Hollywood’s most glamorous couple is headed for Splitsville, according to a blockbuster book, “Brangelina: The Untold Story of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie” (Transit), out Tuesday. Author Ian Halperin, who spoke to 900 sources to build a “true picture” of the pair, talked exclusively to The Post about his most sensational findings.

It was 2004, just weeks before shooting was to begin on the action flick “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” when Angelina Jolie happened to visit the set of the hit show “Friends.”

“Brad is so excited to be working with you,” Jennifer Aniston told her husband’s new co-star. “I hope you guys have a really good time.”

They certainly did. Less than a year later, Brad Pitt and Jolie would pose for W magazine in a spread called “Domestic Bliss.” Real-life romance soon followed, as modern Hollywood’s most famous love triangle played out in the tabloids. Eventually, Pitt would leave Aniston and take up with Jolie, jetting to red carpets and orphanages around the world.

It was the electrifying love-making that brought Brangelina together, says Halperin, who followed the couple for five years to prepare to write his book. “Brad had never had such incredible sex,” Halperin says. “My sources say that they sometimes spent 18 to 20 hours a day in bed. But sex eventually wears off.”

ESCALATING TENSIONS

Now, Halperin claims, the couple “argues like cats and dogs — everything from politics to clothes the kids wear and Brad’s ‘atrocious habit,’ which includes pot smoking and alcohol.”

“I talked to several people in Brad’s family who wished they’d break up today. They’re scared for Brad’s safety and his well-being,” he says.

A limo driver who drove Brangelina frequently witnessed them “going at it in the back seat” twice and saw a “U-turn” in their relationship in 2007.

“I was more worried about his safety than hers,” the driver says. “She really flew off the handle, threatening him and lashing out at him. I can’t imagine how anyone would want to be with her every day, no matter how sexy she is. She has a temper like a cobra.”

A woman who worked with Pitt while he was filming “Troy” told Halperin: “They were definitely in love, but that’s where it gets tricky. If you want to know if they’re still together, the answer depends on when you ask the question.

“I’ve heard that they’ve broken up so many times it would make your head spin.

“There are apparently screaming matches, usually with her doing the screaming. Nobody really witnesses that part of it — they just see him leaving in a huff. But then he ends up coming back again, and nobody knows what happened to bring him back.”

CHEATING AND DRUGS

Pitt may have cheated on Jolie, according to Halperin’s book.

The most persistent story that crops up time and again involves Pitt and a beautiful Sudanese model, Amma, whom he met at a benefit for Darfur at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. He was seen with her at least one more time. Jolie has allegedly accused Pitt of cheating on her on more than one occasion, which is one of the reported sources of tension between the two, Halperin writes.

Another tension is Pitt’s pot use, the book states. According to a well-known Hollywood journalist, “[Pitt and Aniston] spent much of their married life stoned. But whereas he was chilled out, she could get pretty paranoid.”
PRICE OFFAME: While Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt project a glamorous image jetting off to red-carpet premieres, their six kids, including (from left) Maddox, Zahara and Shiloh, spend so much time with caretakers that one London hotel employee heard Shiloh call a nanny “Mommy.”

CONTINUE…

While this year’s Black Friday sales numbers should be trickling in over the next few hours, I just had to point out First Party,  the new clothes-for-professional-nerds venture from the Penny Arcade guys.  They won’t win Cyber Monday or anything (thanks to teenage girls, anything that doesn’t involve vampires is at a huge disadvantage this year), but every well dressed gamer should have the launch polo on their wish list. 

I first heard about the concept for First Party over a year ago in Wired’s piece on Jerry and Mike.  Just like Child’s Play and PAX, it’s a natural fit for the community and it’s a wonder no one stepped up years ago.  I’m excited to see what their line looks like a year from now, once they’ve diversified beyond essential polos.  One of these may just find a home next to the rainbow of Lacoste basics in my closet.  As an added bonus, they’re available for Xbox LIVE avatars too!

DSCN1314.JPG, originally uploaded by to paraphrase.

I live! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Or something like that.

Everything went fine with the hands. Except for the day after the injections when I went back to work and put them through more strain than I should have if I expect them to ever heal (WAY more). However, if I sleep with those enormous braces on, they don’t hurt so bad during the day.

Which is good, because I’m obsessed with the new BioWare game Dragon Age: Origins for the 360. It’s redonkulous, really. I’ve literally lost weight because all I do now is play that game. If I’m awake, I’m probably logging in time on it. I really wish I would have spent more time checking out the booth they had for it at PAX.

Took some time off from it today to work on these two portraits. Two minor characters in the novel I started for NaNoWriMo (which, by the way, isn’t going to be completed by midnight tomorrow – I’ll be lucky to reach my personal goal of 10K words). On the left, an Angel of Death named Camilla; on the right, the Roman goddess of rumours Fama.

I’m still waiting to hear on my application to SCAD, but I’m hoping to finish these two and put them in my portfolio DVD to send them sometime in the next week or two.

Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt kończy dzisiaj 6 lat Pax został adoptowany w marcu 2007 roku, jednak po raz pierwszy spotkał się z Bradem i Angeliną jesienią 2006 roku, gdy odwiedzili jego dom dziecka w Wietnamie. Wtedy jeszcze nie wiedzieli, że Pax za kilka miesięcy stanie się ich synem. Mając 3 lata trafił do zupełnie innego świata: nowy język, nowi rodzice, nowe rodzeństwo. Wydaje mi się, że świetnie wpasował się w tak odmienne środowisko. Więcej o adopcji Paxa możecie przeczytać na stronie magazynu People.

