Author: RPadTV

https://rpad.tv

Watch Metallica Play “Enter Sandman” For Mariano Rivera

Watching Metallica play “Enter Sandman” for Mariano Rivera at Yankee Stadium was one of the few highlights for New York Yankee fans in 2013. Between the numerous injuries, mediocre play, A-Rod being an a-hole, and my dear Captain‘s perforated ankle, there hasn’t been a lot for Yankee fans to be happy about this season. The Mariano Rivera retirement tour has been a bittersweet event to follow. It’s awesome seeing how respected he is throughout Major League Baseball and it’s fun seeing the farewell gifts teams are giving him, but it’s sad and scary that the Yankees are losing the greatest closer of all time. For a brief moment on Sunday, the Mariano Rivera tour was frickin’ cool thanks to Metallica and an excellent Yankee Stadium crowd.

Seeing Yankee greats from the recent Yankee “dynasty” teams was awesome. Bernie Williams, Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez, David Cone, Jorge Posada, Hideki Matsui, and others were on hand to celebrate Mariano Rivera. It was cool seeing them on the field again, but it was funny when many of them whipped out there mobile phones to record Metallica’s performance. Hopefully Lars Ulrich doesn’t sue them for posting their clips on the Internet.

As for the band, they were expectedly solid. Unlike Mariano Rivera, Metallica hasn’t aged well. Lars’ receding hairline had his head in danger of massive centerfield sunburn. Kirk Hammett was either too scary to show on camera or wasn’t there. I would never have guessed that James Hetfield would have aged more gracefully than his bandmates. I thought Kirk’s Asian genes would have preserved him better, but his Irish half seems to have won out. They’re pros though and did a fine job rocking at a respectful level for Mariano Rivera and the fans at Yankee Stadium.

Check out the clip of Metallica performing at Yankee Stadium for Mariano Rivera Appreciation Day and share your thoughts on the joyous occasion (please!).

Vaping Diaries #112: Poet Electronic Nectar Randy Freer Interview

Out of all the e-liquid companies I chatted with at ECC 2013, POET (Pursuit of Excellent Taste) was one of the most impressive. The company takes a complex and culinary approach to making e-liquids. POET juices are not single-note flavors, but complex blends of multiple tastes. For example, POET CEO Randy Freer described his Americano Ciambella as his “morning drive.” It features maple, coffee, and tobacco flavors, as if you were munching on a maple bar, sipping a cup of joe, and smoking a cigarette during a commute.

In the video interview above, Randy talks about the company’s start, his philosophy on juice making, the POET lineup, and what’s next for the POET. I tasted several new e-liquids at ECC 2013 and POET’s were some of the most memorable. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this new company develops.

Vaping Diaries #111: Marie Alvarez ECC 2013 Interview

While I was filming an interview on the Vapor Bombz Omega, I noticed that my buddy Marie Alvarez was working at the booth. Naturally, I had to get her on camera for one of my favorite interviews of ECC 2013. Marie Alvarez is a model that has done a lot of work for vaping companies. Some vapers see her photos and don’t believe that she’s really a vaper. I promise you that she’s a vaper. She rocks a bedazzled Innokin iTaste MVP and loves pastry juices. Watch the video above to learn more about Marie Alvarez, where you can see her, what types of juices enjoys, what types of e-liquids she hates, and her current favorite (hint: it’s from Epic Juice).

It was fun goofing off on camera with Marie Alvarez (btw Marie, I won!) and chatting with her. However, being on camera with a beautiful Latina gave me flashbacks of working with Ruby Lopez at Yahoo! *sniff* (I miss you Ruby!) So yeah, check out the interview above and be sure to follow Marie Alvarez on Instagram. She’s cool peeps!

[B-roll photos by https://www.facebook.com/bgatebphoto]

Vaping Diaries #110: Cartel Mods Gino Litonjua Interview

Cartel Mods is a relatively new maker of mechanical mods that’s taking a luxurious approach to vaping. At ECC 2013, I caught up with Cartel Mods’ chief mod maker Gino Litonjua to talk about how the company got started, its philosophy of mod making, the unusual quality of its stainless steel, and upcoming additions to the Cartel Mods lineup.

While most stainless-steel mechanical-mods are made with 303, 304, or 316L stainless steel, Cartel Mods uses the more expensive 904L stainless steel. This is the stuff that Rolex uses to make its watches. When you hold the Cartel Mods v1 in your hand, you can immediately feel the difference between it and a mod made from 300-grade stainless steel. It feels posh and menacing at the same time. It’s obviously an exquisitely crafted mechanical mod, but the heft…kind of makes you want to punch someone while it’s in your hands (remember, one of my fantasies is beating someone up with a Maglite).

Anyway, it was fun chatting with Gino and learning more about Cartel Mods. He’s a cool guy and a skillful DJ. Check out the video above to learn more about his up-and-coming company from Southern California.

Christian Bale’s Batman Audition With Amy Adams

Here are some bits of Christian Bale reading for the Batman role in Batman Begins. A lot of people are talking about the far-less-ridiculous-than-in-the-movies voice Christian Bale used in the auditions. That’s certainly an interesting topic for (nerd) discussion, but what really grabs me here is Amy Adams. (And yes, I would love for Amy Adams to actually grab me.) Adams read opposite Bale as a favor, but imagine what Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies would have been like with Adams onboard?

