Entertainment Buzz: Trailers!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Watchmen

Both quite creepy and cryptic, and they both end with the word "no."  Seems we've taken a turn for the dark side...how exciting

EDIT: I thought that Adam Banks guy sounded familiar...

A Fan Tribute

So I've been on hiatus for approximately 2 months – With school (sleeping in) and work (video games) taking up so much of my time this summer, I’ve found it increasingly difficult to find room in my schedule to post regularly.

Just recently however, I’ve come across some encouraging words that I feel has finally put this bad habit of mine to an end. I’ve also come to realize that 1) I've been leaving my fellow cool kids, Nazer, Ray and Lance hanging, 2) We’ve collectively passed the 200th-post mark, with no reason to stop, and 3) I feel obligated to balance the flow of Rock Band/Fake Instrument related posts with my incredibly dumb ideas.

The real inspiration though, that drives me to start writing again, actually comes in the form of a simple email.

If you’ve noticed on the sidebar, as part of our lame attempt to make this site appear authentic, coolkidsroom surprisingly maintains an email account (coolkidsroom.blog@gmail.com) in case anyone wants to give us some feedback. As I was going through the usually spam and junk mail, I was amazed to find an email that was personally addressed to us.

Anyways, I’d thought I share it with everyone.

Subject: Your #1 Fan!!
From: “Adam Banks” gangstertothemax@hotmail.com
Date: Wed, July 30, 2008 10:29 pm
To: coolkidsroom.blog@gmail.com
Priority: Normal

Dear CommanderCacho, Nazer, Just Ray, and Adonis, aka the Coolest Kids in the Room!!!!!11

Hi, my name’s Adam and I’m from Minneapolis, Minnesota. I know you guys don’t know me, but I have to say, me and my buddies love your site! I’ve only found Cool Kids Room maybe a month ago, but ever since then I’ve read every single post in the archives up till now!! Probably the most hilarious, clever, yet insightful blog I’ve ever read.

You guys are probably wondering how I came across coolkidsroom. It actually happened by accident, and in a really odd way. Well, I guess me and my buddies were bored one day so we decided to have fun with Google and just search for the most randomest things we could think of and see the results.

In one of our searches, we typed in the words, FATASS, MUSIC, VIDEO GAMES, NERD, BONER, SADAM HUSSEIN, and then we threw in BUKKAKE just for fun.

But then, after hitting ‘search’, we were all confused when your guys’ site came up. Still, after looking through it for a bit, we were hooked! A lucky string of words or not, I’m glad we found this blog. Keep up the good work!!

Your #1 Fan,
Adam Banks

P.S. – I’m just curious, but is that guy “Lance” whos mentioned a lot.. is that actually CommanderCacho?? Either way, I sure wish you guys posted more pictures of him :D

Thanks Adam, this post is dedicated to you and your buddies up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It's people like you who inspire me to write, and in turn, start posting again. Even if you did come across us by accident, it makes me proud to know that we're able to make a positive impact to kids half-way across the country. And of course, here’s a pic of that mysterious “Lance” guy, just for you.



Enjoy!

Blast From the Past: Volume 1

Like everyone else, once in a while I like to reminisce about the good ol' times. Luckily, I periodically kept a blog back then before 'blog' became such a fashionable term. This was back in the early days of high school, back when I had a full head of curly ass hair and a full mustache.

So whenever I feel like it, I figure I'll take you guys on a trip down memory lane and treat you to an excerpt from my old blog (not the one linked on the right). So here goes, this is an excerpt from August 2nd, 2002, a snapshot into the summer into my sophomore year.

Friday (today) was pretty damn cool also. We went to nickel city today. I got to play DDR in a public place for the first time since i started playing religously. It was pretty cool, I had some good moments and some bad moments but I had a lot of fun playing. Yeah Dance Dance Revolution is fucking cool.

Wow, I sure was a badass back then. If you too played DDR 'religiously', then high five!

Comic-Con 08: Swag!

