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“It’s time to start the music….” Help Save the Muppet Theater

Oct 112011

“It’s time to start the music….”

And with those infamous words kicking off their theme sone, THE MUPPET SHOW hit our airwaves.

Now, with the upcoming MUPPETS movie coming up, I thought we should take a trip back in time with the Muppets’ reinterpretations of some of classic hits.

Personal thanks go out to YouTube User ‘Scooterpiety’, whose channel I was able to find ‘most’ these videos.

And now, I give you what Disney should have been releasing virally to help promote the film and remind us why the Muppet Theater needs saving.

NOTE: GO SEE THE MOVIE !!!!! Hollywood is saying that if this movie fails, it might really be the end of the Muppets.

Benny and the Jets (w/ Elton John)

Big Spender - From episode 404, Dyan Cannon. Dyan sings to some caged Muppet dogs. The Muppets are property of the Henson company

Blackbird -From episode 503, Joan Baez. Floyd and Janice sing a great Beatles song. The Muppets are property of the Henson company.

Crocodile Rock

Perhaps one of the more memorable and classic performances from the Muppet Show days. Here we have Elton John performing his classic.

Dueling Banjos - “steve martin plays with the muppets jug band after the show is cancelled”

Steve Martin + Banjo = Winning

Feelings - From episode 424, Diana Ross. Meep. The Muppets are property of the Henson company.

Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover - From episode 511, Paul Simon. Floyd and Janice sing with Animal on drums and Rizzo on tiny cymbals. The Muppets are property of the Henson company.

Gambler - Kenny Rogers sings his classic “The Gambler” on the Muppet Show.

Ghost Riders in the sky - Johnny Cash performs Ghostriders in the sky on The Muppets Show

Not sure how I ever missed this, but this is an awesome performance.

Hound Dog

From episode 404, Dyan Cannon. Kermit, trying to be “fair and balanced”, introduces Geri and the Atrics. The Muppets are property of the Henson company.

In the Navy

From episode 524, Roger Moore. A band of viking pigs ransack a village while singing the Village People’s In the Navy.

I Feel the Earth Move

From episode 502, Loretta Swit. Loretta sings while Thog destroys the city. The Muppets are property of the Henson company.

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da - From episode 517, Hal Linden. Two Liverpudlian whatnot’s singing my favorite Beatles song. The Muppets are property of the Henson company.

Rama Lama Ding Dong - From episode 417, Star Wars. A shepherd sings about his shepherdess amid a flock of sheep. The Muppets are property of the Henson company.

Rockin’ Robin - From episode 510, Jean-Pierre Rampal. Janice and the Electric Mayhem sing Rockin’ Robin whilst up a tree and surrounded by birds. The Muppets are property of the Henson company.

She Loves You - From episode 407, Dudley Moore. A real group of beetles sing a classic Beatles song. The Muppets are property of the Henson company.

Scarborough Fair - From episode 511, Paul Simon. Paul and the cast sing in a medieval fire. The Muppets are property of the Henson company.

The Devil Went Down to Georgia - From episode 420, Alan Arkin. The Devil and Johnny duke it out with a fiddle contest. The Muppets are property of the Henson company.

Who Put the Bomp in the Bomp Bomp Bomp - From episode 517, Hal Linden. Geri and the Atrics play a classic rock song. The Muppets are property of the Henson company.

With a Little Help from My Friends - From episode 419, Lynda Carter. Janice is about to become a “human” sacrifice and it’s up to the Electric Mayhem to save her. The Muppets are property of the Henson company.

{Animation} Warner Brothers vs. Disney Afternoon

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Oct 012011

Earlier today, I was listening to the Rob Paulsen Live podcast Talkin’ Toons (which, by the way, if you have never listened to, you REALLY REALLY should), and his guest was the legendary Animation Voice Director Andrea Romano:

http://robpaulsenlive.com/episode-16-with-guest-andrea-romano/

This particular show reminded me a personal blog post I wrote dating back to 8/11/2006, so I thought I’d share it with you. Enjoy:

