Mega Man 2 Lullabies

Guess what my son will be listening to when its time for bed tonight?!?

MEGA MAN 2 LULLABIES!

These sweet piano renditions from select Mega Man 2 songs are a free download, so fans should definitely grab the free tunes!

Batman and Twinkies

I don't think this is the same "League of Assassins" we know today from the Animated Series or the Nolan movies...

This is just one of the many super-hero Hostess ads I recently discovered on this page, back when Batman, Spider-Man, more would get into some crazy hijinks involving snack cakes as the answer.

RIP Hostess.

Happy New Year!

Ok, so I dropped the ball on having some content ready while I was on vacation for the holidays. Let me make it up to you by sharing this video, a very Mega Man Xmas:


   

A very Happy 2013 to you!

Old Super Mario

This is the saddest/tenderest video game-based comic I have ever seen:

Old Super Mario (Tiny Cartridge)

Pew pew

I can't believe November is over already. Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

He's not a Bad Guy

I was extremely pleased by Disney's Wreck-It Ralph, a wonderfully tender and introspective animated tale. Here are my highlights:

• Top-notch voice casting
• Good balance for an "all-age movie", something Pixar's recent movie "Brave" didn't have
• As an older viewer, a healthy dose of nostalgic video game characters: everything from Pac-Man to Street Fighter 2
• For an animated movie, it hits on the more mature themes of identity and self-image
• *sniff*...What? No, I'm not crying during a cartoon...I just have something in my eyes... *sniff* It's so touching, pass the tissues...

I definitely recommend it if you can catch in the theater, or once it comes out on DVD.

Alicia Keys covers Disney's "Gummi Bears" theme song

Seriously, only on Jimmy Fallon could this happen:

Alicia Keys Breaks Hearts With 'Adventures of the Gummi Bears' Cover (MTV Geek)


What a brilliantly quirky piece of promotion Alicia, and kudos to you for reminding me of my addiction to the Disney Afternoon block of cartoons from my childhood. RIP Gummi Bears. Next I want a soulful rendition of the Duck Tales theme song by Hall & Oates...oh wait...

I love New England in the Fall

I was fortunate enough to have Columbus Day off this past weekend and the timing of the long weekend was perfect as I really needed sometime to recharge the 'ol batteries. While a relaxing weekend, the Mrs. and I were able to partake in the great New England Fall tradition of apple picking. Besides getting a huge bagful of apples from Bolton Spring Farm, we were recommended this tasty treat:

Pulled pork over a cider donut! This photo stirred quite a reaction when I initially posted it on Facebook :) While a bit sweet for my tastes, it was a clever pairing and also prompted me to buy a half dozen cider donuts for the ride.

I also have to plug the movie Looper which I saw Monday at the Somerville Theater. I was blown away with their prices: $6 for any movie before 6PM! I am definitely catching more movies here in the future.

Anyhow, I'm terrible at movie reviews, but I have to say it is one of my favorites of the year. Dealing with a plot that includes time travel can often be headache-inducing, however the way Looper handles the plot device is both clever and tongue-in-cheek, encouraging viewers to not think about it too much and just enjoy the ride. On top of a great story, the movie is also beautifully shot and I think you get some great performances from the entire cast, both major and minor characters. Bottom line: Looper is a smart sci-fi film that is definitely worth checking out.

Lastly, it's almost time for Halloween, and I stumbled upon these lovelies:

If any old school Transformers is willing to shell out $60 for these hoodies, then you too can play out your Optimus Prime or Grimlock fantasies this Halloween.

Tuesday's Tunes: Private Eyes

Private Eyes
By: Hall & Oates

Now ask me, after you watch/listen to the 80's gem above, tell me what is there NOT to like about this video?

• Creepy, stalker-like lyrics? CHECK!
• White man with jerry curl? Thanks to John Oates, CHECK!
• Neon sports coat with huge shoulder pads? Oh heck yea, CHECK!
• The claps, oh, how I love the claps!

Did I mention I already own Halls & Oates greatest hits album? No surprise there my friends.

Tuesday's Tunes: Trouble Is

Just continuing on my Jars of Clay kick, I've also been playing catch up on their more recent releases and really enjoying the "Good Monsters" and "The Long Fall Back To Earth" albums immensely.  That probably means some of those songs will show up on this blog in the coming weeks. Happy listening!


Trouble Is
By Jars of Clay

Tuesday's Tunes: Disappear

I've recently rediscovered my old Jars of Clay CDs, and one of my favorites is their "Eleventh Hour" album. I remember popping in this disc on a regular basis in my college days. The track below, "Disappear," would kick-off that sonic journey, and the album would always end much earlier than I anticipated...I'm sure there's some kind of life metaphor to be found there.


Disappear
By Jars of Clay

Verse 1
I watch you smile
You steal the show
You take a bow
The curtain falls in front of you
You're magical, on display
I gaze into your eyes and
You turn to look the other way

Chorus
But I'd really love to know
I'd really love to climb
My way into your heart
And see what I could find
I'd walk into your skin
Swim through your veins
See it from your eyes
I'd really love to try...yeah

Verse 2
Standing still, but in my mind
Trying to escape
Looking for a place to hide
Well it's not safe but I'm so near
Invading every place you go
To disappear

Bridge
I'd really love to know
I really want to climb
Into your soul
Walk into your skin
Swim through your veins
See it from your eyes
I'd really love to try
I'd really love to try

8-bit Vendetta

8-BIT Vendetta from threadless.com

I did always hate that dog...