Giant bags, comics I'll never read, a book I might actually read, MEDIUM SIZED SHIRTS FOR ONCE, inflatable pokeball (great ball thx floyd) autographed posters, Ryu headband, cards, and more.

Comic-Con 08: Wrap Up

This years Comic-Con was just as exciting as the previous years. I got to see a bunch of famous faces, listen to industry professionals speak about the love for their art, get sneak peaks on many of my favorite entertainment franchises, and much more.

The show floor had a bit of a change in their layout. They stuck all of the video game companies to one wall which created a lot more space in the middle to walk around, but it was still as hectic as ever. There were some awesome costumes, and some that were seriously hideous (do we really need more overweight people dressed as Superman?), but it all just adds to the fun of the event.

All of the panels I attended were entertaining, but what surprised me were the panels that I didn't actually plan to attend. For example when waiting for the Halo Wars panel we got to hear Stan Lee talk about his love for the comic book and super heroes in general. One comment that was made was that the world really does need super heroes. Kids need something or someone to look up to, otherwise they're left watching Hannah Montana and shit. There was also a lot of talk on how super hero movies are taking on a more serious tone, and by doing so they bring in a much wider audience. Dark Knight shattered tons of box office records, and being a super hero fan isn't seen as geeky or nerdy as it once was, but you probably won't see people sporting their Booster Gold shirts just yet.

At the end of the day Comic-Con is still a bunch of nerds standing in long ass lines to see what they could see online in a couple of days. Coupled with the bad smell and everyones sweat really makes me wonder why I keep coming back, but it's because I'm a fan, and Comic-Con does dedicate to its fans. I loved sitting there while watching the Watchmen footage. I loved getting my hands on Street Fighter IV before anyone else. I loved cheering and laughing during the Kevin Smith panel. I loved seeing my favorite actors on Pushing Daisies answer questions about one of my favorite shows, and so on. It's the one place where your geek flag can fly and people praise it, so you'll see me there again next year.

Oh, and this is post number 200, congrats guys, we're still here (kind of)

Comic-Con 08: The World Will Look Up and Shout "Save Us"

...and I'll whisper "no." The bulk of the rest of Comic-Con was spent waiting in lines and sitting in rooms eagerly awaiting news of our favorite franchises. Friday morning we got to see the cast of the upcoming Watchmen movie and an extended trailer/preview of the film. Seeing those characters from the graphic novel materialized on screen really left me with chills, and my inner geek fanboy-ness was really at its peak. It was like the equivalent of a girl seeing a Backstreet Boys concert or Lance going to an Usher concert.

In the night we got to see Kevin Smith speak about his new film and once again it was hilarious. His panels are one of the Comic-Con staples that we always go to see, and this year didn't disappoint one bit. It'd be impossible to sum it up, so I'll just say that seeing Seth Rogan trade comments with Kevin Smith was pure comedy gold.

On Saturday everyone had to really prioritize their events and wait in line for what they really wanted to see. I made my way to the Lost panel where they talked a bit about the upcoming events of Season 5, and they also put a lot of stress on the fact that the show will end after 6 seasons so the show doesn't run on and on forever without any closure.

After I headed to the Pushing Daisies panel where we got a trailer for season 2 and a Q&A with the entire cast. It was both informative and entertaining, and we even got to hear Kristen Chenoweth sing an amazing rendition of Somewhere Over The Rainbow live.

We closed the day with a greasy ass meal at Popeye's and then headed straight home to some much needed sleep. More later...

Comic-Con 08: Street Fighter, Vampires, Blood, and much more

The morning started bright and earlier with a close to on-point 6:30 AM departure. We made our way to the upper level of the convention center, busted out our DS's and picto-chatted with the rest of the DS wielding Comic-con attendees. Once the show floor opens we all ran down to the madness that is the show floor with Jordan and Floyd running to Hasbro to pick up some exclusive toys and me roaming the convention center for random junk. I picked up the schedules at the Warner Bros booth to check out the times for autograph signings, and actually got an autographed poster by some of comics bests artists (picture up eventually, maybe).

