Author: RPadTV

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Tony Allen Kicks Chris Paul in the Face

In a recent NBA game between the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers, there’s a play where Tony Allen kicks Chris Paul in the face. In the last month, I’ve been posting some cheap shots by the Miami Heats’ Mario Chalmers on Facebook and Google+. This roundhouse kick by Allen is so phenomenal that I had to post it on RPad.TV. Just look at it (video above, animated GIF below). It’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen in a basketball game.

Watch Paul drive the lane as he gives an excellent head fake. Marvel as Allen jumps and inexplicably raises his leg to…I dunno, possibly kick the ball out of Paul’s hands?!? Laugh as Allen rubs his shin as he’s speaking to the referees, hopelessly trying to generate some sympathy. Normally, this type of foul would result in a bench-clearing brawl, but it’s so wacky that the players are wondering what the hell they just saw. To be fair, part of it is that Allen is known as a tough, but fairly clean defender; his game is based on hustle and effort, and he’s not known as a cheap-shot artist (like RPadholic Iceman’s beloved Chalmers). On a side note, I love that “Tony Allen kicks Chris Paul” is currently a popular Google search term.

The Tony-Allen-kicks-Chris-Paul-in-the-face foul would have made a ton of sense if the cameras panned to the Grizzlies’ bench and showed Cobra Kai sensei John Kreese nodding in approval. That would have been cool…and logical. Since Kreese wasn’t at the game (or wasn’t seen at the game), I’m amazed that this play actually happened. I do think Allen’s ejection was justified, but I don’t think that the foul was premeditated. It was just a stupid reaction that resulted in a bad foul that looked like a cross between jazz dancing and the “hurricane kick” from Street Fighter.

Anyway, check out the clip when you have a moment and kindly give me your take on the “Tony Allen kicks Chris Paul in the face” extravaganza.

Tony Allen Kicks Chris Paul in the Face

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Lady Gaga Owns SNL

Lady Gaga SNL

Promoting her new album Artpop, Lady Gaga absolutely owned the latest episode of Saturday Night Live. Serving as host and musical guest, Gaga drew upon her musical ability and theater background for one of the best shows of 2013. Critics and fans alike have lavished the Lady Gaga SNL episode with praise, calling her the best host SNL has had all year. Embedded below are several clips from the show, so that you can see for yourself.

Some of my personal favorites from the Lady Gaga SNL performance include “Waking Up with Kimye” where Gaga plays an Apple Store Genius Bar employee, “Spotlightz Acting Camp” where Gaga plays a melodramatic child actor reenacting scenes from Forrest Gump, and her opening monologue where she draws upon The Mick Foley School of Acting by generating cheap pops.

When you have a chance, check out the clips from the Lady Gaga SNL episode and let me know what you think (please). Paws up Monsters!!!


Lady Gaga – Monologue – SNL 11-16-13 by IdolxMuzic

NFL Week 11: What You Learned

Since so many of you are big (American) football fans, here’s some space to talk about the latest NFL games. Whether you’re discussing your fantasy league players, the impact of Wes Welker’s concussion, or Ahmad Brooks’ hit on Drew Brees, please talk it up in the comments section!

Amazon Pre-Black Friday Madness is On!

If you’re looking for a way to snag some sweet deals and support RPad.TV then kindly hit the banner above for Amazon’s “Countdown to Black Friday” deals. Every day, Amazon will post rolling “Lightning” deals. There are some great savings to be had, whether you’re looking for videogames, consumer electronics, clothing, tools, appliances, and more. Please be sure to check the site every day to see if there are any pre-Black Friday deals you can take advantage of. If you happen to snag something, kindly share your loot in the comments section.

As for me, daddy needs a new all-in-one printer. Unfortunately, the one currently on sale doesn’t play nice with Mac OS X Mavericks. Am cry.

Anyway, good luck with your deal hunting!

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Sadly, it doesn’t look like I’ll be playing much of anything this weekend, aside from mobile games. I’ve been having stupid electrical problems in my apartment. From Sunday night to Thursday morning, I didn’t have power at all. LADWP checked out my circuits on Wednesday and fixed things as best they could. It looks like the wiring in my place is shot. I’ll have power for two or three hours and then the circuit breaker will hit. I have to close all the circuits in my place, go to the electric room in the garage and reset my circuit there, flip back all the circuits in my apartment, lather, and repeat as needed. So yeah, this kind of sucks. It makes uploading video files extremely difficult. It makes long console gaming sessions impossible. It also means that I shouldn’t leave anything perishable in the refrigerator unless I plan on being around my apartment the whole time to babysit circuits. There are certainly worse problems to have, but this one is quite annoying.

So kindly cheer me up by letting me know what’s on your weekend playlist!

The Banner Saga Finally Gets a Release Date

Stoic Studio’s The Banner Saga was the first videogame Kickstarter project I backed. I made the decision to contribute $25 to the game’s development back in April 2012. The initial pitch said that The Banner Saga would be published in November 2012. Numerous delays, feature additions, mismanagement, and opposing lunar tides have caused the game to be delayed…several times…and several times more. Stoic Studio has finally committed to a hard release date for The Banner Saga and has announced it with a fancy launch trailer (embedded below). The Banner Saga is finally landing on January 14, 2014.

