BJ Wanlund’s Gaming and Other Stuff Journal

Hey guys!  I did have to delete a post.

You see, my uncle, Bill Wanlund, has been quoted on CNN as being the spokesman for the US Embassy in Belgrade, and everyone knows what’s happened there (i.e. the fighting and rioting that has broken out after Kosovo declared independence from Serbia several days ago).  I hope things go a lot better in that region of the world, and I hope and pray for peace there as well as the Middle East, specifically Iraq and Afghanistan.

You know, getting Google-famous will take me a LOT more places!  This is going to be weird, to be sure.  I’ll continue to see if there are any questionable things.  I have to continue to scour, however.  Right now, it’s dinnertime, and I need to get this stuff over with!!

BJ 

Hey guys, just wanted to tell you that I’m going to be splitting posting duties between GOS and a new blog I started up called The 4th Caballero, at http://fourthcaballero.wordpress.com!  The 4th Caballero focuses on the 2 Latin American films produced by Disney, Saludos Amigos & The Three Caballeros!  Right now, I’m going to have continuing coverage of the new DVD release April 29th (yep, rumors confirmed for those wondering!).  I’ll definitely keep on top of the news regarding this exciting new release!!!  –BJ 

Ya know, this is starting to become a trend.  I see the same stuff happening, and I don’t like it.

I’m proud to be a geek.  I own a Mac, and I am also a movie buff.  However, this doesn’t mean I don’t have something to say at all times.

I have seen so many attempts at preventing piracy fail because they were not aware of 4 key ingredients to piracy prevention.

Key #1: DRM, copy protection, or any form or method that inhibits legitimate users without fighting true piracy is ABSOLUTELY out of the question.  Copy protection is at its most heinous with TV shows and movies on the iTunes Store and Amazon Unbox.

Key #2:  If you promise a full catalog, then actually DELIVER on your promise!!  This is why NBC-Universal left the iTunes Store, because they never ONCE delivered on their promises!  You don’t get very far by not
delivering on your promises, and Apple sees that, for sure.  Also, what is going on with MGM??  We have MGM films on iTunes, but WHERE ARE THE JAMES BOND FILMS???  (and I’m talking the older films, like Dr. No, Goldfinger, etc.)

Key #3:  Don’t underestimate any one person.  If there were 720p movies sold on iTunes, and they DIDN’T have copy protection, YOU BET I’d buy more movies on iTunes!  And at $12-15 a pop for new flicks and $10 for “catalog” titles, I’d rather have good quality and iPod compatibility than the alternative, which is sh*tty quality and I convert it to iPod format myself.

Key #4:  Don’t blame sagging sales on piracy.  There are so many things these days that take away from movie box office sales, music record sales, and TV ratings.  The movie companies have EMBRACED their chief competition, video games!  Now why is piracy not their chief competitor, you may ask?  Because the consumers are NOT pirating films and sharing music, contrary to what the suits may make you think!  What are we all doing?  Playing video games!!  So the third key applies again here, DON’T UNDERESTIMATE ANY ONE PERSON!

BJ

Hey guys, just wanted to let everybody know that I’m going to be on Shokus Internet Radio’s interactive telephone game show “Anyone Can Play” with hosts Larry Andersen and Stu Shostak during the first show of 2008, which is likely to be January 1st, because new broadcasts of Anyone Can Play air every Tuesday night at 9:00 pm Eastern time.  We taped the show this evening, and I’m really excited!  I was in the lead up until that crucial Double or Nothing question, and it wasn’t as commanding as it had been before, as I had faltered on a question related to Dustin Hoffman.  Shame on me, I should have known that!  Anyways, I’m not spoiling it too much, but I’m going to be receiving a game called BullSpit in the mail.  It’s not one of the DVD games, those go to the winners.  It sounds very interesting, and I’ll be excited to play it with my cousins in Ohio over the Christmas break.  I wanted to give everyone a behind-the-scenes report of my taping experience of Anyone Can Play this evening.  First, Stu Shostak called me at about 9:45 pm local time, did a pre-taping interview, told me I was slated for the second show, and told me he’d call back in about 35 minutes.  Then, about 35 minutes later, Stu called me back, and we conducted a short pregame interview.  I met my opponent, Anthony from Lincoln, Nebraska, I had to correct Stu Shostak a thousand times how to pronounce my name correctly (and he may STILL have gotten it wrong, I won’t know until the episode hits Shokus), we come back “on the air”, we get a short time to introduce ourselves, and then we play the game.  Hopefully by the time you hear this show, Earl Kress will have come back from his lengthy vacation and we may have some news about Muppet Babies on DVD.  That’s all I have to say about that, the rest will be in the pre-show interview for the 2nd show.  Anyways, the game starts, and I have a perfect score for a while, through the 2-pt question in the middle I might add, and then a question about the new movie Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium comes out, and I am absolutely forgetting the name of the Academy-award-winning actor who’s in the movie!!  Shame on me, because that’s the movie where Kermit the Frog makes a cameo!!  I miss several questions in a row, and I’m only leading by ONE when we come to the Double or Nothing question.  The Double or Nothing question is very simple:   The two categories were Commercial Spokespeople and another very forgettable category.  You choose your own category, and the Commercial Spokespeople category is probably one of the toughest questions so far!  Basically, the question starts out being answerable, then it takes a turn for the worst!  I recognized Florence Henderson, but the woman who was the answer I did not.  Oh well.  And by the way, I guessed Lucille Ball!  So, my opponent gets The Newlywed Game DVD game from Endless Games (the sponsor of Anyone Can Play), and I get BullSpit, the consolation prize!  I’m really happy that I got to be on, I’ll DEFINITELY be on again in 4 weeks, and I’ll keep y’all posted here when and if I get another airing!  It’s an incredible thing to say that I’ve been on a game show, might not want to put that on my resume, but still, I’VE BEEN ON A GAME SHOW!!  And when the show DOES air, tell me truly if Stu Shostak sounds like an amalgamation of the late Peter Tomarken and Marc Summers (audially, I might add).  Anyways, I’m going to keep you guys posted on my progress, and I’m DEFINITELY catching Anyone Can Play when my show does come on!  I’m certainly going to enjoy it!By the way, tell me, either in private or in the comments, whether or not it’d be a good idea if I became a contestant for Regis Philbin’s upcoming new game show on CBS, Million Dollar Password.  –BJ