WWE Extreme Rules Predictions

The “Most Extreme Night of the Year” is this Sunday and myself and other cosplayers will be there live! This is the night where there’s allegedly No DQs, no count-outs, and weapons are permitted.  Being there personally, I hope they battle near the cosplayers at this event, as it would be a major honor to be on TV, lol, if not oh well. BTW, if you’re going to be at the event, come to the Pre-Show Huddle!  The current plan is to have us line-up towards the entrance closest to the Target store.

I’m getting ready for ACen so this predictions thread won’t have the fancy picture graphics like I did with WrestleMania, but I do plan on going more out on my live Extreme Rules report. Without further ado, here are my thoughts and predictions!

Pre-Extreme Rules Opener: United States Championship Match - Santino Marella vs. The Miz

So, starting with WrestleMania earlier this month, it appears WWE has now decided to do the free Internet match before a PPV similar to UFC doing that with some of their fights. I for one welcome this approach.  It’s a nice change, as I like seeing people who don’t make the main card have something to do.  WWE used to do this back when they had “Sunday Night Heat” on USA Network.  Anyway about this match, no real build-up to it and sort of surprised they didn’t go with Santino vs. David Otunga as those two have been feuding since the build to WrestleMania 28 with the whole GM vs. GM feud, but whatever.  As far as this match goes, it can be an okay bout.  According to my ticket the event starts at 6:45 PM while the PPV begins at 7:00 PM. I’m predicting we’ll see a 5-10 minute match, no more no less.  I guess I will go with Santino retaining, as I currently don’t see any hints of The Miz being pushed soon. Whatever works I guess.

Who I Want To Win: Either I guess.           Who I Think Will Win: Santino Marella.

Intercontinental Championship Match – The Big Show © vs. Cody Rhodes

One of the first matches in what helps me refer to Extreme Rules/Backlash as “WrestleMania 28.5” or whatever the PPV that year is.  From what I see this match has no stipulation, um, are they going to add one or is it assumed that they can brawl anywhere?  Anyway, the outcome just seems like it’s going to be The Big Show. They had a good match at WrestleMania and I’m glad Big Show had his WrestleMania moment, but to me this is just a match to kill time. It’s fine I guess, but nothing really to get me pumped up. I see no reason for The Big Show to lose the title back.

Who I Want To Win: Big Show                  Who I Think Will Win: Big Show

 Falls Count Anywhere Match: Randy Orton vs. Kane

This is another match that seems to be added just to kill time.  That’s okay, I have enjoyed all of their previous matches they have had. Adding Bob Orton to the storyline has done little to spark my interest, all I ask of this match is for some good weapon usage, for these two men to brawl over the arena, and hopefully come by my fellow cosplayers and I while brawling. Is that too much to ask?  This will end the feud once and for all and despite Orton getting his win back from Kane on a rematch on Smackdown, I see Orton going over as the face beating Kane on a PPV to satisfy him.

Who I Want To Win: Kane              Who I Think Will Win: Randy Orton

World Heavyweight Championship Match – Best 2 of 3 Falls: Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus ©

Anyone remember me predicting these two having a great match at Mania? I was so pissed they had no time!  Honestly, the WHC and WWE Championships shouldn’t have that kind of humor in the match. To me it was as bad as them being bumped to dark match last year.  WWE is confusing me with their plan on Daniel Bryan. On one hand, it seems like they’re mostly trying to sweep him under the carpet and have Alberto Del Rio be the top heel on Smackdown but on the other hand they seem to be really trying to make “Yes! Yes! Yes!” a new phenomenon (which my group most definitely will be chanting at Extreme Rules and quite possibly Anime Central as well!)

Anyway, as long as we don’t see Daniel Bryan get screwed in one of the two falls (18 seconds or whatever BS) I’ll be happy. I don’t see him winning the title back at all and that’s perfectly fine, but let’s have him and Sheamus give us an awesome 2 or 3 falls match where they tear it up and deliver! Not sure if this one will fight into the crowds or not, I’m fine either way; just give us some great wrestling please. Sheamus wins and starts his new WHC feud with Alberto Del Rio while Daniel Bryan feuds with someone in the midcard?

