Jeffrey Rossi

The Animated GIF Strikes Back

To follow up:

Episode 5 - The Empire Strikes Back - in GIF form

Star Wars - In GIF Form

Screw CGI, screw JarJar Binks - this is all the technology I need

Episode 4 - A New Hope - in Animated GIF Form

Aqua Teen - Assemble!

Man when it rains it pours!

Some of you may or may not know my love Cartoon Network's late night "Adult Swim" lineup - especially the show Aqua Teen Hunger Force.  It stars an order of fries, a shake and a wad of meet who all live in south Jersey as detectives who never seem to get around to solve any crimes.  Its one of those things that you either LOVE or HATE. 
I've tried to explain it  to people who haven't seen it:

"You see Master Shake tapped into the gas-line of the house to build a giant flame torch that looks like a black child's hand petting a dove so he could get the Olympics in Jersey but a part-time stripper named Dusty Gazonga's  from the Wild Wild Chest comes by to fix it..."

It just loses something in the translation.  Actually it loses everything in the translation.  Its completely non sequitur, yet somehow make sense (in a ridiculous way) when you watch it.

ANYWAY....
Its a great time to be an ATHF fan.  New episodes will come out in December - and amazingly it has been leaked that an Aqua Teen movie is in the works, to be released in March - FRIGGIN AWESOME FRYMAN!

Also for some inexplicable reason Cartoon network does not air its Adult Swim programming on Friday nights.  So the kind people at Adult Swim have taken to the web and now offer streaming versions of all their shows online all all weekend long on AdultSwim.com - check it out

AND - DJ Dangermouse and Madvillan's MF Doom have teamed up to release Dangerdoom- the Mouse and the Mask an album "inspired by Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup".  When I first heard this I was split - I love Adult Swim - and I've been so impressed by both Dangermouse's producing (Grey Album, latest Gorillaz album) and Doom's flow - but would it be cheesy?  Well it DOES have appearances by Ghostface Killah, Talib Kweli and Cee-lo, which is a huge plus...

Well I'm glad to tell you that it's great.  Its definitely not near the Gorillaz or Madvillany albums - but Doom and Dangermouse are like peas and carrots.  These two are always on point, razor sharp with the beats, with the rhymes, whatever. The guest appearances work incredibly well, the album shines most when Ghostface Killah steps up with his 'now you see me now you don't' flow, Talib Kweli's track was brilliant (although having ZERO street cred rapping about eating cereal and watching cartoons) all and all, I was impressed.  There definitely is a fair share of stupidity thanks in no small part to the cameo's by the Adult Swim characters, but that's what I liked - hip hop that's not afraid to be smart and silly.
Here's the ATHF track - not surprisingly called "Aqua Teen Hunger Force".  Unfortunately not the best track on the album - but after a post about Aqua Teen  - there really wasn't any other MP3 I could post:
Listen to DangerDoom's "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" here

While I'm at it I'm here are links to two of the greatest soundboards I've ever come across
Master Shake Soundboard
Carl Soundboard
Click around and check out some great quotes, or do what I do and hold the phone up to your computer speakers and prank call your friends.  Hours and hours of very mature fun.  (yes I'm 31 and I prank call my friends)

By the way - prior to donning a Dr. Doom mask an rapping about comic books - MF Doom was better known as Zev Love X - member of KMD - probably most famous for his guest appearance on 3rd Bass' The Gas Face track. 

Side note - I used to work in a deli in West Hempstead/Lakeview across the street from the apartment KMD rented (above a barbershop) - they came in so often they named a sandwich after MF Doom's brother, which was HUGE since the shop was owned by a mean little German lady (think "Manya" from Seinfeld who Jerry insults with the 'Pony Remark').  One day I came in after a day off and see above the register a purple hat with a crossed out cartoon sambo face (they put this logo in the corner of the cover of their first album) .  I realize it belonged to those guys when I pick it up and see "K.M.D." stitched on the back.  I ask the mean German lady "did those guys leave this here?".  To which she replies "Oh did you not hear?  Danny and Michael got signed!  The record get signed!  They were in here yesterday handing CD and hats!"  I was so happy for them, because they seemed like nice guys (I'd be a nice guy at a deli that had  sandwich named after me too I guess).  I ask her "can I have that hat, I really like it"  To which she snaps "No!"  and picks up the hat and put it on.  From that day on, whenever I walked in for a shift she would deliberately put on that hat.  I hated that bitch.  Out of spite she walked around with a hat on with an embroider sambo face.  That is until she fired me.

Anyway - here's Zev Luv X (MF Doom) with 3rd Bass:
Listen to The Gas Face here

Mr White - aka Ugueth Urbina

So I came across this today:

Urbina questioned

Phillies reliever Ugueth Urbina has been questioned about his role in a bloody brawl Sunday on family property in Venezuela, according to newspaper reports. The incident occurred after a welcome-home party for the pitcher. Urbina, 31, went out to eat, then returned about 2 a.m. with several people to the farm in the town of Ocumare del Tuy. According to one of the farm workers, Urbina started asking about a firearm that had disappeared. The worker, 21-year-old Ricardo Osal, told police that Urbina and others rounded up the workers, beat them, attacked them with a machete, then splattered gasoline and paint thinner on them and burned them. At least five people were injured

So I guess this answers the question whether or not Urbina has that "Closer Toughness"

I'm picturing Urbina, KRod and Chad Cordero talking about this:

Cordero: Boy, that escalated quickly... I mean, that really got out of hand fast!
K-Rod: It jumped up a notch!
Cordero: It did, didn't it?
Urbina: Yeah, I stabbed a man in the heart!
Cordero: I saw that! Ugie killed a guy! Did you throw a trident?
Urbina: Yeah, there were horses, and a man on fire, and I killed a guy with a trident!
Cordero: Uugs.. I've been meaning to talk to you about that. You should find yourself a safehouse or a relative close by. Lay low for a while, because you're probably wanted for murder.