For the Love of Ball Card Collecting

Like many kids across America, I grew up with the obsessive hobby of collecting trading cards. It started out with Topp's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cards (still had the rock solid sticks of gum back then), then Marvel Comics cards, and as I grew older I turned to basketball and football. I loved the anticipation of going to the ball card or comic book store to burn any allowance money I had on these plastic or foil wrapped treasures. The smell of printed comics, the feel of plastic coated cardboard, the obsessive drive to complete a set, and contemplating if I could afford any rare gems behind lighted glass counters are all fond memories to me. Even if you had the complete series of cards, the ones most sought after would be the 'chase' cards - holograms, transparent cards, jersey swatches, rookies, or autographed. This age-old pastime has evolved to some degree, as cards have become pricier and even more collectible. Here's a documentary short, called The Baseball Card Movie, that was shot in a ball card shop in Brooklyn that encapsulates the rush of trading card collecting.

The Baseball Card Movie

Stan Bush's 'The Touch' Transformed

With Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen releasing in a month, a song has been redone for the upcoming soundtrack - the infamous song 'The Touch' by Stan Bush. Featured in the soundtrack for the original Transformers movie in 1986 (the one where Optimus dies), the song has become a cult classic and so much so that it was also sung by Mark Wahlberg in Boogie Nights. Let's hope Weird Al doesn't try to remake 'Dare to be Stupid.'

'09 'The Touch' or Sam's Theme:


'86 'The Touch':


Dirk Diggler's 'The Touch' from Boogie Nights:

Michael Bay Feeds Us Some Transformers 2 Footage

Michael Bay posted online footage from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen that was shown at ShoWest this year, a motion picture industry convention where production companies advertise their films to theater owners. We get to see some fighting in the woods, more dialog that's embarrassing to listen to, and more robots. The most notable is the first footage of Devastator as well as Jetfire.

UPDATE 4/20/09: Bay had the video pulled, but I'm sure you can find it somewhere. He said to wait till Wolverine and Star Trek for more footage

Here's the footage in all explosive glory:



Jetfire, also known as Skyfire, has had a huge image overhaul for this film. He's made the transformation from a white Macross-like being to a senior citizen with a cane and metallic beard that transforms to an SR-71 Blackbird.

Compare the two looks:

80's Jetfire:
















'09 Jetfire:



80's commercial for the Jetfire toy:


Jetfire from the cartoon:

Dreamt of Playing Spider-Man on Broadway? Seattle, Here's Your Chance!

So apparently someone's come up with crazy idea of turning the story of Spider-Man into a full blown Broadway musical. Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark will be directed by Julie Taymor (Frida, Across the Universe, The Lion King on Broadway) while U2's Bono and The Edge will be responsible for the music and lyrics. I know nothing about theater, but this sounds ridiculous to me and I'm sure it'll make a ridiculously huge load of money. Anyways the show just released its schedule for open casting calls for both primary and understudy roles for Peter Parker, Mary Jane, and a 'Lead Female Villain.' Seattle's on the list for April 20th from 10 AM-6PM at the Theatre Puget Sound.

Here's what they're looking for:

PETER PARKER – Male. 16-20’s. Must have a great rock tenor voice. Can be nerdy with understated sex appeal and a good sense of humor.

MARY JANE – Female. 16-20’s. Beautiful girl next door. Strong pop/rock singing voice required.

LEAD FEMALE VILLAIN – Female. 25‐35 years old. All ethnicities encouraged. Must have an amazing rock voice. Think Sinead O’Connor with a Middle Eastern /Bulgarian/Greek twist. Foreign and/or world music types are great. Foreign accents are great.

The show's to open in Broadway in February 2010.

They tried this at Universal Studios once....

Japanese Spider-Man

The live-action TV show from 1978's been released online of our view pleasure. Very 1970's, very Japanese. Absolutely ridiculous. It's pretty much the Power Rangers with a Spidey costume.

Here's the first episode:

PS3 vs. Wii

I have neither, but this funny video pokes fun at the success of both systems (and subliminally Apple?). Glad I have a 360.

