GeekSugar

Alan Wake Review: You May Want to Leave the Lights On

GeekSugar — Thu, 06 May 2010 07:30:22 PDT

It's not often that I'm genuinely frightened when I play a video game. Bioshock taught me a thing or two about expecting the unexpected around every corner, while the Resident Evil franchise just creeps me out. But playing Alan Wake is like mashing up the cool episodic layout of 2008's Alone in the Dark with the sheer horror and suspense of Silent Hill. The number of times I nearly jumped out of my skin as if I were really involved in this nightmare were too many to count, but it was totally awesome nonetheless. There were a few drawbacks to Alan Wake's predicament, but when looking at the game as a whole, it lends a fresh take to a quest we've seen a hundred times: save the girl.

Alan Wake is a fiction writer who takes off to a secluded, sleepy Pacific Northwestern town called Bright Falls to get away from the demands of his hectic life, and hopefully blast through his nagging writer's block. But things quickly turn sour when his wife goes missing, and he is questioned by the police. There are some seriously dark forces at work against Alan, and he has to use all of his horror-writing skills to find his beloved wife. It's a great setup, and it only gets creepier from there.

To find out more about Alan Wake, and what I think of the game when you read more.

2008 Video Game Preview: Part II

GeekSugar — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 10:00:52 PST

Class is back in session, so break out your notebook paper and #2 pencils as we school you on some of the best video game releases of 2008. If you missed Part I, check it out here to catch up with the rest of the class. Your homework: Read up on these hits that allow you to battle as your favorite characters of games past, help clear a pal's name for a crime he didn't commit, find your way through a seriously spooky mystery and dive into a great sequel to an epic adventure. Study on!

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Ever since Brawl was delayed back in November, we have been waiting oh so impatiently to play this 3-D fighter. With so many of my favorite characters to pit against one another, and now the option to play online through Wii wi-fi, it just keeps getting better - and harder to wait for! Finally coming to the Wii in February.

Want to see the others? Well then,

Secret Agent Clank
Taking place after PSP's Shiny Action but before PS3's Tools of Destruction, the trusty sidekick from the Ratchet and Clank series takes off on his own adventure - Ratchet's been framed and Clank busts out trying to clear his pal's name. Hints of mini-games and fast battles await. Portable fun on your PSP this fall.

Alan Wake
Horror writer Alan Wake's girlfriend disappears in ways similar to those in his best selling book. Visions of his missing girl, insomnia, and the eerie town of Bright Falls make for a nightmarish game that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Creeping you out in late 2008 on your Xbox 360 and PC.

Fable 2
The free roaming world of Fable 2 now includes the unconditional love of your pet dog where every move that you make affects him. The ability to start a family and buy any property makes this RPG epic an investment in your time. Available on Xbox 360 and PC in later 2008.

Stay tuned for the last of our three part series on the best game releases of 2008!

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Announcing the 2012 Grammy Award Winners

Shannon Vestal — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:20:23 PST

The mood of the Grammy Awards was a bit somber this year in the wake of Whitney Houston's shocking death, but the show went on, and the statues were all handed out to the winners. Adele owned the night, picking up multiple awards, including those for record of the year, album of the year, and song of the year.

Plenty of other folks received Grammys too, including Kanye West, The Foo Fighters, and Taylor Swift, so to see the full list of winners, just keep reading.

50 Geeky Date Ideas For Valentine's Day (and Beyond)

GeekSugar — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:30:10 PST

Coming up short for Valentine's Day date ideas? If you and your sweetheart are more of the geeky persuasion, simply hitting up an overpriced restaurant just won't cut it. We brainstormed 50 date ideas that incorporate science, tech, and video games, for a special Valentine's eve. But don't limit yourself - tackle these date ideas all year!