We checked out the Halo Universe panel where they showed us a small trailer of Halo Wars, the upcoming RTS game by Microsoft. After they had a Q&A where a bunch of people talked about space guns and battle rifles and crap, nothing too interesting. Before that though was a Marvel panel where we got to listen to Stan Lee make a bunch of jokes, that was hilarious.

After that we all split ways and I made my way to room 6CDEF to catch the rest of a Street Fighter IV panel. They showed a bunch of gameplay videos and talked a lot about the similarities to Street Fighter II, and I must say that after playing it, it does in fact play a lot like Street Fighter II, just with added features. It looks awesome, its fun as hell, and I seriously cannot wait for this game.

Immediately following was a panel for HBO's upcoming show True Blood, a story of Sookie Stackhouse, a Louisiana waitress who can read minds. It takes place in a world in which Vampires live in equality amongst humans because someone in Japan developed a synthetic human blood so they don't have to eat humans, but we all know they still do. This is based off of a series of books by Charlaine Harris, and developed by Alan Ball, creator of the very successful Six Feet Under. The trailer looks really interesting and the story plots itself seem really intriguing, and I'm even considered picking up some of the books, but we'll see.

In the same room right after was Showtime's Dexter panel. Michael C. Hall was there along with Julie Benz, Clyde Phillips, and John Goldwyn. They showed us a trailer for season 3, which featured blood, sex, and scary ass voices, all the things we love about the show. The season is scheduled to air in September, and I'm really looking forward to that as well.

So Thursday was packed with exciting elements, but this was only day one. These next few days are going to be ridiculous, and I have no idea how I'm going to plan all of these events out, but that's the fun of this stuff I guess. More to come.

Comic-Con 08: You're Obviously Not From San Diego

As we made our way from the parking structure to the convention center, Jordan, Floyd, and I were suddenly surrounded by faces unfamiliar. Comic book nerds, fans dedicated to certain television shows, press people, and so on. After retrieving our badges we had to wait till 6:00 for the doors to open, so we decided to grab a bite and a huge ass beer until then.

At 6:00 we headed to the convention center only to find a large crowd huddled behind some velvet ropes and security guards. One staffer announced "you guys have to go through the upper level to get in," and an old school, pitch fork style (cept it was lightsabers) mob quickly rushed up the escalators. One brave soul ran through the velvet rope, and herds of nerds bum rushed the convention center like a scene from 300. In no time we were on the show floor, rushing around the booths grabbing as much free trash as possible.

When the atmosphere cooled down a bit, we got to see a bunch of cool stuff. The layout in my opinion is much nicer this year with vendors for large toy companies having their own booths, video game companies all packed into one aisle, and so on. We got to play Super Street Fighter II HD Remix while waiting in line to get our hands on STREET FIGHTER IV! I kicked Floyds ass twice before we had to leave, and we were given awesome Ryu headbands for trying out the game. We also saw people make fools of themselves on SingStar, a giant ass TV with a LittleBigPlanet demo, and got my hands on Konami's supposed next big hit, Rock Revolution, but didn't actually play. It looked like shit.

After stuffing our faces with big macs we headed home to prepare for the days to come. Thursday isn't the biggest day, but it will most definitely be crowded. More in the days to come.

Comic-Con 08: The Painful Process of Planning

In a couple of hours me and some other coolkids will be making our way downtown to redeem our badges for Comic-Con 2008, a weekend full of sweaty ass nerds, long lines for shit you could probably watch online, and tons of free, extra large shirts (aka costumes for the next Revenge of the Nerds party). Tonight is Preview Night, a night for those who registered early (which means thousands) to make their way across the huge show floor, checking out all the booths from companies like DC, Marvel, WB, and more.