I’m a huge mark for Adams. I think she’s beautiful, talented, and absolutely delightful on film. Some would argue that Katie Holmes is physically more attractive and/or that Maggie Gyllenhaal has more range as an actress. (For the record, I can see the argument for the former, but vehemently disagree with the latter.) As the total package (not Lex Luger), Amy Adams trounces them both. She’s fantastic in dramas, comedies, musicals, etc. She’s just an utterly charming woman that would have given the Rachel Dawes character several additional layers. Ah, what could have been….

Now back to Christian Bale’s voice. While I agree that Batman and Bruce Wayne should have different voices, most fanboys would say that Bale took things too far. The voice he used in the auditions could have used a bit more gravel, rather than the 57 layers he added in the movies. It makes you wonder, who told him that voice was a good idea? Nobody stopped to say, “Dude. You sound like a dick.”? You mean to tell me that not a single person involved in pre-production or early production had a Kevin Conroy clip to play for him? In the immortal words of Chazz Michael Michaels, “It’s mind bottling.”

Check out the clip when you have a chance and let me know what you think in the comments section (please!). Do you agree that Amy Adams would have knocked it out of the park as Rachel Dawes? How much better is Christian Bale’s voice in the auditions than in the movies? Lastly, why is it so difficult to find saucy photos of Amy Adams on Internet?!?

Vaping Diaries #109: Dr. Mike’s Rad Vapors Interview

Dr. Mike’s Rad Vapors makes some really inventive juices and has a cool story behind. At ECC 2013, I caught up with Dr. Mike’s Rad Vapors CEO Strek Gauthier and COO Dr. Mike Gauthier. The company offers some unique combinations like Honey-Q (honeydew and cucumber) and Chocolate Bacon. The story of Dr. Mike’s Rad Vapors starts with a traumatic event; Strek had a stroke due to cigarette smoking. He changed his lifestyle and turned to vaping. His father is a doctor with extensive aerospace experience. Strek worked for his father in aerospace for years. Father and son have teamed up together for Dr. Mike’s Rad Vapors.

In the interview, Strek and Dr. Mike talk about the company’s history, the Dr. Mike’s Rad Vapors approach to making juices, the sophisticated branding that was inspired by wine, and more. It was great meeting them and getting to learn more about the company’s juices, but to be honest, I was biased going into the meeting. Anyone that’s enough of a genius to combine chocolate and bacon is cool in my book.

Vaping Diaries #108: Electric Angel Owner Mika Kananen Interview

Here’s an interview with Electric Angel Owner Mika Kananen from ECC 2013. Kananen talks about the special edition EA Mods and the upcoming Invictus vaping device. The limited edition Electric Angel EA Mods include an adorable owl model, a Movember edition, and a brass leopard-print mod. The Invictus is a very different vaping device that combines features of mechanical and digital mods. It doesn’t follow Ohm’s law and it works with atomizers as low as 0.3 ohms. The Electric Angel Invictus aims to offer the power and versatility of mechanical mods with the safety, regulated power, and variable voltage/wattage features of digital mods. As a fan of Electric Angel and the Finnish sense of humor, it was fun chatting with Mika and hearing about EA’s upcoming products.

Sonic Lost World Video Interview

Here’s a video interview and screenshot gallery of Sonic Lost World for Wii U. Sega of America associate brand manager Aaron Webber chatted with me about Sonic’s new enemies (The Deadly Six), new gameplay elements, mixing classic Sonic gameplay with those new elements, cooperative play, tie-ins with the Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Lost World, and more. Some of the more interesting features include the parkour system (Sonic will no longer come to a dead stop!) and power-ups influenced by the excellent Sonic Colors.

As someone that grew up with old-school Sonic games, I’m always apprehensive about new twists to the old formula. However, Sonic Lost World looks like it has enough classic elements to satisfy longtime Sonic fans and several new features that will appeal to modern gamers.

After you’ve watched the video, please be sure to check out PaulSemel.com’s excellent preview of the game.

[nggallery id=138]

Vaping Diaries #107: Vape Syndicate Interview (ECC 2013)

Watch Vape Syndicate CEO Adam Tout talk about the new Guardian titanium hybrid mod, the company’s drip tips, and the Vape Syndicate juice lineup in this ECC 2013 video. This interview was suggested by my pal “Uncle” on ECF and I’m super-happy that he hooked me up with Vape Syndicate. The company’s juices have a loyal following, with lots of people saying that Vape Syndicate’s Throat Yogurt is one of the most unique RY4s on the market. The titanium and brass drip tips looks sweet. And the Vape Syndicate Guardian hybrid is just…wow. My favorite way to describe this made-in-the-USA titanium hybrid is star-spangled awesome. To top it all off, Adam is just a really cool guy and it was fun hanging out with him at ECC 2013. Thanks again “Uncle”!!! Continue reading “Vaping Diaries #107: Vape Syndicate Interview (ECC 2013)”