Episode 12: And the Album of the Year Goes To…

Well, 2008 has been a good year to us here at Total Domination. Since the year is coming to a close, I would like to thank Nick, Denis, and Ryan for helping me start this podcast and this website. With out these guys my vision would not have come to life. I would also like to anyone who has supported us thus far and anyone new to the site/podcast. So here it is, Episode 12 of Total Domination and this will be the last episode of 2008.

The music in this episode is that of the band Leechmaster, coming to us courtesy of PodSafeAudio.com. So go check out more songs from Leechmaster and have your face melted off!

This week in Totally Dominating News we discuss one boy’s amazing recovery, caged daughters, the moron/hero of the year, human’s having sex with robots, some additions to Hulu, and the re-boot of Judge Dredd.

As I have already stated, the year is coming to a close. And since the end of the year is upon us, each of us decided to choose our top 3 albums of the year! That’s right, the first music episode of Total Domination. If any of our favorite albums from 2008 spark any interest, you should go give them a listen and let us know what you think by emailing us at xtotaldomination@gmail.com. Also, let us know what your favorite albums from 2008 were, they might not kick as much ass as ours, but if you think so let us know!!!

We are sorry to disappoint any of our listener’s out there, but their is no Movie of the Week this week because we felt like taking it easy this week because of the holidays and what not. So you pretty much will have to suffer until next week when the Movie of the Week returns.

Also, we would like to thank everyone who has downloaded the show here or on iTunes. You truly made 2008 a Totally Dominating year for us! If you have downloaded us on iTunes you can subscribe and leave us a review. It’d be a good fucking idea. (No pressure)

And once again, we encourage comments here on the site or you can send us an email at xtotaldominationx@gmail.com. And finally, we would like to thank Steve Swanson over at The MuppetCast, which can be found on iTunes or over at MuppetCast.com.

If you do use iTunes, please subscribe to us here >>>

So download the episode right here!! –
TOTAL DOMINATION EPISODE 12

Have a Happy New Year and Lets Dominate 2009!

2008: Year in Review – TV

By: Corey Orsini

Merry Christmas to all the Total Domination listeners out there! I hope Santa brought you everything your hearts desired. 

This year started a little rough for television and film with the whole writers strike, but they both pulled through it. Some of my favorite shows got better and some have sadly ended. In all I enjoyed most of television in the past year. As a warning, there might be spoilers for some of these shows, so each time I start discussing a new show it will be in bold.

To start things off I would like to discuss my new favorite show, Sons of Anarchy which stars Ron Perlman, Charlie Hunnam, and Katy Segal. For those who don’t know (without going into to much detail) SoA is a show about a motorcycle club, in the fictional California town of Charming, named The Sons of Anarchy (or SAMCRO). Now I know that a show about bikers might not sound to interesting, but for anyone who has yet to check to show out, I recommend giving it a chance. It isn’t some super macho biker show like one would assume, there is a lot of depth and room for much growth. The show’s main character Jax, played by Charlie Hunnam, is one of the coolest character’s to grace the television screen in a long time. 

Jax is the just good guy stuck in a bad place. I love how the man is trying to let his fathers dreams come true for the club, but the struggles he must surpass are so great. While Jax tries to play it cool and do the right thing, sometimes it’s not always squeaky clean. My second favorite moment of the first season is the final confrontation between Jax and Agent Kohn, I seriously haven’t been that pumped up while watching a TV show in a long time. My favorite moment this season, also has to do with another amazing point about the show, is the end of this season. The way the show ends is so amazing and bad-ass, Jax just standing up for what is truly right for the club with an amazing version of the song “John the Revelator” playing in the background. This brings me to my other point of why this show kicks so much ass, the music. I do not think I have ever enjoyed the music in a television show this much. The choices they make for the music a simply phenomenal, for example the constant use of the band The Black Keys. Anyways, I couldn’t recommend this show any more highly. 

