Wednesday, July 27

Dinosaur Office

College Humor has paired with the Nintendo 3DS to deliver quality videos right into your hands, all with glasses-free 3D. But since chances are you're reading this on a computer, or perhaps a tablet PC (although we may be kidding ourselves, suggesting someone is reading this), you'll just have to be content with the 2D version. Of course, if you already own a Nintendo 3DS, or want to see this and other videos in 3D, it's much better with that extra dimension. Personally I just like the voicessssss!

I Couldn't Care Less

Normally A Hot Cup tries to at least put relatively new videos up, but in this case, having proper grammar trumps timeliness. Here, the English language gets a bit of a refresher, as some of our popular sayings are critiqued in a very comical way. Enjoy the lesson below, courtesy of David Mitchell Soapbox.

Ranking the Pokemon: #146- Caterpie


A lot of the Pokemon you encounter early in the game are pretty terrible, and a TON of the trainers insist on using garbage bug Pokemon. Caterpie may be the worst garbage bug Pokemon, but this is ONLY assuming that Metapod/Kakuna have been leveled up from a Caterpie/Weedle (because even though Harden is terrible, three moves are better than two). Tackle + String Shot won't win you many battles, unless it's against another bug Pokemon. Specifically, another Caterpie, and MAYBE another Weedle. Although Caterpie can hold its own against Ditto, Magikarp, and probably even Farfetch'd. Yes, Farfetch'd is that bad.

Grade: F (this is the first of several cases where a higher-ranked Pokemon will be graded worse than a lower-ranked one. There's no logical explanation for it, but here goes one anyway--the final grade is more a reflection of battling utility, while the ranking is more a reflection on multiple categories, such as coolness, usefulness, battling ability, etc.)

Evolution of the Touchdown Dance

You may not have heard, but football is back! Now if we could just get the NBA to follow suit and end their lockout...well, in any case, it appears the NFL season will move forward as planned, which is tremendous news for every person in the world, as football is quite the popular sport. And ESPN took the opportunity to capitalize on said popularity by having Judson Laipply perform the "Evolution of the Touchdown Dance." You may recognize Laipply from his "Evolution of Dance" video some five years back. While this does go on for probably too long, the dances are spot on and it's a pretty thorough history. Enjoy the hijinks below.

Monday, July 25

Those Dancing Kids

By now you've probably seen this--two young twins, dancing to Outkast's "Hey Ya" as they play Just Dance 2 for the Nintendo Wii. Perhaps "play" isn't the right word, though, it's more like they...become the game. The little tyke on the left takes lead vocals while the chap on the right gets his dancing on, rivaling the King of Pop himself with his hip control. Check out the adorable hilarity below.

Sunday, July 24

A Dose of Hilarity

Sometimes we just need to sit back and relax, and enjoy some comedy. Any fan of A Hot Cup knows the love this blog has for the show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and a fantastic YouTube user, 12Medbe, has awesomely uploaded games from several different seasons, resulting in at least three days worth of footage, if not plenty more. And that's three straight days of watching, without stopping. Which is sort of what A Hot Cup has been doing.

In any case, the episode below has one of our favorite moments of all-time on the show. During the game "Party Quirks," in which three of the four cast members have a strange quirk or identity and the "host" of the party has to guess what their characteristic is, Ryan Stiles gets the part of "Slow Motion Sports Bloopers." And he makes one of the most priceless faces ever seen in anything around the 2:10 mark, during a bowling blooper. The whole segment is funny, but Ryan's face is the top point.

Ranking the Pokemon: #147- Zubat

Zubat is this low just because NO ONE could play through Pokemon Red, Blue or Yellow without seeing a Zubat in ANY cave they went through. And there are plenty of caves in those games. Now, if you just saw ONE Zubat, that would be fine. But noooo, there are like 38 billion in EACH cave. Or tunnel. Or canyon. Or anywhere. Zubats aren't awful in battling--they have pretty solid speed, they learn Confuse Ray, and...well, those are about the only two good things. Zubats are killed by a ton of common types (Ice, Electric, Psychic, Rock) and cannot get over the hump of being annoying.

