The Joey Mays Story

The Newest Additions to the Mays Family

2010-08-15T19:00:00.024-04:00

Meet Forrest...

...and Lucy.

Kelly & I adopted these 2 kittens from One by One today, via an adoption weekend at our local PetSmart. This wasn't planned in any way; we both kind of mentioned how we'd like animals at some point and today it happened. We both think kittens are crazy cute; Kelly always has a nice, loud "awww" when she sees a picture of one on TV, in a magazine, or on a web site. Forrest & Lucy certainly cause her to do that now.

Forrest is a black male, born on March 23rd, 2010. Lucy is a tabby female, born at some point in April. I am just going to pretend it's the 7th; no real reason. They were not from the same litter. In fact, they weren't even born in the same state (neither originated in PA)! However, they came to be cage/home sharers together at a young age, approximately 4-6 weeks after each were born. They are best friends and, were it no for being spayed or neutered, would probably be a couple. They are inseparable! They were adopted by a nice woman by the name of Sherri at One by One. She was happy to see them come to a safe and warm home, but she was definitely sad to see them leaver her foster care.

So, welcome to the family, Forrest & Lucy!

The Blizzard of 2010

2010-02-07T11:55:00.003-05:00

from AccuWeather

We're nestled in the 12-18" range. Kelly's parents, in Eighty Four, PA, were right on the border of the 18-24" and 24"+ overlap in southwestern PA. They got it BAD.

February 5-6, 2010 Snowstorm

2010-02-06T15:21:00.010-05:00

Well the Mid-Atlantic was walloped with an abnormally large snowstorm last night and today. In Sinking Spring, PA we received at least 15".

Me measuring the snow depth. As of 8 AM we had approximately 15 inches, and it snowed heavily for another 3 hrs. My estimation is about 16 or 17 inches when all is said and done. Not too shabby!

I had to go to work at the Shop this morning. Hey, Goodman Vending needs their stuff! It took me some time to shovel a path to get the Honda out of the garage.

Just 2 tire paths, that's all I need!

Of course I eventually got it done. But 15"+ of wet snow is rather heavy. It was quite the burden! Wish our "snow thrower" was graded for snows of 18" or more. Sadly it's only good up to 8"... and I'm not sure it could even handle that much!

I made it to the Shop and had to shovel there too.

I noticed that not much shoveling had been done by mi padre. Crap.

The snow looks really beautiful in it's pristine, untouched state. But, sadly, it must go for operations to run smoothly.

There was close to 14" on the ground at the Shop in West Lawn, PA. Looking good, dad!

After fulfilling my duties at the place of employment I headed home to clear out the rest of the driveway. Kelly's gonna have to get her car out for work Monday. More shoveling!

Kelly's car, covered. That's not good.

Kelly and I attacked the snow from all angles. Of course we had only 1 shovel so I think the snow made a valiant effort to slow down our process. I tackled the heaviest stuff until Kelly took over.

Well, that's a start.

Driveway done... at least for the Honda to get out of the garage. Time to attack the side where the Buick is.

Ahh... that's better!

All that's left is the pathway to the front porch. Take it away, Kelly.

Shoveling master.

With all of the hard work done it's time to relax. Hopefully sledding later!!!

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T10:20:00.002-05:00

Yak's Pub

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T08:27:00.003-05:00

Yak's Pub

Best Halloween Mash-up Ever

2009-11-11T13:00:00.000-05:00

See for yourself.

from Rebel Scum's Halloween Costume Contest

Wedding & Reception

2009-07-04T16:30:00.003-04:00

Yeah, the whole day rocked.

More pictures here.

Thanks to all of our family, friends, and those involved that made the wedding day extra special. We couldn't have asked for a more wonderful setting or time with so many great people!

Site Updates Coming

2009-06-29T18:12:00.002-04:00

Well I'm home. For good. Kelly and I made the trek from West Lafayette, IN to Sinking Spring, PA over two days 10 days ago now. We left on Friday, June 19th and arrived here Saturday evening. We've unpacked (for the most part) and Kelly has returned to her family for the final week before the wedding. Yes, that is THIS SATURDAY. Holy crap.

Anyway, with me being home now I've had a chance to go through all of my Star Wars stuff. I have a bunch of pictures to add that have been missing, indicated by the ambiguous "coming soon" image. Fear not! All those will be gone soon. With the help of my best man Brent B. I was able to go through all my extra stuff and things I'm willing to part with to come up with a "for sale" list. I'll be posting that sometime this week as well.

So check back often these next two days as I add images to the site and list things I have for sale.

PSWCS Charity Fundraiser for Operation Ward 57

2009-06-22T13:15:00.001-04:00

The fine folks of the Pennsylvania Star Wars Collecting Society are raising money for Operation Ward 57 through a limited edition coin. Press release and coin pictures below.

The Pennsylvania Star Wars Collecting Society is selling a limited
edition medallion as a fundraiser to support Operation Ward 57. The
medallion features Obi-Wan Kenobi, the heroic Jedi Master from Star
Wars - The Clone Wars. The medallions were produced in a one-time run
of 1000 pieces with the permission of Lucasfilm Ltd. The cost is $10
per medallion, with a limit of 3 medallions per household. 100% of the
proceeds generated through the sale of these medallions will be
donated to Operation Ward 57.

Operation Ward 57 is a charitable organization that collects donations
to benefit the veterans in the orthopedic Ward 57 at Walter Reed Army
Medical Center. Ward 57 cares for some of the most severely injured
military veterans who return from operations overseas. Operation Ward
57 purchases comfort and support items to help these veterans and
their families through difficult and trying times. To learn more
about Operation Ward 57, please visit: http://www.operationward57.org

The members of PSWCS hope you will consider supporting this worthy
cause through purchasing these medallions. You can order at:
http://www.pswcs.com/OperationWard57

UPDATE: Already mentioned on Rebel Scum!

Happy 20th Anniversary, Ghostbusters II

2009-06-16T23:30:00.001-04:00

Happy 20th, GB2!

On this day in 1989 the Ghostbusters canon got its second feature length installment. While treated harshly over the last two decades, the sequel is by no means an awful movie. It's hard to live up to a legend. Ghostbusters II is still incredibly funny and exciting. And you should never take anything in a franchise you love for granted. After all, you may not get much substance out if it again for a quarter century...

Just a Few More Hours

2009-06-16T09:00:00.011-04:00

Today is the day. Ghostbusters: The Video Game has been released. As I type this, versions of the game for Xbox 360, Wii, DS and PC are headed towards my apartment. The Blu-ray is approaching my parent's house. And I'm stuck at work. But fear not! It is only a half day and I shall be bustin' ghosts as soon as one of the games gets in my hands. That moment can not come soon enough.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

UPDATE 1: People seem to be just as excited for the video game as me, at least on the Xbox 360. At Amazon.com the regular 360 version is out of stock until tomorrow!!! (updated below)

UPDATE 2: ~~16th, 19th, 40th and 93rd.~~ 17th, 19th, 39th and 91st (as of 10 AM EST). Those are the Amazon.com ranks for Ghostbusters: The Video Game based on units sold! Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and PC, respectively.

UPDATE 3: According to Proton Charging, an iPhone Ghostbusters game (not the same as the newly released video game) is out (and has been since the 12th). It took 4 days for that to come to light!?!?!? GETTING IT NOW!!!

UPDATE 4: Downloaded the Ghostbusters iPhone game and, after a few minutes of game play, I am completely underwhelmed. It's extremely simple; just a tap to throw the proton beam at a ghost (in the beginning, the librarian) which you can use to direct her to a trap at the end of a very simple maze. I've played just two sublevels of the first section so this is a very quickly formed opinion. I have some screens from the game below.

Opening screen for the Ghostbusters iPhone game.

Screen capture of the first sublevel in the Ghostbusters iPhone game.

Ghostbusters iPhone game screen after successfully completing a sublevel.

Update 5: Actually, now you can't get Ghostbusters: The Video Game from Amazon.com until Thursday!!!

Update 6: The Ghostbusters Blu-ray is selling well too. It is #4 in general Movies & TV and #1 in Blu-ray!

Update 7: Well I finally got my Ghostbusters: The Video Game Amazon.com Exclusive Slimer Version (Wii). It arrived ~3:30 this afternoon. About 2.5 hours later UPS dropped off my copies for PC, DS and Xbox 360. Got my free shirt from Game Stop too, w00t! Here's some evidence...

I'm so happy.

The loot from the Amazon.com Exclusive Slimer Edition. In the box is the Slimer on No Ghost logo statue (below). In the middle is the Gamer Graffix stickers/skins. On top of that is the electronic Ecto keychain. And on the far right is the Wii version of the game.

Here's the exclusive statute. It's about 10 inches tall when put together. Very sturdy; a great piece.

Merry Ghostbusters Eve!

2009-06-15T14:30:00.004-04:00

So we've made it. Less than 24 hours before Ghostbusters: The Video Game hits stores nationwide. Let's celebrate the celebration that shall come tomorrow! MERRY GHOSTBUSTERS EVE!

Ghostbusters Fans

I have the game preordered and being delivered tomorrow for Xbox 360, PC, DS and Wii (Amazon.com Exclusive Edition). I've also been wearing my Ghostbusters t-shirts every other day for the last week. Got one more saved up for tomorrow! Luckily since this is my last week at the IN Climate Office, I am working half days both tomorrow and Wednesday. Lots of bustin' happening the next few days!!!

CAN'T WAIT!!! JUST A FEW MORE HOURS!!!

Congratulations On Earning Your Masterate

2009-06-15T11:45:00.002-04:00

Kelly successfully defended her Master's thesis less than an hour ago. While she technically hasn't graduated yet, you may now refer to her as Master Kelly (if you so choose). Actually, perhaps Masterate Kelly? Or Kelly Ross (soon to be Mays), Ph.M.? Her committee has expressed to her that the amount of time and work she has dedicated to her project is above and beyond what is normally expected of a Master's student; it's somewhere between Master's and Doctorate level. Hence my proposed title of Masterate.

Regardless of the nomenclature, she's done it. And done it well. Congratulations sweetie, I had all the faith in the world that you'd accomplish your goal. I love you.

A Look Back At Star Tours

2009-06-11T18:00:00.000-04:00

The official Star Wars site has some photos and commentary on Star Tours. The final page includes a "Did you know?" section. I wonder if this a subtle hint - and way to archive the past - that a revised adventure will be invading the parks soon?

Toyfare #144 Q&A with Harold Ramis

2009-06-11T16:45:00.001-04:00

The Ghostbusters push continues. The most recent issue of Toyfare magazine (#144) features the Ghostbusters on the cover (Ray and Egon, specifically), has a rundown of the toys from 1984 and the new ones (no release date for the Mattel stuff yet) and a Q&A with Harold Ramis.

TF: What do you think it is about the Ghostbusters that keep people coming back?

HR: Well, you know, to me, "Ghost Busters" worked on a lot of levels. For kids it was a pure action/supernatural thriller with some really cool tech and some really, fairly cool guys and decent story. For grownups it was a satire on all things paranormal, on the kind of guys who would pursue this career. And I think the three of us represented a fairly broad spectrum of attitudes in regard to the supernatural and paranormal. And Sigourney [Weaver] was such an admirable heroine and Rick [Moranis] was such a lovable nerd. It was just really something for everyone.

Check it out here!

Random Musings #4

2009-06-11T10:45:00.000-04:00

1 day until my last day working at the apartment office
5 days until Kelly's masters defense
6 days until Ghostbusters: The Video Game is released
7 days until my last day working at the Indiana Climate Office
between 9 and 12 days until Kelly and I leave Indiana and return to Pennsylvania
23 days until the wedding!
30 days until my first Phillies game at Citizen's Bank Park in nearly two years
31 days until a trip to Knoebels, where I haven't been since 2005
38 days until Ocean City, MD - first time in almost 2 years
44 days until Toy Town in Macungie, PA - we will not miss it two years in a row!
Please let it be football season soon.
The Phillies will win the NL East in 2009, their third straight division title.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will be good, but not quite as good as the first movie.
I can't wait to go see Up.
Tuesday is going to be INSANE.

A Visit to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis

2009-06-09T12:00:00.002-04:00

I am currently 24. Kelly is is currently 23. We have no children at this time. Yet we were at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis this past Sunday. Why? This is why...

Yes, that is actually Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi Starfighter from Attack of the Clones.

On March 23rd, 2009 the Star Wars: The Clone Wars - The Exhibition opened at the museum. Kelly asked if I wanted to go when she found out about it a few weeks ago and I said we could if we were able to fit it into our schedule. Well Sunday, June 7th was the day.

We left West Lafayette at 9 AM and arrived at the museum just after 10 AM. We parked (in their free parking structure) and took the short stroll across the skywalk to the actual museum. Here's a picture of Kelly posing on the skywalk. Downtown Indianapolis is visible over her shoulder.

After purchasing our tickets we entered the museum to the view of the starfighter, pictured above. We made it down to the ground level where I got my picture taken with a Jedi near the actual prop starfighter.

And you know I had to get a picture with Captain Rex and Clone Trooper Denal (wall stickers, not real).

The actual exhibition was basically a small scale version of my trip to the Franklin Institute to see Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination in April 2008. The children's museum exhibition focused mainly on stuff from the new animated series and there was even a sneek peak at a design for season 2!

The place was appropriately decorated with 2D cutouts of the main characters, ripe for pictures of course!

Kelly poses like C-3PO.

I pose with Jabba the Hutt with Asajj Ventress looking over my shoulder. Jabba looks almost 3D thanks to the cutout contours and the camera flash.

Kelly and I try to grab a quick shot with Anakin.

Like many Star Wars exhibits, there was no lack of film props. Weapons and costumes were the focus, which came from the movies (I think mostly AOTC, to tie-in with the cartoon a bit).

