Just Because: EG Daily

I'm a big fan of the movie "Better Off Dead". It was my introduction to John Cusack and for years I thought I was the only one who enjoyed watching the movie over and over on my VHS copy taped from HBO. When I got to high school I started realizing other people knew the movie, which is now regularly recognized as not only a great 80's film, but a damn fine Savage Steve Holland comedy (not that he has many others).

In honor of Summer movie season starting this weekend, I give you E.G. Daily's "One Way Love (Better Off Dead)"
(PS- Sorry your Mom blew up, Ricky.)

And Now This Important Announcement

With the weekend at hand, I thought I'd leave your week with these parting words of wisdom:


Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

KOTCS score drops on May 20!

UPDATE!
The Amazon site now has the CD cover and tracklisting, too. Beware minor spoliers on those tracklistings, though.

The Raider.net posted a blurb that notes the release date of John Williams' forthcoming score for Indy IV. I cannot wait!

Amazon is already taking pre-orders for the new CD.

Brandon Hardesty goes to Hollywood

I love Brandon Hardesty's re-enactments. I admit it. They're like a guilty pleasure for me. I hope the guy does well in Hollywood, but that we still get to enjoy some of his personal work on the Internet from time to time.

Hey Hollywood, why not remake THIS?

Sometimes you see something and think, "Damn, that's so incredibly bad. I love it!" Unfortunately, only the first part of that phrase is applicable to many of the films coming from Hollywood these days.

My suggestion to Hollywood? See below, and remember that the low-fi effects are an important component of the film. No CGI, asswipes!



And if you liked that one, try this one on for size:

Just Because: TAKE ON ME

Why? Well, because this video kicked alot of ass in the 80's and it still resonates so many years later, not to mention the fact that it brings back alot of nostalgia.




Of course, if the original is too "80's" for you, perhaps, you'll dig the cover by Reel Big Fish more:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO7sTntruzg

WEIRD TRAVELS: LAS VEGAS - Janet Airlines

Believe what you want about UFOs, aliens, and the conspiracy theories that tie them together in a little spot in the US called AREA 51. But there is irrefutable proof of a "secret" installation of some sort in the Nevada desert, about 100 miles north/northwest of Las Vegas.

There are alot (oh MAN are there alot) of stories about this place, as most people have heard by now. In fact most of us have been hearing about it on and off since the very early 90's when Bob Lazar went to the media about his alleged and contested experiences there.

Enthusiasts, truthseekers, and others just curious have dared to venture through the desert to the place some call "Dreamland" and report encountering many of the same things: conspicuously blunt signage, armed "camo dudes" in Jeeps and sunglasses, "mailboxes" in the middle of nowhere,", and a whole bunch of other oddities.

No doubt, some people dedicate alot of time to watching Area 51.

And then there was me while I was in Las Vegas the other week. I guess I'd list myself under the category of "curious". I pulled up alongside a "private" terminal reported to be the highly secure terminal for the "JANET" aircraft which alleged shuttle people from Las Vegas McCarran Airport to the "Area 51" base at Groom Lake and the Tonopah Test Site further north.

A view from just outside the "JANET" terminal.

"JANET" is the supposedly the code name at McCarran for the unmarked aircraft used to shuttle the top secret staff supposedly aboard them. The white and red craft use a terminal building on the far western edge of McCarran Airport, just a block east of Mandalay Bay, Luxor, and the Tropicana Resorts on the Strip.

There's alot more details on JANET here, here, and here.

I can't tell you much more than what I already read on these sites, but I did observe that the arrival and departure times people note still seem fairly accurate. I showed up just after 3pm on a Tuesday (3/4/08) and caught the last few people getting off a "JANET" plane about the same time the one in my picture below taxied down the runway for take-off. As those people hit the parking lot, it was like a sudden rush hour. Those cars started streaming out of the secure lot onto Haven St and turning right onto Four Seasons Drive behind me to head to the Freeway. Likewise, I saw them stream in the next afternoon about 45 minutes before another JANET plane took off.

"Big ol' jet airliner....."

So, what's going on at the JANET terminal? I guess I'd say "business as usual." As for just WHAT that business is - I leave thatup to you to decide.

BEARDS!

Back in February I decided to let my facial fuzz ferment into what some could deem a "beard." For me, it was about as furry as my face has ever gotten and it took me almost two months to get it this way.

Now, I can't even get into the specificities of this blog, because, frankly, I haven't read that much of it since I stumbled onto it just 8 minutes ago, but suffice it to say:

They Champion The Beard

So, go watch this video and be awed at its bearded spectacle.

Wanna see a Peeps Show?!

Ever wonder just how creative somebody could be with a package of holiday Peeps? Well, you're in luck because the Washington Post just happens to hold an annual contest for that very thing.

Peeps Show II here.

New Tiki in the house!

Got a new Tiki Mug recently from Catalina Island....
It stands about 9-10 inches tall and sports the Moa on three sides. Righteous!

Bill Peet interview

Sorry, guys - I had this post form a while back, but never published it...

There's a great (old) interview over at Hogan's Alley with animator and former Disney cartoonisist Bill Peet. It's a great read and the gruff old guy has some intersting insights and oft-unheard stories from his time at Disney.

Where is March going? Spend it at the FUNPLEX!

Well, it's been a work-filled funfest since I got back from travelling to Las Vegas and Phoenix two weeks ago...

Phoenix was uneventful, except for stopping by Trader Vic's in Scottsdale for dinner and a tropical libation. Tried to make a Spring training game in Peoria, but the timing just didn't work before my flight out to Vegas.