Bundle up, pack a dinner picnic, and head to the park for some stargazing.
Watch Contact (for the millionth time).
Go to a science museum.
Hit the natural history museum and check out your favorite dino bones.
Go retro - grab a roll of quarters, a slice or two, and hit the pizza parlor arcade.
Build your own planetarium with glow-in-the-dark stickers.
Catch up with the Doctor Who craze by watching the series from the beginning.
Throw a Star Wars party for two.
Whip up a batch of Cloud 9 mojitos (complete with mason jar glasses) and have a Battlestar Galactica marathon.
Visit Nerdy Day Trips and find geeky stuff to do near you.
Go to the planetarium.
Take a dream vacay to the Hobbit Hotel in New Zealand.
Spend a few romantic nights in the Hobbit House of Montana.
Visit the actual Lord of the Rings movie set.
Travel to the Chott el Djerid salt lakes in Tunisia, which were transformed into Luke Skywalker's home on Tatooine.

See the rest of the list after the break!

The Hangover Part II: A Less Funny Morning After

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 27 May 2011 14:24:49 PDT

The expectations for the sequel to The Hangover really couldn't have been higher, considering how beloved the original is. Before you see the film, I advise that you severely lower the bar for The Hangover Part II, because it is, unfortunately, a shadow of its predecessor. In the second film, Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Doug (Justin Bartha) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) are headed to a wedding and want to have one last bachelor party hurrah before one of them gets married. Sound familiar? It should. The plot is exactly the same as the first movie.

Sure, there are some tweaks. This time, it's Stu that's getting married, and the boys are all headed to Thailand for the event. When the guys decide to have a low-key night before the wedding, they toast their beer bottles . . . and then wake up the next morning in Bangkok with absolutely no memory of the previous evening. They spend the rest of the movie piecing together the details of the night so they can locate a missing member of their group.

The Hangover Part II is a retread that's so close to the original, you wonder if the writers doubted its audience's intelligence or were just too lazy to come up with something new. Either way, the movie and its signature wolf pack still get laughs, but it's lacking the magic that made the original Hangover an instant classic. To see what else I thought, just

I was eager to see the wolf pack reunite, but it would have been nice to see some character development. Instead, the sequel only exaggerates the personalities of the men. Phil is more obnoxious, Alan is even more awkward and eccentric, and so on. Chow (Ken Jeong) is the only character that's more entertaining the second time around. More of a friend than villain in this film, Jeong mercilessly steals every scene he's in. With everyone else stuck in the same mold, Jeong's distinction and nonchalant comedic performance make him the standout.

One way The Hangover Part II surpasses the first film is in the gross-out humor. Clearly the filmmakers felt pressure to top themselves, and in the sequel they succeed to the point of discomfort. That dirty feeling is pervasive. Where the first film was a bit dark, it was also balanced with some lightness - the guys could at least laugh a little about their antics. But in Part II, the more we learn about what they got up to the night before, the less we want to know. You feel as filthy as they do, and the grimy backdrop of Bangkok's more depraved establishments contributes to that effect.

The setting, the repercussions of the night before, and the stakes of the missing person all plunge you into a movie that doesn't always feel like a comedy. Everything gets worse before it gets better, and the "better" part, the ending, still left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Ultimately, it's just another sequel that tries for its predecessor's greatness and falls far short.

Announcing the Winners of the 2011 Grammy Awards!

BuzzSugar — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 20:34:56 PST

There goes another staple in award season - the Grammys are a wrap! The night was chock-full of performances from standouts like Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, but there were a few statuettes passed out between songs.

Muse frontman Matt Bellamy took the opportunity to thank his "beautiful pregnant girlfriend" Kate Hudson while accepting the trophy for best rock album, and Lady Gaga gave props to Whitney Houston in her acceptance speech for best pop album. Lady Antebellum scored big with five golden gramophones, but it was Arcade Fire that won the biggest award of the night, taking home the accolade for album of the year.

Check out the full list of winners when you

RECORD OF THE YEAR
"Need You Now", Lady Antebellum

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
The Suburbs, Arcade Fire

SONG OF THE YEAR
"Need You Now", Lady Antebellum

BEST NEW ARTIST
Esperanza Spalding

BEST FEMALE POP VOCAL PERFORMANCE
"Bad Romance", Lady Gaga

BEST MALE POP VOCAL PERFORMANCE
"Just The Way You Are", Bruno Mars

BEST POP PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCALS
"Hey, Soul Sister (Live)", Train

BEST POP COLLABORATION WITH VOCALS
"Imagine", Herbie Hancock, Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Konono No. 1, Jeff Beck & Oumou Sangare