Lightsabers and blasters from the Star Wars films.

Anakin's Jedi robes from AOTC.

The Clone Wars stuff came in the form of sculpts, maquettes and drawings. Director Dave Filoni developed a coll sign-off for the prototypes. He used a stamp or signature that said "Plo Kool" if he agreed with what he saw. Below the Mace Windu, Padme Amidala and Chancellor Palpatine get the OK from Filoni.

The coolest things there were definitely the 3D sculpts. They had a few busts (Chancellor Palpatine, Mace Windu, Count Dooku and a Clone Trooper) as well as scaled full body ones.

Production Clone Trooper bust from The Clone Wars.

Padme, Anakin and Ahsoka production maquettes.

As I said before, there was a TON of production art. Here are a few of my favorites.

After taking in the entire exhibit - which you can do in about 30 to 45 minutes - we got some tickets for the planetarium show at 11 AM. We also took some time to check out a few other exhibits, such as the aquarium, model trains and the dinosaurs.

Once we are all finished, which was a little before noon, I took one last picture of Obi-Wan's Jedi Starfighter and the trip was over.

I took a bunch more pictures. You can see the Star Wars-related ones here and any other exhibits here. It was a great trip and another thing to add to my Star Wars site. I'm definitely glad we got to go!

Happy 25 Years, Ghostbusters

2009-06-08T22:15:00.001-04:00

(via Cake Central)

Twenty-five years ago today my favorite movie of all-time was released. Of course I refer to the best, the beautiful, the only, Ghostbusters.

Some facts from the release in June 1984 and after:

The film grossed $13.6 million on its opening weekend and $23 million the first week.
#1 at the box office for five consecutive weeks.
It grossed $229.2 million in 1984, second most that year (damn you, Beverly Hills Cop!).
It was rereleased in 1985 and earned another $9.4 million, which surpassed Beverly Hills Cop for box office gross. This withstood the next four years as Ghostbusters finished the 1980s as the top grossing comedy.
According to IMDB, Ghostbusters currently ranks as the 55th most successful film EVER (in terms of box office gross, not adjusted for inflation). Including inflation the film jumps to 31st!

Awards and Recognition

American Film Institute's 28th best comedy of all-time
IGNs top comedy of all-time
Entertainment Weekly's funniest movie of the past 25 years

A week from tomorrow the next-gen video game hits consoles. Later this summer there are new toys from Mattel. In two or three years we will - finally - be getting a Ghostbusters 3.

Life is good.

Happy 25th anniversary, Ghostbusters.

Happy 24th Birthday, Brent!

2009-06-02T15:00:00.003-04:00

Happy birthday Star Wars collector Brent Behrenshausen, 24 today! Hope your day is full of wookiee cookies and a Yoda birthday cake!

Join the Ghostbusters Team Digitally

2009-06-01T22:15:00.001-04:00

Now is your chance to "join" the Ghostbusters team! The GhostbustersIsHiring.com has released a new portion of their site where you can upload, crop and size a photo of yourself to be standing there, ready to bust some heads (in a spiritual sense, of course), with Egon, Peter and Ray! Check me out with the team...

I make this look good.

June 16th can't come soon enough!!!

Tom Sabbatelli on Wheel of Fortune

2009-05-27T10:45:00.007-04:00

One of my good friends from Penn State, Tom Sabbatelli, was on Wheel of Fortune on May 25, 2009 (Memorial Day). The show had been taped way back in February and finally aired three months later. Tom was not allowed to divulge how the event went but Kelly and I had a sneaky suspicion he'd do well. That was an understatement. Here is the full show (minus commercials!) split over three parts from my YouTube account.

Here are some screen grabs of Tom's illustrious journey...

The Wheel of Fortune title card on May 25, 2009.

Tom shoots out of the gate, answering the first toss-up correctly.

Tom being introduced by Pat Sajak.

Tom told a story about how he use to imitate Vanna White as a toddler in his high chair. He did the pose and then Pat asked Vanna to do it too. Separated at birth?

Tom correctly answers toss-up #2.

Tom correctly answered the first puzzle. Funny, that's what people will be doing to relive this adventure of his.

Puzzle #2 was the only thing Tom didn't get.

Mystery prize round!

Yep, the prize could be $10,000 (sponsored by IHOP).

And it's a prize puzzle. Where will the winner be going?

Suspense! Tom lands on the mystery prize spot.

Tom reaches down to remove the mystery prize. Bankrupt or $10,000???

Tom chose wisely. The mystery prize was $10,000! Thanks IHOP!

The third puzzle gives a hint of where the prize vacation may be. Where is Tom headed?

Before we find out, Tom headbutts the set on national television after he solved the third puzzle.

Tom is ecstatic about winning a trip to beautiful New Orleans. Value? $5,000.

Tom is up to $22,400 after solving the puzzle assuring him the $10,000 mystery prize as well as a trip to New Orleans.

I have no idea how he got "RUNNER-UP" so fast. This was the third and final toss-up.

The fourth and final puzzle was cut short but Tom still came out on top.

Tom knows he has a chance to add a lot more to the money and trip he already won.

Tom finished the regular part of the game with $29,900.

Tom ready to spin the final wheel full of prizes.

Tom spins the wheel of prizes, landing on M. We'll find out what he will (or won't) win soon.

The default letters are helpful. Tom added D, C, M and A to get even closer.

Tom guesses "GIANT SQUID" and is correct! What did he win?

Tom celebrates earning $25,000 for getting the final puzzle correct.

Tom hugs his mom after winning a total of $54,900!

Tom did absolutely amazing! You can check out his Wheel blog here. Congratulations, Tom! Some other links below...

'Wheel' spins just right for new PSU graduate | Centre Daily Times
Memorial Day 2009 Game Recap & Discussion | Sony Pictures Boards
PSU Grad Wins Big On Wheel Of Fortune | Onward State
10 Questions With Tom, PSU "Wheel" Rep | Onward State
Recent PSU grad wins almost $50,000 on Wheel of Fortune | The Daily Collegian

UPDATE: I am sort of mentioned in The Daily Collegian article about Tom.

Friends of Sabbatelli have loaded the episode to YouTube so it can be viewed. A search for "Tom Sabbatelli" will bring up the three-part video.

"Friends" should be "Joseph Mays". Haha.

Ghostbusters is Hiring

2009-05-27T09:15:00.000-04:00

The media engine is churning close to full strength now to spread the word about not only Ghostbusters: The Video Game but also the Ghostbusters Blu-ray set, both to be released June 16th, 2009. A new site has launched, GhostbustersIsHiring.com!

The new Ghostbusters Is Hiring website.

A quick introduction by Harold Ramis plays immediately, thanking you for your interest and telling you that they need your help on some interesting assignments. Elsewhere on the page you can pre-order the Blu-ray (from Amazon), sign up for updates, as well as enter for a chance to win a trip to the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con!

Yeah, I entered. Wanna fight about it?

Sony Pictures is also offering a $5 off coupon for the Ghostbusters Blu-ray package. Just click, print, and hand it in at any store for the discount.

Blu-ray coupon!

Less than three weeks!!!

More Movie Anniversaries of Note

2009-05-25T14:15:00.000-04:00

Yes, May is a big month for Star Wars fans. Today, 32 and 26 years ago respectively, Star Wars - Episodes IV and VI were released. Both were, and still are, box office successes. Throughout its many releases, Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope (originally just Star Wars) has grossed $775,398,007 worldwide. The film also won six Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, a Golden Globe, and a Grammy. The film is routinely cited as one of the best movies ever. There is a glut of top or best movie lists out there but some of the most prestigious, like the American Film Institute's, give A New Hope mad props.

Star Wars on AFI Lists

Top Movies - #15 (original list from 1998)
Top Thrills - #27
Top Heroes and Villains - #3 (villain: Darth Vader), #14 (hero: Han Solo), #37 (hero: Obi-Wan Kenobi)
Top Movie Quotes - #8 ("May the Force be with you.")
Top Film Scores - #1
Top Cheers (Most Inspiring) - #39
Top Movies - #13 (10th year anniversary list, released in 2008)
10 Top 10 - Sci-Fi #2

It's second sequel, 1983's Return of the Jedi, has earned $475,106,177 to date. Though it isn't considered on par with A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, ROTJ usually is a favorite among the kids. And it does end the original trilogy. That has to count for something.

In other related news, yesterday was the 20th Anniversary of the release of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The Indiana Jones movies rate up there with Star Wars to me; I wouldn't turn down watching one of them, ever. Last night after a rugged game of wiffle ball, I asked Kelly what movie she wanted to watch. She didn't have any suggestions so I said Indiana Jones. I meant Raiders of the Lost Ark but her favorite is The Last Crusade. Guess which one we watched? As we turned The Last Crusade on I went to look up some Wikipedia facts on the film, as I do for basically every movie we watch. That's when I noticed that we were watching it on the 20th Anniversary of the films release. Completely unintentional but cool nonetheless.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is now 20!

Brent's Q&A Updated

2009-05-23T11:00:00.004-04:00

Star Wars super collector Brent Behrenshausen answered a few more questions for me recently and I have finally been able to update his Q&A section. You can check it out here. Brent gets the throwback treatment, with all my questions revolving around the vintage line.

With me moving back to PA this summer, Brent and I (as well as his brother, Bryan) will be documenting and filming parts of our collections. Be on the look out for more pictures and video starting in mid-July and running through August. We are very excited about sharing our collections with you, like we teased with these clips.

Happy Anniversary Empire Strikes Back

2009-05-21T18:30:00.000-04:00

On this day in 1980 the original Star Wars universe received part two, er, Episode V, perhaps the best of the six movies to date. The Empire Strikes Back is now 29 years old. With the 30th Anniversary of the film looming in 2010, expect big things in the spring next year. It may not lead to entire reboot of the Star Wars toy line like the 30th Anniversary of A New Hope but we may finally get Celebration 5!

The Empire Strikes Back earned more than $538 million worldwide during its original release and subsequent rereleases. When adjusted for inflation, Empire ranks 12th all -time in box office gross.

On This Day in Star Wars History...

2009-05-19T16:30:00.000-04:00

The Phantom Menace is officially ten while Revenge of the Sith is five. May 19th, 1999 and 2005, respectively, was the official launch of the Star Wars prequels beginning and end movies.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Phantom Menace, Hasbro will be running a mail-away offer this fall for Qui-Gon Jinn and Eopie.

Mail away exclusive Qui-Gon Jinn with Eopie to celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Phantom Menace (from Jedi Insider).

The official site has documented their ten favorite Episode I posters.

And PSWCS member Eric Franks has a nice merchandise run down at his site (posted on May 3rd).

While people rip the prequels often, especially TPM and Jar Jar, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about my favorite science fiction/fantasy world. I remember going to see the movie as an eighth grader and the massive buzz surrounding the film.

Here's to you, Phantom, for getting me even more interested in the Star Wars universe after the special editions started the fire.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Season One "Review"

2009-05-15T09:15:00.005-04:00

I use the word "review" lightly because, well, I'm not actually grading the show and going over pros and cons. It's just kind of my recap and some commentary on the first season of the animated show.

Basically, it rocked.

Seriously.

To me, the show was very good. Sure it was corny at times, as we have come to expect from bits of dialogue in the Star Wars media universe, but you have to remember the show is aimed at kids. Adults will get a chance to keep the franchise afloat with the live action series in 2010. For now, kids keep Star Wars alive and kicking. And they are doing a good job of it. The show was picked up for a second season.

There were 22 episodes during season one of The Clone Wars. I can't say I absolutely hated any episodes and would never watch them again. Though there definitely are some that I liked more than others. The list of episodes, in order of air date, is below.

"Ambush"
"Rising Malevolence"
"Shadow of Malevolence"
"Destroy Malevolence"
"Rookies"
"Downfall of a Droid"
"Duel of the Droids"
"Bombad Jedi"
"Cloak of Darkness"
"Lair of Grievous"
"Dooku Captured"
"The Gungan General"
"Jedi Crash"
"Defenders of Peace"
"Trespass"
"The Hidden Enemy"
"Blue Shadow Virus"
"Mystery of a Thousand Moons"
"Storm Over Ryloth"
"Innocents of Ryloth"
"Liberty on Ryloth"
"Hostage Crisis"

It's clear that the crew likes making longer episodes that won't fit the 30-minute time slot. There were six instances where a story line last two or more weeks. The second episode started The Malevolence Saga, which was three episodes. Then there was the two episodes focused on R2-D2 and Goldie. Episodes 11 and 12 were connected as were 13 and 14. "Blue Shadow Virus" and "Mystery of a Thousand Moons" were two different episodes very much about the same story line. Then came The Ryloth Trilogy. I am not saying this is bad; in fact, it's the opposite. Each episode had definitive ending but left you wanting more; you knew the episode wasn't over even before the Cartoon Network showed clips from next week. It keeps the audience captivated for sure.

Looking back on the episodes, the series really grabbed my attention around "Jedi Crash". I felt that the episodes from there on out were pretty fantastic. That's not to say the first 12 were bad; the second half of the season just kept me interested a little more.

It's hard for me to pick a favorite episode. Of course I love when the clones are involved, so naturally "Ambush" - the series premiere - as well as "Rookies" rates right up there among the best. "Trespass" and the second and third parts of The Ryloth Trilogy were great episodes as well. However, if I have to pick one, I think I'd select "The Hidden Enemy". It focused a lot on clones and was a direct tie-in to the movie that debuted last August to prime everyone for the show in the fall. It answers questions that some may have been wondering about after seeing the movie. The movie, in all honesty, does not do the series justice.

Of course with a new series comes new toys. The line kicked off last July 26th - as I documented - asnd has been a strong seller. The Clone Wars figures are routinely sold out and are much harder to find than the companion Legacy Collection line.

