Here we join Kate as she sets off to a viewing of Banksy vs. Warhol. At firstwe thought that was an art exhibition, turned out to be a dance battle... probably. Enjoy.
Thursday, 29 January 2009
Kate Nash on "The Street" #5
Pickings have been super thin this week, but after an exhaustive 2 hour search our heroine returns, bringing that "street" vibe with her middle class self.
Here we join Kate as she sets off to a viewing of Banksy vs. Warhol. At firstwe thought that was an art exhibition, turned out to be a dance battle... probably. Enjoy.
Here we join Kate as she sets off to a viewing of Banksy vs. Warhol. At firstwe thought that was an art exhibition, turned out to be a dance battle... probably. Enjoy.
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
The Hardcore Effect meets - The Guild : Felicia Day
Following on from our last interview with Vince Caso, we've been bugging Actress and Producer, Felcia Day to get her views on everything from linoleum production to this dark little corner of the web. Do Enjoy.
Felicia was born in Huntsville, Alabama. She was home-schooled all her life and got her first acting role as Scout in the Huntsville Little Theatre production of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Felicia started college at 16, majoring in violin performance, and then in mathematics at the University of Texas at Austin. She has been on television shows such as “Windfall”, “Strong Medicine”, “Monk”, “Love Inc.”, and most notably had a recurring role as Potential slayer Vi on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” She has been in such films as “Bring it on Again”, and the Emmy award-winning “Warm Springs”. She recently played the role of “Penny” in Joss Whedon’s “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”, and filmed a 4 episode arc on the upcoming ABC Family sitcom, “Roommates”.
(IMDB)
First and foremost, huge congrats on winning our "Best Thing On the Internet Award", we hope you are as stoked about getting it as we are about giving it to you. With all that porn out there, who'd have thought it? Anyway, how does it feel to be crowned top dogs? How will you celebrate? Because you so should celebrate.
Well, being at the pinnacle of the web is certainly relative (we're not getting invited to hot parties or getting sent schwag in the mail, hehe) but I love being an underground success, and am very thankful we're not well known enough that I have to comb my hair to go to the coffee shop. That would suck.
Throughout this interview, we'll be firing some pretty odd questions your way, we figured you'd be tired of the same old questions and so we'll do our best to keep it fresh.. like this; Its a fight to the death, we've all been there. Which cast member would win?
Well, Zaboo is really nimble, but Amy is a dancer and is in great shape. I'd put my dollars on her, also it would look awesome if she kicked ass.
We're sure you must get a lot of positive feedback, but as we know all too well, the net is also full of morons. How do you deal with negative comments? Do you find heavy criticism a problem?
I have to chant a mantra "Resist the trolls, resist the trolls" a lot. Of course the worst comments seem to stick out in your head the most, but we're lucky to have fans who defend us for every negative comment posted. Also, getting a swollen head would be really irritating, and the internet saves me from having absolute self-confidence, so I'm thankful for that.
There are alot of differences between British and American humour, what is it, in your opinion, that bridges that chasm so well?
I think British humor is much more self-depricating and less glossy. Less precious. I tend to relate to it more, also because the actors are less perfect looking.
Last Summer, we wrote a guide to being metrosexual. Clearly,we understand the importance of looking "freaky, sexy good" at all times. Who spends the longest sorting their appearance before getting down to work?
I hate to say it, but Robin (Clara) does obsess over the angle of her bangs a lot. And it's a lovely angle, undeniably. (She's gonna kill me)<>
We have discovered that no story involving 14 beers and take-out food has a happy ending. Do you guys ever partake in wild parties and nights around town after shooting?
Uh, Sandeep and Robin know how to party. I am the butt of everyone's joke because I am so uncool. They keep ribbing me and asking me if the wrap party is gonna be a tea party with crumpets and jam. I was forced to take the first shot of my life at the Season 1 wrap party. True story :(
We once received a bit of coverage during the BBC's coverage of cricket, sparking a huge debate about baked goods, what is the weirdest thing any of you have had to do in promoting the Guild?
I signed a Nintendo Power Glove once.
Picture the scene: You book a short break to Europe, just to take sometime for yourselves, but there's a mistake and you end up in the small industrial town of Delmenhorst, famous for linoleum production. What would you do to amuse yourselves?
I would tour the linoleum plant. Talk about educational.
Speaking of Europe, we'd love to hear your opinions if you've ever been our way? The Welsh once saved Ravi's life.
No I haven't but I'd love to travel there. I read a lot of Highland Fantasy, and Knight Errand stuff, I think a tour of the Isles would be quite a journey.
You may not be aware, but you are our first guests to escape the dreaded Dangerwank question. Its on google, but we'd hate to be the source of any accidents, no-one needs another Micheal Hutchence, but less about us, who do you all take most inspiration from?
I'm inspired by people who go outside the norms of traditional success, like Kevin Smith, Miranda July, Jonathan Coulton, Lily Taylor etc. People who made their own way and have a clear point of view they don't muddy because they want success so badly.
Ravi, Adam and I recently started a short lived Austro-German Lounge-jazz-funk-fusion ensemble, replete with spangly jackets, keytars, handlebar moustaches and mullets. How much would you each charge, were we to approach you about appearing in a music video? We could offer all the currywurst you can eat.
I would charge cheese curls. Oh, and first-class air fare :D WTF is currywurst!?
The concept and the writing on The Guild are just superb. Please ignore our terrible, bitter envy and tell us, is this the manifestation of your inner nerd? or the product of some very accurate research?
No, absolute inner nerd. The fact that this point of view is the default me, and other people like it, is amazing to me. And means I don't have to work as hard because geek comes naturally to me :)
We've been dying to know, so please indulge us.. what was it you vomited onto the stunt guy? It looked remarkably realistic.
It was crushed pineapple juice and oatmeal. Yummy.
How hard has it been to get The Guild coverage in the media?
Internet media: Relatively easy. Anything outside of that: Impossible. Mainstream media barely covered Dr. Horrible, why would they cover my little show? :) But seriously, slowly they're coming around. The lightning pace of online life is much different from "regular" life. It's hard to remember sometimes when you live in one world more than the other.
Let's talk money, is the show expensive?
No, it's a web show. We're not rolling around in our gold coins with these videos. But, thanks to Microsoft we can actually pay people up front. It might make me a crappy producer, but I love writing our cast and crew checks.
Previously, I said that you would have to hold the business acumen of a mackerel not to see the potential of getting your company behind the show, is funding a problem?
Yes, because money, ultimately comes from advertisers and products, and they are not used to funding content on the web yet. It's getting there, but it's still new ground. I know how much they pay for 30 second traditional spots, and if they put that money towards a season of web content....man I could actually make a living at this :)
You rocked in Buffy, how awesome was being in that show? How hard was the role to secure?
Every audition is torture and total luck. I happened to have a good day, and they liked the way I acted. Thank God. That was the best job I had, aside from my internet work. Such a great group of ppl to work with, and I got to kill people with stakes. Yum.
We also hear you played Scout in "To Kill A Mockingbird", we studied the book back in our school days and it provided welcome relief from Shakespeare.. who is rubbish. How did you find that role?
My aunt did a lot of theatre, and I admired her. She thought of me when the role came up. I was 6 or 7, so I wasn't really on the lookout for jobs then, ha.
Obviously, we are now you're best friends in the UK, so you'll want to name drop us in the show.. and thats just fine bgy the way, but what else is in store for the show? How long do you see it being in production for?
I could go for several more seasons. The actors and characters are so rich. And worst case scenario, I could watch Vork read a phonebook and crack up. Season 8: Vork Reads Phonebook. Catchy.
We've heard a few comparisons floating around between your show, and cult comedy hit Chad Vader. What do you think?
I love Chad Vader and I met those guys, they're great. I like being compared to good material. They live outside LA and get locations for almost nothing, so actually I'm pretty jealous of them, ha.
Thanks so much for your time, we hope to be speaking with you again sometime in the future, and wish you all the best with the show.
So, there you have it kids. Still to come Robin Thorsen and Jeff Lewis, so you'll keep it here if you know whats good for you.
Felicia was born in Huntsville, Alabama. She was home-schooled all her life and got her first acting role as Scout in the Huntsville Little Theatre production of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Felicia started college at 16, majoring in violin performance, and then in mathematics at the University of Texas at Austin. She has been on television shows such as “Windfall”, “Strong Medicine”, “Monk”, “Love Inc.”, and most notably had a recurring role as Potential slayer Vi on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” She has been in such films as “Bring it on Again”, and the Emmy award-winning “Warm Springs”. She recently played the role of “Penny” in Joss Whedon’s “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”, and filmed a 4 episode arc on the upcoming ABC Family sitcom, “Roommates”.(IMDB)
First and foremost, huge congrats on winning our "Best Thing On the Internet Award", we hope you are as stoked about getting it as we are about giving it to you. With all that porn out there, who'd have thought it? Anyway, how does it feel to be crowned top dogs? How will you celebrate? Because you so should celebrate.
Well, being at the pinnacle of the web is certainly relative (we're not getting invited to hot parties or getting sent schwag in the mail, hehe) but I love being an underground success, and am very thankful we're not well known enough that I have to comb my hair to go to the coffee shop. That would suck.
Throughout this interview, we'll be firing some pretty odd questions your way, we figured you'd be tired of the same old questions and so we'll do our best to keep it fresh.. like this; Its a fight to the death, we've all been there. Which cast member would win?
Well, Zaboo is really nimble, but Amy is a dancer and is in great shape. I'd put my dollars on her, also it would look awesome if she kicked ass.
We're sure you must get a lot of positive feedback, but as we know all too well, the net is also full of morons. How do you deal with negative comments? Do you find heavy criticism a problem?
I have to chant a mantra "Resist the trolls, resist the trolls" a lot. Of course the worst comments seem to stick out in your head the most, but we're lucky to have fans who defend us for every negative comment posted. Also, getting a swollen head would be really irritating, and the internet saves me from having absolute self-confidence, so I'm thankful for that.
There are alot of differences between British and American humour, what is it, in your opinion, that bridges that chasm so well?
I think British humor is much more self-depricating and less glossy. Less precious. I tend to relate to it more, also because the actors are less perfect looking.
Last Summer, we wrote a guide to being metrosexual. Clearly,we understand the importance of looking "freaky, sexy good" at all times. Who spends the longest sorting their appearance before getting down to work?
I hate to say it, but Robin (Clara) does obsess over the angle of her bangs a lot. And it's a lovely angle, undeniably. (She's gonna kill me)<>
We have discovered that no story involving 14 beers and take-out food has a happy ending. Do you guys ever partake in wild parties and nights around town after shooting?
Uh, Sandeep and Robin know how to party. I am the butt of everyone's joke because I am so uncool. They keep ribbing me and asking me if the wrap party is gonna be a tea party with crumpets and jam. I was forced to take the first shot of my life at the Season 1 wrap party. True story :(
We once received a bit of coverage during the BBC's coverage of cricket, sparking a huge debate about baked goods, what is the weirdest thing any of you have had to do in promoting the Guild?
I signed a Nintendo Power Glove once.