A great show that I was introduced to this year was Mad Man. I actually caught up on Mad Men season one, two weeks before the second season premiered. When I first heard of the show in 2007, I didn’t think it would be as great as it actually is. The premise of a show about advertising in the 1960’s doesn’t scream awesome, but when it comes to this show it does. The main character, Don Draper, alone is worth watching the show for. This man might be one of the most bad ass characters ever, next to Dalton of course. All he does is smoke, drink, and fuck a lot of chicks, isn’t that the american dream? The show is extremely good and each episode gets you up off your seat and so pumped for the next episode. Also, there are quite a bit of characters on this show and they really give each of them a lot of time on each episode, so your never behind on what a certain character is doing. 

Another show that I didn’t find out about until this year is Burn Notice, which is about an ex-spy who got put on a “burn notice” and is trying to find out who did it to him. Really I should have heard of this show sooner because I watch Monk on USA and it has one of the best actors around on it, Bruce Campbell. To me this is a different kind of role for him, its not the typical cheesy b-horror movie he is usually in. He is not the main character, but is the main character’s best friend and one of the few people he can trust. The main reason I enjoy this show is because it indirectly teaches you the in’s and out’s of being a spy. When I am watching and the main character is talking about the situation in-hand and how to handle it, I feel like I could almost do the same in that situation using what he says. I am pumped for the next part of this season to start back up in January. 

HBO is always a great place to look when it comes to kick-ass series. From Curb Your Enthusiasm to The Soprano’s to Entourage, HBO usually knocks it out of the park and this year I feel they have again. Some might think I might be talking about The Wire, but I have yet to actually see that show, but I am seriously considering buying the complete series on DVD since I hear so many good things about it. But actually the shows I am talking about are True Blood and Summer Heights High. I know most people will think, “Oh man, True Blood, now we have to hear about more lame vampire/Twilight bullshit,” but that is not the case here. I am not into Twilight whatsoever, but I really like cheesy b-horror movies and to me thats what True Blood is. I really hope that this show is not trying to take it self seriously, because the shit that happens on here is so ridiculous and the acting is so cheesy, that if it is serious I might not like the show so much anymore. This show is really gory, really funny, really dirty, and changes almost everything you know about vampires. As just an example of how outrageous the show is, people drink vampire blood as a drug called V and it gives them a high better than any drug ever. 

Well, on the totally opposite side of True Blood, is the Australian show Summer Heights High. Summer Heights High is a show created by Chris Lilley, who also plays the three main characters. This man is a comedic genius and I really hope this show keeps going forever. Chris Lilley and Ricky Gervais might be the two funniest people on earth and they have both had amazing shows on HBO. I cannot recommend Summer Heights High any higher, the 8th grade character Jonah is worth watching the show for, he continuously tells the teachers to fuck off, it’s great. Anyways, if you have HBO, please go check out True Blood and Summer Heights High.

As far as other shows I recommend, there is The Office, My Name is Earl, 10 Items or Less, Tim and Eric, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Chuck, Flight of the Conchords, South Park, Survivorman, 30 Rock, and Fringe. Oh, by the way Fringe is a kick ass new show and I really hope that it goes on long, because the ideas being thrown around on the show could lead to something epic. Also, I would like to say that Pushing Daisies was a fucking brilliant show by Brian Fuller and I am extremely sad that is has been canceled. It might have been one of the most creative and most visually stunning shows ever, I just wish it would of been able to continue on. Thanks for reading and have a Happy New Year. Part 2 of my year in review will be on my favorite films of 2008.

By the way check out the latest episode of Total Domination by clicking here.

ACT I: A HERO IS BORN

By Ryan T.

Note: this is part of a rough draft of  script I am writing.  Keep in mind that I am neither a script writer or even just a writer.  I just barely passed every non-college English classes that I even took while in school, but that is another story all together.  Just pay no attention to the grammatical errors.  Feedback is welcomed.  If you haven’t already, please check out Nicks great post from the day before, it is highly recommended.  Happy Holidays!

ACT I: A HERO IS BORN

Fade in:

EXT. SNOW COVERED HOUSE IN SUBURBS – DUSK

STEVE [V.O.] – I live a pretty normal life, I have a beautiful wife and kids, and a nice job.

