T-Gees: homepage layouts,twitter layouts,myspace layouts,Blogger Layouts

Theres no shortage of bad celebrity themed pinball machines. This time we wont rank them, well look at several different genres of bad celebrity tie ins:

THE BOX OFFICE BOMB THEMED MACHINE:

In 1991 Williams Pinball released a machine based on Terminator 2 complete with a gun trigger to launch the ball and a ton of Arnolds catch phrases like Ill be back keyed to various game objectives. The film was a huge hit, and everything worked well together. Because of the success of this machine the production companies thought that releasing a pinball machine simultaneous with the film would be a great cross promotional tactic.

Unfortunately, this thinking led to a number of pinball machines based on films that were absolute bombs. Some examples of this genre are machines based on The Last Action Hero, Judge Dredd and Hook. There wasnt a cooler cartoon than The Flintstones. So how do you screw up a Flintstones pinball machine? Just base the theme not on the classic Hanna Barbara cartoon, but on the horrible film starring John Goodman and Rosie ODonnell.

My two favorites are The Shadow which is hilarious because Alec Baldwin is on the backglass and Waterworld. Waterworld was released in 1995 starring Kevin Costner and quickly became the definitive big budget, no box office film replacing Michael Ciminos Heavens Gate and the Dustin Hoffman/Warren Beatty comedy Ishtar.

Playing a bomb themed pinball machine is downright surreal. The most pitiful thing is when the machine booms out a catch phrase from the film that no one is familiar with. Hearing Arnold bark out “I’ll be back” is cool. Hearing him do his catchphrase from “The Last Action Hero” not so much.

THE DUBIOUSLY TIMED THEME:

In this genre I include themes that would have been pretty cool, except for the fact they were released well after the subjects popularity had begun to ebb. Gilligans Island would have been great back in the mid-1960s or even in the late 70s when a new generation discovered the show in syndication. In 1991 it was just creepy since nearly half of the cast members depicted on the backglass were dead. The Six Million Dollar Man was released in the fall of 1978, just in time for the shows cancellation. Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry would have been a perfect fit for a pinball theme, except that its 1995 release came 8 years after the debut of the last film in the series (The Dead Pool). Popeye Saves the Earth was released 15 years after the release of the Robert Altman film.

Undoubtedly the strangest machine of this genre is 1994s Mario Andretti. The backglass didn’t display a picture of a young Andretti at the height of his racing career, but rather an image of grizzled old Mario Andretti. The smart move would have been to use his name, throw a bunch of race cars on the backglass and playfield and call it a day. Instead having the sixty-something race car driver on the backglass is vaguely akin to having your grandfather looking over your shoulder while you play.

ROOT,ROOT, ROOT FOR THE HOME TEAM:

A comment on the original celebrity theme article mentioned this genre and it is a good one. Its important to understand that the pinball industry has been based in Chicago for most of its history. Presumably for that reason there have been some machines featuring the local sports teams and stars. Chicago Cubs Triple Play isnt too bad due to the Cubbies national popularity. That’s not the case with 1978s Bobby Orrs Power Play, released not long after the trade that sent Orr from Boston to Chicago. Nationally, no one outside of Boston and Chicago cared. My hunch is that it was made to scam some free season tickets out of the Blackhawks management.

THE BAD CONVERSION FOR THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET:

For reasons that Ive never been quite clear on it was common practice to rebrand a perfectly good game for the International market. Sometimes it was released by the US company, other times it was licensed to a foreign operation. Youd think that there would be some creative control over the rebranded themes but that wasn’t the case.

While I have a good grasp on the US pinball demographic I have no idea what sort of degenerate plays pinball internationally. Based on some of the re-themed machines its probably better I dont know. Mata Hari was a classic machine of the early 1980s. The German release was rethemed as the more foreboding Lady Death. This one at least makes sense as they had some Nazi imagery that Germans are understandably sensitive about (despite being historically inaccurate, since the real Mata Hari was executed during WW I). Less understandable is the retheming of a military themed game called Special Force in the US to the downright bizarre Special Forces Girls, featuring comely women in low cut, cleavage baring fatigues.

Until recently, if you wanted to watch a movie, a trip to a video store like blockbuster was your only option. These days you can stay at home and get movies form a movie download site. You will find just about any movie you want with a good movie download site, below is a small sample.

The Abyss: A submarine has sunk. A nearby oil rig crew is sent down to rescue the sub if possible. Once down there they find that this in no normal situation. This film stars Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn, and Leo Burmester. (1989 Sci-Fi)

The Abominable Dr. Phibes: This is an old cheesy horror flick with horror icon Vincent Price playing the eccentric Dr. Phibes. After losing his wife to an unsuccessful surgery, Dr. Phibes dies in a car wreck. Or does he? Everyone is baffled as the surgeons who fail to save Mrs. Phibes are all dying. Vincent Price, Joseph Cotten, Peter Jeffrey, and Hugh Griffith fill out the cast. (1971 Horror/Comedy)

So Close: Two siblings, ostensibly ultra-tech pc surveillance operators, are secretly assassins decimating a murderously corrupt business outfit by outfit. Quarreling tooth and nail with gun and sword, they’re countered by a shrewd policewoman equally skilled in martial crafts. Wonderful-gaudy action set pieces far outplay the inter personals in this hack Charlie’s Life savers wannabe. Cast includes Zhao Wei, Karen Mok, Melody Seung Hun, Michael Wai, Yasuaki Kurata, and Derek Wan. (111 minutes, 2002)