Who I Want To Win: Daniel Bryan (No Offense Sheamus)          

Who I Think Will Win: Sheamus

WWE Championship - Chicago Street Fight Match: CM Punk © vs. Chris Jericho

These guys tore the house up at WrestleMania 28! Besides maybe HHH-Undertaker, this was my favorite match at WrestleMania! Overall I have been enjoying the feud but with this week’s Raw with the sobriety test (BORING segment!) and the previous week’s hint of CM Punk drinking at a London pub, it has started to get dull.  None of us believe that Punk is really going to drink; we know those stories that Chris Jericho mentioned are real and mostly have influenced Punk with his real life decisions.  I like the idea of Chris Jericho trying to get CM Punk to drink and get depressed, as he has currently been his only opponent to get inside of Punk’s head. Well regardless of the storyline, it should be another great match.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see CM Punk bring more booze to the match and the two crashing bottles amongst each other’s heads, but we’ll see.

Anyway, a lot of predictions are going around thinking CM Punk will finally lose his belt.  I’m agreeing with these sentiments.  My reasons: 1. Chris Jericho hasn’t done too much in terms of victories since his “epic return” to the WWE. I think he’s going to want to be repaid at one point. 2. CM Punk had his big Chicago hometown victory at last year’s Money in the Bank. WWE doesn’t always allow the hometown hero retain! Chris Jericho will finally get his next WWE Championship victory and hold it either up until WWE Over the Limit or whatever the June PPV is.  That way he can take the time off and tour with his band Fozzy. Anyway, I think this will be the top match on the card if they don’t want to let Sheamus-Daniel Bryan be the one.

Who I Want To Win: CM Punk (It’s Chicago!)      Who I Think Will Win: Jericho

Main Event: Extreme Rules Match – John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar has returned to the WWE and they’re milking every opportunity they can with him! Can you blame them? $5 million for one year, limited appearance, a lot of potential mainstream/UFC fan appeal. Of course you have him return ASAP! Yes, I will agree that John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar probably should be saved for a bigger event or have more hype to it, but like they say, you have to strike iron while it’s hot!  It’s going to be interesting to see how Chicago reacts to Brock Lesnar. I was surprised Detroit were chanting “Brock’s a Bitch” and were rooting for John Cena when he came out on the last segment on Raw this Monday.  Chicago each time I have attended has mostly been an anti-Cena crowd.  I personally will root for Lesnar and predict everyone else will do the same.

As far as the match goes, I don’t know if it will be great to be honest. It’s good that it’s Extreme Rules (well that’s the PPV name after all) but with Brock returning to wrestling, it will be interesting to see how well he holds up. I think it would be cool if he uses some of his UFC arsenal to take out Cena.  I’m in belief that Brock will defeat Cena this Sunday, as I just couldn’t see him return just to lose right away.  If I were the WWE, I’d have this match be a storyline reason for Cena to take some time off as he has been working real hard for the company and hardly takes a break. Let Brock take him out, go through others on the roster, and then have Cena return.

Who I Want To Win: Brock Lesnar             Who I Think Will Win: Brock Lesnar

That is all for my predictions, tune in next week as I will try to make a video or at least my thoughts of the show and let you know what I thought about it live!

THE STVO UNIVERSE ANIME CENTRAL SNEAK PREVIEW

Welcome to The STVO Universe Anime Central Sneak Preview!  I assume most of you reading this have been to Anime Central before but for those that haven’t and might be going for the first time; get ready for lots of fun, laughs, and a convention experience unlike most others.  Anime Central is celebrating its 15^th year anniversary at the Hyatt Regency in Rosemont, IL and it will be holding multiple events all over the surrounding Rosemont hotels as well as the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.  ACen allows you to embrace your inner geek or just show off all your geekiness among other nerds, gamers, and otakus.  There are vendors, a large artist alley, multiple panels in relation to anime/video games/J-Pop fashion/etc., cosplayers (including sexy lady ones), and lots more!