There are several takeaways from my experience with The Banner Saga. I’ve learned to be more skeptical of Kickstarter pitches. As a fan of creators (of all kinds), I went into the project with an extremely naive attitude. It never occurred to me that most of these pitches over-promise and under-deliver. I loved the romantic ideals behind these pitches and blinded myself to reality. Kickstarter was going to give developers freedom, unshackling them from publishers that stifled their wondrous creativity with monetary demands and obligations to shareholders. Unfortunately…

…most of these developers need to be shackled by publishers. There are a few independent publishers that are totally capable of making a game on time and on budget. They’re the minority. Kickstarter pitches have shown that most developers need a babysitter to keep them on track. When left to their own devices, most of these companies are behind schedule and/or over budget. While many creators yearn for freedom, the reality is that many of them need an overlord to keep them in check. While a lot of what I’ve written in the past has been pro-developer and anti-publisher, please don’t think I’m discounting the role and importance of videogame publishers.

All that said, I wasn’t really bothered by The Banner Saga’s numerous delays. I expected some of them and after a while I totally forgot that the game existed. I’m happy that it’s coming out next month and looking forward to playing it. As a fan of tactical RPGs like Final Fantasy Tactics, Disgaea, and Ogre Battle, I loved the ideas behind this Norse-themed tactical RPG. I gave the developers $25 because I thought The Banner Saga would be a fun game to play and wanted to see it published. Sure, it took much longer than I thought it would, but I’m getting what I paid for.

Stephen Colbert Attacks Muslim Ms. Marvel

Embedded below is a hilarious rant from Stephen Colbert (The Colbert Report) about the new Muslim Ms. Marvel. Inspired by the original Ms. Marvel, Carol Danvers (now known as Captain Marvel), the new character is a 16-year girl from New Jersey named Kamala Khan. She is the daughter of Pakistani immigrants. Ms. Marvel is struggling to balance a life of adventuring with the wishes of her conservative Muslim parents.

Here are some choice quotes from Stephen Colbert on the Muslim Ms. Marvel:

This affront has taken me aback. A Muslim cannot be a superhero, for Pete’s sake, they’re on the no fly list.

It’s even more upsetting when you consider the original Ms Marvel. She was wholesome and all American, blonde, family values, with two bulging chest muscles, and clearly wearing her Sunday church panties.

This is nothing more than Sharia creep, plain and simple. First she’s a comic character, then she gets her own movie, then action figures, then the next thing you know, my kids are dressing up as her for Halloween and shouting, ‘Trick or treat! Death to Captain America!’

The clip also makes outstanding use of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

While the satirical host’s rant is super-funny, it’s sad that I can picture the same sentiment being expressed in a serious tone on Fox News. Conservative news programs have blasted Northstar from the X-Men marrying another man. They have railed on Superman for viewing himself as a citizen of the world rather than an American citizen (though culturally, the Kryptonian is pure Kansas to me). A Muslim female getting the spotlight in the Marvel Universe? I have a feeling that the conservative press will have a field day with the Muslim Ms. Marvel.

Anyway, check out the clip below when you have a moment and let me know you think. Are you interested in Kamala Khan’s Muslim Ms. Marvel? Do you think she’ll be popular or will she be Darkhawk 2013? What do you think Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly will make of her? Shout it out in the comments section (please!).

Sailor Freddie Mercury Rules!

Sailor Freddie MercuryMy friend Justin knows that I adore Queen (the band, duh) and have enjoyed Sailor Moon anime. He thought that I would love this photo of a cosplayer dressed as Sailor Freddie Mercury…and he was right. This is such a nerdy-awesome mashup! It’s absolutely brilliant. Snapped at the Civic Center station of the San Francisco BART, the picture reveals an ingenious man that that looks (somewhat) like Queen frontman Freddie Mercury and is dressed like Sailor Mercury from the Sailor Scouts.

It got me thinking about other music-and-anime mashups. Unfortunately, all of mine suck. Dragon Ball Bob Marley? Definitely no. Lady Ranma? That’s terrible. Ugh.

Okay, I’m sure you guys and gals can do better. Please think of some anime-and-music mashups and kindly leave them in the comments section. If you whip up something really awesome, perhaps I’ll dress as your mashup character at E3 2014 (but don’t count on it)!

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Jackie Chan Police Story Reboot Trailer

Jackie Chan’s Police Story series showed the action-movie legend at his comedic best. The four movies were loved by Jackie Chan fans for their mix of acrobatic stunts and goofy gags. Chan dazzled in these flicks with his inimitable physical comedy. The 2013 Police Story reboot is very different — stunningly so. One of the first things you’ll see in the trailer (embedded below) is Chan plugging someone in the head. This isn’t the cornball Jackie Chan that has entertained moviegoers for decades. This is a darker and grittier version that will surprise many of his fans.

The tone of the Police Story reboot is a really interesting move on Chan’s part. He’s obviously older and can’t do many of the stunts that carried him through dozens of films. Mixing in excellently-choreographed telegenic martial arts with an edgier tone could be a brilliant way of reinventing himself. I’m guessing that it will play well in Asian markets, while the reactions in the West will be mixed. Many American moviegoers aren’t familiar with Chan’s earlier work and will remember movies like Rush Hour and Shanghai Noon. They only know the goofball Jackie Chan and perhaps the Police Story reboot will be too much of a shock for them.

Naturally, I want your take on the Police Story reboot. What do you think of pissed-off, bad-ass Jackie Chan? Do you buy into the character? Or are you waiting for Chris Tucker or Owen Wilson to show up for some juvenile humor?