Rock Band? More Like Crack Band

Question: Does the awesomeness of Rock Band ever stop?

Answer: Hell no!

The Official Xbox Magazine just leaked a "tentative" DLC release schedule for the month of March. Check this out.

3/04 Thrash Pack
Blinded By Fear by At the Gates
Thrasher by Evile
Shadow World by The Haunted

A more appropriate name is "Death Metal Pack," but I'm splitting hairs. Given the niche market of a pack like this, I'm guessing it's going to be on the order of $2.50 or 3 bucks, and since a few of the people I regularly play with are actually in a death metal band, they'll be all over these songs.

3/11
Shooting Star as made famous by Bad Company
Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Message in a Bottle by The Police

Holy shit those are all made of win. Personally, I don't think you can go wrong with anything from Bad Company or Skynyrd, and Message in a Bottle is one of the classic Police tracks.

3/18 Nine Inch Nails Pack
March of the Pigs
The Collector
The Perfect Drug

I've never been a huge NIN fan, but Perfect Drug is definitely getting bought, at the very least.

3/25 Metal Pack
Wrathchild as made famous by Iron Maiden
Supernaut as made famous by Black Sabbath
Fuel by Metallica

Holy shit those are all made of win. You can't go wrong with anything from Maiden, Sabbath, or Metallica.

No clue what's coming out in February yet (perhaps a little Who's Next or Nevermind), but if Harmonix keeps releasing great tracks like these, they're guaranteed to get 10-20 bucks of my money every month.

On a completely unrelated note, Lost comes back tonight. Woot!

Weekend Movie Reviews (and a TV show)

I know, the weekend ended yesterday, but I had Monday off, so nyeh. I watched a couple of movies that I had never seen, and coworkers advised me I just had to see.

The Breakfast Club, rated R, starring Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy. This is one of those movies from the 80's that passed me right by. I was too young when it came out, and by the time I was old enough to appreciate it, there were other movies to watch and things to do. I really liked this flick, although the seemingly happy ending pretty much came out of nowhere, and didn't fit the tone of the film at all. My favorite line is one of Bender's: "A naked blonde walks into a bar carrying a poodle under one arm, and a two foot long salami under the other. The bartender says to her, 'I guess you won't be needing a drink,' and the naked lady says...oh shit!"

Little Miss Sunshine, rated R, starring Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Alan Arkin, and Steve Carell. This is one of those movies where you either like it or you don't, and I liked it. It's not really a comedy (or at least, not in the sense that you're given punchlines to laugh at), and it's not really a drama (although there are plenty of dramatic moments). I think what I liked most about it is that every single one of the characters felt real, and I completely bought their actions throughout the movie, and I never had that moment that's all too common in other films where I say to myself, "Oh bullshit, that just happened because it's a movie."

I recommend you check out both The Breakfast Club and Little Miss Sunshine if you've never seen them.

Finally, I started watching Sports Night, otherwise known as the show Aaron Sorkin did before he hit the jackpot with The West Wing. I've never actually seen The West Wing, but I did see Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (Fantastic fucking show, by the way, NBC is filled with dickheads for giving it the ax), and much like that show was not about a late night sketch show but about the people behind said late night sketch show, Sports Night is not about a cable sports news show but about the people behind said cable sports news show. It's also fantastic, but only got two seasons on the air. I highly recommend it, especially if you're a fan of Mr. Sorkin's work.

Burnout Paradise (PS3) Impressions

I've been playing Burnout Paradise for the past 4 hours or so, and it's awesome. It's the same kind of arcade racing goodness that was in the previous Burnout games, but this time you're given a fairly large city to freely roam around in. There are a shit-ton of cars to get (75 in all, although half of those are upgraded versions of each car), over 100 events (races, time trials, survival tests, takedown competitions, and stunt runs) to participate in, and a "best crash" and "best time" mode. I haven't even touched the last two modes, I've been having too much fun unlocking cars and breaking shit all over the city.

Did I mention the game looks amazing? It's the best looking racing game I've ever seen. Fuck Gran Turismo, Burnout Paradise is beautiful. The sense of speed is incredible, and the crashes are filled with nifty touches like super slo-mo and quick cuts to a camera "finding" the crash. Watching cars crumple and deform into so much twisted metal is fantastic, even after the 100th time.

Paradise has a huge and varied soundtrack, which is pretty standard for any EA game. There are a few misses here and there, but all it takes is a flick of the R1 button to switch to a new track. The DJ is annoying too, but thankfully he doesn't talk a whole lot once he's taught you the basics.