Picture the scene: You book a short break to Europe, just to take sometime for yourselves, but there's a mistake and you end up in the small industrial town of Delmenhorst, famous for linoleum production. What would you do to amuse yourselves?
I would tour the linoleum plant. Talk about educational.
Speaking of Europe, we'd love to hear your opinions if you've ever been our way? The Welsh once saved Ravi's life.
No I haven't but I'd love to travel there. I read a lot of Highland Fantasy, and Knight Errand stuff, I think a tour of the Isles would be quite a journey.
You may not be aware, but you are our first guests to escape the dreaded Dangerwank question. Its on google, but we'd hate to be the source of any accidents, no-one needs another Micheal Hutchence, but less about us, who do you all take most inspiration from?
I'm inspired by people who go outside the norms of traditional success, like Kevin Smith, Miranda July, Jonathan Coulton, Lily Taylor etc. People who made their own way and have a clear point of view they don't muddy because they want success so badly.
Ravi, Adam and I recently started a short lived Austro-German Lounge-jazz-funk-fusion ensemble, replete with spangly jackets, keytars, handlebar moustaches and mullets. How much would you each charge, were we to approach you about appearing in a music video? We could offer all the currywurst you can eat.
I would charge cheese curls. Oh, and first-class air fare :D WTF is currywurst!?
The concept and the writing on The Guild are just superb. Please ignore our terrible, bitter envy and tell us, is this the manifestation of your inner nerd? or the product of some very accurate research?
No, absolute inner nerd. The fact that this point of view is the default me, and other people like it, is amazing to me. And means I don't have to work as hard because geek comes naturally to me :)
We've been dying to know, so please indulge us.. what was it you vomited onto the stunt guy? It looked remarkably realistic.
It was crushed pineapple juice and oatmeal. Yummy.
How hard has it been to get The Guild coverage in the media?
Internet media: Relatively easy. Anything outside of that: Impossible. Mainstream media barely covered Dr. Horrible, why would they cover my little show? :) But seriously, slowly they're coming around. The lightning pace of online life is much different from "regular" life. It's hard to remember sometimes when you live in one world more than the other.
Let's talk money, is the show expensive?
No, it's a web show. We're not rolling around in our gold coins with these videos. But, thanks to Microsoft we can actually pay people up front. It might make me a crappy producer, but I love writing our cast and crew checks.
Previously, I said that you would have to hold the business acumen of a mackerel not to see the potential of getting your company behind the show, is funding a problem?
Yes, because money, ultimately comes from advertisers and products, and they are not used to funding content on the web yet. It's getting there, but it's still new ground. I know how much they pay for 30 second traditional spots, and if they put that money towards a season of web content....man I could actually make a living at this :)
You rocked in Buffy, how awesome was being in that show? How hard was the role to secure?
Every audition is torture and total luck. I happened to have a good day, and they liked the way I acted. Thank God. That was the best job I had, aside from my internet work. Such a great group of ppl to work with, and I got to kill people with stakes. Yum.
We also hear you played Scout in "To Kill A Mockingbird", we studied the book back in our school days and it provided welcome relief from Shakespeare.. who is rubbish. How did you find that role?
My aunt did a lot of theatre, and I admired her. She thought of me when the role came up. I was 6 or 7, so I wasn't really on the lookout for jobs then, ha.
Obviously, we are now you're best friends in the UK, so you'll want to name drop us in the show.. and thats just fine bgy the way, but what else is in store for the show? How long do you see it being in production for?
I could go for several more seasons. The actors and characters are so rich. And worst case scenario, I could watch Vork read a phonebook and crack up. Season 8: Vork Reads Phonebook. Catchy.
We've heard a few comparisons floating around between your show, and cult comedy hit Chad Vader. What do you think?
I love Chad Vader and I met those guys, they're great. I like being compared to good material. They live outside LA and get locations for almost nothing, so actually I'm pretty jealous of them, ha.
Thanks so much for your time, we hope to be speaking with you again sometime in the future, and wish you all the best with the show.
So, there you have it kids. Still to come Robin Thorsen and Jeff Lewis, so you'll keep it here if you know whats good for you.
Upgrade complete
Hey, sorry we've been gone, but we've been taking some time to tidy the site a little. This way it'll continue to run super fast for you.
cheers
cheers
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
Still to come..
Well, nothing much today, but the rest of the week pans out pretty damn well.
We've got interviews with Felicia Day, Robin Thorsen and Jeff Lewis from The Guild, plus another surprise guest.
We'll be attempting to catch up with the boys from Mindshock and we'll be making the first draw of our inaugural Crisp World Cup.
Keep it here.
Finally though, please join us in wishing that handsome devil, Ravi, the best of luck in his exams. We all look forward to his return.
cheers
We've got interviews with Felicia Day, Robin Thorsen and Jeff Lewis from The Guild, plus another surprise guest.
We'll be attempting to catch up with the boys from Mindshock and we'll be making the first draw of our inaugural Crisp World Cup.
Keep it here.
Finally though, please join us in wishing that handsome devil, Ravi, the best of luck in his exams. We all look forward to his return.
cheers
Monday, 19 January 2009
Kate Nash on "The Street" #4
Kate's back with us once again, keeping it real about life on "the street". God, we wish we were that cool...
Sunday, 18 January 2009
The Hardcore Effect Meets - The Guild: Day 3 Vincent Caso
We know.. put simply, we're too good to you. You lucky bastards.
Today, we get the lowdown from actor and card trick maestro Vincent Caso, who kicks ass all over your screens as Bladezz. Sexual vulgarity has never sounded so poignant.
Vince was born in Massachusetts and raised in Los Angeles. He attended a school for the Arts and, with his training in front and behind the camera, he decided at the age of 13 to pursue acting. Within a year he booked a lead in his first feature film, “American Fork” from the producer of “Napoleon Dynamite”. Vincent is also an accomplished sleight of hand artist and playing card handler, he is never without a deck of cards, practicing and creating new tricks as he prepares to become a junior member of the Magic Castle. Check out his IMDB.
First and foremost, huge congrats on winning our "Best Thing On the Internet Award", we hope you are as stoked about getting it as we are about giving it to you. With all that porn out there, who'd have thought it? Anyway, how does it feel to be crowned top dogs? How will you celebrate? Because you so should celebrate.
It feels awesome. When we all got into this, I didn't have any idea that it would have the success it did. To see people get behind it as they have, and to see it do as well as it has been doing, it feels like a real accomplishment, especially considering the humble beginnings we started from, heh.
Throughout this interview, we'll be firing some pretty odd questions your way, we figured you'd be tired of the same old questions and so we'll do our best to keep it fresh.. like this; Its a fight to the death, we've all been there. Which cast member would win?
Well, Sandeep has some super-Indian-mustard-bottle powers he's been saving up. And Felicia can brandish a violin like it's nobody's business. But hey, I study martial arts (Karate and Krav Maga included!), so you know it would be a pretty epic battle!
We're sure you must get a lot of positive feedback, but as we know all too well, the net is also full of morons. How do you deal with negative comments? Do you find heavy criticism a problem?
I don't check Youtube comments often, which I assume is where most of the negativity would be posted. Either way, I don't really mind. It's all part and parcel to the business we're in. Unless it's a pretty well-founded criticism, I usually let it go from one ear out the other.
There are alot of differences between British and American humour, what is it, in your opinion, that bridges that chasm so well?
I think there are a number of core things that allow comedy to be pretty universal. But, of course, comedy being what it is, it's pretty hard to define. Once you have to explain a joke, it's dead. I just think people enjoy, in part, what they can relate to. And our subject matter includes situations that a lot of people (mostly gamers, yeah) can sorta put themselves into. But is that what does it? Hell, I don't know. Hah.
Last Summer, we wrote a guide to being metrosexual. Clearly,we understand the importance of looking "freaky, sexy good" at all times. Who spends the longest sorting their appearance before getting down to work?
Well, it's probably one of the girls. That's just sort of the way it usually goes. But out of the guys, it MIGHT just be me... I know, wouldn't have guessed that, huh? I mean, I don't spend too much time doing my hair or anything. But when it's this length, it takes a little maintenance.
We have discovered that no story involving 14 beers and take-out food has a happy ending. Do you guys ever partake in wild parties and nights around town after shooting?
Actually, no. I mean, we go out and have some fun when we're at a convention or something like that, but usually our shooting season is pretty chill.
We once received a bit of coverage during the BBC's coverage of cricket, sparking a huge debate about baked goods, what is the weirdest thing any of you have had to do in promoting the Guild?
I may not have done anything bizarre, but I've come close. I've had marriage proposals over IMDB, rape threats over Myspace, and people stalking me most other places. If one of those things actually happened, it would be some pretty good publicity, right? Right...?
Picture the scene: You book a short break to Europe, just to take sometime for yourselves, but there's a mistake and you end up in the small industrial town of Delmenhorst, famous for linoleum production. What would you do to amuse yourselves?
I would probably go undercover in a linoleum factory, get close to the foreman, work my way up the command chain, and eventually find myself working directly beneath the very top dog himself, from there I will uncover a vast corruption and fraud scheme, save Europe, and be home in time for the next episode of The Guild to air! Or maybe just call a cab or something.
Speaking of Europe, we'd love to hear your opinions if you've ever been our way? The Welsh once saved Ravi's life.
Unfortunately I've never been. Though it's definitely on the top of my list of places to go.
You may not be aware, but you are our first guests to escape the dreaded Dangerwank question. Its on google, but we'd hate to be the source of any accidents, no-one needs another Micheal Hutchence, but less about us, who do you all take most inspiration from?
For me, it's mostly from the other cast members, and the crew, too. We have a rather talented and hilarious pool of people working on this show, and it never fails to give me some inspiration or spark some ideas of my own.
Ravi, Adam and I recently started a short lived Austro-German Lounge-jazz-funk-fusion ensemble, replete with spangly jackets, keytars, handlebar moustaches and mullets. How much would you each charge, were we to approach you about appearing in a music video? We could offer all the currywurst you can eat.
Unless the shoot spanned a number of days, or was out of the country, I'd probably do it for free. Otherwise, I'm not sure, I'd probably just ask if you could cover my food/board. Heh.
We hear you're pretty handy with a deck of cards. We have a set of Tarot Cards that Ravi once used to predict soccer results. He was shit and his results were useless. Instead of us getting rid of them, how quickly could we pick up some slick deck-shuffling moves to impress ladies?
Some of the more basic moves you could have pretty well down in just a week or two, those being one-handed cuts such as the Charlier, Thumb cut, and Knuckle cut. Even a basic two-handed fan doesn't take too long to get down pretty well. You can usually find tutorials on YouTube, but the great majority of those are crap. Maybe I'll have to do up some tutorials of my own?
Frankly, your role in The Guild was perfect casting. Are you stoked to be playing Bladezz?
Definitely! I love the character. And, funny fact, I really wasn't what Felicia had pictured for the role. But when I came in to audition, it just sorta worked, so I got it. But he's a blast to play.
Are you a big gamer away from the show?