Grade: D

Saturday, July 23

Ranking the Pokemon: #148- Magikarp





Here we go! Our first non-normal type on the list! Magikarp refrains from being the worst on this list because it does learn Tackle eventually, so it's not COMPLETELY useless, and it also evolves into Gyarados, which can at least do some strong damage. Looking at the picture, you wouldn't expect this fish to be strong, and it's not. It has two moves, one (Tackle) which was said earlier, and another, Splash. Splash at least gives us comedic value, since seeing an animated fish out of water is pretty funny. It does nothing in battle (except cause some chuckles), so for that alone it climbs out of the cellar. But not by much, because this thing is still pretty terrible.

Grade: F


Previously: #149- Porygon

Wednesday, July 20

Ranking the Pokemon: #149- Porygon


Alright, this isn't a grudge against Normal types, promise! It just so happens that there are a good amount of them, and a lot of them suck. Porygon is one such example. Only attainable in-game via the Celadon Game Corner, he costs a lot of coins. Not even PokeBucks, or whatever the hell they're called, but game corner coins. Which are more expensive to rack up than standard cash. In Blue, Porygon comes at the "discount" price of 6,500 game coins, while he costs the full 9,999 in Red. And he still sucks in both. Poor stats, poor moves, and he looks like a stupid piñata. Most folks haven't had a lot of experience playing with Porygon because it's so much effort to get him. But every time they do they become melancholy, foods don't taste quite as good, and the hands of the children often went numb in disgust. Just a big middle finger from the folks at Game Freak.

Grade: F


Previously: #150- Ditto

Tuesday, July 19

Ranking the Pokemon: #150- Ditto



Ditto could arguably be the worst Pokemon, but there is a disgust for Farfetch'd that reaches farther than that for Ditto. Plus, at least Ditto's sort of cool as a gimmick. It looks like a blob of pink silly putty, which I suppose it is, since the only move it has is Transform. The main problem with Ditto is that its stats suck, so it usually gets hit twice before it transforms (once as Ditto, and then it's a 50/50 chance to get hit once more as the transformed 'mon). There's also the drawback that most likely the Pokemon you transform to will have at least one move that its resistant to, since, for example, a fire type would have a fire move. This makes Ditto nothing more than, as was mentioned earlier, a gimmick. Which is fine, but it also looks like an idiot, so it loses a ton of coolness points for that.

Grade: F


Previously: #151- Farfetch'd

Greatest A Capella Medley Ever?

A cappella groups are always entertaining--the ability to emulate both instruments and vocals in a delightfully pleasant manner is fantastic. The only problem is if the song or songs selected just aren't very entertaining. Well, worry no more. Danish group Local Vocal has recorded some of the "greatest" hits of the 1990s, including La Bouche's "Be My Lover" and A Hot Cup's personal favorite, "I Like 2 Move It" by Real McCoy. Amazing. Check out the full medley below.

Ranking the Pokemon: #151- Farfetch'd


While A Hot Cup tries to avoid from editorializing too much, after starting to play the latest offering of Pokemon (specifically, Pokemon White), the nostalgia factor got the best of us, so these RtP's will have some heavy opinions in them, and will most likely sound like a 12-year old wrote them, because hey, that's how old we were when we were playing the games. Sorry, but that's just the way the (Poke)ball bounces.


In any case, today marks the beginning of 151 straight days of ranking the Pokemon. Yes, there are more than that now, but anyone that grew up playing the original Red, Blue and to some extent Yellow games knows that the original 151 are really all we need. Every day we’ll hammer out a review of that Pokemon, based on a number of factors, such as playability, usefulness, coolness, etc. Then a final grade will be given, and the debate will begin. Speaking of begin, let’s get started.