The only bad thing I have to say about it is that there's no option to quickly retry a race if you fail (you have to drive all the way back to the starting point, in fact, if you want to go anywhere, you have to drive there. No magic teleporting in Paradise), but failure doesn't happen too often (cause I'm pimp like that), and when it does, there are a multitude of other events in whatever area you end up in to just carry on like nothing happened.

Paradise seems like the kind of game that I can get a large amount of enjoyment out of in a week or two, and then be done with it. Not a purchase, but definitely worthy of a rental.

Rumors Of My Death

Have been greatly exaggerated. Allow me to explain.

You may have heard that Heath Ledger was found dead in his apartment earlier today. While I didn't particularly care for him as an actor, he was only 28 and had a young daughter, so his passing is a real shame.

Today at work, I was walking around the third floor speaking with some of my former coworkers (when I got promoted, I moved to the second floor, so I rarely get to see the folks on the third floor anymore). Apparently, when the news broke, someone on my old team had said, "Did you hear who died? Heath Ledger!" and people's ears stopped working after they heard, "Heath." Before the tears started flowing and fund-raising for a flower arrangement began, however, it was clarified that I had not died, but an actor with the same first name as me had died.

Rest in peace, Heath.

Martin Luther King Day

2007 NFL Playoffs: Conference Championship Results and Super Bowl Prediction

And so the field of 4 becomes 2. Look at that, both teams I picked won this weekend, and...what's that? Both teams I picked lost? Son of a bitch!

Patriots 21, Chargers 12

Let this be a lesson to any team in the NFL: field goals don't win football games. Not when your opponents are scoring TDs, anyway.

Giants 23, Packers 20

Field goals win football games in OT, though. Especially when you pick off the opposing QB on your side of the field. The official "will he or won't he retire" conversations may begin....now.

2007 Playoff Prediction Record: 4-6

Super Bowl XLII: New England Patriots vs New York Giants

The undefeated versus the road warriors. The pretty boys versus the roughnecks. Brady versus Manning. While a smart man would pick the Patriots to finish only the second unbeaten season in NFL history, I make no claim to be a smart man. Peyton got his last year, so now it's Eli's turn.

Giants win.

Check back in two weeks for the Super Bowl result.

Rock Band DLC

So far, Rock Band has been out for a total of 9 weeks. Every single week, Harmonix has released at least 3 songs worth of downloadable content (or DLC). The range of bands has been pretty incredible:

30 Seconds to Mars
All-American Rejects
Black Crowes
Black Sabbath
Blink 182
Buzzcocks
Creedence Clearwater Revival
David Bowie
Foreigner
Iron Maiden
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Metallica
Queens of the Stone Age
Radiohead
Rush
Stone Temple Pilots
Sweet
The Clash
The Hives
The Knack
The Monkees
The Police
The Pretenders
The Ramones
The Runaways
The Sounds
T-Rex
Weezer
Wolfmother

And yet, there are still people complaining that the DLC "sucks," or doesn't have enough rock/metal/punk/classic/pop/emo/nu-rock/grunge/flavor-of-the-week. Either that, or they like the bands but wish other songs had been chosen, so therefore the DLC "sucks." In tandem with that, they take issue with paying, at most, $1.99 per track, even though a single song on iTunes costs a buck, and all you can do is passively listen to it.

Personally, I think 2 bucks is a steal for some of these songs, and I've discovered quite a bit of music I otherwise never would have been exposed to. But then again, if you're a pimple-faced 16 year-old who only listens to growling death metal, those bands don't interest you, and you can't afford 2 bucks a song on your McDonald's paycheck after buying all that Clearasil.

2007 NFL Playoffs: Divisional Results and Conference Championship Predictions

And so the field of 8 becomes 4. Here's the rundown for this weekend's Divisional games, and my predictions for next weekend's Conference Championship games.

Packers 42, Seahawks 20
This game was Brett Favre being Brett Favre. In the snow and cold on the frozen tundra, Number 4 was just having fun.

Patriots 31, Jaguars 20
Tom Brady set another record, and the Patriots got another win. Is it just me, or are the Patriots like a self-fulfilling prophecy or something? Everyone expects them to win, so they do, regardless of how they play or who they play. Here's the thing: just because they haven't been beaten this year doesn't mean they're unbeatable. Someone just needs to do it.

