rook543

It's a fan trailer, but it's fun to watch...

 It's happened! Just like in Westworld, the machines have begun their bloody rebellion...

A dastardly robot in Sweden has struck the first blow against mankind, but was unsuccessful....

http://www.thelocal.se/19120.html

 
Preliminary autopsy findings on Billy Mays indicate he most likely died of a heart attack. They was no signifigant head trauma to point to a closed head injury. The results will not be final until toxicology resluts come back...

Well, he is gone. The man who's ground breaking work defined a generation and revolutionized a whole industry.

What? No...not Michael Jackson...

I am speaking of Billy Mays! The OxyClean guy & king of the pitchmen!

From the time I was a boy I was always captivated by the "As Seen On TV" ads. These colorful guys who hawked anything. The low budget commercials, and later informercials. These ads pulled in millions for device the ranged from clever (hula-hoe) to fun (stud & rhi)nestone setter) to questionable (pocket fisherman) to just plain bizzare (the bottle cutter. Make your empty bottles into 'dazzling' glassware). These ads and colorful pitchmen & women were no small reason for my interest in marketing & advertising, and later my entry in commercial voice over work. I have done a couple radio ads as a result for 'Chaser' and also worked on a series of TV spots with Detroit pitch legend, Thom Sharp!

Billy, a long time pitchman on the state fair & flea market circuit, was chosen to sell the Orange Glo line on HSN. And from there had hit after hit. Oxy Clean, Awesome Auger, Dual Saw, Mighty Putty, and many more....

Currently starring with business partner & fellow pitchman Anthony "Sully" Sullivan, he has been staring on the Discovery Channel series "Pitchmen". 

Mays had been aboard US Airways Flight 1241 from Philidelphia to Tampa that blew out its front tires as it landed at Tampa International Airport on June 27, the day before his death. None of the 138 passengers and five crew members were reported to be seriously injured immediately following the incident, but several passengers reported having bumps and bruises from falling objects .Mays told a local Tampa TV station that some of the objects "hit me on the head, but I got a hard head." It's unclear whether Mays' death was related to the incident.

I will miss Billy on TV. We shall not see his like again...

--R

PS: I am not kidding about this. I really have always had a fascination with "As Seen On TV" ads and pitchfolk. To me, this hits much closer to home than Michael Jackson, Farrah, or Ed McMahon.

 I have not seen it and so I don't know if this is accurate...


But the best review I saw for "TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen" had to be this...


"It was terrible whenever humans were speaking
  but awesome whenever robots were smashing each other."

In much happier news (unless you live in Tennessee) GN will be announcing tomorrow that the Lake Orion plant has been selected to build the companies new generation of small cars, and possibly a couple other models.

God knows we need this here in Michgan. One of the other finalists was Tennessee.
I like to think this is GMs way of giving the finger Tennessee Senator Bob Crocker.

Anyways, we needed this. Now if Roger Penske will start building Saturns here, that would also be something.
For those who have not heard, Roger Penske, who is the man who brought the Smart car to the US, he also appears to be in the process of buying the Saturn brand from GM.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out!

This is my obligitory "OHMYGODMICHAELJACKSONISDEADIREALLYLOVEDTHESONGBEATITANDFARRAHFAWCETTALSODIEDNOWTHESEVENTIENSANDTOALESSEREXTENTEIGHTIESAREDEAD!" post.

As long as Gilbert Gotfried is still alive we shall pull thru this....