After watching the last few episodes recently (I had recorded them so I could watch a bunch of them at once) I yearned for some of the clones and clone commanders to be made. Have no fear, Hasbro is here with delightful repaints.

Clone Commander Ponds, seen in "Liberty on Ryloth" will be a Toys R Us exclusive this summer or fall (from Jedi Defender).

Clone Commander Gree, seen in a few episodes, is set to hit store shelves this August.

Clone Commander Thire, seen in the premiere episode "Ambush", will follow this fall.

Clone Commander Bly has not been seen in the cartoon yet but expect him at some point in season two.

We'll be getting a Clone Turbo Tank in August so it is only natural to have a support squad for it.

You can never have enough Clone Troopers. Especially ones that can fly!

The previous five images are taken from Rebel Scum.

So basically, watch The Clone Wars on Adult Swim (they're reshowing the series). Buy the Season One DVD when it comes out this fall. Buy the toys. And be sure to watch season two this fall as well!

Sorry Princess Bride, This Was Our Year

2009-05-11T16:30:00.000-04:00

Congratulations Ghostbusters fans! The movie was selected as the "viewers choice" for the 2009 Screen on the Green in Atlanta, GA. The movie will be shown on June 25th at sunset in Centennial Olympic Park. No word on how the percentages finally worked out but, last I saw, Ghostbusters was actually losing to The Princess Bride by 1% (sometime late last week). Voting ended today. No idea what happened but "the powers that be" have determined the fearsome foursome the winners! Thanks to everyone that voted!

Your Christmas Tree Will Be Complete in 2009

2009-05-06T15:15:00.000-04:00

I know this is old news but I wanted to post it anyway.

Hallmark is releasing an ECTO-1 Christmas ornament this summer. The Ghostbusters vehicle is due for release in July, when Hallmark normally releases their annual holiday lines.

Hallmark's 2009 holiday ornament line will include the Ghostbusters legendary ride, the Ectomobile.

According to the Hallmark web page for the item, the wheels turn and it plays the Ghostbusters theme song. It is priced at $18.50 and is, again, due out in July 2009.

My Christmas tree will be complete for the first time ever.

P.S. - Anyone see the mistake on the Ecto-1? Click the picture for a larger size and see if you can find it. If not just look a line down and I'll tell you.

The picture shows the Ecto-1 with the New York stylized license seen in Gostbuisters 2, the plate with the Statue of Liberty on it. In the original movie the plate was yellow and navy.

Easily Something That Could Happen to Me

2009-05-04T20:45:00.004-04:00

Today, May the Fourth, is considered Star Wars day by many fans of the franchise for it's similar sound to the tag line "may the Force (Fourth) be with you". People celebrate in their own way, possibly by buying some merchandise or watching a movie (or all six of them).

Anyway, I was reading the always humorous FMyLife.com and stumbled upon this...

Today, I sent everyone a text on my phone book saying, "Happy Star Wars Day!!! May the Fourth be with you!!" I forgot to uncheck my exgirlfriend's number. She texted back, "one of the many reasons I broke up with you." FML

Burned!

Oddly enough, most of the comments were along the lines of "if she can't appreciate what you like then screw her". I found that unusual but rather cromulent.

On a more personal note, today marks exactly TWO MONTHS until Kelly and I get married!

Updates Here!

2009-05-04T16:45:00.000-04:00

If you are one of those people that want to see what I have bought recently for my growing collection, check out the updates to many of my collection pages!

I added a few images to each of those sections as well as added some new items to the lists, to be released this summer or fall.

AND VOTE FOR GHOSTBUSTERS!!!

Collection Updates Coming!

2009-05-03T16:15:00.003-04:00

As you may have noticed on the right panel, I have not made any updates to my Star Wars collection since February 8th, nearly three months ago. Honestly not much had happened since then until I went home at the end of April. And then I got some stuff yesterday. And today. So, fear not, I will be updating my collection soon.

I, finally, saw the AT-TE Assault Squad battle pack in the wild. Now, yesterday and today, I saw both the new Jabba's Palace and Scramble on Yavin battle packs. At Target yesterday I found one figure from the newest TCW wave - the 41st Elite Corps Clone Trooper! Woo woo!

So yeah, new updates soon!

Ghostbusters Galore

2009-04-30T16:25:00.001-04:00

Real quick...

To see all the pre-order bonuses/exclusives available through various retailers for Ghostbusters: The Video Game go here. I'm all about the Amazon.com and GameStop Exclusives (Wii and Xbox 360, respectively).

Also, PeachtreeTV is running "Screen on the Green" this summer. Basically they are showing a movies outdoors every Thursday night from May 28 through June 25 and one of the movies is getting picked by the viewers (to be shown on June 25). The contestants are Ghostbusters (naturally), The Princess Bride, and Big. All great movies but, come on people, GHOSTBUSTERS! VOTE NOW! You can vote daily for the next week. Ghostbusters once had 58% of the vote but now the totals has dropped to 47%, only 3% in front of The Princess Bride!

Who knew they even had a fan base capable of creating a grassroots voting project?

VOTE FOR GHOSTBUSTERS!

John Williams is the Man

2009-04-20T18:00:00.000-04:00

Kelly found this clip on YouTube and thinks it is the greatest thing in the history of the universe. It is a tribute to John Williams done with Star Wars-related lyrics set to many of Williams' most recognizable themes. It is the same dude in all four panels singing a capella. It is truly amazing. Take a look.

Mmmmmm... Burgers

2009-04-16T09:15:00.000-04:00

CNN had a piece this morning called "Five tasty burger joints worth visiting". Being a lover of meat, especially in burger form, I had to give it a read. As the story started my mind began prodding me to eventually try at least one of these places on the list. Then my mind settled down. Turns out, I already have.

"There's been a lot of unusual burgers," said Fieri, recalling his culinary travels. "At The Triple XXX in West Lafayette, Indiana, across from Purdue University, they put peanut butter on a burger. People order it, people like it and -- whatever floats your boat."
The Triple XXX has been serving unique burgers -- such as its Duane Purvis All-American. The sandwich is named after a Purdue football player who played from 1932 to 1934. "Add thick creamy peanut butter on the lower deck and you're in for the touchdown!" says the menu.

So, finally, living in Indiana has paid off! Their burgers are delicious. Kelly and I are hoping to get back to Triple XXX before we leave in May/June. Very tasty food, highly recommended if you're ever near West Lafayette, IN.

One thing checked off the bucket list.

Hypocrisy: Now in New Shades of Blue

2009-04-14T15:30:00.000-04:00

And when it was all over, as a top administration official told me, Obama "didn't wrap himself around the bravery of those military seals."
Indeed, he commended the captain, the SEALs, called for multilateral efforts to stop piracy -- and went on the next day to give an economic speech. Indeed, this aide adds, "He's not about to put on a flight suit on an aircraft carrier and declare mission accomplished."
....

Here's the problem: If Republicans can't allow that the president did his job well in this unambiguous case, why should we believe their complaints about anything else? If they can't pat him on the back for this one, why should we even listen to their arguments about the budget, about health care, about energy?

-- Gloria Borger, CNN Senior Political Analyst

Right, Republicans not applauding Obama doing a routine job should mean that we don't get a say in anything the government does. Makes a ton of sense. After all the whining, bitching, and complaining liberals did for the last six plus years, you'd think now that "their guy" was in things would be different. Nope. Same old crap. Excuses for him and the party, blame for everyone else. Yet now we are to applaud the President for a routine job, something that needed to be done? I can guarantee that if this same thing were happening under Bush the media would have had a frenzy saying how he handled it all wrong. That's what they do best, slanted media reporting at its finest.

And, sweet Lord, get over the whole "Mission Accomplished" banner. The extreme left preaches that it was a sign of the end of the war in Iraq. Really?

After the news conference, a White House spokeswoman said the Lincoln's crew asked the White House to have the sign made. The White House asked a private vendor to produce the sign, and the crew put it up, said the spokeswoman. She said she did not know who paid for the sign.

Later, a Pentagon spokesman called The Associated Press to reiterate that the banner was the crew's idea.

"It truly did signify a mission accomplished for the crew," Navy Cmdr. Conrad Chun said, adding the president's visit marked the end of the ship's 10-month international deployment.

Yeah, that's been confirmed. Multiple times. That propaganda does great things for you, doesn't it?

Get back to work. You have a country to fix. Of course you can just continue blaming Bush and Republicans for the next four years like you've done since 2002. And if Obama fails and isn't reelected in 2012 I'm sure it'll all be because of the "awful conditions Bush left this country in".

My God.

Ghostbusters Game Gets Updated Cover Art

2009-04-11T14:30:00.001-04:00

Click to enlarge.

Recently Amazon and GameStop updated their Ghostbusters: The Video Game pages with new cover art. While the old, stagnant raised no-ghost logo was nice and simple the new art looks fabulous! You get the video game versions of the guys plus some green-glowing ghouls behind the highly recognizable no-ghost logo. It is the same basic template across all the various platforms the game is coming out for. The only minor exception is that the Wii and PS2 versions have the stylized/cartoonish look of Venkman, Spengler, Stantz, and Zeddemore.

If you're anything like me you're getting this for every system you own. I know I am getting it for PC, DS, Wii, and 360. I had all of them preordered through Amazon but I canceled my 360 purchase from them. I had to go with GameStop for the 360 version, since they are offering a t-shirt and alternate Ghostbusters 2-style uniform for preordering the game through them.

Preordering the game from GameStop gets you swag...

And an alternative uniform!

The video game is due out Tuesday, June 16th, the same day the blu-ray bundle of the movies will hit stores.

I Am a Winner

2009-04-08T17:43:00.003-04:00

You a winner, ha ha ha. You a winner, ha ha ha.

Last week I posted about Creature Cantina's 8th anniversary. For the milestone Bill Cable, the sites creator and organizer, ran a quick trivia contest.

So you got it? Ready? OK, here are your questions:

Identify the goofy, food-based collectible that Gus Lopez is so passionate about that he listed it among his primary collecting interests.

Which accessory in the Legacy Wave 6 photo was never depicted in the film "The Empire Strikes Back"?

From Wednesday's BIG ANNOUNCEMENT, what is the name of Sideshow's newest original line of Collectibles?

What other fiction character served as inspiration for Bill Cable's Major Bren Derlin drawing?

I answered those questions as fast as I could. I was pretty confident my answers were correct. A week later it was confirmed: I knew the answers. I was chosen as one of the four winners for sweet swag from Sideshow Collectibles, Brian's Toys, Gus and Duncan, and Bill Cable himself. I wound up with the enter Wave 6 of The Legacy Collection, set to hit stores in May. I'll be getting it as soon as Brian's Toys has it in stock. Really freakin' excited!

The Legacy Collection, Wave 6. I won these figures!

I wanted to extend my thanks and gratitude to Bill Cable, Creature Cantina, and Brian's Toys.

And this just proves that not everything about Creature Cantina sucks.

Creature Cantina is 8

2009-04-01T10:25:00.000-04:00

Star Wars fan and artist Bill Cable, president of the Pennsylvania Star Wars Collecting Society, sends word of an anniversary celebration extravaganza!

CreatureCantina.com Celebrates Eight Years of Laughs

This April Fool's Day CreatureCantina.com marks their 8-year
anniversary with an enormous update and a special contest!
CreatureCantina.com has delivered satire and wit to the Star Wars
collecting community for more than 75% of a decade now, and such
longevity is certainly worthy of commemoration. So they've partnered
with sponsors Gus Lopez & Duncan Jenkins, Sideshow Collectibles Inc.,
and Brian's Toys to reward their readers with a bevy of fantastic
prizes! If you're in the mood for a laugh or want a chance to win
some amazing stuff, visit http://CreatureCantina.com and join in the
festivities!

Ghostbusters Game Announced for iPhone

2009-03-30T12:12:00.003-04:00

SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sony says the Ghostbusters iPhone game will see you playing as the traditional team from the Ghostbusters movies, tackling New York borough by borough, trapping pesky poltergeists and stopping innocent citizens from being slimed.
There’s no word on how you’ll control the Ghostbusters iPhone game yet, but we’d love to see Sony’s developers grabbing Apple’s new SDK with both hands, creating a Ghostbusters iPhone game that uses the iPhone’s accelerometer, Bluetooth multiplayer and maybe even location sensing to play multiplayer games against gamers acting as ghouls in your area.

We can already imagine tilting the iPhone to control a proton pack beam, just as you’ll be able to do with the Wiimote when Ghostbusters lands on the Nintendo Wii.

So, yeah, I may be getting this game for 5 systems (Xbox 360, Wii, PC, Nintendo DS, and iPhone). You can never have too much Ghostbusters.

New Star Wars Items

2009-03-20T21:51:00.004-04:00

A few things caught me by surprise tonight and both came via email.

First, Gentle Giant announced to its Premier Guild Members that the Snowtrooper Mini Bust was available for pre-order. It is set to ship in September. At this time, you must be signed into your Gentle Giant PGM account to pre-order this bust.

Gentle Giant's next trooper-oriented bust, the Snowtrooper, will be shipped in September.

Next was at the bottom of the weekly Star Wars Homing Beacon. Some unreleased Hasbro toys were available for pre-order on Star Wars Shop - including at least three items originally believed to be released in August or September. According to Star Wars Shop, the Turbo Tank will be available... in April!?!? June releases are set for the Saber Class Fighter Tank and Crab Droid Vehicle and Figure Pack. The Build-Your-Own Blaster is still set for July.

Perhaps these dates are just placeholders; as usual the "small print" says dates subject to change. We'll see when these really start showing up in stores.

Imperial Commando Info. Revealed

2009-03-18T14:48:00.002-04:00

The Star Wars site published a first look at the cover art for Karen Traviss' next commando book, Imperial Commando: 501st.