Więcej zdjęć:

Penny Arcade, unequivocally the world’s most popular gaming webcomic, has expanded and branched out beyond any other production of said medium, from selling a variety of merchandise to masterminding the yearly PAX Expo (and now PAX East).

The comic (and everything related to it) is a labour of love, which is made particularly apparent by the pilot episode of Penny Arcade: The Series, an 8-part web series available from their website. The two-part pilot currently stands alone as available for viewing, with two episodes planned to be released per month.  The show is free to view, and follows Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins around PAX 2009. At times remarkably touching, these first episodes cover the affection gamers have for the comic after 11 years and the birth of Jerry’s daughter Ronia.

Penny Arcade – PATV

A nome del Consiglio Nazionale di ‘Pax Christi’, il vicepresidente del movimento, Sergio Paronetto ha inviato il più vivo ringraziamento al nuovo presidente per aver accolto un incarico ‘che si colloca sulla scia dei suoi predecessori Carlo Rossi, Ismaele Castellano, Luigi Bettazzi, Tonino Bello, Diego Bona e Tommaso Valentinetti!.

Nel congedarsi, il presidente uscente di Pax Christi Italia ha detto: ‘I tempi che stiamo vivendo non sono certamente facili per continuare ad annunciare il Vangelo della Pace, ma nessuno di noi si senta esonerato da questa vocazione e dalla responsabilità di doverla realizzare là dove vive e opera’.

Collegato a Pax Christi International – che ha avuto, tra i suoi presidenti, Théas, Feltin, Alfrink, Daneels, Bettazzi, Sabbah e, tra i suoi collaboratori, Helder Camara e Oscar Romero – il movimento italiano rinnova ora il suo impegno di esperienza conciliare itinerante al servizio della pace.[CO]

Fonte:
http://www.misna.org/news.asp?a=1&IDLingua=2&id=260433

We have been given some exclusive coverage on the recent developments in special purpose acquisition companies and blank check companies from SPACupdate.com this morning.  Stream Global Services (AMEX: SGS), the business outsourcer brought public through SPAC Global BPO Services Co., has launched an offer to buy back its warrants from its blank check merger. As more than a dozen SPAC targets have leaped past their blank check’s IPO value, it is expected that investors will clamor to buy up warrants that offer big discounts on rising stock and that the companies affiliated with those blank checks will set out to curb dilution through buybacks.

Friday, China Holdings Acquisition Co. (AMEX: HOL) will have its deal vote to bring ceramic tile maker Jinjiang Hengda Ceramics Co., Ltd. The SPAC, earlier this week, entered into an agreement with forward contract champ Victory Park Capital Advisors to buy back 4 million shares at a small premium. The $150 million SPAC joins a long list of successful blank checks from this fall—among them, REIT-targeting vehicles Enterprise Acquisition Co. (AMEX: EST)—that used forward contracts to get their deals done.

New SPACs are headed to the market: 57th St. General Acquisition Co., using Morgan Joseph as its bookrunner, filed paperwork this week with regulators stating the intent to bring a $57 million blank check public. The SPAC, like GSME Acquisition Co., has a redemption threshold above the 80% mark. Warrant buyers should take note of the improved odds for a deal’s completion when making investment decisions, when both of these SPACs price. Both SPACs will trade OTC on the Bulletin Board.

Last week, it was revealed that Asia Special Situation Acquisition Co. (AMEX: CIO) lost not just its deal to buy an energy company, but its CEO as well, who resigned. The SPAC still has a few months to complete its deal, but the exit of its leadership and its one-time target spurning its offer to instead accept a $100 million investment elsewhere certainly does not bode well for the blank check.

Prospect Acquisition Co. (AMEX: PAX) completed its deal to buy California REIT Kennedy-Wilson Inc. last week. The SPAC’s merger was helped along, once again, by Victory Park Capital Advisors. China MediaExpress (AMEX: TMI) bought back almost $2 million in warrants, the SPAC revealed, in an effort to curb dilution. And China Fundamental Acquisition Co. (OTC: CFQCF) found a merger partner and might try to extend its deal deadline.

For more on these mergers and other deal votes, please visit www.SPACupdate.com.

Na 5 jaar samenwerking van producers Arts The Beatdoctor, Sense en STW, gezamenlijk bekend als The Q4, en met gastartiesten als PAX, Unorthadox, Terryman en anderen, komt het album Sound Surroundings eindelijk uit op LP, CD en iTunes. Op 22 januari wordt de plaat uitgebracht op het Berlijnse label Project Mooncircle. Pre-orderen kan nu al, waar je er gratis een limited Q4 shirt bij krijgt! Ik zeg doen.

