TV Archives - Page 20 of 41

Adam Sessler Future Endeavored by G4

Longtime broadcast journalist Adam Sessler and G4TV have parted ways. Many of you know Adam as the host of X-Play. The man is old school. He started on the show in the late ’90s when it was GameSpot TV on Ziff-Davis’ ZDTV network. He stayed with the show when it became Extended Play and the network was renamed Tech TV. Eventually the show was renamed X-Play and became part of the Comcastic G4TV giant.

In addition to being the biggest television personality in videogames, a wonderful editorialist, and a diligent critic, Adam is universally liked and respected throughout the business. If you have a problem with Adam Sessler from a work standpoint then the problem is almost definitely staring back at you in the mirror. Of course there are times when people disagree with him, but the vast majority of the people I know adore and respect Adam.

On a personal level, I just love the man. Obviously we can talk about games all day, but Adam is really passionate about boxing too. Both of us love watching boxing and spend time training in boxing gyms (neither of us are what you’d call dangerous). One of my favorite moments in our relationship was when I was tipsy (understatement) at a Sega event and ordered a Johnny Walker Blue with soda; Adam chided me for three minutes before making the bartender pour me a Blue on the rocks. He’s smart, he always adds something interesting to conversations, and he’s one of the most outstanding people in the world to drink with. That said, he was also responsible for me working at G4 and I’m going to hold that over his head for at least another decade (“First round is on you, right Adam? I mean, you got me the G4 gig and look how that turned out!”)

X-Play without Adam Sessler is going to be strange. How do you feel about the future endeavoring (WWE trademark) of Adam Sessler?

Coffee Talk #472: “Yes!” vs. “What?” vs. “Ask Him!”

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, United Airlines being ruined by Jeff Smisek, Metta World Peace’s disgusting elbow shot to James Harden, or loving Bobby Valentine’s Red Sox woes, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Catchphrases are an important part of professional wrestling. “If you smell what The Rock is cooking,” “That’s the bottom line,” and “To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man,” are phrases we all know and love because of pro-wrestlers. Then there are secondary phrases. I’m talking about short lines that wrestlers say and fans chant. The recent Daniel Bryan “Yes!” phenomenon got me thinking about these types of sayings.

Of course the greatest secondary catchphrase of all time is Ric Flair’s “Whooooooo!!!” It’s simply awesome. No matter what wrestling company and no matter the size of the crowd, you can always count on hearing “Whooooo!!!” after a knife-edge chop is delivered. That’s amazing and powerful. As for the others, I’m a huge fan of Chris Jericho’s “Ask him!!!”. Steve Austin’s “What?!?” is used (and abused) by millions of fans, even when it’s not appropriate.

Please participate in the battle for the #2 secondary pro-wrestling catchphrase of all time by voting in today’s poll and leaving a comment! If you need a refresher on these catchphrases then check out the videos below before casting your vote.

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Conan O’Brien and 343 Talk Halo 4

Here’s an awesome Halo 4 sketch from Conan starring 343 Industries executive producer Kiki Wolfkill and franchise director (and outstandingly handsome man) Frank O’Connor. In the sketch, Conan talks about his character in Halo 4, getting to understand his background and motivation. Naturally, Conan brings in Andy Richter to join him in the game and a sweet voiceover session ensues.

It’s brilliant to see videogames getting mainstream coverage on great shows like Conan. It’s also totally cool thank Frankie was on television. Dude is a total stud. Anyway, check out the sketch below and let me know what you think (please!).

“Free” Movies, TV Shows, and Music on Xbox Live This Weekend

Microsoft is running a promotion called “Entertainment Unlocked” that offers numerous movie, television, and music services for free. Normally, these services require an Xbox Live Gold membership. From 9:00 AM Pacific Time on April 19, 2012, to 9:00 AM Pacific Time on April 23, 2012, they will be available to all Xbox Live members. Here’s a list of what you’ll be able to enjoy this weekend:

• CinemaNow
• Crackle
• Dailymotion
• EPIX
• ESPN
• HBO Go
• Hulu Plus2
• iHeartRadio
• Last.fm
• MSN
• Netflix
• Syfy
• TMZ
• TODAY
• UFC
• Verizon FiOS
• VEVO
• Vudu
• Xfinity TV on Demand
• YouTube

It’s nice to see Microsoft using the tried-and-true crack-cocaine model of giving a taste away for free. I kid, I kid.