So, I’m sitting here, watching Animaniacs, and I’m having childhood flashbacks to those innocent afternoons. I remember coming home from the bus, looking forward to watching my favorite cartoons, on the floor of my room watching a little tv, hoping that my folks didn’t get home until 5 because if they got home sooner, I’d have to turn off the tv and go do homework. Not just because they wanted me to get my home work done, but because they didn’t “get it”. They thought I should be outgrowing cartoons and didn’t want me watching them anymore. Plus, there was that whole, “no tv till your homework is done” rule that almost every family has. Since my room faced the driveway, I tilted my blinds just enough so I could see out, but they couldn’t see it. If I heard one of the driving up, I would wait till the last possible moment, then quickly turn off the tv and pretend to be reading the whole time. I felt like I was getting away with something when I was watching them. It was a guilty pleasure that I had throughout middle school and highschool (except when I stayed after for club meetings).

If I remember correctly, my afternoons after school was divided into 2 phases.

The first phase was the Disney Afternoon. You remember: Duck Tales, Darkwing Duck, Chip and Dale’s Rescue Rangers, and Tail Spin. I just can’t remember if Gummi Bears was in the afternoon or on Saturday mornings.

Then came the Warner Brothers era: Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Freakazoid, Pinky and the Brain, and Batman: The Animated Adventures.

If you remember, there was always the feud between the Disney and Warners animation studios, and I think this is a great comparison.

What were your afternoons after school like? What do you remember? Also, which of the above did you prefer and why?

Anyway, just a thought I was having that I wanted to share.

{TV Review} Person of Interest

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Sep 302011

Imagine a television show that combined the concepts of “The A-Team”, “Knight Rider”, “Burn Notice”, and all those other ‘soldiers of fortune” into one. “Person of Interest” is not that show, but I think it is something better.For those of you who don’t know the concept, Michael Emerson’s character built a BigBrother-like machine in order to stop the next 9/11 terrorist attack. In 2002, he had configured it to start capturing all the e-mails, phone calls, security camera feeds, etc.. from the state of the New York. It would take the machine at least 3-4 years before it would be smart enough to interpret a potential threat. As of the second episode [SPOILER] by 2007, only 8 people knew of the machine’s existence..

Unfortunately, for its creators, this machine couldn’t separate the real terrorist threats from the everyday ones, which were dubbed ‘insignificant’. As the machine got smarter, he programmed these cases to be deleted every night at midnight. While we do not know what, something happened to someone significant in his character’s life that made him want to make a difference.

He decided to build a backdoor where, before midnight, the machine spit out the social security numbers of those involved, dubbed ‘persons of interest’. These individuals could be the victims, the instigators, or just somehow wrapped up in the wrong thing at the wrong time with the wrong people. Whatever the reason, the bottom-line is something is going to happen and neither the viewer, nor the characters know what.

If you were a LOST fan, you would obviously see the resemblance between Ben’s character (also played by Michael Emerson) walking around with a list he claimed came from Jacob, and his new character which comes from a machine. It is a nice symmetry.

I could go into the additional backstory of the special forces officer seeking redemption, the resilient detective trying to track him down, or the corrupt cop being used on his inside informant, but is not where I’m headed.

What I want to talk about is the potential of this show, where it is, and where it is going.

These ‘person of interest’ one-shot storylines are going to be enough to keep the audience for one, maybe 2 seasons, but this has the potential to end up being something more. Maybe I’ve seen too many movies and television shows, but I can almost guarantee that the machine is going to come back and bite Michael’s character big-time.

Perhaps the government finds out about the backdoor and decides to take control over how much information is actually let out, or they bring him into the fold. Maybe those 8 people start to wind up dead, leak false information, or corrupt the database for their own purposes. There could be a whole conspiracy season storyline where 2 or more factions within the government decide they want control over this machine.

Basically, what I’m staying is that this show has growth potential. I just hope it doesn’t get weird like the last 2-3 seasons of Alias did.

Oh, and even though these are supposed to be Social Security numbers, if this machine ever spits out 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, & 42, then I’m done.

Capture the Catalog: A Successful Social Marketing Experiment

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Jul 292011

Last night, @Ikea_Sunrise, several of our local “Social Media” Geeks demonstrated their sheer raw awesome influence during an event called #CaptureTheCatalog.