BEST POP INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMANCE
"Nessun Dorma", Jeff Beck

BEST POP INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM
"Take Your Pick", Larry Carlton & Tak Matsumoto

BEST POP ALBUM
The Fame Monster, Lady Gaga

BEST DANCE RECORDING
"Only Girl (In The World)", Rihanna

BEST ELECTRONIC/DANCE ALBUM
La Roux, La Roux

BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL ALBUM
Crazy Love, Michael Bublé

BEST SOLO ROCK VOCAL PERFORMANCE
"Helter Skelter", Paul McCartney

BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCALS
"Tighten Up", The Black Keys

BEST HARD ROCK PERFORMANCE
"New Fang", Them Crooked Vultures

BEST METAL PERFORMANCE
"El Dorado", Iron Maiden

BEST ROCK INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMANCE
"Hammerhead", Jeff Beck

BEST ROCK SONG
"Angry World", Neil Young

BEST ROCK ALBUM
The Resistance, Muse

BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM
Brothers, The Black Keys

BEST FEMALE R&B VOCAL PERFORMANCE
"Bittersweet", Fantasia

BEST MALE R&B VOCAL PERFORMANCE
"There Goes My Baby", Usher

BEST R&B PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCALS
"Soldier Of Love", Sade

BEST TRADITIONAL R&B VOCAL PERFORMANCE
"Hang On In There", John Legend & The Roots

BEST URBAN/ALTERNATIVE PERFORMANCE
"F*ck You", Cee Lo Green

BEST R&B SONG
"Shine", John Legend & The Roots

BEST R&B ALBUM
Wake Up!, John Legend & The Roots

BEST CONTEMPORARY R&B ALBUM
Raymond V Raymond, Usher

BEST RAP SOLO PERFORMANCE
"Not Afraid", Eminem

BEST RAP PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP
"On To The Next One", Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz

BEST RAP/SUNG COLLABORATION
"Empire State Of Mind", Jay-Z & Alicia Keys

BEST RAP SONG
"Empire State of Mind", Jay-Z & Alicia Keys

BEST RAP ALBUM
Recovery, Eminem

BEST FEMALE COUNTRY VOCAL PERFORMANCE
"The House That Built Me", Miranda Lambert

BEST MALE COUNTRY VOCAL PERFORMANCE
"'Til Summer Comes Around", Keith Urban

BEST COUNTRY PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCALS
Need You Now, Lady Antebellum

BEST COUNTRY COLLABORATION WITH VOCALS
"As She's Walking Away", Zac Brown Band and Alan Jackson

BEST COUNTRY INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMANCE
"Hummingbyrd", Marty Stuart

BEST COUNTRY SONG
"Need You Now", Lady Antebellum

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM
Need You Now, Lady Antebellum

BEST NEW AGE ALBUM
Miho: Journey To The Mountain, Paul Winter Consort

BEST CONTEMPORARY JAZZ ALBUM
The Stanley Clarke Band, The Stanley Clarke Band

BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM
Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee, Dee Dee Bridgewater

BEST AMERICANA ALBUM
You Are Not Alone, Mavis Staples

BEST COMEDY ALBUM
Stark Raving Black, Lewis Black

BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK ALBUM FOR MOTION PICTURE, TV, ETC
Crazy Heart

BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK ALBUM FOR MOTION PICTURE, TV, ETC
Toy Story 3, Randy Newman, composer

BEST SONG WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURE, TV, ETC
"The Weary Kind" (From Crazy Heart), Ryan Bingham & T Bone Burnett, songwriters (Ryan Bingham)

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR (NON-CLASSICAL)
Danger Mouse

BEST REMIXED RECORDING
"Revolver" (David Guetta's One Love Club Remix), David Guetta, remixer (Madonna)

BEST SHORT FORM MUSIC VIDEO
"Bad Romance," Lady Gaga

BEST LONG FORM MUSIC VIDEO
"When You're Strange," The Doors

BEST RECORDING PACKAGE
Brothers, Michael Carney , art director (The Black Keys)

BEST BOXED OR SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION PACKAGE
Under Great White Northern Lights (Limited Edition Box Set), The White Stripes

