Entertainment
Links for You to Click On
The Sun is bombarding the Earth with a bunch of high energy solar particles – BBC
8 things to know about the 2012 Oscar Nominations – LA Times Blog
Peyton Manning sounds kinda grumpy – Indy Star
A binge-drinking map of the United States – Esquire
Watch Bill Belichick show you how to make the perfect BBPB&J sandwich – Pigskin Doctors
65 pics of newly single Heidi Klum – Bro Bible
Study shows that shrooming may help depression – USA Today
If you’re signed into Google while surfing the web, things are gonna get a lot less private – Google Blog
Jan 25th
Cool Links, Bro
Gronk gets interviewed by ESPN Deportes – The Big Lead
Portlandia stars talk about Twitter and the New Face of Comedy – Mashable Entertainment
The Saddest Photos of the Men Who Kept Their Teams From the Super Bowl – Buzzfeed
Yes, Beard and Moustache Competitions Are a Growing Sport – Wired
History of the Marx Brothers – Boing Boing
File Sharing Sites Are Dropping Everywhere – Gizmodo
Jan 23rd
Wipeout Black and Blue Crew Giveaway
So last Saturday I watched that amazing NFC Divisional matchup between the 49ers and the Saints. It was just a fantastic game, full of action, big plays, last-minute heroics and such. That was followed by a super ho-hum, borderline-unwatchable AFC battle where the New England Patriots just crushed the Denver Broncos.
Needless to say, I was in the mood to be entertained after that lousy game. Surfing through the channels, I ended up on ABC in time to watch Wipeout. Now I’ve seen the show before, but I don’t really watch it religiously. But there was this big entertainment void that needed to be filled, and oh man, Wipeout delivered the entertainment goods in a big way.
There’s just something so pure and priceless about watching everyday people get bounced, tossed, punched, propelled, smashed, flipped and splashed. If you don’t laugh while watching Wipeout, there’s something terribly wrong with you. As a species, we all take pleasure in watching other people’s clumsy misfortunes. How else can you explain the 22-year run of America’s Funniest Home Videos. Is it high-brow humor? Of course not. But sometimes you need to suspend critical thinking for a bit and just enjoy watching other people’s mishaps. Sometimes physical comedy is the perfect way to fill an entertainment void.
So why I’m telling you this? Because Wipeout is so much more than a simple display of awkward human clumsiness. It’s controlled chaos. There’s a lot that goes into creating an obstacle course that can generate such a delightful level physical punishment. And the people responsible for testing the obstacle course are the Black and Blue Crew. This is their story:
The Black and Blue Crew, those highly trained, potentially sick-in-the-head individuals who test all this Wipeout stuff out, have six webisodes that you can view on the ABC.tv website. Each week will feature a new webisode, so if you can’t get enough Wipeout, there’s so much more to enjoy online.
To help get the word out on the Black and Blue Crew, we’re giving away four Wipeout tote bags:
To enter, follow us on Twitter and send us an email below describing your favorite Wipeout moment. It can be a punch in the phase, an awkward bounce from the balls, whatever floats your boat. We’ll pick four winners at random next Friday. Good luck!
Jan 20th
Haywire Giveaway
The film Haywire hits theaters on Friday, and I must say, I think it looks pretty good. To be fair though, they had me at Carano. You probably know all about Gina Carano. She’s a super hot MMA fighter who played Crush on the American Gladiators reboot and can likely beat the snot out of you in a matter of minutes. She did all her own stunts in this film, too.
Carano plays Mallory Kane, a highly trained, black-ops hottie who works for a government security contractor. After freeing a Chinese journo who was held hostage, she gets double crossed by someone within her own operation. As she’s hunted by skilled assassins, she must struggle to survive and find out the truth. She sets up a double cross of her own, but then it all goes Haywire and she needs to kickass her way out of it all.
Again, I’d probably watch this movie if it was Gina Carano and a bunch of extras, but this is a Steven Soderbergh directed film with guys like Michael Fassbender, Ewan MacGregor, Bill Paxton and Michael Douglas in the mix. How bad it could it be?
Check out the trailer:
To promote the release of the film, we’re giving away a Soderbergh prize pack that includes a copy of Ocean’s Eleven and Traffic on DVD along with a Haywire T-shirt, rubber bracelet and mini poster. To enter, just follow us on Twitter and drop us an email below. We’ll pick a winner at random next Thursday.