INT. KITCHEN TABLE WITH FAMILY MEMBERS SITTING AND EATING

STEVE [GLANCES OUT WINDOW] -Man, that snow sure is coming down, after dinner, I am going to have to shovel some snow.

FADE TO KITCHEN SINK WHERE WIFE IS CLEANING DISHES IN SINK

WIFE- Steve honey, are you going to shovel the snow now?

STEVE- …Oh yeah… [pauses] I will, I just have to do something really quick

PAN ON STEVE AS HE EXITS KITCHEN AND GOES THROUGH DOOR INTO THE BASEMENT

STEVE [V.O.] – Since I was a child, I was in love with Jim Hensen and his Muppets.

STEVE WALKS INTO A ROOM IN THE BASEMENT COMPLETELY COVERED IN PUPPETS COLLECTABLES.  A TV IS ON WITH THE MUPPETS SHOW ON NO VOLUME.

STEVE SITS DOWN AT THE TABLE WITH A MICROPHONE

STEVE [IN MOST PRESENTABLE VOICE]- Welcome to the Muppetcast, I am your host Steve Swanson.  I have to shovel some snow, but first I have a great show for you…

FOCUS FROM STEVE’S FACE TO THE TV WHERE THE MUPPETS ARE IN FAST MOTION, STEVE’S VOICE IS LAYERED MANY TIMES OVER ITSELF TO IMPLY THE PASSING OF TIME

A NOW SWEATY STEVE STILL AT TABLE, OBVIOUS THAT AN HOUR OR SO HAS PAST

STEVE- So, I must say that that new Discover Card commercial that has Henson in it is quite a treat, it brings back…

WIFE [YELLING FROM UPSTAIRS] – STEVE!, SHOVEL THE SNOW, NOW!

STEVE [AT FIRST ALSO YELLING] OK OK, BE UP IN A SECOND!

STEVE[IN PRESENTABLE VOICE] And that concludes this weeks episode of The Muppetcast, remember to check out the website at www.muppetcast.com.  Thanks for listening!

STEVE THEN STANDS UP FROM TABLE AND PROCEEDS TO CORNER OF TOOM WHERE COMPUTER SITS

STEVE [TO HIMSELF]- I will just check my email quickly before that women gets on me again.

STEVE SITS AT COMPUTER

STEVE – Ah, Corey emailed me back… [READING FROM COMPUTER SCREEN] “Dear steve, thanks for the words of encouragement, and I am glad you like our new website design.  We just put up the newest cast, we mention you and we read your email.  Check it out.   love, Corey”.

STEVE [To Himself] – What a wonderful kid, I will check it out really quick.

STEVE CLICKS ON ITUNES, CLICKS ON TOTAL DOMINATION PODCAST EPISODE TEN.

COMPUTER [CHEESY EIGHTIES TECHNO MUSIC PLAYS WHILE A VOICE SINGS THE WORDS ASS CLAP REPEATEDLY]

STEVE- I dont have time for this.

CLOSE UP ON COMPUTER SCREEN.  STEVE FAST FORWARDS THE PODCAST

VOICE FROM COMPUTER – Speaking of gaping assholes, Steve Swanson emailed us recently….

STEVE [LOOKING FURIOUS] NOOOO! THOSE GOD DAMN FOOLS

Steve exits the room [LAUGHTER IS HEARD FROM COMPUTER]

STILL IN BASEMENT, STEVE GOES UP TO A DOOR THAT HAS MULTIPLE LOCKS ON IT

CLOSE UP ON STEVES MIDSECTION, WHERE HE REACHES IN HIS BLUE JEANS AND PULLS OUT A SET OF KEYS. HE FIDDLES AROUND WITH THEM, THEN FINDS THE ONE STRANGE LOOKING KEY THAT HAS A SKELETON HEAD ON THE END OF IT.  HE INSERTS IT INTO EACH LOCK AND EVENTUALLY UNLOCKS THE DOOR.