CD + shirt: € 15,95
LP + shirt: € 13,95

We have been given some exclusive data from SPACupdate.com on the progress of many blank check and special purpose acquisition companies which their targets and relevant trading data. Prospect Acquisition Co. (AMEX: PAX), Hicks Acquisition Co. (AMEX: TOH), Enterprise Acquisition Co. (AMEX: EST), Triplecrown Acquisition Co. (AMEX: TCW), China Fundamental Acquisition Co. (OTC: CFQCF), Global Brands Acquisition Co. (AMEX: GQN), North Shore Acquisition Co. (OTC: NSAQ), and Asia Special Situation Acquisition Co. (AMEX: CIO) all have very recent or pending data important for SPAC and special situations investing.

Prospect Acquisition Co. (AMEX: PAX) has entered into forward sale or buyback contracts to get more than 3 million of its shares voting in favor of its deal, the SPAC announced. Prospect Acquisition’s deal vote to bring public Kennedy-Wilson Inc. is set for today—the SPAC’s deal deadline is tomorrow. Sources have indicated that with its latest agreements, set up with Victory Park Capital Advisors, Credit Suisse, Malibu Partner and other investors, the merger will have enough votes to pass.

Lately, Victory Park has helped several SPACs make it across the finish line, including Hicks Acquisition Co. (AMEX: TOH), Enterprise Acquisition Co. (AMEX: EST) and Triplecrown Acquisition Co. (AMEX: TCW). Earlier this week, Guardian Life Insurance Co., a lender to Kennedy-Wilson, bought into the blank check and was allowed to appoint one of its board members.

China Fundamental Acquisition Co. (OTC: CFQCF) has a deal. The SPAC has not revealed its merger target, so there’s not much more to report than that. The blank check’s warrants, at around $0.95, were trading higher than any other SPAC that had not declared a merger, prior to its announcement. China Fundamental told its shareholders it could look to extend its deal deadline by up to a year, to May 2011.

Global Brands Acquisition Co. (AMEX: GQN) has less than a month to complete a merger, but there is no time to get started like the present. As several SPACs have already done this fall, Global Brands will look to take Gerrity International, a West Coast REIT, public.

North Shore Acquisition Co. (OTC: NSAQ), which was working to get its merger with a Korean offshore drilling company completed by early December, announced that it is now attempting to push its deal deadline back to March 2010.

Asia Special Situation Acquisition Co. (AMEX: CIO) saw its deal with White Energy collapse when its target took a $100 million investment from another bidder. The SPAC now has until Jan. 10, 2010 to identify a new target and get a merger completed.

For more on these mergers and other deal votes, please visit www.SPACupdate.com.

Could the Brangelina clan get any bigger? If the current rumors turn out to be true, the insanely hot couple’s insanely cute brood could soon gain its next member.

Word has it that Angelina Jolie is taking steps to adopt a child from Syria. (Rumor also has it this is a solo venture. Does that imply she and Brad are breaking up? A topic for another day.)

If she succeeds, the new kid will join Maddox, Pax, Zahara (the adopted Pitt-Jolies), Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne (the biologicals), and will send the celebrity rags into a tizzy! (Hey, it’s been a while since we got a new Pitt-Jolie.)

Will she (and hopefully Brad) do it — adopt another child by 2/15? 44% of voting Predicto Mobile members say yes!

See what the opinionated players had to say!

What’s your take on the situation? Have your say by visiting Predicto.com and registering for the text message-based mobile game that has everyone predicting the outcome of sports, pop culture, news and entertainment events. Along with being able to vote on surveys, including this one, you’ll get updates when the answers are revealed.

Sign up today — and get more Predicto by becoming a fan on Facebook!

Pax 217 (2000)

Pax 217 have an interesting history. They first began in 1996 as a skafunkpop band with Frank Ortiz on lead vocals, Dave Tosti on BGV/ Bass, and Ethan Luck on BGV/Guitar. I would go to their shows all the time, seeing them play with bands like The OC Supertones, Tasty Snax, Rainy Days, etc. etc. They were cheesy as heck but they were fine musicians. There was nothing wrong with the group as a core, it was just something weird with their vocalist, he didn’t “fit” the band, and their “Ska” style was a bit tired. I booked the band in 1996 to play my youth group after speaking with Frank a few times on the phone, and they came out to play with Value Pac (One by One), and Rainy Days. There was a decent sized crowd but it was nothing to brag about. I was new to this whole “booking shows” thing being that I was only 17 years old but it was fun for whatever reason. I was a drummer but for some reason, couldn’t play in any band, so this was my outlet. Read on for the full article on Pax 217 and listen to some songs by this great band…..

I followed them for a few more years seeing them occasionally and I think at one point I even showed the demo tape to Kendall at Screaming Giant but not sure whatever happened there. Well Ethan Luck quit not long later and moved up to Project 86, then on to The Dingees and the rest is history. I dropped out of the music industry after some disastrous shows in 1997 and some deep soul-searching which left me exiting the whole scene around mid 97′ (see: Value Pac article to be posted later). I kind of lost touch with this band after that.