Chargers 28, Colts 24
What the hell happened here? Suddenly, the Chargers don't choke in the postseason? Peyton Manning has a healthy squad and loses? Black is white, night is day, and Norv Turner is yelling at people. The whole world's gone crazy.

Giants 21, Cowboys 17
With another win, the prospect of a Manning vs Manning Super Bowl...wait, fuck, that's not right. Take that, "America's Team." Are you gonna cry about it, T.O.? Do we need to call the waah-mbulance?

2007 Playoff Prediction Record: 4-4

Now on to next week's games.

AFC

3 San Diego Chargers at 1 New England Patriots
Fuck the goddamn Patriots. I don't care if conventional wisdom says they're going to win, I'm not picking them.
Chargers win.

NFC

5 New York Giants at 2 Green Bay Packers
Sorry, Eli, your road to the Super Bowl ends in the snow. Favre's been here before, and there's no way he's going home yet.
Packers win.

Check back next week for results and my Super Bowl prediction.

TeeVee

It's entirely possible that I watch too much television right now, but I just discovered a great show: 30 Rock. It's not exactly new, since it's been on for a whole season and a half, but for some reason, I never watched it. I think it's because the promo spots always made it look like shit, like some kind of wacky, screwball comedy, and that's not the case at all. There's wacky screwball comedy at times, yes, but it's mostly smart, biting humor (like The Office). I'm halfway through the first season on Netflix's Watch Now deal. Good stuff.

Quick Hit: Sam & Max Season 1

Sam & Max Season 1 may only be 6 episodes worth of gameplay that lasts, at most, 12 hours, but damn if it isn't some of the best 12 hours I've spent on my PC. It's consistently laugh out loud hilarious, and provides the classic experience of point and click adventure games without all the pointless wandering around wondering about how best to utilize a fire extinguisher ("That's not on fire.") or what possible use a rubber chicken with a pulley in the middle would have.

It's also currently the best example of how to do episodic content. The first episode hit in October of 2006, with episode 6 releasing in April of 2007. The first episode of Season 2 just hit last November, and the second season should finish up in April.

In short, Sam and Max are awesome, and Telltale Games have done and continue to do a great job with them.

Rock Band Meme?

I don't think this is a Rock Band meme, but I'm going to say it is anyway. Thanks to Bill Harris over at Dubious Quality for this.

Basically, what you do is get a band name, album, and album cover from the following sources:
1. The first article title on the Wikipedia Random Articles page is the name of your band.
2. The last four words of the very last quotation on the Random Quotations page is the title of your album.
3. The third picture in Flickr's Interesting Photos From The Last 7 Days is your album cover.


Here's my entry:


And yes, I broke the second rule, because I can.

Red Vs Blue

Hey, look, politics! And how my views on the hot-button issues match up with the 2008 Presidential candidates!

82% Mike Gravel
79% Bill Richardson
77% Barack Obama
76% John Edwards
75% Dennis Kucinich
74% Chris Dodd
72% Hillary Clinton
70% Joe Biden
46% Rudy Giuliani
43% John McCain
40% Ron Paul
39% Mike Huckabee
36% Mitt Romney
31% Tom Tancredo
28% Fred Thompson

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

According to this, I'm most similar to Mike Gravel, and should cast my vote for him. Now, if only I knew who the hell Mike Gravel is....

Also, I take issue with the fact that I'm 46% similar to Rudolph the Red Nosed Gooliani. Fuck that guy. And fuck Mike Huckabee with his 39%. I didn't see any questions on that quiz about Chuck Norris. And who the shit is Tom Tancredo? Or Chris Dodd? Who are these people, and why are they running for President of the United States when they don't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning?

EDIT: I love the internet. I found out who Mike Gravel is, and what he stands for. This guy makes a shitload of sense.

2007 NFL Playoffs: Wild Card Results and Divisional Predictions

And so the field of 12 becomes 8. Here's the rundown for this weekend's Wild Card games, and my picks for next weekend's Divisional games.

Seahawks 35, Redskins 14
What a rollercoaster. The Seahawks put up 13 points and held the Redskins scoreless until the start of the 4th quarter, when Washington scored 14 unanswered. Just when it looked like the tide had turned, it was all Seattle after that. I don't think there was anyone following football that wasn't rooting for the Redskins, and it's a shame they got bumped out early by what I think is a very sub-par team.

