Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Casting Couch: Take Three

Hey everybody!

I present the third in a series of articles covering my favorite podcast topic - Casting Couch!

First, let me take you back to last month, where we recorded a "Bonus" episode of the podcast for subscribers to our (now-defunct) mailing list. That episode featured an installment of Casting Couch where the panelists (myself, Neko-X and Cetic) formulated a wish-list cast for a movie version of the perennial NES classic, Punch-Out! (Yes, we know that Mike Tyson's Punch Out! actually came out first, but we decided NOT to give that psycho any more attention than he deserves.)

On another note, after taking a look at the game's overall plot, we decided that this would be a great opportunity to actually cast a FRANCHISE of films based around this title. So, for this installment, we opted to limit the cast list only to the game's MINOR CIRCUIT opponents.

Let's take a look at what we came up with...

- The Protagonists -

Little Mac - The Hero
Totoro: Elijah Wood
Neko-X: Jake Gyllenhaal
Cetic: Tobey Maguire


"Doc" Louis - The Mentor
Totoro: Cedric The Entertainer
Neko-X: Martin Lawrence
Cetic: Robert Downey Jr.


- The Opponents -

Glass Joe - The Born Loser
Totoro: Owen Wilson
Neko-X: Michael McDonald
Cetic: George Clooney


Von Kaiser - The Second Fiddle
Totoro: Vinnie Jones
Neko-X: Thomas Lennon
Cetic: Gary Oldman


Piston Honda - The Tokyo Express
Totoro: Jackie Chan
Neko-X: ---
Cetic: Ace Yonamine

Thanks for taking this trip down memory lane with me. Stay tuned to this site for more episodes and feature articles as our inaugural season continues!

Otaku 5-0 Season 1: Episode 11

Hey everybody!

I am proud to present the newest episode of our podcast!

I've been on the panel for every episode of the podcast so far. It might surprise you, but I can say that this is probably the best episode we've done so far (the other being Episode 1.5).

Recording this episode was a lot of fun, particularly because the topics changed so fluidly during the course of the conversation (Sage deserves much of the credit for that), which provides a prime example of Otaku 5-0's light-hearted style. This is what "talking story" is all about, folks.

Producer's Note: Oops! Near the end of the podcast, I state that this episode is the longest we've ever recorded. While this episode is long, after a bit of research I found out that Episode 9 is STILL the current record-holder (at 72 minutes.)



Click here to download episode.

Show Notes
Otaku 5-0: Episode 1.11

Date Recorded: October 28, 2008
Running Time: 65 minutes

Moderator
Totoro (Executive Producer)

Panelists
Jupiter (Senior Producer)
Sage (Contributor)

Format
1. Pearl of Wisdom (Jupiter)

2. Lead-in (Totoro)

3. Entertainment That Changed Everything: "Chick Flick"

4. Favorite... Musician/Musical Group

5. Room For Improvement: Star Wars franchise

6. Sequels That Shouldn't Have Been Made

7. An Otaku 5-0 Special Announcement

8. Lead-out (Totoro)

We are still compiling questions for our upcoming "Mail Bag" episode. You can either submit them here as a comment or send them via e-mail to Otaku50podcast@gmail.com

Musical Notes
- Opening Theme: "Frog's Theme" from Chrono Trigger
- Interstitial Clips: "Subtitle" from Full Metal Panic!, "Piano Bit" from Rap Reiplinger's The Best of Rap Too!, "Putting The Cart Before The Horse" from His & Her Circumstances, "Catch (cheen)" from Ah! My Goddess
- Ending Theme: "Breach Of Contract" from Ah! My Goddess

Stay tuned for the next episode!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Otaku 5-0 Season 1: Episode 10

Aloha everybody!

I am proud to present to you the next episode of our podcast!

For the first time since Episode 8, Otaku 5-0's "Alpha Team" (Totoro, Cupid & Cetic) is re-united for another session of entertainment-related discussion.



Click here to download episode.

Show Notes
Otaku 5-0: Episode 1.10

Date Recorded: October 20, 2008
Running Time: 53 minutes

Moderator
Totoro (Executive Producer)

Panelists
Cetic (Senior Producer)
Cupid (Contributor)

Format
1. Bad Joke of the Day (Cupid)

2. Lead-in (Totoro)

3. Anime Pick of the Week

4. Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash Review (Cupid)

5. Dead Space Review (Cetic)

6. W. Review (Totoro)

7. Casting Couch: The Legend of Zelda

8. Sequels We'd Like To See

9. Favorite... Actor/Actress (w/ talent)

10. Lead-out (Totoro)

Musical Notes
-Opening Theme: "Kefka's Theme" from Final Fantasy VI
-Interstitial Clips: "Subtitle" from Full Metal Panic!, "Eyecatch" from Full Metal Panic!, "Gato's Theme" from Chrono Trigger, "Bishop Estate Trustee" from Frank De Lima's Ethnicology 101
-Ending Theme: "Opening Theme" from Samurai Pizza Cats

Stay tuned for the next episode!

Friday, October 17, 2008

Otaku 5-0 Season 1: Episode 9

We're Back!