BEST ALBUM NOTES
Keep an Eye on the Sky, Big Star

BEST HISTORICAL ALBUM
The Beatles (The Original Studio Recordings)

BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, NON-CLASSICAL
Battle Studies, John Mayer

BEST SURROUND SOUND ALBUM
Britten's Orchestra, Michael Stern and Kansas City Symphony

BEST INSTRUMENTAL COMPOSITION
The Path Among Trees, Billy Childs Ensemble

BEST INSTRUMENTAL ARRANGEMENT
Carlos, John Scofield, Vince Mendoza, and Metropole Orkest

BEST INSTRUMENTAL ARRANGEMENT ACCOMPANYING VOCALIST(S)
Baba Yetu, Christopher Tin, Soweto Gospel Choir and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

BEST MUSICAL ALBUM FOR CHILDREN
Tomorrow's Children, Pete Seeger With The Rivertown Kids and Friends

BEST SPOKEN WORD ALBUM FOR CHILDREN
Julie Andrews' Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies, Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton

BEST SPOKEN WORD ALBUM (INCLUDES POETRY, AUDIO BOOKS, AND STORYTELLING)
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Audiobook), Jon Stewart

BEST MUSICAL SHOW ALBUM
American Idiot, Billie Joe Armstrong

BEST HAWAIIAN MUSIC ALBUM
Huana Ke Aloha, Tia Carrere

BEST NATIVE AMERICAN MUSIC ALBUM
2010 Gathering of Nations Pow Wow: A Spirit's Dance, Derek Mathews, Dr. Lita Mathews, and Melonie Mathews

BEST ZYDECO OR CAJUN MUSIC ALBUM
Zydeco Junkie, Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band

BEST REGGAE ALBUM
Before the Dawn, Buju Banton

BEST TRADITIONAL WORLD MUSIC ALBUM
Ali and Toumani, Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabate

BEST CONTEMPORARY WORLD MUSIC ALBUM
Throw Down Your Heart, Africa Sessions Part 2: Unreleased Tracks, Bela Fleck

BEST LATIN POP ALBUM
Paraiso Express, Alejandro Sanz

BEST LATIN ROCK, ALTERNATIVE OR URBAN ALBUM
El Existential, Grupo Fantasma

BEST TROPICAL LATIN ALBUM
Viva La Tradicion, Spanish Harlem Orchestra

BEST TEJANO ALBUM
Recuerdos, Little Joe and La Familia

BEST NORTENO ALBUM
Classic, Intocable

BEST BANDA ALBUM
Enamorate De Mi, El Guero Y Su Banda Centenario

BEST GOSPEL PERFORMANCE
Grace, BeBe and CeCe Winans

BEST GOSPEL SONG
It's What I Do, Kirk Whalum and Lalah Hathaway

BEST ROCK OR RAP GOSPEL ALBUM
Hello Hurricane, Switchfoot

BEST POP/CONTEMPORARY GOSPEL ALBUM
Love God. Love People., Israel Houghton

BEST SOUTHERN, COUNTRY, OR BLUEGRASS GOSPEL ALBUM
The Reason, Diamond Rio

BEST TRADITIONAL GOSPEL ALBUM
Downtown Church, Patty Griffin

BEST CONTEMPORARY R&B GOSPEL ALBUM
Still, BeBe and CeCe Winans

BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, CLASSICAL
Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony; Deus Ex Machina, Giancarlo Guerrero and Nashville Symphony Orchestra
AND
Porter, Quincy: Complete Viola Works, Eliesha Nelson and John McLaughlin Williams

BEST ORCHESTRAL PERFORMANCE
Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony; Deus Ex Machina, Terrence Wilson and Nashville Symphony

BEST OPERA RECORDING
Saariaho: L'Amour De Loin, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin; Rundfunkchor Berlin

BEST CHORAL PERFORMANCE
Verdi: Requiem, Ildar Abdrazakov, Olga Borodina, Barbara Frittoli and Mario Zeffiri; Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Chicago Symphony Chorus

BEST INSTRUMENTAL SOLOIST(S) PERFORMANCE (WITH ORCHESTRA)
Messiaen: Livre Du Saint-Sacrement, Paul Jacobs

