Literary scat for the mind, including thoughts and insight on the world of TV, Movies, Video Games, Books, and other fun distractions in a consumer world.

Monday, July 31, 2006

E3: R.I.P.- Farewell Geek Mecca, Booth Babes, and All Expense Paid Trip to LA


Today's sad news confirmed the rumors that rippled over the video game community during the weekend - E3 as we know it is no more.

The official bomb was dropped by the ESA (Entertainment Software Association) this morning, a decision that appears to have been made after much deliberation and feedback among many of the industry's biggest publishers and participants of the Expo. Bottom line- the cost of participants putting on a massive show, which in the past few years seems to be growing exponentially in efforts to out-do themselves and their competitors from the year prior, outweighed the benefits. Rather than a three day blowout at the LA Convention Center filled with booth babes, plasma screens, and 60,000 video geeks, the ESA plans to scale down the event to make it more intimate and less gluttonous.

Considering that going to E3 was reason #9 in calculating why I should stay at my current job vs. moving onto the new position, I'm partially happy with the announcement since I accepted the job and would most likely not be able to attend future E3 anyways. If I had decided to stay, I'd be one pissed off somebitch right now. Objectively though, the decision does make sense. Game publishers like EA spend millions of dollars each year for floor space, premiums, elaborate sets, actors, and travel expenses for employees to showcase their upcoming games...to their industry peers. It's like one big circle jerk of showing how cool you are to your friends, with hardly any big payoff to the people that matter most, the consumers- who will mostly be watching the coverage from the internet or from G4 on cable, not in person.

However, I did really look forward to the massive coverage of the event each year and the anticipated buzz of newest games, particularly in light of the new console wars among Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. It'll be interesting what scaled-down version the ESA ends up creating, and how it will change how video games will be covered throughout the year without the summer mega-event to get the main scoop.

For those already feeling the relapse of an E3-less summer in 2007, you can catch my 2006 coverage over in my Flickr gallery in the right column.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Jumping Ship

Last Friday I gave my resignation to my current employer, the proverbial 'fuck off, good luck without me', if you will. It was quite the satisfying experience. Earlier that morning, I received confirmation that the final piece of a counter-offer I had stipulated as contingent upon my acceptance had been met, sealing the deal for me at my new company.

I had been contemplating a move out of my current job for a few months now. Nothing serious, just perusing the job market to see what's available and get a gauge of what I'm worth, particularly in light of recent events that have resulted in my company's future to be very uncertain, and word that the market is very good in my particular industry. I occasionally go through this ritual of applying for positions I have no serious interest in taking, but go through the process just to hone my interview skills and to see how far I can go in the interview process.

This time around, the seed that was planted was not from a job posting, but rather though a past co-worker who needed help building a new department. I took him up on meeting the hiring manager, simply to entertain the idea, and three weeks later, I got a call with the offer. Considering I wasn't originally really thinking about leaving, this posed a real mental battle between staying put where I was pretty much content, versus taking a new opportunity that doesn't come around very often. Having the HR manager on vacation enabled me to spend two weeks weighing the decision to stay or go. My head felt like it was in a friggin vice, much like that scene in Casino.

Most people I think would consider this a no brainer- a similar job with more responsibility, a nice promotion and even nicer salary bump. But the fact was that I was in a cushy job and within a certain comfort zone, and I essentially would be putting myself outside of that zone voluntarily. What would the people I'd work with really be like? Do they work crazy hours? Are their bathrooms nice? Ultimately, I decided to take the risk, confident that it would take me at least another four to five years at my current company (if they're still standing), to be in the position that I would be entering into. And if it didn't work out, so be it- the job market is decent enough for me to find something else in a reasonable amount of time. Life's too friggin short, right? Go big or go home.

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Team Fortress 2...It's About Time!


(Geek Alert)
If you play video games, and you've never heard of Team Fortress, Allah help you. If you have, then you must be just as excited as I am to hear that we will actually live to see the sequel of the game that essentially got most of us into multi-player online gaming.

The original Team Fortress came out as a MOD to the original Half-Life, back in the day ('the day' being the mid-nineties). The first ever 'character class' based first person shooter (fps), it allowed players to choose from one of nine different types of soldier, each with his own specific strength and weakness. You were then placed on either a Red or Blue team, whose mission was to either capture the flag, wipe out the other team, or occupy all checkpoings within a map- all online, along side 12-15 year olds, with usually quite the potty mouths.

Not long after Team Fortress arrived came Counterstrike, the grandfather of squad based first person shooters. Sometime after the popularity of all three games peaked, there was much rumor and hype about the sequel to Team Fortress. That was several years ago. It was thought to be an all but dead title...until now.