I have been going to Anime Central since 2002. Because I missed two years this will be my 9^th year and I am really looking forward to it! Personally, what I like most about ACen is the passion of everyone there be it for their interests in a certain series, their dedication to a cosplay, or the sense of humor and mostly laid back attitude of everyone there.  You can always expect random moments of people dancing to a Rick Roll, a confrontation of two cosplayers of characters from rivaling series, or people shouting random Internet memes. I have made lots of friends both at Anime Central and the Anime Central Facebook group and for me I want to say I am thankful that such conventions like this exist.

Here are a few panels/guests/events I am looking forward to/might attend (look for some of my own cheap promotion too!):

·      The Pre-ACen Mitsuwa Meet-Up Presented By STVOUniverse 

·      The Unofficial ACen Thursday Late NightMeet n' Greet v2 

·      The Yu Yu Hakusho Photoshoot

·      The Crystal Ball (Where my date and I will be dressed as Cat Woman and Two Face!)

·      Hellsing Hentai: After Dark (I like Hellsing, should be interesting to see how this goes)

·      Christopher Sabat!!!!

·      Johnny Yong Bosch!!!

·      Possibly watching more anime including: Gunslinger Girl, Puss N Boots

·      Batman Photoshoot

·      Classic Nintendo Photoshoot

·      Anime Voice Over Panel

·     The Soap Bubble (???)

·      Some Karaoke Perhaps

·      Anime Central Cosplayers Invade WWEExtreme Rules: Pre-Show Huddle [STVO Universe Event!] 

 ·      Lots more!!

Now some special shout-outs as requested on the Anime Central Facebook Page and one of my own:

·      Little Brass Bird!

·      Foreign Expressions (Booth 1231 in Donald E. Stephens?)

·      My Buddy Norman L.!

·      The Final Fantasy MMO Panel: Saturday, 630-930 PM at the Doubletree Hotel.

·      The Berserk/Good Ol' Days ACEN Panel 

·      Courtesy of Emi Chan: The people of Cedar Rapids, Iowa!!!

Reminder: Everyone with a smartphone (Droid/iPhone), download the free Guidebook app! After you download that app, download the Anime Central Guide!

Some final notes:

·      Here are two masquerade skits I participated in.

2002

2003

·      Here are a look of my cosplays this year:

·      If you can, please help me raise money for MS by visiting this link here. I will be participating in a walk for MS on May 6^th. Check out my video here.

That’s all for my Anime Central Preview! I really look forward to help celebrating the 15^th Anime Central! If you have to line-up Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, GET THERE EARLY!!!! I hope you will stop by Mitsuwa tomorrow and say hi! I’ll be dressed as PeeWee Herman.

If you like this article, please keep tuning in to my site. Like STVO Universe on Facebook, Follow SU on Twitter, and Subscribe to SU onYouTube!  If you like pro wrestling, stay tuned, my WWE Extreme Rules Predictions are coming up!

Danny Phantom Multiple Sclerosis PSA

My MS Fundraiser Page: http://bit.ly/Jn8xrj

PSA TIME: First, get ready for my AAA acting skills. I may be a cosplayer, but not quite an actor. :D

I will be walking in the Naperville, IL MS Walk on May 6, 2012.  Let me know if you make a donation, it should show but just in case let me know. I will write you a personalized thank you with your choice of either: Facebook Message, E-mail, or written letter. I hope with this video and your donations we can help find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis.

STVO Universe’s Tribute to the 25th Anniversary of Fox Part 2: Top 10 Primetime and Late Nights Shows

I now return with the second part of my two-part article paying tribute to Fox’s 25^th anniversary.  I am now focusing on Fox’s heart and soul of success: primetime! While their kids programming has long ceased airing, Fox has successfully remained on television for over two decades.  With that said, here is a few of the following things that will not make it on my Top 10 Primetime list:

·      No FX, Fox Family, or other sister channels shows will be on this list. As much as I love It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, and Archer among others, they do not qualify.

·      No syndicated programming! Just because Seinfeld, Big Bang Theory, etc. air on Fox Chicago, doesn’t mean they also air in markets such as New York on Fox. This is for national broadcasts.

