Chicago, IL (April 17, 2007) - The April 28th episode of Shots in the Dark will be recorded at the Shots in the Dark Launch Party at Hero Headquarters! The episode will include the usual geek news, as well as interviews with Tim Demeter, Mike Norton, and Skottie Young. You can participate in this week’s show just by attending the party and saying hi! The party will be from 10am - 9pm on Saturday, April 28th at Hero Headquarters, 1530 W. Lake Cook Rd. in Wheeling, IL.

Other activities at the launch party include gaming of many different kinds including Heroclix, raffles and auctions of signed goods from Brian K. Vaughan, Robert Richardson, Sean McKeever, Eric Wight, and Geoff Johns, as well as original sketches and pages by creators such as Phil Hester and Ande Parks. Half of the proceeds from the auctions and raffles, as well as 100% of the proceeds from any sketches done at the event will be donated to the Hero Initiative ( www.heroinitiative.org). The Shots in the Dark launch party also kicks off the Grand Re-Opening Week of Hero Headquarters which will culminate in their own celebration on May 5th!

Don’t forget there are now THREE great Shots in the Dark episodes available for download on the Shots in the Dark website, including the gang’s interview with comics legend Jeph Loeb!

It’s that time again! A brand spankin new episode of Shots in the Dark is up and ready for your consumption! Find the answers to those burning questions*:
1) What is the meaning of life?

2) How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?

3) Why ask why?

Get these answers, plus all the geek news, comic and manga reviews, and even a tech Geek Out! from yours truly, RIGHT HERE!

Plus, check out The Viceroy’s second installment of his Game Developer Diary! He gives us some great insight into the process of actually making a video game from start to finish!

See that HERE!

Then head to the forums and tell us what you think, and what YOU want to hear on upcoming shows! Stay tuned to the SitD Blog for a 4 part series covering the burgeoning field of Nerdcore Hip-hop throughout this week, as well!

*None of these questions are actually answered on the show. The last one is just Drink Bud Dry, though. So there ya go. 1 outta 3 ain’t bad. 

I was given the opportunity to review the book Women! Rebel! recently, and I accepted the offer for many reasons. The first is that as a writer, I enjoy reading other writers that are in the beginning stages of everything. The second is that I thought that even if I didn’t agree with the ideas behind the book, it sounded interesting.

The premise of the book is basically that women should not accept any crap from men. This is a valid premise, of course, and one I agree with. The author, Gabby Buzzman, was writing not only about others but also about her own experience after two divorces. It’s obvious from the title and the cover (three female fists in the air) that this was not going to be a happy-go-lucky book. But before I get into my feelings on the book, I must say that I understand why the author wrote it. It is a horrible thing to be treated like dirt, and no one deserves it. However, I did not deserve the suffering thrust upon me when I opened this book.

(more…)

About 7 years ago, I was a young, impressionable girl with a love of angry, loud music. Through some random events, I won tickets to a huge music festival, which I was very excited for. I couldn’t go until later in the day, and just as I got there, it was announced that the rest of the festival had been cancelled. Apparently lightning had hit the stage while a band was playing, and they refused to go back out because of that (not that you can really blame them!). And that band was Kittie. So, with such fond memories on my mind, many years later, I decided to check out their new album, Funeral for Yesterday, which also happens to be their first album on their own label.

My reaction to this new album is a very mixed one. I think that Kittie has the potential to be very good, which may seem to be a strange thing to say about a band that’s been around for 10 years, but to be fair they have only existed in this incarnation for a few years. In addition to that, they have quite obviously undergone a lot of changes in the many years since I last listened to them, all of them for the better. I think the departure from screaming in so many songs is a good choice on their part, and it is a good album vocally. Musically, they are definitely talented. However, this is not a great album. For one, the vocals are mastered a little too quietly for me, which leaves me straining to hear them at some points, and generally leaves the listener feeling a little off kilter. I thought at first that this was just a fluke with one stereo, but it was noticable on multiple computers, with varied speaker sets ranging from cheap computer speakers to extensive 5.1 surround sound, plus an actual stereo and on an iPod. For another, this album is definitely not lyrically original. Some of the lyrics read exactly like some of the poetry I wrote as a teenager - exactly like some of the poetry EVERY teenaged girl writes. That may make for an easily relatable album, but it also makes for boredom for any more sophisticated listeners.

With all of that said, I don’t think this album should be disregarded at all. Some of the tracks are excellent, like the title track, Summer Dies, and Around Your Heart. That doesn’t entirely make up for the less than stellar ones, like Everything That Could Have Been, Never Again, and Flower of Flesh and Blood. My suggestion for pretty much anyone interested in this album is to take a listen to the samples on iTunes and buy only what you like. Your other option is to pay for the entire album and brave the not so good and the bad for the songs that are worth it. If you really love metal, or you are a very angry teenaged girl, then I would suggest the latter. If you are anyone outside of those two groups, I’d suggest the former. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give them a chance at all.

