Reasons to Survive This Week – 9/26/11

You’re still with us! Awesome! So good to see you back! The world can be a pretty intimidating place and it’s REALLY easy to get down and just give up and remain a shut in for the rest of your life. Take for instance our conservative Canadian friend Shane O’Hare, who shows model homes for a living. When asked what HE was looking forward to this week, this is what he had to say:

“I’m stuck at a parade of home model homes. I’m looking forward to not killing potential clients.”

WOW! Spoken like a true NRA member! Fair and completely unbalanced!

But Geekscape’s all about looking at the positives! So here are your positive events, cool releases and exciting going-ons for the week of September 26th! And remember: when life starts getting a little rough this week, just look at the bright side! You could always be Shane O’Hare, showing model homes to Alaskan prisoners and dreaming of homicide!

Monday

Russell Sherman – Canadian As Hell

Gossip Girl bitches!  Everyone who’s anyone (read: high school students) know’s this is the best show on T.V. and now it’s in L.A. so that the spoiled rich kids can get their drugs easier. Editor’s Note: No. I don’t think he’s kidding.

Tuesday

Matt Kelly – Purveyor of All That Is Shit

Blink 182: Neighborhoods – It’s been almost a decade since Blink 182 called it quits. Their last album and subsequent side projects have always garnered mixed opinions. To be honest though, I enjoyed the self-titled album; it’s not my favorite of their CDs but it’s not awful; just different. It’s a much more mature and adult release. Yes, I miss them talking about blowjobs and boobies, but they’re in their mid-30’s now; it’s understandable. I’ve made jokes on Geekscape about their songs sounding more like Boxcar Racer than Blink 182… but I loved the Boxcar Racer album. I’m prepared for disappointment but the excitement levels I have for this are at an all time high.

On Blu-Ray this week is Basket Case… I don’t understand why this movie is being put on blu-ray. I refuse to believe that high-def will ever improve this super indie horror film. In fact… no… I’m not looking forward to this. Just buy the DVD.

How I Met Your Mother Season 6 is coming out on DVD this weekend as well. My all-time favorite TV show is Scrubs. HIMYM is the perfect companion piece to that show. If you’ve never seen the show, you need to start at the beginning. If you’re a long time fan of the show you know that season 6 was probably the best season of the series in years.

Noel Nocciolo – Has Great Taste In Websites She Writes For

Wilco’s new album, The Whole Love is out Tuesday.  It is a whole lot of…love.  I mean…yes, it’s punny, but it really is a well-titled album.  To me, it is more closely tied to the Wilco of 1999-2004; Summerteeth, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost Is Born.  Synth-heavy pop and a touch of the experimental.  Some of it even sounds like late 70’s British pub-rock (considering they cover Nick Lowe’s “I Love My Label” it makes sense).

The early alt-country days (1995-96) are gone but not forgotten as are the more straightforward rock and roll/jam-band-leaning/ballads-your-Dad-would-like (2007-9).  This new album is not a lobotomy for the band whose back catalog is one of the most evolutionary bodies of work in modern rock, but instead takes pieces of the past and twists it for their 2011 head space.

Joshua Jackson – Can Probably Do a Handstand

On Tuesday, I’ll finally be able to right a big gaming wrong. I will finally be able to play Shadow of the Colossus when the Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection comes out for the PS3 (after months of delays, which is odd for a last gen port). I fondly remember Ico as a gorgeous game that had strong, innovative game play, which is something you don’t see too often anymore. Having an excuse to fire it up again and finally play one of the great PS2 games I never got around to is a perfect reason to get through another week. Editor’s Note: I’m strongly considering not letting Joshua write another word for the site until he corrects this wrong!

Mark Bovenzi – Fought Cancer and Kicked Its Ass. But Unemployment? Different Story

Finally! The game that was rumored to come out, then denied, and then confirmed is finally coming to the US shores. An HD collection of the PS2 classics ICO and Shadow of the Colossus. If you skipped on these gems on the PS2, now is your chance to pick these up and enjoy the shit out of them. These aren’t your typical games either mind you, i know we’re all playing Gears of War right now and trust me, these games are nothing like Gears of War. If you like a challenging puzzle game with stunning graphics, complex gameplay and a weird story. Do yourself a favor, put down Gears of War, throw down $40 and see what true video game art is all about.

Wednesday

Joe Starr – Warrior From Beyond (Beyond Actually Being Kentucky)

Annihilators: Earthfall #1 – Gladiator, Quasar, Ronan, Ikon and Beta-Ray Bill come to earth? Sold. They’re gonna at least start out being there to beat up the Avengers? Solder! Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning are writing it? Soldest! Back up Rocket Racoon stories? Honestly, I don’t get interested than ‘soldest.’ Very few people do, and those that do on a regular basis shouldn’t be trusted.

Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz #1 – I’m glad a lot of my friends are having kids right now, because they all get this. Because I am a bad ass that ignores all baby shower registries.

Joshua Jackson – Nope. Can’t Do a Handstand. Ouch!

It’s the day Zelda fans have been waiting for since E3. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords is coming out on DSi Ware and guess what? It’s free! So for those of you like me who never could actually find four people with four GBA’s, four copies of Zelda and three link cables, it should be much easier to play this co op adventure the second time around. Nintendo could have left it as is and told us, “Shut up, it’s free!” but with new dungeons and an exclusive single player mode, what’s there to complain about? And by the way, I call dibs on purple Link!

Friday

Dave Biscella – Full of Faygo

I’m a big fan of Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and cancer, so the new movie 50/50 is right up my alley. OK, well, maybe I’m only a fan of two out of the three, but the fact that I’m pretty sure my attraction to Anna Kendrick is so strong it’s unhealthy pretty much balances it out.

Russell Sherman – Probably Talking Trash About U.S. Citizens Right Now

Transformers: Dark of the Moon.  Now we as Scapists failed to make Transformers 2 the movie of the year that year, but luckily Michael Bay heard our prayers to fix this travesty and he made a third transformers movie so that we, The Scapists, can right a wrong and make this movie the winner of the Geekscape award for best movie… now available on DVD and Blu Ray (and don’t forget the Digital Copy).

Saturday

Noel Nocciolo – Might Like Wilco

I will especially be living for Saturday morning, October 1st, when I fly to Nashville to see Wilco at the Ryman Auditorium two nights running.  

I can indirectly/directly thank Wilco for bringing me to Geekscape.  When Jonathan was first soliciting featured content, I had fanned-out hardcore and flown to Chicago for two nights of their legendary five night residency, in which they performed everything they had ever recorded.  I wrote about my experience, just for kicks, and here we are, a little over three years later.

Russell Sherman – Still Canadian After All These Years

Countdown to Halloween.  Halloween is one of the easiest days to “get under someone” if you’re a breeder (it’s easy every day if you’re gay). I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been propositioned by horny girls looking to hook up on Halloween so all you virgins out there don’t play D&D on Halloween be a man and go get a chick, then play D&D.