M. NightJimmyFallonla

I thought this exchange was worth recording. If you want to play along at home feel free to submit your own suggestions in the comment section.

Steve:
This looks incredible. I started reading the newer series when Darwyn Cooke (New Frontier) was doing it…I can’t wait for this.

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809838857/video/8831867

Ken:

This looks really cool. Visually stunning.

How many movies does someone have to do before they don't have to say "The Creator of XXX and YYY?" I would have thought Frank Miller was well-known enough by now. I mean, they don't have Spielberg trailers with "The man that brought you E.T. and Jaws" (Granted Spielberg is WAY bigger, but I couldn't come up with a better example.) Maybe Tarantino or M.Night Shama-lama-ding-dong-lan

Steve:
I watched ‘Unbreakable’ last week from Shama-lalalalalalalal-lan. Could have been so much better. So disappointing.

Ken:

They called him Mr. Glass...

I think Shamalan gets so caught up in his twist he ignores the rest of the movie.

The worst was the Village. I liked that movie except where the blind girl was running through a FOREST and only hit like one branch on the ground. She never ran full-bore into a tree. I have two good eyes and I'm pretty sure I would hit a tree eventually if I was running at a sprint through a forest.

Joel:
I think they were still billing M. Night SummerShamaSlam (sorry, best I could do) as the writer/director of various things to promote the Happening. Although why they think reminding people about stuff like the Village or Signs is a a good idea I haven't yet figured out.

Tom:

I would have gone with M. Night Shamalamadingdong.

Joel:
That's always my first thought, but Ken already took that one with his first email. And then Steve used the equally as awesome Shama-lalalalalalalal-lan, which I read in my head with Steve Carrell's voice from when he would do that on the Daily Show, and I felt like I was running out of good options.

And I didn't want to be derivative with something like Shama-lama-ooh-la-la. I guess I was having some trouble summoning the funny this morning.

Steve:
You could have done Shama-I make subpar movies because I am building up to an ending that will blow your mind but the rest of my movie really sucks-lan.

Ken:
Nice.

I would make it

Shama-I make subpar movies because I am building up to an ending that will blow your mind but the rest of my movie really sucks and sometimes the end sucks too because it's getting harder and harder to be unpredictable but studios keep giving me money to make movies-lan

Joel:
Awesome. I'm putting this on the blog.

(and so I did)

The best part about this was in between there was also a running commentary about Jimmy Fallon taking over for Conan O'Brien, which may be even funnier and went something like this:

Steve:
Do you guys watch the Daily Show at all? If not…I love what John Stewart is doing with this…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3wvf4JzFCU

Ken:

That's awesome.

I like Jon Stewart because he makes himself laugh sometimes, but not in that Jimmy Fallon way. It's more like "This is so absurd I can't' believe I'm doing it"

Tom:
Jimmy Fallon is annoying.

Joel:
And he's taking over for Conan...

Ken:
That can only last like two weeks right?

Steve:
I predict Jimmy Fallon's show will be less successful than either Chevy Chase or Magic Johnson's shows.

Ken:
Is there something less than none? Because that's where my vote is.

Steve:
A black hole...or a wormhole that takes you to a place where everything sucks...

Jimmy Fallon, The Mask 2, Hannah Montana, and any show with Jim Belushi.

Wax On, Wax Off, Wax Poetic

There's no "Idea" contained within this post, it's just a smaple ofhte many conversationsn we have every day. Since no else really reads this blog, I'm pretty sure I'm only posting this for posterity and to have a record of it for us to laugh about in a few years. We connected Aaron Burr to the Atari 2600 without even realizing it.

The following is a conversation between Tom, Joel, and Ken (Steve e-mail wasn't working that day):

Ken: Happy Anniversary Aaron Burr. On this day in 1804 he shot Alexander Hamilton. Now for the fact I was clueless about. Aaron Burr was Vice President at the time.

Tom: Yeah - he was Jefferson's VP, I believe!

Joel: I always forget that. You think Cheney would make a bigger deal about that kind of thing when people accuse him of stuff.

"Sure, I leaned on the Pentagon to give an enormous, no-bid contract to my old cronies at Haliburton... but at least I didn't shoot anyone."

Ken: Except that he did...

Joel: Ooh... good call. And they weren't even dueling.

