Category: TV

Watch Cliffy B Talk Gears of War 3 on Jimmy Fallon!

Here’s a clip of Epic Games’ Cliff Bleszinski showing off Gears of War 3 on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. I’m so, so, so jazzed by this clip for several reasons. As some of you know, Cliff and I used to be tight back in the day and I’m so proud of his success. Secondly, my friend Gavin is a producer for Late Night. He’s one of the original G4 peeps and a super-nice guy. I’m proud of his success too.

Anyway, awesome gentlemen aside, the game rocks! Check out Fallon’s reactions as he plays Gears of War 3.

Ned Stark / Boromir (Sean Bean) Stabbed in a Bar Fight

Master thespian Sean Bean (Ned Stark in Game of Thrones, Boromir in The Lord of the Rings) was recently stabbed in a bar fight protecting the honor of his lady. According to Perez Hilton, Bean was out with Playboy bunny April Summers (hot photo below!) when a drunken patron insulted her. The ensuing scuffle led to Bean being stabbed in the arm with a shard of broken glass. Now here’s the completely cool part:

However, he ultimately REFUSED medical attention, and merely borrowed the bar’s first aid kit, and then ORDERED ANOTHER DRINK!

Ned Stark is my hero…for the reasons above and below.

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Today’s Poll: HBK vs. Macho Man — Flying Elbow Drop Battle!

I got a new guest mattress the other day. Naturally, I’ve been giving it flying elbow drops to…you know, test it out. My markdom for Shawn Michaels and the recent death of Randy Savage has me thinking of flying elbow drops. Which wrestler did it better? Kindly vote in today’s poll and discuss!

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Bill Simmons’ Outstanding Randy Savage Tribute

ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons posted a lengthy and outstanding tribute to “Macho Man” Randy Savage. It’s pretty much the best Randy Savage article you’ll ever read. In addition to the expected “SportsGuy” humor, Simmons adds some thoughtful observations on Savage’s career. Here’s my favorite funny passage:

Nobody — repeat, nobody — was more fun to imitate. Savage said everything in quick bursts, with his voice dropping low, then turning loud, then low, then loud, and any time he couldn’t figure out how to end a point, he just screamed, “Ooooohhhhhhhhh yeah!” He used “ooooohhhh yeah!” as a noun, verb and adjective. It never stopped being funny. I could never decide whether the Macho Man was in on the joke. I’m also not sure it mattered.

And here’s my favorite insightful passage:

The scope of his career can’t compare to those of Shawn Michaels or Ric Flair, but you won’t find a more meaningful apex: He peaked right as wrestling peaked, ushered in a more athletic era and introduced eye candy (Elizabeth) to a fan base that desperately needed it. We look back at the ’80s ironically now — everything is much funnier now than it was then, whether it’s outfits, haircuts, movie plots, political incorrectness or even a sweeping lack of self-awareness. Savage tapped into those faults better than anyone. He was the ’80s, for better and worse.

It’s just excellent, excellent stuff. I highly recommend giving it a read.

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Coffee Talk #356: Make Your Own Videogame TV Show!

While I respect and admire the videogame television programming produced by G4tv, Greedy Productions (Electric Playground), and Spike TV (GTTV), I’m still waiting for my videogame dream show…

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, T-Mobile HSPA+ 42 launching today, Oscar De La Hoya in rehab, or changing your name to Lord RaRa, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

While I respect and admire the videogame television programming produced by G4tv, Greedy Productions (Electric Playground), and Spike TV (GTTV), I’m still waiting for my videogame dream show. It’s a total rip-off of ESPN’s Around the Horn, but hosted by Adam Sessler and featuring a rotating panel of gaming journalists and one verbal entertainer. Adam would be the perfect host for the show and it’s not hard to find game writers that are full of opinions. It would be weekly since it doesn’t have as many stories to cover as a general sports show. The show would be relatively cheap to make too. I think it would be a blast for the price!

How about you? What’s your dream videogame television show like?

More Than 25% of WrestleMania VII Performers Are Dead

Here’s a sad statistic for you — according to The Wrestling Observer, over 25 percent of the wrestlers that performed at WrestleMania VII (1991) are dead. The list of deceased WrestleMania VII performers includes legends like Randy Savage, Mr. Perfect, Kerry Von Erich, and Andre the Giant. Take a look at this chart:

That’s completely nuts. Compare that list to the 1991 MLB, NBA, and NFL champions — the vast majority of those guys are still alive. Most of these deaths are drug related — either overdoses of recreational drugs or heart failure accelerated by performance-enhancing drugs.

Thankfully the business is slowly cleaning itself up. Sure, a lot of wrestlers today aren’t as big as the ones in the ’80s or ’90s, but most of them aren’t killing themselves for our entertainment.