All week we've been planning our schedules, because after years of attending this thing, a guide is always nice. When looking through the extensive programming schedule, you quickly realize that you won't see everything you want to, so prioritizing certain events over others becomes increasingly important. Do I watch the Lost Season 5 panel featuring producers and possibly members of the cast, or do I head to the Chuck panel where Chuck (Zachary Levi) and the hot white girl will be previewing Season 2? Do I really want to stand in a long ass line for Method Man's autograph? Probably not, but at these things you never know what you'll find. Last year I was privileged enough to get myself a Pushing Daisies poster signed by the whole cast (thanks to Chi McBride himself who hooked it up even though I had no ticket), stood in line to get an issue of DC's Countdown autographed by a very prestigious guy whom I've never heard of, and much more.

I'll attempt to post photos and entries of the stuff I deem important, so check back frequently for extended Coolkids Comic Con coverage. Only if this Green Lantern shirt actually fit me...

This is kinda what we looked like after the 5k

This is what happens when you do a triathlon in the middle of summer. Ok guys, the next run is definitely going to be after September.

Oh yeah, props on the layout AdmiralAdonis. It's like it brings a little more credibility to the site. Now if I can only make an entry that doesn't blatantly rip off of someone else's work.

[With Leather]

Talk Louder Muh Fucka

Nazer and I are the shit.





I think i might have killed the mood ahhhh well...look at erwin and lily's reaction in the background love it.

The 2008 Emmy Nominations

Even with a 3 month writers strike, this past year was one of the best years in television I've seen, ever. New shows like Mad Men and Damages showed the world that good programming can be found on television, and returning shows like 30 Rock and Lost continue to impress all of those who follow. New and old shows alike fill the Emmy nominations list this year, including 17 nominations for the coolkids favorite 30 Rock, and 16 for the previously mentioned Mad Men. Additional, new, favorites of mine that made the list are Pushing Daisies, Damages, and Breaking Bad, while old favorites like Lost and House continue to shine. Notable listings include Jon Hamm (Mad Men) for Best Lead Actor in a Drama, Tina Fey (30 Rock) for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy, and Nick News with Linda Ellerbee for Outstanding Children's Program. The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards airs September 21st on ABC, and you can view the full list of nominations here

In 5 years...

Earlier this week, Melody forced the other roommates and I into a group activity where we predicted each other's lives 5 years from now. The results of this exercise can be found here, and they we're quite interesting to the say the least.

Since that was so fun, I figure I'd take it upon myself and do the same for the rest of the COOL KIDS. I'll start with myself, reprinted from Mel's entry.

IN 5 YEARS:

LANCE

-Best man at brother's wedding.
-Working for some unheard of, fledgling software company, not making as
much money as I want.
-Or working for some boring office with a whack IT job.
-Somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 lbs.
-Single. Living alone in Irvine or with David/Tony/Roger in SD.
-Had a girlfriend for at least a couple months sometime during the 5
years, but it ended very badly and is still bitter
-Frequent visitor of strip clubs and brothels.
-Though when he's with a prostitute he spends most of the time crying rather than actually having sex.

RAY


- Still doin his thing on the open mic circuit and the occasional hired gig
- Has a steady a girlfriend by this time.
- Had kept his peace streak going for a good couple years until a bad night at the club where in the midst of a fight, "RAYge" got the best of him, and he murdered a man with his bare fists in a back alley. No one would ever know that this actually happened.
- Works for a non-profit organization making a decent living, and making the world a better place.
- Still lives at the apt. in San Marcos where the homies reunite once in a while... when's the next kickback man?!
- Cut his hair eventually, but gained 10 lbs from eating too much mexican food and pussy (not at the same time).

NAZER

- Gets steady work making soundtracks for various movie and video game projects. Nazer's still early in the game though, forcing Lance to watch movies and play games that he would've never otherwise experienced just to see hear his buddy's work.
- After messing around with enough white girls, eventually gets a girlfriend who happens to be FILIPINO
- Lives in the NY area. Comes back to SD about every Christmas and homie wedding, but still keeps in touch through blog posts and AIM
- Gains about 15 lbs. from a steady diet of beer, sandwiches, and NOOBS IN ROCK BAND.
- Develops a Boston accent that annoys the hell out of all of us
- Buys a Playstation 3 because it is SO FUCKING AWESOME!

