioned last time, that one of my favorite things the show does, is its humor. There are moments when the show even pokes fun at itself from time-to-time. 

This was extremely difficult to boil down. Instead of sweating over it, I tried to get the best representations of what season 3 brought to the show. 

• ORIGINAL AIR DATE: OCTOBER 6, 1995

DPO, is the first "standalone" episode of season 3. Mulder and Scully, are sent to investigate a series of deaths, which appear to be caused by lightning. Most people probably remember this as the one with Jack Black, and Giovanni Ribisi. Ribisi is fantastic in this episode, and the young actor, is really showcasing what he can do. Black, is his bumbling stoner friend, but he plays it well. An all around great episode, with some great music to boot. Season 3, is also the start of Scully's REALLY skeptic phase, where she has a plausible explanation for everything. And I mean EVERYTHING. 

• ORIGINAL AIR DATE: FEBRUARY 23, 1996

Pusher has the agents tracking down a man, who can seemingly will his victims to kill themselves. This is an incredibly tense episode written by Vince Gilligan. It's weird today, to go back and watch Gilligan grow as a writer on the show. If I am not mistaken, this is his second episode as a writer on the show. His first was Soft Light back in season 2, which stared Tony Shalhoub. The standoff at the end of Pusher, is an amazing sequence. Gilligan, obviously became a staple of The X-Files, and this is one of his best episodes. 

In original broadcast order.

• ORIGINAL AIR DATE: SEPTEMBER 29, 1995

Paper Clip, is part 2 of the series premier, but is the stronger of the two episodes. If one decides to watch Paper Clip, it may be useful to watch the first. However, it's not really needed, as the first episode is basically Scully trying to find Mulder. Paper Clip gets to the meat of the story. It all culminates in a fantastic finale, where the agents find themselves cornered in an abandoned warehouse. Or is it abandoned? Paper Clip has one of the most frightening scenes in all of X-Files history for me. All I will say is Scully, alone, in the dark, in a cave, and creepy things running around. It terrified me as a kid. 

• ORIGINAL AIR DATE: OCTOBER 13, 1995

As mentioned earlier, Peter Boyle, won an Emmy for his portrayal as Clyde Bruckman. This is such a great episode. It is so well written, acted, and directed. It has that sense of humor which Darin Morgan, was so good at on the show, as well. However, the episode is centered around the agents catching a serial killer, who targets psychics. Bruckman assists Mulder and Scully, in the case and has the ability himself. Bruckman is a tragic figure, who has the ability, yet views it as a curse. Boyle, plays it so well, with a sense of wit, heart, and compassion. It is a can't miss episode. 

• ORIGINAL AIR DATE: JANUARY 5, 1996

This is an episode that has grown on me over the years. Again, written by Darin Morgan, Mulder is investigating a series of deaths, that may, or may not, be caused by Cockroaches. There is a lot of good stuff in the episode. If you hate bugs, especially roaches, this episode may get under your skin. The show even has roaches crawling on your screen. Really, some great stuff here. And funny. 

• ORIGINAL AIR DATE: FEBRUARY 9, 1996

The image of a person's eyes rolling over black, has probably become famous in The X-Files. Even those who haven't watched an episode, probably know of the black oil. This was the first episode to really feature the alien oil. It is actually the first part of a two part episode. However, it is the stronger of the two episodes. If you are interested in exploring X-Files mythology, and how it shaped the future of the show, Piper Maru is a great episode for it. The episode also begins to unravel the mystery of the death of Scully's sister. 

• ORIGINAL AIR DATE: APRIL 12, 1996

Jose Chung's From Outer Space, is probably my favorite episode of The X-Files ever. That Darin Morgan guy again, writes a fantastically witty, engaging, funny, mysterious, and plain bat-shit insane episode. I love how nuts Jose Chung's From Outer Space is. It takes The X-Files, and plays with it. And it does it so well. There are fantastic twists, turns, and it will leave you guessing the whole way through. As well as keep you vastly entertained. In true X-Files fashion, the episode leaves you asking yourself, if what you saw actually was the truth or not. I love this episode.  

That does it for season 3. I am well into season 4, and we will press on when I am finished.

Hasta La Bye-bye for now. 

Greetings internet dwellers!

​This will be my final "weekly" update for HHN XXV. Yes, I will be down there for the next two weeks. However, detailed weekly updates are moot at this point. I will still be ranking the houses every week on Facebook, and on the home page.

