Your Daily Dose of Awesomeness

I post this video with no more commentary than this. It stands on its own.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Thanks for the drop, Clay.

If Life Were a Musical, It Would Take a Lot of Work

This is entertaining to say the least.



And for those musical haters out there, here's a classic SNL skit to bring on the laughs.

Play Street Fighter on YouTube

Topless Robot dropped this via somebody else. I'm not going to bother checking references all the way back to the originator, suffice it to say that it is awesome.

Thrill at the realistic animation (stop-motion at its finest!) Marvel at the exotic locales (is that a toilet floor in E. Honda's level?) Gape in awe at the interactivity that only Web 2.0 could bring you (okay, I just threw up a little bit in mouth at that bit of buzzword nonsense.)

Just choose your opponent, then choose your attack when the buttons light up. As TR said, it's the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure for the modern age.

Captain America, the Shiftless Bum, Finally Gets a Job

For those of you that aren't fans of comic books, the Kevin Smith movie Clerks, or both, this will probably go right over your heads. For the rest of you, enjoy!

The Office Pranks Are Good For the Soul

I'm just a crazy posting fool today. I can't help it, though. This has got to be one of the best compilations on YouTube. For those of you that don't know about the television show, The Office, shame on you. Dwight is the office dweeb/jerk. Jim is his foil. What you see here are a few of the pranks Jim has played on Dwight over the years. Look for comedic gold at 0:47.

The Thundercats That Could Have Been

Not much to say about this trailer that hasn't already been said elsewhere. It is awesome on many levels. Thanks to Topless Robot for the drop and WormyTV for the video.

A Little Bit of Awesome

I know, it's been a while. I'm afraid I don't have time for a proper entry today, either. I just wanted to drop this bit of awesome on your eyeballs, courtesy of Topless Robot. Geek out and enjoy!

OD on Awesome

I've been so busy this week with schoolwork, family, and playing Boom Blox (almost worth a sick day, that game,) that I haven't had chance to do much else. I've been wanting to post about this for a couple of days, though.

I think I overdosed on awesomeness last week. I finally got around to downloading the new episodes of Metalocalypse and Venture Bros. I cannot recall two series that have been as consistently entertaining as these. Every episode includes classic moments that Jon and I will recall repeatedly like the nerds we are.

Metalocalypse, in its over-the-top metal way, always gets a guffaw out of me. I was going to look for some quotes from the various episodes I watched, I think there were five or six, but my brain almost exploded thinking back on how many funny lines there were.

If you don't watch Venture Bros., you should. If you watched it and you don't like it, then we are in very different places. I've posted a few reviews of the last season here before. I'm not going to try to sum up the four episodes I watched last week. It's too much awesome for one place. Suffice it to say that my favorite guest star made a reappearance in a recent episode. That's right, Henry Killinger and his Magic Murder Bag. I love his character so much that I named my newest office computer after him. I now have orpheus, jonas, and killinger as my work PCs. If I could assign my Mac a static IP at work, it'd probably be number24 or something.

Ok, in retrospect, this post really doesn't do much to convey the sheer amount of face rocking that Venture Bros. and Metalocalypse delivered to me last Saturday. I guess yous goings to haves to take my words for it. OR! You could check out one or two episodes at Adultswim.com and be face-rocked yourself.

Venture Bros. - Home Is Where the Hate Is
Metalocalypse - The Revengencers

Spider-Man: World Tour

Next stop for our globe-hopping wall crawler? Japan!

The Latvian's Strike! (Hail Doom!)

You may or may not know this about me, but I am a fan of 80's pop music. Not all of it. Some of it grates on my nerves as much as the next Jon, but there are quite a few hits that I dig.

Very few do I dig more than Europe's "Final Countdown." The pumping rock beat, the guitar riffs reaching climactic crescendos, the ear-drum-kicking solos, all of it. Well, almost all of it. The vocals are a little reedy and dated.

I also love symphony. Symphony with a beat is even better. The surprisingly aesthetically pleasing string quartet, Bond, is constantly in my playlist, as are other orchestral-based ear-rockers such as E.S. Posthumus and various movie scores.