Number one on the list (or, more accurately, number 151) is Farfetch’d. There are a TON of useless Pokemon out there, but the unibrow bird takes the cake. First, he has a unibrow, and it’s distorted in a way that shows Farfetch’d’s confusion over why he’s so awful. As far as in-game fighting goes, he’s weak against pretty common types (Electric, Ice), his base stats are dreadful, and his best attack is…what? Slash? Swords Dance? Fly?!?! Fortunately, you can only get one in the game, and it’s by trading a Spearow, which are much more common (and better). Since it’s only obtainable via in-game trade, it comes with a nickname. And like all in-game nicknames, it’s stupid: Dux. Maybe it’s an implication you can cook Farfetch’d like a duck, and while that would be accurate (and a better use for the bird than battling), it’s still pathetic at best. 

Grade: F

Rebecca Black Has a New Song

Anyone who has even sniffed the content of A Hot Cup knows that some of its pages reek of Rebecca Black's abhorrent single "Friday," which quickly rose up the YouTube (and iTunes) charts, most notably because of how terrible it was. It spawned numerous parodies, and gathered Miss Black her 15 minutes of fame, and then some. Yet, somehow, someway, she has returned with another song, called "My Moment." Yes, it's still dumb, and yes, it's still pretty heavy on the auto-tune, but this sounds less like the mess that was "Friday" and more like the theme song for a made-for-TV Disney movie. Part of what made the original so fun was its outrageous abysmal...well, everything, from the writing, to the concept of the music video, to the creepy rapper guy. But now this is just a standard "I want this boy to take me to the prom" sort of deal. It's being more well-received on YouTube than "Friday," though, since this song only has a 1:2 "Like:Dislike" ratio, while "Friday" had at least a 1:7 at its peak.

Steve Nash Finds a Parking Spot

As a spokesman for Toyota Canada, Steve Nash tickles the nation's (and our nation's) funny bone with his latest ad for the company. The spot starts with Nash shooting hoops and talking about commitment, determination, etc. But it's what happens after practice that really emphasizes why Nash is such a great player. Plus that victory dance is fantastic.

Wednesday, July 13

JT and the ESPYs

With the 19th ESPY Awards set to air tonight on ESPN, the presenters want to make sure they’re doing their due dilgence in announcing the winners in their category. Actor/singer Justin Timberlake is presenting the Capital Cup Award for outstanding performance in college athletics, the first time the award is being presented. Part of Timberlake’s preparation involved going to a college campus and really getting into the life of a college athlete. Maybe next time he’ll wear a cup, though. Check out the results of JT’s adventures below.


Kenny Powers: K-Swiss MFCEO

Kenny Powers, played by the delightfully entertaining Danny McBride on HBO's Eastbound and Down, is a noted minor league pitcher and physical education teacher. Well, let's add CEO of a footwear company to the list. Because Kenny Powers has just become the new CEO of K-Swiss, and he's so badass that he has to add another word to that title. Enjoy the hilarity of the new hire below, featuring a ton of cameos from all sorts of athletes and Hollywood personalities.

Mila Kunis Just Became Even Cooler

Mila Kunis has a lot of things going for her, from her role as Meg on Family Guy to solid performances in excellent movies like Black Swan and Forgetting Sarah Marshall to quite frankly being gorgeous. And if she didn't portray a cool vibe already, she's making another case for said vibe.

Roughly a month ago, Scott Moore, a member of the Marines made a video inviting Ms. Kunis to the Marine Corps Ball in November--even though he was most likely just messing around with his buddies during some downtime in Afghanistan. The actress was asked this past weekend if she would go, and, with some gentle nudging from Friends with Benefits co-star Justin Timberlake, accepted. Agreeing she "had to do it for her country," for the time being, at least, essentially your average guy is getting a date with one of the hottest names in showbiz right now. Thanks, YouTube! PopSugar has a more in-depth look at the whole proposal:



UPDATE: It turns out Moore's gutsy proposal was actually started as a bet with his friends. So if this proves anything, it's that screwing around with a camera can get you a date with a Hollywood starlet. Or something like that.