A Love/Hate Relationship/Obsession

It seems Star Wars obsession has reached its point to where a film is coming out about the downfall of George Lucas since the prequel trilogy came out. Nerd rants galore about childhoods ruined and a proliferating money-making machine continue to litter the internet since 1999. The documentary, The People vs. George Lucas, is set to release this year and is currently looking for fan interviews on the status of Star Wars and Lucas the last decade. I've been disappointed about it all but seriously, get over it! Change out of that robe and collapse your plastic lightsaber, there's other things to do in life.

The Simpsons poked fun at The Phantom Menace with Randall Curtis' Cosmic Wars: The Gathering Shadow.

The People vs. George Lucas Trailer:

Combining at a Theater this Summer

Although much hasn't been shown in the couple of teasers released for this summer's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen but the usual Michael Bay fare of explosions, things coming down from the sky, flyovers, and film grain, many of the new characters have been slowly been released over the internet. One of note is Devastator. If you children of the 80's remember having (or for me, remember someone else having) the bright green-yellow and purple robot comprised of six construction vehicles, you can't forget that he was quite the Decepticon. Instead of the upstanding and statuesque figure of the 80's, Bay brings us a hunched over, hulking, and menacing brute. Since we haven't seen footage of how big this thing's going to be on the screen, I think we can get a sense that it'll be humongous - the giant thing in the trailer with the 2 wheels ripping stuff up is just one of the six.

Compare the 2 models below, plus commercials and trailers:

80's Devastator:











'09 Devastator-Here's some pics of what was released at a recent Toy Fair:











Bringing you back to the 80's, here's a commercial for the original Devastator:


Devastator's small screen debut:


Last 2 Revenge of the Fallen trailers, 1 NEW as of this weekend:

Nerf 'N'erders, The Force is Strong with this One...

Film and Star Wars geeks (I'm included in both those categories) alike have been waiting years in anticipation for the release of Fanboys. It seems like forever since I posted a comment about the script resolution. It opened last week to a limited release, obviously Seattle was one of those places chosen. A reminder if you don't know what the film is about: a group of friends from Ohio plan to break into the Skywalker Ranch to sneak a peak at Episode 1 before the film is released as one of the guys is going to die of cancer. Penned as a "love letter to Star Wars fans," this film feels more like a store bought Valentine - short, you appreciate the thought into it, but gets you wanting a bit more effort. I think the reason for the limited release for the film is the fact that it's not really a very accessible film, just catering to the Star Wars faithful here. If you're not even remotely close to a devoted fan of the "galaxy far, far, away," this film is not for you. It will just seem like a run of the mill adolescent road trip film (never seen these films, but probably like Road Trip or Sex Drive) or a Kevin Smith work - who ironically makes a cameo appearance. I'd have to say, I was disappointed with the lack of character development and interaction with each other. I never really felt the characters had much camaraderie with each other, even with the whole cancer aspect of the film. What makes this film worth watching you say? I must say that this film was enjoyable for me in the end as I'm quite a nostalgic guy and the movie had enough Star Wars in it to bring back all those memories of the late 90's. I remember all the discussion and hype that brought Star Wars back to life since the 80's. Even though JarJar and the gang were disappointing, I still have fond memories of the anticipation. Fanboys brings that back that fervor for Star Wars, even though it didn't do it for me as a film.

There's not many clips of the film worth posting, but here's the full trailer:


Fanboys isn't for everyone, so here's some quick Star Wars geek humor, Natalie Portman's SNL monologue:

Swarm of Rumors Amidst 'Hornet'

OK, nerd rant! Here we go: so there have been many rumors floating around the feature film adaptation of the '60's TV series The Green Hornet. Released around the same time as the iconic Batman series, the show played a more serious angle compared to the cheeseball star-studded Caped Crusader. This adaptation was announced to be a comedy-action flick - probably a loose comedic adaptation like Starsky and Hutch, Wild Wild West (*shuddering at the fact I'm referencing this film), or even The Brady Bunch Movie. Comedic actor Seth Rogan announced he'd be co-writer and play the lead character, while there was talk that Stephen Chow would not only play Kato but also direct the film. Now it's up in there air of whether the film's still alive and if Chow will even be in the film, sounds like he's probably not going to direct. I'd really love to see Chow in this film, it would be a disappointment to me if this film is a comedy and someone like Jet Li gets attached to this movie (Li already did Black Mask). My only apprehension with Chow being director is that it would be his first American film and I'm not sure if he'd get the freedom to direct his usual slapstick work that you see in his Chinese films. Here's hoping that if this film does get made, it's not the usual star-studded schlock remake of a franchise aimed at a generation that has no idea of its origins (The Longest Yard).