Used to be, but not anymore. I played WoW, big Starcraft/Diablo fan, lots of console, too. But more recently I've just become busy with other things, and I really don't get any satisfaction out of playing video games. I guess I'm just one of those "high on life!" types.
A girl I know has been having a lot of fantasies about you, can we give her your number? Do you get a lot of fan mail from equally obsessed young women?
While it's quite flattering, I'm afraid I cannot give my number out. Say hi to her for me, though. I get quite a lot of fan mail, largely over networking sites like Facebook or Myspace. Marriage offers, rape threats, stalkers, you name it, I've gotten it.
Whats next for you? Any big plans?
Not much going on as of yet, but keep your eyes peeled! That's sort of a gross expression.
Every year we make our Celebrity death predictions for the year, who is your money on to kick the bucket in the next 12 months?
Hmm, good question. One could say someone like Larry King, but I think he's one of those kinds of guys who will still be alive when my grandchildren have children. Who knows what the future may hold? I just hope it isn't like an idol of mine or anything, that's always a little fear in the back of your mind.
Which cast member do you get along best with? or is it generally a one-big-happy-family scenario?
It's pretty much a big happy family, cast and crew all inclusive. But since shooting schedules differ, I usually end up hanging out most with Sandeep and Jeff. God, I just do not stop laughing when I'm with those guys.
Well, we hope you have all enjoyed speaking with us, we have tried to break from the norm and keep it fun, it has been a total pleasure for us. Any last messages to our readers? You're probably super busy, but, what are the chances of a video message for us?
A video message sounds great! I've got a webcam (just bought a new iMac), so maybe I'll shoot a little somethin' and put it on YouTube.
Thanks so much for your time, we hope to be speaking with you again sometime in the future, and wish you all the best with the show
Today, we get the lowdown from actor and card trick maestro Vincent Caso, who kicks ass all over your screens as Bladezz. Sexual vulgarity has never sounded so poignant.
Vince was born in Massachusetts and raised in Los Angeles. He attended a school for the Arts and, with his training in front and behind the camera, he decided at the age of 13 to pursue acting. Within a year he booked a lead in his first feature film, “American Fork” from the producer of “Napoleon Dynamite”. Vincent is also an accomplished sleight of hand artist and playing card handler, he is never without a deck of cards, practicing and creating new tricks as he prepares to become a junior member of the Magic Castle. Check out his IMDB.
First and foremost, huge congrats on winning our "Best Thing On the Internet Award", we hope you are as stoked about getting it as we are about giving it to you. With all that porn out there, who'd have thought it? Anyway, how does it feel to be crowned top dogs? How will you celebrate? Because you so should celebrate.
It feels awesome. When we all got into this, I didn't have any idea that it would have the success it did. To see people get behind it as they have, and to see it do as well as it has been doing, it feels like a real accomplishment, especially considering the humble beginnings we started from, heh.
Well, Sandeep has some super-Indian-mustard-bottle powers he's been saving up. And Felicia can brandish a violin like it's nobody's business. But hey, I study martial arts (Karate and Krav Maga included!), so you know it would be a pretty epic battle!
I don't check Youtube comments often, which I assume is where most of the negativity would be posted. Either way, I don't really mind. It's all part and parcel to the business we're in. Unless it's a pretty well-founded criticism, I usually let it go from one ear out the other.
There are alot of differences between British and American humour, what is it, in your opinion, that bridges that chasm so well?
I think there are a number of core things that allow comedy to be pretty universal. But, of course, comedy being what it is, it's pretty hard to define. Once you have to explain a joke, it's dead. I just think people enjoy, in part, what they can relate to. And our subject matter includes situations that a lot of people (mostly gamers, yeah) can sorta put themselves into. But is that what does it? Hell, I don't know. Hah.
Last Summer, we wrote a guide to being metrosexual. Clearly,we understand the importance of looking "freaky, sexy good" at all times. Who spends the longest sorting their appearance before getting down to work?
Well, it's probably one of the girls. That's just sort of the way it usually goes. But out of the guys, it MIGHT just be me... I know, wouldn't have guessed that, huh? I mean, I don't spend too much time doing my hair or anything. But when it's this length, it takes a little maintenance.
We have discovered that no story involving 14 beers and take-out food has a happy ending. Do you guys ever partake in wild parties and nights around town after shooting?
Actually, no. I mean, we go out and have some fun when we're at a convention or something like that, but usually our shooting season is pretty chill.
I may not have done anything bizarre, but I've come close. I've had marriage proposals over IMDB, rape threats over Myspace, and people stalking me most other places. If one of those things actually happened, it would be some pretty good publicity, right? Right...?
Picture the scene: You book a short break to Europe, just to take sometime for yourselves, but there's a mistake and you end up in the small industrial town of Delmenhorst, famous for linoleum production. What would you do to amuse yourselves?
I would probably go undercover in a linoleum factory, get close to the foreman, work my way up the command chain, and eventually find myself working directly beneath the very top dog himself, from there I will uncover a vast corruption and fraud scheme, save Europe, and be home in time for the next episode of The Guild to air! Or maybe just call a cab or something.
Unfortunately I've never been. Though it's definitely on the top of my list of places to go.
You may not be aware, but you are our first guests to escape the dreaded Dangerwank question. Its on google, but we'd hate to be the source of any accidents, no-one needs another Micheal Hutchence, but less about us, who do you all take most inspiration from?
For me, it's mostly from the other cast members, and the crew, too. We have a rather talented and hilarious pool of people working on this show, and it never fails to give me some inspiration or spark some ideas of my own.
Unless the shoot spanned a number of days, or was out of the country, I'd probably do it for free. Otherwise, I'm not sure, I'd probably just ask if you could cover my food/board. Heh.
We hear you're pretty handy with a deck of cards. We have a set of Tarot Cards that Ravi once used to predict soccer results. He was shit and his results were useless. Instead of us getting rid of them, how quickly could we pick up some slick deck-shuffling moves to impress ladies?
Some of the more basic moves you could have pretty well down in just a week or two, those being one-handed cuts such as the Charlier, Thumb cut, and Knuckle cut. Even a basic two-handed fan doesn't take too long to get down pretty well. You can usually find tutorials on YouTube, but the great majority of those are crap. Maybe I'll have to do up some tutorials of my own?
Frankly, your role in The Guild was perfect casting. Are you stoked to be playing Bladezz?
Definitely! I love the character. And, funny fact, I really wasn't what Felicia had pictured for the role. But when I came in to audition, it just sorta worked, so I got it. But he's a blast to play.
Are you a big gamer away from the show?
Used to be, but not anymore. I played WoW, big Starcraft/Diablo fan, lots of console, too. But more recently I've just become busy with other things, and I really don't get any satisfaction out of playing video games. I guess I'm just one of those "high on life!" types.
A girl I know has been having a lot of fantasies about you, can we give her your number? Do you get a lot of fan mail from equally obsessed young women?
While it's quite flattering, I'm afraid I cannot give my number out. Say hi to her for me, though. I get quite a lot of fan mail, largely over networking sites like Facebook or Myspace. Marriage offers, rape threats, stalkers, you name it, I've gotten it.
Whats next for you? Any big plans?
Not much going on as of yet, but keep your eyes peeled! That's sort of a gross expression.
Hmm, good question. One could say someone like Larry King, but I think he's one of those kinds of guys who will still be alive when my grandchildren have children. Who knows what the future may hold? I just hope it isn't like an idol of mine or anything, that's always a little fear in the back of your mind.
It's pretty much a big happy family, cast and crew all inclusive. But since shooting schedules differ, I usually end up hanging out most with Sandeep and Jeff. God, I just do not stop laughing when I'm with those guys.
A video message sounds great! I've got a webcam (just bought a new iMac), so maybe I'll shoot a little somethin' and put it on YouTube.
My pleasure! I really appreciate the opportunity to do the interview, I can't wait to see everyone else's answers!
What a nice chap eh? Vince, if you read this you're welcome by anytime for currywurst and beer. We'll even read your tarot.
Catch us tomorrow, we still have more interviews to fire your way.
What a nice chap eh? Vince, if you read this you're welcome by anytime for currywurst and beer. We'll even read your tarot.
Catch us tomorrow, we still have more interviews to fire your way.
Thursday, 15 January 2009
The Football
Ever since Euro 2008 finished there's been something missing from the blog. That something, quite obviously is football. I mean, what is life without football? What would us lads do on a weekend if we didn't have a solid excuse to leave our wenches in their element in the kitchen and go get lashed down the pub? It doesn't bear thinking about.
So from now on I will bringing you a weekly update on the all the matches. Obviously I don't get to see all of the matches so I will be piecing together information from highlights and the premier league website.
This weeks games;
Villa 2 - West Brom 1
Villa have broken into the top 4 recently (deservedly) and have been playing fantastically. I have two of their players in my fantasy football team (Young and Agbonlahor). They seem to be hogging all of the English talent and using it well. On this occasion though, they needed a little help from the only goalkeeper in the Premier league stupid enough to score an own goal - our very own Scott Carson. Possibly the worst goalkeeper since Lehmann. Carson; you make Paul Robinson look good.
Aresnal 1 - Bolton 0
Bolton played their now famous 10 - 0 - 0 formation and Aresnal showed why they're losing their grip on the top four by taking 83 minutes to score against a side that only had fifteen fit players in all. That's about all their is to say. Shit game.
Everton 2 - Hull 0
Fellaini; what a hero. The first player this season to score a goal using a ridiculous haircut, his afro guiding the ball into the net for Everton's first. He then got his tenth booking of the season for having his gangly legs reach face height of the opposing player one time too many. Arteta scored the second from a free kick. It was nice.
Mibblesboro 1 - Sunderland 1
I can't really say much about this game, I was viewing it more as a battle than a game of football. Next time your kids want to watch the wrestling, take them to see these two teams play instead; it's cheaper and it's real. Three players went off injured, one with a head injury. Brilliant.
Newcastle 2 - West Ham 2
Two sides who struggled earlier in the season put in decent performances here grabbing two goals each. West Ham will do well to stick hold of Bellamy during the transfer window as he showed his quality again. Newcastle's Andy Carroll became the second player this season to score using a dodgy haircut as he headed in the equaliser sporting the 'white guy with cornrows' look.
Stoke 0 - Thieving Scouse bastards 0
Rafa Benitez made a fool of himself again this week by having a rant at Fergie for the United manager's 'Liverpool will lose their nerve' speech, just before Liverpool did indeed lose their nerve by failing to score against Stoke for the second time this season. Well done Rafa, keep it up mate.
Wigan 1 - Spurs 0
'Defoe always scores on his debut' - That comment has now been proven to be absolute bollocks. Figueroa, the Latics' left-back securing the win in injury time. Not a brilliant game, glad I dropped Defoe from my FF team.
Man U 3 - Chelsea 0
Best result of the season bar none. Chelsea are old and tired - and it shows. They got laced by the champions of the world. Vidic, Rooney and Berbatov all scoring in this comfortable win. Chelsea were shit, they didn't manage one shot on target, bet they wish Mourinhio was still the manager. The best moment of the game was definitely Drogba's imaginary shot. Threw his foot at the ball 8 yards out, achieving only the slightest of touches and a large laugh from the crowd. The one person wearing a Chelsea shirt in my local was gutted, everyone else was extremely chuffed.
