SBTB FTW!

Here I was, going to post some things about the big Apple WWDC keynote yesterday, when news from Jimmy Fallon's Saved by the Bell reunion blew the importance of new iPhones right out of the water.

There is so much SBTB goodness in this interview that I can't even summarize it in a witty way. Let's just say that Jimmy Fallon has secured both the kingpin, and someone thought to be the hardest to convince, for the "class reunion", and he does it in true Bayside style. As a SBTB fan, you could not ask for more.

But if you're still hoping for some WWDC coverage, Jimmy's got your back for that too.

You Say You Want A Rock Band Evolution

Some of my favourite announcements from the E3 Conference are all the new musical releases. While Guitar Hero 5 has announced an impressive list of artists (everybody from Cash to Kiss to Coldplay), and Lego Rock Band seems interestingly entertaining, The Beatles: Rock Band sounds (and looks) the most amazing. With a keen attention to detail, a genuine rags-to-riches storyline, and of course that music catalog, it's sure to be a successful gaming experience.

Take a look at the trailer here, and notice the addition of multi-vocal harmonies, bonus sayings like "fab" and "double fab", and the care with which they've reproduced the locales (both real and imagined) as well as the varying hairstyles of the group.



via Raihan Sangherra

Archie Getting Married

Am I the last to hear that our good friend Archie Andrews is getting married? I didn't get an invitation, did you?

I could have linked to any of the news stories that Google turned up, but I think I owe it to you, the reader, to go straight to the source and get it from Archie News, where all the headlines are reported in a green 3-piece suit and old-timey "press pass" fedora.

Also, Archie apparently chooses Veronica (a "pragmatic choice on Archie's part given the economic recession"), the gang will reunite after they graduate college, and everyone chooses careers. Boy, Archie comics have certainly got a lot more complicated since I was a kid. Back then, the biggest proposal would be between Jughead and a sandwich.

Clients: We've All Been There

No matter what industry you're in, I'm sure you can relate to clients behaving badly when it comes time to pay up, and this video puts them in more everyday situations without going too far from the truth.



via Brandflakes for Breakfast

Social Media Sabbatical

After one week of Blogger FTP issues, one week of putting on the 2009 GDMA Degree Show at work, and another week of directing my church's family camp, I'm back to blogging. At the same time, however, I am living in constant fear of having my favourite blabbermouth, the Internet, spoil the season finales to my favourite shows.

Being so busy, the TiVo has been piling up with good television that I haven't seen. The main show I am concerned about is Lost, which has been so amazingly awesome this season I expect no less than earth-shattering revelations from the final episode. To a lesser extent, the results of Survivor, the always fun wrap-ups from 30 Rock and The Office, and the last show ever of the Prison Break series, are also something I'm looking forward to.

Thus, I have made the difficult decision to avoid all social media, including Facebook, Twitter and blogging, until my expectations have been met, my story arcs have been resolved, and my TiVo hard drive has been wiped clean.

So chatter away, Internet, but I'll be virtually plugging my ears and typing "la la la la la la" on an imaginary keyboard until then.

Fake Trailer Friday

If you've already seen my post about the Where the Wild Things Are trailer, you'll appreciate this other trailer, with the description "Spike Jonze wastes no time adapting another 10 page childrens book into a film".

Good Things Come In MP3s

Three parts of random musical goodness for the long weekend.

1. The online newsmagazine Dose.ca has a free 15-song iTunes download of music featuring artists to watch in 2009, many of them Canadian. I just got it, and while some of the songs have been free downloads of the week on iTunes already, it's an easy way to discover some bands you might never have heard otherwise. To get the songs just go to dose.ca/artists and they'll send you a code redeemable in the iTunes Music Store.
2. Speaking of Canadian, my friend Brett posted this video of a vapid butchering of the Canadian national anthem, and if you're familiar with how the iconic tune should actually sound, you'll find it just as outrageous as I did. Also on the YouTube front, a group of kids singing Viva La Vida is almost catchier than the original, and this choir of monks "sings" the Hallelujah chorus while under a vow of silence (via Chelsea).
   
3. Last, but not least, if you're looking for a soundtrack to the Easter weekend that gets past chocolate egg-laying bunnies and pastel confetti strips, I highly recommend the debut record from The Welcome Wagon, Welcome to the Welcome Wagon. It's an amazing album that sets the perfectly appropriate tone, and has the right mix of quirkiness and acousticness to keep you humming all year round. If it sounds like Sufjan Stevens, it's because it's produced by Sufjan Stevens, but in my books, that is not a bad thing.

Happy Easter, everybody.

Train Station Musical

I'm sure everyone wishes in some small way that a musical would break out in the middle of their daily life, so I'm sure everyone can't get too tired of these "impromptu" performances in train stations. Here's the latest, with a description automatically translated by Google (I gather it's a stunt to promote a How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? style show):

"Antwerp Central goes out of his roof because Looking for Maria is coming! View more than 200 dancers and dancers of the station on his head onto the sounds of the Sound of Music!"

Saved By The Bell Reunion

This may very well be the most important thing you do today.

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon has been a great show. I've always liked Jimmy, I was pumped for the first episode, and while his monologue might be rocky and he may have had some nerves at the beginning, he's really starting to find his footing. His integration of technology and nerdiness has been better than I expected, the Roots are such a cool addition to the show, and I actually really enjoy his interviews, which can be the uninteresting part on other late night talk shows.

However, he has just launched an initiative that has increased my respect for him tenfold, and may very well save America. Jimmy Fallon wants to get the Saved by The Bell cast back together for their 20 year reunion. If there is one link you click on today, one field you type your name into this week, and one video you spend 3 minutes of your life watching, I urge you to do it here.

For all you Canadians, just select the nearest state and city to sign the official petition. Conveniently, I thought it was befitting to select Bellingham.