The book is due out in October and appears to begin right where Order 66 ends.

The Clone Wars are over, but for those with reason to run from the new galactic Empire, the battle to survive has only just begun....
The Jedi have been decimated in the Great Purge, and the Republic has fallen. Now the former Republic Commandos -- the galaxy's finest special forces troops, cloned from Jango Fett -- find themselves on opposing sides and in very different armor. Some have deserted and fled to Mandalore with the mercenaries, renegade clone troopers, and rogue Jedi who make up Kal Skirata's ragtag resistance to Imperial occupation. Others -- including men from Delta and Omega squads -- now serve as Imperial Commandos, a black ops unit within Vader's own 501st Legion, tasked to hunt down fugitive Jedi and clone deserters.
For Darman, grieving for his Jedi wife and separated from his son, it's an agonizing test of loyalty. But he's not the only one who'll be forced to test the ties of brotherhood. On Mandalore, clone deserters and the planet's own natives, who have no love for the Jedi, will have their most cherished beliefs challenged. In the savage new galactic order, old feuds may have to be set aside to unite against a far bigger threat, and nobody can take old loyalties for granted.
-- Star Wars Vault

I am very excited for this book. I'll be finishing Order 66 very soon (like before April). It sucks having to wait that long! But at least there is another one!

Book Review - Republic Commando: Triple Zero

2009-03-17T15:10:00.004-04:00

I started reading the second entry, Triple Zero, in Karen Traviss' Republic Commando series almost exactly a year ago. I had started the book but put it down and stopped reading for many months. I didn't stop because the book was boring. Reading - in general - bores me and I can only do it in waves. Rarely do I read for pleasure or for more than a few days at a time.

I finally picked Triple Zero back up this fall. And I'm glad I did.

The book was riveting; I could barely put it down. I'd usually read 20 to 30 pages a day, which is a lot for me, and want to read more. About 2.5 weeks after I began to read the book again I had completed it.

Triple Zero stand for Coruscant, the center of the Republic in the Star Wars universe. In the book, Omega Squad - the focal point of Hard Contact - return to Coruscant for a covert ops mission with fellow commando squad Delta Squad, who are the focus of the LucasArts video game Republic Commando. The two commando squads work with their former trainers on Kamino - Kal Skirata and Walon Vau. Add in some Null-ARCs, a wookie, and some (allegedly, it is a book afterall) pretty ladies and the book is set.

At the beginning you find out that Kal Skirata is the trainer and de facto father of the six Null-ARCs - Prudii, Kom'rk, Mereel, Jaing, A'den, and Ordo. As you return to the "present" - one year after the Battle of Geonosis - you find out that General Arligan Zey, Jedi General in charge of Special Operations Brigade, is tasking Skirata and Omega Squad with help from Vau and Delta Squad to eliminate a Separtist cell spying on the Republic.

The writing in Triple Zero helps to develop the Republic Commando series characters, specifically Omega Squad and Jedi General Etain Tur-Mukan, as well as introduce key characters for the remainder of the series (Skirata, Vau, Delta Squad, Besany Wennen, Bardan Jusik, the Nulls). However, the plot does not suffer despite the focus of the book truly on the characters.

I don't want to give much away. The book, to me, is even better than Hard Contact, its predecessor. It is packed with character development, an intriguing storyline, and parts that make you really feel for the characters.

After finishing Triple Zero I immediately began True Colors, only to stop for weeks once again. However ever since I started True Colors again I haven't stopped reading.

I have noticed, after finishing True Colors and currently reading Order 66, that the RC series gets stronger with each entry. For any trooper-oriented Star Wars fan, Traviss' books are a must.

You can view the status of my reading in the upper right hand corner of this blog.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game Multiplayer Details Revealed

2009-03-10T10:18:00.003-04:00

A generation of Ghostbuster-wannabes has been yearning for more from the franchise. Well they were told over a year ago that a video game would be coming. After a delay from a change in publishers (Activision to Atari) the game is set to hit stands this June to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the original film.

The game has been in action at conventions across the globe in recent months but it has been lacking one thing: multiplayer. Every great title has a multiplayer option, whether it is simply co-op, campaign, or online mayhem. Ghostbusters: The Video Game had been mum on it for some time. Until now.

Atari has released specs. and they are glorious. Take a look, care of The Real Ghostbusters.

MULTIPLAYER OVERVIEW:

Teamwork is what being a Ghostbuster is all about so Terminal Reality have worked with Three Wave Software, a triple-A multiplayer developer, to create an exciting and original multiplayer component in Ghostbusters: The Video Game for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC platforms.

Offering gamers the unique opportunity to play as one of the four original Ghostbusters, an option not available in the single player game, the multiplayer is a fast-paced, co-operative experience. Taking place on an average phantom-packed day for the Ghostbusters team, players will work together to contain supernatural phenomena around the city while competing to earn the biggest pay check.

MULTIPLAYER FEATURES:

Unique Multiplayer Features:

Play as one of the Ghostbusters: Choose to play as any one of the four original Ghostbusters or the rookie;

Unique Achievements: Players are given scores and ranks for each match that are also applied to their online profile. Difficulty scaling is available according to rank;

6 Unique Power-ups: To help players on even the trickiest of jobs, unique power-ups such as the Ghost Shrinker or Ethereal Shield are available;
Limited Ammunition: To ensure teamwork, players must pick up ammunition for each type of equipment with ammunition levels being shown on the proton pack;
Unique AI Features: To add another dimension to the hunting, wrangling and trapping experience of being a Ghostbuster, ghosts have unique AI features such as more aggressive behaviour, the power to sabotage traps and the ability to fuse with other ghosts;
Full VOIP support: Voice support for both Xbox 360 and PS3 allows for easy communication between players.

- more -

Two Multiplayer Co-op Game Modes:

Instant Action: players can test their mettle in a variety of Job Types across a selection of 12 different maps to see if they’ve got what it takes to be a true Ghostbuster;
Campaign Mode: players work through one of four different environments busting ghosts to earn cash and upgrade their equipment.

12 maps across 4 themed environments:

Library
Streets
Cemetery
Museum

Six Unique Job Types:

Survival: Survive a paranormal onslaught
Containment: Capture all the ghosts
Destruction: Eliminate mysterious artefacts to prevent spawning ghosts
Protection: Protect Egon’s devices
Thief: Save the artefacts from being stolen by ghosts
Slime Dunk: Dunk the most Slimers

Online Multiplayer Features:

Leaderboards and player statistics: have you got what it takes to be the world’s greatest Ghostbuster?
Ranking: Skill and rank based matchmaking is available.
Most Wanted Ghosts: these ghosts appear are special ghosts that appear mid game based on the experience of the current players - it’s your job to trap them all.

Awesomeness! Kelly and I can play together! And Bryan - when he gets a 360 (which HE WILL) - can join us in online matches.

The folks at IGN let loose on the multiplayer aspects during their most recent preview. They also have a nice look at the Wii version, too.

Disney/Star Wars Crossover Figures Wave 3 Announced

2009-03-04T17:15:00.000-05:00

The official Star Wars site announced today through their Collecting Vault that during Star Wars Weekends 2009 the third wave of the Disney/Star Wars Crossover figures would be available. The third wave consists of

Mickey as Luke Skywalker in X-wing Pilot Gear (with removable helmet)
Minnie as Slave Princess Leia
Donald as Stormtrooper (with removable helmet)
Goofy as Chewbacca
Chip and Dale as Ewoks (with additional Stormtrooper helmet)

The first two waves, released in 2007 and 2008, can be found in the middle of this page.

In addition to the Crossover figures, fans will also have a chance to pick up a Jedi Training Academy box set, complete with a generic Jedi Master, Darth Vader, and three young padawans.

Other items, such as the Stormtrooper helmet and Mickey and Minnie's Star Wars poster pose banks, will also be available. All these items are exclusive to the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Parks.

JoePa at THON Video

2009-02-25T14:00:00.002-05:00

I mentioned here immediately as I saw it stream on my computer. Here is the video evidence.

Joe Paterno speaks at THON 2009.

Kelly and I Set Out on a Movies Quest

2009-02-25T10:27:00.005-05:00

Kelly and I watched the Oscars on Sunday night and we realized we have seen very few of the movies that "experts" consider to be some of the best of all time. While I rarely agree with what critics and Hollywood thinks, it would be calming and I'm sure enlightening to know that I have seen some of the perceived best that cinema has to offer. Kelly and I have decided to watch all of the 81 Best Picture award winners. We're not sure how we're going to go about doing this; we don't have a set timetable (just pretty much in our lifetime) and we may or may not go in order. Some we're excited to see, such as Lawrence of Arabia, and others not so much, like Rebecca. After looking over the long list we marked off the ones we have already seen. Turns out, Kelly has witnessed more than me. I have only viewed eight while Kelly has a robust 20 to her credit. Now there are plenty on here that we have seen parts of (Rocky, The Godfather, Patton, Gone with the Wind) but we don't count them unless we have seen it all the way through.

Our checklist for Academy Award winners for Best Picture.

One thing I know for sure: I'm really glad we have both already seen American Beauty. This way I don't have to watch it again.

THON 2009 Line Dance

2009-02-24T16:09:00.001-05:00

THON 2009 Line Dance with Lyrics

Redbox Replay

2009-02-23T20:10:00.001-05:00

Coming soon to a Redbox near you: classic movies you can't get enough of! And what movie looks to be in the regular rotation? Ghostbusters, of course!

Redboxes are convenient and cheap ($1/rental/night) and now that they'll be rotating in some older movies they make weekly trips to a rental store almost obsolete.

Yeah, they have Ghostbusters at my Redboxes! Although it doesn't really matter since I own at least three copies on both VHS and DVD.

THON 2009 Raises $7.49 million FOR THE KIDS

2009-02-22T16:23:00.003-05:00

This low resolution USTREAM grab shows the final total for the 2009 Penn State Dance MaraTHON. All proceeds go to the Four Diamonds Fund, Conquering Childhood Cancer.

Congratulations to all the dancers and everyone involved. What a huge success! The LIVE webcast was hit hard throughout the weekend, bringing in over 110,000 viewers overall and a max of close to 4,500 at the end of the event.

THON 2010 can't come soon enough.

More pictures and some videos will be up later.

Rereleased TMNT Figures Found

2009-02-22T14:45:00.006-05:00

Whilst out shopping today I came across something that I wasn't expecting: Teenage mutant Ninja Turtles toys. I know what you're thinking; there have been new TMNT toys since the cartoon was started again a few years ago and the TMNT movie came out in 2006. Those are not the toys I am talking about. I mean the original toys... from 1984! Apparently they are being rereleased for the 25th anniversary! Don't believe me? Take a look...

Seven of the twelve rereleased TMNT figures. Not pictured: Splinter, Casey Jones, Slash, Shredder with Krang, and Foot Soldier.

Michelangelo rerelease figure.

Donatello rerelease figure.

Leonardo rerelease figure.

Raphael rerelease figure.

April O'Neil rerelease figure.

Bebop rerelease figure.

Rocksteady rerelease figure.

Full card back of rereleased figures.

Top zoom on card back.

Bottom zoom on card back.

Another shot of the seven rereleased TMNT figures.

Again, these were all found in the Target toy section on Sunday, February 22nd, 2009. Let the hunting begin!

JoePa Shows Up at THON

2009-02-22T14:05:00.005-05:00

I had seen pictures and video of the Penn State legend at THONs before. The 5 I was involved in or attended (2004-2008) he never was able to make an appearance. What happens this year, when kelly and I can't go? He shows up! Argh! Oh well. Hoepfully he comes back for THON 2010... my dad has already given me off for that weekend!

DJ Larry Moore made a surprise announcement at the beginning of family hour after all the families were introduced on stage. Moore said "Hey THON 2009... we have a surprise for you!" And JoePa and SuePa walk out on stage! JoePa gave a nice speech about the cause and the families and had a short meet and greet with the kids.

UPDATE: The Daily Collegian has a nice roundup of family hour and talks a bit about JoePa's visit.

THON 2009 Live Webcast

2009-02-20T21:27:00.001-05:00

THON 2009 - Dream Forward

2009-02-20T17:55:00.001-05:00

It's happened every year for the last 36 years. And the greatest event that I have ever been to (or will ever be to) is about to start once again. Penn State's Dance Marathon, best known simply as THON, officially gets underway at 6PM tonight and lasts until 4PM Sunday evening. Over 700 "dancers" will forgo sleeping and won't sit for the next 46 hours. In addition to those 700+ brave soulds, there will be an additional 10,000 students staffing the Bryce Jordan Center to make sure the vent runs smoothly and everyone is safe and secure.

THON is the culmination of a years worth of work for the Hershey Medical Center, specifically The Four Diamonds Fund, to conquer childhood cancer. Last year THON raised $6,615,318.04 FOR THE KIDS. In it's 36 year history over $50 million has gone towards pediatric cancer research.

It is an event that everyone should experience at least once. It saddens Kelly and I deeply that we won't be there this year, supporting the College of EMS dancers and all of the wonderful children and their families. It is the first THON I've missed in 5 years. It will be the last one I miss.

Check out these awesome YouTube videos for more. You won't regret it.

To all those involved this weekend: GOOD LUCK. Keep up the fight. Do it for the kids. Dream Forward.

To watch the event LIVE, click here. For a visual history of THON through the years, click here. To donate, visit THON.org.

Master Replicas Cancels Ghostbusters Line

2009-02-18T09:13:00.002-05:00

Before even prototype images were posted - and a single prop was released - Master Replicas has canceled their line of Ghostbusters items. The Master Replicas forum moderator had this to say:

As a fan, I wish I could reassure everyone that GB is still on for MR. Unfortunately, it is with deep regret that MR has decided to cancel the plans we had with Sony for Ghostbusters. While I cannot get into specifics, I can tell you on a personal level that we cannot afford to give Ghostbusters prop replicas the justice and treatment they deserve and I apologize for any frustration or disappointment this will cause any fans. Rather than hold on to the license and wait for what seemed inevitable, we've decided to make the announcement today. Thank you for your understanding.

