I Wish I Had Thought of This

Legion of Rock Stars is a bunch of musicians that plays fantastic covers of your favorite tunes. From their site:

Legion of Rock Stars (LRS) pioneered Pure Pleasure, in which the band listens to original recordings of classic rock and pop songs on 30db noise-blocking headsets, and then plays along.

The results are downright hilarious. Thanks to Dave for sharing the awesome Danzig clip below.

Maple Story Ads

Some folks at work yesterday were talking about the new Maple Story TV ads which have been cropping up on cable. They are certainly attention-grabbing, although their effectiveness is debatable. (Hmmm, reminds me of an ad campaign for a certain all-you-can-eat games subscription service.)

Snails:


Fish:


Pig:


Despite the weird-for-the-sake-of-being-weird vibe, I have to admit that there's a certain charm to the line, "Is that pig wearing a gentleman's hat?" But: the fact that we do not see even one image from the game in these ads -- to tie it back to the live-action silliness -- is a shocking creative error in my opinion.

The ads can also be found here, on the Nexon site that launched in conjunction with the ad campaign. Wish them luck!

More FusionFall

YouTube has the trailer up and running:


Fan reaction at Comic-Con was wildly positive! Everyone seems to be excited about the new look for the characters and the general creative direction. Kids had fun with the game, too. It really couldn't have gone better, actually.

Faction of the Fox

This is an insanely entertaining video by some crazy bunch of Midwestern lunatics calling themselves Faction of the Fox. They wear bags on their heads and scream a lot. What are they so mad about?


The video was directed by a dude named Mike Alfini. Nice work! Thanks to Charles for showing this to me.

Guitar Zeroes

Awesome.


Thanks to Kellam for the link.

Remember this kid? He got outgeeked. PWND

Hitler's Ultimate Downfall

omg lolz


Once again, props to R2 for this one.

Thundercats, Ho?

With the recent announcement of the Thundercats movie, I am happy to direct you to a wonderful PSA (thanks, YouTube) from the 80s in which Snarf and Lion-O remind you kids to stay off the liquor. Give me sobriety beyond sobriety!


Oh, and let's not forget that He-Man is also on the fast track to become a "major" motion picture. Can Silver Hawks be far behind? Or Crystar? How about Rock Lords? Oooh! Perhaps even Rainbow Brite Unleashed? Well, we can dream!

This trend speaks to my theory about cyclical cultural phenomena: as the "tastemakers" of our culture, AKA the entertainment executives, come of age and get into a position of influence, they quickly reach into the entertainment experiences of their collective childhoods for ideas. Hence: retread films from the 80s. Just you wait...in ten years, we'll be seeing Tamagochi: The Motion Picture, starring a craggy Shia LaBeouf.

Hollywood is really a creative wasteland, isn't it?

Awesome Ms. Pac Man Video

Fabulous.

Thanks to R2 for link.

Starcraft II Trailer

Now that's a trailer!

What What?

Imagical

Hilarious. Just after posting "Look Around You" I stumble upon this awesome video, thanks to the wonderful Atari Age website. It's a television program called "Enterprise" from the early 80s, and it's all about the making of the game "Atlantis" for the Atari 2600:


Not a bad game, by the way. Part 2:


What's so hysterical is that everything that "Look Around You" satirizes is right here...for realz! Part 3:

Look Around You

Chrissie recommends a hilarious British comedy series entitled "Look Around You" -- a fake, 70s-style late night magazine show that plays it straighter than a frat boy on spring break.

This one happens to be about computers, games and inventions, but there are quite a few others:


I love the vegetable orchestra system!

Voice Actors <3 Video Games

Check out the super talented voice cast from Billy & Mandy discuss making the game. Actually pretty interesting if you like the show!

College Saga

This is an absolutely hilarious live-action spoof of Final Fantasy. Well done, Mark Leung!

Johnny Dollar

This is a guy I befriended via telephone many years ago when I was working at MTV. George Darrow, AKA Johnny Dollar, was a rockabilly cat in the 50s and 60s. Now he lives somewhere in Pennsylvania, where he still sings and records.


I'm telling you, though Johnny clearly has a few screws loose, he is a charmer and a gentleman -- not to mention a total holdover from another era. The original track entitled "I Hate Your Guts" is a true gem. Irwin Chusid's world of outsider music is calling!

In any case, Johnny called me out of the blue right before the holidays. Somehow, he found me! Crazy...I just got his new tape in the mail.