The year is 2000 and I hear through some word of mouth and advertisements that this band “Pax 217″ is releasing a new album soon on Forefront Records, a big “Christian” label distributed by Chordant/EMI. I checked out the pics and noticed one of the guys looked familiar and so I looked them up online and realized that this was the same “skapop” band with a retooled lineup and sound, but with Dave Tosti pushed forward to lead vocals now. They had also added “217″ to the end of their name. At first I was hesitant to give them a listen because I thought it’d be more horrendous off key skafunkpop stuff but I was wrong. I got the CD soon after it was released and popped it in and was like “Hey, this has groove and some smooth rhymes!”. They had dropped any ska flavor and added in a heavy dose of 311, P.O.D,  and Red Hot Chili Peppers, but mostly just 311. Songs like “A.M”, “Sandbox Praise”, “Prizm”, “No Place Like Home” were all highlights for me off this debut. The songs were mostly geared towards the youth group crowd but there was hint of a more serious element like Divorce in the song “No Place Like Home”.Most of the songs were like praise to our Creator and definitely some worshipful stuff. Even though their was a heavy 311/Reggae influence, I still found some entertainment value in it and definitely found myself bobbing my head along to it.

Two years had passed and Pax 217 was back with another record. This time they had officially added a DJ to the mix which changed things up a bit and added an even “fuller sound” to the band. “Engage” was released in 2002 and had guest vocals by Josh Kemble of Dogwood on the track “Yesterday”, which is a cool song. The album is still up there in the 311 atmosphere but the band had started to come into their own sound and was starting to experiment with their own mix of styles on this record which was evident on tracks like “Tonight” “Engage”, “Fly Away”, “Yesterday”, and even on the closer “Countin Down the Days”.  The band had added more of a “punk rock” edge to this album that was missing on their “Self Titled” debut. The guitars were louder, the bass lines deeper, and the drums more defined. This was definitely a band on the rise. The subject matter was also a bit darker on this album, see “What is Love” for proof, but in a good way. The band was taking chances like never before and for this they shall be forever commended.

At the height of the band’s popularity and after the release of “Engage”, I saw them perform at Harvest Crusade one year and it was an explosive performance, totally unforgettable. Sure they only played a few songs, but it was electrifying. The band was supported by several extra percussionists and their DJ. the full band sound was energetic and completely took me by surprise. I hadn’t seen them perform in a live setting since back when they were a skafunkpop band and I was definitely impressed if not, blown away by their performance that evening. They led the crowd with such an energy that everyone was joining in song and moving along in beat to their music like we were all under the roof of one giant club. It was nuts. That would be the last time I’d ever see Pax 217 in concert.

Pax 217 continued to play shows and their drummer left soon after “Engage” came out and the band dropped their DJ. The band retooled their lineup and went back to just being a simple 4 person live band, toning down some of their rhyming and playing a slighting more trendy sound for the masses, changing with the times. Pax 217 released their final ep “Check Your Pulse” in 2004 to their online audience and then the band disbanded not long after it’s release. I was bummed when they broke up but also when they modified their sound (Less 311, more Taking Back Sunday). I understand “Changing with the times”, I guess it’s something us fans will probably never grasp a hold of. Anyway, I am still saddened by this band’s demise and short life span. They definitely had a bright future before them and were just starting to come into their own sound on each subsequent release, leaving behind their 311 tendencies. Pax 217 were talented songwriters, lyricists, and musicians. They had a God given talent that hopefully future music fans will catch on to them someday while browsing bargain bins of used cds shops and reading blogs like this one. Let this article serve as a remembrance of a once great and powerful band. Let us remember their former glory and praise their talents. Sit back and crank it up to 11…..

Latest News: You can find Josh Auer and Joey Marchiano from Pax 217 playing in the band AVNER, Jesse Craig (Guitarist) will be playing guitar for The OC Supertones next summer during their reunion tour.  Dave Tosti (Lead Vocals) doesn’t currently have any music projects. Former Drummer Aaron Tosti “Skwid” played in Hawk Nelson for an album.

Pax 217 on the Web: Myspace, Itunes, Wikipedia, Amazon

Listen: Pax 217 “A.M” (from “Twoseventeen” 2000)

Listen: Pax 217 “Prizm” (from “Twoseventeen” 2000)

Listen: Pax 217 “Tonight” (from “Engage” 2002)

Listen: Pax 217 “Voices” (from “Engage” 2002)

Listen Pax 217 “Yesterday” (from “Engage” 2002)

Listen: Pax 217 “Check Your Pulse” (from “Check Your Pulse” ep 2004)

Pax 217 (2004)

5.  Figure It Out (Nickelodeon – off air)

—Ahh, Nickelodeon.  The old Nickelodeon, none of this “new-era animation” that makes clay animation look like a godsend.  The two personalities who stick out most in my mind are host Summer Sanders, and mainstay contestant Lori Beth Denberg.  Oh Lori Beth…I think I speak for any kid who grew up in the mid to late 90’s that we miss you.  Maybe “All That” could re-enter the world of television as well (not to mention eveyone’s favorite fast food restaurant movie “Good Burger”).  The great thing about “Figure It Out” was not only the fantastic prizes offered (mountain bikes, stereo systems, SPACE CAMP), but the always anticipated slimings.  Green goo poring from the ceiling onto some unsuspecting guest?  Doesn’t get much better than that.