·      No temporary primetime shows or specials: X-Men the Animated Series was once on primetime, doesn’t qualify as it didn’t run a full season in primetime.

·      I’m withholding sports such as the MLB, UFC, Nascar, etc. They wouldn’t have made my list anyway, but I just thought I’d say it.

Now onto the list!

Top 10 Shows on Fox Primetime/Late Night

10. The George Carlin Show

 

Let me be frank here.  I don’t remember too much from this show now as it has been a long time since I have watched it but when I watched it as a kid, I thought it was hilarious! I’m also a very big fan of George Carlin.  He was always a controversial but hysterical man.  He didn’t like this show very much but I remember him and his alcoholic buddy at the bar always made me laugh.  George played a cab driver in the show.

9. Action

Raise of hands. How many of you guys actually remember this show? I’m predicting none most likely, but if you do then pat yourself on the back.  If you haven't, I posted part 1 of the first episode here, you can find the rest on YouTube if you enjoy. I never actually watched the show while on Fox to be honest, it was on Thursday nights right when WWF Smackdown came to UPN.  One night during college, I was flipping through channels late night and Comedy Cenral had an awesome 1 AM (Central) block that played cancelled shows from their channel and other channels, and this was one of them.

Anyway a quick synopsis, the show stars Jay Mohr who plays Peter Dragon a director trying to recover from his last movie that bombed in the theaters. It features stories about Peter and his sleazy attempts to break back into the movie scene, meeting former child actress turned “slut” and coke addict, Wendy Ward, as well as many other directors and actors trying to go back in the business. You also see several guest appearances from real actors and actresses such as Salma Hayek, Keanau Reeves, and Sandra Bullock, among many others. This reminds me of the type of show that would be on FX. It’s a real shame it didn’t do well. If you can find it online, check it out!

8. Martin

Is this show stupid? Yes. Is it funny? Oh yes! Before Martin Lawrence was in drag as a big fat woman he was in drag as Shenehneh, playing a 1970s pimp, a little kid, and his main character, Martin Payne. It was a wacky show for sure and Martin’s voices and character reactions were hilarious.  I also loved his friend Cole. Ignorant but funny and always dating a girl named Big Shirley!

7. Andy Richter Controls the Universe

Yet another quality Fox show cancelled prematurely.  Once known as Conan O’Brien’s sidekick (and then once again becoming his sidekick), Andy Richter finally broke his Robin/Tails/Ed McMahon sidekick mold and landed his own show on Fox.  Andy has a crush on the receptionist at his work place who is taken by the perfect pretty boy douche at his job.  Andy narrates the show and often lets his imagination run loose with the plot of each episode.

6. MadTV

Going to be honest with this one, I mostly only liked the first two seasons.  There were some funny jokes in the others, but the start of the series was the best.  Anyway, MadTV started in 1995, sometime around the time I felt SNL was going downhill.  I really enjoyed MadTV with the cast of Arnie Lange, Orlando Jones, and Phil LaMaar (Samurai Jack!!) I also loved the animated skits, which were a great contribution on the show with skits parodying Gumby, Toy Story, and there were also the entertaining Spy Vs. Spy Cartoons. I enjoyed skits including Mrs. Swan and That’s My White Momma. The movie parodies were also top notch. I also liked series additions of Will Sasso and Frank Caliendo.

5. Family Guy/The Cleveland Show/American Dad

I had a tough time with this decision, but I decided to induct all of Seth Macfarlene’s (and Mike Henry, for the Cleveland Show) as one.  I’m going to have to admit, while I like Family Guy, I have grown over time to see it’s not as well written of a show on TV as others such as The Simpsons (let’s ignore seasons 11 on up), Bob’s Burgers, among other programs on television.  Here’s the thing though, the gags can be very funny! You also have characters like Herbert the Pervert, Glenn Quagmire, Ollie Williams, among others on Family Guy that can really crack you up while American Dad and The Cleveland Show have hilarious characters like Roger the Alien, Snot, Cleveland Jr., Freaktrain, and Auntie Momma.  These shows all have different characteristics, but they all come together in specials such as the Family Guy Star Wars specials. For me, I prefer season 4-7 Family Guy the most, while later on I would prefer The Cleveland Show and American Dad. All in all, the three shows provide me with good laughs on Sunday nights.

