Phantasmic Links 6.8.09

What a whirlwind of a weekend! After a long work day on Friday, I met up with some college friends for a movie. Saturday morning saw what was supposed to only be an hour rehearsal with the fire department band I'm in turn into two hours when the new leader pulled out twenty new marches, most of which were better suited for concerts than on the street. After mass Saturday afternoon, I went to a barbecue for my friend's daughter's birthday party, where I got a little too competitive over a game of badminton and didn't realize until some other friends arrived and commented on how sweaty I was. A few cold ones later and I was back to optimum temperatures, able to chill out before heading home to get a good night's sleep for a long day ahead. On Sunday morning, after picking up my friend Bill the trumpet player, we headed into Brooklyn for a procession that ran a few hours longer because of a new Puerto Rican Day parade in the area that intersected our normal route. It was a beautiful day, but without clouds the naked sun was especially brutal. I found out one of my friends rents studio space less than four minutes from where we were playing, and was holding an open exhibit of his paintings. After stopping by to say hello and check out his latest work, I got Bill to his house, then my dad back to ours. He's not up to playing yet but seemed to do fine as a spectator, walking the whole gig on shaded sidewalks. His strength is slowly returning. As he and my mom headed over to feed my Uncle Jerry and give him his medication, I mustered up enough willpower to mow the lawn before collapsing. One nap later, and I'm ready to reveal the answers to yesterday's Movie Keyword Meme:

1) Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
2) National Treasure
3) Bubble Boy
4) Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
5) The Hangover
6) Wedding Crashers
7) Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
8) Hancock
9) Hellboy II: The Golden Army
10) Old School

Astute movie goers may have realized that stars in The Hangover appeared in other films on the list, making that the common element linking them all together. Thanks for playing! I hope I haven't forgotten anything...now I remember! Here's this week's PHANTASMIC LINKS:

(1) Enjoy this visual history of game controllers, and try not to let the absence of Intellivision bother you as much as it did me.
Hat Tip: J-No.

(2) Your favorite comic book, cartoon, and other figures from geek culture get SIMPSON-ized. D'oh! I mean....WOO-HOO! I bet you can't name them all...

(3) Now, where have I seen Conan O'Brien's Tonight Show backdrop before....
H.T.: Rey.

(4) In a related story, a 64 bit Conan game would be mesmerizing...

(5) The Dan Band performs their superior version of Total Eclipse of the Heart from the movie Old School. (Warning: Language))
Those guys return in The Hangover, by the way, and top themselves...
H.T.: B13.

(6) Meet Leroy Smith, the Man Who Motivated Michael Jordan. I swear I've seen that guy somewhere before....Love the game.

(7) Now you can go inside Alcatraz from the comfort of your own home, through this 360 degree digital panorama.

(8) Should this Death Star Grill replace the collapsed and rusting remains of my old one?
H.T.: J-No.

(9) Are you aware of all of Google's Easter Eggs?

(10) There Will Be BRAWL.

Have a link to a game, movie, article, or anything else you think might be “phantasmic”? E-mail me and it just might appear in an upcoming PHANTASMIC LINKS!