The Menace of Krang

Photo from Dork Dimension

You guys, I had no idea this thing existed until a month ago. That is 11 inches of pure Krang Android goodness. 10-year-old me would have LOVED this...oh who am I kidding, 30-something me would love to have this on my bookshelf.

Amazing Transformers/G.I. Joe Mash-up

 Check out more pictures and other custom figures on the toycutter webpage.

Suggested Reading: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 1: Change is Constant
Written by Kevin B. Eastman and Tom Waltz
Art by Dan Duncan

Amazon.com Summary:

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles return to comics in their first IDW adventure! It''s a different world for the Turtles. The group is broken as Raphael wanders the streets of NYC in search of food and shelter. His brothers and Master Splinter are on the search, but so far all they can find is trouble - in the form of mutant alley cat Old Hob and his gang of criminals! The very core of the Turtles family is at stake as the new origin of TMNT is revealed! Join Tom Waltz, Dan Duncan, and TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman for the start of a wild ride!

Originally created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are firmly rooted in the popular superhero comics of it's time, most notably Frank Miller's run on Daredevil and the incredible popularity of Marv Woflman's run on the New Teen Titans.

However, like many of my peers, the original black-and-white comics were not my first exposure to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but rather the cartoon of the late 80's. Shortly after my introduction to the cartoon, I became obsessed with the action figures, and sure enough, my love for the Turtles led me to the kid-friendly Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures published by Archie Comics. I vaguely remember picking up my first issue on a trip to KB Toys (rest in peace, mall-staple of my childhood), and predates my interest in superhero comics by a couple of years.Needless to say, this franchise holds a special place in my geeky heart.

While the Turtles never really went away, they certainly waned in popularity after the initial cartoon launch and the kids of that era grew into teenagers themselves. More recently however, the Turtles are popping up in the news again thanks to a new cartoon from Nickelodeon later in 2012, a new toy line from Playmates who made the original action figures , and even a movie from Michael Bay that's been raising all sorts of controversy. And now, in addition to all of that excitement, TMNT has  alsoreturned as a new ongoing comic series and even enlists one of the original creators, Kevin Eastman, which lends quite a boost in the legitimacy of this series as a torchbearer to a new era for the Turtles.

So how does the new series hold up? Quite nicely if you ask me. While the artwork can be a bit shaky at times, the story itself is a nice blend of what's come before in Turtle lore for a good dose of nostalgia, and doesn't come off at all as stale.

The first four issues of the series have been collected as Volume 1, "Change Is Constant", which I would readily recommend to any fan open to a modern interpretation

Rating: 3.5/5.0

If you'd like to read more on the origin of the Turtles, check out this great history lesson from Comics Alliance!

Tuesday's Tunes: Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers

Here are two great 80's covers from Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers, live from their "Van Sessions." Keep your eyes and ears out for a kazoo solo on "I Can't Go For That" and some sweet sounds from the melodica on "Material Girl"!

Cover of Hall & Oates - I Can't Go For That

Cover of Madonna - Material Girl

Check out the Rise of the Guardians movie trailer

This is all kinds of awesome:

Link Round-up: Week of April 2, 2012

Another work week has come and gone. Only a few items for this week's post, but be sure to check out the video above for some truly bizarre footage: Dancing to "I'm Han Solo" from the new Kinect Star Wars game.

• What I remember most about LEGOs (The Oatmeal)[toys, nostalgia, humor]
• What if the Facebook were invented in the 1990s? (Retroist)[nostalgia, humor]

Thanks for reading and have a great Easter weekend!

Link Round-up: Week of March 19, 2012

I decided to add some tags to the links I share here. Hopefully it will help you guys navigate through my eclectic interests :)

Oh geeky fashion...

• Marvel Comics Superhero Polo Shirts at MightyFine (Comics Alliance)[comics, clothes]
  
• Warm Weather Essentials: The Boat Shoe (Primer)[shoes]
• Parks and Recreation Ron F***ing Swanson BBQ Sauce (NBC Store)[food, television, humor]
  

A little TMNT Lego art

• Minimalist Lego Sculpture Ads Capture Cartoon Favorites (Comics Alliance)[toys, nostalgia]
• Pig Candy (A Cozy Kitchen)[food, recipes]

TC Electronic Trinity Reverb 

Link Round-up: Week of February 26, 2012

Happy Friday and welcome to the month of March!

I like sharing links that pique my interest via Facebook and Twitter, so I thought I'd do a weekly round-up on the blog as well, happy reading!

• Superman Telecaster guitar body (Etsy)
• It's MODOK Madness Running Wild In March! (MTV Geek)
• 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Cartoon Introduction Redone in Stop Motion (Retroist)
• New (and Awesome) Avengers Movie Trailer (Apple)
• Six-Legged Giant Finds Secret Hideaway, Hides For 80 Years (NPR)
• Is It Time to Cut Bait When It Comes to Mediocre Sushi? (NYT)
• Rich and Creamy Tonkotsu Ramen Broth (Serious Eats)