TONS OF VIDEO!

Not familiar with The Green Hornet? Here's the intro to the show:


I never really watched The Green Hornet, although I do remember the crossover episode where Hornet and Kato appeared in Gotham City on Batman. Here's a clip about the controversy surrounding who would win a Green Hornet vs. Batman duel. Everyone knows Bruce Lee's not going to lose! Apparently they couldn't get their martial arts straight in the '60's (wait, nothing's changed).

Here's an ad I'm guessing Fox used for syndicating The Green Hornet and Batman to TV channels:


Last but not least, if you're still with me, here's the whole Batman-Green Hornet crossover..... in all its ridiculousness:

To Be Like Dungy

I geeked out and bought the Motorola X205 Gaming Headset for cheap off ebay this last week for my 360. It's a replica of the types of Motorola headsets you see NFL head coaches wear while pacing and spitting off the sidelines. Now I can look like my man Tony Dungy while I'm playing Madden or schooling hordes of Locust on Gears of War 2. It's a comfortable headset, and I'll take the circumaural headphone over the standard foam supraaural one that comes with the system.

The possibilities of this headset:

Episode 2: Featuring Gary the Stormtrooper

Robot Chicken Star Wars Episode 2 premiered last night, not as good as the first one but still quite hilarious. They used a lot of what had worked last time and did it over again: So tons more of Seth McFarlane's Palpatine, Ackbar, and Boba Fett. It felt like a sequel to the first Robot Chicken Star Wars and not like another special with more Star Wars skits. This special really pushed the limits of content more than the last one, not something surprising for Robot Chicken. Adultswim doesn't have embed codes or a website available for the whole episode, so here's the link to the entire episode:

Watch Robot Chicken Star Wars Episode 2 now!

Watch Robot Chicken Star Wars, the first one, if you STILL haven't seen it!

Here's some highlights of the show:

Gary is a stormtrooper who has to take his daughter to work. Donald Faison plays Gary.

More Palpatine:

Remember that part in Revenge of the Sith where Anakin kills those jedi kids?

More Star Wars Robot Chicken!!!

Robot Chicken does another Star Wars special! It premieres on Cartoon Network's adultswim this Sunday, November 16 @ 11:30 PM. I have a feeling that it may premiere earlier online (I hope!) If you didn't see the original one, shame on you but you can still see it on the official website.

In celebration of Robot Chicken and stop motion animation, I've posted some awesome videos this one guy has created.

Featuring some Boba Fett, what a feelin':




Gotta love Optimus and the Autobots:





This video of Bumblebee is a parody of a Citroen C4 Commercial:



Wanna see how it's all done? Here's another video and the latter is the making-of video:

Headful of Dead Meat

Anyone remember Mayor McCheese from McDonaldland? According to Wikipedia, McDonald's was sued by the creators of H.R. Pufnstuf for ripping off the show's magical land and elected official. Personally, I don't see how a giant yellow-headed character looks anything like a guy with a sandwich for a head, but I'm not paid to make those kind of decisions. The Pufnstuf guys won over a million bucks after 1977 off of Mickey D's.

Here's a few funny parodies of the patty-mouthed politician:

A Car That was 1.21 Gigawatts of Awesomeness

Yesterday I saw a Delorean DMC-12 on drive past me while I was on campus. If you don't recognize it in my pic, it's the vehicle making the left turn in front of the minivan. The DMC-12 is the notorious Irish-made car from the 80's that didn't reach a high production. The company went under after its founder was arrested on drug trafficking charges. It's well known for its stainless steel body and gull-wing doors.....and we all know it from the Back to the Future Trilogy.


Here's a clip about the car from Modern Marvels:




Here's what we remember from Back to the Future:

The Next Star Wars Kid?

Not as ridiculous as Ghyslain Raza, the Star Wars Kid. This new 'Halo Kid' spends his time making weapons out of cardboard. I'm not sure if reloading or demonstrating melee attacks with a cardboard gun is a useful skill for a middle school kid.



