Be SURE to watch this in 720 HIRes and full screen!! Holy CRAP!!!
Color me GOB SMACKED!!!!

At 9PM EDT tonight (6/18) I'll be on Virtue looking for volunteers to help me test my new arc, "The Shadow Circle Rises!"  Ideally I'd love to have a full team of 8, both to stress-test the missions, and to get the "Among Friends" badge.  The arc is L40-50, and currently set to Neutral morality; if Villains want in, great -- I'll have Evangelia based in the RWZ AE for tonight's testing.
And just in case you're curious, this is how the arc gets displayed:
The Shadow Circle Rises!
Length: Very Long
Morality: Neutral
Mission 1: Medium size map, level range 40-54.  Contains Collection, Patrol, Defeat All Enemies.
Mission 2: Medium size map, level range 40-54.  Contains Ambush, Boss, Patrol, Release Captive, Escort.
Mission 3: Large size map, level range 40-54.  Contains Boss, Collection, Patrol.
Mission 4: Large size map, level range 40-54.  Contains Ambush, Boss, Collection, A Destructible Object, Patrol.
Enemy Groups: Rikti, Custom Group
Description: A new villain organization with surprising resources has appeared on the scene, and is poised to challenge or even supplant Arachnos.  Can you short-circuit the Shadow Circle's bid for ultimate power?
WARNING! Storyarc May Contain: Archvillains, Elite Bosses, Extreme Bosses, Enemies with custom power selections!
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

From Monkey House Games, the new e-publishing house owned by Jeff Dee and Jack Herman.

http://monkeyhousegames.com/?m=201006]The press release says V&V Version 2.1 will be available June 27, from rpgnow.com . (Of course, I don't have an account at RPGNow... yet.)
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

This came up on Usenet, and I thought folks here might have some references we've missed there. Which anime make reference to Hollywood movies?

The list so far:

• A Certain Scientific Railgun: In one episode, the cast is shown on the moon, with a Monolith and a one character has a bone in her hand to a portion of the theme music from "2001".
  
• Himitsu no Akko-chan: Episode 88's closing credits reference "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Superman", "Beverly Hills Cop", "Star Wars", "Gone With the Wind", "ET", "The Karate Kid", "Back to the Future", "Aliens", and other movies.
  
• Cowboy Bebop - Knocking on Heaven's Door: Jet and his contact watch "Shane"
  
• Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi: far too many to list, including but not limited to the "Hollywood" episode
  
• Urusei Yatsura: One episode featured a lampoon clip of a scene from "Gone With The Wind", starring Mendo Shutaro as Rhett Butler. The episode "And Then There Was Nobody" was a pastiche/lampoon of "And Then There Were None". Movie 2, "Beautiful Dreamer", lampoons the 1931 "Frankenstein". In "Lum's movie of youth", Ataru in a fancy suit runs away from an old propeller plane, a reference to Hitchcock's "North by Northwest".
  
• Kimagure Orange Road: ep.11, "Don't ring the wedding bells!", has a homage to "The Graduate".
  
• Aria: episode 7, president Aria and president Hime give us a very brief reenactment of a scene from "Titanic".
  
• Riding Bean: The big chase scene is a homage to the big chase scene in "The Blues Brothers". The scene where the chase under the El is happening is an homage to "The French Connection".
  
• Bubblegum Crisis: Pris(s) and the Replicants is a shout-out to "Blade Runner".
  
• Minky Momo: In the episode where she turns into a secret spy, there is a gun barrel sequence similar to the shown in James Bond films.
  
• Dirty Pair - Project Eden: The opening is essentially a James Bond movie opening.
  
• DiGi Charat ~nyo: one episode has a Bond sequence.
  

Has anyone else been following Rin-ne?  If you don't know about it, it's Rumiko Takahashi's newest series.  Thirteen word summery: Bleach as a romantic comedy instead of shonen DBZ style beat 'em up.  Also, each chapter is actually entertaining to read. 
If you have, in chapter 53, do you think Naomi's father looked like Ryoga when he was in high school?
-----
Stand between the Silver Crystal and the Golden Sea.
"Youngsters these days just have no appreciation for the magnificence of the legendary cucumber."  --Krityan Elder, Tales of Vesperia.

I couldn't make this shit up if I tried.

Quote:AORMINA, Sicily (Hollywood Reporter) – When Jake and Elwood Blues, the protagonists in John Landis' cult classic "The Blues Brothers," claimed they were on a mission from God, the Catholic Church apparently took them at their word.

On the 30th anniversary of the film's release, "L'Osservatore Romano," the Vatican's official newspaper, called the film a "Catholic classic" and said it should be recommended viewing for Catholics everywhere.

It contains the following (approximately)
***
"Everything is going according to plan," said Gendo
Fuyutski, however, had stopped believing Gendo when he said that on the day that he had seen Gendo walk into the commissary, look at the menu, and say, "Ah, Beef Wellington.  It's all going according to plan"
***
Your assistance would be appreciated.

Only 10 each for North America and Europe, and then only on June 23.  But if you've got the time and reflexes...  Announcement and details here.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

Consider poor Ralph Macchio, for example. What's the original Karate Kid to do?

Well... he could do this.

Wax On, F*** Off

Also starring Molly Ringwald!
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCy2A_zb ... r_embedded
Carebears as you've never seen them before.