That was posted yesterday, February 17th. Just five days prior the moderator hinted at development pictures. Now the line is dead before it really started.

This apparently happens often with Master Replicas. From what I have read on message boards, close to - if not more than - 40% of announced items and product lines go unfulfilled by MR. Some think the company is wilting.

It's a shame, really. The Ghostbusters community has been waiting for a company to step up and produce top of the line replicas for use at Halloween or for display in their collections. If you can't make replicas yourself then you are stuck trying to buy fan made stuff from others, which is even more expensive than what MR was reportedly going to sell the items for.

All is not lost, however. At least we know for certain that the videogame will be released this summer. Plus there are the Minimates and the two lines of figures from Mattel coming as well. Hopefully no one else lets us down. Ghostbusters fans have been through enough in the last 20 years.

2009 Gentle Giant Busts

2009-02-17T11:41:00.002-05:00

Besides the TIE Fighter Pilot and AT-AT Pilot coming out early this year, Gentle Giant showed a bounty of busts and other items at Toy Fair yesterday. I'm most excited for the Snowtrooper and Stormtrooper Commander from The Force Unleashed.

Gentle Giant's Snowtrooper bust, available this summer.
(image from GentleGiantCollectors.com)

This Stormtrooper Commander bust will be a Star Wars Shop exclusive this summer.
(image from GentleGiantCollectors.com)

Toy Fair 2009: Hasbro Presentation Highlights

2009-02-16T09:49:00.007-05:00

I posted some images on Saturday from Rebel Scum. This time I am highlighting what interests me from the Hasbro presentation. These slides are from Jedi Temple Archives.

This new packaging will start in August and percolate through all Star Wars merchandise.

The Clone Wars - 2009 Wave 2

The Clone Wars - 2009 Wave 3.

The Clone Wars - 2009 Wave 4.

The Clone Wars - 2009 Wave 5.

The Clone Wars - Revamped "deluxe" line.

Turbo Tank Gunner Crew on-shelf date indicates that we should see the vehicle sometime between mid-August and mid-September.

The "starfighter" line will see some new vehicles this year, like the Republic Fighter Tank.

The ARC-170 makes another appearance, with yet another price hike. The vehicles to large for the "starfighter" line but too small to be a "big" vehicle will be in the new "deluxe" vehicle line.

There she is, the Turbo Tank! Expect to see this monster in time for Season 2 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

New turrets!!!

With "Evolutions" set to go on hiatus this fall, the line falls to an exclusive label.

The highly coveted and hard-to-find The Force Unleashed Stormtrooper Commander figure will be rereleased as a shared exclusive at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con.

There are some images of what to expect out of Hasbro from now until early fall. A lot of good stuff like the Republic Fighter Tank and the Turbo Tank, in addition to the Geonosis Assault battle pack with two Episode II-style Clone Pilots and turrets! You'll notice I didn't mention anything about The Legacy Collection. It just so happens that there isn't a single figure shown at Toy Fair that I want. And I don't want to steal every image from Jedi Temple Archives. If you want to see the rest, go here.

It was also revealed that the Unleashed line will be ending and that Mighty Muggs will become Toys R Us exclusives.

Hot Off the Press: Toy Fair 2009 Star Wars Images

2009-02-14T18:33:00.004-05:00

I don't want to steal all their traffic, but Rebel Scum has a bunch of great photos of upcoming Star Wars merchandise for fall 2009. Below are a few that I am most interested in. Be sure to check out their photo page in its entirety!

Hasbro's display at the 2009 Toy Fair.

The Clone Turbo Tank was confirmed by Hasbro on Friday night. It is expected to hit shelves this fall.

Hasbro has said that there will be a new $60 Starfighter line, including this new Imperial ARC-170 fighter repaint.

Could the Republic Fighter Tank be part of the $60 vehicle line?

The Clone Wars line will see new deluxe packs, with a figure and small vehicle.

The ARF Trooper - seen in The Clone Wars movie - is displayed in the new Star Wars-brand packaging.

I generally focus on Clones but this Mace does have Clone armor... and look at that helmet!

This will be the fourth different Clone Trooper helmet voice changer. The Rex helmet will join the previous white, red (Target exclusive), and blue (Walmart exclusive) versions from last fall.

The Clone Commander Blaster looks absolutely amazing. It is actually 3-guns-in-1!

More and more Hasbro news will be out later tonight and early tomorrow. Their presentation should be starting soon which will provide some more lovely morsels of action figure news!

This Needs to Stop!

2009-02-13T12:35:00.005-05:00

I stopped at the local Walmart today after work to pick up a few things. I went back to the toys section to see if they had a Saga Legends Snowtrooper, the only figure currently available that I need for my collection. They did not. While I was there I noticed that, among the other The Legacy Collection Wave 5 figures, was a Han Solo that just seemed... off. I couldn't place it at first. Then I saw that part of the box had been torn. I snatched it off of its peg and inspected it, only to find that this hadn't been done by accident. No, someone had actually tripped the lower corner and removed the Build-A-Droid part. On Han Solo in Stromtrooper Disguise it is the right leg of the stromech R5-A2. I was appaled. I have heard stories of this happening and have seen it documented elsewhere, but never have I seen it in person. Who would do such a thing?!?! It's reprehensible - and extremely childish - behavior. I hope it was a young - very young - kid and not some teenaged aor adult collector. To whoever did this I say, "Karma is a bitch". Not that the act of stealing a measly droid part is on the same level of, say, killing or cheating on someone. But it is still ridiculous behavior. It must stop. Now. I know prices of figures have climbed steadiluy in the last 36 months. If you can't afford to buy the entire figure go to eBay. You probably can get just the droid part (plus shipping) for $3 or $4 dollars. Seriously, stop doing this. It tarnishes the figure and puts and damper on fun for kids and collecting. Pictures of this atrocity are below. They're from my iPhone and aren't the best quality.

Ghostbusters Figures - FIRST LOOK

2009-02-06T16:54:00.006-05:00

One word: WOW.

Mattel's Ghostbusters line - including 6" and 12" figures - will be available this summer.

Head to Toy News International for more pictures, including the 6" prototypes, close ups, and Slimer!

I've Taken the GSAT

2009-02-06T10:28:00.002-05:00

Click image to enlarge.

Take the GSAT (this means you, Bryan).

Marrying Kelly Just Got Expensive

2009-02-06T10:11:00.006-05:00

No, Kelly does not have ridiculously expensive tastes or demands (just some curly fries and movie rental once in a while, really). However, I did promise her - multiple times, I might add - during the 4+ years we've been dating that I would buy/build her a Death Star. I tried to trick her with this

but the pewter key chain was not enough. She really wants this

Unfortunately for her it's just a little out of my price range: $15,602,022,489,829,821,422,840,226.94 or $15.6 septillion, which is 1.4 trillion times the current U.S. debt. Actually, that cost doesn't reflect staffing and the extra goodies; that's just for the materials, transportation to space, and air. Crap. I've got a lot of work to do...

It's Happening, It's Really Happening

2009-02-04T14:49:00.001-05:00

CULVER CITY, Calif.—Mattel plans to offer a collectible toy line tied into Sony Pictures Consumer Products’ 25^th anniversary merchandise program for the movie Ghostbusters.

Mattel's Ghostbusters line debuts in June with 12-inch figures available exclusively at the toymaker’s MattyCollector.com website. Each figure will feature window box packaging and include authentic Ghostbuster equipment unique to each of the movie’s major characters. Select prototype figures will be on display at this weekend’s New York Comic Con and at later this month at Mattel's New York Toy Fair Collector Preview Night.

Ghostbusters collectors will also be offered 6-inch figures—one of which will debut at San Diego Comic Con in July—that will come complete with authentic "Ghostbusters" equipment and ghost.

"There haven't been many comedic blockbusters over the past quarter century as memorable and loved as Ghostbusters," said Tim Kilpin, Mattel’s general manager for Boys, Girls & Games. "We are honored to participate in the celebration of the film's 25th anniversary by creating the most extensive line of Ghostbusters collectibles ever."

Mattel will also market characters and ghosts from the animated series The Real Ghostbusters.

HOLY CRAP!

Hasbro Toy Shop Items

2009-02-02T11:07:00.004-05:00

The online Hasbro shop has some of The Legacy Collection Wave 5 IN STOCK NOW. I was able to pick up Han Solo and Luke Skywalker in Stormtrooper Disguise plus the Quinlan Vos/Commander Faie Comic Pack that I have yet to see at retail. Also, you can use the coupon code "SW2009" to get 10% off your entire Star Wars order.

Remnants of Clone Wars Wave 4 Found

2009-02-01T17:50:00.004-05:00

I was grocery shopping at the local Walmart yesterday evening and checked out the toys section. It didn't appear, at first glance, that they had restocked. Further inspection proved otherwise. The Legacy Collection pegs were all holdovers from Wave 4; no sight of Wave 5. However there were more Saga Legends Wave 3, but no Snowtrooper. Then I saw some of the repacked Clone Wars figures (like Dooku, Ventress, and C-3PO) and, luckily, a lone 212th Attack Battalion Clone Trooper.

Unfortunately I missed out on the Space Trooper. Here are a few more images of the 212th Attack Battalion Clone Trooper card.

Hopefully this coming week will yield the rest of Clone Wars Wave 4 and The Legacy Collection Wave 5.

Hasbro Action Figure Wish List

2009-01-31T00:25:00.001-05:00

Plenty of action figure fan sites - not just for Star Wars - have polls and such to help persuade the almighty Hasbro into making a specific figure from the fantasy realm. I know that Rebel Scum has done it on multiple occasions.

What I'm doing here isn't to plead with Hasbro to make these guys (or gals, as the case may be); no, I just want to put out my wish list. As an individual I don't carry much weight and it has become clear to me that collector's interest are quite varied. I though that this list would just be a fun thing to do!

The list below is for Star Wars figures that are yet to be produced or released individually on card. They are listed in no particular order. **WARNING: Spoilers may be found below if you have not read any of the Republic Commando series from Karen Traviss**

Niner, Atin, Darman, Fi, and Corr - This is Omega Squad, form Karen Traviss' Republic Commando series. They were released (except Corr) in the Entertainment Exclusive Elite Forces of the Republic (specifically the Mandalorians and Omega Squad set). Because the figures are so similar I doubt they'll ever be released carded. But, again, this is just my wish list. I'm not making demands.
Boss, Fixer, Sev, and Scorch - This is Delta Squad. Like Omega Squad, they've been released in a set from Entertainment Earth. In fact, Scorch has been released carded, too. Because each of these guys can be distinguished from one another (unlike Omega) they could EASILY be released on card. This a simple profit gain for Hasbro as it would involve little new work, if any at all. Delta Squad was featured in the Lucasarts video game Star Wars: Republic Commando as well as in Traviss' Republic Commando series.
Kal Skirata and Walon Vau - So you've probably figure out I'm a fan of the Republic Commando series? Skirata and Vau are two of the Mandalorians tasked by the Kaminoans to train the Reoublic's clone army and are main characters in the Commando books. The main reason Hasbro does few book characters because there is no definitive image of the character for the sculptors and painters to work off of. There are descriptions of them in the books but they say that isn't enough. But I'd still like to have these guys!
Bardan Jusik and Etain Tur-Mukan - Who doesn't like Jedi figures? Each of these characters has a significant role in the Commando books. Plus, Jusik and Tur-Mukan can be made twice. Jusik the Jedi and Mandalorian and Tur-Mukan the Jedi and pregnant.
A'den, Ordo, Jaing, Mereel, Kom'rk, Prudii - These are the null-ARCs and adoptive sons of Kal Skirata. They'd be simple to make since Hasbro has already produced ARC troopers. Honestly they wouldn't need many changes; just something to differentiate between the six of them and an alpha-class ARC trooper. Fun fact: Kom'rk and Jaing are the Clone Intelligence Units the Senator Palpatine refers to in Revenge of the Sith, the guys who located General Grievous on Utapau.
Ko Sai - There aren't too many Kaminoans made into action figures but we know they all look about the same. Using the sculpt of Lama Su could make this evil geneticist simple.
Phase 2 armored ARC Troopers - All the ARC Troopers made by Hasbor have been in Phase 1 armor. We know that these superior fighters were involved up to the formation of the Galactic Empire. Where are they in their Phase 2 armor? Wouldn't it be as simple as adding some color and a pauldron to a ROTS-style trooper? Here's the animated version of ARC-77 (Captain Fordo) in Phase 2 armor.
Commander Cody, Clone Pilot, and ARC Pilot - Cody and the Clone Pilot would be simple updates (realistic fashion). They each need more articulation. The ARC Pilot would be a simple repaint of the regular Clone Pilot. This could also result in another Commando series tie-in, Clone Pilot Sicko.
Besany Wennen and Jaller Obrim - Wennen was a secondary character in the Commando series and is null-ARC Ordo's lust. She worked in the Republic Treasury Audit Division. Obrim, also a secondary character, is a former Senate Guard now working with the Coruscant Security Force's anti-terrorism unit.

That's all I can think of for now. I'm sure all come up with others in the future and, when do, I will update this list. I will be doing a vehicle wish list sometime as well.