This kid should spend some time building some equipment like the gear the guys at Nightmare Armor make:

Resolution in Nerd Drama

A film a couple years in the making has finally made a breakthrough in a somewhat arduous ordeal. The movie Fanboys, set in the year 1998, follows a group of friends who want to break into the Skywalker Ranch and steal Episode 1: The Phantom Menace before it releases in theaters due to the fact that one of them has cancer and may not live to see the then highly desired prequel. When press was released of this Star Wars fans from all around were excited in anticipation of the film, even Lucas himself gave his approval and helped with the movie. Then came the monkey wrench in the project. News broke that The Weinstein Company, who was producing the film, was planning on editing the film by cutting out the cancer aspect because they believed it made the film too depressing. Those in the media who saw both early cuts of the film with and without the cancer plot lines felt that the cancer-free film did not have the heart of the original cut and also portrayed geeks across the world in a bad light. Geek rage grew over the web and there were talks of boycotting the film and The Weinstein Company. Upon the release of the Weinstein's film Superhero Movie, fans attempted to boycott the film and there were even planned protests at theaters around the country. With all of this drama and upheaval over the film it was announced yesterday that the original cancer plot will indeed be shown in the theatrical release, appeasing the masses of geeks around the world. I'm definitely excited about this film, I do not believe there is an official release date as of yet, but I'd say it'll be out within the next year or so. Here's the teaser trailer that has been lingering for awhile:

Pizza Robot Rock Band Now Taking Requests!

This is crazy, since just recently I had a post about Showbiz Pizza/Chuck E. Cheese's. This week, the next new viral video, apparently a car salesman and one of the original programmers for the Showbiz Pizza robot band The Rock-afire Explosion are programming the robots for requested songs! Want to bid for a request? Go to starsof.com/fans/ to find out how! Here's Usher's 'Love in This Club':



Here's the youtube channel: youtube.com/user/fanprograms, which is run by Aaron Fetcher - one of the engineers for the band.

Listed on the channel is the trailer for Rock-afire Explosion: The Movie - A documentary on my childhood pizza place! Check out their myspace page for the film: www.myspace.com/therockafiremovie - I'm watching this when it comes out! Here's the trailer:

Of Rats and Joysticks

So news came out recently that Leonardo DiCaprio will be a in a biopic about Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari. So for this blog entry, I knew I had to put something Chuck E. Cheese's related since Bushnell was also the founder of the animatronic pizza joint. Little did I know how much obscure information I would find about the place online. This also brings me back as I would frequent Showbiz Pizza - one of CEC's engulfed franchises- often as a kid. I must say, my parents must have really loved me to keep taking me there. I'm watching some of the videos online of memories I have of the place and I must say I don't know if I could stand going there more than once as an adult. Part of me also remembers that place being very loud when the animatronic shows happened, I wonder what a noise level survey would have shown. I found this website, ShowBiz Pizza.com, which is a museum of all things ShowBiz/Chuck E. - from the history of the tokens to a whole library of employee training videos. Here's a training video I found on youtube:

Breaking News in the World of Plastic Instruments

Since music and rhythm games have exploded in America primarily due to the success of several releases of Guitar Hero, the game Rock Band upped the ante by adding guitars, drum pads, and a microphone together to make the ultimate party game. Now Activision has announced the newest release in the Guitar Hero franchise: Guitar Hero World Tour. Not only will World Tour include a more realistic drum pad, but also a microphone. Those who've played both Rock Band and Guitar Hero know that the Guitar Hero axes are definitely a better build. Players will also be able to create their own music as well as complete online in a battle of the bands. Not to be outdone, Konami (developer of Karaoke Revolution) has announced Rock Revolution, which is the same concept - more plastic guitars, drums, microphone. This is madness, I cannot even imagine how many compatibility issues there are going to be! Plus, if the demand is so huge for this type of game, why don't kids start playing real instruments? I'm a huge fan of Guitar Hero, don't get me wrong, but this is overkill.

Here's the premiere video of Guitar Hero World Tour:


All this madness of plastic instruments reminds me of the hilarious South Park episode Guitar Queer-O. Here's a clip:


Think that was funny?

Watch the whole episode of Guitar Queer-O

See any episode of South Park at SouthParkStudios.com