GTA IV (what else is there to say?)

Wow, the graphics are bomb, the acting is top-notch, you can blow the TIRES, and there's an AWESOME electronica soundtrack. Well, at least for the trailer: dananana, buh duh duh duh dhan, and so on. The pedestrians now actually EAT SNACKS -- how awesome is that?! Hopefully the improved AI also means they now know not to jump in front of my speeding vehicle, but one can't hope for miracles.

Apparently the story follows Niko Bellic, an Eastern European immigrant (note the accent), as he does typical Grand Theft Auto things in his pursuit of the American dream. If you don't already have an Xbox 360 (for shame), go down to Target, pick up a console, then run on over to the nearest game store and get your name on the waiting list for the waiting list for the waiting list. Ooh, the trailer's enough to send shivers of delight down one's thighs. The game will probably render sex completely obsolete.

His Saturday Night

Picture the scene (and feel free to change the genders). Saturday night. She gets dressed up for a night on the town and goes out dancing. She's got plenty of options for a soundtrack all about the club. He's waiting around, maybe driving, relaxing. Song of choice? More laid-back than Dan Bern, but a little more lively than Pete Yorn, The Orchids' "Another Saturday Night" fits the bill. If the video's merry-go-round and young boys in a band can occasionally seem cloying, with lyrics like "To the grit in your eyes and the wind in your hair," and the earnestness is endearing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hxkrUz0k88

Run for your life!

There's something so deliciously entertaining about J-pop, especially from the perspective of American pop culture. In contrast to our cynicism, gangsta materialism, and irony, Japanese musical idols are unapologetically cavity-inducing. There's no sense of self-conscious satire or parody; this is bouncy, effervescent, and bubblegum fun.

The latest PV (that stands for "promotional video," another indication of its complete commercialism) by Japanese pop sensation Koda Kumi, this little ditty follows Kumi's "sexy" and "cutie" alter-egos as they galivant through a pastel colored comic book world. Even her attempts at sexiness come across as only rated PG -- and she's supposed to be the Britney Spears of the rising sun. Speech bubbles and adorable attempts at Engrish abound.

The Immigration Debate on Acid

In watching some average Joe’s youtube commentary on the Senate’s defeat of the immigration bill, I was not surprised by the person’s lack of rigorous and cogent analysis. I was surprised by the person choosing to visually alter his personage in such a way as to make himself look like the lovechild of David Blaine and Albert Einstein. Try to pay attention to the substance of the video (what little there is), rather than staring in wonder into the artificially green eyes of the vaguely menacing man.
As for the substance, I do agree with the man that opponents of the immigration bill tend to be simplistic in their proposed “solutions”. But one should be reticent to accuse others of simplicity when offering a 44 second commentary on a 600+ piece of legislation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYfhFE7ahcM

The Fantasy that's not so Final.

Have you played the original Final Fantasy a zillion times? How about its Game Boy Colour or Playstation remake? Well, time to play it a zillion more times. Final Fantasy is being re-released yet again for the Sony PSP.

Final Fantasy and its thirteen sequels suffer a lot of obvious irony jokes, but the original still holds up pretty well. Better, some fans contend, than the newer games. There’s no complex plot to follow, no mini-games, no twelve-hour monster summoning graphical displays. It’s just you, a warrior, a thief, a fighter and some mages. If you’re not sick of remakes already, go forth on the PSP. The graphics are sharp.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/21082.html

A Tribute To "Old Gil"

Sad sack Gilbert Gunderson is one of the most endearing of the many wonderful characters that The Simpsons has introduced us to through the years. Gil is also one of television’s most loveable losers, a guy that never catches a break but always picks himself up after the fall, dusts himself off and looks to “seize the day.” Always hoping to catch a break, Gil has gone through a literal meatgrinder of disastrous situations, including failed careers in real estate, computer sales, even working on a used car lot. This loving tribute to Gil recaps his storied, if tragic life by presenting some of his best bits from the show, providing plenty of laughs and maybe a tear or two from the viewer for “Old Gil.”

William Gibson's Idoru

For his ground-breaking 1996 science-fiction novel Idoru, cyberpunk author William Gibson created the concept of the “Idoru” or “cyber-idol,” a computer-generated young woman that was so beautiful and so realistic that people actually fell in love with her. Based on Japanese culture, Gibson was unusually prescient even by the standards of his visionary work – just three years later, the Horipro Entertainment Co. of Tokyo introduced the first Idoru to Asian culture in the form of Kyoko Date. The work of 50 computer animators that took 18 months to give birth, Kyoko Date became a pop culture sensation in Japan, scoring several hit records.

When her singing career gave way to other fleeting trends, her handlers re-imagined the cyber pop star into “Diki,” the first Japanese singer to release a CD in Korea. Kyoko Date wasn’t entirely a virtual fantasy, however…her vocals were sung by an unnamed female (human) vocalist. Not so with MNJP, the first completely digitally-generated Idoru. Even her vocals are created by the computer bringing, perhaps, Gibson’s original concept full-circle. Oddly enough, MNJP’s voice is eerily beautiful and quite enchanting, making one wonder what direction music and culture will be headed in the future….