Something Awesome #10 - Gophersvids and Sorcerer Dave

There are many, many great gamers who share content online. Of these gamers, my favorite are Let's Players, and of Let's Players, my favorites are those who roleplay. To explain what I mean, a Let's Player is someone who, quite litterally, plays through the story of a game in parts, films it with commentary, and uploads the videos. A roleplaying Let's Player creates a character for a fantasy or survival game, and then plays from the perspective of the character, in character. This makes for an engrossing and immersive experience. Allowing yourself to get caught up in a great Let's Player's commentary can be a really fun, cathartic way to experience a good story, or to laugh along with a riff on a bad one, celebrating what makes video games great, and poking fun at all that is questionable about the genre. Of all of the Let's Players who roleplay their characters, the best, I think, are Gophersvids (or just Gopher) and Sorcerer Dave (formerly Jingles) on YouTube. Both have soothing voices which grab your attention, and both have a real talent for acting the part of and developing the characters which they have created. Search them on YouTube and see what you think for yourself, and come back next week for another Something Awesome.



Something Awesome #9 - The Failings of Justin Bieber

I do not like Justin Bieber. At one point I thought he showed potential, but that has long since passed. Yet, on some level, I love this kid. From speeding arrests, to drug arrests, to suspicion of assault, Biebs is that one really painful clip on YouTube of a guy tacking a hit to his nuts. It's painful, but you can't look away, and you can't help but laugh at the stupidity that led to such great pain. The only difference is that Bieber's pain and stupidity hasn't caught up with him yet, instead choosing to build itself up to pile on him all at once down the road. The way this kid is going, his entire life is going to collapse on him one day very soon. Case in point, it's reported that Bieber's managers now think he's up to spending an averge of $1,000,000 a day! I don't care how many beliebers there are floating around throwing money at the kid, he can't possibly live that way for long.

This kid is like Brittany, Lindsey, or Amanda Bynes, except that I liked and had sympathy for them. Bieber is a jerk, I have no sympathy for him, and I find myself sitting here diabolically, waiting to watch his life fall apart with him in it. Maybe I sound harsh, but I can't help it. I can't stand it when I see people with so much talent waste it so completely, and I don't like people who think more of themselves than they do others just because they're famous, as Bieber seems to. However, if you are of the opinion that the fall of Bieber's empire isn't awesome, I respect that. Either way, I hope you come back tomorrow for another Something Awesome.

Something Awesome #8 - All Time 10's

It's no secret that people these days enjoy lists. Online lists, usually in the form of "Top 10's" allow people to absorb interesting information quickly and efficiently in an increasingly quick and efficient world. Of all of the producers of Top Whatever lists on the web right now, my favorite is probably All Time 10's on YouTube. They make lists pertaining to practically anything of interest, often taking fan suggestions, their lists are concise and thematic, and they are great to watch during breaks and/or downtime at work, as they don't utilize dialogue, only text, and can therefore be viewed on mute. Their most recent video on various "Easter Eggs" found on the internet was particularly interesting, and, like all of their videos, cited their sources well, giving viewers an opportunity to follow up. Check out the video, and maybe some more All Time 10's, and come back tomorrow for another Something Awesome.

Something Awesome #7 - The Hub Network

It's no secret that I love TV and movies. I write about them all the time on this very blog. I was born in the late eighties, and so when I was very young, I watched a lot of re-runs of eighties shows, like GI Joe and Transformers. Even though I grew pretty difinitively into a ninties kid, thriving on things like Nick and Cartoon Network and their Nicktoons and Cartoon Cartoons, I always had a special place in my heart for Transformers, Ninja Turtles, and other similar properties of the decade, from TV to movies. While some people consider Hasbro to be nothing more than a cash cow, making shows like Transformers as extra long commercials to sell their toys, I came to really love such Hasbro properties, and so when, a few years back, Hasbro and Discovery Kids announced a joint venture, The Hub Network, which promised to renew and reinvigorate these properties, I was overjoyed. Ever since then I have loved to tune into the Hub, which has come to honor all past media, airing new Hasbro shows alongside the old, and other great shows such as Batman (with Adam West), Batman: the Animated Series, Happy Days and its spinoffs, Goosebumps, Lois and Clark, and a multitude of other old TV shows and movies.

You can tune into The Hub any given night and get lost in a classic of decades past, or a charming piece of original programming.  Even though its target audience is families, I really enjoy the network, as I enjoy family programming. The Hub also really seems to be stepping things up recently in terms of original programming, and aquiring existing sindicated programming, so much so that I really look forward to seeing what the Hub comes to offer going into 2014. Yes, I love gritty network shows, cable dramas, sitcoms, and supernatural suspence series as much as the next guy, and therefor The Hub's isn't the only lineup that I currently enjoy, but TV can be pessimistic these days, and quite frankly there are times when I'd just rather take in some family-friendly optimism. If you're the same way, The Hub might be for you. Now, if you'll excuse me I'm going to go turn on The Hub and watch the original Karate Kid. Come back tomorrow for another Something Awesome.