4. In Living Color

This show was 100 times better than MadTV! This show was an amazing start to many comedian actors’ careers such as Jamie Fox, Jim Carey, the Wayans, and David Alan Grier.  Many hilarious skits included Homey Da Clown, The Head Detective, Wanda, and Fire Marshall Bill.  This show was also full of many 90s rap and hip-hop performances.  While I’m more a rock music guy, there were many great performances.

There have been talks of Fox doing a few In Living Color revival specials with an all-new cast.  If the current SNL for most part is any indication on the quality of reviving a show or keeping it around too long (in my personal opinion it hasn’t been as good as it once was), then I think Homey needs to approach the person who greenlit this idea and give him a piece of his mind.

3. The Critic

A show that was let go way too early! Again, way too early! This show in my personal opinion should have lasted at least as half as long as The Simpsons. There were so many quality characters, lines, parodies, and more.  Jon Lovitz also really brought out the character of Jay Sherman as one of my all-time favorite TV show characters.  The show aired its first season on ABC and was moved to Fox for its second season where they attempted to make Jay a more likeable character by giving him a girlfriend and having more friends.  I’ve grown to like the first season a little more but I still loved season two on Fox and would have loved to see more! We did see more of it eventually with online shorts and while those were funny, it just wasn’t the same.  It’s okay; the memories live on in my complete series DVD set.

2. Married with Children

Quite possibly my favorite sitcom of all-time!  Married with Children starred Al Bundy, while rude and smelly, he is what I consider a real man’s man.  From his attempts of trying to get rich, bypass the law, bypass the wife from sex, or just relive his old high school football days, despite being a women’s shoe salesman, his rants on life were always hysterical as well as his misfortunes.  He wasn’t alone in his humor; there were many great supporting characters such as his wife Peggy, his daughter Kelly, Jefferson, Marcy, or even the NO MA’AM gang members. Even though the show got more cartoonish later on, I still laughed every moment of the show and was very sad when the show came to an end.  I can still watch every episode non-stop today.

1.    The Simpsons

Was there any question if this would be my number one?  This show has been a staple for many quotes and hilarious moments and without this show there would be no Family Guy, no American Dad, no Adult Swim, etc.  While it has greatly shown signs of weakness from seasons 11 and beyond, it still can deliver some funny moments to this day and since I have been watching the show since season one, it would be hard to picture a world without The Simpsons every Sunday night.  I think a cancellation should happen but the first ten seasons were so memorable and hysterical that I can watch those seasons endlessly and still laugh at the jokes.  We also can’t forget the numerous hilarious characters the show has had.

Okay as you know, I didn’t put any dramas on the list. I’ll be honest, I have a hard time following drama/action series while they’re on TV today. Especially with today’s series where if you miss one episode or start watching late, you will be lost.  I am the type of person who will rent the box set of a show and watch them.  Here are some shows that are either on Fox or once were that I would like to watch:

·      Terra Nova: I watched the first two episodes thought they were great, but fell behind.

·       X-Files: I’m kicking myself for not watching much of this.

·       24: Heard nothing but good things. I heard it did begin to drag on later on.

·      Prison Break: The concept sounds very entertaining.

·      Terminator - Sara Connor Chronicles: If only to follow the Terminator storyline that I like.

·      M.A.N.T.I.S.: I really liked the concept of a disabled man making himself a suit that could make him a hero.

·      Woops: Not a drama but a post-apocalyptic sitcom where it’s 5 people that have to ban together and deal with things like giant ants or an evil Santa Claus. I heard it’s one of the worst shows ever to air on TV.

That is all for my tribute to the 25^th anniversary of Fox! Be sure to tune in Sunday at 6 PM Central to watch their anniversary special including the first episode of Married with Children.  As always follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Have a great weekend everyone and I shall see a lot of you at Anime Central next week!