BEST CHAMBER MUSIC PERFORMANCE
Ligeti: String Quartets Nos. 1&2, Parker Quartet

BEST SMALL ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
Dinastia Borja

BEST CLASSICAL VOCAL PERFORMANCE
Sacrificium, Giovanni Antonini and Il Giardino Armonico

BEST CLASSICAL CONTEMPORARY COMPOSITION
Daugherty, Michael: Deus Ex Machina, Giancarlo Guerrero

BEST CLASSICAL CROSSOVER ALBUM
Tin, Christopher: Calling All Dawns

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, CLASSICAL
David Frost

BEST CLASSICAL ALBUM
Verdi: Requiem

BEST CONTEMPORARY JAZZ ALBUM
The Stanley Clarke Band, The Stanley Clarke Band

BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM
Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee, Dee Dee Bridgewater

BEST IMPROVISED JAZZ SOLO
A Change Is Gonna Come, Herbie Hancock

BEST JAZZ INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM, INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP
Moody 4B, James Moody

BEST LARGE JAZZ ENSEMBLE ALBUM
Mingus Big Band Live at Jazz Standard, Mingus Big Band

BEST LATIN JAZZ ALBUM
Chucho's Steps, Chuco Valdes and The Afro-Cuban Messengers

BEST BLUEGRASS ALBUM
Mountain Soul II, Patty Loveless

BEST TRADITIONAL BLUES ALBUM
Joined at the Hip, Pinetop Perkins and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith

BEST CONTEMPORARY BLUES ALBUM
Living Proof, Buddy Guy

BEST TRADITIONAL FOLK ALBUM
Genuine Negro Jig, Carolina Chocolate Drops

BEST CONTEMPORARY FOLK ALBUM
God Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise, Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs

Buzz Blabber: New Books to Add to Your Reading List

BuzzSugar — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 03:05:00 PDT

You guys love books just as much as you love television shows and movies, and this week you had a lot to say about your favorite reads and how you feel when they are adapted for the big screen. Coincidentally, you also had a lot to say about a show based on a series of books: True Blood. Check out this week's hottest topics!

Book lovers shared their favorite reads

"I'm reading the Hunger Games and I can't put it down. I love it and find myself reading it every chance I get." - spaa649
"I loved Divergent by Veronica Roth and Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Angel. I have a serious soft spot for young-adult fiction. I really loved Hunger Games as well, but I read that about 40 books ago." - cheechee
"The Passage by Justin Cronin. It's a vampire/postapocalyptic book, which is actually the first in a series. It's no Twilight or young-adult nonsense. It's pure adult, cerebral amazement." - CaterpillarGirl

Find out what else got you talking when you

Fans of One Day rally around the book in the wake of the film release

"This book is absolutely stunning, shame the movie doesn't live up, but I guess I should've seen that coming. I'll still see it. Glad to hear Jim Sturgess is great - never had any doubts about him. I cringe whenever I hear Anne's "British" accent. Was it so impossible to find an actual Brit girl?" - ChelMarie
"I think I need to try the book again. I started reading it and just couldn't convince myself that these two characters would even want to talk to each other, let alone have a relationship. They were just so different!" - likethedirection
"I'd have thought that Anne Hathaway's stint as Jane Austen in Becoming Jane would have helped. But I love the book as well. I'm still going to see the movie so I can do my own comparison." - nylorac

Is True Blood going downhill?

"I am over the whole Sookie and Eric thing . . . when is she going to listen to her Gran and stay away from him [and see] that he is no good. I think there was always a little good in him, but now with the witch, I imagine he will be worse than before." - care0531
"The weird snowing bed thing was lame and took away from actual story lines." - Renees3
"So, Alcide fawns all over Debbie, then runs after Sookie. I have never truly disliked any character on this show until Alcide, and I detest him. There is just something so smarmy about him. Of course, next week we return to the same old tired routine, Saint Bill to the rescue to save Sookie from dying of a gunshot wound. Where, oh where are the surprises that Alan Ball continues to allude to when he always has Bill rush in to save the day? I'm not saying I'm opposed to Bill nor that I mind if he and Sookie end up together. In fact I hope they do, then fade into fairyland together because both characters are so incredibly boring together or apart." - Asfandancer