Now that Super Bowl XLV has come and gone, I wanted to discuss the most important aspects of the event: the halftime show and commercials! Most of my friends panned The Black Eyes Peas’ performance, making lots of…
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the food at Hooter’s, the hot waitress at Hooter’s that looked like Amy Smart, or your favorite Hooter’s sauce, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Now that Super Bowl XLV has come and gone, I wanted to discuss the most important aspects of the event: the halftime show and commercials! Most of my friends panned The Black Eyes Peas’ performance, making lots of Tron jokes, but I enjoyed it. Of course I’m biased because I want my fellow Filipino-American apl.de.ap to do well, but I genuinely liked the set. It was a nice mix of old and new hits. It was awesome that Slash emerged from hell to play “Sweet Child ‘O Mine” and that Usher descended from heaven to perform “Oh My Gosh”. I was disappointed that Justin Timberlake didn’t come out (from purgatory?) to sing the chorus to “Where is the Love?”, but overall I thought it was a fun halftime show that was visually unique.
As for the commercials, they were okay. For me, there were more misses than hits in 2011. Here are my three favorite spots. Coming in at #3 is this adorable VW Passat ad featuring an adorable baby Darth Vader.
My favorite commercial was this House ad that parodied the classic Coca-Cola commercial starring Mean Joe Greene. I’ve included the original for reference.
Now it’s your turn! Please let me know what you thought of Super Bowl (not Superb Owl) XLV’s halftime show and share your favorite commercials.
There’s no escaping 3D in 2011. In addition to more 3D movies and 3D televisions than ever before, you’ll see glasses-free 3D videogame consoles, mobile phones, and tablet computers in 2011. Will you …
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Verizon setting new sales records with the iPhone 4, why the hell people like astronaut ice cream, or your favorite Super Bowl food, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
There’s no escaping 3D in 2011. In addition to more 3D movies and 3D televisions than ever before, you’ll see glasses-free 3D portable videogame consoles, mobile phones, and tablet computers in 2011. Will you buy a 3D device this year?
I don’t really have a choice. I need to write about the 3DS and its games. I actually wanted to buy a 3DTV last year so that I could write about 3D games (and I really need a new TV), but I haven’t scrapped up enough money.
You, however, do have a choice. Kindly vote in today’s Coffee Talk poll and discuss your decision in the comments section.
Google is holding a press conference today and one of the strong rumors is that it will finally reveal more details on Google Music. The company’s music service will differ from Amazon’s MP3 store and Apple iTunes in that…
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, 20+ hours on an airplane in two days becoming a cold, where you’d go if you had a time machine, or your favorite element, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Google is holding a press conference today and one of the strong rumors is that it will finally reveal more details on Google Music. The company’s music service will differ from Amazon’s MP3 store and Apple iTunes in that it will store music on the cloud. Last year at Google I/O, the company showed some cool functionality that allowed you to stream music from your desktop to your phone; this could be part of the rumored service too.
The rumor made me wonder about your music purchasing habits? Where do you buy your music from? Do you still buy physical CDs from a store? Do you buy mostly through iTunes or Amazon (and really, you should buy all your MP3s from Amazon, *snicker*). Perhaps you don’t “buy” music at all and resort to…Captain Jack Sparrow behavior. Kindly take today’s Coffee Talk poll and let me know (please)!
On Friday afternoon I accepted a quickie weekend contract job that had me in the air longer than on the ground. Thanks to my handy United upgrades, I spent the air hours in business class and caught up on a ton of movies. Most of them were what I expected, but a few of them surprised me. Here are some random thoughts on the movies I saw over the weekend.
Date Night: I thought this would be a total comedic farce, so the action surprised me. The comedy was decent, while the action was surprisingly good. Steve Carell and Tina Fey were expectedly funny, but the supporting cast really made the movie for me. I loved the brief roles Mark Wahlberg, JB Smoove, James Franco, Mila Kunis, and William Fichtner played. I was expecting an okay comedy going in and was surprised by an above-average action/comedy flick.
Megamind: It’s completely unfair, but whenever I go into a DreamWorks movie, I’m always thinking, “Yeah, no way this is as good as a Pixar film.” That’s almost always true, but that doesn’t mean that DreamWorks movies are bad. Megamind was way better than I thought it would be. The voice acting was strong and the movie had more heart than I was expecting. It was a cute blend of comedy, action, and romance. Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, David Cross, Jonah Hill, and Brad Pitt were fantastic in their roles. Megamind definitely exceeded my expectations. Good stuff.