Cabin in the Woods Review

STVO Universe’s Tribute to the 25th Anniversary of Fox Part 1: Top 10 Kids Shows

This Sunday, Fox (the channel) will be celebrating its 25^th birthday of launching as a full-time primetime network.  In actuality though, the “channel” launched on October 9, 1986 with “The Late Show with Joan Rivers” in late night, but it became a full-time network on April 5, 1987.  Looks like they’re having a late birthday party, but with a great deal of the most awesome shows they have had, I can forgive them.

While Fox had successful shows such as Married with Children, 21 Jump Street, and the Tracy Ullman Show (which lead to The Simpsons), they had many failures upon arrival such as Mr. President and Werewolf.  Fox was once known as the butt of the major networks but overtime with the additions of Fox Sports, American Idol, and several other successful programs, it has become a powerful and popular network worldwide.

I asked everyone whether they would prefer me to write a full top-ten list of all the shows to ever air on Fox or if I should separate them by Prime-Time/Late Night and Fox Children’s Programming.  The majority wished for me to separate the lists and in all honesty I am satisfied with this vote because I feel they both would stand out on their own merits.

In this 2-part series, I will open with the Fox’s children’s programming. These programs will include stuff from the Fox Kids, Fox Box, and 4Kids TV Line-Ups.  To be clear; nothing outside of the Fox channel such as syndicated programming (Super Mario Bros. Supershow and Muppet Babies were on Fox Chicago) nor Fox Family (not like it would qualify, but example: The New Addams Family.)  If you were born in the 1980s or 1990s, I can bet you watched at least two shows on the Fox Kids programming block! Let’s begin!

Top 10 Shows on Fox Kids

Runners-Up: Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, Eek! The Cat, Ultimate MUSCLE, and Super Dave.

10. Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers

Okay, the show came out when I was in the third grade and for some reason at my elementary school most kids thought it was uncool to like shows such as Power Rangers or Ninja Turtles when you hit 2^nd grade or beyond. I don’t know why but they did.  Anyway, I’ll admit I wasn’t crazy for the first season of Power Rangers as I thought Rita was a lame villain. When Lord Zedd came to her palace and took over, I was very impressed. Also, how can you not love those Zords?!?!?! This show was a mega hit where parents were buying their children EVERYTHING from the show and it had a big blockbuster movie. I ended watching the show around the time Power Rangers Zeo was about to begin, but it was a fun ride while it lasted. Also, it provides good laughs if you go back and watch it.

9. Bobby’s World

Bobby Generic, who couldn’t love that kid with an imagination that took him almost everywhere?  This show was very imaginative and I think several of us probably could relate with making pretend in our own worlds and having siblings that drove us nuts.  You also can’t forget the crossover animation/live action opening and endings between Bobby and his/dad’s voice actor, Howie Mendell (where when I was a kid I was like, who the hell is this guy?)  My favorite character though was Uncle Ted. I still laugh at the time they said he shoved a game cartridge into a VCR.

8. Animaniacs

I finally found out who the Warner Bros. were and apparently they had a Warner Sister named Dot too.  It was from Stephen Spielberg who also did Tiny Toon Adventures and Freakazoid (a show I’d love to add to this list but wasn’t on Fox.)  Lots of great parodies, plenty of hidden adult jokes (“I’m a pianist!” “You have such a potty mouth”), and it also was the start of Pinky & The Brain!  I’ll admit it had some skits I didn’t like Rita & Runt and Slappy Squirrel, but with Pinky, Brain, Wacko, Yacko, Dot, the Goodfeathers, among others, plenty of laughs were had.