Jaguars 31, Steelers 29
Wow. After the Jaguars had seemingly buried the Steelers in the first half, they blew the lead and required a last second field goal to come away with a win. However, in the playoffs, a win means you play next week, no matter how you may get that win. Hell, the Patriots built a dynasty on wins like this.

Giants 24, Buccaneers 14
In a result that surprised just about everyone but me, Eli Manning and his G-Men got a win in the postseason, keeping alive the possibility (however unlikely it may be) of a Manning vs. Manning Super Bowl.

Chargers 17, Titans 6
Am I the only one who thinks that after LT got stuffed on his touchdown dive, the ref should have blown the whistle as his forward progress had stopped? It wouldn't have necessarily changed the outcome, but it's just another all-too-often example of the officials significantly changing the game. On a side note, isn't Philip Rivers the biggest crybaby you've ever seen in the NFL? Whenever something doesn't go his way, he whines and bitches and throws a tantrum at his teammates, opponents, coaches, or the fans. What is he, 12?

2007 Playoff Prediction Record: 3-1

Now on to next week's games.

NFC

5 New York Giants at 1 Dallas Cowboys
While I would love to see the Giants knock off the Cowboys, I just don't see it happening. Unless Jessica Simpson runs onto the field and gives Tony Romo a blowjob, of course.
Cowboys win.

3 Seattle Seahawks at 2 Green Bay Packers
The overrated Seahawks vs the underrated (at least at the start of the season) Packers. I honestly believe this is Brett Favre's last season, win, lose, or draw, so I'm rooting for the Pack.
Packers win.

AFC

5 Jacksonville Jaguars at 1 New England Patriots
I don't care that the Patriots went undefeated in the regular season. I don't care that they have Tom Brady and Randy Moss and Laurence Maroney. I don't care that they're playing yet another playoff game in Foxborough after getting a first round bye. All I care about is seeing them get their asses whooped by a better team, and that's what Jacksonville is going to do.
Jaguars win.

3 San Diego Chargers at 2 Indianapolis Colts
The defending Super Bowl champions host a thoroughly mediocre team with designs on the Super Bowl. Even with all the injuries on the Colts roster, Peyton Manning and the rest of the Colts have been here plenty of times before, and they're not going down to the goddamn Super Chargers in their powder blue unis.
Colts win.

Check back next week for results and more predictions.

Meet the New Year, Same as the Old Year

My New Year's Eve involved Rock Band (as if there was anything else it would involve, except possibly hookers and blow). We got the regular crew together, including Justin, and like 3 new people. By my count, there were 9 of us who actually rocked out, and at least half played more than one instrument. In a word, it was awesome. In two words, it fucking rocked.

Seriously, if you own a PS3 or a 360 (or now, even a PS2) you must get Rock Band. Now. Go ahead, I'll wait.



Ok, cool. Now before you start rocking, one more thing. If you've got like, 20 extra bucks burning a hole in your pocket, grab some of the downloadable content. Sabbath, Metallica, Skynyrd, CCR, Foreigner, and that's just to name a few. Guitar Hero was an 11, Guitar Hero 2 was a 12, but Rock Band is a 20.

2007 NFL Playoffs: Wild Card Weekend Predictions

The regular season is over, and the playoff picture is set. Time for my predictions for the first four games next weekend, the Wild Card first round.

NFC

6 Washington Redskins at 3 Seattle Seahawks
The Redskins come into Seattle on an emotional high, having won their last four games, and playing for their fallen teammate, Sean Taylor. Seattle dropped two of their last four against a couple of awful teams (Carolina and Atlanta), and has only managed one win all season against a playoff team (Tampa Bay). That is the very definition of an upset waiting to happen.
Redskins win.

5 New York Giants at 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Giants very nearly handed the Patriots their first loss of the season last week in an otherwise meaningless game for the G-Men. Tampa Bay clinched their division early and dropped the last two games of the season. A wise man might think that the Bucs would be rested and the Giants would suffer a let-down, but I think the Bucs will be rusty and Eli Manning will take out his frustrations on the Bucs banged-up D.
Giants win.

Byes: 1 Dallas Cowboys and 2 Green Bay Packers

AFC

5 Jacksonville Jaguars at 4 Pittsburgh Steelers
The Jaguars defeated the Steelers just a few weeks ago in Pittsburgh, when the Steelers still had their running back, Willie Parker. No Willie Parker plus a very good Jaguars team equals trouble for the Pennsylvania boys.
Jaguars win.