 Okay. I'm a lifelong trek fan. Have been since I was a small boy watching with my dad. Some of my best memories of the two of us are watching episodes together. I took my dad to see the new tre movie last night (I had seen it but he had not). and for a short time it was like I was 10 and he was 35 again (as opposed to 41 and 66). I like the new approach and hope to have more with this crew. It had a great mix of heroism, techgeekery, granduer, sacrifice (not Next Gen sacrifice, where it all gets put back just as it was at the end, so nothing really has changed) and yes...humor. The characters all have new actors, but I still recognize them as the characters I grew up watching. The actors really understand that these are iconic characters that they are playing. They will in time make them their own, but for now they are respecting that these characters are, in many cases, more well known than THEY are. The story used time travel the way it should be. As a story hook or starting point...not as the story itself. And then JJ Abrams did the best thing he could...announced that with this movie, as far as he is concerned, Time Travel is DEAD in Trek. He used it to do the reeboot of the franchise, and now feels that it has no place as it just screws with continuity and makes for easy-cheezy 'fixes' and lets writers get lazy.

Now that you understand that I do love Trek and really thought this movie was great, what good is a Trek story if you can go and punch holes in the plot!



S P O I L E R   A L E R T  (I know it has been a few weeks, but if you want to see the film and not know what happens, read no further



Okay! So we are now on this alternate timeline. With this much different, we can logically assume that the Next Gen crew will not form as we know them. If there is no Next Gen crew, then the cannot go back in time (see? Cheesy!) to aid Zefram Cochrane in developing his warp drive. If they do not do this, he would have not finished it, as he was a self-doubting drunk at the time. Definately not in time for the Vulcan scot ship to have seen him break warp in his ship. Then they would not have stopped and made contact with Earth. This is the even that led to the man going into space and the formation of the federation.

Good Job JJ. You KILLED the whole Trek Universe. (Gamer Note: How many Experience Points would THAT be worth?)

I probably think about things like this way too much...



 

NBC has begun the coup!

KINGS has been yanked until Summer. It is scheduled to return on June 13!
In the mean time, NBC will air repeats of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit". Ouch!

I'll believe it's coming back when I see it. I have all but given up on the show anyways, but I can't believe that they have any wish to bring this ratings disaster back. I think this is a way to make a huge profile flop simply fade away... hopefully taking with it the egg it has left on NBC's face.

 So today we have had...

Clouds, Rain, Wind, Sun, Overcast, cold, warm, and now HAIL! And tonight we should be getting SNOW.

For those not from here, welcome to Weather in Michigan!

I would not be the least bit surprised to friggin' see OOBLECK fall from the sky!!!

 Hey! Here we go! Apple has done it again.

If there is one thing I really want, it's an I-Pod that my dog can swallow....

Then you get to know the fun if looking thru your yard for the pile that has "Sweet Home Alabama" playing from it...

 

I have to admit! As much as I may not like some films, I can't see myself going THIS far to give it a bad review....

And frankly, I didnn't think Watchmen was THAT bad...

www.kmtr.com/news/local/story/Man-shoots-himself-during-Watchmen-movie/H0qmxSQyCkim5hh80WuOSA.cspx

 
So! Does anybody have any plans regarding Wrestlemania this Sunday?

I know that more than a few of you are wrestling junkies out there...

When working at Wizards of the Coast, I used to host an annual Wrestlemania bash for anybody who wanted to come out for it. It started as a store crew party and grew from there. But those days are gone. The old WotC crew has scattered to the four winds, and I am left wondering who will be watching Wrestlemania, and weather I should order it for myself, or if there is somewhere to go and see it...

Any input?

 Well, after three episodes I am announcing my coup!

I shall be KING of my television again. And how will I do this?

By overthrowing this craptacular overhyped, overblown, tyrant known as "KINGS" (8pm / NBC)

I had hopes for this. A decent premise: "What if America had a king?"

At first they seemed to be doing a modern setting of David & Goliath from the bible. And also had a liberal amount of shakespearian drama thrown in, and performed a that level that would be impressive for a high school production, but overall came up very short.

As of episode three we have devolved into a lackluster rip-off of an Aaron Spelling prime time soap.

My biggest beefs? We know nothing about this "America". It is an alternate history, but that only works when you KNOW how it's an alternate history. I feel no connection to this foreign land that whose king is the guy who says "F*CK" all the time on "Deadwood". (Ian McShane who plays Swearinger on the HBO western drama).