4.  Jeopardy (CBS/GSN – on air)

—What kind of trivia list would be complete without the legendary Jeopardy?  Thankfully the good people at GSN provide multiple doses of Trebek each day; my preference is the 1:00AM showing where I can’t quite yell at the screen, but still get upset when Wolf Blitzer confidently answers that Jesus’s birthplace was Jersusalem.  C’mon Wolfy, I know it’s for charity, but you can do better than that.  The mysterious appearing and vanishing of Trebek’s mustache is another highlight that always intrigues me.  No-mustache brings me back to the younger days, while mustache-Trebek screams “Hooked On Phonics.”  And who could forget the Jeopardy God himself, Ken Jennings?  Please respect his authority:

3.  Supermarket Sweep (PAX – off air)

—Groceries, food trivia,  and old people racing through aisles to load up on today’s specials and looking for the all-mighty “bonuses”.  Three of my favorite things.  Someone needs to get in contact with PAX or UPN or some other seconds rate station and remind them of all the great things the Sweep offers.  Three teams of pairs, generally husband and wife, face off to answer questions regarding the products located in the store.  The Sweep also wins the award for Most Entertaining Finale, as it offers up some of the most hectic shopping in less than two minutes.  Never have I seen three full-grown adults scuffle and shove to see how many honey baked hams they can fit in their carts (maximum of 5) until this.  Extra points awarded for the teams that can get the ground coffee beans, candy, and bagels/donuts.  All part of the pursuit to find a wad of $5,000 sitting behind the Planter’s Cashews.  Well done.  Plus (bonus knowledge), the shoddy excuse for a gameshow “Show Til You Drop” was generally aired after Supermarket Sweep.  I don’t want to get all worked up over how such a terrible concept of a show can hold my attention for so long, so I won’t.

2.  Cash Cab (Discovery Channel – on air)

—Ben Bailey: my favorite TV personality.  Incredibly intelligent and funny show, I find myself rooting for the group of four old women on their way to a matinee and against the pompous pricks that seem to be way to good to play along with the game.  Cash Cab is a true trivia show, in that there is no category per say, so the question genre is always mixed up.  Bailey never ceases to amuse me with his array of accents and cultures he fronts to the contestants as they enter the cab.  He can do anything from a whiny old guy to the infamous Brooklyn accent.  Then of course, after the passangers’ destination is requested, off go the plaid lights.  Some people freak out, some know what’s going on (“OH MY GOD, I LOVE THIS SHOW!”), and some just look irritated.  Regardless, this show is a 10/10 for watching with interesting contestants.  The good ones will always name 5 of the 7 Wonders of the World in 30 seconds, and will also go for the video bonus question at the end.  You know what?  All of the above information is irrelevant.  This gameshow is happening in a moving vehicle.  I think that’s enough said.

1.  Stump the Schwab (ESPN – off the air)

—Being a huge sports buff, Stump the Schwab takes the cake.  You know those guys that answer every question they hear on the TV or radio…or anywhere else, that has to do with sports?  The Afflack Trivia question is “What was the record of the 1922-1923 New York Yankees?”, and they will jump off the coach to scream “101 wins and 61 losses!”  Yeah, everyone knows at least one of those guys.  Anyway, this show consists of three of them per show.  Not to mention “The Schwab” who is an absolute guru.  Seriously, there can’t, just CAN’T, be anyone else on this planet that knows more random sports trivia than this guy.  Stuart Scott hosts, who will never run out of original ways to say to the exiting contestant “You’re not as good as you thought, get off my show.”  I love watching The Schwab put these guys in their place.  The lucky contestant that manages his way to the final round rarely out-knowledges The Schwab, who is quick to shake the losers hand.  Which reminds me, this guy has to have the largest selection of pro jerseys known to man.  Everything from the Polomalu jersey to Brett Hull, he has them all.  Excellent gameshow; hugs and handpounds, everyone.

As a brief aside first, check out this post at io9, it’s got some good tips for any aspiring writers of fiction (I’m looking at you on this one, Geo). Now, let’s go a bit further down the ol’ rabbit hole, eh?

What we have today is a lil’ list of my favorite webcomics and we’re gonna start with the best and the one I unabashedly stole my title from.

1. xkcd: This one’s been around for eons (in internet years) and still remains funny as hell; assuming, of course, that you get it. And I’m not trying to be condescending here, some of them fly right over my head. But the one’s that don’t, the ones that hit me full on in the face like a bug hitting a motorcyclist without a helmet…those ones are high-larious. It’s made by Randall Munroe, who is awesome and came to ConnectiCon this past year, and it covers pretty much the entire nerd gamut, from science fiction to scantrons to physics and James Bond to the absurdity of life and sooo much more. Though this one gives a pretty fair summarization of his topics. Also, make sure you check out the title-text (aka just hover your mouse over the picture of the comic for a bit).

2. Order of the Stick: Or OOTS for short, has also been around for ages…they’re on #687 at the moment. Now this one’s a little trickier because it’s really only funny if you like “Satan’s Game” (that’s Dungeons and Dragons for all of you not familiar with 8-bit Theater or the Dead Ale Wives, attack the darkness, yo). If you’re that brand of nerd, find this, it’s great.

3. Questionable Content: This one’s not all that nerdy, though there is some serious music nerdiness going on at places, and the author does a separate blog about indie music. It’s mostly about life, some geekery, and relationships…it also occasionally tells you how to defeat the Awkward Zone with the power of frosty brews and fancy suits, which is a little more old-school classy than dressing up for the casino.

4. Penny Arcade: And now we get to the brilliance of Penny Arcade. Their topic changes from comic to comic, much like xkcd, but they’re mostly gamer geeks, much like GU Comics, but better, and more chock full of awesome. And they throw a big ol’ geek convention every year called PAX (Penny Arcade Expo) and next year it’ll be like christmas in March because they’re gonna do two, words cannot express how pumped I am for PAX East in Boston.

