It took awhile but finally an official Youtube version of the AMV which won three awards during Anime Expo 2010. Scintilla’s very excellent “And Now, A Word From Out Sponsors” is the latest entry to be AMV of the Day.
This AMV is pretty brief but what’s shown gives enough proof as to why it was voted by the Anime Expo attendees to win three categories. It won the Staff Favorite and Best Comedy categories, but it was winning the top prize for Best In Show which cemented this amv as top in a field that had some very good entries.
The video edits together several scenes from different anime to match the lyrics of the song. A song aptly titled “Burger Dance” by DJ Ötzi. Some effects work such as putting the KFC, Pizza Hut and McDonalds logos into the scenes were made, but in the end the song is just a laugh riot from start to end. It had everyone singing along to the chorus. That is just how great and fun an amv it was.
Now, if the creator of the amv “Alchanum” just follows suit and also uploads to Youtube that Best Drama amv winner.
Anime: Code Geass, Azumnaga Daioh, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, Fruit Basket, K-On, Axis Power Hetalia, Lunar Legend Tsukihime, Naruto, Princess Tutu, Revolutionary Girl Utena, serial experiements lain, Sgt. Frog, Soul Eater
Song: “Burger Dance: International Remix” by DJ Ötzi
It’s been almost a month since the final episode of the first season for the tv series adaptation of this comic book aired on AMC. The Frank Darabont and Gale Anne Hurd produced series became a major hit not just for the channel but also for everyone involved. While the adaptation deviated from the comic’s path at times in the end it helped established the post-apocalyptic world creator Robert Kirkman had been working five years to create. This is a world that is still on-going and, just weeks earlier, released the thirteenth volume of collected issues 73 thru to 78.
The 13th volume is aptly titled, Too Far Gone, as it continues where the previous trade paperback left off and that’s Rick and his group of survivors trying to settle in the safe, walled community in Alexandria, VA. This wasn’t the respite Rick and his group were hoping for, but it is as close to one as they’ll get as their original destination of Washington, DC resembles much of everything else they’ve seen and that’s unsafe devastation.
As Rick gradually gets used to going back as a lawman for the community everyone else do their part in doing the new jobs handpicked for them by the community’s leader Douglas. Through the first half of the volume we see through the point of view of certain character that this safe haven they’ve joined has it’s fair share of secrets and that not everything was as stable as they’ve been led to believe. While some of the revelations the reader will read as the volume unfolds doesn’t bring back images of Woodbury and The Governor, they do show that the underbelly of the Alexandria community is just as rotten but in other ways.
The title of the volume is in regards to Rick as a character and to a small degree the rest of his group. Here they are in a safe place with other survivors who just want to try and get back to living life the way it used to be. The paranoia and mistrust Rick has built within himself after the long journey from his hospital bed to this place has begun to chip away at not just his sanity but his humanity as well. He hasn’t turned the corner to become another Governor, but his actions in regards to trying to safeguard their new found safety does show that Rick and some in his group do not trust all the smiles and well-wishes thrown their way.
Rick knows that as safe as they all might seem now it doesn’t take much for all of it to come crashing down. It’s this looming threat that forces Rick to behave in ways which does have people question if he’s lost it and has he become a danger not just to their new benefactors but to his own people as well. The answer to this question wasn’t clear and remains, like all of Kirkman’s answer to certain moral question throughout the series, ambiguous and left up to the reader to decide if what Rick has done for the safety of his son and the others keep him in the role of hero or villain.
The volume ends in relatively safe conditions, but clues of an ominous consequence at the solution to some of the community’s outside problems may just bring a much bigger one in the next volume.
For those who are fans of the comic book the last two volumes has been slower affairs with quick bursts of action and horror. Like volume 6 and 7 previously, this relative calm before the storm may just bring about another major change to the roster of characters we’ve been following since the battle at the prison. Will we see another major kill-off of characters? Only Kirkman can answer that and it will be another 4-5 months before the next volume hits the streets. It will be a long wait indeed.
The newest entry in the “Song of the Day” feature takes us back in the glory days of the late 80’s when hard rock made a major come back. It’s only appropriate that I pick one of my favorite hard rock songs of the era: Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive”.
It was to be the third single released off of their monster third full-length album, Slippery When Wet. It would turn out to become their official anthem as millions of fans from several generations since it’s initial release. The Old West-themed song was a collaboration between frontman Jon Bon Jovi and band lead guitarist Richie Sambora. It took the two listening to Bob Seger’s own “on the road” song “Turn the Page” to bring inspiration to the two musicians. What they came up with was their own version of “Turn the Page” and it would become an instant hit and classic.