Ken: Yeah. At least Burr was trying to do something and succeeded. That shows determination and commitment. Cheney was carless.

Tom: Did you ever read the story of the duel? It's pretty interesting. Some say that Hamilton shot away" from Burr, as if to say, "I'm not going to kill you." I guess it is a way to still keep your honor.

Burr didn't care and shot Hamilton anyway. I think he got it in the gut and then died while they rowed him away from the island the duel was held on.

Ken: That's awesome. I am really fascinated by this idea of "honor" and the lengths people will go to to save face, regardless of how ridiculous.

I just finished this book called "Monster of Florence". If you get a chance, pick it up. It's about a serial killer that haunted the Tuscan hills around Florence for 20+ years. The killings themselves were strange and there are a lot of shady characters involved, but the second half of the book deals mostly with the police and prosecutors and the ridiculous theories they come up with in order to find someone to blame for the killings and other evidence so that they can save face and their supposed reputation.

Tom: Whenever I hear "honor" I think of the horrible acting in Karate Kid 2. The funny thing? It's still better than KK3!

Ken: I don't know Karate Kid 3 was pretty good if you were a Bonsai enthusiast or liked wearing pony-tails.

Tom: I don't think there's a better offensive one-word description of KK2 than:

Gay.

Ken: Peter Cetera heartily agrees

Tom: I rest my case... Fill in the blank: "I am the man, who will fight, for your _______."

Ken: "Right to have a ceremonial dance at the old castle after the typhoon using the drum technique which is basically just flailing your arms back and forth in front of you" ???

Tom: I think that's it. Remember, when this movie happened, it happened at the end of the school year (Ali dumped Daniel after the prom). So, working backwards, Daniel started doing karate just after Halloween - when he got destroyed by Cobra Kai in skeleton costumes.

So if we say the Daniel/Chosun fight happened sometime in July (I'll even spot him a month)... That means Daniel only had 8 full months AT BEST of Karate training.

Drum technique or not, there is NO WAY Daniel-san wins that fight against a guy whose whole life has been karate - and teaches it in town!

Tom: Oh yeah - in case you weren't joking, the last word in the line of that Cetera song was "honor." I know the words to the cetera song off by heart. At least that line.

Ken: Unfortunately I know way too much of that song.
"Like you knight in shining armor, from a long time ago...!

Joel: I was in transit to campus, so I couldn't weigh in on KK2 until now, but I just wanted to add: Yes, the drum technique was ridiculously stupid, but (!) remember at the end how everyone in the audience is using their drum set and Chozen and Daniel are looking around like "What's going on?" and then Daniel figures it out and starts flailing? I got to give it to Daniel at that point because for someone who had been training in karate all his life and teaching it locally, Chozen would have to have been ridiculously stupid not to figure out the technique first. So, at that point, he deserves to lose.

Tom: All I'm saying is that Chosen should have never been in that situation to begin with. And it's not like the drum is some mystical non-defensible thing?

Now I have to go watch that movie again. : )

Joel: That is a good point.

And because this has got me thinking about it: Does anyone remember the KK2 game for the NES? My friend had it and whenever we would fight 1-on-1 he was usually Chozen who had the ability to walk from one side of the screen to the another (i.e., exit on the right and appear on the left) but Daniel couldn't.

I could never figure out if that was a glitch or if it was supposed to be symbolic of something, but it was annoying.

Tom: I never knew/remembered the KK2 game. However, that glitch was on the original Atari 2600 soccer game. I could kick the ball ahead of me, turn backwards and go through the left of the screen and appear on the right, picking the ball up. Do this two times and the defense is in the dust and you could score.

Voltron Merchandise

Inspired by this link, Tom came up with two great ideas that could lead into a giant merchandising campaign all centered around a rather underrated 80's cartoon, Voltron.

Idea #1: Big puffy slippers (adult-sized) in the form of the Blue and Yellow Voltron Lions. They have other cartoon characters and sports team slippers, but none fits so perfectly with footwear as the Lions that formed the feet of Voltron!

Idea #2: An outfit for a baby/toddler that includes pants that look like the Yellow and Blue lions and a hoodie with the red and green lions for sleeves (complete with lion mouth cuffs) and the Black lion as the head/hood. Dads who grew up watching Voltron would choose this over the "Grandma Spoils Me" shirt every time.