Seriously though, are there any services you’d like to try out this weekend? If so, please leave your picks in the comments section.

Source

Just Say Yes: The Surprising Evolution of Daniel Bryan

As many of you know, I’m a Bryan Danielson mark — have been for a very long time. While I’ve always expected the Daniel Bryan character to succeed in the WWE, I never expected him to succeed the way he has. He’s one of the best wrestlers in the company — the best, in my opinion — but he hasn’t really gotten to show his incredible in-ring skills. Television matches aren’t long enough and getting bumped to an 18-second match at WrestleMania doesn’t help.

To my surprise, Bryan has gotten over as a character. His initial mic work wasn’t great in the WWE and it was never the best part of his game in Ring of Honor. He did a great job as an opportunistic and overzealous World Heavyweight Champion. He would infuriate fans (in that good way) by celebrating disqualification wins and the like by jumping up and down, screaming, “Yes! Yes! Yes! World Heavyweight Champion!!!” The combination of great ring skills, decent emoting, and clever use of a single word has gotten Bryan completely over with the fans. Just look at the video below.

Lately, Bryan has been getting lots of mainstream attention. It’s amusing that it’s largely because mainstream media has noticed tens of thousands of people screaming, “Yes!!!” to a wrestler that got shorted at WrestleMania. I was delighted to see a great Daniel Bryan story on the fantastic Grantland. I was shocked to see a lengthy Daniel Bryan interview on GQ.com. As a longtime Bryan Danielson mark, I look forward to the day when I bump into someone wearing this t-shirt every ten minutes. Will it be awesome? Yes! Yes! Yes!

Amazon Instant Video Now Available on PlayStation 3

Amazon and Sony have launched Amazon Instant Video for PlayStation 3. The service allows PS3 owners to buy and rent video content that’s streamed to their consoles. Amazon Prime subscribers also enjoy a “free” library of streaming movies and television shows. Amazon Instant Video has been available on numerous Blu-ray players, smart televisions, and streaming-video boxes. The PlayStation 3 is the first console the service has been available on.

I played around with Amazon Instant Video on my PS3 and was most impressed by this first effort. The navigation was smooth and content was easy to find. Playback wasn’t as good; the interface felt a bit clunky compared to Netflix. Perhaps I’ll get used to it over time, but right now I prefer the way Netflix handles playback.

Looking at the bigger picture, this is just another sign of what consoles have become. It’s no longer enough for consoles to play great games. They have to offer video, music, and social services too. While Netflix is available on all three major consoles, Amazon Instant Video is only available on the PlayStation 3 (for now). The console companies will be competing fiercely to differentiate their services as well as a native software. While Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony are fighting it out, gamers will get to enjoy the most powerful and diverse consoles ever. Cool.

Any of you excited to use Amazon Instant Video on your PS3?

Coffee Talk #466: WrestleMania XXVIII Results and Discussion

WWE’s biggest show of the year has come and gone. Now it’s time to break down WrestleMania XXVIII, review our predictions, and discuss the results! RPadholic Iceman was also kind enough to send in some original photos from the event, which I posted below. As a whole, I thought it was a good show that was far from…

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, Ashton Kutcher portraying Steve Jobs, ceramic knives, or Kelly Pavlik on the comeback trail, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

WWE’s biggest show of the year has come and gone. Now it’s time to break down WrestleMania XXVIII, review our predictions, and discuss the results! RPadholic Iceman was also kind enough to send in some original photos from the event. As a whole, I thought it was a good show that was far from great. The second half of the card was much better than the first and there was one match that was severely (and sadly) cut off due to time restrictions. Let’s go down the list!

Sheamus Defeats Daniel Bryan for the World Heavyweight Championship: As I predicted, Sheamus got the win here. What I didn’t predict was the match being cut off for time considerations. I was totally bummed that two young WWE Superstars didn’t get time to shine. Danielson is one of the best pure wrestlers in the world and he rarely gets to show off his skills in WWE. This match — all 20 seconds of it — was completely disappointing.

Kane Beats Randy Orton: I called this one wrong and was surprised that Kane got a clean win. The match was okay, but I don’t get the result. It made Orton look stupid and he needed the push for the rest of 2012.