And a court where everybody has their own agenda. Thats fine for a royal court drama (see "The Tudors"), but these intrigues are so painfully predictable, you have to believe the characters are completely dim for not seeing them...

No familiar locations. Again this goes back to this not really seeming like America. I wanted to see an America where there is a Statue of Liberty. Familiar cities, maybe renamed, but cities we know. I wanted to see Washington DC set up as a modern day Versailles. I wanted to learn each week what happened to OUR America where democratic government fell and was replaced by a monarchy. was it a threat from outside, or within? Was there alternate history where WWII turned out differently or was it a modern change? 

This is Shakespear with all the depth of "Dude! Where's my car?" but at least in the aforementioned piece of modern cinema, they did delve in to question and find a answer to where the car was! Alas, these are question or tepid networks will never answer...mostly for fear of offending somebody.  Kings I doubt will ever ask a question even this probing or try to answer it. They seem more interested in the supposed "shock" of referring to a "court" or that the king will make sweeping decisions on no authority but his own! (gasp)

NBC: We are not idiots. We may not have a king, but for god sakes, we know what one IS!

We also know good TV when we see it. This ain't it.
How far the peacock has fallen from the glory days of "Must See TV"

So as of now, I have deposed "KINGS" from my regularly scheduled viewing. 

A"heads up" for those men who may be regular Home Depot customers.

Over the last month I became a victim of a clever scam while out shopping. Simply going out to get supplies has turned out to be quite traumatic. Don't be naive enough to think it couldn't happen to you or your friends.

Here's how the scam works:

Two seriously good-looking 20-21 year-old girls come over to your car as you are packing your shopping into the trunk. They both start wiping your windshield with a rag and Windex, with their breasts almost falling out of their skimpy T-shirts. It is impossible not to look.

When you thank them and offer them a tip, they say "No" and instead ask you for a ride to another Home Depot. You agree and they get in the backseat. On the way, they start undressing. Then one of them climbs over into the front seat and starts crawling all over you, while the other one steals your wallet. I had my wallet stolen November 4th, 9th,10th, twice on the 15th, 17th, 20th, & 24th 29th. Also December 1st, 4th, twice on the 8th, 16th, 23rd, 26th, 30th, three times last Saturday and very likely again this upcoming weekend.

So tell your friends to be careful.

P.S. Walmart has wallets on sale 2.99 each
 
----------

I find that posting funny things like this on my LJ is better alternative to flooding peoples email with it...

--R

 
Watchmen Fans....

Scott Kurtz did this today, and it was just to inspired and hilarious not to share with all of you

You can see his webcomic PvP at www.pvponline.com

 
Happy Pączki Day to all my fellow Detroiters!!!

If you are one of my non-D buds, friends or associates then you need to be aware that Pączki are basically polish donuts. Pączki Day is held on Fat Tuesday and is a major Detroit thing thanks to the Polish enclave of Hamtramck and all their fine bakeries.

What do you do on and how do you celebrate Pączki day?

You eat a lot of Pączki!!
Thats a holiday I can get behind!! In reality, since sweets were a common thing to give up for Lent, Pączki day was a standard last day blowout of eating what you were going to give up, and the idea of Pączki day was started by bakers to help them before Lent when they would take a hit to the bottom line (since bread would soon be the only high-demand product, and bread was not known for being a big profit-margin item. It soon grew into a cultural phenomenon/tradition. If you can got see the Pączki day parade in Hamtramck!

(Pączki is the plural form and is pronounced Poonch-key. There is a singular form, but over the years in Detroit, Pączki is now used for both!)

Now, if you'll excuse me I need to see a man about a donut!

 I read this and could not believe it was being reported as news. Actually I believe it all too well. It's an example of manufacturing something to try and hype something else.

In this case, Harry Potter.

