On January 29th, 2011 the Tilles Center in Brookville, New York held Video Games Live which is a concert that plays orchestrated video game music.  Video Games Live was founded by famous video game composer Tommy Tallarico who composed for games such as “Earthworm Jim” and “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater”.

Video Games Live also featured special guests such as internet sensations Brentalfloss (or “The Handsome”) and Laura Intravia, the composer for the original “Castlevania”,  Kinuyo Yamashita, the composer for “Resident Evil 5″ , Wataru Hokoyama (he was also the conductor for the evening) and the composer for “Red Steel” 1 and 2, Tom Salta.

Some of the songs that were played that evening included the main themes from “Halo”, “Super Mario Brothers”, “Castlevania”, and “Megaman”. There were also some obscure song choices like the theme for a little known photography game called “Afrika”. The two internet sensations performed some of their own material also. Brentalfloss sung to the underwater theme in “Super Mario Brothers” and Laura Intravia played some songs from “The Legend of Zelda” and the “Mario” series on the flute.

The concert also featured some audience interaction.  Before the concert, Video Games Live held a costume contest.  The contestants cosplayed characters from games such as “Final Fantasy”, “Assassin’s Creed”, “Kirby Super Star”, and “Ratchet and Clank.” The winner of the competition was a little boy who cosplayed as Kirby from the “Kirby Series”.  Another competition that they held was a Guitar Hero competition that was held before they let everyone in the concert hall. The winner came up on stage during the second half of the show and had to score 220 thousand points on “Jump” by Van Halen on hard. However the winner wanted to play the song on expert and he was successful!

All in all, Video Games Live is an auditory and visual treat. The song selection is diverse and the atmosphere is pure fun.  Be sure to go on the Video Games Live website and check out when its playing in your area!

–Special Thanks to Holly for most of the photography

Kevin Bolk and Sarah Martinez are the primary art and writing team for Interrobang, a comics and art collective which has been producing webcomics, print comics, and games since 2005.

Onezumi Harstein is the creator of several webcomics, and a strong supporter of the independent comic community. She is the founder of Intervention, an annual webcomic and new media convention.

James Harknell is the webmaster for the Onezumi family of websites, and the primary developer of the Webcomics Central App Service, which provides free iPhone applications to webcomics.

Both Interrobang Studios and Onezumi will be providing a variety of panel programming for Zenkaikon V.

About Interrobang Studios:

Kevin Bolk and Sarah Martinez are the primary art and writing team for Interrobang Studios, an art collective which publishes original print and online comics as well as a host of free browser games since 2005. Best known for the parody comics It Sucks to be Weegie and Ensign Sue Must Die! (both part of Pot Luck Comics), Interrobang Studios also produces the fantasy genre send-up The Last Mystical Legend of the
Fantastic Fantasy Trigger Star, the quirky auto-bio comic I’m My Own Mascot, and the silent, enigmatic Spinks. A curious reader could lose days of their life exploring the nearly bottomless archives at their website, so be forewarned and equip your desk chair with fresh water and some extra Kit Kats for the duration. “Okay, I’ve written your stupid bio. Now please, can I have my beloved kitty, Mr. Von Binker-Boo, back? You promised if I…h-hey, what’s that smell?
Binker-Boo?! You ANIMALS!! NOOOOOOO!!”

http://www.interrobangstudios.com

About Onezumi Harstein:

Fans say that Onezumi is what would happen if Dirty Harry and Weird Al Yankovic had a daughter that loved to draw. Oni is one of the most active contributors to and supporters of the independent comics scene. She writes and draws Stupid and Insane Defenders Against Chaos: A Lovecraftian Horror Comedy. Her development team made the Webcomics Central App Service, that gives free custom iPhone apps to other webcomics. She also founded an entire webcomics and new media convention. Intervention is a convention for webcomics, fans, and creators who want to learn, have fun, or just geek out. She posts
random art, tutorials, and awesomeness in her personal blog Onezumiverse, and blogs about Nerd Culture for NJ.com in The Adventures of Nerdy Jersey.

http://www.onezumi.com/

About James Harknell:

Stupid and Insane Defenders Against Chaos and Intervention couldn’t happen without Harknell. He designed and manages all of Onezumi’s websites and prevents her from punching anyone. He created AWSOM PixGallery, an easy to use gallery for artists, and is also a key
member of the Webcomics Central App Service development team.

http://www.awsom.org/

About Zenkaikon:

Since 2006, Zenkaikon has been bringing quality Japanese animation (anime), comics (manga), and popular culture themed events to the Philadelphia area. The convention is staffed completely by volunteers, who want to share their appreciation for these mediums with the Philadelphia region. Zenkaikon features a variety of activities
including anime and live action screenings, video and tabletop gaming, special guests, costume competitions, panels, concerts, vendors, and more. Starting as a small one-day event, the convention has grown rapidly to welcome nearly two thousand attendees in 2009. The
Zenkaikon staff wishes to thank all the attendees who have supported and helped it grow over the years. They look forward to building an event that will be an integral part of the region’s culture for many years to come. For more information on Zenkaikon or to register for the upcoming convention, please visit http://www.zenkaikon.com

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Otakon president Sean Chiochankitmun said, “Otakon is excited about our 17th year of increased growth in numbers. We look forward to a continued partnership with Baltimore.”

Last year’s official count was 26,586.

Nickelodeon recieved a green light ffor a live action movie of the NickToons series ‘Fairly Oddparents.’ The show made its debut on Nickelodeon in March 2001.

Starring in the live action movie is Drake Bell from Nickeledeon’s ‘Drake and Josh.” Jason Alexander will be starring as Cosmo, Cheryl Hines as Wanda, Daniella Monet as Tootie, and Steven Weber as Hugh J. Magnate.

The film, titled ‘A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up Timmy Turner!’ will take place when Timmy Turner is 23 years old, he was 10 in the TV series. Timmy Turner is still in elementary school in the 5th grade and still lives with his parents. As Tootie, his babysitter’s sister, returns to town, he starts to have feelings for her. And Timmy needs to decide of keep his Fairly Godparents or growing and being in love.

“It’s so much fun to see our animated characters come to life,” Marjorie Cohn, Nickelodeon’s  programming president, said. “And who better to bring grown up Timmy Turner to life than Drake Bell, who himself grew up on our air and still remains one of our most popular Nick stars ever.”

“I think fans of the series will love seeing the characters in this new way,” creator and executive producer of Fairly Oddparents Butch Hartman said. “Our mix of live-action and special effects animation will make them look ‘hyper-real’ and our goal is to make this movie as visually exciting as it will be funny.”

The movie is set to make its debut in 2011.

The robbery took place at 11am  at a Chase Bank on 347. The teller is uncertain of how much money she took from the draw. The man wore a Darth Vader mask with a blue cap and camoulage pants.

Suffolk Police release survalance videosto help identify the Sith Lord.

On Wednesday, NYPD arrested the boutique bandit, who would rob banks while he was carrying flowers.

Detectives are asking anyone with information to call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

His voice was dubbed into “Astro Boy,” “Gigantor,” “Marine Boy,” and several other anime series. He made an appearance in the 2008 film “Speed Racer” as a race announcer.

Fernandez was also a director on English adaptation shows and with American cartoon series. In a interview with Peter Fernandez with Vidgle.com, his favorite director role was being the voice director for Cartoon Network’s “Courage the Cowardly Dog,” in which he had cameo roles on the series.

Fernandez began his career on Broadway until he drafted to the United States Army at the age of 18 for World War II. After his duty in the army, he became a radio broadcaster, having roles in radio theater performances. His radio appearances included roles on “Mr. District Attorney”, “Let’s Pretend”, “Gangbusters”, “My Best Girls”, “Superman”, and “Suspense”, as well as on many soap operas. Fernandez also wrote a children book titled “Bedtime Stories from the Bible.”

Christine Orr, the last surving member of the Speed Racer TV cast, worked with Fernandez on more than 200 productions. Orr said that Fernandez loves going to conventions and meeting the fans. Fernandez said that to Vidgle reporter Louis Buffamante at Otakon 2008 in what became his last video interview. The interview can be seen here. His panel with Christine Orr and himself at New York Anime Festival 2008 can be watched here.

On his MySpace page, in which is still up, he states:

I began my career at age 7 as model for the John Robert Powers Agency. I worked on both Radio and Broadway acting in such golden age radio shows as Mr. District Attorney, Suspense, Gangbusters and The Adventures of Superman. Some of my regular roles were as George Bigelow on The Aldrich Family and as Jerry on The Sea Hound. During my stint in the Broadway play Watch on the Rhine, the cast was invited to the White House to meet President Franklin Roosevelt. I also starred in a motion picture with Tony Curtis entitled City Across the River.