7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003)

I know some people will be like “Why do you like this version, it was such crap compared to the 1980s show?!?!” That’s nostalgia talking my friends.  I can’t say it’s better than the original (I grew up with the show) but it was a very fine show on its own!  The animation style was more mature, it had some decent stories, and it was fun.  For me, it felt more like the live action movies in terms of the feel.  Also I felt the design for Shredder was very awesome.  Whether you agree with me or not, you can at least admit it’s most likely going to be a lot better than Michael Bay’s Teenage Alien Ninja Turtles movie! :P

6. Life With Louie

Life with Louie was hilarious.  I remember it premiering on Fox primetime as a Christmas Special.  Louie and his friends see a woman with no Christmas decorations on her house and she was alone. They decorate her house and sing her carols only to find out she was Jewish and didn’t celebrate Christmas. Haha!  It’s another cartoon basically being a kid and growing up with narration like The Wonder Years or Everybody Hates Chris, but with Louie Anderson narrating! Louie and his dad’s voices were great!

5. The Tick

SPOON! While I’m one of the few that preferred Freakazoid to The Tick, it was still a funny show on its own! It has been awhile since I have watched the show, but I remember it always being funny when I watch it.  The Tick’s voice was very awesome and I really liked his sidekick Arthur always being mistaken as a bunny.

4. X-Men

I’m going to get shit for this but as a kid, I actually was not a big fan!  The only characters I liked at the time were Wolverine and Gambit. They remain my favorites today but I now love the show and the series!  What a fool I was.  I suppose as a kid I felt there was so much going on, which as an adult, I happen to enjoy.  It had some pretty mature and great stories for being a kids’ show.  I actually plan on re-watching the whole series sometime on Netflix and I have really enjoyed X-Men movies such as X-Men Origins: Wolverine as well as X-Men First Class.

3. Tiny Toon Adventures

This was a very memorable show.  While one would consider it to just be “Looney Tunes kids” it really wasn’t.  The humor was wacky; it featured Looney Tunes characters such as Bugs and Daffy as the kids’ teachers, and the vast array of characters such as Buster, Hampton, Plucky, Montana Max, Elmyra, etc.  This is yet another kids’ show with hidden adult jokes. Example: Sweety Bird is chasing after Bookworm and suddenly gets hit by a giant book that has the title “The Mike Tyson Story.” Sweety Bird all hurt and dizzy then says, “Now I know how Robin Givens feels.” While I didn’t get that as a kid, I hear that now and say “OMG! They said that on a kids show?!?” Oh childhood…

2. Spider-Man (1994)

I came very very close to giving this the number one spot.  I loved this show! The animation at the time (especially Spider-Man web slinging through the city) was amazing for its time!  Peter Parker had some very humorous lines and I loved all of the sagas associated with the series from beginning to end.  I also got my first look at some of my favorite villains such as Rhino, Scorpion, and while I knew about him prior, I really enjoyed any and all of his altercations with Venom.  This show also featured some great crossovers with The Punisher, the X-Men, and had a nice Avengers storyline towards the end of the series.  I remember being so upset that the series was ending but then was very excited that Fox was bringing a new series called “Spider-Man Unlimited” to Saturday Mornings.

When I saw this among other changes, I immediately tuned out. Still the 1994 Spider-Man is one of, if not, the best Spider-Man series ever made.

1. Batman The Animated Series

Batman vs. Spider-Man? This was a tough decision but ultimately became a lot easier after I considered what a mature show Batman the Animated Series was.  Everything from the animation (which still holds up amazingly to this day), the mature tones, the music, the number of amazing villains, and the darker storylines are just amazing.  Many animators today hold this show as one of their favorites. It has even had an influence on the anime series: The Big O.  I can always go back and watch this show.

That is all for Part 1 of My Tribute to the 25^th Anniversary of Fox. Tune in soon for Part 2: Prime Time and Late Night Programs!  If you liked this article, make sure you like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, and subscribe to me on YouTube. I’ll keep you posted on my other articles, cosplay info, meet-up events, and more!  Thank you for reading!

P.S. If you’re going to Anime Central and will be free in the afternoon Thursday before the con, be sure to check out my Mitsuwa meet-up event! Check out the event here!

Danny Phnatom 100% Complete!

Finally finished my costume! Special thanks to my mom for her helping me make my belt! It looks very awesome! I hope it comes off good at the convention!

 

Now that it is complete, I would like to let you know that also coming up this week I will be paying a tribute to Fox's 25th Anniversary by doing a two part-special of the top shows to ever air on their channel, a video review of The Cabin in the Woods, and a video of a fundraiser I'm apart of! Stay tuned everyone!

