Saturday, January 31

Adam Ruins Everything By Telling Us Why Tipping Should Be Banned


Adam from CollegeHumor is the kind of guy who just tends to ruin everything. But in this case, I absolutely agree with him. Tipping IS stupid, because we shouldn't be paying our server's bills. Their, you know, EMPLOYERS should. I'm all for tipping on top of great service, but I'd like the person bringing me my food to be making a living wage, so that anything I give is a bonus, not determining if they're going to be able to take a hot shower tomorrow morning. Plus there are a lot of great little bits in this video, which is a nice bonus. Enjoy!

Friday, January 30

The Offspring Release New Song "Coming For You"


Punky veterans The Offspring just dropped a new song from their untitled tenth studio album. "Coming For You" follows the recent Offspring trend of kind of ripping off their own music, with an intro that sounds like their 2008 song "Stuff Is Messed Up." Going even further, the misheard lyric of "Donkey Kong" in the chorus has already happened once, way back on 1994's "Genocide." But hey, it's still a rockin' song, and should get the toe tapping. And that's really all we can hope for from a song.

Wednesday, January 28

J.J. Watt Jumps Over Jimmy Kimmel And Guillermo


Okay, so the title of this video is a little bit of a misnomer. J.J. Watt doesn't necessarily jump over Jimmy Kimmel and Guillermo as he does jump on them. But don't worry--there's a box covering their heads, so Watt doesn't crush them entirely. And he's wearing a suit for extra style points. Enjoy.

Tuesday, January 27

Rock Icon Henry Rollins Narrates New Book About Rock And Roll


Today, Audible Studios is releasing The History of Rock 'N' Roll in Ten Songs by music critic Greil Marcus as an audiobook. As a bonus, the book is narrated by rock legend Henry Rollins.

In the book, Marcus has chosen 10 songs recorded between 1956 and 2008, ranging from Joy Davidson to Etta James, and explores how each shaped and influenced the best genre in music. 

As for the full list of songs? Well, you'll just have to check out the audiobook itself. Here's a clip for your enjoyment:

Monday, January 26

Lars Andersen: A New Level Of Archery


I don't know much about archery. Really, all I remember is that I had Olympic Summer Games for the Super Nintendo, and that was the event I was the best at. I was nailing 10s like it ain't no thang.

In any case, Lars Andersen has put together a video that showcases a new kind of archery. He's set out to prove that Hollywood archery isn't historical, which I think is probably pretty obvious already. But oh well, this is still pretty cool.

Sunday, January 25

Every Basket From Klay Thompson's Record-Setting Third Quarter


You may have heard about Klay Thompson's absurd 37-point third quarter against the Kings the other night, a game the Warriors won 126-101. Thompson finished with 52 points, but the 37 is an NBA record for points in a quarter. There were 11 games on Friday night, and nobody even reached 37 for their entire game, let alone a single quarter. Unreal.

Perhaps most impressively, Thompson didn't miss a single shot. Check out his historic quarter. Not pictured: Before Thompson's two free throws at the end, he made a 30-footer that didn't count because of the foul. Simply incredible performance.

Saturday, January 24

Julian Edelman Releases Growing Pains Parody


The Patriots have had a rough week. With no actual game this Sunday (save for the Pro Bowl, but c'mon), the media is having a field day with Deflategate/Ballghazi/Whatever You Want To Call It.

Julian Edelman is doing his best to turn the tide.

The Pats wide receiver released a Growing Pains parody, showcasing his teammates as children, and the "pains" of "growing" up. Lovely. Tom Brady, Shane Vereen, Rob Gronkowski, Bill Belichick and Edelman himself all make appearances. Well done, Julian. Well done.

Friday, January 23

Old Spice Nightmare Face Commercial Is A New Kind Of WTF


Sometimes, you watch something, and your brain just can't even comprehend what unfolded before its lobes. This is 100% the case with Old Spice's latest commercial. Terry Crews appears as three different characters, including his wife. It's weird, and I'm not even sure if it's weird in a good way. So...enjoy?