“Wanted Dead or Alive” would have one of the more recognizable openings with Sambora playing the initials chords on a Spanish guitar before the rest of the band comes in and Jon Bon Jovi starts singing about the hard life of a rock band as it travels from gig to gig. The lyrics to this song shows the less-than-glamorous side of a band no matter how successful they may be. The two musicians liken themselves to the Old West cowboys and gunslingers who, just like a rock band, lived like outlaws and on the edge of what’s morally decent as they passed from dusty towns to dusty towns plying their skills.
Even after 23 years since this song came out I’m still not tired of it and could always get me to sing along to it to the top of my lungs.
Wanted Dead or Alive
It’s all the same Only the names will change Everyday It seems we’re wastin’ away
Another place Where the faces are so cold I drive all night Just to get back home
I’m a cowboy On a steel horse I ride I’m wanted Dead or alive Wanted Dead or alive
Sometimes I sleep Sometimes it’s not for days The people I meet Always go their separate ways
Sometimes you tell the day By the bottle that you drink And times when you’re alone All you do is think
I’m a cowboy On a steel horse I ride I’m wanted (Wanted) Dead or alive Wanted (Wanted) Dead or alive
Ohh alright Ohh
Oh I’m a cowboy On a steel horse I ride I’m wanted (Wanted) Dead or alive
When I walk these streets A loaded six string on my back I play for keeps ‘Cause I might not make it back
I’ve been everywhere (Ohh, yea) Still I’m standin’ tall I’ve seen a million faces And I’ve rocked them all
‘Cause I’m a cowboy On a steel horse I ride I’m wanted (Wanted) Dead or alive
I’m a cowboy I got the night on my side And I’m wanted (Wanted) Dead or alive And I’m right (And I’m right) Dead or alive I still drive (I still drive) Dead or alive
Dead or alive Dead or alive Mm dead or alive Dead or alive
What better way to usher in Christmas Eve 2010 than by introducing the newest selection for “Hottie of the Day”. Our latest hottie is none other than UK glamour model Alice Goodwin.
Ms. Goodwin, like most glamour models in the UK, was discovered by talent scouts for one of Great Britain’s many tabloid newpapers. This time around it was a scout from the Daily Star who discovered Alice as she sunbathed on a beach in Bournemouth (coincidentally this was the very same beach where Daily Star model Lucy Pinder was discovered a few years earlier). She quickly made the Daily Star‘s roster of topless models and became a favorite of the paper’s readership. She has since expanded her modeling career by posing for other UK lad magazines such as Nuts, Zoo Weekly and Maxim. Alice has also released her very own pin-up calender her first two years as a model.
Alice Goodwin has become such a favorite with fans in Great Britain that she was voted hottest babe of 2009 in the UK edition of Maxim. With her career just starting to take off it shouldn’t be long before she joins past UK glamour models such as Lucy Pinder, Keeley Hazell and Rosie Jones in moving into videos and other branches of the entertainment media.
I will admit that I’m not the biggest fan of Kevin Smith as a filmmaker though I don’t dislike or even loathe the man the way some film bloggers seem to. He’s definitely much more talented than Uwe Boll despite what some people may say. I just think that Kevin Smith had ended up listening too much to his own press about how he was the indie darling of the 90’s. He lived too much in his past glories and stagnated as a creative artist.
His last few films were either bombs financially and/or critically. Smith just tried too much to replicate what he had done in the past when he should’ve been trying to expand his horizons and attempt new things. To say that his Cop Out was awful would be an understatement. One of the worst films of recent memory, but for some reason actors still want to work with the guy.
It’s a good thing that good actors still want to work with him because his upcoming film, a horror film at that and a straight out one, in 2011 looks to be Smith reinventing himself beyond his “Jay and Silent Bob” era.
Red State looks like it’s just plain horror and the teaser trailer doesn’t seem to show any black humor or any humor at all that seem to be part and parcel of any Kevin Smith production. The teaser has a fundamentalist eerie vibe to it and with Michael Parks in what looks to be a Fred Phelps of Westboro Baptist Church infamy has definitely peaked my interest.
If Neil Gaiman, who has already seen the finished product (or close to being finished), was shaken by the experience but in a good way then my optimism for this film may not result in another Kevin Smith disappointmen. One can only hope.