While I've been working I've been listening to Aldabarran's YouTube channels alot, as well as the new B-52's song, Funplex. Why isn't this new jam getting more air time?

Marchin' into March

Wow, where do the hours, days, and weeks go?

How did we get to March already? Whatever the cause of this rapidly increasing passage of time, I will be out on business travel almost all of this coming week inspecting properties in Phoenix and Las Vegas.

In lieu of reading any new posts from me, I offer up a fantastic YouTube page by "Aldabarran", a mysterious Brit with impeccable film score taste: Aldabarran's videos

Here you will find 30+ popular film score he has generously uploaded to the Interweb, many of which are hard sought by collectors and score enthusiasts. I've been listening to this guy's selections almost all week and loving all the new playlists I've made for a bunch of them.

Highlights include The Goonies, Temple of Doom, The 'Burbs (the recently released Varese Sarabande version), Big trouble In Little China, Gremlins, The Fog, Ghostbusters (Varese Sarabande version), Alien/Aliens, and all three Back to The Future films.

Go ahead and indulge already!

I'll see you the week of 3/10.

Afro-flakes: the Cereal!

Now UPDATED with a picture!


Ok, not really, but it appears one company has decided to target African-Americans with their cereal product. If this works, I suppose "Afro Puffs" can't be far behind. Which, I'd actually buy by the crateful if they're any good.

Read more over at The Breakfast Bowl blog.

Five Second Movies

Seems a number of people have condensed alot of popular movies down to pretty funny "five second" clips (some are longer than 5 seconds.) I suppose this "phenomenon" has been around on YouTube for a while now, but I just discovered them this morning.

Check out the ones below for Empire Strikes Back and Return of The Jedi. If you enjoy these, head over to YouTube to see more. I linked to a few of my favorites at the bottom.





Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH0Y5_CWgLM

Ghostbusters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8rbqyNYTaU

Back To The Future
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-LilDePLhk

Amadeus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iYXi7HmGSE

The Goonies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaWY0-R8ypU

Beetlejuice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxrbqIibqsI

Karate Kid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ4vp4e3MX4

Others you should look for include Three Amigos, The Godfather, Jurassic Park, and Home Alone.

INDIANA JONES TRAILER

It hit! It Hit!
http://www.indianajones.com/site/index.html

Go check it out. It seems to match the descriptions "leaked" a few weeks back on Aint It Cool, but it's still awesome to finalyl get the trailer...even if they do have the "age" jokes we all suspected they would do.

GI Joe movie continues to cast questionably

This will likely be my first AND last post on this wretched movie...

With the recent rumored casting of Arnold "the Mummy" Vosloo as Zartan and Dennis Quaid as General Hawk, I can say there's now at least two things I think casting has nailed. As a potential third, I'll throw out the no-name guy rumored to be cast as Destro, too. (It's not the Cowardly Lion. That would have brought things UP a notch.)

I'm neutral on Ray "Darth Maul" Park as Snake Eyes as well as the guys who will play Breaker and Heavy Duty. But those last two are gimmes that don't make or break the casting. They could have cast Peter Dinklage as Heavy Duty and it wouldn't have shattered the story of GI Joe (in fact, it would have made not only a great bit of ironic casting for that role, but added some addtional interest on my behalf!)

But the rest of the abominable vomitfest of casting and the fact that the GI Joe mythology has been completely jettisoned to make it a EUROPEAN-based force seems like an overt signal that this production is turning out to be "GI Joe-in-name-only". Channing Tatum is way too young and too much of a "pretty boy" to be Duke (reported here) and Marlon Wayans just shouldn't be here at all. (I saw a clip of Dungeons & Dragons.) At this rate, the film is sounding worse than the name of the new forthcoming Bond flick.

Although I generally like Joseph Gordon-Levitt's work, if Stephen Sommers casts him as a lead villain, I won't be surprised. Hopefully he'll end up as another Joe, but at this point, does it really even matter?

It's No Joke: Heath Ledger is Dead!

Read it for yourself. He was found dead this afternoon in his New York apartment. Although the source indicates that his death may have been drug related, keep in mind this was less than 3 hours ago, details are still emerging, and likely will continue to come out over the next few days. But the fact that they mention finding "pills" sounds like it could be an accidental overdose.

Tragic news coming less than a week after the death of Brad Renfro. My thoughts and deepest sympathies to Heath's friends and loved ones.

Why So Serious?

2/15/08: I "<3" Indiana Jones!

Yes, it's official.* We finally get the first trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull at 12:01am the day after Valentine's Day. Head over to CHUD for more details and to see the "Valentine" they swiped from somebody on the Amphibatron message boards. I wonder what movie it will show in front of in February? Spiderwick Chronicles?

Also, be sure to check out the new video on the official site for a behind the scenes look at Indy's house.

* Ok, it's still technically rumor as the Official Site has made no mention of it and the only "confirmation" comes from an entertainment tabloid show, but I'm getting my hopes up anyway.

BrandedInThe80s.com

HAPPY BELATED NEW YEAR!

If you're as big a fan of the "Me" decade as I am for all its pop culture moments, please stop by BrandedInThe80s.com for a radical trip down memory lane. Shawn has quite a collection of late-70's and 80's memorabilia to share. Just recently he posted this great one with Saturday Morning Cartoon Ads.

"We Got The Jazz!" Looks like Hulk has gas, though.

I have very vivid memories of this one. Funny that Mr. T always ends up next to the Smurfs.

I don't remember this one with "Pryor's Place", but Richard's face looks like he was just subjected to listening to Howie Mandel do "Baby Animal's" voice for an hour straight.

Saturday Supercade kicked ass!