Something Awesome #6 - The Animorphs

When I was a kid, there was something in school called something along the lines of the Schoolastic Book Club (I can't really remember, It's been a while). Maybe they still do it, I don't know, but I know that it was a reasonably big deal when I was in school. Basically these order forms would get passed out in class every month or so and you could pay a fee to join/retain your membership and pick a predetermined number of young adult books from any of a variety of series based on the membership you had. The books would be delivered to the school some time around a week later and passed out to the appropriate students. My family didn't want to pay for me to get a ton of books at once, and even though there were quite a few offered series that I probably would have read, I was content because I was able to afford the Animorphs, a young adult scifi series which released three new books a month. This series has made probably the largest impact on my life of any fictional property, and is almost single-handedly responsible for my love of the written word.

Something Awesome #5 - Wonder Woman

As a comic book fan and a male human being, I am, of course, a huge fan of Wonder Woman. She's sexy, she kicks ass, and she's considered to be one of the greatest super heroes of all time. Since her creation in the '40's, she's been a symbol inspiring woman and girls everywhere, though perhaps not in the ways that Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston wanted (it's a long story, look him up). A member of the DC Comics "big three" alongside Batman and Superman, and equipped with the lasso of truth and a pair of indestructible bracelets, Princess Diana of the Amazons is truly worthy of the same treatment as other big heroes, especially with the upcoming Justice League movie. I'm not too sure if I like the way Wonder Woman has been cast in these new live action movies, but I choose to remain optimistic, especially now that it has been announced that she will get her own film!

Wonder Woman is an amazing character. With hundreds of solo comics, a long tenture as a founding member of the Justice League, and a great run in The New 52, you don't have to take my word for it. Pick up a Wonder Woman book or watch the animated Wonder Woman film from a few years back and see for yourself, and come back Monday for another Something Awesome.

Something Awesome #4 - That Guy With the Glasses

So it's a little late, only because I aparently didn't hit publish when I typed this up earlier. Oops. Anyway, yeah, for day four of Something Awesome I chose to talk about a website which is very near and dear to my heart. I'm going to level with you, dear readers. I went through some grade a depressing crap last year. After giving up a decent job for a job that paid better, but that I hated, I suddenly lost my new job. Second worst thing about this was that I had just made a really great friend at my new job, a girl named Emilli who could have been a lasting friend, and then when my job ended, because she lives practically a state away and has her own life, I haven't seen her in person since. Worst thing was that it took me almost eight months to find another job. I lost my apartment, and was forced to survive mostly on the charity of my family, something which I did not enjoy. I was depressed, so much so that I almost unravelled emotionally. The website thatguywiththe glasses.com got me through this period in my life. For those who don't know thatguywiththe glasses.com, also known as Channel Awesome or The League of Super Critics, is a website filled with original web reviews of everything from music, to video games, to movies, all performed by talented aspiring writers.

While I dabbled in watching all of the content on the site, my favorites are, by far, the content by Doug Walker, That Guy With the Glasses himself, and his team. My favorite amongst his content is the videos he performs as his arguably best known character, the Nostalgia Critic. He remembers bad notalgic movies so we don't have to. Over the years his content has changed and evolved and gotten better (or worse, depending on who you ask), but it has always kept its signature cheeky, snarky, mean-spirited wit. I love snarkiness, it's my humor. Using snarkiness to talk about "bad" movies never fails to lighten my mood, as the things said in the Critic's videos are the same kind of stuff that I might discuss with my friends. Also the fact that the character of the Critic is litterally forced to rewatch and discuss bad movies forever, made to suffer for as long as bad movies exist, serves as a surrogate reminder to me that my life isn't too bad. Then, when I need to be uplifted, I can watch the reviews that Doug does as himself, which are more intelletual and often more lighthearted. Doug Walker and his people litterally kept me from falling apart for months, somaybe I'm biased, but ever since I discovered thatguywiththeglasses.com, it's been one of my favorite places on the web to visit. In fact, it's Doug who inspired me to start this blog and share my own thoughts on the things I enjoy the way that Doug shares his thoughts on movies. If I had the equipment to do it, I'd make a genuine effort to get onto Channel Awesome myself.

Channel Awesome, AKA thatguywiththeglasses.com is, without a doubt, awesome. Heck, it's got awesome in its name! Anyone who isn't familiar with the site at this point, after it has been around for so many years, really should check it out. You are almost certain to find something that you like. I recommend Nostalgia Critic, his female counterpart the Nostalgia Chick, and one of the newer additions to the site, the Blockbuster Buster. If you take the time to visit the site after reading this, let me know what you think, and come back tomorrow for another Something Awesome.

Something Awesome #3 - The Something Awesome Schedule, and Puppies!