So, we finally have hit the goal of 500th post for the site’s first year.
I had thought to commemorate this achievement by writing up a film review or maybe one of the other writers post something appropriate, but I thought what better way to do this than post something about zombies.
Zombies have been big again of late. The recent premiere season of the TV adaptation of The Walking Dead and the continuation of the original comic book series it’s based on. The TV series’ success has brought the topic of zombies back to the forefront with fans and non-fans sharing a common appreciation for this horror sub-genre which has remained the dirty, stepchild cousin to the more glamorous and fantasy-fulfilling monsters calling themselves vampires.
Vampires have been in the general public’s consciousness due to the popularity of the Twilight book and film series not to mention the TV shows True Blood and The Vampire Diaries. These three franchises have made the vampires sexy and popular once again. While they’re not the silk and lace types popularized by author Anne Rice during the 80’s they still portray the vampires as dangerous, but also conflicted and over-emotional creatures who curse their lot as much as embrace it.
Zombies on the other hand have began their inevitable decline after the market was flooded by legion of sub-par books and films. For every Dawn of the Dead (remake) and Shaun of the Dead we got stuff like Day of the Dead (remake) and direct-to-DVD titles such as Zombie Wars and Last Rites. But thanks to the Robert Kirkman’s critically-acclaimed and very popular zombie comic book series and it’s subsequent TV adaptation by showrunner Frank Darabont the zombies have had a major resurgence that brought the question of which was better: zombies or vampires.
These two monsters have their histories both in entertainment and in folklore. The vampire legend and myth could trace itself back to the beginning of human history as early human civilizations always had in their stories and own legends creatures risen from the grave to drink the lifeblood of those still living. There’s Lilith of the Judeo-Christian faiths who some attribute to being the mother of all vampires. There’s also Cain himself who many thought was the progenitor of the original vampire myth. Every major religion both past and present have had their version of the vampire, but while they’ve remained as stories told to warn children of the dangers of the night they were never truly told as part of entertainment. Only in the past hundred or so years have vampires begun to make their mark on the realm of entertainment.
Zombies on the other hand have always been the younger sibling. It’s history has it’s basis on local religious folklore from African slaves brought over to work the plantations of Imperial colonies in the West. The zombies of these West Indies folklore were not the flesh-eating creatures we now know, but just another form of slavery. The flesh-eating aspect of the zombies would not make it’s appearance until a filmmaker from Pittsburgh decided to make his recently risen dead to become flesh-eaters. Night of the Living Dead gave birth to the zombies that’s turned legions of readers and monster aficionados into fans of the monster. A monster who wasn’t as strong or as sexy as the vampire, but much scarier and quite more apocalyptic in its nature. It’s this apocalyptic aspect of the zombie monster which keeps this younger monster from becoming fully eclipsed by it’s more older sibling the vampire.
Now, a question was brought up by the websites Zombie Ammo and Vampybit.Me about the topic on vampires and zombies. With the current popularity of these two monsters there was bound to be a debate on who would win in a match-up between the two monsters for domination of the world.
In one corner we have vampires who retain their intellect and have increased all their senses and even given supernatural abilities. They also remain living dead who need the blood of the living to survive with their faculties intact. No blood means having to waste away into a sort of limbo where death doesn’t truly come but also living death becomes a paralyzing curse only to be lifted with infusion of this life giving blood.
In the other corner we have zombies who are literally mindless with only the primal instinct to feed the only motivation for their existence. But feed on living flesh they must and their hunger has no limit. Their literally a locust on a global scale which would scour the planet of all living things. It doesn’t matter whether the flesh is human or animal but it has to be the warm, living flesh that feeds them. In the end, zombies would become the extinction-level event for humanity.
So, who would win in such a battle for domination.
Vampires need humans. While their appetites ultimately kills their human victims they do try to keep their feeding in moderation. While there are stories and films that paints a world where vampires rule the planet openly they still maintain slave-colonies and/or human farms where they allow their human cattle to breed and multiply thus their food source remains constant. Human extinction is not what vampires want, but control of humanity instead. Controlling their food and harvesting them in an efficient manner. Only a select few would be turned into vampires. Humans who are willing to serve their undead lords would protect them during the daytime and become Renfield overseers over those humans who do not feel the same.