What would happen if you put the two together, though?

Enter Latvia (Hail Doom!) the closest thing we'll ever get to Dr. Doom's homeland of Latveria. Rather, enter the Latvian Symphony Orchestra (Hail Doom!) and their own trio. This collection of mop-haired musicians manage to strum and bow their way through the most stirring rendition of "Final Countdown" I've ever heard. Don't believe me? Take a listen for yourself.



If you can watch that, complete with every stirring solo and riff lovingly reproduced in glorious symphonic sound and tell me it wasn't awesome, then you're either deaf, or have no soul, or both. I'm not going to rule that out.

Now if only I can find a symphonic recording of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing"

Thanks to bwe.tv for the drop!

I just Can't Wait for French Batman

This video is every bit of awesome that its name implies.
ITALIAN SPIDER-MAN!

They gave us Mario, it's only fair that we give them something in return.

Awesome Ad Deserves Awesome Post

I know lately I've just been a ad whore here, but being a Michael Bay fan and a fan of all things awesome, I feel I need to post this.



Once again, thanks for the drop goes to www.bwe.tv (I know they got it elsewhere, but seriously, if I tracked these things back to their source then I'd just be thanking the creators of the video, and who does that?)

Something to Look Forward To

I don't mean to overshadow the holiday or my sentiments about my wife (see post below,) but there are few words that can express my excitement for what the trailer on this site depicts. The music is still ringing in my ears.



If you can watch that trailer and not be excited, well then we have nothing more to discuss.

Good day.

I said good day!

Darth Jaffe Joffer, Ruler of Zamunda

This video had me in tears. Some of the dubs don't work too well, but there are some real gems in here.



Thanks for the drop, BWE!

Holy Crap!

Thanks to the Tycho from Penny Arcade for dropping this gem. If that kind of tech doesn't appeal to you, then you're probably more interested in the latest product from Blammo:

Updated: Awesome+Awesome=Face Punch

I don't think awesome+awesome equals awesome doubled. I think awesome+awesome creates some kind of weird exponential loop until awesome ceases to be a mere concept and becomes a palpable thing. Then that palpable thing punches you directly in the face. Prepare to be punched by awesome.

Stacy sent me this, which brings together two pieces of awesome, bacon and Jim Gaffigan. Gaffigan is the guy you probably recognize from the Sierra Mist commercials. To me, he's one of the funniest comedians out there. You know bacon from such features as breakfast, BLTs, bacon-wrapped steak, and other popular engagements.

Anyone else hungry for some bacon now? Just me? Ok.

UPDATE! Gaffigan has released an official clip of his bacon bit from his Comedy Central special. This one shouldn't get taken down any time soon.

Fairly Awesome Late Christmas Present

My coworker Jennifer gave the whole team calendars from Despair Inc. I have to say, it ranks up there among the more awesome gifts I've received. I'll try to remember to give you all your monthly shot of reality when the calendar page flips over.

Bonus:
From the Demotivator page at Despair Inc.
MOTIVATION. Psychology tells us that motivation- true, lasting motivation- can only come from within. Common sense tells us it can't be manufactured or productized. So how is it that a multi-billion dollar industry thrives through the sale of motivational commodities and services? Because, in our world of instant gratification, people desperately want to believe that there are simple solutions to complex problems. And when desperation has disposable income, market opportunities abound.

AT DESPAIR, INC., we believe motivational products create unrealistic expectations, raising hopes only to dash them. That's why we created our soul-crushingly depressing Demotivators® designs, so you can skip the delusions that motivational products induce and head straight for the disappointments that follow!

E.L. Kersten, Ph.D.
Founder and COO

Transformers + IMAX = Awesome

That is all.

May I Point Out That the Sex Appeared To Be Consensual; Both Animals Were Smiling

Another fine episode of The Office aired this week. So many great lines, so little desire to turn this blog into a mirror of officetally.com. Still, I must share some. For example, this episode featured perhaps the most entertaining prank Jim has played on Dwight yet. First, the setup: Jim walks in to the Office carrying wearing a yellow shirt and a bad tie with his hair combed just like Dwight’s. Then, after sitting down stiffly, he squints at his screen and pulls out a large pair of glasses, just like Dwight’s.