Due Date: I was expecting a very uneven movie and that’s exactly what I got. Some of the lines and scenes were hilarious, simply because Robert Downey, Jr. and Zach Galifianakis are great comedians. That said, a lot of the script was just poor and couldn’t be saved by the actors. This was the perfect airplane movie for me — something I was curious to see, but not curious enough to pay for in the theaters or as a rental. I’m glad I got to see it, but I’m even happier I didn’t pay money for it.
Red: I really dislike Bruce Willis. I’ve just heard too many stories from LA friends about what an absolute dick he is. He’s also getting harder and harder to accept as an action lead due to his age. Even Bruce Willis’ dickishness wasn’t enough to defeat an excellent cast and great choreography. Plus, Mary-Louise Parker is a total milf. Helen Mirren was her usual charming self, but it was hard to buy her mowing down baddies with a machine gun. While it’s easy to be dazzled by all the star power in the movie, it would be a mistake to ignore Karl Urban (Agent William Cooper). He’s fantastic in his role. Plus, geeks should give him props for his performances in Star Trek (Bones) and The Lord of the Rings (Eomer). I enjoyed this movie in spite of Bruce Willis’ sheer dickishness.
Morning Glory: This was a random selection on my part. I figured that Rachel McAdams is cute and Harrison Ford is awesome, ergo it should be somewhat entertaining. It wasn’t a great movie, but it had some moments. Diane Keaton was very good and I like seeing Patrick Wilson (Owlman from Watchmen) get work. There were some moments that I found funny, but left me wondering, “Would this be as funny to someone that didn’t know a little bit about video production?” I’m looking forward to seeing this movie again when it’s on cable, but I wouldn’t spend money to rent it. Also, I felt guilty for thinking that Rachel McAdams is like a poor man’s version of what Neve Campbell used to be.
It’s Kind of a Funny Story: I didn’t get to finish this movie on my trip back and I really want to see how it plays out. A little over an hour into it, I was very much charmed with its smart and subtle comedy. Zach Galifianakis is more restrained than usual and it totally worked. I was very impressed with Keir Gilchrist. Zoe Kravitz is hard to take your eyes off of — you can totally see that she’s the daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet. From what I saw so far, the movie seemed like a nice blend of a smart script and strong acting. I never heard of the movie before, but I’m super glad that it was on the menu.
Anyway, that was my wacky international movie experience. Let me know if you caught any of these movies and what you think of them (please).
Confession: I like Ashton Kutcher. On paper, I should loathe him. Punk’d is retarded. A lot of his movies suck. And there was that stretch in the early 2000’s when he annoyingly went to every videogame party in Los Angeles…
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Confession: I like Ashton Kutcher. On paper, I should loathe him. Punk’d is retarded. A lot of his movies suck. And there was that stretch in the early 2000’s when he annoyingly went to every videogame party in Los Angeles. (To be fair, it wasn’t just him. Every party had at least on person from That ’70s Show and American Pie.)
The truth is…I find him funny and charming in some of his movies. I’ve enjoyed listening to him talk about his politics (fiscally conservative, socially liberal). I like that he’s perceived as this idiot pretty boy, but is much smarter than he looks. I love that he was one of the first celebrities to use Twitter in a hardcore way. Although his restaurants — Dolce and Geisha House — draw a hipster crowd, they’re actually very good. The Demi Moore thing is pretty cool too.
Ah, I feel better now that I’ve come clean about all of that. Do you have any celebrities you like but, on paper, should hate? Whether they’re from movies, music, or TV, please share your celebrity confessions today!
Now that you’ve had a day to think about what the Sony NGP brings to the table, I wanted to see which 2011 portable gaming system you prefer. Based on what you know so far, would you rather have a Nintendo 3DS or a Sony NGP?
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Now that you’ve had a day to think about what the Sony NGP brings to the table, I wanted to see which 2011 portable gaming system you prefer. Based on what you know so far, would you rather have a Nintendo 3DS or a Sony NGP? Kindly take today’s poll and explain your answer in the comments section.
