Hey, here are some of the videos I’ve produced for The Southern Weekend over the past several weeks. They might make for a nice diversion for a few minutes for some of y’all.
First is an ode to college football.
Author: davegladow
Some Super NES Classic thoughts
If you follow me on social media, you know I recently succumbed to my nostalgia and purchased a Super NES Classic, the retro re-release of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System that originally made its debut in late 1990.
It’s been 27 years? Holy crap, I’m old.
Anyway, this was mostly simpler than you might expect given Nintendo’s notorious supply and demand issues. I woke up a little early and hung out at Target for an hour before they opened. The other people in line were all remarkably friendly and the whole affair was civil and organized.
Props to Target! And props to Cait for waking up early and ferrying the kids to school for me!
So I am now in the process of playing all of the games that come pre-installed on the system. This is a treasure trove of some of the best video games that have appeared anywhere at any time. Instead of listing them here, I’ll offer some of my thoughts on a few of them, as well as the system itself. Later on down the road, I’ll do a ranking of the best games on the original system … after I’ve had a chance to play some of these classics I’d never gotten around to before.
So here goes:
Top 10 Star Wars Trailers
(Note: This was previously published May 2017. I have edited the rankings to reflect the new trailer released since then.)
A new Star Wars trailer is here! A new Star Wars trailer is here!
Ahem, excuse my delirium.
Honestly, when “The Last Jedi” teaser trailer dropped, I was perhaps more intrigued than flabbergasted. As my better half stated, “There’s a lot to unpack there.” And there always is, which makes the release of any new Star Wars trailer always a fun occasion.
I’m not going to spend a lot of time here analyzing the thing … pretty much any nerd with the ability to pause and an encyclopedic knowledge of Wookiepedia is going to do a better job of that than me anyway.
No, I’m falling back into my comfort zone of rankings.
Here, without further buildup, are my picks for the 10 best trailers (including teasers) in the history of Star Wars. (I will edit this list as new trailers are released.)
Let’s do a preseason Top 25!
This is some mix of how I rank the teams now before the 2017 season, and how I see it ending up … which should line up more than it sometimes does in these kinds of lists. Some folks will be like, “I rank Clemson No. 1 because they’re defending champs even though I predict them to lose five times this year.” This is not that … I want this to reflect this year, not last.
Anyway, here’s how I see it.*
* Most of this will be comically inaccurate, but that’s part of the fun. I know this going in.
To abate the summer doldrums, I present Jesse Ertz
This is the time of year I start seriously Jones-ing for football. Here’s a highlight package I put together of Kansas State quarterback Jesse Ertz. (Stiff-arms included at no extra charge.)
Beignets = Not Overrated
Beignets are lovely.
That’s my stance, and I’m sticking to it.
I think the tendency for New Orleans residents is to reject “touristy” spots, and that’s fine to a point. When your opinion becomes invalidated due to overwhelming evidence to the contrary, I don’t know that trying to cling to the notion of “touristy = bad” is going to do anyone a whole heck of a lot of good.
Though on second thought, if it keeps the crowds/lines a bit lighter, I’m for it. (More for me!)
Don’t Do It … Unless …
In the wake of the recent round of firings at ESPN, I see plenty of hot takes. Some are better than others (anything saying ESPN had this coming for its liberal agenda immediately goes into the “shit take” category), some are well meaning and some aren’t. But it’s a public business, so invariably people want to sound off on it … regardless of how much understanding of the situation they personally have.
I can relate to the folks who’ve been laid off, the people who survived and have survivor’s guilt, the ones who received the extra special “gift” of demotion, and even the fortunate climbers who might somehow benefit from these moves. I can relate because I “enjoyed” each of these experiences throughout a 15-year run in the sports communications business.
And this isn’t a woe is me tale, because for whatever it’s worth, I’m very much at peace with where I am right now (which is out of sports entirely). I don’t blame any former employer or hold any grudges, because that would be stupid (and I really, really don’t believe in burning bridges … finding work is hard enough). Moreover, I feel as though I’ve been more fortunate than most.
But I’ve seen one particular refrain in the aftermath of today’s carnage that I thought I could and should address, because maybe my own experiences in the business can help someone.
Just answered one of these emails yesterday. My honest advice: do something else. Can’t recommend this as viable career path anymore. https://t.co/PAyN1OH7lG
— Andrew Carter (@_andrewcarter) April 26, 2017
That sounds nice. And it’s a convenient thing to say to someone if you want the conversation to last 140 characters or less. But as with most things in life, the reality is much more nuanced than that.
Some Thoughts on the Draft
Let us be clear: the NFL is very “ugh” right now.
But I still find it hard to hate the thing completely. For one reason, I hear rumors that the New Orleans Saints are still very much a part of the league (even despite the absurd punishments handed down during “Bountygate”). For another, the good flavor of the Falcons blowing a 25-point lead in the Super Bowl is still fresh.* And finally, the draft itself is always going to have some merit even for people who hate the NFL because it’s one last chance to see their favorite college players paraded in front of the camera before they’re officially professionals. So, yay.
* This is one of the more improbable things I’ve seen in my sports-watching lifetime. Like, the Falcons literally had to have everything go completely wrong for them to pull it off … and they did it! And my enjoyment of it was fueled by a persistent Falcons hater laughing at them and dancing around my living room throughout the proceedings. It was truly a memorable and enjoyable experience, even for someone disillusioned by the league and basically anything that it tries to do.
A Star Wars re-ranking
Let’s re-rank the Star Wars films, because … ha, ha, ha! Like I need a reason!
Actually, I even have one: “Rogue One” is making its home video debut right now (I like calling it “home video” to recall the awesome-sauce that was VHS tapes), so now is as good a time as any. I last performed this exercise when there were six films. Now there are eight. And no, I’m not counting the Ewok movies, the Clone Wars cartoon, the Holiday Special, or even that shoddy-looking fan film you think is better than TFA and everyone else just sort of sadly nods at you in abject pity.
No, NOT EVEN THAT.
Mardi Gras videos: Indians, ladders and more
Here’s a collection of Mardi Gras content I produced for Nola Weekend and Southern Weekend. Up first is a Mardi Gras misconceptions vid.
Continue reading Mardi Gras videos: Indians, ladders and more