Ladies and gents, the Shots in the Dark crew is happy to announce that our site is up and running! You can check it out here.  Or, if you prefer to do the typing yourself, it’s just www.ShotgunReviews.com/shots.  Only 8 more days until our first podcast is uploaded!  Keep your eyes open for more info about what we’ll be talking about, or tell us what you want us to talk about in the forums!

On April 21st, Shots in the Dark (the new Shotgun Reviews podcast - how’d you miss that announcement?) will be holding a launch party in Chicago to celebrate the momentous occasion. It will be a crazy, all-day shindig that will be part comic book convention, part gaming event, part concert… a little of everything that the Shots in the Dark crew loves. Best of all, we’re donating half of the proceeds from the event to The Hero Initiative (www.heroinitiative.org).

So how can you help? We need donations of comic books and video games. The comics we’ll be selling for .25 each, and the games for $5 each. Also, if you’re a writer or artist in the Chicago area, we would love to set you up with a table so you can harass our loyal fans.  If you’re a writer or artist that can’t make it to our event, signed copies of your work that we can raffle or auction off would be much appreciated!  And if you’re a band, then we’d love for you to play a set! If you can’t help in any of these ways, but you want to help, still contact us and we’ll figure something out!

If you want more information on where to send donations, or any of the other things listed above, contact Janelle at NekointheDark@gmail.com.

More details about the actual event will be released soon!

Here’s a bit from an official Shotgun press release that’s going out . . .

SHOTGUNREVIEWS.COM ANNOUNCES RELAUNCH AND FORUMS;
ADDS INTERNET RADIO SHOW “SHOTS IN THE DARK”

Indianapolis, IN (March 20, 2007) –The recently revamped ShotgunReviews.com, offering pop culture reviews and commentary since 1999, is proud to announce the addition of “Shots in the Dark”, a weekly internet radio show devoted to pop culture, with spotlights on video games and comics. The first installment of this brand-new show debuts in podcast format on Saturday, April 7th. Featuring the talents of Vince Scalabrino, Lucas Siegel and Janelle Siegel, the show will welcome prominent guests from genre entertainment and feature “Shotgun Blasts”, mini-segments starring other contributors from ShotgunReviews.com.

That’s right, kids. April 7th. Write it down.

Saturday, March 3rd, 1pm Central…MC LARS Live on Play or Die!

That’s right boys and girls, it’s finally that time!

We teased you before…gave you a taste of the anticipation…

We told you he’d be on the phone, chatting with us, but it ended up being a farce- a lie- a, a, well, a mistake, really, but hey, who’s counting?

This time we’re making SURE he’s on the air by having MC Lars, the leader of the iGeneration LIVE IN THE STUDIO!!!

Who’s MC Lars you ask? For shame! Go whip yourself 3 times. You back? Great! www.mclars.com www.myspace.com/mclars

MC Lars is a fantastic post-punk laptop rapper. He rocks the nerdcore, he rolls with the English geek set, and sometimes, SOMEtimes, he just makes fun of the sorry state of affairs a lot of hip hop is in right now.

Play or Die is the show you know and love. We’ll still be talking all things geek: Comics, video games, tech; this time it’ll be with Lars giving input. We’ll be asking him those burning questions every fan wants to know to. You won’t know Lars unless you hear this interview.

So don’t miss MC Lars talking with The Geek (yours truly), Vag McCloud (there can be only one), The Viceroy (our man on the inside), Vicious Vince (the booth runner extraordinaire), and Victoris (always ready with a dick and fart joke), SATURDAY MARCH 3RD. Just click that lovely PLAY OR DIE link (or that one [or that one...or this one, for that matter]) and click “Listen AM” up towards the top. The show streams LIVE to YOUR computer from 1pm-3pm Central, and will be available for download in handy podcast form soon after.

And if you’re in the Chicago area, don’t forget to check out Lars LIVE at Champ’s. Just click the link for more info. Play or Die will be there, and you can meet us, greet us, and we’ll even let you buy us a drink! We’ll be in your ears at 1, and we’ll see you at Champs at 6!

-The Geek-

Greetings and welcome to the new ShotgunReviews.com. Since 1999, we’ve done our best to give you worthwhile (and often funny) reviews and columns, and it’s time to shake off the rust and do it a little differently. We’ve kicked around a few ideas regarding how we’d do this new thing, and we hope you like what you see.

The new design comes to us from Barb Hallock, a student of mine with the appropriate attitude for this place (that is, bad). The more bloggish format puts us more on par with the current landscape. After all, we’ve been doing this almost eight full years. It was time for a big change. I think that you’ll agree that the new format, with a huge list of categories and easy searching, is a good one.

As part of that big change, we’ve brought in an influx of new talent from a variety of places. The entirety of our Best Shots team, responsible for the Best Shots column that runs every Monday at Newsarama.com, is now operating here in several capacities. You’ll also meet several talented young writers, including Barb herself, who will be tackling a variety of topics.

However, if you’re one of the rare folks that has read us since 1999, don’t get too worried. Shawn Delaney will still grace us with terrific music reviews, as will Jonathan Birdsong and the Lyrical Lounge crew. The Russ is back on wrestling coverage in full force. L.I. Rapkin’s already kicking in some culture. Eric Barker’s already opened the film vaults. And they aren’t the only familiar faces lurking around.