Zombies on the other hand do not care whether their appetites have been sated by a recent feeding. They will continue to feed as long as a living human and/or animal is in their reach. They would gorge themselves to the infinite for that’s what their instinct drives them to do. Human won’t be able to reason or subjugate themselves upon these monsters. These monsters do not have the wherewithal to ration their food source. The fact that death itself (any death whether through zombie, accident or natural) would just add to their geometrically increasing numbers.
How can humanity find a way to stave off extinction in the face of such a surge of death?
The answer to that is the answer to who would win between vampires and zombies. An answer that some may not agree with (being a zombie fan I’m actually surprised I came to this conclusion), but is the correct one when the question was logically looked at.
Vampires would win over zombies.
I say this because despite the vampires having lesser numbers they would have the intellect and know-how to defeat the legions of walking dead. They do this not out of the goodness of their unbeating hearts, but out of necessity. A necessity that ties their existence with the continued existence of humanity. A humanity that becomes extinct due to a zombie apocalypse would inexorably lead to the very downfall of the vampires themselves.
Vampires on skill alone would be able to destroy any zombies they come across. The fact that their flesh are cold and they’re not living makes them invisible to the zombies. They don’t want to feed on dead flesh because if they did then they would turn on each other instead. This aspect of the vampire keeps them upright and ready to fight.
With their food source endangered by this upstart monster the vampire would have no choice but to protect this valuable resource. As we’ve seen with the more popular types of vampire stories and film it is that vampires are small in numbers, global and ruled over by a council of elders who governed clans of vampires. They impose rule of vampiric law to make sure that their kind remain secret from the world at-large and/or keep their numbers down to better keep the vampiric plague from becoming a wildfire that would scour the planet of life.
It would be up to these governing bodies of vampires to make sure humanity doesn’t succumb to any form of zombie apocalypse. The level of survival for humanity from such an apocalypse will depend on how quickly vampires marshall their meager, but powerfu forces to stave off the inevitable tide of walking dead. They could respond right away and stop the tide before it becomes a global pandemic or their response would be slow and bring humanity to the brink.
In the end, vampires would do whatever it takes to keep humanity from joining the likes of the dinosaurs and mammoth. Whether it’s using their own supernatural-given abilities to destroy zombies by the score and hundreds. Or they could reveal themselves to humanity as vampiric saviors and giving them a choice: become extinct by way of an unchecked zombie apocalypse or allowed to be ruled by a vampiric elite who would protect them from this tide.
It’s a lousy choice for humanity, but one that I think they would choose for the latter (until they find a way to defeat both and keep themselves whole). The prospect extinction is a powerful motivator for a species and choosing to continue one’s species even under the rule of a parasitic race is a better choice than dying out under the teeth and clawed nails of the walking dead.
As you can tell I’m a huge fan of both (though I lean more towards zombies) and have thought about this topic on more than one occasion. This site has seen many posts about zombies though not enough about vampires which would need to be remedied. There’s the ongoing reviews of The Walking Dead in both it’s comic book and TV series form. There was also the reviews of this past summer’s anime series hit which also dealt with the zombie apocalypse but with a level of T&A involved to spice things up a bit. I speak of Highschool of the Dead.
Feel free to leave comments about what you think the conclusion I arrived at. Who do you think will win out between vampires and zombies? Which of the two do you like to read and watch more of? If there was a zombie apocalypse would you try to survive on your own or submit yourself to a vampiric protector and hope they don’t run out of their own supply of blood?
For our latest song of the day we go old school rock. We go to a popular little tune from the rock band who call the Land of Eire their home. I am talking about Thin Lizzy’s “Whiskey in the Jar”.
This song is a traditional Irish ballad which some have dated its origin as the 17th-century. Though the song has been sung and covered by many bands through the last hundred years many today are more familiar of the cover done by Thin Lizzy and it’s legend bass guitarist/lead vocalist Phil Lynott. They released their cover of “Whiskey in the Jar” in 1972. The song became a major hit for the band and has remained one of the most beloved rock songs of the past 30 or so years.
The interesting thing about this song is the fact that Thin Lizzy were quite angry that the song was released as a single since they thought the song didn’t really show the band’s true image and sound. They have seen accepted it one of their many songs which would be a strong legacy for the band long after it’s long gone.