5. Least I Could Do: This one’s about sex and it’s hilarious. What more do you need to know? Seriously?

6. The Scout Report: If you don’t play WoW you probably won’t get most of the jokes, and if you don’t know what WoW stands for, then you probably don’t play it. Also in this category is Looking For Group, which started off fairly WoW-esque but has since become its own beast. Also, it’s done by the same people as Least I Could Do, though more violent then sexual, because, well, you know…

7. Qwantz or Dinosaur Comics: Same strip every single day. The same. Every day. The only thing that changes is the dialogue. T-Rex steps on the house and talks to Dromiceiomius and Utahraptor every day. Sound weird? That’s because it is. It’s also brilliant.

8. Transmission-X: This isn’t just one comic, it’s NINE. Kind of a collective publishing and distribution gig, which is cool. It’s also the only one with serious plot lines and such; aside from Princess Planet, they all read much more like graphic novels than something you’d find in the funny papers (unless of course, you count Doonesbury). Check them out, they’re worth the read, especially The Abominable Charles Christopher.

9. PvP: Any gamer can tell you what PvP stands for. Though PvP is more like a geek-obsessed webcomic version of the Office, but funnier.

10. Red vs Blue: RvB started out as a machinima rather than a proper comic, but over the years they’ve expanded out into some really great machinima, some funny as hell live action skits of crap around their office, and a webcomic that brings me back every day to see what manner of drunken x-box craziness they’re up to now.

Voor de eerste keer lanceert Hasselt de Week van de Vrede van 9 tot en met 15 november met heel wat activiteiten, in overleg met het provinciebestuur. Daarmee steunt het stadsbestuur de Vredesweekslogan ‘Vrede, verdraagzaamheid en vriendschap’. We staan stil bij enkele evenementen.

Woensdag 11 november, de dag van Wapenstilstand en de beëindiging van de Eerste Wereldoorlog, staat toch wel centraal in de Vredesweek. Er wordt geijverd voor een verdraagzame wereld vol vrede en vriendschap. Een plechtige bloemenhulde en toespraken aan het Provinciaal Monument op het Dusartplein om 10u40, gevolgd door een halte aan de ‘Tegel voor Verdraagzaamheid’ op het Groenplein en een ontvangst op het stadhuis, staan op het programma.

Pax Christi

Ook Pax Christi Limburg houdt een vredeswake vanaf 15u bij het standbeeld van de Onbekende Oorlogsvrouw, aan de Guffenslaan bij de Maastrichterpoort. Safiéra Koné uit Burkina Faso komt getuigen over de gevolgen van de klimaatverandering, de conflicten die daardoor ontstaan en wat dit voor de vrouwen betekent. Het koor ‘La Grâce’ van Les Amis Du Congo verzorgen de muzikale omkadering. Van 15u30 tot 17u30 kan worden nagekaart met een drankje in het Ontmoetingscentrum Sint-Katarina aan de N.Cleynaertlaan 1. Info: 012/74 30 42.

11.11.11

De campagne 11.11.11 staat dit jaar in het teken van’Waardig Werk’ voor iedereen of  ’Werknemers zijn geen gereedschap’, hier en in het Zuiden. Hiervoor zullen ook de nodige openbare geldinzamelingen door vrijwilligers worden gehouden. Het stadsbestuur getuigt zijn solidariteit door jaarlijks hier subsidies te geven aan projecten in ontwikkelingslanden van Hasselaren die zich daarvoor engageren.

www.hasselt.be

Brad as DJ Lance, Zahara as Batgirl

The Jolie-Pitt gang went all out for their night of Halloween trick-or-treating in Los Angeles.

Dad Brad was DJ Lance from Nickelodeon’s hit show, Yo Gabba Gabba (what’s in the cup Brad?)

Angelina was dressed as the walking dead.

Angelina with Maddox, and holding Zahara

Angelina and Shiloh

Maddox was a dead army soldier, Zahara was Batgirl and Shiloh was a jet fighter. No pictures of Pax and the twins didn’t come out.

Kilka moich refleksji

- Brad jest przebrany za gospodarza programu dla dzieci, rozbrajają mnie jego wisiorki przyczepione do brody (już coś takiego miał w 2002 roku). Ze spodni wystaje mu różowa szmatka Shiloh

- Angelina i Maddox jako zombies wyglądają cool, szczególnie fajny jest kolor ich włosów i sztuczna krew na twarzy i bluzce Angeliny. Wydaje mi się, że widzę Paxa na pierwszym zdjęciu – idzie tuż za Angeliną ubrany w mundur.

- Zahara jako Batman (BatGirl? ) wygląda kapitalnie, poza tym na pierwszym zdjęciu oczarowały mnie jej wielkie, piękne oczy i regularne rysy twarzy – wyrośnie z niej wspaniała dziewczyna!

- Shiloh najwyraźniej dalej ma fazę “tomboya” i wzorem braci ubrała się w mundur. Widzę na jej czapce skrzydełka, więc pewnie jest amerykańskim pilotem

- Nie wiem co Brad i Angie niosą w swoich szklaneczkach, ale myślę, że za ich poświęcenie należało im się wczoraj coś mocniejszego do picia

}Exposição Paulo Leminski : 20 anos em outras esferas @ Itaú Cultural.

