A Hot Cup of Joey

University of Miami "Where's Sebastian?" Video is Amazing

2013-05-23T02:30:00.000-07:00

First of all, a big congrats to my fellow grads of The U. At this point, every student I knew when I was at Miami has now also graduated. And that's terrifying. Mostly for me, because mid-20s crisis and all that. But something magical came out of the 2013 graduation ceremony: a video simply titled "Where's Sebastian?"

Sebastian, for the uninitiated, is the mascot of the University of Miami. He's supposed to be at graduation, but he's too busy hooping it up on the court. So university prez Donna Shalala hits the hardwood to lure him back. She's joined by men's and women's basketball coaches Jim Larranaga and Katie Meier. The video quality looks like something out of the 80s, the acting is pedestrian at best, and the end result is awesome. Watch and enjoy.

Lip Sync-Off on Late Night

2013-05-22T16:54:00.002-07:00

If there's one thing Jimmy Fallon is really good at, it's lip syncing to things (or putting on shows with children's instruments). The former is on full display here, as Fallon battles John Krasinski on Late Night. Who wins? Well, you'll just have to watch to find out for yourself!

Charles Ramsey: Real Hero, Internet Sensation

2013-05-14T03:00:00.000-07:00

After going missing more than 10 years ago, missing Cleveland women Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus were finally found, alive. Charles Ramsey helped in the rescue, hearing Berry calling to him from a house. He and Angel Cordero broke down the door and aided her in escaping. The subsequent interview with Ramsey is the stuff of legend.

New Lonely Island Song Promotes Gay Marriage

2013-05-12T22:31:00.001-07:00

The Lonely Island are back (which makes me a happy boy), and this time they've tackled a hot button issue--the idea of legalizing same-sex marriage. With "Spring Break Anthem," the trio juxtaposes all these ridiculous things spring breakers do that get glorified, while things like honoring and caring for a partner are frowned upon. It's not really laugh out loud funny, but very cleverly done, and sure to get people talking. Even better, it's nestled inside a "Between Two Ferns" episode with Zach Galifianakis, and the video features James Franco and Edward Norton. Check it out NOW!

Man's Drunk Wife Tells Him a Joke and Then He Animates It

2013-05-03T10:01:00.001-07:00

This is just about the greatest thing ever. If there's one thing I love, it's corny puns. And if it involves talking chips? Even better! Adam Patch took a joke his wife told him after downing a bottle of wine and animated said joke. Fantastic.

[Via Gawker]

April Showers Bring...

2013-05-01T19:02:00.003-07:00

Happy May, everyone!

Pentatonix And The Evolution of Music

2013-04-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

Those beat-boxin, a cappella-in' kids from Pentatonix are at it again. This time they've done an Evolution of Music, jumping from the 11th century all the way up to present day. While a few of these songs are terrible and make me disgusted with how bad pop music can be, at least they sound okay when they're only voices and last for about 5-8 seconds. So that's cool. Otherwise, give it a listen!

NBA Inner Monologues

2013-04-21T19:07:00.001-07:00

Sometimes, it's fun to delve into the innermost thoughts of folks. And when those folks are NBA players? Even better! Enjoy the latest installment of "Inner Monologues."

Ship Your Pants

2013-04-18T16:05:00.005-07:00

I don't shop at Kmart often, but my goodness is this a fantastic commercial. I honestly cannot tell that they're saying "ship" on a few of these occasions, but just...just watch the above. Cool feature, too.

Steph Curry Makes Gary Neal Look SILLY

2013-04-17T16:43:00.004-07:00

This is seriously one of the best crossovers I've ever seen. Steph Curry makes the Spurs' Gary Neal look ridiculous three separate times with this move. And of course, he sinks the jumper to cap it off. Otherwise it's not a good move at all. Get it, young buck!

Stephen Colbert Responds to Boston Marathon Bombing

2013-04-17T16:41:00.001-07:00

The Boston Marathon was marred by an unspeakable tragedy on Monday. But perhaps even more spectacular is the outpouring of support and courage shown by those in and around the city. Stephen Colbert sums up that spirit quite nicely in this video.

How Animals Eat Their Food

2013-04-12T15:42:00.004-07:00

This is genius. And must have resulted in quite a bit of food needing to be cleaned up off the floor. MisterEpicMann shows us what it looks like when different animals eat. My personal favorite is the whale, but these are all very good. Enjoy!

Ranking the Pokemon: #65- Seaking

2013-04-11T17:35:00.003-07:00

Seaking is one of those Pokemon that's just kind of generic. It doesn't do anything too great, but it's not THAT horrible. And I just learned that Seaking's name was originally Neptune in Pokemon Red & Blue beta-testing. I did a school report on the planet Neptune one time, and it's pretty cool. So that gets Seaking a few brownie points, even if its Neptune is from the god in Roman mythology. Oh well.