There's a new Pixar look and feel this time around, which is causing some rumblings on the web among old-school fans of the original, but in my opinion, if the gameplay remains as good as the old days, adding whatever newfangled techno advancements brung this to the 21st century, I'll be anxiously anticipating its release. Hopefully this time around, it won't be another ten years when it does.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

When Good Actors Work With Music Performers...

...bad things happen. For example, would you go see a movie with Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey? Probably, right? - considering both are Oscar caliber thespians, who last paired up in the incredibly disturbing and mind blowing Se7en. Now add Justin Timberlake and LL Cool J. Not so sure now are you? Now look at this movie poster...


Suddenly, you're thinking how you'd better spend those two hours of your life other than sitting through this cinematic trainwreck, like watching a squirrel decompose. Speaking of decomposing squirrels, what the hell is on Kevin Spacey's head? His picture looks like they took it out of his high school yearbook. Now that I think of it, each of these guys look like they're taken from a different movie- Morgan looks straight outta Shawshank Redemption, LL looks like his character from that horrible shark movie, and Justin...well, he just looks like his usual a-hole self on a cover of Tiger Beat magazine.

Apparently this film was scheduled to be released in 2005, but was shelved due to poor test screenings. No kidding? Now you have a chance to catch the magic on DVD when it's released for home viewing this week.

I'm curious how long it took the cast and crew to realize they were sitting on a mound of diarrhea. Perhaps as soon as they realized LL and Justin weren't playing as themselves in the film?

You can get a sneak peek of this straight to video classic and get instant douche chills watching Morgan Freeman try to dance like Justin Timberlake here.

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Think Cold

There's nothing like summer in New York City when it starts smelling like hot garbage and rancid body odor, when news reporters begin covering stories about pets and old people dropping like flies from the heat, and when everyone starts to perspire like I've been since in April.

With a heat wave smothering most of this country starting this week, temperatures will be approaching 100 in several states, including New York. I can't help but think of that Twilight Zone 'Midnight Sun' episode- the one about the two women stuck in an apartment, sweating it out waiting for their fateful end as the Earth, thrown off its orbit, approaches closer and closer to the Sun. It's a story about survival, desperation, the apocalypse, and sweat.

I sweat...alot. Whether it's biking, running, climbing stairs, walking, or breathing, I've been known to emit more water through my skin's pores than any other human I've ever encountered. So when I see others experience in 95 degree temperatures what I normally experience at 65 degrees, I have to admit, I get a certain level of satisfaction- as if to say 'welcome to my world.' A point to clarify: although I claim to have superhuman perspiration, body odor doesn't seem to run a proportional course in my physiological make up. Serendipitously, I don't stink nearly as much as I sweat.

I first became aware of my 'porous' condition one hot summer day in second grade. Upon hearing the lunch bell sound calling for the end of recess, I found myself exhausted from an intense game of Tag. While lining up to return to our classroom, a classmate noticed that the top of my shirt collar (my school required boys to wear the St. Agnes special- blue shirt, navy tie, grey slacks), had turned a gradient of mixed colors. Apparently my sweat combined with the sun had caused the shirt collar and tie to bleed colors- not unlike a rainbow. Creative little pricks as second graders are, moments later someone else noticed it as well, and like an epiphany, someone else deemed me 'Rainbow Brite' in front of the rest of my classmates...a moment of embarrassment that is forever etched in my mind. Luckily the name didn't stick, partially because I made sure I never exerted myself to the point of sweating during recess ever again.

I've learned since that day on the playground how to use this condition to my advantage; I've learned that a sweaty body in contact sports like basketball, football, and wrestling can play to one's advantage, proving to be a formidable challenge to defend against.

I've also learned to manage around it as well; on job interviews, I frequently carry a few paper towels in my pocket to control me schwetty hands, and on my wedding day I even had extra tuxedo shirts on hand as backup during the reception, in case the outdoor festivities became too hot to handle that August day.

It's hard out here for a sweaty pimp.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Pourquoi?! POURQUOI?!?!?!?!















In case you missed the big action at the World Cup Final...besides the shootout:




Can't get enough head? Use the French (now tainted) legend Zinedine Zidane's head to beat down more Italian soccer players here.

Gotta love the soccer...futbol...whatever. Notice that even in violence, he follows the rules of the game by not using his hands to attack.

To Zidane's defense, according to various newspapers, the Italian player he head-butted in the sternum, Milan Materazzi, allegedly verbally instigated the assault, calling Zidane "the son of a terrorist whore" moments before Zidane engaged in his patented 'cranial thrust death touch.'