Monday, July 11

Free Slurpees!



While we normally condone hot cups of things over here, sometimes during the summer you need to cool off. And what better way to do that than with a free Slurpee, courtesy of 7-Eleven? Because, as the big Seven-One-One turns 83 today, they’re offering 7.11 ounces of their sugary beverage that has made them famous, and has been parodied or referenced in pop culture for many years, most notably in the Simpsons, where it appears as the “Squishee.” While the 7.11 ounces is smaller than the smallest normally available size, it’s free, so you can’t argue with that. It’s also small enough that you might not get diabetes simply from drinking it, so go forth and consume!

Saturday, July 9

Field of Dreams 2

While A Hot Cup is slightly dismayed that Taylor Lautner of Twilight fame was chosen as the star of this sequel to Field of Dreams, the concept is funny enough that we'll overlook it. Kudos to FunnyorDie for doing the best they could with the sticky situation that is the NFL lockout.


Wednesday, July 6

Make It Stop (September's Children)

Chicago-based band Rise Against has released a new single from their album Endgame. Called "Make It Stop (September's Children)," it takes a chilling look at the bullying that claimed the lives of nine children last September. All of these children were gay, and the video addresses the taunting and unnecessary hate they and many like them are subjected to on a daily basis. But with the help of the It Gets Better project (members of which make a cameo in the video below), Rise Against look to at least call to attention the malice and spite that goes on, not just in school halls, but everywhere, just because of "who they chose to kiss." Definitely worth a watch.

Sunday, July 3

Airplane Etiquette

As A Hot Cup has traveled a bit in the past week or so, it seems like an excellent time for a primer on airplane etiquette. This can apply to the airport as well, with a focus on the actual flight. Important phrases tend to be in all-caps for emphasis. Let's begin:


  • When you're getting up from your seat, DO NOT grab the seat in front of yours. No person deserves to be woken up from their nap or have their head dislodged from the rest of their body because you can't get up without help. There are very few exceptions to this rule, but unless your legs do not work, you should not have to grab the seat in front of you to get up. Period.
  • Speaking of getting up, GET UP when someone in the middle or window seat is trying to get out of the row to use the restroom. Yes, as an aisle-seat dweller himself, A Hot Cup knows it's difficult when Small Bladder next to him has to use the restroom four times in a three hour trip. But A Hot Cup will interrupt his movie/iPod experience/deep meditation to allow the person to get out without having to needlessly climb over some legs. Pathetic that people can't get up for ten seconds.
  • Don't lean all the way back in your seat. It's cramped enough, don't make it worse. A little lean is fine, but if you're getting to "Lean Wit It, Rock With It" levels, that's too much.
  • Please keep your children quiet. They're allowed to speak, but excessive crying is ANNOYING. Especially on late night or longer flights when we're all trying to get some shuteye. Figure out a method to not have them cry, or don't fly. We'd hate to restrict your traveling, but that's sort of the path you chose when you decided to conceive in the first place.
  • This goes for back in the airport, but please do not make small talk while in the security lines. Far too often there will be one person jabbering away to the person behind them, which means that first person is no longer looking ahead of them. And then there's a huge gap while everyone else is waiting to move on with their lives. You can talk the entire wait at your gate or on the flight, but don't do it while other people are waiting on you.
  • Why is it so difficult for people to fit bags in the overhead storage compartment? It shouldn't be difficult to pack things and make them securely stay, but it's such an effort that it boggles the mind. There's really no suggestion here, other than to pack less.
  • Keep your windows open when we take off and land, and keep 'em closed otherwise. It's about a 92% certainty this is a rule anyway, but rarely does it seem to be enforced. As much as you may like to stare at clouds on the outside, the light has a way of diffusing right into everyone else's eyes, which is no fun.
By following these simple rules, everyone can have a great flight. Like Virgin Airlines promotes, "We're all in this together."