Marvin Martian
Originally uploaded by scrappydaprince

It was 60 years ago today Marvin the Martian made his debut. For those of you that know me, I was all about the martian for a good number of years. While my Marvin love has cooled down, I do think I should honor the “man” today. Happy birthday, broom-head. Click on the link above to check out his first appearance. And put a comment about the little guy to earn a Martian Sock Point.

E3 show floor 14
Originally uploaded by tehpuppystuffer

Last week was the big brew-ha-ha for the video game industry, E3. This used to be the Super Bowl of the gamer set but they’ve scaled back to the point where it might not even exist next year. But it is still alive this year and it seemed like all the news came from the consoles. Microsoft went on the offensive with a few big announcements like Fantasy XIII is coming to the 360, too, (which I guess is a big deal… I’m not a FF player) and Netflix will send movies to Xbox 360 It requires a Netflix premium and Xbox Live Gold membership but . Some think this is not such a big deal but this might me consider joining Netflix.

The big news I was hoping for didn’t come. There’s a rumor stating Dead Rising 2 will be set in Vegas and I was hoping for some kind of confirmation or announcement. Didn’t happen. But it’s not all bad news: Dead Rising is coming to the Wii. No you can kill zombies with your Wiimote! Of course, there will be some changes but it seems like much will be the same.

Come to think of it, that news didn’t come out of E3. It came out of a magazine. So did this Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: Fusion preview. Well, preview might be too strong a word. But it’s more.

“Is that a star?”
“No, that’s Ted Danson.”

Not a good day for one of the dogs I am sitting. Also experiencing other problems so blogging didn’t get worked on today. Hopefully back at it (or something resembling “it”) tomorrow. Maybe these canines can cheer up my sad dog day.

see more dog pictures

Oh, you need a Sock Point, too? Link to your favorite LOL-type dog picture in the comment section, I guess.

Batman _ The Dark Knight 19
Originally uploaded by Lyricis

Another weekend has come and gone and the box office once again belongs to superheroes. Specifically, the Bat. It’s been a good summer for the superhero. Even Time Magazine has noticed comic books are Hollywood’s newest well. (Welcome to the party, outdated periodical.) And they’re right, comic book movies have become the big dog. Some think superheroes ruined the summer movie season. Those people are idiots. But, if this is so big that even old people magazines have figured it out, it should be time to ask how many comic book movies are too many? Yes, that’s a better question.

I think this summer is a good example of the most that’s going to work. I think next year will only have Wolverine representing the comic book crew. So those who are whining about too many super-heroes will have their way next year. Which, I doubt will be a good thing since I believe this summer has been a critical and commercial success thanks to our friends in tights.

By the way, go see Dark Knight. It is amazing.

“People need money. That’s why they call it money.”

Have It Your Way
Originally uploaded by Sister72

A little piece of advice for fast food joints: sometimes it’s better just to close your doors. If something happens that does not allow you to provide the basic service you build your entire business model around, just close down. Sounds like business basics but I’ve run into this on several occasions. So let me be very clear.

If you are an Arby’s location that is out of roast beef, probably no point in you staying open.

And today was the worst offender. For god sakes, there’s no point in a Burger King being open if you can’t make a burger.

If you can think of similar experiences, I’ll give you a Sock Point for it. I ain’t out of those. If I was, I think I’d close down until I could provide them again.

This looks like a bunch of kids recreating the Dark Knight trailer and even having a little fun with it. Since this is the big weekend of the actual movie, this seems appropriate.

You can send me a YouTube link or some other embeddable video provider and if I like it (or need it) enough to put it up here, Sock Point to you.

Feel free to send your suggestions to my gmail account. It’s woodmania. I’d type it out but I don’t need more junk mail. Just your YouTube suggestions.

A little something different today as the fight does not come from anything ever published. Confused? Let me explain: I was listening to the Uncanny X-Cast when I heard about this: Mike Zeck does re-creations of his classic artwork. So I went to his site and checked it out and found some cool stuff like the above image. Some of you are familiar with the above image but used to Wolverine clashing with ol’ Winghead from the classic cover of Captain America Annual #8. Zeck now does custom covers in the style of his greatest hits and will replace one of the characters with another. If I had a lot of money, this is definitely something I would get for myself. Since I’m cheap, I’m posting a previously done re-creation on my blog.

For a Sock Point, let me know what custom cover you would have Mike Zeck create. Bahlactus has spoken, even though he looks to be taking the rest of the month off.

This is Chris Woodside. He’s a local guy who has re-created a Batmobile. It’s one of about 50 such replicas in the country and I think this guy is going to become my best friend. Well, at least for a day.

“Atomic batteries to power. Turbines to speed!”

You know “That Guy.” I hate “That Guy.” First, I had to take the “That Guy” poll to make sure I wasn’t “That Guy.”

Fortunately, I’m not too bad. And the only part of the above that applies is the Hayden part. Although, I do think the Heroes cheerleader is overrated a bit. So, it looks like I’m not as annoying as “That Guy.”

Take the poll and let me know if you’re “That Guy” even if you’re not a guy at all. Yes, I’ll give you a Sock Point for it.

Stormtrooper
Originally uploaded by Anthony Georgis

Geeks have made an impact on the English language. And now it’s being reflected in the dictionary. Many of the new words in the official book are products of the techy persuasion. I don’t know if this means they are being elevated or the English language is plummeting. I think we’re still not accepting “Leet” so we’re still in good shape. One of the new words is fanboy. While I think it should be included in our official lexicon, I don’t agree with the actual definition:

a boy who is an enthusiastic devotee (as of comics or movies)

First off, I’m surprised how literal they made the term “boy” since most of the fanboys I know are men. Also, fanboys can be female. Just because women are into a glamorized New York lifestyle as opposed to dressing as Jedis doesn’t mean they’re less fanboyish. And people can be fanboyish about video games and cars and baskets and all sorts of stuff, not just comics and movies.

So, I don’t like limiting the gender of fanboys, the age of fanboys, nor the subject matter of fanboy devotion. Then again, that is the stereotype. And, if it’s in the dictionary, that will keep the narrow view alive. But I will continue to say anyone can be guilty of fanboyism about almost anything.

By the way, I was the only one I could find who didn’t use this story as an excuse to post a picture of some babe dressed as Slave Leia in a metal bikini. Amazing that I showed such restraint.

“Just like parents sometimes twist their kid’s arm, yanking them out of a busy street, sometimes the safest thing isn’t the most comfortable.”