Seaking makes it possible for you to get through later games without ever finding HM07 (which is Waterfall, although in Generation I Waterfall was never an HM, so it's pointless to even mention that. Sorry). That baby horn also makes Seaking able to learn Horn Drill. Any move that can kill an opponent in one hit is A-OK in my book, even if the accuracy is dreadful. Sometimes it's your only line of defense. Throw that along with Surf, Blizzard and Agility, and you have an okay fish. It's a fish out of water, but it's still okay.

Battling Grade: C

Previously: #66- Golbat

Man Catches Foul Beer in His Beer, Attempts to Chug Said Beer, Fails

2013-04-11T17:27:00.003-07:00

The Seattle Mariners don't really have much to get excited about this season, as they're projected by nearly every expert to finish second-to-last in the AL West. The only team that's supposed to finish behind them? The Houston Astros, who just beat Seattle twice in a row.

The second game did have a highlight for the home team, though. This fan catches a foul ball in his beer, then proceeds to chug the beer. Never mind that most of his drink ends up on him rather than in his mouth; the enthusiasm his buddy shows makes up for it. And it probably tasted leathery. Good stuff.

Ranking the Pokemon: #66- Golbat

2013-04-09T21:52:00.001-07:00

Freakin' Golbat. You don't see these things quite as often as Zubats, but they're still out in full abundance in almost any later cave you go into. And, much like Zubat, they're just as easy to kill with any basic Ice/Electric/Rock/Psychic-type attack you want to throw out there. Golbie's stats are all fairly average, with pretty good Speed and meh everything else.

One of the more interesting moves this bat learns is Haze. In the first and second generations of games, Haze resets all stat levels of both Pokemon to 0, and removes any status ailments of your opponent. So it's actually more beneficial to the Pokemon you're fighting against, rather than Golbatta-batta. My favorite thing about Haze, though, involves frozen Pokemon and the move Hyper Beam. Since Hyper Beam attacks and then requires a turn to recharge, if a Pokemon becomes frozen during the recharging turn and then Haze is used, that Pokemon will be unable to attack until it faints or is returned to its owner.

Golbat also looks like that carnival game where you through a beanbag or baseballs or something equally stupid into a clown's mouth and try to knock its teeth out. By my estimation, you still have four shots left, since Golbat still has four teeth. And it's weak against four types. Coincidence? I think not. Well played, Game Freak, well played.

Battling Grade: C

Previously: #67- Magneton

Brutus the Buckeye Gets Absolutely Rocked

2013-04-08T15:48:00.000-07:00

College football spring games were happ'nin' over the weekend, and Brutus Buckeye is probably still feeling the effects. The Ohio State mascot took a snap from the shotgun, and tried to pick up some yards by scrambling downfield. Linebacker David Perkins would have none of it, though, as he completely levels the young buck(eye). Brutus is a champ, though, and hops right back up, albeit after fumbling. Good stuff.

Bob Costas Quotes Ludacris

2013-04-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

Bob Costas quoted Ludacris on the MLB Network the other day. I wish I had more to add, but the clip speaks for itself. The top comment when I first saw this video was "We, as a species, will never top this. Might as well stop trying." Well put, bobtheplumer687. Well put.

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Spoofs Abbott and Costello

2013-04-03T02:00:00.000-07:00

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon has created a sequel to the popular "Who's on First?" sketch that Abbott and Costello perfected all those years ago. While it's not overtly creative, it's cool seeing Billy Crystal and Jerry Seinfeld make appearances. Good stuff all around!

Watch, Read, Listen

2013-04-02T01:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first installment of what I hope will become a regular feature of this blog: "Watch, Read, Listen." It's pretty dang simple: I understand that you can't read what I write 24/7, so I offer up some other ways to amuse yourself. And since they has my stamp of approval...well, you know they're fantastic. Le'ggo!

Watch

Stony Island - Anything that has to do with Chicago gets a plus in my book, and when it's exploring the jazz scene of the south side of the city, you know you're going to hear some great music, too. With legendary musicians like Richie Davis making appearances, follow the story of a group that must come together to release their debut album. Check out a trailer here.

The NCAA Final Four - It shocks me that I even have to mention this, but the Final Four is right around the corner, for both men and women. The women will have a new champ with the Baylor Bears getting knocked out yesterday, while the men have the two darlings of the tournament--9-seeded, angrily-playing Wichita State, and top-seeded Louisville, who saw their own Kevin Ware suffer a gruesome broken leg in their Elite 8 win over Duke--on the same side of the bracket. And don't worry; that video doesn't show the actual injury. If you haven't seen it, I'm not sure you want to. Either way, there's plenty of intrigue to be had, so make sure you're enjoying some of the best ball the NCAA has to offer from Saturday through Tuesday (4/6-4/9).

Veep - The second season of the hilarious HBO show kicks off April 14. Julia-Louis Dreyfus is set to be funnier than ever as Vice President Selina Meyer. And hey, she won an Emmy for her work last season, so the bar's set pretty high already. It's also got Tony Hale (Buster Bluth from Arrested Development) and a host of other folks you'll recognize, and then laugh at. Best of all, the show is only half an hour long, and Season 1 only had 8 episodes, so you can easily get caught up to speed.