FIFA is currently in a conundrum, considering that this was Zidane's final game as a professional player, any punishment such as a suspension would be meaningless. Regardless, his future as a marketing vehicle remains intact as long time sponsor Adidas has no plans to drop him. If anything, the incident will make the job of marketing Bald Frenchie that much easier.

Monday, July 10, 2006

Superman Returns, Not Begins

Over the 4th of July holiday, I saw my first summer movie, Superman Returns. I know, for an entertainment geared blog, that's pretty lame. But to be honest, despite the 'big blockbusters' to date- MI:3, X-Men 3, The DaVinci Code, and this week's Pirates of the Carribean 2, all have had mixed reviews, and in these fickle eyes, none has been worthy to be deemed this season's 'must see' summer blockbuster. Superman Returns unfortunately was no exception.

Although the film has some great moments, particularly in the special effects area, at 2 hours and 34 minutes, they're weren't enough of them to keep me from getting chronic 'numb-ass' during the movie. It was odd to see someone else besides Christopher Reeve don the blue suit and red crotch (I grew up before the time of the old school George Reeves suicidal Superman), and even odder to see not a remake of the original story, but strangest most of all was the very different storyline that was what I had not expected. Yes, it still comes down to the classic battle between the Man of Steel and his arch-nemesis, Lex Luthor, played charmingly by bald, closet gay Kevin Spacey, but the manner that it reaches this final battle is a strange, nebular, and slightly anti-climactic one. I won't reveal any spoilers, but if you expected this film to bring it like Batman Begins brung it, don't get your hopes up. It plays true to the innocent, semi-campy charm of the Superman legacy, but it just doesn't feel as grounded in a believable earthly Metropolis where you feel emotionally drawn to the protagonists' human characteristics or for that matter, the people that surround him. The movie presumes you know some of the background of his powers, his weaknesses, his family, friends and enemies, but none of this is further developed to let you dive deeper into his world. For this reason, the movie lacks dimension.

One particular dissapointment to note was when I first saw Kumar from Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle on screen, playing one of Luthor's henchmen. I was half expecting some random pot smoking comment, unlike those that made that 2004 flick an instant classic. But to my surprise, the dude (real name, Kal Penn) didn't say a damn thing throughout the entire movie. Now that I think of it, I think he was the only notable cast member without a single line of dialogue. A lost opportunity.

Hopefully next few comic book to screen adaptions hold up to their hype- some are looking blistering hot, others- cold as a penguin's turd in Antartica.

Here's a short list of those coming soon:

Spiderman 3- Summer '07; featuring Sandman and the alien suit... Wendy's baked potato hot


Ghost Rider- Feb. '07; balding Nick Cage with a hairpiece/turned skeleton driving biker nutjob... Penguin turd cold.



Wolverine- TBD '08?; X-Men spinoff with potential Weapon X storyline...add a solid villain and this'll be solid.


Iron Man- Summer '08; directed by Jon Favreau of Swingers and IFC's Dinner for Five...too early to tell; give the title role played by Ghostface Killah, aka Tony Stark = mui caliente.

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Rangers Visit Carolina- Purchase Players, Leave Fireworks Behind

Happy Independence Day! While in camping in Maine last week, away from the wired world, no phones, internet, TV, or radio, I totally forgot about the Stanley Cup, which came down the final 7th game. Apparently the Carolina Hurricanes came out on top, which I found out a few days later by a merchant in a Bar Harbor tourist shop. Soo old news, I know, but on a related, not-so-old note, yesterday the Rangers picked up shot-blocking machine Aaron Ward, a key defenseman from this year's Championship team. Smart move Sather, to improve Blueshirts' shallow, injury- prone defense. This is the 2nd Carolina pickup in the past week, snatching up forward Matt Cullen on Saturday. Hopefully bringing these dudes on board will help the Rangers' locker room with some much needed leadership and drive to get beyond the first round next season.

Since we're on the topic of hockey, this weekend Hockeytown's captain, 41 yr. old Steve Yzerman, hung up the skates after 22 years, all with the Detroit Red Wings. Damn that's a long time. I never was a fan of Yzerman, mostly because of this pretty boy media persona, which has no place in hockey, but I have to say, he was a great player and leader. Here are some memorable stats for the 20 yr captain (longest running in NHL history):

6 consecutive 100pt seasons
Led Red Wings to 3 Stanely Cups
692 goals and 1,063 assists in 1,514 regular-season games
70 goals and 115 assists in 196 Stanley Cup Playoff games

Happy 4th! Try to keep your digits attached to your limbs!