New Clone Wars Bobblehead

2009-01-26T16:09:00.007-05:00

I made a trip to Walmart today and I naturally checked out the Star Wars toys. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this Walmart (closest to my apartment) had done a bit of an overhaul while I was home for the holidays. It had been about 5 weeks since I was last at this particular store and I noticed shelves were shorter and more organized, not just in the toy section but everywhere. Very nice change. The Star Wars stuff was in a new aisle and marvelously organized; each specific figure - not wave or line but figure - had its own peg. Now, the pegs were pretty much bare save for maybe 5 different figures. But each figure had multiples and they were each on a separate peg. there was a peg for Bail Organa and one for Commander Faie and so on. Plus, they were actually on The Legacy Collection pegs and not on Saga Legends or The Clone Wars pegs. A very odd site. Anyway, there was no sight of the new figures or mighty muggs or vehicle or battlepacks but I did find a Funko bobblehead I didn't have.

Clone Trooper Denal, a Walmart exclusive. Huh. Nice. I like the helmet deco. The funny thing is, when i went to check out the bobblehead didn't come up. My friend had actually tried to pick this up for me right after Christmas and they took it away from him because it was in the aisle "by mistake". I lucked out this time. The Walmart associates just checked the price on the other bobbleheads and rung it up for me. Excellent! Here are a few more pictures for those who are interested.

For those interested, here is a snippet of what Wookieepedia has to say about Clone Trooper Denal:

Denal was a clone trooper in the Grand Army of the Republic who served in the 501st Legion's Torrent Company during the Clone Wars. He was one of the most experienced troopers in the 501st, having survived many campaigns alongside Captain Rex and Jedi General Anakin Skywalker.

And a picture of him in The Clone Wars...

From Wookieepedia.

IGN's Top 100 Animated TV Series

2009-01-26T14:52:00.001-05:00

NOTE: Originally published January 22nd, 2009.

I love arbitrary rankings. No one ever agrees with them and the endless comments, complaints, and arguments that come about are fun and pathetic at the same time. There is absolutely no way to rank something like TV shows, movies, and cartoons. Can't happen. There can't be a consensus "best" or "worst". On average a show may be more popular but to each person these rankings are moot. But they are still fun!

The most recent one I stumbled upon is IGN's Top 100 Animated TV Series. Below are a few excerpts of notable (read: one's I'm interested in) cartoons and their ranks.

97. The Smurfs

Network: NBC
Original Air Date: 1981-1990

Like many of the shows represented on our Top 100, The Smurfs is a cartoon we here at IGN grew up with, and as such it holds a special place in our memories. Based on a Belgian comic strip, the tiny blue-skinned Smurfs became an unstoppable media empire with this popular 1980s Hanna-Barbera animated series. The animation itself wasn't much to speak of, but the stories told over the course of its 256 episodes were kiddie cocaine to those of us who grew up in the '80s. The peaceful Smurfs, led by Papa Smurf and predominantly male (with the sole exception of Smurfette), were often chased by the evil wizard Gargamel and his cat Azrael.

93. Darkwing Duck

Network: Syndicated
Original Air Date: 1991-1992

Disney Afternoon's response to Batman, but with a duck looking more The Shadow than The Dark Knight, is one of the many reasons why after-school cartoons rule. This DuckTales spin-off ran from 1991 to 1995, and during that time the goofy yet thrilling adventures of Drake Mallard never ceased to satisfy. And how could they not: awesome sidekick who was more Han Solo than Dick Grayson? Check, his name's Launchpad and he's about 10 different types of cool. Duck-themed aerial transport? Check. A few homages to Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns? Some nods to James Bond and Marvel for good measure? Double-check. And that theme song makes for a geeky-cool ringtone, which is nice. From DW's misadventures with Gizmoduck to some throw-downs with villain Flintheart Glomgold, our time in the city of St. Canard was more than worthwhile. It was pure fun.

92. Rugrats

Network: Nickelodeon
Original Air Date: 1991-1994 & 1996-2004

Want to know what kids are thinking? Well yer gonna. Rugrats might have had a sort of hideous animation style that transformed a bunch of toddlers into grotesque monstrosities, but it sure was popular. Sure, there were grownups around to let us know exactly what was going on, but the focus of the show was "how kids look at things." How they could see monsters and magic in everyday occurrences simply because they don't understand the world yet. With all the toddlers able to effectively communicate with each other through baby speak, Rugrats took its cues from earlier shows like Muppet Babies and had the kids use their imaginations to create adventures for themselves. The misadventures of Tommy, Chuckie, Phil and Lil, and even Tommy's devilish cousin Angelica ran for 13 years! And not only that, the characters have a new show called All Grown Up, where you can find them...all grown up and in middle school.

89. Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Network: Cartoon Network
Original Air Date: 2008-Present

As we write this list, Star Wars: The Clone Wars is still a very new show, only halfway through its first season, thus it's hard to fully gauge it as yet. What we've seen though shows plenty of promise, and even though there are definitely some issues with the series -- those ever-annoying Battle Droids perhaps chief among them -- the show consistently delivers solid action and fun. More importantly, a couple of the early episodes, especially "Rookies" and "Cloak of Darkness" have been true standouts, telling dark and moody stories in the Star Wars universe that are among the best the Expanded Universe has offered. Guided by talented uber-Star Wars fan Dave Filoni, and using notable writers like Batman: The Animated Series's Paul Dini, The Clone Wars has had to overcome cynicism from older fans and those who feel the 2003 Cone Wars series can't be outdone -- and slowly but surely, it's battling past those obstacles and proving to be a quite entertaining series in its own right.

88. The Woody Woodpecker Show

Network: None
Original Air Date: Syndicated theatrical shorts

Like several of the classic cartoons on this list, that irascible, nervous-breakdown-prone Woody Woodpecker started life in a series of theatrical shorts that date back as early as 1940. Years later, he would find renewed vigor when the shorts were packaged for television viewing...delighting generations of after-school kiddies. And maybe, just maybe, driving a few of them to nervous breakdowns all their own.

81. TaleSpin

Network: Syndicated
Original Air Date: 1990-1994
There is no way for us to hide it, we here at IGN loved the Disney Afternoon line-up, and TaleSpin was one of our favorites. On the surface the series looked like an easy way to cash in on an older Disney film property (The Jungle Book), but after watching the television movie -- which later went on to become the first four episodes -- "Plunder and Lightning," we knew that Disney had found something special. From the creative plotlines to the infinitely catchy theme song, we were hooked.

80. Alvin and the Chipmunks

Network: NBC
Original Air Date: 1983-1990

There's nothing funnier than an adult losing his mind. It's the core of most children's programming. Kids are allowed to run rampant and inflict pain and misery and grownups just have to take it and love the kids anyway. There's no discipline. There's no law and order. And thus, a show like Alvin and the Chipmunks was born. Incorporating the singing Chipmunk hit-makers from the 1960s, Alvin and the Chipmunks brought the scamps into the '80s and gave them a bunch of cover songs to maul with their little tiny voices. "Beat It," "Born in the USA," and "Uptown Girl" all got the treatment as poor Dave Seville became the adopted father for jerky, smarty and fatty -- otherwise known as Alvin, Simon and Theodore. The three of those little rodents never missed an opportunity to make Dave's life a living hell. But all was forgiven since they managed to sell a buttload of records and wound up becoming insanely popular. And just when we thought we might be done with them, they had a huge hit movie in 2007 that's got a sequel in production as we speak.

68. Popeye

Network: None
Original Air Date: Syndicated theatrical shorts

Today, Popeye might be merely seen as the greatest endorsement of one of the most lackluster vegetables of all time. But "back in the day" this malformed, one-eyed, corncob pipe-smokin' sailor was the complete franchise. In 1929, Popeye appeared as a supporting character in the comic strip Thimble Theater, which was originally a venue for Olive Oyl and her kin. He quickly stole the hearts and minds of America. Soon the comic strip was focused on him, and Olive even dumped her longtime boyfriend Ham Gravy to become Popeye's main squeeze. Sounds a bit like an "ole timey" Urkel if you ask us. In 1932, Popeye got his own animated series, which usually found him getting pounded to a pulp by nogoodniks until he finally ingested canned spinach and fought back with superhuman strength. Popeye was an icon that spawned movies, lunchboxes, pinball machines and even his own line of frozen food. And yes, the Popeye cartoon did give a much needed shot in the arm to the U.S. spinach industry, which is not only fascinating, but might also constitute a high crime.

66. Tom and Jerry

Network: None
Original Air Date: Syndicated theatrical shorts

This long-lived cat and mouse team (or anti-team, as the case might be) began life courtesy of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera for MGM in a series of theatrical shorts back in 1940. Telling the age-old tale of the feline and rodent who quite simply can't get along, Tom and Jerry eventually made its way to TV as did many of its movie-house peers. And there, on the small screen, the duo has thrived for generations, continuing to churn out new material to this day.

60. Chip 'N Dale Rescue Rangers

Network: Disney Channel
Original Air Date: 1989-1990

We're not saying that a catchy theme song guarantees admission on the list, but it sure helps. Rescue Rangers' opening music is catchy in that stuck-in-your-head-for-days, foot-tapping sorta way, so much so that 15 years since it went off the air, we still hear it. Its inclusion on our Best Ever list is in some small part our way to address the special guilty pleasure we have for this show. Part of the Disney Afternoon line-up, Chip and Dale did their best impression of Indiana Jones and Magnum P.I., respectively, solving crimes too small for the full-sized police to handle. That's right, chipmunks playing CSI before there was CSI; and in some cases they made Indy look like Regarding Henry. Pals Gadget, Monterey Jack and Zipper were on hand for back-up, and then there's that damn song again. "Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Chip 'N Dale, Rescue Rangers..." Somebody stop us. Actually, don't. We're too busy having fun watching C and D take care of Fat Cat.

55. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Network: Syndicated
Original Air Date: 1987-1996

They, are the world's most fearsome fighting team. They, are heroes in a half-shell and they're green. And you know what? When the evil Shredder attacks, these turtle boys don't cut him no slack. Welcome to the world of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

54. Inspector Gadget

Network: Syndicated
Original Air Date: 1983-1986

Forgive us if we reference yet another theme song, but it seems that the title music for so many of these shows has done much to make them permanent residents of our collective psyches. In the case of this DIC Entertainment produced cartoon (huh, huh, huh, we said DIC!), the absentminded adventures of the cyborg (or was he a full-on robot?) Inspector Gadget were certainly made all the more exciting by the unforgettable "Go, Gadget, go!" music. Throw in the far superior intellectual abilities of Gadget's "niece" Penny, the master of disguise canine Brain, and the villainous (and barely glimpsed) Dr. Claw and his M.A.D. Cat, and untold hours of afternoon TV addiction were to be had. That Maxwell Smart himself, Don Adams, lent his voice to the title character -- a fact we as kids were probably not even aware of on a conscious level -- well, that was just icing on the bumbling cyborg detective cake, wasn't it?

46. The Jetsons

Network: ABC
Original Air Date: 1962-1963

Have you met George Jetson? His boy, Elroy? Daughter Judy? Jane, his wife?! Of course you have, thanks to good old Hanna-Barbera, who first gave us the adventures of this futuristic nuclear family all the way back in 1962 -- on primetime no less. Animation during evening viewing times just didn't happen back in the day, until fellow HB series The Flintstones arrived in 1960 and started a mini revolution. Several other cartoons followed, but The Jetsons, along with its Stone Age brother, proved to be the most enduring of these primetime shows... at least until The Simpsons completely changed the playing field in the late 1980s.

33. Schoolhouse Rock

Network: ABC
Original Air Date: 1972-2001

Not a TV show as much as an ongoing series of shorts that made the Saturday morning circuit for almost 30 years, Schoolhouse Rock! is a touchstone cartoon for most of us who grew up anywhere during that three-decade stretch. While new episodes weren't particularly the norm throughout that long period, the series' lessons about history and English and science and all that other good stuff were more than worthy of the many repeat airings they were given, especially as they were couched in the fun and instantly appealing (for kids and adults) world of music. The catchy ditty "Conjunction Junction," the conservationist-minded "The Energy Blues," and of course the how-it-works classic "I'm Just a Bill" are just a few of the classics from this series, though a quick search on YouTube reveals a ton of more Schoolhouse rock-outs that have been laying dormant in our minds for decades now, just waiting to burst out in song and teach us an enjoyable lesson once again.

31. Muppet Babies

Network: CBS
Original Air Date: 1984-1990

First introduced via an imaginary sequence in The Muppets Take Manhattan, the cute and fuzzy Muppet Babies proved so popular that an animated spin-off was quickly launched. Focusing on baby versions of Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and their friends, episodes revolved around the vivid imaginations of the characters, which allowed them to have globetrotting, otherworldly adventures without ever leaving their nursery. Obviously aimed at a very young audience, this was a legitimately charming series that involved some clever ideas, such as having every visual be from the perspective of the children, meaning objects above them loomed in the distance -- and of course the face of their beloved nanny was never seen.

25. Robot Chicken

Network: Cartoon Network
Original Air Date: 2005-Present

Seth Green and Matt Senreich never stopped loving toys, and guess what? Neither did we. Tapping into the collective geek memory its creators and audience share, Green and Senreich's Adult Swim series delivers fast-paced comedy via segments lasting anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. Using stop-motion animation and toys (and a bevy of notable voice actors), the targets here run a wide pop-culture gamut, from the Olsen Twins to He-Man. When it comes to the toys, movies and cartoons Robot Chicken has parodied, there is obviously a lot of knowledge and love at work -- you have to remember Turbo Teen well to make such a twisted, hysterical send-up as the one seen on Robot Chicken. From Mario driving his Kart into Vice City, to the Saved by the Bell gang meeting Saw's Jigsaw, to Emperor Palpatine dealing with a phone call from a whining Darth Vader, Robot Chicken constantly keeps us laughing.