Man U 1 - Wigan 0
Rooney showed he is true legend by scoring within a minute and then booking himself three weeks paid leave with a hamstring injury within six. Wigan fought back well but couldn't find a goal. Jonny Evans again showed us the future of United with another great performance. Man U sit second in the league with a game in hand; Liverpool are shitting themselves now.
Muppet of the week - Carson; all round embarrassment.
Legend of the week - Fellaini; for scoring whilst sporting an afro.
Manager of the week - Fergie; for making Benitez look like a twat, again.
My FF team for next week -
Schwarzer (FU)
Bosingwa (CH) Vidic(MU) Laursen (AV)
Valencia (WA) Young (AV) Kuyt (LI) Geovanni (HU)
Zaki (WA) Van Persie (AR) Agbonlahor (AV)
Subs - Gordon (SU - Injured) Ireland (MC Suspended) Turner (HU) Paintsil (FU)
*Please note that this is my actual FF team and not my 'Dream team' - No Liverpool player would come anywhere near that, but hey, I'm working on a budget.
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
The Hardcore Effect meets- The Guild: Day 2 Amy Okuda
Today, we get the lowdown on what's what from dancer, actress and grade 1 hottie, Amy Okuda.
Amy plays feisty Tinkerballa, a character full of attitude with a healthy competetive streak.. luckily for us, she turned out to be lovely in reality.
Born in Torrance, California. Amy began dancing when she was 13 and shortly got an agent, which eventually led to appearances in television commercials, music video as a dancer, and print as a model. She has booked an array of print jobs around the globe, such as ads for Apple laptop computers, Verizon, and for Jamie Kenedy’s “Kicking it Old School.” Also in her resume are commercials such as Shoe Carnival, Japanese soft-drink company Suntory,and voice-over for AT&T. More recently she has also landed a role in the TV show “Californication” with David Duchovy. “The Guild” is her first recurring role. Amy hopes to continue her wide sphere of activity, especially in her pursuits of acting.
We fired over a short e-mail and so heres the interview.. proving conclusively that you don't ask.. you don't get. enjoy.
Hardcore effect: First and foremost, huge congrats on winning our "Best Thing On the Internet Award", we hope you are as stoked about getting it as we are about giving it to you. With all that porn out there, who'd have thought it? Anyway, how does it feel to be crowned top dogs? How will you celebrate? Because you so should celebrate.
Amy - YAY!! Me and Robin will be partying...the rest of the cast may be playing WOW.. hAHAHHAA. Jk
Throughout this interview, we'll be firing some pretty odd questions your way, we figured you'd be tired of the same old questions and so we'll do our best to keep it fresh.. like this; Its a fight to the death, we've all been there. Which cast member would win?
-me, DUH. LOL
We're sure you must get a lot of positive feedback, but as we know all too well, the net is also full of morons. How do you deal with negative comments? Do you find heavy criticism a problem?
- I actually dont read much stuff about us, because I dont think ill take the negative comments too well. haha. when we were on YouTube I made sure not to read ANY comments below the video, cause unlike my character Tink, I'm too sensitive!!!
Last Summer, we wrote a guide to being metrosexual. Clearly,we understand the importance of looking "freaky, sexy good" at all times. Who spends the longest sorting their appearance before getting down to work?
-Definitely the three boys. They are always hogging that make-up chair!! HAHA TOTALLY KIDDING
We have discovered that no story involving 14 beers and take-out food has a happy ending. Do you guys ever partake in wild parties and nights around town after shooting?
-umm, not too often but me, Robin, Sandeep, Jeff, and couple of our friends had fun one night after Blizzcon drinking and playing the game "Never Have I Ever" at the hotel. Had some good laughs there.
We once received a bit of coverage during the BBC's coverage of cricket, sparking a huge debate about baked goods, what is the weirdest thing any of you have had to do in promoting the Guild?
-Luckily, nothing that wierd. Just telling our friends and family to watch the show, you know, the boring stuff :)
Picture the scene: You book a short break to Europe, just to take sometime for yourselves, but there's a mistake and you end up in the small industrial town of Delmenhorst, famous for linoleum production. What would you do to amuse yourselves?
-Drinking age in Europe is 18 right? :)
Speaking of Europe, we'd love to hear your opinions if you've ever been our way? The Welsh once saved Ravi's life
-Aww my dream is to go to Europe!! I definitely want to visit Italy (so romantic :)), and France of course (Fashion Capital of the world!!)
You may not be aware, but you are our first guests to escape the dreaded Dangerwank question. Its on google, but we'd hate to be the source of any accidents, no-one needs another Micheal Hutchence, but less about us, who do you all take most inspiration from?
-My Dog Lola. She dominates the world. lol
Ravi, Adam and I recently started a short lived Austro-German Lounge-jazz-funk-fusion ensemble, replete with spangly jackets, keytars, handlebar moustaches and mullets. How much would you each charge, were we to approach you about appearing in a music video? We could offer all the currywurst you can eat.
-I'd love to be in a music video! im a dancer, so im all about that!!
Let's get straight to the point, you're a grade 1 hottie. Has being in the show increased the number of drooling men you've had to avoid in the street?
-OMG, I definitely don't consider myself a "grade 1 hottie" AT ALL. I think i still look like a 12 year old boy!!! But to be honest, I had the most boys chasing me around in elementary school when I thought boys were disgusting. Now that I'm actually interested in boys, not so much...lol
Your character has a rather feisty attitude. Does this kind of role come naturally to you?
-It does in a way. Dont get me wrong, I am not like Tink at all in real life (Im nice, i swear!). But Tink definitely reminds me of how I was when I was younger. I was really into sports and was really competitive, mean, and did not take crap from anyone. Luckily, I grew out of that, which is good, since i probably wouldnt have any friends if i stayed that way!
We saw you in Californication, another great show. We hear David Duchovny is taller in real-life. Is that true? How was your experience on the show?
-Oh, I didnt know people thought he was short? LOL . It was really fun, I mean I only had one line, but they gave me like my own little trailor which was exciting. Watching David Duchovny rehearse and actually work was really cool too. All we get to see on TV is the finished product, and the actors' best take, but being able to see the process the actors go through to get to that best take is really interesting.
Which member of the cast of The Guild has impressed you most?
-Well I absolutely LOVE what Sandeep does with his character, Zaboo. And the fact that acting isnt his "thing" is mind blowing (he mainly a writer, director, producer?) But I think every single cast member is great :)
Away from filming, whats your favourite thing to do to relax?
-SHOPPING. Its really bad, but i just cant help it. I need The Guild to make me more money to support this horrible and dangerous addiction. haha
What are your plans for the future? Where can we catch you on the net or TV aside from in The Guild? or is some "Amy time" in order?
-For now, some "Amy Time" is definitely in order. Im going to school at the University of Southern California full time, which takes up a lot of my time. I'm just living and loving my college years and when I graduate, then maybe I can start really concentrating on acting. I'm a film major, so I know I want to stay in the industry, whether I'm acting, or doing something behind the camera.
Amy plays feisty Tinkerballa, a character full of attitude with a healthy competetive streak.. luckily for us, she turned out to be lovely in reality.
Born in Torrance, California. Amy began dancing when she was 13 and shortly got an agent, which eventually led to appearances in television commercials, music video as a dancer, and print as a model. She has booked an array of print jobs around the globe, such as ads for Apple laptop computers, Verizon, and for Jamie Kenedy’s “Kicking it Old School.” Also in her resume are commercials such as Shoe Carnival, Japanese soft-drink company Suntory,and voice-over for AT&T. More recently she has also landed a role in the TV show “Californication” with David Duchovy. “The Guild” is her first recurring role. Amy hopes to continue her wide sphere of activity, especially in her pursuits of acting.
We fired over a short e-mail and so heres the interview.. proving conclusively that you don't ask.. you don't get. enjoy.
Hardcore effect: First and foremost, huge congrats on winning our "Best Thing On the Internet Award", we hope you are as stoked about getting it as we are about giving it to you. With all that porn out there, who'd have thought it? Anyway, how does it feel to be crowned top dogs? How will you celebrate? Because you so should celebrate.
Amy - YAY!! Me and Robin will be partying...the rest of the cast may be playing WOW.. hAHAHHAA. Jk
Throughout this interview, we'll be firing some pretty odd questions your way, we figured you'd be tired of the same old questions and so we'll do our best to keep it fresh.. like this; Its a fight to the death, we've all been there. Which cast member would win?
-me, DUH. LOL
We're sure you must get a lot of positive feedback, but as we know all too well, the net is also full of morons. How do you deal with negative comments? Do you find heavy criticism a problem?
- I actually dont read much stuff about us, because I dont think ill take the negative comments too well. haha. when we were on YouTube I made sure not to read ANY comments below the video, cause unlike my character Tink, I'm too sensitive!!!
Last Summer, we wrote a guide to being metrosexual. Clearly,we understand the importance of looking "freaky, sexy good" at all times. Who spends the longest sorting their appearance before getting down to work?
-Definitely the three boys. They are always hogging that make-up chair!! HAHA TOTALLY KIDDING
We have discovered that no story involving 14 beers and take-out food has a happy ending. Do you guys ever partake in wild parties and nights around town after shooting?
-umm, not too often but me, Robin, Sandeep, Jeff, and couple of our friends had fun one night after Blizzcon drinking and playing the game "Never Have I Ever" at the hotel. Had some good laughs there.
We once received a bit of coverage during the BBC's coverage of cricket, sparking a huge debate about baked goods, what is the weirdest thing any of you have had to do in promoting the Guild?
-Luckily, nothing that wierd. Just telling our friends and family to watch the show, you know, the boring stuff :)
Picture the scene: You book a short break to Europe, just to take sometime for yourselves, but there's a mistake and you end up in the small industrial town of Delmenhorst, famous for linoleum production. What would you do to amuse yourselves?
-Drinking age in Europe is 18 right? :)
Speaking of Europe, we'd love to hear your opinions if you've ever been our way? The Welsh once saved Ravi's life
-Aww my dream is to go to Europe!! I definitely want to visit Italy (so romantic :)), and France of course (Fashion Capital of the world!!)
You may not be aware, but you are our first guests to escape the dreaded Dangerwank question. Its on google, but we'd hate to be the source of any accidents, no-one needs another Micheal Hutchence, but less about us, who do you all take most inspiration from?
-My Dog Lola. She dominates the world. lol
Ravi, Adam and I recently started a short lived Austro-German Lounge-jazz-funk-fusion ensemble, replete with spangly jackets, keytars, handlebar moustaches and mullets. How much would you each charge, were we to approach you about appearing in a music video? We could offer all the currywurst you can eat.
-I'd love to be in a music video! im a dancer, so im all about that!!
Let's get straight to the point, you're a grade 1 hottie. Has being in the show increased the number of drooling men you've had to avoid in the street?
