Journeys into the Great Underground Empire

Yesterday I saw someone with a bumper sticker on her laptop that read, “It is pitch black and you are likely to be eaten by a grue.” I have not see that line since I was 14 years old.

It took me back to sitting at the desk in my room in front of my Apple IIc with my friend Bob wondering what a Grue was. We knew that what ever it was it wasn’t good. We were actually nervous. Anxious by just reading those words on the TV set. (Yes the IIc plugged into a TV set)

We were playing ZORK - one of the first computer role-playing games.

ZORK was a simple dungeons & dragons type of game but there were no fancy graphics, no deep storyline, and no fancy soundtrack - Just words on a screen. You would interact with the game by typing words like “examine” or “attack” or “open” in response to what the game presented to you.

It was enough to keep two kids interested and thinking about how to solve the puzzle the game handed us even well after the game was turned off.

Of course now it would probably be really boring with all the games for the PC and consoles out there. I am not sure it wouldn’t hold my interest any more never mind a 14 year old kid.

I still play computer role-playing games. I have a priest and a druid on World of Warcraft and I have a great time playing on line with friends. We team up and defeat monsters, complete dungeons, buy new armor, learn new spells, and all while talking to each other on headsets. The graphics are amazing and the stories are deep and detailed. You can buy books about the game, download the music on iTunes, and I hear they are making a movie.

The weird part is I don’t think anything in World of Warcraft has ever made me as nervous as reading “It is pitch black and you are likely to be eaten by a grue.”

I have yet to meet up with a Grue and hope I never do.

Somebody Stop This

There is all this buzz about Tim Burton making an Alice in Wonderland movie. When I heard about it I was really excited because who better to step into Lewis Carroll’s strange world. Little Timmy is gonna feel right at home there.

Then came the dread…

I remembered Aperaham Lincoln from the remake of Planet of the Apes and the dull version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 

Ok, the first Batman was kind of cool.

Why does this guy feel the need to rehash literary and cinematic gems? He is a great artist. He creates amazing stuff like the Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, and Big Fish to name a few. All of these are beyond compare and stand alone as great movies.

Picasso didn’t say “Hmm… I’ve done all of this great original work. Maybe I should redo the Mona Lisa” or “The Sistine Chapel really needs to be done in a cubist style.”

Alice and Wonderland has been made into a movie so many times I can’t list them all. I think he should do a Robin Hood movie there have been only a few of those.

There are so many remakes and rehashes happening now and I am starting to think that no one in Hollywood has an original thought.

Tim, please stop messing with iconic stories that need no fixing.
Go back to doing what you do best – Write your own stuff!!!

You'll make money I promise. You can put Johnny Depp in them too.

I’ll probably go see it opening night.
I wonder if I can pre-order tickets?

Aquabats! – New to me.

All right so I discovered this new band. Well, they have been around for a while. I am sure a lot of my friends have heard of them and possibly have told me all about them but I totally ignored their awesomeness until now. Behold the Aquabats!

http://www.theaquabats.com/

The part that I am not proud of is that I did not hear about them by reading a music magazine, nor did I see them opening for another cool band. No my friends I saw them on TV.
“Probably on Conan O’Brian. He’s always got some cool acts on and he is not afraid show off a ska band that dresses like bunch of messed up super heroes.” you maybe saying.

Wrong! I saw them on Yo Gabba Gabba. A show that my 2 year old watches every once and a while.

What does that say about me? Yeah…

Don't laugh. Check out who is on season 2!