When Being a Fake Rock Star Is Better Than Reality

"On tour with his multiplatinum hard-rock band Korn last summer, Jonathan Davis regularly whipped crowds into a frenzy with classic-rock staples such as "Iron Man," "Smoke on the Water" and "More Than a Feeling." And that was before he even got off the tour bus.

Mr. Davis, Korn's lead singer, is part of an unlikely but growing fraternity: Rock stars who are also avid players of Guitar Hero, an electronic game that lets gamers pretend to be, well, rock stars.

From superstars like Korn to up-and-comers, Guitar Hero has quickly become a fixture on tour buses and in recording studios. Intended for air guitarists who might not be able to play the real instrument, the $70 PlayStation title has also won a following in the music world. "

Read the rest at WSJ.com

Related: I went to Best Buy tonight to buy Gears Of War, but they were all sold out. So, instead I embarrassed myself by playing Guitar Hero II in front of a crowd.

Mrs. ZombieCreep encouraged me to pick up the plastic axe and jam as we passed a Guitar Hero II display in the store. I told her that I had never played this game before and played "real guitar, badly." She said to give it a shot. So, plastic axe in hand and feeling real confident, I picked War Pigs by Black Sabbath on the easy level.

It started off badly. Missed notes all over the place. More people lined up behind me to see the mad axe-man slay the video game. As I got the feel for the game it got a little easier, and i was jamming, hitting most of the notes by the middle of the song.

Then it got ugly. The solo.

The crowd on the game started booing me. My Rockstar level on the game went into the red. I told the wife I was struggling. She told me to suck it up and jam. The real crowd behind me dispersed, as they watched a pretend guitar hero melt into a Black Sabbath solo.

Yeah, I got Boo'ed off the stage.

Fed Ex Furniture

Furniture made from Fed Ex Boxes at fedexfurniture.com

Rock And Roll Fantasy Camp

"Rock n' Roll Fantasy Camp is the ultimate music experience. For the novice and the expert, the amateur and the aficionado, we make rock n' roll dreams come true. Simply stated, our mission is to bring people's musical fantasies to life!

Rock n' Roll Fantasy Camp is a one-of-a-kind event that brings music lovers of all levels together with professional rock 'n roll stars - and that brings those music lovers the unforgettable opportunity to move from the spectator stands to the stage, sharing the limelight with living legends.

As a participant in a Rock n' Roll Fantasy Camp, you'll be treated like a rock star for five days and nights. You'll live the rock n' roll lifestyle day in and day out, learning or perfecting your knowledge of an instrument, practicing and jamming with your band mates and learning the ins and outs of the music business - all in the company of some of music's brightest stars."

The best part is the $9,499 price tag, and for only $500 more you can add-a-spouse. Mrs. ZombieCreep knows how badly I play guitar and love 80's metal, but thinks we could spend 10k on a better vacation than 5 days in L.A. jamming with has-beens.

Practicality sucks.

But really, how cool would that experience be?

Read more about rockandrollfantasycamp.com

Will It Blend?

Don't Try This At Home

"Welcome to WillItBlend.com, the official home of the "Will It Blend?" video series. Extreme blending depends on the capabilities of the machine being used. Tasks that may be extreme for some machines are, quite frankly, simple tasks for Blendtec blenders. "

"Below you will find a collection of videos that are NOT safe to try at home. Click any of the videos to see what the Total Blender can do in our test lab, as we ask the question, Will It Blend?"

50 Marbles

Rake Handle

Coke And A chicken

Check out the videos at willitblend.com

Theater Review: 'Evil Dead: The Musical'

“Evil Dead: The Musical” wants to be the next “Rocky Horror Show,” and it just may succeed.

Some people might think that you’d need to have seen at least one of Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead” movies to appreciate this show. But not necessarily. Horror comedy is, to say the least, a highly accessible genre, even for those who don’t recognize and cheer the signature lines taken from the movies.

Sure, the show is idiotic, but that’s the point."

Read the rest of the review at nytimes.com

Pac Man Chart

Found at themot.org

[via stumbleupon.com] Get FireFox

I couldn't think of a witty title, so you're on your own. I've provided the official Pac Man joke book. It'll just write itself.

(Don't) click here for the review of the book.

Colorado Town Awakes To Pumpkins Aplenty

"BOONE, Colorado (AP) -- Nobody knows who, but someone with a lot of Halloween spirit decorated this small southern Colorado town with hundreds and hundreds of pumpkins.

Residents woke up Tuesday to find virtually every surface covered with the orange holiday icons.

There were pumpkins left on front porches and at front gates, on the front and back steps of a church and all along the boundary of the city park.

Larry Taylor said there weren't any pumpkins when he walked his dogs at about 10 p.m. on Monday in the town of about 330 residents, 110 miles southeast of Denver.

But by the time Postmaster Nancy Pennington drove to work at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, they were everywhere."

Link to CNN.com