22. The Real Ghostbusters

Network: ABC
Original Air Date: 1986-1991

There's a part of us that actually appreciates The Real Ghostbusters more than the actual Ghostbusters movies. Well, certainly the second movie anyway. Don't get us wrong, the first movie was classically hilarious, but The Real Ghostbusters just told some really mean and nasty supernatural stories. Their take on The Boogeyman -- and we all know that everyone has their own take on that creature -- was the best we've ever seen. This show had a notably darker tone than other cartoons on at the time, and did well in its research of creature myths and folklore. Most of the time, like on the CW show Supernatural, Venkman, Stantz, Spengler and Winston could often be found thwarting famously diabolical creatures. Samhain, Grundel, Tiamat, Marduk, Russian Domovois and even the freakin' Lovecraft beast Cthulhu! They all fell to the power of the real Ghostbusters! Interesting note: The original voice of Venkman was old Rhoda voice actor Lorenzo Music, who was also the voice of Garfield for 12 years. And who did they get to do the voice for Garfield in the movies in order to echo the old Lorenzo Music dry tone? Bill Murray.

21. Star Wars: Clone Wars

Network: Cartoon Network
Original Air Date: 2003-2005

Not to be confused with the new CGI series which has a "The" in front of the title, Clone Wars debuted in 2003 on Cartoon Network as a series of three-minute shorts (eventually extended to 12-15 minute segments). The goal of this unique format was to delve into the specifics of those famous titular battles, first mentioned in the original Star Wars, long dreamed about and imagined by fans worldwide, and finally seen on film at the end of Attack of the Clones in 2002. Or at least, the very beginning of the Clone Wars was depicted in that film. It would be up to animator Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack) and his team to really show us what was going on during the most famous conflict in Star Wars history.

19. G.I. Joe

Network: Syndicated
Original Air Date: 1985-1986 & 1989-1991

"Yo Joe!" "Cobra!" "Now I know... and knowing is half the battle!" If nothing else, this series gave all children of the '80s plenty of iconic battle cries and proclamations. One of several toy-inspired animated series of the era, G.I. Joe was the most entertaining of the bunch, thanks to the many fun characters the toy line provided. Even the things that are silly about it -- wow, those Cobras sure could parachute out of any plane they were in that was shot down, huh? -- are somewhat endearing. And while this isn't a show known for its gritty realism, there were some blissfully strange and interesting occurrences, as we followed the Joes and Cobras through weather domination, the creation of the clone emperor Serpentor, a trippy journey to an alternate reality (Baroness and Steeler in love!), and of course, the musical bliss of Cold Slither.

18. DuckTales

Network: Syndicated
Original Air Date: 1987-1990

We all know that Scottish people are cheap, right? Well so are Scottish ducks. And due to their spendthrift ways, they’re able to amass great fortunes and swim around in their vaults filled with gold coins. And even though they have miserly names like Scrooge, their hearts are still big enough to take in their great-nephews when the nephews’ other uncle, Donald, heads off to join the Navy. This was Disney’s first syndicated animated TV series and it paved the way for other hugely successful shows like TaleSpin and Chip n’ Dale Rescue Rangers. It even created two spin-offs, Darkwing Duck and Quack Pack. Disney made the smart movie of taking classic characters like Scrooge McDuck and Baloo from The Jungle Book and giving them a late ’80s reboot. All this only leaves us with one question: Where were Huey, Dewey and Louie’s parents and why did they keep getting bounced around from uncle to uncle?

12. The Ren and Stimpy Show

Network: Nickelodeon
Original Air Date: 1991-1996

Who would’ve thought that a series featuring an asthmatic Chihuahua and a mental midget of a manx cat could provide so many gut-ripping laughs? Well, anyone, actually, who is familiar with animation’s long relationship with antrophomorphic animals. Created by John Kricfalusi for his Spumco International cartoon studio, the show began life on MTV before being sold to Nickelodeon, where Kricfalusi and the network soon came to loggerheads over the series’ violence as well as (reportedly) the animator’s many missed deadlines. But the show’s subversive humor appealed to audiences, and even after Kricfalusi was fired from his own show, Ren and Stimpy continued for three more seasons. Eventually the creator of the pair returned for Spike TV’s Ren and Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon in 2003, which featured a more overtly adult edge, but the series was canceled a month after it debuted, with Kricfalusi’s deadline problems again coming into play. A shame, really, because we always loved to see some serious Ren violence...

Plenty of old-school shows like Underdog and Rocky and Bullwinkle made the list but I didn't grow up watching them and do not yearn to have them on DVD so I neglected them here. You'll have to check out the list in its entirety at IGN to find out where they ranked. Be warned, it's not so much a list but a rank-for-every-click-of-the-mouse... have fun with that.

The top 10 is yet to be announced. I'll update this as they're revealed over the coming days. I'd be willing to bet I know 3 of the top 10 (South Park, Family Guy, and The Simpsons, which could be numero uno). Stay tuned.

9. The Flintstones

Network: ABC
Original Air Date: 1960-1966

In 1960, Hanna-Barbera Productions broke the animation mold and launched the cartoon into primetime glory -- the toon previously occupied only the realm of kiddie programming hours. With the arrival of The Flintstones, however, the path was paved for such eventual success stories as The Simpsons and Family Guy.

8. Futurama

Network: Comedy Central
Original Air Date: 1999-2003 & 2008-Present

The redheaded stepchild of Simpsons creator Matt Groening, Futurama nonetheless remains near and dear to the hearts of several of IGN's editors. A futuristic sitcom that was a cross between The Jetsons and The Simpsons, the adventures of the dimwitted Fry, mono-eyed Leela, drunk and disorderly robot Bender, and all the rest of the Planet Express crew aren't just often hilarious -- they're also loaded with references that will make the average sci-fi and genre fan feel smart. And isn't that what life is all about in the end? Feeling smart?

7. Family Guy

Network: FOX
Original Air Date: 1999-2002 & 2005-Present

This reminds me of the time IGN was making a Top 100 Animated Series list and didn't give Family Guy #1. Yeah, that happened, but you can't complain with making the Top 10. Surpassing animated comedies such as Futurama, The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo Where Are You! is a hell of a feat and Family Guy guru Seth MacFarlane deserves all the credit in the world for making it happen.

4. South Park

Network: Comedy Central
Original Air Date: 1997-Present

Very few shows -- animated or not -- have been on for 12 seasons and still retain the relevance and entertainment value of South Park. Episodes alternate between sharp satirical looks at society to pop culture parodies to scatological humor, sometimes all within the same half-hour. Seemingly unafraid to take on any subject, Matt Stone and Trey Parker have created a forum for their opinions that's unfiltered and raw, making some of the freshest comedy currently on the air.

3. Looney Tunes

Network: None
Original Air Date: Syndicated theatrical shorts

We debated this one a bit because, yes, it's kind of a cheat. After all, the content of this show was originally produced as shorts for movie theaters. However, several generations have since been introduced to these truly wonderful animated segments as part of a television program. Whether it was simply called Looney Tunes or The Bugs Bunny Show (or the many variations, such as The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour) didn't matter, because what was offered was cartoon bliss for children and adults alike -- hysterical and highly imaginative adventures starring iconic characters like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, created by amazingly talented men like Friz Freleng and Chuck Jones. From Bugs and Daffy arguing over whether it was duck season or rabbit season, to Elmer Fudd declaring "Kill the wabbit!", to Michigan J. Frog singing "Hello! Ma Baby" to a surprised construction worker, there is one memorable moment after another delivered here that have truly stood the test of time and continue to entertain decades after they were first created.

1. The Simpsons

Network: FOX
Original Air Date: 1989-Present

Currently airing its landmark 20th season, The Simpsons is a veritable pop culture icon. The Simpsons is not only the longest running American animated program, it's also the longest running American sitcom, and is currently tied with Gunsmoke for the longest running American primetime series. Those records alone don't earn it the top place on our list, however. The Simpsons is also an incredibly funny show that's produced more amusing characters and situations than the vast majority of all other American sitcoms.

So there you have it! IGN's Top 100 Animated Series is complete. No surprise that one of the greatest TV shows ever is #1.

Star Wars Horror Book?

2009-01-26T13:13:00.005-05:00

According to the official Star Wars web site, Del Rey is set to publish a horror novel based in the Star Wars universe. Details are sketchy at this time. The official site had this to say:

This Halloween, Star Wars publishing goes someplace very new and very scary, with the release of the first Star Wars horror novel, Deathtroopers, by Joe Schreiber. The text for the back cover is still to come, but this front cover art by Indika is so creepy, we just couldn't wait to share it with you.

Um, OK. I'd like to know if this serves as canon or not. But the cover is sweet and definitely piques my interest. Gee, I wonder why?

Is that a decapitated head still in the helmet? WOW.

New Clone Wars Turbo Tank Image Spotted!

2009-01-26T10:39:00.003-05:00

Click image to enlarge. From Action Figure News via Rebel Scum.

There she is, in all her glory. Electronic lights, sounds, and clone trooper phrases; a launching speeder bike; and an exclusive figure. Plus, it's giant. This is the 2009 version of the Millennium Falcon. Hello, Juggernaut!

Yes, a Grand Plan Indeed

2009-01-23T13:05:00.003-05:00

A Saudi national released from U.S. detention at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in September 2007 is believed to be a key leader in al Qaeda's operations in Yemen, according to a U.S. counterterrorism official.
-- CNN.com

Awesome. And there's more where that came from!

President Barack Obama began overhauling U.S. treatment of terror suspects Thursday, signing orders to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center...

Then there is this little problem.

Ordering the closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay was the easy bit.
Working out what to do with the 245 or so inmates who are still there will be much harder.

And so it begins...

UPDATE: First the Guantanamo thing, now this. Excellent way to start, 44.

I'd Be Willing to See This BSOD Every So Often

2009-01-21T13:36:00.002-05:00

The chaps at Gizmodo have a new Photoshop contest and the submissions once again try to rip Microsoft. Original.

However, if I did have to experience a BSOD this is what I'd want it to look like.

by Gizmodo reader "apostle"

Yeah, Hollywood Sucks

2009-01-21T08:40:00.001-05:00

Click to enlarge to see how I feel about Hollywood.

Hasbro to Release Clone Turbo Tank in 2009

2009-01-16T11:09:00.006-05:00

That's right, folks. Coming by Christmas 2009 will be the Clone Turbo Tank, formally known as the Heavy Assault Vehicle/wheeled (HAVw) A6 Juggernaut. This news slipped out of a 2009 Toy Fair preview guide. Toy Fair is held in New York in early February each year.

The Turbo Tank listing can be found at the bottom of the first column and carries into column two. Click image to enlarge.

This behemoth of a vehicle has been rumored for almost a year now. Within three weeks we may have actual images of the vehicle. It should actually be bigger than the previously released AT-TE. Wow. Below is an image of the Turbo Tank.

UPDATE: Jedi Defender has a source with a Target code and price for the Turbo Tank... $99.99!

Ghostbusters and Sports? Yes, please.

2009-01-15T21:21:00.003-05:00

Who knew that Comcast had multiple blogs, including ones about sports? OK, well, I didn't. One of those blogs would be "Russakoff Rules" by Lee Russakoff. He wrote an outstanding article about what would happen to the city of Philadelphia if the Phillies and the Eagles would win a championship the same year. What does Russakoff think will happen?

Total protonic reversal.

That’s right. All life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.

We’re crossing the streams…

Did he just reference Ghostbusters? Sweet! Phillies and Ghostbusters in the same story? No fucking* way!!! Sure it also talks of the Eagles doing good, which is a negative to me. But still. Phillies and Ghostbusters together.

*The word "fuck" now truly has meaning after this (or this). Its presence will always be remembered in Phillies lore.

Phillies fans taking advantage of an Austrian town's unfortunate name.

via Beerleaguer & The Fightins

A Galaxy Divided

2009-01-14T13:29:00.003-05:00

Or should I say The Clone Wars: Volume 1? The Star Wars site announced today that four of the most popular episodes from the new animated series will be available on DVD on March 24th. What four episodes? "Ambush" and the three-part "Malevolence" saga. They just so happen to be the first 4 episode aired. This set will cost $19.99. Wow, what a rip off.

However, there is good news.

Meanwhile, for fans eager to own the entire first season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Lucasfilm is in the midst of producing a multi-disc boxed set that is expected to debut later in 2009. Full details of the first-season DVD boxed set, which is also planned to mark the first Blu-Ray appearance of the series, will be announced later this year. The collection will include substantial bonus material that is currently in production at Lucasfilm, including explorations of the behind-the-scenes creation of the hit series.

Phew, thank God! I'm glad they announced this because I didn't want to buy this and then have them release the entire first season. We know it's coming; we'll just have to wait until the end of summer or early fall to get it. My money's on September, right before season 2 begins.

New Packaging Coming in 2009

2009-01-12T15:06:00.003-05:00

The main Star Wars site dropped an interesting nugget today, announcing that sometime this year the Star Wars-brand packaging will be changing. Generally, packaging only changed when the line was being rebooted, much like what happened this summer when The Clone Wars and The Legacy Collection packaging replaced that of the Thirtieth Anniversary Collection. However, for all intents and purposes, we will still see The Clone Wars and The Legacy Collection lines; the base of the lines isn't changing, just the packaging.

So there you have it. No more blue, it's all about red. The line is said to be changing to this design when Season 2 of The Clone Wars debuts, presumably in the fall. You can see the full story here.

Though these mock-ups mean nothing, I guess Commander Gree is confirmed for The Clone Wars line :-D

June 16th Will Be One Great Day

2009-01-07T15:12:00.002-05:00

The Digital Bits has secured some information that should interest many people. According to them, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced that Ghostbuers will be released on Blu-Ray on June 16th, 2009. It is also the new street date for Ghostbusters: The Video Game as well. This year is the 25th anniversary of the original films release.