Jim: Question: What kind of bear is best?
Dwight: That’s a ridiculous question …
Jim: False. Black bear.
Dwight: That’s debatable. There are basically two schools of thought …
Jim: Fact: Bears eat beets. Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.

The hilarity of the episode could have ended there and I would have still reached my quota of laughs, but no, things went further.

It seems that our favorite amoral skeeve, Creed, failed to fulfill his duties as quality control and let slip a large batch of paper with an unseemly watermark.

Michael: We have a crisis. Apparently a disgruntled employee at the paper mill decided that it would be funny to put an obscene watermark on our 24-pound cream letter stock. 500 boxes has gone out with the image of a beloved cartoon duck performing unspeakable acts upon a certain cartoon mouse that a lot of people like. I’ve never been a fan.

There were some great Creed moments, including his horrifying detective work to locate an “escape goat” to his subsequent collection of goodbye money for the hapless employee, which he promptly pocketed, naturally. Ah Creed, you rascal!

Besides Creed’s machinations, we got to see two other stories play out. First, we find that Andy is an unknowing pedophile. Best I don’t spoil that one for those of you that haven’t seen it. Suffice it to say that it involves a two-page ad in the yearbook that says, “Good luck!” and a stirring rendition of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”

The other plot focuses on Michael Scott’s rapid devolution from a responsible apologist to a ranting quasi-psycho delivering a videotaped ultimatum.

Michael: If I could leave you with one thought, remember, it wasn’t me. They are trying to make me an escape goat. If I am fired, I swear to god, that every single piece of copier paper in this town is going to have the F-word on it. The F-word. You have one day.
Pam: One day for what?
Michael: That’s — they always give an ultimatum.

Kelly also had her brief time in the sunshine as Michael assigned the accounting staff to her department, customer service. If you know Kelly from this season, then you know how the training session with Kevin, Oscar, and Angela went.

Kelly: Look, I know the reason that you guys became accountants is ’cause you’re not good at interacting with people. But guess what? From now on, you guys are no longer losers. So gives yourselves a round of applause.
Oscar: I wonder how many phone calls you’re missing while you’re teaching us to answer calls.
Kelly: I know, right? Probably a lot.
Angela: Can you just tell us what we need to do so we can go?
Kelly: Okay, Angela. I love your enthusiasm! All you need to know how to do is pick up the phone and say, “Customer Service, this is Kelly,” except don’t say Kelly. Say your own name. Or if you’re bored, you can just make up a name. Like one time, I said I was Bridget Jones, (British accent) and I talked like this for the whole conversation.
Kevin: Oooh, can I be … (awkward accent) Australian, mate?
Kelly: Absolutely!
Kevin: ‘ello … mate.
Kelly: I like ice cream. I need a boyfriend.
Kevin: I like ice cream, too, mate. Alli-ga-tors, and dingo babies.

There is a great deleted scene featuring Kelly and Angela up at NBC’s The Office Web site.

No action on the Karen/Jim/Pam front, and that is find by me. The show isn’t about them, after all, not wholly at least. It was nice to see all the interactions between the other characters in the place of more romantic plot development. I’m sure we’ll see things come to a head (that’s what she said. No time! But she did. NO TIME!) before the end of the season, which is three short weeks away. New episodes right up to the end!

As always, a big thanks to the fine folks at http://www.officetally.com/the-office-product-recall for the excellent work on quotes from the latest episodes!

Can You Ever Truly Be Safe in an Office?

Because of a late bedtime for the girls, Stacy and I got to this week’s installment of The Office a day late, but the time did not diminish the funny. You could almost feel Michael Scott’s feelings of inadequacy as he strived to take center role in Darryl’s warehouse safety training.