Google "Voltron Clothes" and you'll see how little there is out there (just a few shirts). Definitely nothing this sweet...

Great idea Tom!

Wooka- The Wookie Wash Service

Wookies wash stuff! Your car, your windows, the side of your building.

OK. Now seriously, you have a business where Wookies (or people dressed up as Wookies if you aren't lucky enough to find a real Wookie) go around and wash your car, your house, or your dog. Imagine the fun you could have at a fundraiser. Star Wars fans would line up around the block for this!

We've used our awesome skills to mock up what it might look like:


I'd totally stop at a car wash run by Wookies instead of a bunch of dumb cheerleaders.

Gamma Bomb

Credit for the creation of this idea goes to Tom and Brother Dan. I'll let Tom edit the post and fill in the details of its creation. All I can say is I tested this creation in it's weaker form and it's awesome.

This recipe, when concocted properly, creates an awesome green hue reminiscent of the Incredible Hulk. It's name is derived from the Marvel vs. Capcom video game. The Incredible Hulk's Special/Finishing Move was the Gamma Bomb. He would leap off screen and come back down with a giant boulder which he used to crush his foe. It was unstoppable and knocked you on your ass.

After having a few on Saturday night, I can say that the drink mimics the move (and I had the light version using Vodka). The best evidence of this drink's awesomeness came the morning after our testing sessions when my wife said "Ugh, I can still taste Gamma Bomb in my mouth" Combined with the fact that no one wanted orange juice the next morning means this idea gets an A+


The Gamma Bomb
Add 1 shot Grain Alcohol (where unavailable, Vodka will do) over orange juice and ice. Add just a splash of Blue Curacao and mix. (Perfect Hulk Green! - Tom)

Handle with Caution! Best advice is to use this drink between other, easier to handle, drinks and not to have seven or eight in a row, especially if you are using the grain alcohol. Or the next morning you may find yourself angry... and we wouldn't like you when you're angry.

It is all in the name...

Based on this article...

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6533169.stm

I proposed to the guys that we get into some space real estate. And what better place to buy than the planet Uranus. While it may seem juvenile, what planet could we better market? I mean Saturn has rings, Jupiter is big, and Mercury is a great place to get a tan, but Uranus...its in the name. So after that we talked about what we could put on bumper stickers. And here are some of our ideas...

"Welcome to Uranus"
"You Don't Know the Sun From Uranus"
"Cheer Up. Even the Sun shines on Uranus sometimes"
"Nothing is more famous than the ring around Uranus"
"You won't believe the gas on Uranus"

If you'd like a bumper sticker, let us know. We'll design it and get it to you.

MASK The Movie

It is high time that I write about one of my favorite cartoons growing up. While Transformers, GI Joe, and He-Man hit more of a mass popularity, MASK was always one of my most beloved cartoons growing up. With CGI and good actors, I think this could make a fabulous movie. You have MASK vs. VENOM and vehicles that transform. That is awesome.

I think the story should be that of an origin story. While the story can be deemed somewhat prototypical (is that a word?), you have a team set out to do good until one of their own wants more power and creates a team of adversaries for the "good" team. In this case, Miles Mayhem is part of MASK until he turns face, steals some masks, and starts his own criminal organization called VENOM. I think its always cool in the movie when each team recruits their own members and then you see this team put together. So while MASK is somewhat intact, I would like to see Miles put together a VENOM team in order to compete with MASK. After the formation of the teams VENOM gets word of something and tries to steal it. I know that is really, really descriptive but I am just trying to outline things here.

Now, the tricky thing would be deciding on who to have in the movie and who to cast. Here is my list so far. Now, I know I can't have everyone but hey...that is what sequels are for. I am trying to think of a cast...and that is what comments are for.

MASK
Matt Trakker - Thunderhawk
Scott Trakker
T-Bob
Bruce Sato - Rhino
Alex Sector - Rhino
Gloria Baker - Shark
Brad Turner - Condor
Hondo McLean - Fire Cracker
Julio Lopez - Firefly

VENOM
Miles Mayhem - Switchblade
Sly Rax - Piranha
Vanessa Warfield - Manta
Bruno Shepard - Stinger
Nash Gorey - Outlaw
Lester Sludge - Iguana
Floyd Malloy - Vampire

So what do you think...do I smell a movie deal?