6 Tennessee Titans at 3 San Diego Chargers
The Titans fought their way into the playoffs, clinching the last spot with a win over second and third string Colts. After a rocky start, the Chargers finished strong, going into the playoffs on a 6 game winning streak. San Diego has already beaten Tennessee once this season on the road, the situation won't be any different in sunny southern California.
Chargers win.

Byes: 1 New England Patriots and 2 Indianapolis Colts

Check back next week for results and more predictions.

Christmas Haul 2007

How was your Christmas? That's good. Mine was awesome. Got to spend time with the family that matters, and got some cool shit to boot. Let's commence with the rundown, in no particular order, shall we?

Rock Band Stratocaster. To facilitate 4 player rocking, which is better than 90% of activities human beings are capable of engaging in.

Sam and Max: Season 1. This is the way episodic content should be done. Plus, it's all about a 6 foot canine shamus and a hyperkinetic rabitty-thing fighting for justice and causing mayhem. What's not to like?

Superman: Doomsday. Bruce Timm kicks ass. So do Adam Baldwin (Supes), James Marsters (Luthor), and Ray Wise (Perry White). While it's not entirely faithful to the Death/Rebirth of Superman comics, it does a hell of a job in 70 minutes. And it has an absolutely laugh out loud moment (if you get the in-joke): "Yeah, like we really needed him to bust up the mechanical spider, right? Lame!"

Darkwing Duck: Volume 2. I am the terror that flaps in the night, I am the fingernail that scrapes the blackboard of your soul. I am Darkwing Duck!

Oakland Raiders 2008 Desk Blotter/Calendar. Shows my support for the Raiders and is functional, too.

Reese's Peanut Butter Trees. Mmmm, chocolate and peanut butter.

Fraggle Rock: Complete Third Season. I am a child of the 80's. Plus, Jim Henson rocks.

Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Zelda + DS = Win.

Motor Trend 2008 American Muscle Wall Calendar. Because sweet cars are (technically) obtainable, and hot naked models are not.

Invader Zim: The Complete Invasion. Not sure how I missed this when it was on television, but it's made of awesome.

The Dark Crystal: 25th Anniversary Edition. I am a child of the 80's. Plus, Jim Henson rocks.

Heroes: Season 1. Best show on television right now. Which reminds me, I need to pick up a copy of Veronica Mars Season 3.

There you have it. Hope everyone enjoyed their holidays and the accompanying time off work. Peace, bitches!

Midseason Roundup 2007

It's that time again, halfway through this year's television season when pretty much all of the shows take at least a 2 week break for the holidays and come back in the new year ready to go. Except this year, given the writer's strike, most shows are simply done for the season. Some of them may be back next year for a full season run, and others may just stay gone (there are quite a few that need to, seriously).

I'd also like to talk a bit about the midseason replacements that will be picking up some of the strike slack. There are quite a few shows to talk about, so let's get started.

Monday night:

How I Met Your Mother, 7:00 pm, CBS - This show consistently delivers the comedy. Only 11 episodes were completed before the strike, but it should be back next fall.

Prison Break, 8:00 pm, FOX - The convicts took a very early break (only 8 episodes in), but now that the strike has hit, they actually have a decent number of episodes (5) to run through in the new year. Cliffhangers are always painful, and I have the sneaking suspicion that Prison Break is going to end in just that.

Chuck, 8:00 pm, NBC - One of my favorites out of the new crop of shows, Chuck got picked up after the strike began. I can't wait for new episodes.

Heroes, 9:00 pm, NBC - Now that Kristen Bell is a full-fledged cast member, this show has thoroughly cemented its position as the best on television right now (although I still lament the loss of Veronica Mars. Sweet Veronica, we hardly knew ye). Bring on Volume 3!

Journeyman, 10:00 pm, NBC - As much as I tried not to, I have become attached to Journeyman. It's fucking time travel, man, what's not to like? Still no word on if it's been picked up, which doesn't look good. I've got my fingers crossed.

Tuesday night:

Bones, 8:00 pm, FOX - I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I don't normally go for the police procedural/crime drama/forensics investigation shows, but Bones has something the others don't: Angel, err, David Boreanaz. I love the Whedonverse folks, what can I say?

Reaper, 9:00 pm, CW - Wickedly funny, perfectly cast, and well written. How much do you want to bet it doesn't come back after the strike is over? I wish I could be optimistic, but quality television like this doesn't get rewarded nearly as often as it should.