After a few weeks on hiatus, I am proud to present to you the next episode of our podcast! This is the debut of my co-worker Tim (who has adopted the broadcast name of Sage) as a podcast contributor.

Also, I am glad to say that this is our first OFFICIAL hour-long episode!



Click here to download episode.

Show Notes
Otaku 5-0: Episode 1.9

Date Recorded: October 16, 2008
Running Time: 73 minutes

Moderator
Totoro (Executive Producer)

Panelists
Cupid (Contributor)
Sage (Contributor)

Format
1. Lead-in (Totoro)

2. Introduction of Sage, our new Contributor

3. The Top 5: Video Games

4. Great Debates: Bond or Bourne?

5. Sequels That Shouldn't Have Been Made

6. Lead-out (Totoro)

Musical Notes
-Opening Theme: "Kefka's Theme" from Final Fantasy VI
-Interstitial Clips: "Putting The Cart Before The Horse" from His & Her Circumstances, "Into A Dream" from His & Her Circumstances, "Subtitle" From Full Metal Panic!
-Ending Theme: "Breach of Contract" from Ah! My Goddess

Stay tuned for the next episode!

Monday, October 13, 2008

Casting Couch: Take Two

Aloha everybody!

Today, I would like to take a second look at what has become my favorite podcast topic - Casting Couch!

As you can no doubt guess, Casting Couch is where myself and the other contributors list our preferred actors/actresses for a particular movie that has yet to be made. As the previous article covered the first appearance, I will look at the second time we approached this topic, which involved the casting for a "Four Musketeers" movie.

For this particular film, I posed an additional caveat: Each contributor had to state what type of genre the movie was going to be. For Jupiter, she opted for a live-action period film, while Cupid preferred a live-action update of the story. As for me (Totoro), I envisioned an anime-inspired adaptation, with four fairly well-known voice-actors in the key roles.

Producer's Note: Interestingly enough, a movie titled, "The Four Musketeers" was released in 1974, directed by Richard Lester (Superman II & III) and featured Raquel Welch, Richard Chamberlain, Frank Finlay, Christopher Lee, Faye Dunaway and the late Oliver Reed & Charlton Heston.

However, for information's sake, in the "Original Actor" slot, we will include the names of actors who have played the character in previous efforts.

Role: Athos
Original Actor: Various, including John Malkovich, Kiefer Sutherland & Oliver Reed
Our Suggestions: Viggo Mortensen (Jupiter), Morgan Freeman (Cupid) & Vic Mignogna (Totoro)

Role: Porthos
Original Actor: Various, including GĂ©rard Depardieu, Oliver Platt & Frank Finlay
Our Suggestions: Antonio Banderas (Jupiter), Jason Scott Lee (Cupid) & Rosearik Rikki Simons (Totoro)

Role: Aramis
Original Actor: Various, including Jeremy Irons, Charlie Sheen & Richard Chamberlain
Our Suggestions: Johnny Depp (Jupiter), Jason Statham (Cupid) & Travis Willingham (Totoro)

Role: D'Artagnan
Original Actor: Various, including Gabriel Byrne, Chris O'Donnell & Michael York
Our Suggestions: Orlando Bloom (Jupiter), James McAvoy (Cupid) & Mike Sinterniklaas (Totoro)

Well, that was quite an experience. I hope that you've enjoyed this trip down memory lane with us. Stay tuned to this site for more episodes and feature articles in the near future.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Otaku 5-0: "Bonus" Episode

Aloha everybody,

After looking at the episodes in our archives, I was surprised to discover that there is one episode there hasn't yet been posted to this website. Let me take this opportunity to rectify that by presenting the special "bonus" episode, originally intended for individuals on our (now-defunct) podcast mailing list.

This episode is the first (and so far, only) appearance of Neko-X, the podcast Video Game Correspondent. The episode also features our first interview segment, where we talk about the organization that Neko-X runs (The Hawai'i Video Gaming League) and their efforts to bring positive change to our local video-gaming community.

Producer's Note: This episode is of a lesser recording quality than previous episodes. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to our listeners, but rest assured that this problem has been (in some ways) rectified.



Click here to download episode.

Show Notes
Otaku 5-0: Episode 1.A

Date Recorded: August 18, 2008
Running Time: 45 minutes

Moderator
Totoro (Executive Producer)

Panelists
Cetic (Contributor)
Neko-X (Video Game Correspondent)

Audience
Cupid (Contributor)

Format
1. Lead-in (Totoro)

2. Introduction of Video Game Correspondent Neko-X

3. Interview spot: Hawai'i Video Gaming League

4. Soul Calibur IV Review

5. Madden NFL '09 Review

6. Random Chatter
- Brett Favre returns to NFL as Jets starting QB
- Discussion of former UH QB Colt Brennan's first NFL game for the Redskins
- Review of HBO's Hard Knocks: Training Camp With The Dallas Cowboys
- Comparing Favre to Junior Seau

7. Room For Improvement: Mortal Kombat series

8. Casting Couch: Punch Out! (Minor Circuit opponents)

9. Favorite... Video Game Villain

10. Lead-out (Totoro)

Stay tuned for the next episode!