Whiskey in the Jar
As I was goin’ over the Cork and Kerry mountains I saw captain Farrell and his money he was countin’ I first produced my pistol and then produced my rapier I said stand o’er and deliver or the devil he may take ya
Musha ring dum a do dum a da Whack for my daddy-o Whack for my daddy-o There’s whiskey in the jar-o
I took all of his money and it was a pretty penny I took all of his money and I brought it home to Molly She swore that she’d love me, never would she leave me But the devil take that woman for you know she tricked me easy
Musha ring dum a do dum a da Whack for my daddy-o Whack for my daddy-o There’s whiskey in the jar-o
Being drunk and weary I went to Molly’s chamber Takin’ my money with me and I never knew the danger For about six or maybe seven in walked captain Farrell I jumped up, fired off my pistols and I shot him with both barrels
Musha ring dum a do dum a da Whack for my daddy-o Whack for my daddy-o There’s whiskey in the jar-o
Now some men like the fishin’ and some men like the fowlin’ And some men like to hear a cannon ball a roarin’ Me, I like sleepin’ specially in my Molly’s chamber But here I am in prison, here I am with a ball and chain, yeah
Musha ring dum a do dum a da Whack for my daddy-o Whack for my daddy-o There’s whiskey in the jar-o
And I got drunk on whiskey-o And I love, I love, I love, I love, I love, I love my Molly-o….
It must be that time of year because the presents just keep on coming.
Just a few days ago we saw the return of the “Hottie of the Day” feature with Colombian model and entrepreneur Daniela Tamayo kicking it all off once again. This time around we follow-up one Ms. Tamayo with another hottie from her neighborhood. I speak of the lovely Sandra Valencia.
Ms. Valencia is another Colombia beauty who hails from Medellin, Colombia (I really must visit this place now). She has become one of the more popular and hottest models from this South American country and that’s saying a lot considering that previous hotties like Daniela Tamayo and the Davalos Twins also come from the same country. Sandra has turned the eyes of many people with her work for renowned lingerie company Besame Lingerie. She also has showcased her talents for other top brands like Diesel, Leonisa and Chevignon.
It her passion for modeling which has spurred Ms. Valencia to return to school to learn about fashion design which she hopes will help her launch her own lingerie line of products. Just like one of the writers for the site she also loves lingerie and sees it as a woman’s unspoken poetry. Maybe the two can share tips on what would look best on any given night.
I thought it was right about time to bring back an oldie, but goodie feature for the site which has languished in hiatus for the past couple months. The latest “Hottie of the Day” is one Daniela Tamayo.
Ms. Tamayo was born in New York City, but at the age of 5 moved to Medellin, Colombia and has lived there since. This doesn’t stop her from being fluent in English. Though Spanish or English it doesn’t matter since her very presence will cause men (and probably some women as well) to be dumbstruck. Like her fellow American-expatriates and Colombian models the Davalos twins, Daniela has taken to modeling quite well with her work as one Besame Lingerie’s feature models making Ms. Tamayo the talk of South America.
Some would think she would rest on her looks alone, but Daniela also has quite the entrepreneurial streak in her. She has started her own restaurant in her hometown of Medellin. Now, I have a reason to actually visit Medellin, Colombia that doesn’t involve visiting the resting place of the one they call Pablo.
Whether modeling or running a business, Ms. Daniela Tamayo is a perfect candidate for our latest Hottie of the Day.
Like the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise this Vin Diesel racing franchise has been milked liked it has never been milked before. While it hasn’t reached the level of the Saw series this action-racing film series is definitely getting up there.
What started as Hollywood’s look and attempt to show underground street racing has become a joke amongst those who actually race for real. There’s a term for people who began to trick out their rides with elaborate color schemes, flames shooting out of exhaust pipes, body kits that changed the looks of the car right down to computerized control panels. Those people were going “fast and furious” and that wasn’t a compliment.
Real racers try to lighten a car and add horsepower instead of adding so much crap the way the people in the films do. They got the right cars to use whether it’s the so called “ricers” like Nissan Skyline to Subara Imprezas to Honda Civics or American classic muscle cars like the Dodge Charger R/T to Plymouth GTO’s. Everything else in terms of racing in this series are laughable, but entertaining and to Hollywood that is all that matters.
The last film in the series, Fast and Furious, has begun to move the franchise away from underground racing and into the realm of an action-thriller except with people racing cars. I’m fine with that and this latest entry in the franchise looks to move it even further from it’s roots. Plus, it has Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson playing another role to move him away from his Disney-fied roles of the past five years.
From the look of the trailer I think I will enjoy this flick. It’s not trying to reinvent anything plus it has Gal Gadot in it and that to me spells win.
Through the Shattered Lens