However, I’m probably best known for writing, directing and voicing the dubs of Marine Boy, Speed Racer, Star Blazers, Ultraman, The Space Giants, Inframan, A Fistful of Dollars, Mothra and some of the Godzilla films to list a few. I recently served as the dialogue director for Courage the Cowardly Dog and Ace Venture Pet Detective.

On the original Speed Racer series, I voiced both Speed and Racer X. I also wrote the lyrics for the theme song and have recently recorded the dialogue for a new version of Speed Racer in which I voice Spritle as a middle aged man!

Fernandez was born in Manhattan, New York on January 29, 1927.

Fernandez’s family is planning a private service, but there are plans for a public celebration of his life in September in Pomona, New York.

Haim Saban’s newly formed Saban Brands company has re-acquired from Disney the rights to the “Power Rangers” franchise. Power Rangers is the series that built Saban’s fortune in the mid-1990s. It has been reported Saban has made a deal with Nickelodeon to produce 20 new “Power Rangers” episodes, while the library of some 700 older episodes from 17 will begin airing on Nicktoons later on in this year.
Financial terms of the deal have not disclosed at this time, but it’s likely that a price tag is in the nine figure range. At the time Disney acquired “Power Rangers” the franchise had grossed an astounding $5 billion in retail sales alone.

The Prexy of Saban Brands, Elie Dekel, has said the Haim Saban approached Disney about six months ago in hopes of re-quiring the rights to Power Rangers, because he felt it was ready and had potential for a strong revival. Diekel said he sees a great promise in introducing Power Rangers to a new generation of kids through not only a tv series but live touring events and features films among other endeavors.

“Haim has always felt that the brand could truly be evergreen, and while Disney continued to produce the series and support consumer products part of the business, we still see tremendous untapped potential,” said Dekel. Dekel is familiar with the Power Ranger franchise, as he was a Saban Entertainment exec. at the time the original Mighty Morphing Power Ranger’s franchise took off.

The only question now is what is the new series being developed? Is it an American remake of Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, the last season of Super Sentai which was wildly popular in both Japan and America, or a remake of Tensou Sentai Goseiger,the current incarnation of Super Sentai. Time will only tell.

At a commencement exercise at Hampton University in Virginia on Sunday, Obama states

…And meanwhile, you’re coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don’t always rank that high on the truth meter. And with iPods and iPads; and Xboxes and PlayStations — none of which I know how to work — (laughter) — information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation. So all of this is not only putting pressure on you; it’s putting new pressure on our country and on our democracy….

People laughed at his point, but did he have a point? Technology did improve they way how we communicate and retrieve information in the past five years. But has the technology become a “distraction” on the way how we live?

You can read the transcript on WTKR-TV’s website here.

Police officers obtained cell phones and computers that were linked to the plot. “Computer forensics revealed numerous searches had been made of websites for explosives and bomb making,” police said in a statement. Police did not recover any weapons or explosives.

News 12 Long Island reported that Franko was previsouly charged in the 2007 bomb threat.

Saltzman was released on bail on May 1. Franko was arraigned Friday and will not be released on bail.

In 2007, sister flagship website WRAJ Internet Radio presented “Reactions to the Plot: Connetquot,” a radio broadcast program which interviewed several staff, students and alumni, anonymously. It was hosted by alumni Anthony Zaragoza. The program was about the bomb threats between 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 school years; majority on the bomb threat that was discovered in July 2007. The exclusive program won two awards and had over 10,000 listeners both on live radio and on-demand; the program was removed from on-demand by Jenthony Enterprises, Inc. in late 2007 because it sparked controversy with the school district. A text version of the July 2007 bomb plot can be found in the WRAJ Internet Radio blog.

Vidgle staff including Sarah, Mike and Anthony have attended Connetquot High School.

The character of Muhammad was blocked by a censor bar. On last week’s episode, the character was hidden in a bear costume, when the costume was removed, Santa Claus appeared.

In a posting on RevolutionMuslim.com, showed a picture of Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh, who was shot and killed in Amsterdam in 2004. The film was written by a Muslim women who does not believe in Prophet Muhammad. With the photo, states “We have to warn Matt and Trey that what they are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo Van Gogh for airing this show,” a posting written by Al-Amrikee. “This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them.”

UPDATE: Viacom had stated that it added beeps to last night’s episode.

The episode was removed from SouthParkStudios.com by Comedy Central. On the site, it states “After we delivered the show, and prior to broadcast, Comedy Central placed numerous additional audio bleeps throughout the episode,” said a message on the site. “We do not have network approval to stream our original version of the show.”