The Simpsons Movie is AWESOME!!!!!

It was a long day for me yesterday, but from the opening moments of the midnight showing of The Simpsons Movie at Sheboygan Marcus Theatres, I knew the lack of sleep was totally worth it.
The movie, nearly 20 years in the making if you count the first Simpsons shorts shown on the Tracey Ullman show in the late 1980s, explodes on the big screen with every bit of irreverence, political satire, sight gags, stupidity and side-splitting laughs you would have hoped for, and more, oh so much more.
Within the first five minutes of the film, the audience is treated to the most politically poignant and over-the-top violent Itchy and Scratchy cartoon, they kill the rock band Green Day, and throw insults at everything from God, to YouTube-esque video, Titanic, stupid Flanders and the gullibility of an audience willing to pay to watch something they can see every single day on TV for free.
Hell yeah!
From there it’s a farcical rollercoaster ride of sight gags, including Homer Simpson flipping off the entire Town of Springfield, and yellow comedy fever.
The environmental plot, which is at times a little preachy, involves Homer (in a move of wild negligence) single-handedly destroying the ecosystem of Lake Springfield that forces the Environmental Protection Agency to seal the city in a huge glass dome, and makes Homer and his family the target of a mob of angry Springfieldians.
I won’t tell you anything else, because I don’t want to be the one that ruins it for you. What I will tell you is that if you’re a big fan of The Simpsons, like I am, the movie won’t disappoint. Could it have done more? Sure. Like the television show it doesn’t always commit to following through on its satirical jabs, but it does plenty.
In fact, the writing returns the show and characters back to show’s heyday in the mid-1990s, though I still feel it’s one of the best shows on TV still to this day—even as it enters its 18th season.
For those of you who watch The Simpsons every once in a while, I can assure you it’s funny. Very, very funny, and you will laugh!
So get out there, pay your $20 bucks, get an oversized bucket of popcorn and mega-drink, sit back and watch America’s favorite animated family do what they do best — make you laugh.

Some of the first Simpsons shorts on the Tracey Ullman Show

What would you look like as a Simpsons character?

Find out at http://www.simpsonizeme.com/

Here's what I would look like.

And here's the fullsize version

Pretty cool huh?

Mad Mad Media Minute-extras

Hey everybody. Check out this video we did a while back with the Jetty Boys. (CLICK HERE)

The Jetty Boys are playing with Schmittys Kids and Haywire at K&D's Standard Hall on Indiana in Sheboygan on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. No Cover, but you guys know about this already because you watch the Mad Media Minute.

You don't watch the Mad Mad Media Minute? CLICK HERE to check it out!

AllofMP3, now a matter for the courts

Denis Kvasov, the former owner of Russian music site AllofMP3.com, has been charged with violating intellectual property laws in a Russian court, and faces up to three years in prison and a hefty fine for operating the popular music download site.
The Russian government shut down AllofMP3 recently after receiving political pressure from the World Trade Organization over the site’s questionable copyright practices.
AllofMP3 sold individual music downloads for as little as 10 cents a song (90 cents less than companies like iTunes), to customers throughout the world, with no digital rights management. The company maintains it was acting under Russian copyright law, which allowed Russian collection societies like the Russian Organization for Multimedia and Digital Systems (ROMS), to license music to companies without securing permission from the music’s copyright holder.
AllofMP3 said it was paying 15-percent of its revenue to ROMS, but US and UK music companies refused to collect payment from ROMS, because collection would have ultimately led to a legal acceptance of the download site.
Russian law has since changed, again under political pressure, and Kvasov is being charged under a law that didn’t exist when he started the company. You have got to love Russia for that one.
Of course, this probably won’t end the intellectual property battles between the WTO and Russia. AllofMP3’s sister site, alltunes, is still operational (as is the strangely similar mp3sparks.com) and it recently won a major court battle with Visa where a Moscow court found that Visa acted illegally when it cut off transactions made to the store, as it also did to AllofMP3.
Not to mention, AllofMP3 was just one of the dozens of Russian music sites offering downloads of music from all over the world, for a fraction of what it would cost from American music download companies.
Really, I think this question needs to be asked.

Why does it cost $0.99 for a single song download?

I would like to see an investigation into that on American soil. The last time the U.S. government investigated the music industry on its pricing, it didn't work out so well for them. I'm guessing it will turn out the same again if somebody starts asking the right questions.

A Simpsons' clip for the late Dennis Getto

When this episode of The Simpsons first aired, Dennis Getto was particularly amused by Homer Simpson's attempt to become a food critic. So Dennis, this one is for you.