Thursday, January 22

Bad Lip Reading, 2015 NFL Edition


These never get old. Really nothing else to say. Whether you're a fan of football or not, it's just magical. Well done, BLR. Well done.

Tuesday, January 20

Want To Interview DeAndre Jordan? Make Sure Tupac Isn't On In The Background


DeAndre Jordan had himself a ball game Monday against the Celtics, finishing with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and six blocks. His postgame interview, however, left something to be desired. But it's understandable--after all, Tupac was playing in the background. And sometimes a man's gotta groove to a good tune.

Monday, January 19

SNL Imagines Bushwick, Brooklyn in 2015, Now Overrun With Hipsters


Kevin Hart hosted SNL this past weekend. And the normally game actor was...well, game for anything. One of the highlights of the episode was a sketch with Hart, Jay Pharoah and Kenan Thompson, where they're hanging out on Bushwick in Brooklyn. Each story seems like it'll have a violent or misogynistic ending, but then there's a lil' bourgeois twist thrown in. Well done, writers. Well done.

Sunday, January 18

Slapjack With Kevin Hart And Jimmy Fallon


Blackjack is one of the most popular Vegas games for a reason: it's incredibly simple. You get dealt cards, and hope you reach 21, or at least beat the dealer, and you win. Boom.

The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon takes this game even one step further. The loser gets slapped with a giant hand. Fallon invites Kevin Hart to play, and even though Hart is miffed that the production team couldn't find a black hand, he obliges. It's goofy, it's weird, and it's everything we've come to expect from The Tonight Show. Well done.

Saturday, January 17

Backboard Breaks After Dunk, But Not Like How You'd Expect


Everyone enjoys a good slam dunk from time to time. Even moreso if it breaks the backboard, causing glass to shatter everywhere and making games delayed for minutes, and maybe even hours.

That was the case when Siena's Willem Brandwijk threw down a jam during pregame warmups. Normally, this is an illegal thing to do, but only after the officials have come out onto the court. This was early enough in warmups that it was alright.

Well, alright in the sense that Brandwijk wouldn't get ejected. But thanks to what appears to be some really faulty pins holding up the basket, the entire thing just collapses. There was a roughly 45-minute delay while Canisius (the host school) put up a replacement rim. And to make matters worse, Siena lost the game, 83-49. Ouch.

Wednesday, January 14

This Video Demonstrates Every Modern Country Song Is Basically The Same


Ever hear two country songs back to back and think, "you know, those songs really sounded similar?" Well, you're not crazy--in fact, you might be absolutely right.

YouTuber Sir Mashalot decided to put six songs to the test to...well, test his theory. Check out the video above to see how the songs sound when placed on top of each other. And here's the tracklist for your aural pleasure:
  • Florida Georgia Line - "This Is How We Roll"
  • Luke Bryan - "Drunk On You"
  • Parmalee - "Close Your Eyes"
  • Blake Shelton - "Sure Be Cool If You Did"
  • Chase Rice - "Ready, Set Roll"
  • Cole Swindell - "Chillin' It"

Tuesday, January 13

Kevin Garnett Throws Ball At Dwight Howard, Headbutts Him, Does Typical KG Reaction Afterward


Kevin Garnett is generally known as one of the more passionate players in the NBA. He also tends to do a lot of childish things on the court. Earlier this year he attempted to bite Chicago Bulls' center Joakim Noah on the wrist, and now he's getting into it with Dwight Howard.

I get it. After his stuntin' in Orlando and Los Angeles, Howard is not a popular player. But this seems like a huge overreaction by Garnett. It led to his ejection, and I'm sure a fine will follow. My favorite part of the whole skirmish is when Garnett has been taken away by assistant coaches, and is being led off to the side of the court, then tried to sneak around to get back to Howard. KG is like seven feet tall (he once claimed to be 6'12"), and here he is sneaking around like a schoolkid trying not to get caught in the hall during class. Stupendous.

Monday, January 12

"Serial" Is Now A Romantic Comedy


NPR's Serial, a spinoff of This American Life, tore up the airwaves this fall, as it documented the true case of Anand Syed, who was convicted of murder in 2000, and has been serving a life sentence ever since. It's a morbid story for sure, but host Sarah Koenig's re-telling of the events has taken the nation by storm.