Okay so yes, I know this is totally a copout, but I've really been thinking about how to best handle this Something Awesome thing and I realized that this might have been a bigger undertaking than I originally thought. Daily is a big word. Well, okay, pneumonoultramicroscopicsillicovolcanoconiosis is a big word. Daily is a small word, but with big implications. So instead of it being daily daily, it'll be weekday daily, with a long Something Awesome entry every Monday, since monday is not only the first day after the weekend, giving me two days off to work on it, but my first day of the week that I don't work, giving me plenty of time to type it out. Just so I don't leave you all completely without awesome today, here's a link to The Daily Puppy!

So, yeah, sorry again for the copout, but hopefully you got something out of today's entry anyway. Come back tomorrow for another Something Awesome.

Something Awesome #2 - Spaghetti Tacos

My favorite rediculous food, thought up by my favorite ridiculous TV older brother, Spencer from iCarly, Spaghetti Tacos were something which I wanted to experience for myself from the first moment that I saw them on screen. I consider myself a pretty good cook, so I decided to create for myself, and anyone willing to try it with me, a version of the dish resembling its fictional counterpart. Using a tip from an online food blog to provide a missing piece, this is what I came up with:

Ingredients:

-1 lb ground beef
-8 oz uncooked spaghetti
-aprox. 12 oz of your favorite tomato pasta sauce
-1 1 oz pouch of Hidden Valley Original Ranch Mix
-Crunchy Taco Shells
-Shredded Mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

Step one is pretty simple. Add the ground beef to a skillet and start browning it as you would if you were making a meat sauce. Add the ranch mix to the meat and as you break it apart, work the mix into it. keep going until the meat is browned completely. Now hang on, because this is where it gets strange.

For step two, if you zone out for a minute, you might think you're making chilli. For this step we're going to add the uncooked spaghetti, the pasta sauce, and the browned beef to a large pot, and add enough water that the spaghetti is completely submerged. Now, turn it on to boil.

This is when the reciepe gets tricky. Once the contents of the pot begins to boil, turn it down to medium and cover it, leaving it open enough to vent, and stir very often to prevent sticking as you cook the excess moisture out of the mixture and cook the pasta all at once. If the water cooks out before the pasta is done, add more until it is. Carefully allow the liquid to cook out until the mixture is quite thick, as thick as you'd want taco filling.

Step four is easy. Heat the taco shells as instructed on the box.

Finally, take a pasta spoon or a pair of tongs and, again, carefully drop pasta filling into the shells and top with shredded cheese. This brings us right to the best and easiest part: the eating! Be careful, though, because it'll be really hot to start. It also might be a good idea to let the tacos sit a few minutes before eating anyway to let the shells soften a bit.

And that's really it. I've made these a couple times. I love them, and everyone I've made them for has loved them. Maybe you will too. Come back tomorrow for another Something Awesome, and enjoy!

Something Awesome #1 - Martin Luther King Jr

Welcome to my new series, Something Awesome. Realizing that I don't really post much on this blog anymore, I decided to create a new daily series where I discuss, either quickly or in length depending on the topic, one awesome thing that I've encountered during the course of my life. Fittingly for a series beginning on Martin Luther King Jr Day, the first topic of Something Awesome is the man himself!

Martin Luther King Jr, a reverend and great speaker, was, and in memory still is, a champion of civil rights. Through well-organized acts of defiance and non-violent civil disobedience he drew attention to his cause like few before him. Best of all, his beliefs were routed in Christianity. Not the crazy kind that is in the news so much today, but the real kind, which is tolerent, forgiving, and inspires people to be better than they are.

MLK Jr is so amazing that I can't ever sort of do his memory justice, though I think I gave it a decent, if simple, try. If you want to learn more about him I suggest Google, or if you, like me, are against supporting companies which are openly trying to conquer the world, wikipedia. There are many, many articles online about the man, and from what research I've done, it actually seems like most of them are worth reading!

A Goodbye to James Avery

I just learned that James Avery, the actor known for playing Uncle Phil on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air died today at the age of 68 due to complications related to a heart surgery. Though not the most prolific actor ever, no one who saw him play the antagonist to Will Smith's protagonist will ever forget his fantastic over-the-top presense or flair. While I didn't watch Fresh Prince much as a child, when I did Uncle Phil was always one of my favorite parts of the show. He gave so much of himself to that role, to making people laugh.

More memorable to me, however, was another antagonist played by Avery: the Shredder from the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series from the 1980's. In a series which worked just as hard to make you laugh as it did to excite or to thrill, Avery played one of my favorite all-time villains. His Shredder could go from being hysterical to threatening in the span of a single line. All accounts would suggest that Avery was just as fun-loving as his talent for comedy would suggest, and while I clearly never knew the man myself, I feel it is worth saying that the world feels like a sadder place to me today with him gone.

We'll miss you, Mr. Avery. Rest in peace.