In this episode:

• Greg’s horrible computer science classes at Rutgers University in the late 1990s,
• NJIT,
• our trip to Live with Regis and Kelly,
• the insanity of driving in Manhattan,
• seeing Regis Philbin in person,
• Wayne Brady’s weird hairline,
• NASCAR drivers throwing ice cream at each other,
• photos from the show,
• and the Paunch luck.

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Other than Nintendo, Atari is the most widely used and associated name with
video gaming. Though the company, as many of us knew it, has been largely
out of business for 15 years, it still rules the roost in terms of classic
gaming. Like many, the Atari 2600 was the first video game system Rob and I had.

Here are some great web sites dedicated to the Atari family of home consoles
and computers:

• Atari Age is unquestionably the central hub for Atari enthusiasts, with its heavily used forum. All the news, finds, information, expertise, and game trading is there. It also has scans of cartridges, boxes, and manuals, plus screenshots, emulators, and ROMs for the Atari 2600, 5200, 7800, Lynx, and Jaguar.
• Atari Guide has a huge amount of game, box, and manual scans for Atari and the NES. It also has a master list of Atari 2600 games and pictures of the cartridges, all in one page.
• Atari Mania takes the visual archive to the utmost degree. There’s an enormous amount of scans of games, catalogs, you name it. All Atari systems are covered.
• Atari Protos has the most updated and thorough information and research on the many Atari prototypes and unreleased games that exist. Check it out and find out why games like The A-Team, Garfield, and Planet of the Apes never got released.
• Pitfall Jones has done the unthinkable! He has consolidated all of the scans of cartridges and screenshots of every Atari 5200, 7800, and 8-Bit Computer game! You can see what every cart looked like, all in one place.
• Atari Gaming Headquarters has a wealth of information for all the Atari consoles and computers, as well as Atari developed arcade machines. Marquees, artwork, advertisements, screenshots, and more.
• Atari 8-bit Forever is a tremendous source of information for the long line of Atari 8-bit computers.
• Atari 2600.com is an online store for a large number of hard-to-find classic console parts and games. It is very well maintained.
• Atari 7800.org has the most detailed technical information on the oft-forgotten Atari 7800 Pro System.
• Atari Museum is just what it says it is.
• 4 Jays has a ton of products to purchase for classic systems.
• Best Electronics has untold amounts of official Atari vintage products, especially for making repairs.
• The Video Game Critic is my favorite video game quick-review website. He’s got just one screenshot, a short paragraph or two, and a grade for each game. His opinion is unbiased and his web site is organized so much better than the overkill you get on sites like IGN.
• Digital Press Video Games has the tremendous game rarity and price guide. Of course, the forum is the hub for all classic and modern gaming discussion, no matter what console or computer.

There is one more website I’ve come across, the Atari 2600 Label Maker. The Atari 2600 had fantastic and unique artwork on the cartridge labels. Well, now you can make your own Atari game, so to speak! To that end, I’ve gone a step further (probably right off the cliff) and with the help of Photoshop…

Here are 140 fake labels of Atari 2600 games. Some are prototypes and unreleased games, but most are licensed titles that could have been made in the late 1970s and early 80s for the 2600: TV shows, cartoons, movies, etc. Some of these labels I found on the Atari Age forums and were done by members Marc Oberhäuser, Atariboy2600, and user42. I took some of their work and put it on scans of real cartridges. I created the majority of these labels, though.

In any case, I think this is the largest custom, faux, “what-if” Atari 2600 label archive in one place!

