Anonymous Q: Have you ever been to shy to tell a girl how you feel?

Youko’s A: Uh oh, watch out, time for TRUTH BOMBS! Of course I have been too shy/too afraid and if any guy says they have not, they’re lying. There are social theories that on a primal level, one of the main reasons men feel such fear when approaching and showing interest in a woman is that they don’t know what other men that woman is currently involved with. It’s an outdated theory that carries over from very early times (think cavemen), when if another man saw you with his woman, he could and would kill you. So the theory claims that it isn’t “fear of rejection” that terrifies us men, but it instead is a deep-seated primal fear of DEATH by the hands of another man for interfering with his female-related affairs. Crazy, huh?

Of course, the same kind of idea holds true for women, but in a much different way. It is also theorized that women have a similar kind of primal fear to get sexually involved with a man because she might be abandoned with child. The idea of a man leaving her to bear and raise her child alone is too much of a risk for a woman to take, especially in those very early times where a woman needed a man to protect her and hunt for food for her and her child. While the woman doesn’t NEED to be protected in today’s society like in those caveman times, the overall concept carries over into modern day much stronger than the male primal fear.

Of course, these things haven’t been fully proven, but they certainly are enlightening. It’s all part of what makes relationships so fascinating…and also a little frightening.

Plus, my current situation is plagued by the “she’s already got a boyfriend” and the “I’m graduating soon anyway” dilemmas. But hey, what can you do.

You can ask me these kinds of questions and more anonymously for me to answer at http://www.formspring.me/smynyouko

It’s been a while since I’ve shared the important things that are going on in my school life. I’ve divulged things to the SMYN community about classes in video games or internet culture that I’ve taken and that’s all been fine and good. However, as my final college semester is coming to a close, I am tirelessly working on what is essentially my senior thesis. I would have had a real one if I was in my department’s honor’s program (which I could have been, but there were limiting factors), so this is about the best I can do.

I should back up, though. I am currently taking the best class I have ever taken at the University of Michigan. This Sitcom TV Studio course is affirming why I want to work in television. Not only do we get to be creative in front of the camera, but we get to work with especially nice cameras, microphones, and simply a state-of-the-art TV studio for a university in this part of the country.

We even got to meet Mark Cendrowski, U-M alum and the director of the popular CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. Last week, he came to our class, had breakfast with us, answered questions and explained what the work process is like out in Hollywood. It was simply fascinating. This was followed by having our class crew some scenes from The Big Bang Theory with acting students – from episode 3×06 “The Cornhusker Vortex.” However, the most intriguing part was being able to watch a future episode from the show that will be airing in mid-April. We’re somewhat implicitly bound in a non-disclosure agreement, so we can’t really divulge the plot of this episode…but let’s just say it’s one you’ll HAVE to watch if you’re a fan of the show.

Ah yes, so what is this senior thesis, in essence, that I spoke of? Well, for a Sitcom TV Studio class, what better final project could there possible be than to pitch, write, produce, direct, and edit your own half-hour sitcom?

I have been involved in a group with three amazing classmates since the beginning of February to produce Straight Up Jake, a sitcom of a group member’s creation that is essentially about a 23 year-old named Jake who lives in New York and has just been hired by an ad agency. Jake is straight, but he believes that his boss (who is gay) has hired him under the impression that Jake could be a valuable ally in keeping this secret. While Jake’s grandmother feeds him guilt about being single, he is set up on a blind date that goes swimmingly with a beautiful girl…who happens to also be his boss’ assistant. So not only does he have to pretend that he’s gay to keep his job, but he has to make sure that this potential girlfriend doesn’t find out about the double-life he has to lead.

We’ve had a rough draft of the script for a couple days now and we’re getting into crunch time for this production, so to give you an idea of the work that’s involved in something like this…

Friday: Meet to nail out the final details of the script
Saturday: Email out scripts to cast, shop for props, have social event with cast and crew
Sunday (3/21): (All-day shoot doing sound for another group’s production)
Monday/Tuesday: Start planning out blocking/storyboarding
Wednesday: Table-read with actors, possibly make line changes
Thursday: Rehearsal Day ONE
Friday: Shoot scenes rehearsed from Thursday
Saturday: Rehearsal Day TWO
Sunday (3/28): Shoot scenes rehearsed from Saturday
Monday: Start editing
Tuesday: Final shooting day
Wednesday-ON: Edit like crazy…rough cut due 4/13

And I have three other classes to do work for, as well as a job as a sports official. And a podcast! We’ll see how SMYN fits into these plans…but just so you know, things are gonna get crazy around here.

Did I mention I’m playing the boss? Yeah, I’ll be a 44-year-old gay boss…it’s the reason for the facial hair growth and makeup will be required since I’m not an old fogey…yet.