Darryl: Quiz. Mike. Should you drive the forklift?
Michael: I can and I have.
Darryl: No no no no no no. I said should you? You should not drive it. You should not drive the forklift. You understand?
Lonny: You’re not allowed to drive the forklift.
Darryl: It’s not safe. You don’t have a license.
Michael: Guys, I’m not the only one who’s driven the forklift. Pudge has driven the forklift.
Madge: Madge.
Michael: I thought your name was Pudge.
Madge: No, it’s always been Madge.
Michael: Okay. Um, her.
Darryl: Her. Yes, her is qualified to work a dangerous machine. You are not. Okay?
Michael: Fine.
Darryl: Do you understand that?
Michael: Yesh.

It made it even funnier when he attempted to prove how dangerous office work was. An ill-advised stray comment from Pam inspires the fearless (and clueless) Michael to demonstrate a suicide attempt from depression. It doesn’t sound funny until you consider his “safety measures”. The first attempt, a trampoline, was nixed when their “test watermelon” proved that bouncing from a trampoline onto Stanley’s car could be messy. I would have loved to see Stanley’s reaction when he saw the melony carnage spattered across his roof. That particular failure led to a great bit with Dwight “unshunning” and “reshunning” Andy repeatedly so he could communicate with the ostracized coworker.

Dwight: I’m temporarily lifting the shun.
Andy: Thank you.
Dwight: Means nothing. I need you to do something for me.
Andy: Anything.
Dwight: Okay, calm down. I need you to acquire an inflatable house and/or castle.
Andy: You mean a moon bounce.
Dwight: What do you think? You’ve got an hour.
Andy: I’m gonna need petty cash.
Dwight: Shunning resumed.
Andy: Do you, do you want a drawbridge?
Dwight: Un-shun. Yeah, that sounds good. Re-shun.

Andy got Michael a moon bounce castle to soften his landing. A moon bounce castle that was at least 20 feet away from the edge of the building. As Jim and Pam took odds on whether this was a serious suicide attempt (10000 to 1 against,) they realized that regardless, Michael Scott was going to kill himself to make a point.

Kevin: If someone gives you 10,000 to 1 on anything, you take it. If John Mellencamp ever wins an Oscar, I am going to be a very rich dude.

I loved seeing the transition from safety training to true suicidal depression as everyone tried to talk Michael down. Not even Jim and Pam could keep straight faces as Darryl lauded Michael for how brave he was for waking up everyday knowing he had to be himself.

Darryl: What about Jan? Lovely, lovely, lovely, Jan, man. It’s goin’ good, right?
Michael: It’s complicated with Jan. And I don’t know where I stand or what I want. The sex isn’t nearly as good as it used to be.
Darryl: Mike, you’re a very brave man. I mean, it takes courage just to be you. To get out of bed every single day knowing full well you gotta be you.
Michael: You really mean that?
Darryl: I couldn’t do it. I ain’t that strong and I ain’t that brave.
Michael: I’m braver than you?
Darryl: Way braver! You Braveheart, man.
Michael: I Braveheart. I am.
Darryl: Come on down, okay?
Michael: Okay. Pam, I’m coming down to get my present.

So who is the hero? Michael Scott, of course! Who else could get across the message, which was totally the plan all along, right?

Michael: I saved a life — my own. Am I a hero? I really can’t say. But, yes.

As for the Pam/Jim/Karen triangle, I found myself oddly conflicted this week. I have been steadily behind Karen since she hit the scene (if ya know what I mean ::wink::) but this week I seriously considered the Jim/Pam possibilities again. Maybe it was Pam’s participation in the escalating office pools. Ryan winning the bet that Kelly could talk for more than 2 ½ minutes about Netflix was priceless, by the way. Maybe it was Pam actually smiling and having a good time with the gang again. She’s got a great smile. Maybe it was fond memories from seeing her in decidedly less office-style attire in Blades of Glory last week. I don’t know what did it, but I may be back on the fence in the whole triangle debate. I do maintain, however, that no matter what happens with the triangle, Jim and Pam cannot sleep together. That would irrevocably destroy the sexual tension that keeps their onscreen relationship interesting.

Oh, and Nerfy Life would make a great name for a band.

As always, thanks to www.officetally.com for the handy quotes!