Wednesday night:

Pushing Daisies, 8:00 pm, ABC - What was that I said about quality television not being rewarded? What the hell do I know, because the tale about a magical life-giving (if only for a minute) pie-maker has been picked up. Woot.

Bionic Woman, 9:00 pm, NBC - Shlock. I stopped watching after four episodes, and I don't regret it. Wait, I take that back. I regret watching those four episodes.

Life, 10:00 pm, NBC - I really like this show. I'm wondering how far they can take the whole "Det. Crews trying to find out who framed him for murder and why" angle, but I'm enjoying it for the time being. Plus, Christina Hendricks has made a couple of cameos. Joss Whedon is indeed my master. Full season pick up for teh win!

Thursday night:

My Name Is Earl, 8:00 pm, NBC - I can't say enough good things about Jason Lee. Why he keeps making crap like Underdog and Alvin and the Chipmunks I'll never know. At least I have Earl.

Smallville, 8:00 pm, CW - I'm a glutton for punishment. That's the only reason I can think of why I continue to watch this show. It's got about as much in common with Superman as my left nut. Lex Luthor owns the Daily Planet and cloned his dead brother who was in a relationship with Lois Lane who has a cousin that also works at the Daily Planet and is an object for Clark Kent's misplaced affections, rather than his true love Lana Lang who was married to Lex Luthor? Are you fucking kidding me? This show has hinted at so many potentially great storylines, like the Justice League, Bizarro, Supergirl, Brainiac, and Doomsday, only to piss them all away with nonsense about faked pregnancies, teenage angst, random amnesia, and deus ex machinas. Either give me Superman or give me nothing.

The Office, 9:00 pm, NBC - Comedy gold. Can't wait for it to come back.

Supernatural, 9:00 pm, CW - This show keeps getting better. There are a lot of loose ends that need tying up, it's just a matter of getting the writers back to work.

Friday night:

Moonlight, 8:00 pm, CBS - It's not Angel, but it's not bad. No word yet on a pickup. Fingers crossed.

Next Great American Band, 9:00 pm, FOX - I know, it's the dreaded reality show. To be fair, though, it's one of the least offensive reality shows. There's very little backstage drama, pandering judges, and overall runtime-padding. While I disagree with the final result (Sixwire is a much better band than The Clark Brothers), it was fun to watch. As with all reality shows, I don't doubt it'll be back bigger (and probably much worse) next year.

Other Shows:

Dexter, Showtime - I picked up the first season on DVD, and devoured it. A show where the main character is a serial killer? And we're expected to sympathize with him? I should care about this why? Because it's a incredibly well-crafted show with great acting, terrific writing, and an entirely original premise. Plus, unlike some other shows out there (*cough*The Shield*cough*), it doesn't try and force us to like its monster of a main character. Dexter kills people and is unapologetic, but even he acknowledges that he's a monster. While we do eventually learn more about Dexter's character and why he does what he does, I didn't know any of it going in and that's not why I like the show. It's certainly not for everyone, but if you're not squeamish and enjoy original ideas on television, Dexter is definitely worth your time. Oh yeah, and it's got Julie Benz in it.

Desperate Housewives, ABC - I just can't get into this show. Nathan Fillion is an incredible draw, but even he can't make me like a show about a bunch of whiny, pompous, spoiled bitches in suburbia.

Midseason Replacements:

Lost, ABC - We have to go back. We have to go back to the island. Fuck yeah.

Jericho, CBS - It got canceled, fans said, "Nuts," and now it's back. Woot.

Sarah Connor Chronicles, FOX - Wait, it's Terminator on network television? And it has Summer Glau in it? Sign me up!

New Amsterdam, FOX - New York City homicide detective John Amsterdam was cursed to live forever until he could find his true love. 400 years later and he may have found her.

American Gladiators, NBC - Hulk Hogan, Laila Ali, and a bunch of roided out supermen (and women) laying the smack down on everyday jabronis? Sign me up!

News and Notes

First up, the required Rock Band discussion. Justin came to town on Sunday, and gave me what is perhaps the best Christmas gift ever: a second Rock Band guitar. It was incredibly timely as well, since the down strum on my existing guitar had started to get spotty. Up strum still worked great, which is just perfect for a bassist. After rocking a bit of two player band world tour mode, we hopped online with me on bass and him on lead guitar. Tons of fun, I must say, since there was some guy (or gal, although the avatar was male) playing expert drums. INSANE.