Good luck!
Jan 19th
Last Minute Stocking Stuffer: I, Steve
If you’re looking for a light, accessible Steve Jobs stocking stuffer item, look no further. I, Steve is everything the Walter Isaacson book is not. In a good way.
If you know a true die hard Apple enthusiast, get him or her the Issacson book. This guy is a legit historian who has produced some great books on Einstein, Ben Frankiln, and Henry Kissinger. But if you’re purchasing a book for an Apple fan with a short attention span, go for I, Steve, a book that serves as an easily digestible collection of the innovative tech pioneer’s ideas and opinions in his own words.
Consider some of these quotes:
On Microsoft’s Microview:
I told [Bill Gates] I believed every word of what I said but that I should never have said it in public. I wish him the best, I really do. I just think he and Microsoft are a bit narrow. He’d be a broader guy if he had dropped acid once or gone off to an ashram when he was younger.
- New York Times Magazine, January 12, 1997
On Simplicity:
There’s a very strong DNA within Apple, and that’s about taking state-of-the-art technology and making it easy for people…people who don’t want to read manuals, people who live very busy lives.
- Guardian, September 22, 2005
On Forward Thinking:
If you want to live your life in a creative way, as an artist, you have to not look back too much. You have to be willing to take whatever you’ve done and whoever you were and throw them away.
- Playboy, February 1985
So you get the idea. This book is something you can power through quickly, like on a short flight or a lazy Saturday. It’s a quick, fascinating read that’ll serve as a good companion piece to Isaacson’s more in-depth character sketch.
Dec 23rd
GameStop Is Giving Away Free Xbox Consoles When You Trade In Your Old iPhones and iPads
GameStop is running a sweet deal this week that’s worth your attention. From now until Saturday (12/17) you can trade in your old iPhone or iPad models (from a list of 15 options) and GameStop will give you a free Xbox 360 Console with Kinect! You can also get an extra $50 in-store credit toward the purchase of a new Xbox 360 with Kinect system bundle when you trade in any iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad.
Full disclosure: GameStop hooked us up with a $150 GameStop gift card as a thank you for getting the word out on this trade-in deal.
The offer is valid for Power Up Rewards customers only. The trade is only valid for devices that are in full working condition. Your old iPhone, iPads and iPod touches can’t be too beat up either. Here’s a full list of the devices that you can trade in:
iPad® 64GB WiFi, iPad® 64GB WiFi & 3G, iPad 2® (WiFi) 16GB, iPad 2® (WiFi) 32 GB, iPad 2® (WiFi) 64GB, iPad 2® (3G AT&T®) 16GB, iPad 2® (3G AT&T®) 32GB, iPad 2® (3G AT&T®) 64GB, iPad 2® (3G Verizon®) 16GB, iPad 2® (3G Verizon®) 32GB, iPad 2® (3G Verizon®) 64GB, iPhone 4S® 16GB (AT&T®), iPhone 4S® 32GB (AT&T®), iPhone 4S® 64GB (AT&T®), iPhone 4S® 64GB (Verizon®), iPhone 4S® 64GB (Sprint®)
If you miss the Saturday deadline, you can still bring in your old iPods, iPhones and iPads in to any GameStop for cash or store credit.
If you have extra Apple devices lying around, why not treat yourself this holiday season and score a free Xbox or store credit? Click here to find more info about the trade in deal and locate the nearest GameStop shop.
Happy Holidays!
Dec 14th
Hangover 2 Blu-Ray Giveaway
The Hangover was an awesome movie. Everyone can agree to that. And it’s not easy for a sequel to live up to the original, especially with comedies, but The Hangover Part II is every bit as awesome as the first film.
The sequel finds the wolf pack traveling to Thailand for Stu’s wedding. With Stu still dramatized by the Vegas adventure that unfolded in the first film, he vows to keep his pre-wedding partying to a minimum. Two days before the wedding, Stu decides it’s okay for him and the guys to drink one beer, and everything goes to hell. The guys wake up with a crew member missing, and they have to recreate the events that unfolded the night before. The Hangover Part II is not a fresh take or a new look. It’s a familiar, fun ride that’s worth repeating a bunch of times. Here’s the trailer:
We went to the premiere and totally enjoyed this movie. Now we’re partnering up with Warner Bros to give away two blu-ray combo packs to two lucky readers. The combo pack just went on sale yesterday. It includes a copy of the movie of DVD, blu-ray and an Ultra Violet Digital Copy.