THE DOOR CREEPS OPEN, LIGHT BLINDS STEVE AT FIRST.  STEVE SHIELDS HIS EYES AND STEPS FORWARD.  LIGHT IS TOO BRIGHT FOR CAMERA, SO VIEWER CANNOT SEE WHAT IS INSIDE OF ROOM.

STEVE- Ah yes, this will do.

STEVE THEN DEPARTS FROM GLOWING ROOM SLOWLY, STOPPING RIGHT OUTSIDE OF THE DOORWAY. STEVE IS NOW WEARING A MASK AND HAS A MUPPET ON BOTH HANDS. HIS GREEN SHIRT HAS TWO UPPERCASE ‘M’S ON IT. [script writers notes: Steve's new look needs more work, will most-likely change description during production]

STEVE THEN STARTS TO WALK UPSTAIRS, HE WAS ANGRILY, SO EACH STEP UP THE STAIRS IS MUCH LOUDER THEN BEFORE.

WIFE [HEARD FROM UPSTAIRS IN KITCHEN] -Finally you are coming, what were you doing?  You have been down stairs for several hours!

STEVE THEN GETS TO THE TOP OF THE STAIRS IN PLAIN SITE OF HIS WIFE.

WIFE- Oh my god…Steve, what are you doing?

STEVE- Shut up women. I am not Steve, I am the Muppet Man.  I am going to Illinois, be back soon in a day or so.

STEVE’S CHILDREN ARE STANDING INBETWEEN THE KITCHEN AND THE LIVING ROOM CRYING.

WIFE [NOW ALSO CRYING] Kids go to your rooms, NOW!

STEVE THEN SLAPS HIS WIFE, SHE THEN FALLS TO THE GROUND.  FROM THE GROUND WE WATCH THE MUPPET MAN EXIT OUT OF THE BACK DOOR.

FADE TO BLACK

…To Be Continued.

Transforming Times. A blog post.

By Nicky Tyranno.

The year was 1984, and the best thing known to man happened. And I’m not just talking about the birth of yours truly. Or the Challenger explosion. I’m talking about the rise of a certain race of rambunctious robots who are clearly more than meets the eye, The Transformers. These transforming war machines catapulted onto the toy scene, destroying all in their path.

The Heroic Autobots battled the Evil Decepticons to protect our planet, Earth, and reclaim their home world, Cybertron. Respectively lead, primarily, by Optimus Prime and Megatron, their war captured and inspired the minds of millions of children, some eventually becoming grown men who collect their plastic counterparts, displaying them prominently on shelves in their computer rooms. These people are the definition of men.

But this is not a transformers history lesson. That would take forever. With countless alternate universes, numerous cartoons and comics, attempting to cover it all in a single blog post would be excessive and futile. If you would love to experience that phenomenon, I recommend visiting the Transformers Wiki. The end all, be all of Transformers. I approve. It fucking dominates.

What this blog is, however, is a blog about a race of creatures that transform from cute to adorable, Air Buddies!

Just kidding, but really, who can pass up an Air Buddies reference? Not this man, that’s for sure.

Now, what this blog is really about, is how Transformers, while being a child’s toy line, was actually waaay more than that. While on the surface the cartoon was simply a cartoon with the intention of selling toys, it was a sign of the times in which it was made.

Cybertron is a planet devastated by war. Its resources are running thin. There is practically nothing left. During the late 1970’s, Iran had a revolution where the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, fled his country in early 1979, allowing Ayatollah Khomeini to gain control. The protests and subsequent revolution devastated the Iranian oil markets, forcing Iran to export less oil than it previously had. There was a shortage. The entire world was in disarray. Just like on Cybertron.

Now this isn’t to say the Autobots and Decepticons are supposed to be Iranians or any other nationality, simply that for the first time on Earth our leaders realized that energy would eventually run out.  It was finite. We could dry it all up.

What the Autobots and Decepticons represent are the two different mindsets in which we could go about acquiring new forms of energy. Autobots, search and explore new regions and new methods of power (shown by how the Autobots left their home world aboard their ship, to see what else was out there) or the Decepticons, who are all about taking, stealing and conquering to get whatever they want. (Shown by, well, every Decepticon action in the history of Decepticon history).