For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, let me backtrack to about a week or so ago. Around that time @Ikea_Sunrise, Exposed PR & Events, and C & I Studios started reaching out to a select handful of some of our more high-profile specialists. In turn, they became responsible for recruiting their own team of 4 to compete in a scavenger hunt inside the Sunrise, FL IKEA after store hours.

Each team had to find over $150 worth of goodies within 2 hours and, along the way, complete various tasks that they could only attempt after decoding the clues put before them.

While everyone who participated got to keep the goodies they captured, if they wanted to win the GRAND PRIZE: $5,000 IKEA office/home makeover with design services provided by IKEASunrise furnishing consultants, it was going to require a little more work.

These participants were chosen for a reason. They have the unique ability to tap into their personal social networks to reach an incredibly wide and diverse audience in an extremely short amount of time, and this was their opportunity to prove it.

Just prior to the start of the event, each team was designated their own unique Twitter #hashtag. Those participating were responsible for not just tweeting about their experience, but also getting their followers, their followers’ followers, and so on, to either ReTweet their updates or Tweet their own updates with that same #hashtag. The team with the most impressions won.

Keep in mind that these participants were among the most hardcore #TweetGeeks that I know in the Dade/Broward/Palm Beach Tri-County area. It was quite literally a who’s who of our Social Media community being represented:

@morewillie brough his entire @PancakeMovement, including @andyvitale, to represent the #boysclub, as was @waitslowdown who was hidden somewhere among one of the other teams

The #SistaSLED, led by @STACISMAIL, was comprised of:

The #VirtualVixens, led by @AgustinaP, were made up of:

And “Jewels Fab Life Team”, which was headed up by @thetinyjewelbox, included:

Sure they were competing alongside teams from The Miami Dolphins, The Sun Sentinel, and The Miami Herald, (among others) but those teams had absolutely no idea what they were up against. It was time to show them who the real heavyweights were in this on-line battlefield.

By 11:45PM, 90 minutes after they started, the dust had settled, the air horn sounded, and the impressions were counted.

The results? Well, like I said, these participants were chosen for a reason and, for this SocialGeek, it was simply a matter of the order they’d finish in.

The most spirited, for their outfits, went to the #VirtualVixens.

With OVER A Million impressions, second place, and a $500 IKEA Gift Card, went to #SistaSLED.

And….dumroll please…..with over 5 MILLION IMPRESSIONS the winners- “Jewels Fab Life Team”

Together, everyone who participated either in person or on-line, helped garner over 8 MILLION IMPRESSIONS.

Once again, events like this just goes to show what Social Media is capable of.

Congratulations to the winners and everyone who participated.

NotAtComicCon 2011 Wrap-Up

Geek Meetups No Responses »

Jul 272011

While the eyes of the geek world were focused with laser precision on the hallowed halls of the San Diego Convention Center for #SDCC, down here in our own corner of the US, we had our own little party over at Tate’s for his second “#NotAtComicCon” event. For those who had never been to ComicCon before, this was an opportunity for our fellow geeks to get a taste of what they were missing.

From the moment you saw the 501st, you knew you were at the right place.

If you showed up wearing a cape, you got 10% off your purchase. Needless to say, some geeks got quite inventive:

What would a ComicCon experience be without cosplayers?

And the Staff was no different TATE'S Not At ComicCon - July 23, 2011

For some, the attention might’ve gone to their heads

Just like your favorite theme park, at ComicCon, there are lines to wait for everything. To give everyone a TRUE ComicCon experience, there was the “The Line to Nowhere”:

Plantation-20110723-00134

But of course, there are those jerks

that want to cut in front of everyone else:

For those who have ever just stood in a line that seemed like it was never going to move, #TatesArmy had you covered with The Snappy Soapbox Show

Live Streaming their webcast from the event was the “Just A Couple of G’s” show:

Throughout the day, everyone wanted to know exactly what the “The Line to Nowhere” was.

: Anthony knows, but he’s not telling

: What about him?

: Try asking these 2

: Maybe she knows.

After standing in the “Line to Nowhere”, those brave enough took on Nakia’s Comic Book Trivia Challenge for swag.