My final review for HHN XXV, will come once the event concludes. If something else arises between now and then, I will of course let you know. After all, the final week of HHN XXV, could be legendary...

​Anyway, let's get to the houses. 

I will say this about the houses at this point in the event, things are fluctuating. I find things to be a little inconsistent every time we go into a house.

• CURRENT RATING: 2/5

I have not done The Walking Dead, since last week. The house is dead last on my priorities. While last week, they showed slight improvement, I can't see them doing any better. 

• CURRENT RATING: 2/5

Still does nothing for me. Aside from some pretty colors, and costumes, Asylum has virtually no scares, is repetitive, the 3D is pretty ineffective, and it's bland. 

• CURRENT RATING: 3.5/5

Run, still hasn't crossed that threshold for me. It's fun, and colorful, and weird, and interesting, but not very scary. One cast, is also better than the other cast, so if you happen to get the bad one, things might not be as good for some. 

• CURRENT RATING: 3.5/5

I had to drop this rating. An American Werewolf in London 2015, is just vastly inconsistent. Our run through it last night, I noticed that timing was a factor. Not by guests, but the actor's in the house. Their timing, especially when it came to the puppets, was just not there. Like I said last week, when things are working in here, they ARE working. However, my last few visits to An American Werewolf, were just not strong. 

• CURRENT RATING: 4/5

The Purge, is definitely the most improved house of the year so far. It's just blind chaos in here all the time. The actor's bring it every time. While we noticed one run through wasn't as intense as the others, for the most part, it still works. Again, kudos to the people in here. They really turned it around. 

• CURRENT RATING: 5/5

I'm keeping Body Collectors at a 5 right now, It's still a beautiful house, and creepy when it needs to be. However, I've noticed it's not as intense as it once was. We'll see how it goes from here on out. 

• CURRENT RATING: 5/5

Still a great house, however it seems to have lost that extra punch. Characters are still missing in certain places, and the energy seems to have dropped a bit. Still, a can't miss house. 

• CURRENT RATING: 5/5

Man, Insidious really picked up steam this week. I loved the house, and it came close to being my favorite of the week. Really, really intense visits of Insidious this Thursday and Friday. It's going to be an interesting final two weeks, if they keep it up.

• CURRENT RATING: 5/5

Still the most consistent house at HHN XXV. It's grand, scary, fun, and blast to visit with groups of people. It's a good crowd-pleaser, and works really well. Insidious came close to challenging this week. Let's see what happens next week.

The Scare Zones have been interesting. While not much has changed in my rankings, they did change stuff in the Zones. Some characters got upgrades, and new characters got added to certain places. It's been interesting to watch the streets change. 

• CURRENT RATING: 5/5

​Still a whole lot of fun. 

• CURRENT RATING: 1.5/5

Let me start by saying that, I haven not really found Bill & Ted funny for a long time now. The last "great" show in my opinion, was 2005. I really enjoyed the show from 2012, but it's really been weak since. This year, by a mile, is one of the worst Bill & Ted shows HHN has ever done. The music choices were bland, the jokes were not funny AT ALL, the characters used were weird, there were too many callbacks to past jokes that fell flat, and the Disney stuff was too much. Believe me, I love when they attack Disney, but it just didn't work here. The show did have one, or two, moments. I enjoyed the finale, and I liked an element from the beginning. However, this was just bad. Like, really, really bad. Granted, I will probably sit through the show again at some point. Definitely will be there for the last show. Breaks my heart to say it, but it's just bad this year. 

So, that's it for me this week. I may, MAY try for another HHN power hour on Sunday. Once again, that depends on if Football runs late on us again. 

​Hasta La Bye-bye for now. 

Greetings internet dwellers!

A few quick notes on Season 2. The X-Files began to heavily build on its mythology during the season. If you listen to Chris Carter talk about the end of season 1 and moving into season 2, Gillian Anderson became pregnant in real life as season 1 was wrapping up. So, they decided to write around the pregnancy for the show.

Anderson, is noticeably pregnant at the end of the first season, and at the start of season 2. Scully's abduction, and her disappearance, was no accident on the show's part. Anderson went off and had her baby. However, it created one of the show's best mysteries in Scully's abduction, and the subsequent search for answers about it, as the show moved on.