In the next few days and weeks, you’ll see the roster expand a little more and you’ll see some new recurring columns and features that we hope will become favorites. If you want to check out the old stuff, the old site currently still exists in its full glory under the archive button. If you want to talk about any of the stuff, old or new, visit our newly established forums.

So there’s my big speech. Enjoy yourselves, express yourselves, and invite friends. ShotgunReviews.com never went away, but we are most certainly back. Thanks for your time.

Okay, so what I’m about to say is going to shock a lot of people, even my closest friends.

GO BUY THE NEW FALL OUT BOY CD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is amazing. Jaw-dropping, addictive, beautiful, catchy… Seriously, go buy it now.

Now, when I first heard Fall Out Boy, I didn’t like them. I thought, wow, another generic pop-punk band. Whoo hoo. Then I heard “Dance, Dance,” and I was like, okay, they might be decent. So we got the first major label album. And it was good, but… it wasn’t fantastic. The new album, Infinity On High, is almost like it came from a totally different band. I’m kind of insulted that they had this much musical talent, and put out something like their first major label album. I know, I know, it’s tough to get signed, and once you do, then you can start to do the stuff you really love, etc., etc. But it really could be a totally different band that did this CD. “This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race” is a good song, and it’s so easy to get stuck in your head. But it’s definitely not the best, by far. My favorite is called “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs,” which is a great ode to one night stands that you just… can’t help but sing along to at the top of your lungs. I just can’t help but crank it whenever it comes on… which has been a lot lately! But it’s just so great cuz it’s like… kind of sarcastic and bitter. “Thanks for the memories, even though they weren’t so great, he tastes like you only sweeter.” Another favorite is “Fame < Infamy.” I like the chorus cuz it sounds dirty but it’s not. “When I’m home alone I just can’t stop myself.” LOL. Plus the line “I’m alright in bed but I’m better with a pen,” is just freaking fantastic.

The depth to the music is amazing. Musically, it’s leaps and bounds from the last album. Lyrically, it’s a lot of the sometimes incomprehensible FOB that we all know and love (I still insist that “Dance, Dance” has a line about poodles in a hot tub), but it’s a lot more… grown up. There’s a lot to discover in this album that you won’t hear the first time, or even the tenth listen. They didn’t let themselves be kept in a musical corner by what was expected of them. This album is something along the lines of if Maroon 5 and Panic! At The Disco had a baby, but it’s even hard to compare it to those two, because it is still its own distinct Fall Out Boy flavor.

Some people aren’t going to like this album and they are stupid. Haha, no, seriously. I’ve played the entire album to different friends of mine, and most agree that it’s leagues beyond what they’ve heard of Fall Out Boy in the past. A few, however, commented that it sounds like “something from the Backstreet Boys.” I just want to say, for the record, that harmonizing in a song does not a pop song make. The harmonies are one of the greatest things in this album, and part of what gives it its depth. A rock band can and should have vocal chops too.

I declare this album a must buy for anyone who is passionate about music – and I don’t mean people who are passionate about a specific kind of music. I mean, if you love everything musical and you feel you have a good appreciation of musical endeavors that stretch the boundaries of what is out there, then you would be remiss to not buy this. If you like alternative rock, new wave, pop punk, punk, or rock, it is also a must buy. For everyone else, it’s a should buy – because it will expand your musical borders.

Howdy folks! Mmmmm, how I love the blogging. I’m very excited about the new form Shotgun has taken, and even more excited about contributing as regularly as possible. So I just wanted to say welcome to the new Shotgun Reviews! Yay.

In the coming…. week or so, you can look forward to a review of the new Fall Out Boy album, Infinity On High (and before you laugh, it is not crap, you should give it a listen!!), plus maybe a few Janelle-spouting entries about different anime or American TV I’m watching right now.

But for right now, I just want to say that I am obsessed with Earthbound. Yes, the mid-’90’s SNES RPG. I’ve played it many times before (I believe 4 to be exact), but holy crap this game never gets old! If you know nothing about Earthbound, it’s a standard RPG in some ways (hit points, “magic,” saving the world), but very different from most RPGs in others (modern day setting, wacky humor, kid protaganists). The humor is what really gets me. And its such an easy game to play and get into - and by easy I don’t mean not challenging. I mean you can start it so easily, you don’t have to psychologically prepare yourself for it like you might with a Final Fantasy or something. But it is a challenging game, for sure! I started playing it again recently, and now I am cursing the world for not bringing the sequel, Mother 3 (the series goes by the name Mother in Japan, Earthbound is actually the second of three), here to the US yet - it was released in April of 2006, yet nary a whisper has been heard about it coming over the ocean. You would think it would be a smart thing to do, as there’s a HUGE Earthbound cult following over here. The original Earthbound cartridges for SNES sell for just as much as the Final Fantasy and Zelda cartridges sell for, and that should tell you something. I fear for my grades now that I’ve started this game again… bah! If you’ve never tried it, find some way to acquire it, and you won’t be sorry. Janelle promises.