Then…it was time to debut the Worldwide Exclusive TATE’S Trailer Premiere of “Legend of the Golden Tate & the Seven Scrolls”

Followed by a treasure hunt to find the scrolls:

The day ended with some light hearted singing, dancing, and comedy entertainment:

Seeking “Rock of Ages” Extras

Geek Meetups No Responses »

Jul 112011

Are you ready to get your faces melted? Director Adam Shankman, The South Florida Social Geeks, and Warner Bros invite you to the set of New Line Cinema’s arena-rock love story “Rock of Ages”. They are throwing one head-banging concert with cast Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough, and Diego Boneta for the upcoming filming of a scene for the upcoming filming of a scene in the Fort Lauderdale area.

WHEN: Monday, July 18^th

TIME: 1:00 PM

WHERE:

Sun Life Stadium
347 Dan Marino Blvd.
Miami Gardens, FL 33056

Come and bring your friends to all be extras (16 years and older only please), and join us on the “Rock of Ages” set, and rock out like it’s 1987 with our cast to the sounds of such hits as “Wanted: Dead Or Alive” & “Don’t Stop Believin’.”

DRESS: Like the 80s! Big hair, make-up, and ALL BLACK rockin’ clothes.

DIRECTIONS:

Exit 2X (Sun Life Stadium Toll Plaza)
Off of either North Bound or South Bound Florida Turnpike.
After exiting Turnpike, enter stadium through Gate 2 to park
Go to www.sunlifestadium.comfor a map and directions.

~ Prize giveaways on set every half an hour~

Please note that no cameras/recording devices of any kind are allowed to be used on the “Rock of Ages” set. No exceptions.

“Rock Of Ages” hits theaters in June 2012, and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

For more information, please visit us at :www.facebook.com/RockofAges

[Geekviewpreview #11] Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Geekviewpreview 1 Response »

Jul 072011

After 9 years, 7 months, and 27 days, it has finally come down to this.

The final chapter in the Harry Potter story reaches theaters next week, but for those of you who’ve waited 3526 days for the story to end, do you really want to want a whole 7 more days?

What if I told you that you didn’t have to?

What if I told you that you could be among the first in the country to see how it all ends this Monday night, July 11th, at 7:30pm in Aventura?

That’s right. It’s time for #geekview11:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

As you can imagine, these tickets are in high demand and extremely limited supply. In fact, I almost didn’t get them, but fortunately for you, I did.

Now, just like The Sorting Hat had trouble deciding which house to put Harry in all those years ago, I’m faced with the dilemma of who will be the lucky few to get a seat in this exclusive sneak peak.

Before you get your house robes in a bunch, in the comments below…

Tell me which house the Hat would sort YOU into and why

Keep in mind that our #GeekviewPreview is unlike any other preview ticket giveaway you might find anywhere else. While some of our other valuable partners might be giving out a couple hundred tickets to the same showing, we typically try to keep our giveaways to roughly around 20 people in order to make it a more social event. After all, that is why we are SOCIAL GEEKS!

We all wait in line together.

We all sit together in the theater.

We all usually go out afterwards.

In order to keep it that way, due to the rarity of these tickets, we are only giving away SIX (6) SEATS [NOT PASSES], so your reason better be a good one.

Extra weight will be given to those who have had their reasons receive house points by being LIKED by others and if you’ve never been to one of our #geekviewpreview showings.

BUT, you better hurry because your chances end Saturday night at midnight.

In order to enter, you MUST be able to arrive at the AMC Aventura theater NO LATER than 5:30 PM EST. (For Part 1, the line started at 10:00 AM EST.)

If you logged in using Twitter, make sure you are following me to receive a DM if chosen.

If you logged on using Facebook Connect, make sure your privacy settings let you get messages.

Comments without e-mail addresses will not be considered.

Good luck !!

Geek Speed Dating

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Apr 142008

[REPOSTED from my personal blog on 4/14/2008, covering the first ever Social Geeks/Single Geeks event.]

On Friday Night, April 11th, the single geeks of South Florida converged at Tate’s in Sunrise for what could be the first of many successful sweetongeeks.com events.

Sweetongeeks.com is an online dating service that is designed for those who proudly consider themselves and/or brand themselves as “geeks”. Unlike typical online dating sites where they might not be given a second glance, sweetongeeks.com is the type of place where “geeks” can wear that title with a badge of honor. It’s the type of place where guys and girls can argue openly about Star Wars vs. Star Trek, laugh at the latest Robot Chicken, theorize about who the final Cylon is, and/or huddle up with that special someone to share good old fashioned comic book, without being judged or looked at funny.

