- I have to admit, WikiLeaks amuses me. While all of the uproar has been about the release of top-secret government files and documents by the controversial site, the best pieces of intel to come from Julian Assange and Co. have been the non-top-secret files that have done more damage to nations’ pride than their intelligence community. The best leak so far may have come this past week, when a diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks revealed that North Korean officials suggested the U.S. government make arrangements for rock legend Eric Clapton to perform in Pyongyang as a way of building "good will" between the countries. Apparently, this request was relayed to the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, through an intermediary whose name was redacted from the document. "Arranging an Eric Clapton concert in Pyongyang could also be useful, [the intermediary] said, given Kim Jong-Il's second son's devotion to the rock legend," the cable stated. "As Kim Jong-Il's second son, Kim Jong-chol, is reported to be a great fan, the performance could be an opportunity to build good will." Wow…..so even dictatorial despots in hellhole countries have kids who are spoiled brats and want to see their favorite musician perform at their parties. I thought that only happened on MTV’s Sweet Sixteen shows, but clearly I was wrong. As a quick aside, and as someone who respects Clapton, don’t you think you could be a little more current with your music tastes, Kim Jong-chol? Say Pearl Jam or Kings of Leon? Some cynics have suggested that the idea of bringing Clapton to Pyongyang was more of a public relations ploy on the part of the Dear Leader as opposed to doing something nice for his son. There is a well-known story about Kim Jong Chol and his brother Kim Jong Un supposedly going to a Clapton concert somewhere in Europe while they were attending boarding school in Switzerland, so there’s that to consider as well. There are other pieces of intelligence in the cable, titled "[Redacted] Shares Ideas on DPRK Interaction," but it makes no reference to the North Korean nuclear program. Having said that, what if the answer to our problems with North Korea have been right under our nose all this time and we never knew? Just throw aging, once-great rockers at them for free concerts and we might have the entire North Korean nuclear program shut down by now along with a full apology from the Dear Leader himself. Of course, this isn’t the first time a communist (or formerly communist) nation has had a bizarre preoccupation with an American recording artist. Lest you forget, the people or Germany were told that when the Berlin Wall came down, they could have literally any musician from anywhere in the world to perform at the celebration of the wall’s demolition and they picked the Hoff, a.k.a. David Hasselhoff. As always, there’s simply no accounting for taste in nations run by heinous despots………
- Decision time has come for you, dorks. Do you continue playing “Call of Duty” with every free minute of your time or are you going to ditch COD now that it’s a couple weeks old and turn to the massively popular and equally nerd-tastic multiplayer online game "World of Warcraft" for your gaming fix? With the game's third expansion — "World of Warcraft: Cataclysm" — selling a record-breaking 3.3 million copies in the first 24 hours it was available, it would appear that we have an answer to that question. Those figures, once confirmed, would make “World of Warcraft” the fastest-selling PC game of all time. All told, some 12 million people play "World of Warcraft," an online role-playing game. The release of this latest incarnation was so huge that it took place simultaneously in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Europe, Russia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Dorks awaited anxiously for the Dec. 7 release and many of them have not been seen or heard from since. The expansion on “Warcraft” has significantly changed the game, both in its appearance and how it is played. In the game, the changes were caused by a dragon known as Deathwing the Destroyer who tore apart the landscape. "We had to bring Azeroth to the brink of destruction in 'Cataclysm,' but the result was our best expansion yet," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We want to thank all of our new, existing, and returning players throughout the world for their incredible enthusiasm and support, and we look forward to hearing what they think about all the new content." Whatever Morhaime and his team did, the changes have clearly resonated with the nerds who play the game. Its sales figures smashed the previous record set by Blizzard's second "World of Warcraft" expansion, 'Wrath of the Lich King,' which sold more than 2.8 million copies in 24 hours when it was released in November 2008. But…….those sales figures were not enough to push “WoW” past "Call of Duty: Black Ops," which sold 5.5 million copies in its first 24 hours on sale. That advantage is attributable in large part to the fact that 'Cataclysm' is available only on PC/Mac, while "Call of Duty" shipped on home consoles as well as computers. Either way, there are a lot of socially stunted, pale and clammy-handed dweebs out there who haven’t seen the light of day or experience the terror of face-to-face social interaction with the opposite sex for some time on account of devoting their life to one (or both) of these new games……….