Now, by looking at how things are going down on our planet, you can see who is following a Decepticon trail or thought or an Autobot one. Keep in mind, Megatron’s motto is “Peace through Tyranny”. In order to solve their problem, both sides believe what they’re doing is the “right” thing to do, but without the willingness to negotiate with each other, constant war is inevitable. There’s a reason these two collectives have been blowing each other apart for thousands of millennia.

But lack of energy is only a byproduct of The Transformers overarching civil war. How was this war started? Well, the media differs between each other, but more often than not, the Autobots and Decepticons used to be united. They used to be one, solid race until a group started becoming either oppressed or neglected. When one side felt its needs were not being met, they took action to get those needs met. Is there a lesson to be learned here? Does this mirror any of the current situations going on in our own, less fictional world?

Good question.

So yeah, you can expect more of the same types of reflections from me in the future. Media is often a product of the times created, and not produced in a vacuum. Evaluating these things, because I think most people don’t think about things this way, is a good way to address serious issues in a less serious, more entertaining way. Which really, is the goal of good movies in the first place.

-Nick

To check out my comic page, Happy Robots, and see what else I’m up to, click here.

And to read about our latest Podcast at Total Domination, click here, or scroll down the page.

Episode 11: Ryan The Name-Dropping Reindeer

What a wonderful time of year and what a wonderful time to listen to your favorite kick-ass podcast! This is Episode 11 of Total Domination and we here at Total Domination would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas (or happy holidays if you want to be all politically correct about it). We truly appreciate all the support and for all of that support from new and old listeners, we have a gift for you! Each day of the week (starting on Tuesday) each of us will have a daily post about whatever the hell we feel like!! So please check the site daily for new and interesting thoughts from the Total Domination Crew!!!

The photo you see here is a picture of a good friend of the show, Auggie. So if your out there listening, you are a hero and a legend! But do not worry, Nick’s lovely artwork will return next week! Also, the theme this week was recorded live in the B.A.T.T.L.E. Lounge, but not by B.A.T.T.L.E.

This week in Totally Dominating News we discuss a little boy named Adolf, a meeting between a Maverick, an Angel, and a Demon, Nickelodeon politics, and the “re-birth” of Midway Games.

Since Christmas is this week, we decided to have a holiday episode of Total Domination. So sit back, roast some chestnuts, drink a beer, and listen as we discuss our Top 10 Favorite Christmas Movies!!! Some of these are quite obvious, while others you might not normally remember as a Christmas movie. So listen up you little punoids, and see if your favorites ended up on our list.

As for our Movie of the Week, well that one is a surprise. Isn’t that was this time of year is all about anyways? This just gives you more a reason to listen to Total Domination! Right!?

Also, we would like to thank everyone who has downloaded the show here or on iTunes. It is appreciated. If you have downloaded us on iTunes you can subscribe and leave us a review. It’d be so kick ass of you!

And finally, we encourage comments here on the site or you can send us an email at xtotaldominationx@gmail.com. And once again, we would like to thank Steve Swanson over at The MuppetCast, which can be found on iTunes or over at MuppetCast.com.

If you do use iTunes, please subscribe to us here >>>

You can also download the episode right here –
TOTAL DOMINATION EPISODE 11

Episode 10: Admiral Kyle Invades Part 2

Can you believe it? Episode X!!! That’s right, this is the week of the x’s and I can’t think of anything more crucial. And since it’s so crucial, went completely balls to the walls on this one and it proved to be one of the most insane podcasts we’ve done.

This is part 2 of Kyle Nelson’s invasion of Total Domination. He is sad (we asked him) that he must go back to the Admiral’s Dungeon, but fear not. One day he will surface again, and the world will tremble.

And a quick FYI, The music for this cast was created by the BoombaSnake as our house band, B.A.T.T.L.E. was involved in other projects.