-OMG, I definitely don't consider myself a "grade 1 hottie" AT ALL. I think i still look like a 12 year old boy!!! But to be honest, I had the most boys chasing me around in elementary school when I thought boys were disgusting. Now that I'm actually interested in boys, not so much...lol
Your character has a rather feisty attitude. Does this kind of role come naturally to you?
-It does in a way. Dont get me wrong, I am not like Tink at all in real life (Im nice, i swear!). But Tink definitely reminds me of how I was when I was younger. I was really into sports and was really competitive, mean, and did not take crap from anyone. Luckily, I grew out of that, which is good, since i probably wouldnt have any friends if i stayed that way!
We saw you in Californication, another great show. We hear David Duchovny is taller in real-life. Is that true? How was your experience on the show?
-Oh, I didnt know people thought he was short? LOL . It was really fun, I mean I only had one line, but they gave me like my own little trailor which was exciting. Watching David Duchovny rehearse and actually work was really cool too. All we get to see on TV is the finished product, and the actors' best take, but being able to see the process the actors go through to get to that best take is really interesting.
Which member of the cast of The Guild has impressed you most?
-Well I absolutely LOVE what Sandeep does with his character, Zaboo. And the fact that acting isnt his "thing" is mind blowing (he mainly a writer, director, producer?) But I think every single cast member is great :)
Away from filming, whats your favourite thing to do to relax?
-SHOPPING. Its really bad, but i just cant help it. I need The Guild to make me more money to support this horrible and dangerous addiction. haha
What are your plans for the future? Where can we catch you on the net or TV aside from in The Guild? or is some "Amy time" in order?
-For now, some "Amy Time" is definitely in order. Im going to school at the University of Southern California full time, which takes up a lot of my time. I'm just living and loving my college years and when I graduate, then maybe I can start really concentrating on acting. I'm a film major, so I know I want to stay in the industry, whether I'm acting, or doing something behind the camera.
Kate Nash on "The Street" #3
Yes the photos are still coming in thick and fast as working man's favourite, Kate Nash continues her relentless PR crusade to show us all how bad-ass street she truly is.
Here we see her posing with longtime friend of the blog and bongo genius, Simon Archer, outside Argos. Possibly after buying herself a thick Elizabeth Duke gold chain, sovereign ring and In-car speaker system.. although thats just speculation.
Here we see her posing with longtime friend of the blog and bongo genius, Simon Archer, outside Argos. Possibly after buying herself a thick Elizabeth Duke gold chain, sovereign ring and In-car speaker system.. although thats just speculation.
Tuesday, 13 January 2009
The Hardcore Effect meets: The Guild. Day 1 - Sandeep Parikh
Over the coming days, we'll be bringing you exclusive.. if a little bizarre interviews with the cast and production team of Xbox live hit and all round top show; The Guild.
First up is Mr. Sandeep Parikh. Sandeep plays Zaboo, troubled mother's boy and borderline sex pest.
He’s primarily a writer/director. His latest creation is the Comedy Central produced webseries, The Legend of Neil which is about a guy who gets sucked into Zelda. Sandeep also founded and runs EffinFunny, a stand up and sketch comedy community. He’s currently in talks with everybody about producing everything. He’s repped at William Morris. They’re busy so don’t call. Unless its about Sandeep, then do call.
We caught up with him to find out just how stoked he is to receive our "Best thing on the internet" award.
First and foremost, huge congrats on winning our "Best Thing On the Internet Award", we hope you are as stoked about getting it as we are about giving it to you. With all that porn out there, who'd have thought it? Anyway, how does it feel to be crowned top dogs? How will you celebrate? Because you so should celebrate.
wow this exciting! i'm going to celebrate by watching all that porn out there.
Throughout this interview, we'll be firing some pretty odd questions your way, we figured you'd be tired of the same old questions and so we'll do our best to keep it fresh.. like this; Its a fight to the death, we've all been there. Which cast member would win?
hmmm... well... hmmm... we're all such weaklings in our own way, I think we'd all lose.
We're sure you must get a lot of positive feedback, but as we know all too well, the net is also full of morons. How do you deal with negative comments? Do you find heavy criticism a problem?
I play the garden state soundtrack on my ipod and have myself a "sad montage." I cry in the shower wearing my high school prom tux, watch steel magnolias, and play solitaire, stuff like that.
actually, besides hearing that have a Frankenstein head, I haven't heard all that much negative.
There are alot of differences between British and American humour, what is it, in your opinion, that bridges that chasm so well?
The British find the guild funny? woah, that's a pretty high honor. monty python, the office, your teeth, you guys invented comedy!
Last Summer, we wrote a guide to being metrosexual. Clearly,we understand the importance of looking "freaky, sexy good" at all times. Who spends the longest sorting their appearance before getting down to work?
Felicia's hair... not Felicia... Felicia's hair spends the longest time sorting her or its appearance.
We have discovered that no story involving 14 beers and take-out food has a happy ending. Do you guys ever partake in wild parties and nights around town after shooting?
we had our season two wrap party at los angeles's oldest karaoke bar, Dimples. I vaguely remember that night.
We once received a bit of coverage during the BBC's coverage of cricket, sparking a huge debate about baked goods, what is the weirdest thing any of you have had to do in promoting the Guild?
Going to blizzcon and having a fan tell me to take off my shirt so that she could see my magic carpet. That was pretty weird. I did it.
Picture the scene: You book a short break to Europe, just to take sometime for yourselves, but there's a mistake and you end up in the small industrial town of Delmenhorst, famous for linoleum production. What would you do to amuse yourselves?
linoleum production.
Speaking of Europe, we'd love to hear your opinions if you've ever been our way? The Welsh once saved Ravi's life.
I went to spain when I was sixteen with my high school spanish class. we discovered the wonders of beer in a vending machine, something that we do not have in america.
You may not be aware, but you are our first guests to escape the dreaded Dangerwank question. Its on google, but we'd hate to be the source of any accidents, no-one needs another Micheal Hutchence, but less about us, who do you all take most inspiration from?
monty python, ricky gervais, everyone in any judd apatow movie, dave chappelle, mother theresa, albert einstein, both gandhis, and jaleel white. i think i turned the question into "who in the world i'd most like to meet for lunch"
Ravi, Adam and I recently started a short lived Austro-German Lounge-jazz-funk-fusion ensemble, replete with spangly jackets, keytars, handlebar moustaches and mullets. How much would you each charge, were we to approach you about appearing in a music video? We could offer all the currywurst you can eat.
Five currywursts. I'm an awful business man considering you offered all I can eat, and negotiated myself down to five.
Thanks to Sandeep then for being a good sport and asking the judge to be lenient.
Catch up with The Guild..here;
www.youtube.com/watchtheguild
www.myspace.com/watchtheguild
www.facebook.com/pages/The-Guild/6068232341
www.watchtheguild.com: RSS!
First up is Mr. Sandeep Parikh. Sandeep plays Zaboo, troubled mother's boy and borderline sex pest.
He’s primarily a writer/director. His latest creation is the Comedy Central produced webseries, The Legend of Neil which is about a guy who gets sucked into Zelda. Sandeep also founded and runs EffinFunny, a stand up and sketch comedy community. He’s currently in talks with everybody about producing everything. He’s repped at William Morris. They’re busy so don’t call. Unless its about Sandeep, then do call.
We caught up with him to find out just how stoked he is to receive our "Best thing on the internet" award.
First and foremost, huge congrats on winning our "Best Thing On the Internet Award", we hope you are as stoked about getting it as we are about giving it to you. With all that porn out there, who'd have thought it? Anyway, how does it feel to be crowned top dogs? How will you celebrate? Because you so should celebrate.
wow this exciting! i'm going to celebrate by watching all that porn out there.
Throughout this interview, we'll be firing some pretty odd questions your way, we figured you'd be tired of the same old questions and so we'll do our best to keep it fresh.. like this; Its a fight to the death, we've all been there. Which cast member would win?
hmmm... well... hmmm... we're all such weaklings in our own way, I think we'd all lose.
We're sure you must get a lot of positive feedback, but as we know all too well, the net is also full of morons. How do you deal with negative comments? Do you find heavy criticism a problem?
I play the garden state soundtrack on my ipod and have myself a "sad montage." I cry in the shower wearing my high school prom tux, watch steel magnolias, and play solitaire, stuff like that.
actually, besides hearing that have a Frankenstein head, I haven't heard all that much negative.
There are alot of differences between British and American humour, what is it, in your opinion, that bridges that chasm so well?
The British find the guild funny? woah, that's a pretty high honor. monty python, the office, your teeth, you guys invented comedy!
Last Summer, we wrote a guide to being metrosexual. Clearly,we understand the importance of looking "freaky, sexy good" at all times. Who spends the longest sorting their appearance before getting down to work?
Felicia's hair... not Felicia... Felicia's hair spends the longest time sorting her or its appearance.
We have discovered that no story involving 14 beers and take-out food has a happy ending. Do you guys ever partake in wild parties and nights around town after shooting?
we had our season two wrap party at los angeles's oldest karaoke bar, Dimples. I vaguely remember that night.
We once received a bit of coverage during the BBC's coverage of cricket, sparking a huge debate about baked goods, what is the weirdest thing any of you have had to do in promoting the Guild?
Going to blizzcon and having a fan tell me to take off my shirt so that she could see my magic carpet. That was pretty weird. I did it.
Picture the scene: You book a short break to Europe, just to take sometime for yourselves, but there's a mistake and you end up in the small industrial town of Delmenhorst, famous for linoleum production. What would you do to amuse yourselves?
linoleum production.
Speaking of Europe, we'd love to hear your opinions if you've ever been our way? The Welsh once saved Ravi's life.
I went to spain when I was sixteen with my high school spanish class. we discovered the wonders of beer in a vending machine, something that we do not have in america.
You may not be aware, but you are our first guests to escape the dreaded Dangerwank question. Its on google, but we'd hate to be the source of any accidents, no-one needs another Micheal Hutchence, but less about us, who do you all take most inspiration from?
monty python, ricky gervais, everyone in any judd apatow movie, dave chappelle, mother theresa, albert einstein, both gandhis, and jaleel white. i think i turned the question into "who in the world i'd most like to meet for lunch"
Ravi, Adam and I recently started a short lived Austro-German Lounge-jazz-funk-fusion ensemble, replete with spangly jackets, keytars, handlebar moustaches and mullets. How much would you each charge, were we to approach you about appearing in a music video? We could offer all the currywurst you can eat.
Five currywursts. I'm an awful business man considering you offered all I can eat, and negotiated myself down to five.
Thanks to Sandeep then for being a good sport and asking the judge to be lenient.
Catch up with The Guild..here;
www.youtube.com/watchtheguild
www.myspace.com/watchtheguild
www.facebook.com/pages/The-Guild/6068232341
www.watchtheguild.com: RSS!
Monday, 12 January 2009
Yet more Kate Nash on "The Street"
Here we are again, another photo of our ghetto dwelling heroine, who is not remotely middle class by the way.
Once again proving she is conclusively from"The Street" by being on.. the street.
Once again proving she is conclusively from"The Street" by being on.. the street.