One of the things I always found interesting about season 2, is the mythology of The X-Files, seems to seep into even the standalone episodes. Things are set-up, and there is a through-line that flows as the season goes on. An example of this happens very early on in the season, when Alex Krycek, is introduced in the episode Sleepless. 

Season 2, also introduces us to The Syndicate. The mysterious group who are trying to foil Mulder's efforts to find the truth. The Cigarette Smoking Man, is also a part of the group. A.D. Skinner's role is beefed up in season 2 as well, and Mitch Pileggi gets a whole lot more screen time. Skinner, is a great character and Pileggi, is fantastic in the part. More Skinner, is a good thing.

Overall, season 2 is a solid season, however I've always felt a lot of it gets bogged down in the mythology aspect of the show. There is an obvious stacking going on with the story, and The X-Files really wouldn't perfect its mythology storytelling until season 3. However, it is still a solid season.   

This was tough to narrow down for the season. So many good episodes.

• ORIGINAL AIR DATE: JANUARY 13, 1995

OK, so here's the deal. I flipped a coin for this first mention. I think people who aren't even that familiar with the show, know of the episode The Host. It is a classic X-files episode. I love the episode, but in the end, decided to go against the obvious choice, and go with a spectacular episode that doesn't get much attention. The episode was written by Chris Carter, and is wonderfully weird and disturbing. Nick Chinlund, is FANTASTIC in this episode. It is such a subtle and creepy performance. The subject matter here is truly bizarre. Mulder and Scully, are dispatched to find a serial killer, who takes weird "trophies" from his victims- their hair and fingernails. The episode is tense, scary, and kind of unique. It's haunting too, and it will stick with you once it is over. It gets under your skin. 

• ORIGINAL AIR DATE: JANUARY 27, 1995

Glen Morgan and James Wong, are responsible for some of the best X-Files episodes ever. They are fantastic writers. This was their last episode, before they left the series to produce Space: Above and Beyond. The duo would later return to The X-files, after Above and Beyond failed to find an audience. This episode is nuts. Mulder and Scully are sent to investigate the death of a teenager, who may have been killed by a Satanic cult. There is a lot of craziness happening in this episode. Snakes eating people, child sacrifices, black magic, suicides, and many other strange things. This was kind of out of the box for The X-Files, and it took the show into another direction. Very weird and fun episode. Fun fact: Morgan and Wong would later go on to create the Final Destination series. 

In original broadcast order.

• ORIGINAL AIR DATE: OCTOBER 14, 1994

Also known as the episode(s) where Gillian Anderson starts her maternity leave. This may be a little bit of cheating as well, but Duane Barry is actually the first of a two-part episode, so both should be watched. I am actually more partial to the first episode, which is a really tense, hostage standoff between the title character, and Mulder. There is a lot of mind manipulation going on, even though we as the audience know that Barry is telling the truth. It is quite effective. In the second part of the episode, Ascension, we have a few very famous X-Files scenes going on as well. CCH Pounder, is really good in the first episode too. Classic X-Files mythology episodes at its best.

• ORIGINAL AIR DATE: NOVEMBER 11, 1994

There seems to be a love/hate relationship with One Breath and fans. It is a quiet episode, however a very powerful one. One Breath, is a great character piece for Mulder, and David Duchovny is really showboating his acting skills in this one. There is an incredible scene where Mulder breaks down and cries, after talking to a comatose Scully in the hospital. It is a powerful moment for both Duchovny and the character. We also get a lot of character motivations in this episode. Is Skinner on Mulder's side, and is he really working for CSM? What's the deal with Mr. X? There is a great scene involving Mulder and CSM, that can't be missed in this episode. 

• ORIGINAL AIR DATE: MARCH 31, 1995

I love when The X-Files is funny. Writer Darin Morgan, has penned some darkly comic episodes of The X-Files. Humbug, is no exception. Most people probably know this as the freak show episode. Yes, before American Horror Story did it, Mulder and Scully, investigated strange deaths, among a community of Freak Show performers. Funny, odd and twisted, Humbug is classic X-Files. 

• ORIGINAL AIR DATE: APRIL 28, 1995

A very interesting episode, that is a mix of mythology, and standalone. Mulder and Scully, are dispatched to investigate strange death's, occurring at a prison. There are some great effects happening in this episode, as a mysterious virus causes giant pustules to form on the victims. There is a tense moment towards the end, where Mulder confronts a prisoner who has escaped, and is infected with the virus. The episode is simple, and effective. Fun fact: Dean Norris is in this episode.