The upcoming round of console wars feels a bit familiar. Based on what you know so far, how do you think the upcoming portable console war will play out? Will Nintendo’s…
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Roger Federer falling at the Australian Open, 15-year olds dominating American Idol (so far), or looking forward to seeing Jay Mohr, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
The upcoming round of console wars also feels a bit familiar. I had an exchange with my friend Giant Bomb Jeff about the matter. He said, “It’s still kind of crazy to see Sony go tech and Nintendo go quirk considering how it all panned out last time.” I replied, “I see it as Sony being the electronics company and Nintendo being the game company. They gots roots!” On several levels, it’s the same story as before. Sony has the superior tech and third-party partnerships. Nintendo has the more obvious gimmick and beloved first-party games. Yet these wars have played out differently in the past. PlayStation vs. Nintendo 64, PlayStation 2 vs. GameCube, PlayStation Portable vs. Nintendo DS, and PlayStation 3 vs. Nintendo Wii were all very different battles. How do you think Nintendo 3DS vs. Sony NGP will pan out?
Certainly it’s too early to tell…but it’s still fun to see if you can do a better job than Michael Pachter. Based on what you know so far, how do you think the upcoming portable console war will play out? Will Nintendo’s longtime dominance in the handheld space and eye-catching 3D gimmick help the company maintain its dominance? Or will Sony’s modern social features, motion controls, and superior hardware win the day? Perhaps you’ll go with the safe option of predicting that the Nintendo 3DS will do worse that the Nintendo DS while the NGP will perform better than the PSP? Put on your videogame analyst hat and let me know (please)!
I want to hear your PSP2 predictions. What do you think the system will have? What do you wish it will have? Are you expecting an OLED screen and 3G? Do you think it will pump out PS3-level graphics? Is it a lock for a holiday 2011 release?
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, your favorite movie robot, Kristin Bell being the new Neutrogena girl, or Rafael Nadal failing at the Australian Open (*snicker*), Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
In less than 24 hours, Sony will be holding a press conference on the PlayStation Portable 2. At least, that’s what most experts are thinking. A few believe that the company will also unveil the PSP Android phone, but I don’t think it will; that’s a Sony Ericsson product and February’s Mobile World Congress makes more sense for it. Besides, two sources have told me that the PSP phone only plays a portion of downloadable games, not every PSP game available digitally. It’s an exciting product, but I expect the enthusiast press to knock its limitations because…well, that’s what those guys are best at. I don’t think that the PSP2 should have to share a stage with its (probably) gimped cousin.
Anyway, I want to hear your PSP2 predictions. What do you think the system will have? What do you wish it will have? Are you expecting an OLED screen and 3G? Do you think it will pump out PS3-level graphics? Is it a lock for a holiday 2011 release? Put on your magic hat a predict the future (please)!
After years of solid use, my Logitech Wave is on its last legs. I wanted to see what keyboards you guys and dolls like. Do you have a preferred keyboard? Or do just use the one that came with your PC?
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After years of solid use, my Logitech Wave is on its last legs. I wanted to see what keyboards you guys and dolls like. Do you have a preferred keyboard? Or do just use the one that came with your PC?
Although the Wave has served me well, I miss typing on a mechanical keyboard. Most models are membrane or scissor-switch these days. I’m pretty sure that my next keyboard will be a mechanical, partially because I miss the crisp feel of those keyboards and mostly because I want to see if I can type loud enough to annoy my neighbors. Razer is supposed to send me a BlackWidow Ultimate for review and I’m hoping that it’s everything I want in a keyboard.
Now let me know about your keyboard preferences (please!).
ave you had videogame parties in the past? What games did you play? What’s the best food and drink for videogame parties? Did you encourage drinking and videogame driving?
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, your early pick for the Super Bowl, Sid Vicious/Justice getting arrested for pot, or Intelligentsia’s excellent Toarco Jaya Sulawesi Peaberry, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
RPadholic Slickyfats has been having his friends over for videogame parties and it got me wondering about all of your game gatherings. Have you had videogame parties in the past? What games did you play? What’s the best food and drink for videogame parties? Did you encourage drinking and videogame driving?
As for me, most of my videogame parties just happen. Keep in mind that most of my friends are in the videogame business. You get a bunch of us in one place and gaming will happen. Since most of us are decades-long enthusiast-gamers, we stick to casual things like Guitar Hero and Buzz! Quiz World. Playing anything “hardcore” would be like work.
Of course my dream videogame party takes place during a “Full Moon Party” in Ko Pha Ngan. *sigh* Those are so much fun…and they’d be even better with drunken gaming!
Now it’s your turn! Share your videogame party stories (please).