Sunday, 11 January 2009
The Financial World Cup
To make all this easier to digest, we've knocked up a World Championship league system, to demonstrate how lucky, or screwed your homeland is, enjoy.
If your country had abank account, this is how it'd stack up.
1) China £253 billion
2) Japan £153 billion
3) Germany £176.8 billion
4) Saudi Arabia £108.8 billion
5) Russia £73 billion
6) Norway £58 billion
7) Algeria £30.5 billion
8) Taiwan £21 billion
9) Sweden £20.9 billion
10) Hong Kong £16.6 billion
11) Venezuela £15 billion
12) Nigeria £8.7 billion
13) Korea -£7.9 billion
14) Ukraine -£9 billion
15) Australia -£33.3 billion
16) UK -£67.7 billion
17) Spain -£107 billion
18) USA -£420.2 billion*
*There is no need to panic, at this early stage think of it kinda like Bill Gates getting a large credit card bill.. no big deal. It just cannot continue forever.
If your country had abank account, this is how it'd stack up.
1) China £253 billion
2) Japan £153 billion
3) Germany £176.8 billion
4) Saudi Arabia £108.8 billion
5) Russia £73 billion
6) Norway £58 billion
7) Algeria £30.5 billion
8) Taiwan £21 billion
9) Sweden £20.9 billion
10) Hong Kong £16.6 billion
11) Venezuela £15 billion
12) Nigeria £8.7 billion
13) Korea -£7.9 billion
14) Ukraine -£9 billion
15) Australia -£33.3 billion
16) UK -£67.7 billion
17) Spain -£107 billion
18) USA -£420.2 billion*
*There is no need to panic, at this early stage think of it kinda like Bill Gates getting a large credit card bill.. no big deal. It just cannot continue forever.
Can't we all just get along?
Have you taken a look in the news lately? I mean really, really looked? Probably not is my guess.
If we aren't being swamped with celebrity bullshit, its all doom and gloom. Either way, it would seem to us that far too many of you take it all as gospel truth. Normally, this is where I'd waffle on for hours about how all the mainstream papers are owned by rich people, and they'll never be happy with a working man's party in power.. today is no different.
We already know that Gordon Brown is boring, and if you listen to the papers you'll probably believe he is incompetent too. This is wrong. Good old Gordy cleared our National Debt some years ago, the tories were up in arms about this because.. and you may not know this, they make a lot of money out of us all being in debt, its complicated and I won't bore you with the details but I assure if you know your stuff, you'll know this is true. Anywho, you may remember all the Conservatives waving their arms around declaring that the country was screwed by the upcoming recession because we hadn't saved our money.. like the frugal Australians. Maybe not, but with our debt cleared we're in a good position contrary to what you may think.
Allow us to explain.
Mathematics is an exact science, and mathematically speaking it is an almost total certainty that America is going to go spectacuarly bankrupt. There are two clear ways out at this stage;
1) Cut all federal spending to $0 for the foreseeable future
2) Raise taxes to 69%
There may be another way out devised by someone far more intelligent than me, I certainly hope there is but basically, Mr. Bush has put his empire past the point of no return and just like the Germans, the French, the Russians and us Brits, the American's are about to suffer that worst of all fates, the fall from grace.
George has pushed the capabilities of American spending power to the breaking point, fought 2 expensive wars that have yielded nearly no return and allowed everyone to wallpaper over the cracks with an impressive sense of national pride, that I'm somewhat envious of. Chris spent six months in the US last year so we know what we're talking about when we say that the Hurricane Katrina clear-up was useless, the roads are appalling and the national pride has only made things harder.
In the automotive industry for example, while European and Japanese firms pioneered new fangled suspension and found ways of getting a million horsepower from a tiny engine, the US big 3 [GM, Chrysler, Ford] have done what they have always done. Simple, poorly built behemoths.
Sure I love those cars, but theres no escaping the fact that they are, rubbish. Still, myself and many others like me love them for their character, its sold as the American way, but that isn't enough though and with a simply huge amount of the population employed directly and indirectly in a declining motor industry, it doesn't look good.
We've been here before though, and its understandable that just about every American we know cannot stand any criticism levelled at their country, but for once, we're doing it as friends. Harsh truths are just that, harsh. How can a self-styled world superpower have such lousy education, healthcare and infrastructure?
Its lucky we don't owe them any money.. see, this is going somewhere.
Remember how everyone got super pissed when we nationalised one of our banks, while the Conservatives said they should be allowed to go bust? Remember how angry you were that YOUR money was being spent on those greedy fatcats? Goddamn it Brown! How could you?
Yet, did you consider the alternative? When anyone or any institution goes bankrupt, they have to turn their assets into money to clear their debts. Northern Rocks' assets were mortgages. Can you imagine 750,000 people all getting letters saying they had a month to pay off the rest of the money they owed on their mortgages, or else they'd be homeless?
Worse still, with 750,000 extra homes on the market, yours will go down in value. Maybe badly enough to warrant your bank asking for their money back, after all, if you stopped paying and they had to sell your house, they would find it was now worth less than they lent you. The cost of renting would skyrocket and we'd all be stuck really.
Next up are the loans requested by Jaguar and Land Rover, two prestigious British firms. Sure, bad management had got them into money trouble, but what if we didn't bail them out? We aren't talking a few thousand of their employees without jobs, we're talking steel producers, windshield makers, suppliers, tyre manufacturers.. they'd all lose the big contracts that keep them afloat. This is the same as the problem for the US, just not quite as bad.
There is a positive though, Mr. Brown is borrowing and spending again. As long as dipshit Cameron stays out of the way and the papers stop slating him for the sake of a story, the country can recover. Mr. Brown is ploughing a load of money into a new super high-speed rail network and roads that will be the envy of the world.. upshot is that when this recession is all over we're geared up to start exporting goods again, and we'll be able to do it fast, cheaper and cleaner than the other guy.
Its good news for our American pals too, with Barack Obama they are in good hands and if anyone can solve thier mess, its him. He got into power on the statement "Yes, we can".. as long as he is brave and honest enough to admit "This time, for a while at least, we just can't" and America pulls together as it has always done, there is no reason there can't be a happy ending there too.
Wherever you happen to be in the world, we wish you well during these hard times, and we'll have some funny shit coming right up..
If we aren't being swamped with celebrity bullshit, its all doom and gloom. Either way, it would seem to us that far too many of you take it all as gospel truth. Normally, this is where I'd waffle on for hours about how all the mainstream papers are owned by rich people, and they'll never be happy with a working man's party in power.. today is no different.
We already know that Gordon Brown is boring, and if you listen to the papers you'll probably believe he is incompetent too. This is wrong. Good old Gordy cleared our National Debt some years ago, the tories were up in arms about this because.. and you may not know this, they make a lot of money out of us all being in debt, its complicated and I won't bore you with the details but I assure if you know your stuff, you'll know this is true. Anywho, you may remember all the Conservatives waving their arms around declaring that the country was screwed by the upcoming recession because we hadn't saved our money.. like the frugal Australians. Maybe not, but with our debt cleared we're in a good position contrary to what you may think.
Allow us to explain.
Mathematics is an exact science, and mathematically speaking it is an almost total certainty that America is going to go spectacuarly bankrupt. There are two clear ways out at this stage;
1) Cut all federal spending to $0 for the foreseeable future
2) Raise taxes to 69%
There may be another way out devised by someone far more intelligent than me, I certainly hope there is but basically, Mr. Bush has put his empire past the point of no return and just like the Germans, the French, the Russians and us Brits, the American's are about to suffer that worst of all fates, the fall from grace.
George has pushed the capabilities of American spending power to the breaking point, fought 2 expensive wars that have yielded nearly no return and allowed everyone to wallpaper over the cracks with an impressive sense of national pride, that I'm somewhat envious of. Chris spent six months in the US last year so we know what we're talking about when we say that the Hurricane Katrina clear-up was useless, the roads are appalling and the national pride has only made things harder.
In the automotive industry for example, while European and Japanese firms pioneered new fangled suspension and found ways of getting a million horsepower from a tiny engine, the US big 3 [GM, Chrysler, Ford] have done what they have always done. Simple, poorly built behemoths.
Sure I love those cars, but theres no escaping the fact that they are, rubbish. Still, myself and many others like me love them for their character, its sold as the American way, but that isn't enough though and with a simply huge amount of the population employed directly and indirectly in a declining motor industry, it doesn't look good.
We've been here before though, and its understandable that just about every American we know cannot stand any criticism levelled at their country, but for once, we're doing it as friends. Harsh truths are just that, harsh. How can a self-styled world superpower have such lousy education, healthcare and infrastructure?
Its lucky we don't owe them any money.. see, this is going somewhere.
Remember how everyone got super pissed when we nationalised one of our banks, while the Conservatives said they should be allowed to go bust? Remember how angry you were that YOUR money was being spent on those greedy fatcats? Goddamn it Brown! How could you?
Yet, did you consider the alternative? When anyone or any institution goes bankrupt, they have to turn their assets into money to clear their debts. Northern Rocks' assets were mortgages. Can you imagine 750,000 people all getting letters saying they had a month to pay off the rest of the money they owed on their mortgages, or else they'd be homeless?
Worse still, with 750,000 extra homes on the market, yours will go down in value. Maybe badly enough to warrant your bank asking for their money back, after all, if you stopped paying and they had to sell your house, they would find it was now worth less than they lent you. The cost of renting would skyrocket and we'd all be stuck really.
Next up are the loans requested by Jaguar and Land Rover, two prestigious British firms. Sure, bad management had got them into money trouble, but what if we didn't bail them out? We aren't talking a few thousand of their employees without jobs, we're talking steel producers, windshield makers, suppliers, tyre manufacturers.. they'd all lose the big contracts that keep them afloat. This is the same as the problem for the US, just not quite as bad.
There is a positive though, Mr. Brown is borrowing and spending again. As long as dipshit Cameron stays out of the way and the papers stop slating him for the sake of a story, the country can recover. Mr. Brown is ploughing a load of money into a new super high-speed rail network and roads that will be the envy of the world.. upshot is that when this recession is all over we're geared up to start exporting goods again, and we'll be able to do it fast, cheaper and cleaner than the other guy.
Its good news for our American pals too, with Barack Obama they are in good hands and if anyone can solve thier mess, its him. He got into power on the statement "Yes, we can".. as long as he is brave and honest enough to admit "This time, for a while at least, we just can't" and America pulls together as it has always done, there is no reason there can't be a happy ending there too.
Wherever you happen to be in the world, we wish you well during these hard times, and we'll have some funny shit coming right up..
Kate Nash.. On the street #2
Kate continues to prove all her critics wrong. Here she displays that she is so from "the street" that she can busk without a licence. Take THAT, society!
For the record, yes, she is ginger. Contrary to what you may believe.
For the record, yes, she is ginger. Contrary to what you may believe.
Saturday, 10 January 2009
The Secret Adventures of Tin-Tin
It seems the French are up in arms this week. Despite Shit cartoon creation TinTin actually being a Belgian, they have claimed him as their own and leapt to his defence after a Times Journalist implied he was a homosexual.