Popular 1970s and 80s TV Shows:

Magnum P.I., The Fonz, T.J. Hooker, Rockford Files, Knight Rider, Starsky & Hutch, Chips, Columbo, and Kojak

Space: 1999, Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who, Charlie’s Angels, Bionic Woman, and The Six Million Dollar Man

Popular 1970s and 80s Children’s Shows:

Batman, Wonder Woman, The Hobbit, The Secret of Nimh, Scooby Doo, and Woody Woodpecker

Fraggle Rock, Inspector Gadget, Rainbow Brite, Voltron, Transformers, Thundercats, Dungeons & Dragons, Transformers, and Alf

Popular 1970s and 80s Sci-Fi Movies:

Diamonds are Forever, Moonraker, Close Encounters, Logan’s Run, Star Wars, The Black Hole, Escape From New York, The Island of Dr. Moreau, and Blade Runner

Popular 1970s and 80s Action Films:

First Blood, Rocky II, Death Wish, Escape from Alcatraz, Jaws, The Poseidon Adventure, Conan the Barbarian, The Beastmaster, and The Road Warrior

Popular 1970s and 80s Cult Movies:

Deliverance, Swamp Thing, Clash of the Titans, Death Race 2000, Evil Dead, Hercules, The Warriors, Gone in 60 Seconds, and Rollerball

Popular 1970s and 1980s Childrens Movies:

Grease, Annie, Herbie the Love Bug, Bad News Bears, The Muppet Movie, and Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure

Popular 1970s and 80s Comedy Movies:

Smokey and the Bandit, Caddyshack, Slap Shot, Cannonball Run, Revenge of the Nerds, 1941, Police Academy, Blues Brothers, and Daffy Duck’s Fantastic Island

Children’s Game Prototypes by Atari:

Dumbo’s Flying Circus, Donald Duck’s Speedboat, Snow White, Garfield, Good Luck Charlie Brown, Miss Piggy’s Wedding, Grover’s Music Maker, Bugs Bunny, and Sport Goofy

Licensed TV and Movie Game Prototypes:

Care Bears, Star Wars: Ewok Adventure, Incredible Hulk, Planet of the Apes, Dukes of Hazzard, The A-Team, Dune, The Pink Panther, and The Lord of the Rings

Other Game Prototypes by Atari:

Rubik’s Cube 3D, Elk Attack, Polo, Wizard, RealSports Basketball, Aquaventure, Boggle, and Combat Two

Other Game Prototypes by Third Party Developers:

Secret Agent, Meltdown, Pompeii, Wings, McDonald’s, and Save Mary

Ports of Popular Arcade Games of the Era:

Monaco GP, Le Mans, Galaxy Ranger, Space Ace, Dragon’s Lair, Mappy, Destruction Derby, Lode Runner, and Lady Bug

Goofy Games:

The Paunch Stevenson Show, Super Mario Bros., Alien vs. Predator, Jerry Hunt, Kiss: Destroyer, and Once Upon A Spy

Almost All of Mattel’s M Network Releases, Had They Featured the Intellivision Artwork and a Standard Cartridge:

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Treasure of Tarmin, Adventures of TRON, Anteater, Armor Ambush, Astroblast, Bump ‘n’ Jump, Burger Time, Dark Cavern, Frogs and Flies, Master of the Universe: The Power of He-Man, International Soccer, Kool-Aid Man, Lock ‘N’ Chase, Loco Motion, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Space Attack, Star Strike, Super Challenge Baseball, Super Challenge Football, and TRON Deadly Discs

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On Wednesday, September 10, 2008, Greg and I were audience members at Live with Regis and Kelly. The guest was Wayne Brady. The musical performer was…Wayne Brady, again. There was also a pre-recorded interview with actress Shirley MacLaine. Wow, we woke up at 6:30 a.m. for this?

Then, Regis and Kelly announced they were going to record an extra segment that would air during one of next week’s episodes and asked us audience members to stay an extra half hour. To Greg’s surprise, the segment featured the top NASCAR drivers, which was great because he’s a big fan, but for some reason, they were throwing ice cream at each other. What sense does that make?

In the screen shot above, you can see us in the audience! We’re the two pixelated blobs wearing white shirts.

After thinking about it for a while, I realized NASCAR fans must love ice cream, judging from how out of shape many of them are, so maybe the whole thing made sense after all.