Saying goodbye to an old friend

Dennis Getto, the food critic for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and journalism teacher at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, died today at the age of 57, according to a brief on the Journal Sentinel’s Web site.
Getto has been the food critic at the paper since 1982.
This is particularly sad news for me, because I have often given Dennis credit for starting my career.
I took Dennis’ feature writing class at UWM. A year later he helped me get a job at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. We kept in touch, e-mailing each other every so often. Really, I would pretty much just e-mail him every now and then and thank him for the career.
I ran into him at a Starbucks earlier this year, and we chatted for a while.I'm glad I got to see him and let him know I was still moving forward.
And I know that I’m not the only one who he helped get into this field, which was one of the great things about Dennis. He cared about journalism, and those who wanted to take it on as a career.
So, thanks again Dennis. I owe you one.

Simpson’s Video-O-Rama

As promised on the Mad Mad Media Minute, its Simpsons-O-Rama!

The Raven



Wiz Kids (Harry Potter spoof)




Homer gets ... Homier



Homer has a few too many



300 pound Homer





Homer Vs. Badger



Crazy Cat Lady



Bart Simpson tests megaphone



No TV, No Beer makes Homer something something



Simpsons Movie trailer

Harry Potter Dies!

Or lives, I don’t know. But we’re all going to find out this weekend when the last of the Harry Potter books hits bookstores.
Now, while I have watched most of the Harry Potter movies - with the exception of the one currently in theaters and the last one - I cannot say that I am a big fan of the books, being that I have never read a single one.
So I am immune to Potter Fever. But that doesn’t make me any less curious about whether he lives or dies.
The fact of the matter is; I’m as fascinated as I would be with any other celebrity on TV that I would never have any chance of meeting in real life.
Though it does beg the question: What next?
Will another book series take its place? Will it be something on the Internet that inspires a nation of teens and young adults (and adults wishing they were young) to go crazy?
I can guarantee it will be something, and I’ll be waiting anxiously to find out what’s coming up next.
So, good luck Harry. Well, luck might not play a role in this one. It sounds as if your fate has already been sealed in neatly packed boxes that say, “Do Not Open Before July 21, 2007.”

P.S. Yes, I did choose the title of this post to attract attention. Sorry if you were looking for insight on the new Harry Potter book. I don’t have any and I wouldn’t spoil it for you if I did.

The news is a very dangerous business

10,000 strong, and growing

So last night at around 8:45 p.m. the Mad Mad Media blog got its 10,000 visitor. Because of this, I have the following public statement.

(cough)
All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts. My current role in this life is a blogger.
For a little over a year I have been writing about whatever comes to my mind. Sometimes I wrote about music, sometimes movies, sometimes about our antiquated copyright laws and sometimes (and I agree too many times) I wrote about American Idol.
And you have been reading. I don’t know who most of you are, but I would like to thank you. Without you, I wouldn’t have bothered to keep writing about this stuff. Without you Mad Mad Media would not exist.
So thank you, thank you, thank you. I hope this part continues for quite some time

Eric
Mad Mad Media

P.S. If you want to see a real sight, check out the front page of today's Sheboygan Press. The biggest picture of my big-old head is on the cover. Really big.

Now allofmp3 is dead...sort of

So, one of the things I missed last week while I was working out at the U.S. Senior Open was the official death of allofmp3.com, the controversial Russian music download site that sold mp3s for as little as 10 cents a track.
According to reports, Russia shut down the service (which was once one of the most popular sites on the Internet) last week, in a move to gain entrance into the World Trade Organization.
My opinion on the global economy aside, I was not shocked to see it go. I do find it somewhat shocking that it was replaced by two services so quickly - two services that existed before.
Online reporters were quick to point out that the suspiciously similar mp3sparks.com and alltunes.com were up and running. Of course, alltunes.com is a service of allofmp3.com, and at one time was directly linked to the allofmp3 homepage.
As for mp3sparks, which now appears to be shut down, they appeared to have cut and pasted allofmp3’s user agreement and terms and conditions on its Web site, and had a layout that was incredibly similar to allofmp3. But again, that site has apparently been shut down as well, so nuff said about that.
So what now? It will be interesting to see if this one move will help Russia get into the World Trade Organization. And equally interesting to see what will happen after it is.
In the meantime, there are dozens of other Russian--based mp3 services online, none of which were as visible as allofmp3, but they are there. So, for those of you who are looking for inexpensive music sold by companies who screw musicians out of royalty payments (much like the publishing companies, record labels and unions representing American artists) there are options.
The best option is going out to see your favorite band play live. Then you know the band gets paid - after their manager, the club, the touring company and the pizza guy. Man, it’s not a good time to be a musician.

Sommore Great Simpsons moments

The Simpsons Movie hits theaters really soon (yes, yes, YES!). If you can't wait, just like me, these Simpsons clips should keep you from resorting to some sort of craziness ... for about five minutes!!!