YouTuber Honora Talbott has created a parody of the podcast, with Koenig and Syed starring in a romantic comedy. It's very well done, especially since all of the dialogue is taken from the podcast itself. And it fits pretty well. The ending I could do without, but otherwise, spot on.

Sunday, January 11

Amy Poehler and Tina Fey Deliver The Best Ten Minutes Of The Golden Globes


The dynamic duo once again showcased their hosting prowess, this time lighting up the Golden Globes. Nobody was safe from their burns. Nobody. Enjoy!

Ranking the Pokemon: #2- Gengar


We're at our runner up! The silver medal. Droppin' a deuce. Wait. That sounds gross. Never mind.

In any case, Gengar is FANTASTIC. Not only does it look like a sleep-deprived Gremlin (with a grade-A smile), it has tremendous stats and a very useful movepool. Let's take a gander!

Gengar's HP, Attack and Defense are slightly below average. But no matter. The Speed is quite high, and the Special is OUT OF THIS WORLD. As sometimes happens with Pokemon I like, Gengar is making me use A LOT of caps. I can't even control it. IT'S JUST HAPPENING.

One reason why you shouldn't be concerned with Gengar's low Attack, in particular, is that its learnset leans heavily toward the special side of attacks. You can build a great Gengar without ever having to use a physical move. Observe: Confuse Ray, Psychic, Thunderbolt, and Rest. Or: Mega Drain, Hypnosis, Dream Eater and Double Team. Or: Toxic, Psywave, Thunder and Metronome. Granted, that last moveset is terrible, but I'm just saying you could do it.

The only physical moves I'd put on Gengar are Seismic Toss or Night Shade. Both do damage equal to the level your Pokemon currently is. So the maximum ceiling is 100, which isn't a bad deal if you're facing something Gengar's not strong against. It's nice to have that flexibility. You could also put Explosion on your Gengy, but I don't think it's worth it. Even though Explosion has a high base power, there's nothing more discouraging than willingly causing your Pokemon to faint while the opponent's Pokemon is still standing. And that's a very real possibility with Gengrene.

I like Gengar so much, I'm even willing to overlook its second type: Poison. Psychics will still own Gengar. If it fights an Alakazam, it's probably going to lose. But I still like this ghost better than the spoon bender. It's inexplicable why.

Maybe it's because of all the cool trivia Gengar has. Even now that there are nearly six million Pokemon in existence, Gengar and its crew of prevolutions are the only Ghost/Poison-typed combination in the game. In the beta game, it was known as "Phantom," which is a really phantastic name. And it's visible in the title screen of Pokemon Red and Blue. That's a big responsibility, and unlike Nidorino (who is also in the title screen battle), Gengar lives up to the hype. Way to go.

Battling Grade: A



Liam Neeson Prank Calls Maggie Grace's Ex-Boyfriend, Resulting In Terror For Said Ex-Boyfriend


Maggie Grace plays Liam Neeson's daughter in the Taken movies, and she's come to realize that the actor is very protective of his family. Even his fake family. And when Grace broke up with her boyfriend at the time, Neeson didn't take too kindly to that. So he called the boyfriend and tried to set him straight. I'm assuming he succeeded.

Utah's Trevor Booker Hits The Shot Of The Year


I realize "shot of the year" is a little bit of hyperbole, but a) the year is only 10 days old, and b) this is a fantastic shot. With just 0.2 seconds left on the shot clock, Utah's Trevor Booker takes an inbounds pass from Gordon Hayward and just...slaps it into the net? I don't even know how else to describe it. It's like an illegal volleyball set, and reminds me of Heave Ho in Super Mario 64

Either way, the shot is tremendous, and Booker's reaction is even better. Of course, the Jazz ended up losing 99-94, but no one'll remember that when they're trying to recreate this shot 10 years down the line.

Thursday, January 8

Real Life Peter Griffin Tears Up NYC Comic Con


Robert Franzese looks a lot like Peter Griffin from Family Guy. He can also do a pretty spot on impression of the animated patriarch. And thankfully, he's put both of them to good use. Watch as he entertains fans throughout New York Comic Con with all kinds of shenanigans. Well done, sir.