Photos:
Flickr - Live with Regis and Kelly, NYC 9/10/08

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However, many…in fact most…are very good indeed, almost having me do a triple take. Here’s a few spot-on impersonators of some of our favorite celebrities.

Eddie Murphy and Sean Connery:

It’s England, so they’ve gotta have The Beatles (George, Paul, John, and Ringo):

They have a group photo of the George, Paul, and Ringo impersonators with a guy who looks nothing like John Lennon at all. Again, these guys look like the older, modern day Beatles. Perhaps they are insinuating that John Lennon would be fat and wearing a French beret if he were still alive?

For fun, here’s a guy who is supposed to be Billy Connolly. He has the expression and the hair down, but he seems to be constantly dying his goatee different colors. Why?

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In this episode:

• celebrity deaths (Don LaFontaine, Bill Melendez, Walter “Killer” Kowalski, and Jerry Reed),
• voice actors Peter Cullen and Victor Caroli,
• the box office grosses of The Dark Knight (2008) and Titanic (1997),
• “Convoy” by C. W. McCall,
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) starring Samuel L. Jackson,
• The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) starring Bea Arthur and Art Carney,
• Eddie Murphy’s career,
• What Ever Happened To? (Judge Reinhold),
• Nick Fury: Agent of Shield (1998) starring David Hasselhoff,
• Esteban and the Jeff Bridges voice,
• syndicated TV shows in the 1990s (Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Renegade, etc.),
• listener email from Paul in Missouri,
• the Paunch Stevenson Show marathon,
• Sylvester Stallone’s face,
• vitiligo,
• Michael Jackson’s 50th birthday,
• Bill Cosby’s rap album State of Emergency,
• Rob’s picture with “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth in Belleville, NJ, in 1986,
• Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin,
• and the popular vote scam.

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In this episode:

• our movie review of The X Files: I Want to Believe (2008) starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson,
• Chris Carter’s other TV shows (The Lone Gunmen, Millennium, and Harsh Realm),
• the unpopularity of sci-fi on TV,
• our movie review of Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D (2008) starring Brendan Fraser,
• computer generated dinosaurs,
• Rob’s problem of forgetting movies a few years after watching them,
• our movie review of Tropic Thunder (2008) starring Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr.,
• celebrity deaths (Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes, thanks to www.deadoraliveinfo.com),
• Jim Henson,
• Morgan Freeman’s car crash and injuries,
• the curse of The Dark Knight (2008),
• Michael Caine,
• upcoming movies in 2009 (Fast and Furious starring Vin Diesel, The Evil Dead directed by Sam Raimi, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen starring Shia LaBeouf),
• Michael Bay,
• Richard Dreyfuss suing his father and uncle for $870,000,
• and the unreleased Super Nintendo video game Steven Seagal Is the Final Option.

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In this episode:

• special guest Esteban from Please Save Me Robots (pleasesavemerobots.blogspot.com),
• Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA,
• the upcoming movie The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) starring Keanu Reeves,
• Ringo Starr,
• the BotCon Transformers convention,
• video game grading services,
• gasoline octane ratings,
• obsessed collectors,
• the upcoming movie TR2N (2010) starring Jeff Bridges,
• funny videos of The Wicker Man (2006) on YouTube,
• the Japanese origin of the Transformers toy line,
• Ironhide and Ratchet’s horrible robot forms,
• 3D movies (Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Star Wars),
• holographic video,
• putting your face in HD DVD movies,
• Esteban’s experience as a weather observer in the United States Air Force,
• his UFO sighting in Korea,
• the Alamo in San Antonio, TX,
• watching Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) in Turkey,
• Esteban’s experience at McMurdo Station in Antarctica,
• Antarctic roads and speed limits,
• and a celebrity death (Estelle Getty, thanks to www.deadoraliveinfo.com).

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Gary Coleman, one of our first Hall of Lamers, decided to be yet another in the long list of celebrities trying their hand at perhaps the most difficult professional sport, baseball. Coleman was thrown out of the game before he even got to bat for the Madison Mallards up in Wisconsin.