O Itaú Cultural apresenta a terceira edição do projeto Ocupação, dedicada ao poeta, romancista, compositor e tradutor Paulo Leminski. Criado para fomentar o diálogo da nova geração de artistas com os criadores que os influenciaram, Ocupação integra o trabalho perene do instituto, formado por ações de incentivo à produção contemporânea e de preservação da memória artística, entre outras iniciativas.

A exposição, com curadoria de Ademir Assunção e consultoria da poeta Alice Ruiz, é uma oportunidade para vários perfis de público tomar contato com a obra de Leminski – por meio de poemas, composições, depoimentos em vídeo, manuscritos e textos inéditos. É também um espaço no qual o instituto pode direcionar sua ação educativa para o aprofundamento e a compreensão do papel de artistas como o poeta curitibano.

Em edições anteriores, Ocupação dedicou-se à apresentação da produção de artistas referenciais das artes visuais (Nelson Leirner) e do teatro (Zé Celso). Em dezembro, o projeto propõe uma reflexão sobre a arte cinética, com apresentação de obras históricas do criador dessa linguagem, o brasileiro Abraham Palatnik. Em 2010, a música, a arte tecnológica, o cinema e novamente as artes visuais serão enfocadas em exposições individuais de expoentes nessas áreas de expressão.

Sábado dia 31 vai rolar a exibição da animação Belowars e debate com o diretor Paulo Munhoz. O longa-metragem é uma livre adaptação do livro Guerra Dentro da Gente, de Paulo Leminski.  Paulo Munhoz é engenheiro mecânico, diretor de cinema e desenvolve software multimídia para educação e cultura. Dirigiu as animações Pax, O Poeta e Brichos.

Cryptic has released 12 new screenshots for STO and if this is how the game looks you can beam me up right now. Our good friends at KOTAKU who have played the game when it was at PAX WEST have a more measured approach  and  a leery eye doesn’t hurt in these matters but you can still beam me up I drank the Kool-Aid long ago when I first heard Cryptic’s announcement ( they even had Leonard Nimoy on hand)  that they were bringing out STO, of course back then I and probably everyone else was thinking it would be years down the road before  this one saw the light of day yet here we are in Closed Beta with a Q1 2010 release date If you like your screenshots extra-large and who doesn’t ZAM has 5 of them fore you 

The TEKKEN 6 GGL competition is soon under way with the Practice Ladder now live and the actual Tournament Ladder beginning Monday, Nov 2nd through Sunday, Nov. 29th, followed by a Playoff Bracket beginning Dec 2nd and a Live National Final on Dec 12th in San Francisco, CA!  Register now to participate!  For more details, click below and be sure to click on the RULES tab after choosing a system ladder.

• GGL – TEKKEN 6 ONLINE TOURNAMENT

By Hans Wuerflein

Sunday started with the semifinal round of the Omegathon, Connect 4.  They’ve traditionally done board games in the past, most notoriously Jenga.

They had a 10 second timer on to keep things moving.  I guess they learned their lesson a few years ago with a Jenga that took something like an hour and a half.

Anyway, the guy who got in by being in second place was one of the two to move on to the still secret final round.

Next we went over to check out the public demo of Star Wars: The Old Republic.  In case you haven’t been following it, it’s a Star Wars MMORPG being developed by BioWare (the developers of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic) for release some time next year.

They had several guys in full costume as Jedi walking around before they got the presentation started.

Now, I’m sure those of you with some photography experience are wondering why I didn’t use flash, because lets be honest, despite that being a cool picture, it’s a little blurry.  Here’s why:

They’re lit internally and made of fairly reflective plastic, so it looks more like he’s holding part of a curtain rod than a lightsaber.  Plus you miss out on that little bit of really cool looking motion blur.

Anyway, the game looks absolutely amazing.  I was leaning toward getting the game already.  Then I heard the following:

“People have asked us, ‘Are you going to do a KotOR 3?’  Yes. And a 4, and a 5, and a 6, and they are this game.”

(Note: It’s been a few weeks and I can’t remember who exactly from BioWare was speaking at the time,  so if you are somehow reading this, sorry, and if anyone else remembers, please tell me.)

The demo they showed off looked like essentially a multiplayer KotOR, in that it actually had a strong storyline.  I was really impressed that it used the dialog system from Mass Effect, and like Mass Effect, the choices you make will have a lasting impact on the storyline and its missions.  It’s good to see an MMO have missions more complex than ‘I need 12 pelts/horns/magic doo-dads.’

They showed off four of the classes, two good, to evil.  Well, there’s some gray area there, but I digress.  On the “good” side you had the Jedi and Trooper.  Yes, the Troopers are good, because it’s way in the past of the Star Wars universe, and these are different, non-clone, non-storm troopers, so just go with it.

On the “evil” side you have the Sith and the Bounty Hunter.  Again, I’m not sure that Bounty Hunters are necessarily evil, but they’re in it for the money, and money is the root of all evil, so shut up, they needed a close counter to the other guys with lots of guns.

I can’t wait to see the rest of the classes.

They had a couple treats for the audience, most notably an inside joke.