If only I were doing this for a living…but that’s another bloggy rant for another time.

I’ve never been one to consider pursuing voice acting, or even think I was very good at that craft, but this was something I was inspired to do this week.

Feedback appreciated.

I’m allowed to blog about non-video game things sometimes, right?

I’m a big fan of music videos that are just one long shot without any edits. OK Go is famous for this with their treadmill-filled video for “Here It Goes Again,” but they’ve one-upped themselves with “This Too Shall Pass.” See for yourself!

Another favorite of mine is “Thick as Thieves” by my favorite band, Dashboard Confessional.

It’s a lost form and it’s a big accomplishment when pulled off correctly.

As far as my own media goes, I’m working on a special surprise involving Metal Gear Solid that I’ve told some of you about. Plus, the Tidbit this upcoming weekend will definitely be about the PS3 fiasco that went down a couple days ago.

Hooray for random blogs. They’re back, baby.

So today I got an email today from my Youtube channel that says:

“Video response to “Der Dicke – Du Kennst Mich”
Der Dicke Tribute Party

Now, this needs some explanation. When I took my final semester of German at my university last fall, we made a group video project in lieu of our final exam. After deciding to do a music video, I composed and performed the song. It was kinda shitty and didn’t take that much effort, but the resulting video is here.

So…then what is this video here?

IT’S A HOUSE PARTY.
IN GERMANY.
THAT’S BANGIN’ MY SONG.

I…I don’t know what to think.

So today I start a summer class that almost might equal the greatness of the video games class I had during our winter semester…well, emphasis on almost.

Course Description

This course surveys a range of Internet phenomena and examines how they become a part of our popular culture, paying particular attention to how new media technologies function as sites of community-building opportunities. Popular culture comprises the daily cultural “moments” or trends that make up our everyday lives and is often expressed through mass circulation platforms. As an ever-evolving concept, popular culture continuously undergoes change and we typically use the media as our arbiters of what’s “in” and who is “out”. As we move through the age of convergence culture, steeped in both economic conglomeration and intertextuality, the Internet is quickly becoming an emerging site for marketable trends in communication and entertainment. My goal for this course is to help students encounter a range of sources, commentaries, and critiques regarding new media phenomena, particularly those which students encounter on a daily basis (e.g., social networking sites, participatory fan sites, commercial websites, etc.). Most importantly, we will examine not only how our lives have been impacted by and enmeshed with new media technology, but also how the Internet has transformed our introduction and indoctrination into American popular culture.

Learning Objectives

This course serves as a broad introduction to the applications on the Internet and digital culture, providing you with the opportunity to research a topic related to an Internet phenomenon in depth. We will discuss how digital culture is understood and constructed through its various “outputs”/sites on the web. By the end of this class, you should be able to:
• Understand how digital technology and cyberculture are theorized by film, television, new media, and cultural studies scholars
• Identify to what extent the popular reception and theoretical study of new media has been shaped by (and shapes) the practices of commercial popular culture
• Examine and evaluate your own connections and identifications with the Internet
• Analyze and argue how a particular website/new media phenomenon encourages community-building while under pressure from market forces.

Topics Include

Digital technology
Cyberculture
Creation of the “Self” on the Internet
Online Networking and Online Dating
User-Generated Content (Livejournal, Youtube, Wikipedia, etc)
Fan Cultures/Fan Fiction
Social Networking
Internet Economics
Internet and TV Convergence

Final Paper Assignment (8-10 pages)

Students are required to write an 8-10 page research paper on a new media phenomenon, one either discussed in class or missing from the syllabus. The goal is to connect how this particular new media technology and/or trend a) encourages a community of knowledge and/or b) confronts issues concerning the relationship between commerce and art.

WOW. So basically for my final paper I get to talk about podcasting and in class I get to basically brag about Show Me Your News.

You all are jealous, admit it.

So after much help from Falco400, I FINALLY got around to playing Wii Sports Resort!

Some initial impressions of what I played:
– Archery is badass and very enjoyable. w00t!
– Table Tennis is actually one my favorites so far. Much better than Grand Slam Tennis from EA Sports. And I totally pwned that computer n00b.
– My Dog Peach (which I’m calling the Frisbee Dog game from now on) is better than I thought it’d be! Go figure!
– I annihilated the computer in Swordfighting. It’s going to be a blast for multiplayer.
– Golf and Bowling were AMAZING UPGRADES! Seriously guys, these were probably the best just for the comparison to the original Wii Sports. It took me missing a gimme putt to realize that these are amazing.