  

Now for two special shout outs!

The first one is for my friend's website, The Fan Riot!  It's a comic, movie, and entertainment podcast! A good listen, be sure to check it out!

Second shout out, someone I met at C2E2 named Lauren! I recommend you all go check out her website The Daily Hey Now!  From what I have visited, it's a good site and she does a very nice write-up of last weekend's C2E2 event in Chicago! It also has a Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/TheDailyHeyNow. If you fan, tell her STVO sent you. :)

Two Face Cosplay Update

Here are two new pics for my Two Face of Batman the Animated series cosplay.  So far I'm pleased with how it's going. I'm debating on buying this cheap white hair at Party City or I might continue to use the white hairspray.  Let me know what you think. Also I'm trying to think of a way to make the eye stick. For those wonder what I made the eye with: I cut a ping pong ball in half, painted it like Two Face's yellow eye, and added some Play-Doh to surround it (white Play-Doh, covered it with blue paint.)

For those reading this and enjoying hear my cosplay stories, please follow me on Facebook and Twitter!

Svengoolie Mentions My Cosplay!

I was at C2E2 this weekend and met Chicago's very own Svengoolie! Richard Koz is a very kind and funny man and had lots of fans waiting in line. I remembered him from back when I was a kid when he hosted the "the Ko-Zone."  Svengoolie was signing autographs and taking photos with his fans on Saturday.

From Svengoolie's very website, here is what he had to say:

"... It’s always amazing when certain things happen at these events- one gentleman brought with a picture of me, with a small baby. He revealed that it was taken 15 years ago at one of the old “TV Land” stores where I did some appearances- and that the teenager with him was the baby in the photo!
Plenty of costumed folks came by as well- including a Pee Wee Herman lookalike, complete with “Globy”, his world globe pal! These events always have some amazing costumed guests wandering around- we saw a great “Mysterio” from Spider-Man, several Wonder Women, quite a few Supermen (some to whom spandex was not entirely kind), and a complete set of Ghostbusters along with Gozer! ..."

Thanks for mentioning me! For you readers out there in Illinois, check out Svengoolie at 9:00 PM Central every Saturday on Me-TV. For other viewers, please check your local listings for Svengoolie airings.

Danny Phnatom Cosplay Update (95% Done)

Here are my latest pics of me as Danny Phantom. All I need to do is finish applying the Velcro to my belt. After that, we have a complete cosplay!

Not quite the three spikes Danny Phantom has but I'm satisfied with the results. Hopefully this will come off good in-person! :)

Two STVO Universe Events on Anime Central Weekend

If you're in Chicago (well Rosemont, IL technically) get ready for one awesome weekend for Otaku, Nerds, Geeks, the WWE Universe, and Point-Dexters! Anime Central 2012 (the 15th anniversary!) takes places from April 27-April 29! Sunday, April 29th will be WWE's Extreme Rules PPV headlined by John Cena taking on the returning Brock Lesnar, a former 3 time WWE world champion and former UFC World Heavyweight champion.

In honor of this "EXTREMELY EPIC WEEKEND!" I will be holding two separate events that will both help open and even end your Anime Central Weekend.

The first event is the Pre-Anime Central Mitsuwa Meet-Up! My friends and I will be there dining on awesome Japanese food, picking up some last minute groceries for ACen, and mingling. Perhaps we could all play some 3DS/DS games against one another.  I will be there from 11 am to 1 pm, so feel free to say hi. I will attempt to stand out by cosplaying as PeeWee Herman!

 

The second event will be the WWE Extreme Rules ACen Cosplayers Pre-Show Huddle.  Meet with me and several other cosplayers and/or WWE fans attending the WWE Extreme Rules PPV event. Chat/mingle/predict matches and even start some "Yes!" chants or maybe some "Woo Woo Woo" chants. Maybe even get the DiBiase Posse or the attention of WWE.com by going to this event in costume? Either way, this event will be an epic PPV.

For continued details, follow me on Facebook and Twitter!