So where else, but the South Florida Geek Mecca, Tate’s in Sunrise, could host the first Geek Singles Night. Surrounded by comics, toys, clothing, and other memorabilia/paraphernalia, there could not have been a better atmosphere for over 70 men and women to meet others whose ideal vacation would be to either San Diego ComicCon or the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

And who else but the Geek Beverage company “Bawls” could supply the drinks. As the singles began to show up, they were greeted with an icy cold Bawls G33K B33R Vanilla Ice Cream Floats and bottles of BAWLS Guarana to cool down during the hot South Florida evening, and given Bawls Buzz carbinated/caffinated mints to help impress their upcoming speed dates.

After an hour of ice breaking games of Connect Four, Operation, and Geek Spin-the-Bawls Bottle Trivia (which included some great lightsaber duels), the main event started.

Ten men and women sat down at tables spread all throughout Tate’s back comic section to spend 3 minutes each with a complete and total stranger before rotating to the next table and doing it all over again. Conversations ranged from “How many conventions have you been to?” to “Which RPGs do you play?” to “Whose your favorite character on…..?” While surrounded by a geek’s paradise, there was plenty of materials and eye candy to make small talk and build from there. After 30 minutes, there was such a demand, another batch of men and women sat down and the scene repeated itself.

But don’t think that those who didn’t get to participate were left out in the cold. As everyone showed up, they had their picture taken, branded with their “screenname” for the evening which they wore on their nametags, and stuck on the wall for everyone to see. Throughout the event, if someone caught your eye, or you had a great conversation with someone, but were too intimidated or forgot to get their contact information, you could fill out an anonymous Valentine’s Day-like card which would be sent to that person via “snail mail”. It was nice twist on the old fashioned “secret admirer.

All-in-all, it was a fantastic evening and I was thrilled to be a part of it. I’m glad that I could volunteer and help out, and I look forward to the next one.

For pictures and video, check out:

http://geek.meetup.com/11/photos/?photoAlbumId=337599

http://flickr.com/photos/tates/sets/72157604498705252/detail/

{REVIEW TV} You are on the Global Frequency

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Jul 072005

[REPOSTED from personal blog post on 7/7/2005]

From Cinescape:

Tune in this FREQUENCY – If you’re as net-savvy as I imagine most of you are, you’re probably already aware of the sad tale of GLOBAL FREQUENCY. For those who aren’t, here’s the short version: last season, screenwriter John Rogers (whose actual scripts are far, far better than his produced bibliography would have you believe) oversaw an adaptation of Warren Ellis’ comic series GLOBAL FREQUENCY into a TV pilot. The potential series attracted some top-notch talent, including some Whedonverse veterans and even BABYLON 5′s J. Michael Straczynski, but alas, it was not to be. The WB didn’t pick the show up, and that was that. Or was it? As always happens in this age of internet wonderment, somebody leaked the pilot online. And then things got really interesting. Interesting as in, Rogers is now in talks with various shadowy powers about the possibility of reviving the show in some form or another. It will most likely end up amounting to nothing, as so many save-our-show campaigns have, but then again… we do live in a world where FAMILY GUY is back on the air and FIREFLY will soon have its resurrection on the big screen. If GLOBAL FREQUENCY actually does return in some form, then we have officially entered the undiscovered country. And I couldn’t be more thrilled. Rogers has stated that his most realistic goal is to lobby Warners to release the pilot as a one-off DVD, and if sales for that merit a second look, then who knows? In the meantime, Wired has done a solid job summarizing the events and their import, and you can always keep up with the latest via Rogers’ always entertaining blog.

As described in the Wired link, “It’s the child of X-Files having sex with Alias”.

{UPDATED}- Just finished watching it, and very cool. They should’ve made this series. I would’ve watched it. If it comes out on DVD, I actually might get it. As soon as you see this posting, start Downloading. The explaination of the child of X-Files and Alias is right on the money. Everyone who reads this who’s a geek at heart will enjoy this. Oh, and did I forget to mention that Michelle Forbes is incredibly awesome.