Supposedly, actors and people who work on the films thing the films are CURSED.

Below is the article in question, With my commentary added [In red text in brackets]...

============

Actors who have worked on the Harry Potter movies believe the films are cursed after a series of tragic deaths and mishaps over the years. [Uh oh... sounds like one of the UNFORGIVEABLE curses]

In the latest incident on Wednesday this week, Daniel Radcliffe's stunt double was left badly hurt after a freak accident on set at Leavesden Studios in Watford. [While tragic, one stuntman being injured in the course of 7 (was in connection to 'Deathly Hollows') movies is hardly an unusual event, especially when you consider that stuntmen are used in things that are dangerous... it's why they are called STUNTmen.]

Rob Knox who played the role of Marcus Belby in the yet-to-be-released Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince died after being stabbed in Sidcup in May last year. [At a nightclub after getting involved in a fight between his brother and a drunk club patron. Again tragic, but if you read the news, not too remarkable. Again, factor in how many actors have been part of the Harry Potter series over 6 films and how many were NOT killed in nightclubs. It's not as if he was at the club BECAUSE of his Harry Potter role.]

During filming of the sixth Harry Potter film The Half-Blood Prince shooting had to be axed after the set was battered by storms and then streakers and special-effects mistakes halted filming in Farnham, Surrey. [OMG! Rain and jackasses in England! And special effects that were not perfect the first time...undeniably the work of dark eldrich powers...]

Film bosses brought in ex-SAS body-guards to protect Daniel Radcliffe in March last year after he received a death threat from a stalker.
[An actor with a stalker? That NEVER happens! I mean if a putz like Pauly Shore can have stalkers, certainly Daniel Radcliffe can.]

Dumbledore actor Richard Harris died in October 2002 after losing his battle against cancer. The 72-year-old appeared in the two Harry Potter movies, The Philopsers’ Stone and the Chamber of Secrets. [My favorite... A 72 year old man with cancer dies in the course of shooting 8 films over 9 years... Again, while the loss of Richard Harris is tragic and a blow to the acting community as a whole, do you expect me to believe that he would be alive now if only he had not been in Harry Potter? For the record, he would have been over 80 by the time both Deathly Hollows movies were released. Also, he worked on TWO other movies after Potter. Maybe one of THEM was the cursed movie!]

========

Just something I wanted to point out!

Am I outraged? No.

Will I boycott the HP movies? No. 

It just annoys my sense of decent publicity mongering... as a trained adman, I know I could do better, and manufacture BETTER hype than this lame, hamhanded attempt... Half baked effort like this is why England lost the Revolution!

--R


 

 

I don't feel any change....


WAIT! I THINK I DO FEEL CHANGE COMING ON....


False Alarm....it was just gas!

I need to look for a new car insurance policy. I'm currently with Triple-A , but being anally raped has turned out to not be as fun as I had read. (note to self: must avoid prison at all cost.) So now I find myself looking for a new insurance company. Since all are going to bone me, I figure there is only one way to reasonably pick. Who has the best ad campaign, and thus the best possibly free swag (tshirts, tote bags, etc...)

Lets review

A: The Progressve Insurance Girl: Complete babe with the quirky-nerdy thing going.

B: Gieco Gecko: Funny. If real geckos were like this I would love to have one for a pet. However if they were like this, he would probably drag his water dish aback & forth against his cage and yell "Attiica! Attica!" all night long and when fed, retort with something like "Dead Bugs? How about a sandwich for a chage for f*cking bastard!"  On the other hand, anything that keeps those idiotic cavemen off TV is a-okay with me!

C: Erin Esurance: Simply the HOTTEST cartoon girl since Judy Jetson.

Well, this is my problem....which corporate icon will steet me right (HA! Get it? Car Insurace...Steer! See what I did there?)
Well, if anybody has an opnion on which one I should go with, sing out!

And if Anne Hathaway starts hawking insurance, by all means let me know!