Not that this really matters, the only thing that ever bothered me about the show was how consistently shit it was.. just truly awful. However, not one to shy away from a fight I'd like to make our team's stance on TinTin clear. Tintinophiles as they like to be called (For the love of God.. WHY!!?!?), have taken offence at this so called slur, yet have they weighed up the evidence? This is what we do best here.. so we took an objective look.
It didn't bear well for the Belgian knobhead's legions of fans. As a team, we came to the conclusion that an androgynous, bequiffed young blonde boy with a penchant for small, fluffy white dogs, who moves into a mansion with a middle aged sailor and befriends two other inseperable men with moustaches could certainly be taken as gay. So, leave the poor journalist alone.
Certainly the two other men are in possession of quite the gayest moustaches seen in animation to date, ranking fourth on the industry standard gay scale;
1) Handlebar / porn tache
2) Gay Airline Pilot
3) Beppe Di Marco
4) Gay Detectives from Tin-Tin
For reference, the most manly of moustaches belongs to Des Lynam, behold: The Des Lynam Special;
Awesome.
Anyway, we have digressed. If you are still in any doubt over Tintin's sexual preferences, then check this out and doubt no longer. Knowledge is power people!;
Not that this really matters, the only thing that ever bothered me about the show was how consistently shit it was.. just truly awful. However, not one to shy away from a fight I'd like to make our team's stance on TinTin clear. Tintinophiles as they like to be called (For the love of God.. WHY!!?!?), have taken offence at this so called slur, yet have they weighed up the evidence? This is what we do best here.. so we took an objective look.
It didn't bear well for the Belgian knobhead's legions of fans. As a team, we came to the conclusion that an androgynous, bequiffed young blonde boy with a penchant for small, fluffy white dogs, who moves into a mansion with a middle aged sailor and befriends two other inseperable men with moustaches could certainly be taken as gay. So, leave the poor journalist alone.
Certainly the two other men are in possession of quite the gayest moustaches seen in animation to date, ranking fourth on the industry standard gay scale;
1) Handlebar / porn tache
2) Gay Airline Pilot3) Beppe Di Marco4) Gay Detectives from Tin-TinFor reference, the most manly of moustaches belongs to Des Lynam, behold: The Des Lynam Special;
Awesome.Anyway, we have digressed. If you are still in any doubt over Tintin's sexual preferences, then check this out and doubt no longer. Knowledge is power people!;
Incoming..
I'm very, very tired today. So much so infact, that I've had to reschedule a few things till tomorrow.
Yet, I feel like I'm cheating you all if I don't at least share whats incoming this week;
- We caught up with the cast of Award Winning Sitcom, The Guild, for an informal chat. See what they had to say before the restraining order was issued here next week.
- The Inaugural Hardcore Effect World Cup for Crisps
- Return of our stolen video content
- Possible return also for our Bizarre Adult Video of The Week.. its a special one.
- Why Barack Obama's job is at least three times harder than even he expected
- We find out how hard it is to find a cleaning contractor in London who'll mop up blood and fingers
- Why being hospitalised turns you into Jesus
- More Kate Nash.. on the street
- and much more that doesn't immeadiatly spring to mind right now.
We look forward to seeing you, and don't stop sending in those e-mails.
Yet, I feel like I'm cheating you all if I don't at least share whats incoming this week;
- We caught up with the cast of Award Winning Sitcom, The Guild, for an informal chat. See what they had to say before the restraining order was issued here next week.
- The Inaugural Hardcore Effect World Cup for Crisps
- Return of our stolen video content
- Possible return also for our Bizarre Adult Video of The Week.. its a special one.
- Why Barack Obama's job is at least three times harder than even he expected
- We find out how hard it is to find a cleaning contractor in London who'll mop up blood and fingers
- Why being hospitalised turns you into Jesus
- More Kate Nash.. on the street
- and much more that doesn't immeadiatly spring to mind right now.
We look forward to seeing you, and don't stop sending in those e-mails.
Surprise from the off!
Before Ravi and the others have even made their predictions, Adam storms into an early lead in this Years' Celebrity Death Predictions, following news that Patrick Swayze has checked himself into hospital with pneumonia. It finished Jeremy Beadle off, but I think Swayze is made of tougher stuff and wish him a speedy recovery. You've not won yet dickhead.
Friday, 9 January 2009
Benji's Death Tips '09
With Adam securing an early boost with the grabbing of Patrick Swayze, I felt it was time to get my pitch in before anyone else good gets stolen.
Without further ado, Here are my Celebrity Death Predictions 2009
1) Norman Wisdom .. Only a matter of time
2) Fidel Castro
3) Fats Domino
4) Muhammed Ali
5) Amy Winehouse .. although I could see her clinging on to be honest.
I don't feel this years line up looks strong, but you never do know.
Without further ado, Here are my Celebrity Death Predictions 2009
1) Norman Wisdom .. Only a matter of time
2) Fidel Castro
3) Fats Domino
4) Muhammed Ali
5) Amy Winehouse .. although I could see her clinging on to be honest.
I don't feel this years line up looks strong, but you never do know.
Celebrity Death Preictions 2009
Ooh, that does appear to be unlucky Mr Hardcore. You know what this means don't you? As I'm the first to publish my CDP's for this year.... I get Swayze. Not exactly in good taste, but a solid candidate none the less.
1. Patrick Swayze
2. Sir Patrick Moore
3. Barack Obama
4. Courtney Love
5. Owen Wilson
1. Patrick Swayze
2. Sir Patrick Moore
3. Barack Obama
4. Courtney Love
5. Owen Wilson
Thursday, 8 January 2009
The Very Last of The 2008 Hardcore Effect Awards
You may remember that some months ago we ran a competition to win a bunch of free shit we had blagged from companies and individuals. All those who entered, and there were more than we'd bargained for [thanks by the way] were invited to join myself and a select group to decide the grandaddy of them all.. The Hardcore Effect Best Thing On The Internet Award 2008.
This, as you'd imagine, posed a problem. For a start I wouldn't allow any gimmicky piece of crap to receive my highest seal of approval.. the obvious stuff; Youtube, Facebook, Myspace.. all out from the start. Certainly, nothing music related could take the trophy because that is shallow and predictable.
Also, no one hit wonder video could take it, there'd be no substance. It had to be something consistently good, a gift from the genius of man or womankind that just keeps on giving.
Life these days is made up of "facts" and statistics, there are some facts that are complete rubbish, such as "Wasps can smell sugar from 5 miles away" - This is plainly bollocks.. sugar does not smell. Cat's urine, as you may have been lead to believe, does not infact glow in the dark and nor is David Cameron a marxist.. although he does hold the Guiness World Record for being the first man in history to trek solo completely into his own arse.
There is one fact though, that I will share with you now, that is indisputable truth. The Guild is far and away the best thing on the internet and unless you have the business skills of a mackerel, you should be fighting tooth and nail to get your .com's name on their sponsors list.
First and foremost, if you disagree with this simple truth, you are wrong.. you may infact be a gibbering simpleton, which may explain your inability to appreciate its subtle genius. As we all know, I won't watch anything unless it has either full frontal nudity or 4 kinds of machine gun, but this is something else.
There is no large budget and no sports car chase, and as yet no explosions. I'm not going to lie and say its the best show in creation, because next time you see me you will hold me personally responsible for misguiding you.. and you may set me alight. However, the show is.. enough, just enough, and thats all it should ever be and I'll explain that remark. Put simply it has all the right ingredients, in perfect proportion.
The casting is perfect, there is no other word for it. Every member of the cast is perfect for their role, all are played exceptionally and it was agreed that were any one of them not there.. it just wouldn't work. The humour in the writing is spot on, and it has everything good humour should have - it's intelligent, perfectly timed and true.
Robin Thorsen is brilliantly entertaining and her portrayl of neglectful mother Clara is simply great, The role of Bladezz is perfect for Vincent Caso, he has the look, the attitude and the talent to play the part exactly as it should be. Sandeep Parikh is a comedy genius, his line delivery is beyond comparison and he may yet prove himself as the funniest man alive. Jeff Lewis is pure gold in everything he has been in, its a simple as that and Felicia Day holds writing talent that I will be forever in awe of. I don't wish to leave Amy Okuda out, but I have run out of positive superlatives, so fantastic will have to do, sorry.
Now if you are the sort of person who spends their evenings trawling youtube, upsetting and offending strangers, and you wish to complain about this choice.. I invite you to go away. If you see it as some sort of documentary about dysfunctional computer nerds, you have missed the point. If you don't find it funny, then you may be a German and if you can't appreciate the virtues of Felicia Day and Amy Okuda then I must advise you that while you are always welcome here, we don't generally provide access to photos of men's bottoms.
I am aware this may be construed as a bit OTT, but the agreement was reached and its clear that it is just because the show is low budget and abnormal that it becomes so refreshing and entertaining. So, we salute you Knights Of Good, just keep doing what you are doing oh so well.. but one complaint, do the episodes really have to be so short?
Check out www.watchtheguild.com right now, lest ye be cast overboard.
This, as you'd imagine, posed a problem. For a start I wouldn't allow any gimmicky piece of crap to receive my highest seal of approval.. the obvious stuff; Youtube, Facebook, Myspace.. all out from the start. Certainly, nothing music related could take the trophy because that is shallow and predictable.
Also, no one hit wonder video could take it, there'd be no substance. It had to be something consistently good, a gift from the genius of man or womankind that just keeps on giving.
Life these days is made up of "facts" and statistics, there are some facts that are complete rubbish, such as "Wasps can smell sugar from 5 miles away" - This is plainly bollocks.. sugar does not smell. Cat's urine, as you may have been lead to believe, does not infact glow in the dark and nor is David Cameron a marxist.. although he does hold the Guiness World Record for being the first man in history to trek solo completely into his own arse.
There is one fact though, that I will share with you now, that is indisputable truth. The Guild is far and away the best thing on the internet and unless you have the business skills of a mackerel, you should be fighting tooth and nail to get your .com's name on their sponsors list.
First and foremost, if you disagree with this simple truth, you are wrong.. you may infact be a gibbering simpleton, which may explain your inability to appreciate its subtle genius. As we all know, I won't watch anything unless it has either full frontal nudity or 4 kinds of machine gun, but this is something else.
There is no large budget and no sports car chase, and as yet no explosions. I'm not going to lie and say its the best show in creation, because next time you see me you will hold me personally responsible for misguiding you.. and you may set me alight. However, the show is.. enough, just enough, and thats all it should ever be and I'll explain that remark. Put simply it has all the right ingredients, in perfect proportion.
The casting is perfect, there is no other word for it. Every member of the cast is perfect for their role, all are played exceptionally and it was agreed that were any one of them not there.. it just wouldn't work. The humour in the writing is spot on, and it has everything good humour should have - it's intelligent, perfectly timed and true.