Given the aforementioned trouble I was having with my initial guitar, I RMA'ed it. I opted for the express delivery, which meant EA shipped out a replacement via two day air, and all I had to do was put the borked guitar in that box and ship it back at no charge to me. The new guitar arrived on Wednesday, which was just in time to get the crew together for some four player action. Holy shit that was awesome. Playing online with other people is great, but when you have four people in the same room rocking the entire house, there's nothing else like it. I can't wait to do it again.

Before we rocked out last night, a bunch of us went to see I Am Legend. I've never read the book of the same name that inspired it and the first two film adaptations, The Last Man On Earth and The Omega Man. I did see The Omega Man, and my primary beef with that film was the savior angle it adopted at the end that seemed completely tacked on and unnecessary. A quick check of Wikipedia reveals that the book pitted Robert Neville, the sole survivor of the apocalypse, against a legion of vampire-like creatures. As Neville hunted the vampires during the day and killed them while they slept, he was unaware that some of them were still human. He eventually learned he was killing still living people along with the undead, and after they attacked and executed him, he became legend as the vampires once were.

I think that's a fantastic premise for a film, but apparently today's movie-going audience is either too stupid or too Jesus happy to accept such a deep and haunting ending like that. Like The Omega Man before it, I Am Legend derails into a sappy, shoe-horned savior ending that had me shaking my head in disgust. Here was a film that had so many elements of the book: viral infection that caused worldwide devastation, vampire-like monsters, feelings of isolation and despair, and a canine companion. It also had Will Smith, who is tremendously entertaining to watch, some great music (Neville has an obsession with Bob Marley), an unexpected twist in the middle followed by an emotional gut-punch (honestly, there might have been tears), and a number of very impressive CG shots of a completely deserted New York City. It had a lot of things going for it, and then tossed it all away to give us hope that if a viral infection ever does wipe out humanity, someone like Robert Neville will be guided by God to find a cure and become the legend who restores civilization. Oi.

I've also been watching a lot of TV, and it's just about time for my mid-season rundown. I'll make a new post about that in the next few days.

Finally, this is hilarious. Happy Holidays!

Quick Hit: Manhunt 2 (Wii)

This actually got an AO rating?

Seriously, this game that uses the engine from the PS2 GTA games got the equivalent of an NC-17?

I'm really at a loss as to why. See, I'm one of those (seemingly few) people who bought and played the original Manhunt. Now that was a violent, disturbing fucking game. Voyeuristic, sadistic, twisted, sick, and depraved. It was also fun as hell (until you got to the shooter levels, but I like to pretend those don't exist). But Manhunt 2? Not so good.

I like the Wiimote and nunchuk controls, I really do. They work well, and they represent what's happening on screen. Or at least, I think they do. I can't really tell since I forgot my fucking 3D glasses or whatever the hell this is supposed to be.

You see, that's the "cleaned up" M-rated version of Manhunt 2. Apparently the uncensored version was so graphic, the ESRB had to slap the AO rating on it, effectively banning it from ever being released. Until Rockstar made some edits and the ESRB re-rated it M, of course.

Here's what I don't understand. If something like this got an M rating four years ago, what's the problem now? Is one somehow better (or in this case, worse) than the other? Where is the line drawn? If AO games simply don't get released on consoles, why even bother having the rating? Don't tell me it's for porn or the occasional non-sexual PC game. Movies get released on DVD unrated all the time, couldn't games do the same?

But I'm getting off track. The point is that Manhunt 2 is a pathetic shell of what it could have been. Now, if you'll excuse me, James Earl Cash needs to go crack some skulls.

Anyone Wanna Buy a Copy of GH3 for PS3?

Harmonix made a post today on the official Rock Band forums.

Two weeks ago, Harmonix created a software patch for the Sony PLAYSTATION 3 version of Rock Band that allowed for guitar compatibility and support for third party peripherals, including enabling use of Activision's Guitar Hero III controller with Rock Band. The compatibility patch was submitted, approved and had been scheduled for release by Sony on Tuesday, December 4. Unfortunately, Activision objected to the compatibility patch's release. The patch remains with Sony, but we have been told that it will unfortunately not be released due to Activision's continued objection.

That's awesome, I tell ya. Harmonix did the right thing, and Activision is being a bunch of bitches. So you know what? I'm done with Activision and Guitar Hero. Guitar Hero is dead to me. Long live Rock Band.