Today

Take this as either good news (which I do) or a warning... but Will Ferrell and Adam McKay are talking about making a sequel to Anchorman.



Over the past couple of years, I've really warmed to the original movie, and if they get the entire band back together, it should be killer.... almost like a miniature Buddha, covered in hair.

And I can't mention Anchorman without posting this video... again. It may be why I like the movie so much these days.

Yesterday

A few weeks back, Jeremy Barker of Popped Culture had a post entitled Cereal Mascot Reunion... and when I saw the following video recently, I thought it carried that theme to the next level.



Recurring features... how they fill up a week of blogging, much the way Corn Pops fill up an empty stomach. Does anyone else suddenly crave breakfast cereal?

May 3

Hello from a beach by the ocean. It looks pretty desolate here except I can see something in the distance... it looks like a giant Tim Burton taking a huge dump on the Statue of Liberty. You Maniac! You wrecked Planet of the Apes! Ah, damn you! God damn you to hell Tim Burton!

*ahem*

This week's winning entry comes from the recent annals of Monkey Muck, and like last week, it is another picture, and well, it is special. Dr. Monkey von Monkerstein did some fine fine work. Indeed, it was the perfect intersection of caption and image (and label truth be told). I'll never look at Bruce Vilanch the same way again.

So to go with this week's winning entry, well, I once again found myself mining the depths of Homer Simpson related near nudity, but don't read too much into it. I love Homer, but only as a friend. And just for the record, I liked the maligned band's Passion Play and Thick as a Brick, so it is possible to burn something I like and still win.



So congratulations to the good simian doctor... may this badge serve you well.



The rules of this little contest: Every week I will be selecting one blog post that I have seen from the vast reaches of the blogosphere to bestow with the Homer Simpson Transmundanity Award for being one of the freakiest(in a funny way) things I've seen or read during a 7 day period. It doesn't necessarily have to have been written during the week, I just had to have encountered it. That means that if you find something interesting and repost it like a movie or whatever, if I saw it at your blog first, you get the prize. Of course, creating your own content is also a very good way to win.

Now, if you see a post that you think is worthy of this illustrious prize, just drop me a line at campybeaver@gmail.com and we'll see if we can't get your suggestion up and award-ready while giving you some credit and a link to your own blog.

May 2

Just so you don't have to read or watch any of the coverage of Grand Theft Auto IV this week on any of the mainstream news sites, channels or programs, here is the basic gist of every story about the game condensed into its most essential points.

--

GTA IV is a violent game that is poised to give the movie Iron Man a run for its money this weekend as the most popular form of media entertainment this weekend. And despite the fact that there is some economic turbulence at this time, people are spending record amounts of money buying it at 60 dollars a pop.

But crusaders like Jack Thompson and the Parents Television Council are unhappy with the violent and sexually degrading content of this game, and want retailers to ensure that children can't buy it followed by a set of nebulous statistics about either the number of kids who have played the series, a mention of a particular court case that involved a violent act or a recent shoplifter who stole a copy of GTA IV along with a few other games from a California Gamestop.

Now, let's talk to three adults on the street and in a game store about this controversial title.

First, the concerned adult woman who thinks that people shouldn't make games like this. Second, a young male gamer who gushes about the game and talks up its narrative merits. And then finally, a young mother or father who is buying the game for their son aged 12-14, followed by an picture of the game's ESRB ratings sticker.

Finally, let's talk to a media critic or a representative from Rockstar Games about the impact of the game or the fact that aside from all the criminal activities, one could also just play the game to explore a vibrant and dynamic urban environment without resorting to criminal acts. While they are talking about this, show footage or post a picture of Niko running from the police, looking through the scope of a sniper rifle or generally causing a lot of destruction. And then add a witticism or other journalistic flourish at the end and call it a day.

--

Yeah, I think I hit all the major points that these stories hit this week. Of course, this is just the generic story for the mainstream press. For the technical or video game specialty channels, one would have to add a section talking about the history of the series, a snippet about Xbox Live and a mention about the technical wonders of the game engine... and maybe a reference to Electronic Arts attempted takeover of Rockstar's parent company, Take Two as the icing on that cake.

Now I was also going to do the generic forum posts about GTA IV, but I thought that getting a frontal lobotomy necessary to do so wasn't worth it.

I ran across this very succinct review of the above movie, and well, I thought it was worth sharing. From the pen of Richard Roeper: Wow. What a piece of garbage.

And then I went to Rotten Tomatoes and discovered that of the reviews it has gotten, only 9 percent of the 13 critics that were allowed to see it liked it. NINE PERCENT! That means Expelled is only 4% more watchable than The Hottie and the Nottie.

Of course, I also happened to look up another movie that was opening this week, and well, I think it is a better bet for your movie-going dollar. The name escapes me at the moment, but I do remember that there was also a Black Sabbath song with the same name and it stars an Oscar nominee. What's it called? Ferrous Male?

Oh that's right... Iron Man. I wonder what that has on Rotten Tomatoes at the moment.

Hmmm... a 96% approval rating from 112 reviews. Well, that sounds like a high number. Does it sound like a high number to you?

But then again, the people behind Iron Man actually wanted to show their movie to the critics, because, you know... they were proud of their work and weren't afraid to have public scrutiny before it opened to a wider audience. I am trying to think of a movie that was released recently that didn't have critics screenings that I liked, and you know what... I can't think of one. It is just a bad sign all around.

May 4

The Week in Review Lots of stuff I didn't get to this week... Gossip Girl saw the debut of Michelle Trachtenberg as Serena's evil nemesis, Georgina. As I mentioned last week, she'll always be Dawnie to me, but apparently Dawnie's all grown up... and she's a total bitch. Trachtenberg was awesome in the role, and I believed every manipulative moment. What do you think the big secret is between her

May 3

Ugly Betty a Hot Tranny Mess And I mean that in the best possible way... This past Thursday's episode of Ugly Betty was hilarious, with an over-the-top cameo from none other than Mr. Ferocia himself, Christian Siriano of Project Runway. Since winning the competition at the preschool age of 21, he's become a favourite of comedians and impersonators, and he seems to be okay with that. The best

Lost Season 4 DVD Announced The Lost season 4 DVD box art has officially been released, along with the list of the bonus materials and the release date (December 9, 2008). This means they're essentially releasing it on the same day as last year. I still think it would be better for them to bring it out in October or November and give people a chance to watch it before season 5, but then again,

May 1

Lost: 4.10 “Something Nice Back Home” “Papa, can you hear me?” This week’s episode boasted more of a story and less mystery than last week’s (thank goodness for that… my head is still hurting from that one), and two major storylines of the future are starting to evolve. In the one corner, we have the Hurley/Jack/Kate/Aaron story, with Sun on the periphery of that one, and in the other corner,

I'm Sorry... What?! If you're ever feeling clueless about what's been happening on Lost, check out this hysterical YouTube recap of the first three seasons. It's the perfect look at the bewilderment of the castaways... in order of seasons. I laughed out loud several times. Thanks to redeem147 for the link!