I didn’t play any of the water sports or any of that, but WSR is going to be a HUGE hit when it comes to America on July 26th. Dare I say, maybe even worth a purchase for the extra MotionPlus?

I think I’m going to work on a CD for the next couple months. I’m realizing that I have THAT much free time if I don’t get a job.

I’m thinking more of an acoustic sound…and ideally one song per game/series…so if I were to make a cover CD, what would you realistically want to hear me play?

Some initial ideas, feel free to add your own:
CHU-BURA (Bleach OP 8)
Waltz for Zizi (Cowboy Bebop)
Rewrite (Fullmetal Alchemist OP 4)
Inner Light (Hajime no Ippo OP 2)
Okkusenman! – Dr. Wily Stage 1 (Mega Man 2)
MGS2 Theme – Skate Mix (Metal Gear Solid 2)
Phendrana Drifts (Metroid Prime)
Allegro Cantabile (Nodame Cantabile OP 1)
Gerudo Valley (Ocarina of Time)
Pokémon Theme (Pokémon English OP 1)
Uxie/Mesprit/Azelf Battle (Pokémon D/P)
Live and Learn (Sonic Adventure 2: Battle)
Chemical Plant Zone (Sonic 2)
Ice Cap Zone (Sonic 3)
Bramble Blast (SSBB/Donkey Kong Country 2)
King DeDeDe’s Theme (SSBB/Kirby Super Star)
Hyrule Field (Twilight Princess)
Main Theme (Wind Waker)

Ladies, read for a laugh. Fellas, listen up.

To the men, adolescent or mature, that are reading this – the chances are very high that you are in a majority that you aren’t even aware of.

You. Are. A WUSSY.

Now look, I don’t need to know how much you bench or how many kids you beat up in school today, because if you defend yourself against that statement with claims of physical prowess, then you have it all wrong. Today, I merely pose one question.

When it comes to attracting women, why are the men of today so poorly equipped to do so?

For my full write-up, go here!

More updates from yours truly? Sure. I’ll try to keep it brief. GOGOGO.

– I went clubbing on Thursday at Necto in Ann Arbor. I shouldn’t say that it was a frustrating experience, but if you have game to spit, the ladies have to be able to hear it. The music was so loud and pervasive that you’d have to almost yell, mouth-to-ear, pretty much anywhere in the club. I think I’ll go for more subdued, classy locations to meet the ladies. I’m more of a verbal person, anyway. However, that’s not to say I don’t need some more tutelage from the materials I have. That kind of stuff never hurts. /alone

– Money problems. Like, shiiiiiiiiiiiiit…*sigh*. That’s all. Show Me Your News doesn’t pay the bills, people. It’s not like a donate button would reap results, anyway.

– Still no job yet. Although I put in seven applications today. I’m right now hoping for an office clerk-like job at our School of Nursing. Job was posted two days ago on the student employment website, offering 20-25 hours per week, and $7.40-9.00/hr. Would be ideal, but with my luck…

– More things going wrong. Final Cut Pro has decided not to load anymore and CS4 programs have had their license expire for no adequately explored reason. GOTTA LOVE MY LIFE.

– Panda’s Wii is broken. It doesn’t read discs anymore. He wants to send it in, so later this evening I get to see if I can salvage stuff off of it and maybe delete evidence of Homebrew before he sends it off to Nintendo.

– Speaking of Panda, he’s in Athens, OH for a Midwest Circuit Event this weekend.

– Still no word on an E3 podcast. It’s a matter of timing, people.

– Great time of the year to be a sports fan. NBA and NHL playoffs are amazing. The Red Wings played a close game last night, scoring three goals in 4:23 to tie it up, only to lose in OT. They’ve still got this. And WOW, LeBron. WITNESS. AAAAND the Pens JUST scored two goals within a minute at the end of the first period to go up 3-1. Damn…

– I’m giving Majora’s Mask another try…on Project64. Fuck the Virtual Console version, I can’t use cheats then. Okay, granted, the Song of Inverted Time is amazing and without it, this game would fail even more. However, some of the pre-dungeon quests are INSANE. I’ve seriously had to use an online guide for most of this game. I mean, the narrative is FASCINATING and well-structured, but some of the quests…wtffff. Zora eggs? Really? I just said “fuck it” and hacked them into my bottles with cheats. And then there’s the stray fairies for some pretty damn important power-ups. LAME. Well, I just finished Great Bay Temple, which I would argue is more of a messed up dungeon than the Water Temple. Not to mention, the bosses are MUCH harder. I’m just looking forward to finishing the game so I NEVER HAVE TO TOUCH IT AGAIN. Verdict so far: still my least favorite Zelda game by a mile.

Anything else? Nope. Midterm studying. Otherwise, just another weekend.