Read

Pop Kids - AFI frontman Davey Havok has always had a penchant for creating beautiful, if disturbing lyrics, and it's no different as he releases his first novel. Delving into the minds of teenagers, Havok takes a look at the younger generation's obsession with things like social networking, Internet porn and drugs. Of course, with Havok's background in music, there's plenty of references to it, and the singer has even included a soundtrack at the end of the book, which is pretty cool. (Black Candy Publishing; April 4, 2013; $20, popkidsbook.com)

Winners & Losers: Rants, Riffs & Reflections on the World of Sports - When you're a sports columnist, administrator, and trial lawyer, you see quite a few things. Bob Latham's been generous enough to chronicle all that he's come across in the sports world, and it's a really unique perspective. When he's describing walking the 17th fairway at St. Andrews or viewing the "de-wussification of America" by attending a Bears/Packers game (which, sadly, ended in heartbreak for my Bears), Latham puts you right in the action. Since I probably won't be attending the Australian Open anytime soon, this is the perfect substitute. (Greenleaf Books; $24.95)

Mixing the Contemporary with the Classics in Paris - This is a cool little article by Sam Lubell on the New York Times. I've only been to Paris once, but there's no denying the architecture in the country is some of the finest in the world. Lubell takes a look at some of the highlights, both well-known and unknown, and gives me a little taste of one of my favorite obscure computer games, Lost Leonardo, in the process.

Listen

Nora Jane Struthers & the Party People - It's funny...ever since moving to Austin, I've found a newfound appreciation of folk and bluegrass music. Nora Jane Struthers & the Party People could certainly fall into that group. With banjos and violins blazing, the group just has a knack for creating music that makes you feel good. And you can't go wrong with that. Check 'em out here.

Adrienne Pierce - With a soulful voice that pierces through soothing music, Pierce's album My Heavens is a great throwback to some of the girl groups of old, as well as some other 50s/60s artists like Buddy Holly. Since we can really use more of that kind of sound, this one gets a thumbs up from me.

Freekstile - It's no secret that Brooklyn has produced a great number of musicians, especially in the hip hop scene. Freekstile is the latest to toss his hat into the fray with his mixtape "The Xommon Mixtape." After his mother gave him a notebook when he was 9 to express himself, Freekstile, born Lydon Samuda, has channeled that into his music. The message isn't anything complex (Freekstile himself labels it as: "Story of my life. Video Games, Anime, Weed, Lean, Japan & Spanish chicks. Welcome to Vigilante"), but hey, it's fun to listen to, and that's all you can ask for. Here's a stream of the mixtape.

YouTube's April Fool's Day Prank Fools YouTube

2013-04-01T17:39:00.000-07:00

This is pretty maniacally genius. YouTube announced yesterday that the past eight years have all been a contest to find the best video on the Internet. And effective April 1st, it's no longer accepting submissions. The judging process will take ten years, too, with the winner being announced in 2023. Good luck to all those who entered!

Don't Increase the Size of Your Gut During March Madness

2013-03-28T21:38:00.001-07:00

If you're anything like me, your bracket has completely fallen apart, and tonight's results in the first day of Sweet 16 action didn't help. If you're also like me, you're trying to cook more often, because eating pizza and wings every day just doesn't cut it. Fortunately, the folks at HumanaVitality have offered up a healthy recipe for spinach artichoke dip. I've always liked eating the dip, and now I'll try making it own my own. My kitchen is already bracing itself. Enjoy!

Flying Earpieces in the NHL!

2013-03-26T16:28:00.001-07:00

This is absolutely fantastic. Boston Bruins Head Coach Geoff Ward took out his earpiece, and appeared to toss it over the glass behind him. Watch as it lands DIRECTLY in a fan's beer. The fan looks up, like, "Now we have flying earpieces to worry about?!?!"

Alas, this was too good to be true. It turns out Bruins center Tyler Seguin admitted to tossing his smelling salts into the crowd. Although that's similarly awesome, it's not quite as good as the earpiece. So I'ma keep on thinking Ward did, in fact, blindly get a hole in one.

Will Sasso Lemon Compilation

2013-03-25T12:33:00.002-07:00

I have no idea what's going on here, other than Will Sasso has some strange obsession with lemons, and used the Vine app to make a hilarious vignette of his daily life struggles. Prepare to laugh. A lot.

Memphis's D.J. Stephens Has a Personal Vendetta Against This Basketball

2013-03-24T03:00:00.000-07:00

Michigan State's Adreian Payne tries a little jump shot near the end of the first half in the Spartans' third round win over Memphis. But the Tigers' D.J. Stephens has other ideas. Like seeing how hard he can swat the ball out of bounds. Memphis lost 70-48, but this play makes it only seem like 70-53.

LeBron James Demolishes Jason Terry

2013-03-23T21:30:00.001-07:00

Yes, this is old. But man, is it still awesome. Watch as LeBron James catches an alley-oop, and poor Jason Terry just happens to be in the way. LOOK OUT!