• ORIGINAL AIR DATE: MAY 19, 1995

Once again, The X-Files gives us a great cliffhanging season finale. There is so much stuff going on in this episode, yet, it is very simple to follow. Mulder, gets his hands on an encrypted computer disk, which provides clear-cut proof the government is hiding the existence of aliens. Mulder is so close to the truth, the bad guys are willing to kill to prevent him from finding out. Anasazi, expands the mythology, it is tense, there are twists and turns around every corner, and is an edge of your seat episode. 

I am well into season 3, and we will reopen that one, sometime next week.

​Hasta La Bye-bye for now.

Greetings internet dwellers!

And another HHN week has come and gone here at HHN Legacy. This week, has been most excellent. I basically just did stuff. I just walked around and soaked it all in. While Thursday and Friday have come and gone, I MAY try and get down to HHN on Sunday night after work. It all depends on if the news is late because of Football. 

I haven't done an HHN power-hour in quite some time, so perhaps, I will get to do that on Sunday. I did finally catch all of The Carnage Returns. More on that later. Still have not seen Bill & Ted. If I do get to go on Sunday, and the lines are way too long, I may try and catch the last Bill & Ted of the night.  

​Anyway, let's get to the updated house rankings. 

• CURRENT RATING: 2/5

While the house still lacks overall, they have made efforts to improve the thing. By far, the weakest house this year. 

• CURRENT RATING: 2.5/5

I did Asylum quite a few times on Thursday and Friday. The waits seem to fluctuate in the extremes with this house. I saw Asylum jump from 10 minutes, to 45 minutes, to 20 minutes, all in the span of 15 minutes. It was kind of weird. The house still does nothing for me. I even did it without the 3D glasses on, to see if that helped. I really like some of the character designs in here, but that's about it. 

• CURRENT RATING: 3.5/5

​Still a fun house. One cast is better than the other cast. We got to do Run with virtually nobody else behind, or in front of us on Friday. That was really cool. Still waiting for that extra punch to go a little higher with the rating.

• CURRENT RATING: 4/5

I'm keeping AWIL at a 4 right now. The house is vastly inconsistent from run to run. However, when it's on point, it is on point. Sometimes the energy and flow is there, other times, it is not. However, it is still really enjoyable when everything is clicking. 

• CURRENT RATING: 4/5

If you would have told me opening weekend, that The Purge would be a better house than An American Werewolf in London, I would have said you were crazy. The energy by the actor's in here is so good. They brought it this week again. They are intense and fearless in here. Once again, I have to tip my cap to this cast. 

• CURRENT RATING: 5/5

Something odd happened this Thursday and Friday. Something was missing in Recollections. I did it a total of three times over the two days. There was something off. Still, I'm keeping it at a 5 for now. We will see if I have to drop it down come next week.

• CURRENT RATING: 5/5

​While one run through of Insidious wasn't as good as the other, when it's good, it's very good. Still great, still creepy, and still intense. 

• CURRENT RATING: 5/5

While the house has lost a bit of steam for me, it is still a wonderful house. We did notice that some characters have been removed from the house. Not sure why, but they were noticeably gone. Still, a great house, and shouldn't be missed. 

• CURRENT RATING: 5/5

Pure, unadulterated, blissful fun. Everything in here just clicks. The actors are great, the atmosphere is wonderful, the scares are good, and it has been the most consistent house of the year. While the top four can all be number one, Freddy Vs. Jason still has the slight edge for me. 

Not going to go too in detail with the Scare Zones this week. Everything has pretty much stayed where they were.

• CURRENT RATING: 4/5

​Note: they added The Crypt Keeper in the Zone!

• CURRENT RATING: 5/5

​Still so much fun!

• CURRENT RATING: 4/5

Finally. The Carnage Returns is a lot of fun. It's loud, bloody, violent, funny, and a good crowd eater. While some of the show can come off as cheesy, it pretty much works. Jack, is awesome, and Chance is always fun. It's a good time.  

So, that's it for me folks! Again, I may try and get down to HHN, for a brief time on Sunday. Hopefully football don't make us late.

​Hasta La Bye-bye for now.