Enjoy!

Training for the Murder Horn


Trambampoline!


Yvan eht Noij!


We punish ignorance


Mr. Sparkle!

Cloverfield Trailer (better quality)

Thanks Trailer Spy!!!


HD 1-18-08 (Cloverfield) Trailer - Watch more amazing videos here

Cloverfield trailer

So, the blogosphere has been alive with talk about the trailer for the JJ Abrams film, Cloverfield, that hit theaters this weekend.
I just watched it, and it's amazing. I don't know how long this video will be up on Google, but here it is. I can't wait to see more!!!

Congratulations Vermont!

I always thought Springfield – home of The Simpsons - was in Oregon, but this summer Homer and the family will make Vermont home.
The state’s Springfield beat out 13 other Springfields in the U.S. for the premiere of the anticipated Simpsons Movie.
According to a Reuters article, the city beat out the other Springfields by producing a video showing a Homer Simpson look-alike chasing a giant, pink doughnut through the town. It also boasted similarities to the cartoon Springfield, such as having a nuclear power plant nearby.
The New England town has a population of about 9,500.
The premier of “The Simpsons Movie,” will be held on July 21 in Vermont with the filmmakers on hand to walk the yellow carpet, the Reuters article said.
The other 13 Springfields will also be given small screenings on July 26, the night before the movie hits theaters nationwide.
And for you trivia buffs out there, there are 34 Springfields in the U.S.
So Congratulations Vermont. I’m sure Homer will love your maple syrup. Mmmmm, syrup.

Now, it's time to do the Bartman!

The Behind the Scenes Media Tent Tour

I have no idea why some people can't watch The Sheboygan Press' tour of the media tent here at the U.S. Senior Open at Whistling Straits.
So, I have YouTubed it. Watch it here by clicking play below. Enjoy.

Whistling Straits: Day 7 - So much heat, so little time

Holy crap it's been hot here today. I just stood on the tee for the 1st hole for two hours and I got baked.
But it was worth it. I perched myself up on top of a hill, just to the right of the tee. And I could see everyone close up.
Of course, one guy in a hat stood up as I was taping. But he looked like he felt pretty bad about it, so I let him slide. I was going to let him slide anyway, because I'm a nice guy, but in this heat...we all know that anything is possible.
Speaking of the heat, can you drink too much Gatorade Ice Punch? I drank like 12 of them yesterday, and I guess I'm wondering if that could be bad.
Also, Nhia came into the media tent two days ago, sweating like crazy, and said 'I bet I could drink this Gatorade faster that you guys (myself and Sam). So we said 'deal' and went outside so we didn't make fools out of ourselves in front of the other media people.
Long story short, Sam and I beat Nhia by a longshot ... apparently she didn't know we were going for speed.
So, it's been fun out here this week. I think it's going to be hard to go back to work at the office, but it's also time to get out of all of this fresh air and sunshine.

P.S. Does anyone know what day it is?

More notes from Whistling Straits

Hey everybody!
Sorry that I've been a little light on blog entries this week, but they've kept us pretty busy here at the U.S. Senior Open.
What's it like here? Well, it's exhausting. For those of you who have seen me in person, you may not know this but I'm not really what you would call an exercize guy. Sure, I ride my bike around every once in a while, and my wife and I will take the occasional walk, but for the most part I don't really exercize.
So walking around on the course is proving to be quite a physical challenge. Add in the fact that it's blazing hot out here, and you've got one really tired reporter.
But it's been a blast. We've been putting like three videos up a day, and checking out some great golf action on the course. It's going to be hard to go back to the office next week.
I'll write some more when I have a chance. Until then, click on the link to check out a backstage tour of the media tent we're in here at Whistling Straits.

Click HERE.

UPDATE. Sorry for those of you who are having problems with the link. I don't know what's going on, but it's working on our end. Try it again.

http://sheboygan-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070707/VIDEO0703/307040055/1973

UPDATE AGAIN

It is now working. The file was ... in non-technical terms ... broken.

Mad Mad Media @ Whistling Straits: Day One

Hey everyone, I'm out at Whistling Straits this week to cover the U.S. Senior Open, which is pretty cool so far.
I got in around 9 a.m. and hit the ground running with the Mad Mad Media Minute.
After that we went out in the rain (which almost immediately turned to sun) to shoot more video.
All of our stuff is going to be online throughout the day, and all week. You have to check it out.
Life inside the media tent is pretty cool. All of us are couped up in a room with big screen TVs and rows of computers.
Everybody is buzzing around with about a million things to do.
It's awesome.
Check back later and I'll have more. Until then, here's a pic from the Sheboygan Press compound at Whistling Straits I took on my cellphone.
Everyone, say hi to Jamie and Mike.