Are any of your favorites on this tragic list?

Source via Yahoo!

Who’s Your Favorite ESPN SportsCenter Duo?

I’ve watched more episodes of SportsCenter than any other show in the history of television. Hell, there was one summer in college when my roommate and I would watch it thrice a day. Earlier this week, my friend and I were chatting about the best SportsCenter announcing duo of all time. Who’s your favorite pair?

There are so many greats to choose from. Old-school fans can pull out Chris Berman and Charley Steiner. Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick are arguably the most famous duo, though some people feel that Patrick had a better vibe with Kenny Mayne. As for me, I’m going with Rich Eisen and Stuart Scott. These guys had a perfect blend of professionalism, approachability, and humor. Watching them on SportsCenter felt like getting sports news from two hilarious guys hanging out in my favorite Irish pub.

Now it’s your turn! Who’s your favorite SportsCenter duo of all time?

American Idol 2011 Finals Scotty McCreery vs. Lauren Alaina

The American Idol 2011 finals have come down to two teenage country singers: Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery. In my top 10 rankings, I had them pegged at #7 and #6, respectively. Both of them raised their games and made it to the final round. Sadly, filthy pirate hooker Haley Reinhart fell short (after falling on her ass on stage). Who do you think will win American Idol 2011? Kindly vote and discuss.

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As for me, I don’t see how Scotty McCreery — aka Scotty McCreepy — can lose. Sure, he makes amazingly stupid faces and can only sing in one style (“BabyLockThemDoors“), but there are three reasons why I’m certain he’ll win.

  1. A large portion of American Idol voters are teen girls and housewives. They love McCreepy. The young girls are attracted to his “aw shucks!” demeanor and deep voice. The older women are just being pervs.
  2. The last three American Idol winners — David Cook, Kris Allen, and Lee DeWyze — have been dubbed “boring white guys with guitars”. Scotty is also a boring white guy with a guitar. The BWGWG trend is powerful and hard to stop.
  3. Most importantly, the last two American Idol winners look like former videogame journalists. Kris Allen = John Ricciardi (ex-EGM). Lee DeWyze = Patrick Joynt (ex-GameSpy). McCreepy bears an uncanny resemblance to Giant Bomb’s Brad Shoemaker; they’re both fine young boys from North Carolina with disarmingly deep voices. The trend of American Idol winners resembling game journalists will surely continue.

As for Lauren Alaina, she reminds me of a young version of old Beverly D’Angelo. I’m not talking about the young and sexy Beverly. I’m talking about the older and larger cougar Beverly. She comes off as a sweet girl that lacks confidence. I feel bad that some people refer to her as Ceiling Fat and that she’ll likely lose…but not that bad.

Anyway, I’m going with Scotty McCreery as this year’s Idol winner. How about you? Kindly vote and discuss!

HBO Go Users Get Two New Episodes of Game of Thrones

In a brilliant promo, HBO will let its HBO Go customers see two new episodes of Game of Thrones this coming Sunday, instead of one. The first episode will be available on television and HBO Go streaming, while the second episode will be an HBO Go exclusive for one week. HBO Go has been getting rave reviews and the app — available on Android and iOS — has already been downloaded one-million times. A promo that combines the app with one of HBO’s hottest shows will surely be a success.

Unfortunately for me, my crap bag cable provider — Time Warner Cable — does not allow its customers to use HBO Go. I’d love to watch two new episodes of Game of Thrones on Sunday, but Time Warner is denying its customers an excellent HBO service and my building isn’t wired for AT&T U-Verse or satellite.

I’ve been incredibly satisfied with streaming movies and television on my iPad 2. Netflix, Crackle, and the Time Warner Cable app have been great. I’m so bummed that I won’t be able to take advantage of this Game of Thrones promotion (unless Time Warner Cable removes its head from its ass this week).

Any of you using HBO Go? Are you happy with the app and service? Are you psyched for the Game of Thrones promo?

Comcast Blocking The Pirate Bay: A Sign of Things to Come?

Updated: According to TorrentFreak Internet service providers Comcast, Rogers, and Optus have started blocking The Pirate Bay. The site is used by millions of people to acquire pirated movies, television shows, and music tracks. Honestly, I’m surprised this hasn’t happened sooner and that more ISPs haven’t blocked the site. Sure, people will cite free speech and net neutrality, but telecommunications companies tend to act first and deal with the consequences later.

Any of you use Comcast? Is your access to The Pirate Blocked? If so, are you going to change providers? For those of you not on Comcast, would you change ISPs if you didn’t have access to The Pirate Bay?

Update: Apparently this might be a problem with The Pirate Bay and not ISPs. Phew!

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