Robin Thorsen is brilliantly entertaining and her portrayl of neglectful mother Clara is simply great, The role of Bladezz is perfect for Vincent Caso, he has the look, the attitude and the talent to play the part exactly as it should be. Sandeep Parikh is a comedy genius, his line delivery is beyond comparison and he may yet prove himself as the funniest man alive. Jeff Lewis is pure gold in everything he has been in, its a simple as that and Felicia Day holds writing talent that I will be forever in awe of. I don't wish to leave Amy Okuda out, but I have run out of positive superlatives, so fantastic will have to do, sorry.
Now if you are the sort of person who spends their evenings trawling youtube, upsetting and offending strangers, and you wish to complain about this choice.. I invite you to go away. If you see it as some sort of documentary about dysfunctional computer nerds, you have missed the point. If you don't find it funny, then you may be a German and if you can't appreciate the virtues of Felicia Day and Amy Okuda then I must advise you that while you are always welcome here, we don't generally provide access to photos of men's bottoms.
I am aware this may be construed as a bit OTT, but the agreement was reached and its clear that it is just because the show is low budget and abnormal that it becomes so refreshing and entertaining. So, we salute you Knights Of Good, just keep doing what you are doing oh so well.. but one complaint, do the episodes really have to be so short?
Check out www.watchtheguild.com right now, lest ye be cast overboard.
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
It begins again..
After last years surprise successes, its time to come forward once again and do your duty;
http://bloggerschoiceawards.com/blogs/show/51870
thanks and much love
http://bloggerschoiceawards.com/blogs/show/51870
thanks and much love
The Death of the PC Gamer, and why Shaun White is the saviour of the universe.
In my younger years, I played video games purely in cartridge form. As you no doubt know, for me, the Sega Mega Drive is one of video gaming's all time greatest gifts to man. Sure it was simple, but simplicity is often also beauty. We shall come back to this part later on though.
Often in gaming simple hardware is fine, but we do like a bit of flair and thought in our games, for sure I had an Amiga to provide this, but christ it felt unwieldy and slow. Some years later I got my hands on a Playstation, followed by a Playstation 2, and again my passion for simple console gaming was reignited.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Tekken, Gran Turismo, Crash Bandicoot and Ridge Racer all provided those seminal, genre defining moments in history that sadly failed to materialise on the Sega Dreamcast. What I remember most profoundly though, was that the Playstation introduced me to the Command and Conquer series. I could while away hour after hour on that game, swearing uncontrollably, shouting incoherently at my family with regard to the threat of international terrorism and eventually bashing my 'X' button one time too many and destroying the odd control pad.
My world fell down though when I discovered that the Command and Conquer series is invariably a million times better on PC, there I said it, so too are many FPS games and if geeky simulations are your bag, then you need a PC, my friend.
This all sounds well and good, and after all you can't upgrade your consoles can you?
At this point, I converted totally and, up until 2007 infact, I gamed only on PC, and decided the communities that built up around some titles were truly epic, user created add-ons and forums full of empassioned gamers.. THIS is what gaming should be about.
Like everything though, theres a downside. I can honestly say I have NEVER owned a PC title that has allowed me to play with friends online the first time I ask it to, theres always some incomprehensible error message, a port problem, high latency or graphic error that has sucked ALL enjoyment from what should be a leisure activity. You can always contact tech support, who speak to you as if you are a moron, type a Jane Austen novel into their computers and come up with a series of solutions that simply don't work before signing off by telling you that you simply can't play your game without purchasing some kind of expensive upgrade or waiting twelve years for a suitable patch.
Then, as Counterstrike and Gears of War alike have taught us, online gaming both on and off PC, is full of idiots. Video games are about escapism, about YOU being the hero and YOU pulling off every perfect move.. fill one game with a group of people all trying to be the hero of the story and you have a recipe for gaming catastrophe. You cannot bag a kill on CS without being insulted and told you are invariably cheating and woe betide anyone who doesn't play a perfect round on GOW, because you can be certain your team-mates and opponents will not be shy in their criticism.
Once I played GOW with a raging hangover after another messy night on the town, as we know, no story involving 12 pints of Carling and a kebab is going to end well.. so I got up at midday and logged on to XBOX live, where I proceeded to play the most shockingly awful match you could ever witness and my teammates, all strangers, decided that I should not only be in better shape when log on but also that I should feel the kind of guilt that usually only war criminals would have to endure, for my performance.
This is unacceptable, my leisure time is just that, mine. I love gaming as much as the next nerd, maybe even more, but the very suggestion that your ability in game is the be all and end all is very, very wrong. I'd quite like to mess up sometimes, without being informed by an American I've never met that I must be a homosexual, quite how people can reach such conclusions is beyond me. Perhaps I am wrong though, and years of using a mouse to shoot has left me with the thumb dexterity of a horse. Yet, I'm missing the point, and this is where the simplicity argument comes in again.. during all this rage and kebab mess, I'd taken for granted that my XBox 360, the humble white box under my TV, had allowed me to game online with no fuss, no lag and no tech support.
Sure, it had just murdered Red Alert 3, but for anything else it had proved itself the superior machine when it comes to pure gaming pleasure, plus its added ability to allow only friends into your game is a perfect touch, if a little sad that ingame, the online community isn't quite as pleasant as out of game.
There is though, a cherry atop the cake, Shaun White Snowboarding. Not only a fantastic single player game.. if a little tricky at times [The Yen at the end of the rail lines in Alaska], but it is superb online because it removes many of the over competetive elements if other titles. Normally, I won't pick up a game unless it provides at least 3 types of machine gun, but as Snowboarding is one of God's greatest gifts to the kids of cool, I made an exception and found that if you take it online.. regardless of how drunk you are, the people are fun, social and respectful. Pure perfection for less than £40, who'd have believed it?
Often in gaming simple hardware is fine, but we do like a bit of flair and thought in our games, for sure I had an Amiga to provide this, but christ it felt unwieldy and slow. Some years later I got my hands on a Playstation, followed by a Playstation 2, and again my passion for simple console gaming was reignited.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Tekken, Gran Turismo, Crash Bandicoot and Ridge Racer all provided those seminal, genre defining moments in history that sadly failed to materialise on the Sega Dreamcast. What I remember most profoundly though, was that the Playstation introduced me to the Command and Conquer series. I could while away hour after hour on that game, swearing uncontrollably, shouting incoherently at my family with regard to the threat of international terrorism and eventually bashing my 'X' button one time too many and destroying the odd control pad.
My world fell down though when I discovered that the Command and Conquer series is invariably a million times better on PC, there I said it, so too are many FPS games and if geeky simulations are your bag, then you need a PC, my friend.
This all sounds well and good, and after all you can't upgrade your consoles can you?
At this point, I converted totally and, up until 2007 infact, I gamed only on PC, and decided the communities that built up around some titles were truly epic, user created add-ons and forums full of empassioned gamers.. THIS is what gaming should be about.
Like everything though, theres a downside. I can honestly say I have NEVER owned a PC title that has allowed me to play with friends online the first time I ask it to, theres always some incomprehensible error message, a port problem, high latency or graphic error that has sucked ALL enjoyment from what should be a leisure activity. You can always contact tech support, who speak to you as if you are a moron, type a Jane Austen novel into their computers and come up with a series of solutions that simply don't work before signing off by telling you that you simply can't play your game without purchasing some kind of expensive upgrade or waiting twelve years for a suitable patch.
Then, as Counterstrike and Gears of War alike have taught us, online gaming both on and off PC, is full of idiots. Video games are about escapism, about YOU being the hero and YOU pulling off every perfect move.. fill one game with a group of people all trying to be the hero of the story and you have a recipe for gaming catastrophe. You cannot bag a kill on CS without being insulted and told you are invariably cheating and woe betide anyone who doesn't play a perfect round on GOW, because you can be certain your team-mates and opponents will not be shy in their criticism.
Once I played GOW with a raging hangover after another messy night on the town, as we know, no story involving 12 pints of Carling and a kebab is going to end well.. so I got up at midday and logged on to XBOX live, where I proceeded to play the most shockingly awful match you could ever witness and my teammates, all strangers, decided that I should not only be in better shape when log on but also that I should feel the kind of guilt that usually only war criminals would have to endure, for my performance.
This is unacceptable, my leisure time is just that, mine. I love gaming as much as the next nerd, maybe even more, but the very suggestion that your ability in game is the be all and end all is very, very wrong. I'd quite like to mess up sometimes, without being informed by an American I've never met that I must be a homosexual, quite how people can reach such conclusions is beyond me. Perhaps I am wrong though, and years of using a mouse to shoot has left me with the thumb dexterity of a horse. Yet, I'm missing the point, and this is where the simplicity argument comes in again.. during all this rage and kebab mess, I'd taken for granted that my XBox 360, the humble white box under my TV, had allowed me to game online with no fuss, no lag and no tech support.
Sure, it had just murdered Red Alert 3, but for anything else it had proved itself the superior machine when it comes to pure gaming pleasure, plus its added ability to allow only friends into your game is a perfect touch, if a little sad that ingame, the online community isn't quite as pleasant as out of game.
There is though, a cherry atop the cake, Shaun White Snowboarding. Not only a fantastic single player game.. if a little tricky at times [The Yen at the end of the rail lines in Alaska], but it is superb online because it removes many of the over competetive elements if other titles. Normally, I won't pick up a game unless it provides at least 3 types of machine gun, but as Snowboarding is one of God's greatest gifts to the kids of cool, I made an exception and found that if you take it online.. regardless of how drunk you are, the people are fun, social and respectful. Pure perfection for less than £40, who'd have believed it?
Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Daddy's Home
Hey kids, I'm back, where have I been? Mind your own, besides thats irrelevant.
What is relevant is whats coming up this year;
- Why losing your mind is even more scary than being fondled by an over friendly tramp in the bus station
- Why I'm going to be chloroformed in the name of fun
- Those fucking music interviews.. finally
- Whats wrong with youtube and how we're going to fix it
- Beard growing for amateurs
- 1001 and one things related to being a man, such as guns, explosions, video games, pornography and crisps
- Definitive Hardcore Effect "print-off-cut-out-and-keep" guide to aforementioned crisps
- Why we're the 35th best blog about fatherhood you can read today
- Why Stevie Wonder will soon sue us
- Does Celery have a aplace in the aeronautics world?
- When you can see at least some of us making cameo appearances in an award winning online sitcom.
Its all here, like an Aladdin's cave of wonder, only with less sand in your pants.
Catch you in the morning, and happy new year from us all.
What is relevant is whats coming up this year;
- Why losing your mind is even more scary than being fondled by an over friendly tramp in the bus station
- Why I'm going to be chloroformed in the name of fun
- Those fucking music interviews.. finally
- Whats wrong with youtube and how we're going to fix it
- Beard growing for amateurs
- 1001 and one things related to being a man, such as guns, explosions, video games, pornography and crisps
- Definitive Hardcore Effect "print-off-cut-out-and-keep" guide to aforementioned crisps
- Why we're the 35th best blog about fatherhood you can read today
- Why Stevie Wonder will soon sue us
- Does Celery have a aplace in the aeronautics world?
- When you can see at least some of us making cameo appearances in an award winning online sitcom.
Its all here, like an Aladdin's cave of wonder, only with less sand in your pants.
Catch you in the morning, and happy new year from us all.
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