From Bill Hunt, The Digital Bits:

Okay... speaking of title announcements, here's an official one hot off the wires: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will indeed be releasing Ghostbusters on Blu-ray Disc on 6/16, in celebration of the film's 25th anniversary and timed to coincide with the release of Atari's Ghostbusters: The Video Game the same day. The Blu-ray (SLP $38.96) will include most (if not all) of the previous DVD extras, including audio commentary with Ivan Reitman, Harold Ramis and Joe Medjuck, 10 deleted scenes, storyboard comparisons and 3 featurettes (The Making of Ghostbusters, Interviews with Cast and Crew and SFX Team with before and after multi-angle explorations). New features for the Blu-ray include a Slimer Mode picture-in-picture viewing option (featuring an examination of the spook-hunters' firehouse headquarters, an in-depth exploration of the creatures in the Ghostbusters mythology, behind-the-scenes discussions of making the movie, new cast, crew and special effects artists interviews and much more), the Ecto-1: Resurrecting the Classic Car featurette, a Ghostbusters Garage: Ecto-1 Gallery and a 32-page scrapbook. The title will also include BD-Live connectivity, offering additional features (TBA). FYI, there's no official word yet on Ghostbusters 2, but we'll check on it.

Sounds good to me! Right around that time Kelly and I will be getting a house. I may not have Blu-Ray and HD right away but, hopefully, by this time next year we will. I already have one Blu-Ray movie (thank you, "free" gifts from Sports Illustrated's Phillies World Series Champions offer). GB in HD will be S.I.C.K.

An xkcd Ghostbusters Comic

2008-12-15T09:08:00.003-05:00

xkcd is a wonderful web comic that is widely popular. It is purportedly about romance, sarcasm, math, and language; basically any "nerd" would love it. And I do. Here is today's strip, filled with Ghostbusters goodness.

Gizmodo Readers Update Santa

2008-12-10T16:44:00.004-05:00

In Gizmodo's latest photoshop contest, readers were asked to introduce Santa into the 21st century. Of course Star Wars made an appearance.

The bottom image actually won the contest. Congratulations to Brandon Frenzel!

CAD Ghostbusters Reference

2008-12-09T09:06:00.001-05:00

Courtesy of Ctrl+Alt+Del's Silly for December 7th.

Gentle Giant Speaks About New Bust-Ups

2008-12-08T15:46:00.004-05:00

From Gentle Giant:

Build your own Star Wars Clone Trooper Armada!

These pre-painted collectible press ‘n fit kits are NOW available through your local Toys ‘Я' Us stores. There are 2 sets: Armada 1 and Armada 2; each set retails for $15.99.

Bred and trained on the oceanic outlying place of Kamino, the unflinching loyal clone troopers are born to serve the Republic. Despite sharing identical genes, a clone trooper often fosters a greater sense of identity by giving himself a name, a stylized haircut or even the occasional tattoo. While a clone's role may not seem a enviable one, the hardships of battle foster an unparalleled camaraderie that only further cements his fraternal bonds.

These Clone Trooper Bust-Ups Sets make great stocking stuffers for the Star Wars collector in your family! Collect both sets today!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I already picked these sets up at Toys R Us over Thanksgiving break. They are simply repaints but nice ones. Armada 1 appears to feature Captain Rex, a Senate Security Clone Trooper, and a trooper from the 212th Attack Battalion. Armada 2 consists of what appears to be an AT-TE Tank Gunner, one of Plo Koon's troopers (from the Malevolence series), and a trooper in green deco (which will be released in Hasbro's 3 3/4" line this spring).

After Thanksgiving Round-Up

2008-12-04T10:26:00.009-05:00

Well things have been quite busy recently. Kelly and I made the trek from West Lafayette, IN to Eighty Four, PA on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. The following day I made the last leg of my journey to be with my family and friends in Sinking Spring, PA. Thanksgiving was busy as usual and soon enough I was making the return trip. After watching my high school win the PIAA District III AAAA football championship, I left the stadium in Hershey, PA bound for Eighty Four to pick up Kelly. On Sunday we made the 7 hour drive back to Purdue University. It was a nice little reprieve (Kelly hadn't been to her house since January) and a great preview of things to come for the Christmas break.

I've done more than traveling over the last 10 days however. Recently a lot of things I preordered and paid for months ago started shipping. Among them were The Real Ghostbusters Complete Collection on DVD from Time Life and the Airborne Trooper and Galactic Marine mini-busts from Gentle Giant.

Image from The Real Ghostbusters.

While I was home I was able to hit up Target and Toys R Us with Brent for some Star Wars goodies. I picked up the Shield Generator Assault battle pack and the Clone Trooper Officer (Yellow, Commander) figure from The Legacy Collection and the Toys R Us exclusive Clone Wars bust-ups, mentioned in the previous post (w00t! Christmas gifts!).

While I was home I was able to organize, sort, and store some of my collection. I can actually walk in my room now! There's still a slight mess but that should be fixed over Christmas. Some extra figures I had lying around I decided to open and create a diorama with one of my opened Republic Gunships. I didn't get to snap any pictures but the Gunship (with nose art from The Clone Wars collection) has 4 TCW Clone Pilots ("Odd Ball") flying the ship and manning the guns plus Captain Rex giving orders to 3 501st Legion Troopers (Wal-Mart exclusive) and 2 regular Clone Troopers. It looks pretty sweet!

In developing life stories, some big news was dropped on our family and friends recently. Kelly and I have decided to move to Sinking Spring, PA (my original hometown) once Kelly finishes her atmospheric science master's degree at Purdue! I will be working for my father with a future goal of succeeding him as owner & president of the sandwich shop. I'll be his apprentice for the next 10 or so years until he wants to partially retire.

My family and friends couldn't be happier; they are REALLY excited for us to return! And we can't wait...

New Bust-Ups at Toys R Us?

2008-11-25T10:29:00.005-05:00

An email sent out to the PSWCS listserv last night caught my attention. Someone found new Gentle Giant Bust-Ups at Toys R Us. They appear to use the same mold as the troopers from this set. It has been reported that there are 2 different exclusive sets available, one includes Captain Rex. I grabbed the below image from an eBay auction. The eBay member is selling both new sets with a $39.99 starting price ($44.99 with Buy it Now). A bit steep.

It isn't the best picture but it is the only one I can find that verifies the existence of these sets. You can see they are in the new Clone Wars packaging. It looks like Rex and a blue and red clone in the top set and maybe Commander Fox with a white a green clone on the bottom? I'm not sure about the middle clone in the second set. They are selling at retain for ~$15. If anyone sees these let me know! Gentle Giant was reportedly done with these but apparently they hyave reissued and repainted a past mold. This was completely under the radar by collecting sites.

Want List - Gentle Giant

2008-11-12T22:04:00.004-05:00

Mini-Busts

Animated Maquettes

Bust-Ups

Clone Wars Maquettes

Star Wars: The Clone Wars out on DVD and Blu-Ray Today

2008-11-11T13:01:00.003-05:00

The Clone Wars movie hits shelves today. There are numerous different types and versions, including exclusives at Target and Best Buy. It is being released in 1-disc, 2-disc, and Blu-Ray versions. I'd like the Target exclusive version because it includes a Clone Wars comic (Shipyards of Doom) and has Commander Fox on the cover. Check it out!

A Killer Combination

2008-11-09T21:24:00.004-05:00

While perusing ESPN for the 714th time today, I noticed something. This:

Ghostbusters + ESPN? OK! This, of course, is about the 2008 SEMA Show. The Ecto is one of the Ludicrously Expensive Cars at the show. It is apparently worth $250,000. Damn!

Master Replicas Make it Official and Other GB Things

2008-11-07T21:54:00.007-05:00

Ghostbusters replicas are coming. Master Replicas made the announcement, despite some technical difficulties, on Halloween. They have unveiled that they will be making 1:1 scale replicas (possibly more). Their first 2 items that they have announced are a Trap and Proton Pack. Seriously. 1:1 scale prop replicas. Again, I'm serious. Plus, they will include lights and sounds. WOW. Fortunately MR says they will try to keep the price reasonable for such great replicas. It's looking like $250-$400 for the trap (due out Spring 2009) and $900-$1200 for the proton pack. I know that sounds like a lot but packs with no lights/sounds can run $1200+ on eBay. $1200 plus would be a bargain. The pack is due out Fall 2009. Of course, 2009 is the 24th anniversary of Ghostbusters.

To go along with this super-duper line, they have unveiled a site for behind-the-scene looks and exclusive pictures. Hardcore GB heads will get the web address. As of now there is only a quiz (you must get 4 out of 4 to get in the main site) and the announcement. Here it is for those of you that don't want bother with the quiz.

I am very, very excited about this. Very. I pray that I can stash away some money to get these 2 things but that looks doubtful. Real life beckons, with the wedding in July and then a house (!) in the next 7-9 months. Yeaaaa.....

In other Ghostbusters news...

To recognize this special milestone, Sony Pictures Consumer Products Inc has licensed the property for several new products to commemorate the anniversary, including: video games, toys, t-shirts, comic books, prop replicas, and a theme park attraction.

Holy. Crap. That is from the official Atari-Sony press release (via Kotaku). Will they be reviving the old GB attraction at Universal? Or will this be debuting somewhere else? Hmmmm.... Plus, it sounds like a whole bunch of officially licensed GB stuff is on the way in the next year!!!

And on a side note... w00t, 100th post!!!

Gentle Giant Mini Busts Lookin' Great

2008-11-04T13:09:00.004-05:00

Gentle Giant has produced many mini busts in the last few years. Some of the best were their exclusive clone commander 5-pack. In August the Airborne Trooper went up for sale at Star Wars Shop. On November 21st, GG Premium Guild Members will be able to add the next great trooper bust: the Galactic Marine.

This Star Wars Shop exclusive bust went on sale in early August and sold out within a day.

The Galactic Marine is a shared exclusive between Forbidden Planet and Gentle Giant. They were released last week in the U.K. (Forbidden Planet) and in a few weeks Gentle Giant will have a limited run. I can't wait to add these 2 to my collection!

The Forbidden Planet/Gentle Giant exclusive Galactic Marine mini bust, available online (in the U.S.) November 21st.

Carded Legacy Collection Wave 4 Images

2008-11-04T13:05:00.003-05:00

These aren't due out until January/February 2009 (so this may be renamed 2009 Wave 1) but here are some high resolution images of the trooper figures in this wave, courtesy of Jedi Insider.

Commander Faie and the 327th Star Corps Clone Trooper are reissued from Wave 3. The new Han Solo and Luke Skywalker in Stormtrooper Disguise look awesome! Again, look for these in early 2009.

Rookies

2008-10-21T10:39:00.003-04:00

I am EXTREMELY excited for the new episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars this Friday. Why? Because the episode has to do with clones. Period. That's it. Well I guess technically them and battle droids. The "main" characters (i.e. Obi-Wan, Anakin, Ahsoka, etc.) will not be featured and may not appear at all. Not that I don't like them; that's not the case at all. But I'm a trooper man and this new episode, entitled "Rookies", looks promising. Here's some information from the online episode guide:

"The best confidence builder is experience."
Synopsis: Alone on a distant outpost, clone officers Rex and Cody must inspire their rookie unit to believe in themselves to stave off a Droid Commando invasion.
Director: Justin Ridge
Writer: Steve Melching
Key Characters: Clone Captain Rex; Clone Commander Cody
Key Locales: Rishi Moon
Notable: All clone / droid episode.

Niiiiiiiiiiicccceeee. I have been pleasantly surprised by the cartoon thus far. While I enjoyed the movie there were a few things I didn't like. However, the 30-minute show version has been awesome. The stories have been great, the animation is top-notch, and they tie into the universe well. I cannot wait for this new episode!

Other Star Wars Notes: If you missed out on the Target exculsive Commander Fox figure, you can get him online now at Target.com ... Also available now is the Target exclusive Clone Trooper Voice Changer Helmet (Seante Security deco) ... The plain white version is available too ... I can't find the sight that asked the question to Hasbro, but a clone evolutions set is planned for 2009.

PSWCS Toy Drive

2008-10-16T16:55:00.004-04:00

From the Pennsylvania Star Wars Collecting Society website:

Garrison Carida Toy Drive
The Pennsylvania Star Wars Collecting Society, in association with Toy Cave and Steel City Con, is holding its annual Star Wars toy drive to benefit Garrison Carida of the 501st Legion. Garrison Carida encompasses much of the mid-Atlantic region, including Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia. They are a truly service-oriented chapter of the 501st, dedicating the majority of their efforts to helping children. They visit children's hospitals throughout the year where they pose for photos with the patients and hand out Star Wars toys. The toys collected through this drive will be given to the children during these visits.

PSWCS will accept donations until December 6th, 2008. This year we are holding two live collection events. First, look for our booth at Steel City Con on October 24-26 at the Pittsburgh Indoor Sports Arena in Cheswick, PA. Then on December 6th PSWCS will collect toys at Toy Cave in Carlisle, PA. We're expecting many fully-armored members of Garrison Carida to be on-hand for both events, so bring your cameras!

If you would like to contribute to this toy drive, you can mail your donations to the address below or attend one of the collection events mentioned above. We can accept Star Wars action figures, vehicles, and games. However, Garrison Carida does not hand out role-playing toys or weapons.

We hope you will join PSWCS in supporting this fine organization and their efforts to brighten the days of children who need it most. Help bring a smile to a sick or needy child this holiday season. Take a minute to look around your vast collections and then think of the children who can't make weekly toy runs, or even afford a few new toys because of medical bills. Its amazing what even a few small toys can do to the spirit of a child stuck in the hospital! So if you can, please donate! Thank you for the support!

If you have any questions, send them to cable@pswcs.com. Please mail your donations to:

Garrison Carida Toy Drive
c/o Andy Loney @ Toy Cave
147 N. Hanover St.
Carlisle, PA 17013