- Here’s a great sign that your city does not need a college football bowl game: if it is on its third sponsor in less than 10 years. I’m talking to you, Meineke Car Care Bowl - or whatever the heck you’re going to be called by the time someone reads this. The Charlotte-based bowl game debuted in 2002 as the Continental Tire Bowl. Hosted by Bank of America Stadium, the game remained under its original name until 2005, when Meineke Car Care Centers became the sponsor. Meineke has paid about $1 million a year since then, but the company’s interest in having its own bowl game has apparently run out and now, this illustrious and iconic landmark in college football’s postseason will soon receive its third name in a decade. The event be renamed the Belk Bowl beginning next season, meaning we now have a bowl game named after a department store. Other than allowing Belk to tell JCPenney and Sears to suck it, I’m not sure that this change does anyone any good. I suppose one could argue that because the new sponsorship deal with the Charlotte-based department store company runs through the 2013 game and will allow the bowl to help cover an increase in per-team payout from $1.3 million to about $1.8 million, participating schools will also benefit, although I would counter that the indignity of playing in a department-store-sponsored bowl game negates any financial gain. "The Belk Bowl provides a great opportunity to extend our brand exposure to millions of ACC and Big East college football fans across our entire market area and beyond," CEO Tim Belk said. Even with a new sponsor, the game will still feature teams from the ACC and Big East. Personally, my main focus is snatching up as much merch from this year’s game between Clemson and South Florida, because you know that swag is going to be worth a pretty penny some day, coming from the final Meineke Bowl ever played………
- Jimmy McMillan, it has been too long. Yes, it was just a few short weeks ago that this facial hair icon and political dynamo was tearing it up at the now-famous gubernatorial debate in which he stole the show from the state of New York’s other candidates for its highest in-state political office by ranting and raving (eloquently) about the one and only issue that his party is focused on: THE RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH! I love simplicity and a party whose sole focus is making sure that the rent in New York is not so damn high scores great marks in my book. Sadly, the voters of New York did not flock to McMillan’s support and he failed to win the election. I don’t recall the numbers, but I’m pretty sure he lost out by five or six votes. So if you’re like me, you’ve been asking where Jimmy Mac has been since the election and as it turns out, this stellar gubernatorial (and mayoral) candidate from The Rent Is Too Damn High Party has a lot going on. For starters, filmmakers are trying to raise money for a documentary about his life. Not only that, he will appear next week at Club Europa in Greenpoint for a live musical performance. That’s right, he’s also a performer and entertainer. McMillan said he will perform songs he has written himself and will accompany himself with an acoustic guitar and an R&B soundtrack. Count me in and in the front row. Best of all, each and every one of his songs will be about rent, and one includes every line he spoke at the debate. This Renaissance man is so diversely talented that the musical portion of the show will begin only after a brief theatrical prelude, as McMillan is also a playwright. "It's going to be funky," he promised. If Jimmy Mac says it will be funky, then you know the funk will be brought in emphatic fashion. How can you not get with this guy, especially after he shared with the world the story of how he was an R&B singer in the early `70s and signed with the famous Brunswick Records before striking out on his own to start his own label, Hamster Records, before leaving the music business all together after his children were born. If you don’t like Jimmy McMillan, you have a major problem with yourself……and with me………
- That sudden roar you just heard was not a tornado, earthquake, hurricane or other natural disaster. No, it was the sound of millions - AND MILLIONS - of dudes around the world simultaneously jumping for joy, pumping their fists and screaming in ecstasy as they learned that one of the world’s hottest women is officially back on the market. Yes guys, Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson have decided to go their separate ways after two short years of wedded bliss. Well, considering that they are now divorced, I’m guessing that the two years were more unhappiness than bliss, but you get the point. “After long and careful consideration on both our parts, we’ve decided to end our marriage,” the pair said in a joint statement. “We entered our relationship with love and it’s with love and kindness we leave it. While privacy isn’t expected, it’s certainly appreciated.” Good call on that one, guys. The next celebrity couple that receives a modicum of privacy during marital troubles will be the first. One source claimed that Reynolds and Johansson separated six months ago, which means they actually lasted about 18 months after tying the knot in Vancouver in September 2008. So not that you have a snowball on the sun’s chance of ever landing Johansson, fellas, but ready your best lines, hit the gym, start tanning and let the competition began. Having seen some of Reynolds’ thespian work, one thing you definitely do not need to possess in order to win Johansson’s heart is top-notch acting talent………
No comments:
Post a Comment