This week’s image is taken from an image made for our movie of the week, The King of Kong, but if you’re still wondering what’s up with the illustrations in our most recent posts, check out Nicholas Leffler’s Happy Robots. If you are interested in robots, rudeness and some commentary involving our president elect, its definitely worth a look.

Now, in Totally Dominating news, Ryan’s Rant unexpectedly returns as Ryan raves about the ridiculousness that is the current Arena Football situation and certain team owners, or gods amongst men. (*cough*DITKA*cough*). This week we also discuss, Rod Blagojevich’s “troubles”, the new Terminator Salvation Trailer, Jp4 (which certain castmates refuse to accept), and Bill & Ted 3.

Picking up from where we left off, in our Main Topic, we continue our discussion on our favorite video games. So jump into your Delorean and hit 88 mph, because were going back to the future to take a look at the plethora of consoles that came after the Nintendo 64! Some of the picks are blatantly obvious, while some will cause some controversy.

The Movie of the Week returns with a BANG! as we watched the documentary The King of Kong. If you are unaware, the film follows Steve Wiebe as he tries to destroy the world high score for the arcade game Donkey Kong set by reigning champion Billy Mitchell. This is a great documentary, with a great story. During the documentary, you get to meet some interesting characters along the way. So listen in to see which DK player each of us supports!

Finally, we would like to thank everyone who has downloaded the show here or on iTunes. It is appreciated. If you have downloaded us on iTunes you can subscribe and leave us a review. It’d be neat.

And finally, we encourage comments here on the site or you can send us an email at xtotaldominationx@gmail.com. And once again, we would like to thank Steve Swanson over at The MuppetCast, which can be found on iTunes or over at MuppetCast.com.

If you do use iTunes, please subscribe to us here >>>

You can also download the episode right here –
TOTAL DOMINATION EPISODE 10

Peace Out!!!

Episode 09: Admiral Kyle Invades Part 1

This week long time listener Admiral Kyle Nelson invades the B.A.T.T.L.E. Lounge! He has wanted to be on the podcast since day one and now the time has arrived. But this episode is a two part episode, so he will be back next week as well, incase you were worried. (which you were. Definately.)

Also, if you’ve been wondering what’s up with the illustrations in our most recent posts, check out Nicholas Leffler’s Happy Robots. If you are interested in robots, rudeness and just plain absurdity, its definitely worth a look.

Now, in Totally Dominating News, we discuss the possibility of Speed 3, the upcoming Planet of the Apes prequel/reboot, Bret Ratner’s Beverly Hill Cops 2009, and Police Academy 8. We would also like to mention that all of our news comes courtesy of SlashFilm.com and JoBlo.com. (Thanks guys.)

Which brings us to the the main topic of this week. Our favorite video games! Come with us, on an adventure, as we go console by console naming our favorite games of the pre-next generation era. (Its ALMOST like time travel!)

This week we are discussing our favorite NES, SNES, SEGA Genesis, PS1, and Nintendo 64 games. Some of the picks are what you would expect and some are very “different.” (AKA AWESOME) Give us a listen to find out exactly what we think makes the cut!

Be sure to come back next week for part 2, where we will tackle the next generation monsters ( or are they creatures?) of the modern era; games from the PS2, Nintendo GameCube, X-Box, PS3, X-Box 360, and Nintendo Wii.

We do not have a Movie of the Week this cast, but in order to keep ourselves under control, and under an hour and a half, we postponed it. But fear not, true believers, the Movie of the Week will return next week!!!

Finally, we would like to thank everyone who has downloaded the show here or on iTunes. It is appreciated. If you have downloaded us on iTunes please subscribe to us and leave us a review, it would help us out. (but don’t worry. No pressure. )

Also, we encourage all our listeners to leave us comments here on the site or send us an email at xtotaldominationx@gmail.com. And once again we would like to thank Steve Swanson over at The MuppetCast, which can be found on iTunes or over at MuppetCast.com.

If you do use iTunes, please subscribe to us here >>>

You can also download the episode right here –
TOTAL DOMINATION EPISODE 09

Continue Kicking Ass!!