Here’s the story from The Wisconsin State Journal:

Herbert determined the (pine tar) amount was illegal and — after Coleman offered to “wipe it off” — also found the bat to be corked. The umpire pulled out a piece of black rubber on the end of the bat and watched several “super balls” spill out of the bat.

“Looks like you’re going to have a short night,” Herbert joked as he threw Coleman out of the game.

Coleman took more offense with the short joke than he did his ejection, bumping the umpire to the delight of the 5,000-plus in attendance. Eventually, Coleman set up shop behind the third-base bleachers, signing autographs (at $20 a pop) and posing for photos (those were free).

So the whole thing was a joke? We’re not laughing. Billy Crystal earlier this year in spring training, did the same kind of stunt, with the Yankees, at age 60, getting one at bat. Garth Brooks spent a whole spring with the Padres in 1999 and the Mets in 2000, although he at least looked the part. Why do these celebrities try these things when they are old, fat, out of shape, and washed up?

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As discussed in episode 107, Greg and I saw the documentary film That Asian Thing in NYC today, July 27, 2008, as part of the Tribeca Cinemas Independent Features Film Festival. It was written and directed by our longtime friend and Paunch Stevenson Show guest Jonald Reyes.

The film was thought-provoking and humorous. Good job! Afterwards, Jonald held a questions-and-answers session with the audience, during which a woman was being projected onto the movie screen via webcam. That part was unnecessary and confusing. Who was she and what did she have to do with anything?

For updates regarding That Asian Thing, visit www.thatasianthing.com. You can also check out some pictures I posted:

Flickr - That Asian Thing, NYC 7/27/08

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Well, here are some photos and videos from two instances, Grindhouse (2007) and The Wicker Man (2006). In the Grindhouse double-feature, Rob Zombie contributed a mock trailer called Werewolf Women of the SS. At the end is a cameo from Mr. Cage, dressed as the infamous 1950s B movie character Dr. Fu Manchu. He starts screaming and yelling and doing this horrible laugh:

The Wicker Man: again, this was supposed to be a horror film? Cage is dressed in a bear costume, stung in the head by thousands of bees, keeps punching women in the face, and finally is set on fire and burned alive:

Here’s an absolutely terrific video remix of clips from The Wicker Man on YouTube, set to Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire:”

There’s also a “comedy” trailer created by a fan. Priceless!

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Hi, it’s Adam, Paunch Stevenson Show listener, guest, and blogger. I know we usually focus on things that annoy us, but here’s something I actually like.

A year and a half ago, I joined GameFly, the online video game rental service, and am happy with it. I log in, add games to my queue, and receive the first game in the mail. If that one’s out, I’ll receive the next available one instead. It only takes two or three days to arrive in the mail. It’s very easy, just like Netflix.

If you want to join, go here.

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There’s a restaurant called Silver Spurs on the corner of Broadway and E. 9th St. in Manhattan, only a few blocks away from Union Square Park. I’ve walked by it many times, but never ate there until this past Friday.

I went in and ordered the Salada Georgie. The description: “chicken chunks n’ shrimp combo atop garden-fresh greens, avocado.” The price: $12.75.

Service was below average, but that’s usually the case in NYC. I’m used to it by now. What I’m not used to is paying $12.75 for a salad that consists of rotten lettuce and shrimp that still has the shell on it.

I didn’t send the salad back or talk to the manager. A customer should never have to do that in the first place. Besides, what would the salad have been replaced with, more rotten salad?

I thought to myself, “How does the chef know he or she didn’t prepare this salad for a food critic?” Then I realized, I criticize movies, TV shows, video games, music, and people on The Paunch Stevenson Show all the time, so why not food, too? Hence, this blog entry.

I even took a picture, so you can see the disgusting rip-off salad for yourself. Obviously, I won’t be eating at Silver Spurs again.

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Who would his Vice President be?