To enter the giveaway, just follow us on Twitter and send us an email below telling us why you enjoyed the film. We’ll pick two winners at random next Wednesday, December 14.
Good luck!
Dec 7th
Movies On Demand Giveaway
Movies On Demand is a service that caters to people who love convenience and watching new releases when they’re actually new. Sure, Netflix has its perks, but navigating through the Watch Instantly section can be a nightmare. When Netflix lists new releases, they’re called “New Arrivals.” So for every new release like Limitless, you five other movies like Death Becomes Her, Blown Away, The Peacemaker or some flick you’ve never heard of staring Casper Van Dien. Not exactly the freshest batch of films around. Plus, if you pay for premium cable channels, the movies on Neflix tend to be the same movies that you see on Starz, Showtime, Cinemax, etc.
The home movie rental industry just ain’t what it used to be. Gone are the days of Blockbuster lines and mom and pop video shops. For today’s home movie rental enthusiast, instant gratification is the name of the game. If you’re looking to watch a movie at home, you want the latest titles, and you don’t want to scan through useless selections or pay a monthly fee. This is where Movies On Demand comes in handy.
MOD gets tons of new releases out to you quickly, sometimes weeks before these titles are available on Netflix or Redbox. The service offers a huge library of independent films that sometimes premiere on MOD before they’re even released in the theaters. If you like classics, you’ll find 1000s of your old favorites starting at $1.99. But the best part about Movies On Demand is that it’s just so damn easy. Pick a movie, press a button on your digital cable remote, and you’re good to go. MOD also has two Facebook apps that you can check out – Click Your Flick and List It.
To get the word out about Movies On Demand, we’re giving away a prize pack that includes a $100 Best Buy Gift Card and movie studio swag. Here’s what’s coming up on MOD:
New This Week
- Conan The Barbarian
- Super 8
December Titles
- Friends with Benefits
- Cowboys & Aliens
- The Hangover 2
- The Help
- Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom
- Mr. Popper’s Penguins
- The Smurfs
To enter the giveaway, just follow us on Twitter and send us an email below telling us which upcoming film on MOD interests you the most. We’ll pick a winner at random next Monday, November 28.
Good luck!
Nov 20th
Doritos Crash the Super Bowl 32-Inch HDTV Giveaway
Do you like Doritos? Or the Super Bowl? Or Lonely Island? Or free HDTVs? If you answered yes to any or all of the above, keep reading, man. MANjr is teaming up with Doritos to giveaway a 32-Inch LCD HDTV. The giveaway is a tie-in to a much more ridiculous challenge, the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest.
Doritos is currently accepting 30-second video submissions, Super Bowl commercial spot style. The rules are pretty simple. You just upload a 30 second commercial clip that expresses love for Doritos. If you visit the Crash the Super Bowl website, there’s a section that gives you tips and a toolbox where you can download product shots, logos, animations and music to use in your commercial clip.
Why would you bother helping Doritos out with commercial ideas? Well in January, Doritos is going to announce five finalists and put it to an online vote. The first place finisher that’s selected will get $25K and a trip to Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, where they’ll see their commercial go head-to-head against a Doritos commercial created by The Lonely Planet.
If the finalist’s commercials scores No. 1 on the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter, that person will receive one million dollars and a chance to work on a future Doritos project with The Lonely Island. If The Lonely Planet scores No. 1 on the Ad Meter, those dudes will get a million to donate to their charity of choice.
Here’s the kicker: the deadline to submit your clip is November 21. That’s really soon. So you better scratch your weekend plans and put something together – action, drama, funny, whatever, just as long as it’s unique enough to get recognized.
So what do you have to do win the MANjr 32-Inch Panasonic Viera LCD HDTV giveaway? Just follow us on Twitter and tell us which previous Doritos Crash the Super Bowl commercial was your favorite. We’ll select a winner at random next Thursday, November 24. Good Luck!
Nov 17th