ADONIS

- Is in grad school, likely a prestigious law school or maybe somewhere on the east coast getting a journalism Master's.
- Working on the side as a freelance writer contributing to various nerd culture magazines, all while continuing to neglect his position at the CoolKidsRoom much to his fans' dismay.
- Single, but is 'talking' to someone. No one knows, because he thinks we're gonna think she's ugly.
- Doesn't live in SD anymore
- Smokes a carton a day
- Exercises regularly but doesn't lose any weight yet it improves his self-esteem
- Due to his lactose intolerance, at some point he shat his pants after having a post meal bowl of ice cream at a buffet restaurant. The table next to him could smell something was up but homeboy just continued playing it off.

So what do you think? Did I hit the nail on the head or what? Hopefully the rest of these guys can return the favor. Feel free to put your own 5 year predictions for yourself or anyone else in the comments.

HEHEHEAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Tonight is going to be fucking awesome. Thanks KSK.

This might be overdoin it ...

Kotaku posted an entry on this behemoth of a fake drumset. Before I read the description and eventually learned that this was a premium, optional drumset that'll set you back at least $300, my head nearly exploded from the sheer awesomeness that playing on this would provide. Needless to say, I had to change drawers afterwards.

Knowing me, if I get a job somewhere down the line, this is exactly the kind of unneccessary crap I would spend my money on. Let the Rock Band 2 drum bukkake begin.

Coming soon to iTunes...

198's self titled debut:



Including emo/r&b hits like

"Doom Me"
"The Kimchi Jigae"
"I Think It's Time For Intervention"
"Maybe You're Pregnant"
"Baggery Grocers"
"The Sink Smells"
"Embarassing Old Pictures"
"Why is Lance only wearing underwear?"
"20 guys KO'd in the living room"
"I Can't Be Magnonimous"
"TEACH ME HOW TO BE A DICK!"


and of course the hit single, "4 roommates, 1 shot glass"

Fuck, this is going to be the greatest record since Devotion's self-titled debut.

Never Leave Your Shit At The Condo

P.S. - Object was beyond repair. We decided earlier in the day to throw it away but eventually decided to just break it at night, no worries folks

Today is our Independence Day

Bill Pullman, from Will Smith's best summer movie, gives the best speech since Van Damme's classic.



Enjoy your holiday!

Baron Davis and Elton Brand opt out, hopefully end up in LA

and I don't mean the Lakers.



Baron Davis could be coming to the Clippers and join Elton Brand after he likely re-signs with the team. If this goes down, it would thrust my beloved Clippers back into contention for a playoff spot but I'm not getting my hopes up just yet.

Too many times deals like these that make so much sense from a fan standpoint fall through. In addition, as of now, it looks like Davis' preference is to stay in Oakland with the Warriors but joining the Clippers is definitely an attractive scenario to him.

If we don't land Davis, then we still need help at the point where first round draft pick Eric Gordon and the young Shaun Livingston will likely share time. If you don't remember, Livingston is coming off this horrific ankle injury:



Yeah, dude probably needs an ice pack or somethin after that one...

UPDATE: The deal went down. I'm already drinking to celebrate, getting ready to buy new jersey, etc. WHOOOO!

Mad Men Season 1 On DVD and Blu-ray

One of my most highly praised shows of 2007, Mad Men takes you back to the 1960s, following the life of Donald Draper, an advertising man who has way more than catchy sales pitches up his sleeve. This show is famous for putting AMC on the map in terms of cable television, and received two Golden Globes, one for Best Television Drama and Jon Hamm for Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series. So get your best suits and dresses ready, get some cigarettes and Old Fashioned cocktails and get ready for Season 2 premiering July 27th.