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In this episode:

• using Microsoft Windows Vista 64-bit,
• celebrity death (Stan Winston),
• Interview with the Vampire (1994) starring Tom Cruise,
• Tom Cruise’s lawyer calling Dr. Drew a Nazi,
• Dr. Phil’s talk show,
• our movie review of Get Smart (2008) starring Steve Carell,
• our movie review of Hancock (2008) starring Will Smith,
• Nicholas Cage as Dr. Fu Manchu in Werewolf Women of the S.S.,
• The Wicker Man (2006) starring Nicholas Cage,
• the upcoming movie Ace Ventura Jr. (2008) starring Josh Flitter,
• Paul Hogan’s tax evasion,
• Yoda Is Your Father (yodaisyourfather.blogspot.com),
• the upcoming movie The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008) starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson,
• Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen starring in an upcoming Sherlock Holmes movie,
• getting Shawn from Branded in the 80s on the show (www.brandedinthe80s.com),
• getting Esteban from Please Save Me Robots on the show (pleasesavemerobots.blogspot.com),
• Wonderland (www.wonderlandblog.com),
• Kevin Federline’s weight gain,
• Degli Martinez accidentally throwing away his $65 million winning lottery ticket,
• Ed Begley, Jr. vs. Bill Nye the Science Guy,
• That Asian Thing playing at the Independent Features Film Festival in NYC on Sunday 7/27/08 (buy tickets - $10 each),
• getting Juliana Hatfield and the Angry Video Game Nerd on the show,
• and Hollywood Is Calling (www.hollywoodiscalling.com).

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On Saturday, July 12, 2008, I went to the Apple Store on 5th Ave. in Manhattan. This location is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So how come I couldn’t go in?

The answer: because hundreds of people were lined up outside waiting to buy the new iPhone 3G and the Apple Store employees were only letting a few people into the store at a time. People like me who weren’t buying an iPhone had to wait in a separate line. The entire ordeal was ridiculous and unnecessary.

I hate waiting in line for five minutes at the grocery store, yet these fools were perfectly happy waiting in line for eight or nine hours to buy a telephone. You’d think it were a brand new invention.

What’s even more stupid is most of these idiots already have an iPhone from a year ago that’s 99% identical to the new one.

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As we discussed in episode 106, we got to meet James Rolfe, the Angry Video Game Nerd, at the Digital Press video game store in Clifton, NJ. Here are the photos:

Flickr - Digital Press, Clifton, NJ 6/28/08

Also, while browsing the store, we discovered there’s a Desperate Housewives video game:

Why?

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• another trip to the Digital Press video game store in Clifton, NJ (www.digitpress.com),
• meeting James Rolfe (the Angry Video Game Nerd) and trying to get him on the show,
• the Nostalgia Critic,
• celebrity deaths (Mel Ferrer, Bo Diddley, Harvey Korman, Jim McKay, Tim Russert, and George Carlin, thanks to www.deadoraliveinfo.com),
• What Ever Happened To? (Jim J. Bullock),
• a psycho in Union Square Park claiming NASA is going to blow up Jupiter on 7/7/08,
• Project Lucifer,
• a Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling update,
• Sean Connery’s memoirs,
• Kung Fu Panda (2008) starring Jack Black,
• You Don’t Mess with the Zohan (2008) starring Adam Sandler,
• Kevin Nealon’s horrible acting,
• Dana Carvey’s new HBO comedy special Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies,
• Mike Myers,
• the upcoming movie Disaster Movie (2008),
• Frank Darabont’s Indiana Jones and the City of Gods script,
• the new Apple iPhone 3G and disposable gadgets,
• The Kid from Brooklyn on Last Comic Standing (www.thekidfrombrooklyn.com),
• Rob’s trip to California,
• Los Angeles vs. New York City,
• celebrity sightings (Lisa Bonet, Neil Patrick Harris, and Ryan Reynolds),
• and our listener Joe from Belleville, NJ.

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