Wednesday, January 7

Jurassic Parks and Recreation May Just Tide Us Over Until Parks and Rec Comes Back


Thanks to Thanks Mom Productions, we have a mashup of Jurassic Park and Parks and Rec. It basically just combines Chris Pratt's scenes from the upcoming Jurassic World and his Bert Macklin madness from Parks and Recreation into one trailer. Honestly, I'd rather just see a few minutes of Bert Macklin highlights, but I guess this'll do.

Tuesday, January 6

This Just In: People's Lives On Facebook Are Different Than Their Real Life


At least, that's the message portrayed in this film by the HigtonBros, in a video called "What's On Your Mind?" Shaun Higton plays a man who's very down on his luck, but according to Facebook, it seems like he's having the time of his life. That tricky social media! 

Monday, January 5

Gaston Does Push-Ups, Schools Some Chump



I don't envy the folks who portray Disney characters at the various theme parks. They must have to constantly deal with little kids poking and prodding them, and they probably get challenges like this one all the time. And they have to stay in character throughout, OR ELSE.

Actually, I'm not sure what the "or else" part refers to, but in this case, a guy challenges Gaston from Beauty and the Beast to a pushup contest. Yes, Gaston's form is not very good, but he stays in character and walks away the victor. Because cockiness always wins. Well done, sir. Well done.

Benny The Bull: Mascot, Girlfriend Stealer


Best mascot in the NBA Benny the Bull was up to his usual shenanigans the other day. In an obviously staged stunt, the bull finds a woman who's being ignored by a Celtics fan on his cell phone during the "Kiss Cam" at a stoppage in play. Benny doesn't take too kindly to that, and reacts accordingly. Enjoy.

Sunday, January 4

Journalists Offer Heartfelt Tributes To Stuart Scott



Stuart Scott, longtime SportsCenter anchor and one of the most familiar ESPN personalities, sadly passed away Sunday morning from cancer. He was only 49 years old.

Scott was among my favorites--his tag team duo with Rich Eisen in the 90s helped me get ready for school, and he brought catch phrases like "cool as the other side of the pillow" and "boo-yah!" to the vernacular of sports broadcasters everywhere. And really, just to people everywhere. Scott was knowledgeable not only about sports, but about all sorts of culture, from Shakespeare to hip-hop.

Most importantly, he seemed to treat everyone with the utmost respect. And that's reflected in these heartbreaking condolences from Hannah Storm and Rich Eisen, who passed along the sad news. 

Finally, if you've never seen Scott's ESPYs speech from this past July, do yourself a favor and watch it. Hard not to be uplifted by the end.

Saturday, January 3

Because It Never Stops Being Awesome: Jameis Winston's Fumble Against Oregon


There's just so much to love about this. Florida State, whose players have a longer rap sheet than most actual jails, had been skating by opponents this season, largely thanks to said opponents building up a big lead and then taking their foot off the gas, allowing the Seminoles back into the game.

Thankfully, we have the Oregon Ducks here to restore some order to the college football world. They played a close Orange Bowl first half with Florida State before demolishing them in the final 30 minutes en route to a 59-20 victory, and a spot in the national championship game. The best play of all came on fourth down in the third quarter, when Jameis Winston did his best impression of the Butt Fumble: the backwards throw. Just amazing.

Thursday, January 1

Florida Demonstrates Perfect Way To Lose A Basketball Game


Well, at least one Florida State team won something. The Noles knocked off the Gators in the "Upper Part Of Florida" Rivalry Game, largely thanks to one of the most bizarre finishes ever. Florida State's Devon Bookert tried a fadeaway three to win the game. He missed. Badly. So badly, in fact, that Florida's Jacob Kurtz had an easy grab to rebound the ball and send the contest into overtime.

Which is why what happened next is so weird.

Kurtz tries to grab the ball, but somehow knocks it into the hoop. I've watched this 30 times and still don't understand how it happens. Simply incredible. Meanwhile, all the play-by-play says is "Florida State makes jumper."