I saw a few good cosplays walking around that afternoon.  First, there were these guys, who were great, but I have no idea who they were supposed to be.  If anyone knows, feel free to comment.

Also, there was a pretty good, but thankfully not entirely in character, Pyramid Head from Silent Hill 2.

Also, while waiting in the VIP line for Wil Wheaton, and yes, there were so many people trying to get in that the people who normally got to cut had to get in their own, separate line, I made quite possibly the most important discovery of our time: I found Waldo.

Anyway, I went to a couple more panels, including one about the quality of video game reviews hosted by a bunch of industry vets, full of great stories.  For example, while discussing integrity and whether or not it is necessary to do every little thing in every game you review, one guy talked about how a former writer for his site once docked Max Payne a couple points in his review because he didn’t like the multiplayer.  Max Payne has no multiplayer.  I think you can see the problem here.  That’s why I refered to him as a former writer.

I also checked out the second Penny Arcade panel.  There were more great questions from the audience, but two things in particular stand out.

First a swarm (?) of Boo(s) attacked.

One guy went up to the mic and asked them to close their eyes while a group of fans with boo masks crept up to the stage.  They did a great job with it, and even tried to “hide” when Gabe and Tycho looked at them.

Second, during the previous panel they had talked briefly about weird, homoerotic fan art of their characters people have drawn.  Well, this time around someone had some of it with them:

I love Tycho’s reaction in this shot.  Right after this Gabe said he was going to sign it across ‘his junk’ and Tycho freaked out a little.

“Don’t sign it!  Now it’ll go on eBay as an original!”

After the Penny Arcade panel a couple of us went over to check out “Wil Wheaton presents: THE AWESOME HOUR!!1″  And yes, like I mentioned before, there was such a demand for seats that in addition to the Super Best Friends Club VIP line they actually had to use the main line up area and shepherd people over.

Even though we had to wait in line, our seats were great:

Wil’s performance/speech/show thingy was fantastic.  He told several stories from the books he’s written, Just a Geek and Dancing Barefoot as well as part of his keynote address from PAX ‘07.  He talked about his first trip to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show, an embarrassing diner at Black Angus, and how the NES was probably the most powerful computer ever made.

This next picture really is just to show the level of admiration this man has within the geek community:

Yes, panties were thrown.

He also fielded questions from the crowd, and most of them were great, but one in particular stands out.

Godfather of Nerdcore hip-hop, self-proclaimed 579th greatest rapper on Earth, and Penny Arcade Rapper Laureate MC Frontalot.

He and Wil did a bit they worked on for one of Frontalot’s albums.  Really, here, just watch:

Sunday evening was the grand finale of PAX, so everyone headed back to the main event room to see the final round of the Omegathon.  Once again, I got to cut, and this time I drug the whole group along with me.  Here’s the final line:

Most of the other Omegathon rounds had maybe 40 people in the room, with the exception of the round right before Saturday’s concerts.  This one had thousands, and with good reason.  There’s the tension of still not knowing what they’re going to play.  There’s the tension of watching two of your fellow gamers compete for a great prize, with the loser only getting an invite to try again next year.  Then there’s the fact that there really isn’t anything else going on at that time and it’s the official end of PAX, so really, where else are they going to be?

We got in early, but sat back a ways to get actual seats.  Everyone else filled in in front of us, but several of us still had sore feet from the concert the night before, so there was no way we were standing up for another hour.

Everyone was still talking about what the final game would be.  And really, it can be anything.  They did Vs. Excitebike the year before, a game that only came out in Japan for the Famicom Disk System (a floppy disk drive add-on for the Japanese NES).

During the build up to it Gabe and Tycho mentioned that they had done just about every type of game for a final round, but that they wanted to take it back to the arcade.  The crowd buzzed with anticipation.  What could it be?

Skeeball?  Really? Yes really.

Finalists had to square off in a score competition for the trip to Tokyo on what turned out to be the single crappiest functioning Skeeball machine in the world.

Seriously, the kept breaking down so often during the competition that they had to keep score by hand.

After several rounds, last year’s runner up finally…lost.  Again.  Better luck next year guy.   Really though, you’re getting three years of line cutting privileges out of this.  Don’t knock it. Let’s just hope you don’t turn into the early ’90s Buffalo Bills of the Omegathon.

Well, that pretty much wraps things up.  It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life, and even though I got pwned out of the Omegathon so early, I really can’t wait to go back.  Maybe a trip to Boston for the new PAX East…

I’ll read over these again and post anything I missed, plus some stuff from sightseeing in Seattle the next morning before our flight home later this week.

An understandingName Brands of exactly why the birth mother gave them up TV & Video is important to getting over that feeling of loss.”
It’s likely that Angelina would never stand Remote StartersZahara’s way if she wanted to meet her birth family when she is old enough to make that choice. “Zahara, like Maddox and Pax, knows that she is adopted,” says Angie’s friend. “As they did with Maddox when they took him on a trip to Cambodia last year and as they will do with Pax and Vietnam, they’ll take Zahara back to Ethiopia to get to know the country where she came from, its people and its customs and cultures.If, at some point in the future, it feels right, then Angelina might take Zahara to meet her mom and her other relatives.
“But let’s not forget that these people abandoned Zahara,” adds Angelina’s friend. “If it wasn’t for Angie’s intervention, she would have died.”