The Big Show Wins the Intercontinental Championship From Cody Rhodes: This was another match I predicted incorrectly. The result surprised me. Show does not need a minor WWE belt. Rhodes does.

Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos Beat Eve and Beth Phoenix: The good girl team — with the celebrity — won. Of course they did. I was actually impressed with Menounos, who was working with a legit rib injury. She was a trooper! Unfortunately, the match was total filler. I can’t wait for Awesome Kong to come back. Maybe she’ll get the writers to do something interesting with the Divas division.

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The Undertaker Extended His Streak to 20-0 Over Triple H: Of course ‘Taker won! Selling t-shirts that brag about a 20-0 record is easy. 19-1…not so much. This match actually exceeded my expectations. The psychology and storytelling were fantastic. Of course I was thrilled to see “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels as the guest referee; he added a lot to the matches storytelling, given his history with both wrestlers. While it wasn’t a technical classic, there were some cool and brutal spots in this match. Great stuff.

Team Laurinaitis Beats Team Long: Johnny Ace is simply a better TV personality than Teddy Long. This was also the match used to bring the crowd down from Hell in a Cell. In other words, this was when you were supposed to go pee or buy beer from the refreshments stand. Woo woo woo. You know it.

CM Punk Retains the WWE Championship Over Chris Jericho: For me, this was the best match of the night from a wrestling standpoint. The ring work was tight and the psychology was awesome. I love the way Jericho taunted punk. Complementing, “Ask him!!!”, were, “How’s your father, Punk?!?”, and, “Punk, how’s your sister?!?” That said, I still think Punk needs to go into chase mode. He’s getting stale as champion.

The Rock Beats John Cena: I’m still shocked by how this went down. These guys put forth a great effort and put together a very good match. The Rock sold Cena’s moves like crazy. He actually made Cena’s lame STF look believable! While I’m personally happy that The Rock won, I question the booking. What happened to Super Cena?!? How does a guy that can beat three WWE Superstars by himself lose to someone that hasn’t wrestled a match in years? I’m curious to see how Cena is booked now that he was made vulnerable. Do you turn him heel? Or does he cut a brush-off promo similar to how Shawn Michaels brushed off his loss to Hulk Hogan? Does Cena build up to a revenge match next year? While he’s not my favorite wrestler (using the term loosely) in WWE, he’s a promo and merch machine that has carried the company for a long time. I’m curious to see how he’s booked for the rest of the year.

Your WrestleMania XXVIII Predictions (Cena Sucks!!!)

Finally…it’s time for WrestleMania XXVIII!!! Big thanks to RPadholic Iceman for his super-generous offer of bringing me to the biggest show in all of entertainment. Sadly, I did the fiscally responsible thing and chose to stay home instead of witnessing pro-wrestling history. Now back to the script — WWE’s biggest show of the year takes place this weekend and there are loads of great matches on the card. Who do you think will win? Let’s go down the list together and when we’re done, please share your WrestleMania predictions in the comments section…if you smell, what The Ray is cooking.

Team Laurinaitis vs. Team Long: This is the let’s-cram-in-as-many-people-that-deserve-a-WrestleMania-payday match. As a fan of actual wrestling, it really bugged me that the battling general managers received more of a buildup rather than actual wrestlers. I’m going to give Laurinaitis’ team the nod here. Long’s character is just boring. The artist formerly known as Johnny Ace can be a great heel in small doses. For the sake a future programming, Team Laurinaitis should win.

Randy Orton vs. Kane: The “angle” explanation for this match still doesn’t make a ton of sense. In reality, it’s like when Eddie Guerrero and ~~Raymond Stereo~~ Rey Mysterio wrestled each other at WrestleMania; the two didn’t have a real program going on, but trusted each other to make a great match. That’s what’s going on with Orton and Kane, but on a lower level. Orton should get the win here so he can reposition himself as a main-event wrestler for the rest of 2012 while Kane goes back to elevating others.

Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos vs. Beth Phoenix and Eve: I’m going with the good girls in this one. It’s a throwaway match, but the mainstream guest should win. Man, the thought of a Beth-and-Eve menage sounds awesome. Wait, did I say that out loud?!?

Cody Rhodes vs. The Big Show: Dusty’s son has come a long way and has really developed as a heel. Show is already established. I think Cody gets the win here and furthers Show’s reputation as a WrestleMania joke, but not without some shenanigans.

CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho: This should be one of the two best matches of the night from a technical perspective. Both of these guys can flat-out go. Jericho has demonstrated that he doesn’t need a belt to get over. However, I think Punk as champion isn’t quite as edgy and entertaining as he once was. This is a tough one to call. I think Punk would be better off chasing a belt for several months. Jericho could be the transitional champion, waiting for Cena and Orton post-WrestleMania. I’ll go with Jericho, but will probably change my mind several times before Sunday.

Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus: I can’t be objective about this match at all. I’m a longtime Bryan Danielson fan and want him to have a long title reign as the “Yes! Yes! Yes!!!” World Heavyweight Champion. Plus, his storyline girlfriend AJ Lee is just about perfect. I hope Danielson gets the win, but I don’t think he will. Sheamus is simply more marketable. The good news is that this match has a ton of potential to be the show-stealer.

The Undertaker vs. Triple H: Unless Hunter gets caught up in narcissistic rage and books himself to win, it makes no sense for ‘Taker’s streak to end. 20-0, with some possible interference from “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels. Damn I miss that guy….

The Rock vs. John Cena: I don’t see why you’d give The Rock a victory here. Yes, he played football in Miami and he’s slated to appear at WrestleMania XXIX, but I don’t think you put him over a full-time wrestler. Although I greatly prefer The Rock over Cena, you have to book the guy that actually wrestles on a weekly basis as the winner. Then again, I’ve been hearing rumors of The Miz interfering, causing Cena to lose (while protecting his stature) and setting up a Miz vs. Cena program…which is kind of weird because six weeks ago I was hearing that management hasn’t been happy with The Miz and was pushing him out. *shrug*

Anyway, the final match of WrestleMania always ends with the face winning so that the crowd can go home happy. The problem here is that both of these guys appeal to different parts of the audience. Do you send the smarks and older fans home happy (Rock)? Or do you make sure the women and children leave with smiles on their faces (Cena)?

HBO Go Now Available for Xbox 360

Microsoft has rolled out a bunch of new apps for Xbox 360, including one for the outstanding HBO Go service. Available to HBO subcribers, HBO Go allows viewers to stream a ton of movies, television shows, and sports events. In the past, the network has allowed HBO Go users to catch early episodes of its original programming. In short, this service completely owns.

I use HBO Go on my iPad all the time. In fact, it’s probably my favorite app for streaming video, beating out Netflix, Crackle, and all those other pretenders. It offers a large library of excellent movies. It offers every episode of some of the best HBO original shows (Game of Thrones, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage, etc.). It also offers loads of great HBO Boxing fights. As an HBO mark, I’m thrilled that the service is now available for Xbox 360.

How about you guys and dolls? Are you psyched that HBO Go can be experienced on Xbox 360?

Coffee Talk #464: Aziz Ansari, Kickstarter, Creativity, and 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, The Situation’s prescription-drug problem, T-T-T-Tebow and the Jets, or wishing RPadholic Thundercracker a belated happy birthday, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Publishing content is getting awesomely cool. I’m sure that all of you have heard about the millions of dollars Double Fine and InXile Entertainment have raised to develop their games. Recently, Aziz Ansari has followed the steps of Louis CK and Jim Gaffigan by releasing a direct-to-Internet comedy special for $5. I love that creatives are using modern methods to find new ways to release content. This has been tried in the past (remember Public Enemy and Sellaband.com?), but new Internet services have made it more feasible.

Giving content creators more freedom is fantastic. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying that publishers are evil. In many cases, publishers can help creators succeed by reigning them in and marketing them well. However, in some cases, publishers can get in the way and stifle creativity. I love that services like Kickstarter and the ease of selling video content on the Internet are giving creators more freedom and consumers new ways to enjoy their favorite artists. As someone that generally has problems with authority, I love that it takes power away from “The Man” (bonus!). This is, quite possibly, the start of a massive change in how content is created and consumed; it’s exciting and new (like Love Boat).

Are you as excited by modern methods of self-publishing as I am? Do you think that services like Kickstarter will lead to more self-published games and developer empowerment? Are you digging the crazy possibilities that can be had by giving creatives more freedom? Or do not care how your content as published, so long as you can get it? Kindly discuss in the comments section and let me know!