Strange II1usion: Enthralling however unconvincing melodrama, a B-film update of Hamlet, with teenaged Lydon having questions in regards to slick-talker William who’s wooing his widowed mom Eilers. Normally weird William feels in this low-spending limit quickie. Cast includes James Lydon, Sally Eilers, Warren William, and Regis Toomey. (80 minutes, 1945)

Fantasia: Walt Disney’s 8-part matrimony of music and energized icons continues to be an astounding accomplishment; Taylor’s narration times it more .than the content. “The Wizard’s Apprentice” with Mickey Mouse, “The Dance of the Hours” with dancing hippos and alligators, “Rite of Spring” dinosaurs stalking the world, and “A Day on Hairless Hill” with Chemo-bog, the personification of sinister is so shocking that they make up for the less gripping patterns. Cast includes Leopold Stomwski and the Philadelphia Orchestra; depicted by Considered Taylor. (120 minutes, 1940)

The Break Up: Jennifer Anniston (Brook) and Vince Vaughn (Gary) star in this romantic comedy. After a fight they decide to break up. The catch is neither will move out of the apartment.

About Last Night: This movie deals with the classic relationship issues of a young man trying to start a real relationship. As always, it is his trouble with commitment that is the wrench in the relationship. Can this couple move from the singles scene and become a loving couple? Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, and James Belushi, are the key players in this film. (1986 Drama)

Class Action: Jeb Ward is an attorney specializing in class action cases. He is taking the case of a man suing a big auto company for a safety issue, which has had a huge affect on the man’s life since his accident. To spice things up, the defense team will be led by his daughter.

Patriot Games: Retired CIA analyst Jack Ryan is vacationing in England when, by complete chance, he finds himself saving a significant member of the Royal Family from an assassination attempt. In the process Jack kills one of the key terrorists younger brothers. Now this faction of the IRA is out to get Jack and his family. Jack Ryan is now out of retirement.

A phrase like “Compare Movie Download Sites” might get a good result. Try a different search if the first one does not provide good information. See if “Download New Release Movies” gets a better result.

Because you’re looking at information about courses for MCSE, the chances are you’re in one of the following categories: You could be considering completely changing your working life to the world of IT, and all evidence points to a growing demand for properly qualified people. On the other hand you’re someone with a certain amount of IT knowledge – and you want to enhance your CV with a qualification such as MCSE.

As you do your searches, you’ll come across training companies that compromise their offerings by not upgrading their courses to the latest Microsoft version. Steer clear of these companies as it will create challenges for you when it comes to exams. If you’ve been taught an old version, it could be impossible to pass. Avoid making a hasty decision when buying a course for MCSE before having all your questions answered. Look for a computer training company who will make sure that you’re on an appropriate training track for your requirements.

There is no way of over emphasising this: It’s essential to obtain proper 24×7 round-the-clock instructor and mentor support. You’ll definitely experience problems if you let this one slide. Try and find training with help available at any time you choose (no matter if it’s in the middle of the night on a weekend!) You want access directly to professional tutors, and not access to a call-in service which takes messages – so you’re consistently being held in a queue for a call-back when it’s convenient for them.

Keep looking and you’ll come across the very best companies which recommend and use online support 24×7 – including evenings, nights and weekends. Never make the mistake of compromise with the quality of your support. Many students that give up, are in that situation because of support (or the lack of).

The way a programme is physically sent to you isn’t always given the appropriate level of importance. How many stages do they break the program into? What is the specific order and do you have a say in when you’ll get each part? Many companies enrol you into some sort of program spread over 1-3 years, and deliver each piece one-by-one as you complete each exam. This sounds reasonable until you consider the following: What if there are reasons why you can’t finish every exam? And what if you find the order of the modules counter-intuitive? Due to no fault of yours, you may go a little slower and therefore not end up with all the modules.

The very best situation would see you getting all your study materials delivered to your home before you even start; the entire package! Thus avoiding any future problems that could impede your progress.

If you’re considering a training school who is still pushing ‘in-centre workshop days’ as a feature of their programme, then consider these typical downsides experienced by most trainees:

* Constant driving back and forth from the workshops – often quite a distance away.

* Weekday only access for workshops is typically the case, and with 2-3 days to book off work, this is usually problematic for many working people.

* Holiday days lost – many employed people only get 4 weeks annual leave. If you give up at least half to your educational events, that doesn’t leave much holiday time left for the family as a whole.

* Because of the cost involved, a lot of schools fill the classes up to the brim – which isn’t ideal (and much less personal).

* Tension is often caused inside the classroom because most students want to move at a pace comfortable for them.

* The growing costs associated with travel – driving to the training centre and of course over-night bed and breakfast can really add up over several visits. With only 5-10 classes at about thirty-five pounds for one night’s accommodation, plus a petrol cost of 40 pounds and food at 15.00, that equates to 450-900 pounds of add-on cost.

* Most students want their training to remain private so as to avoid any management questions at work.

* Every one of us must, at some time, have shied away from raising a hand in the air, because we didn’t want to look stupid?

* Where students have to on occasion work elsewhere in the country for several days at a time, imagine the trouble involved in making the requisite workshops, when time is at a premium.

A more flexible training route is to make use of filmed lessons in the comfort of your own home – and do it when it’s convenient to you – not anyone else. Think… If you’ve got a laptop then you’re free to work wherever you happen to be at that time. And live 24×7 support is only a web-browser click away when challenges strike you. You can re-watch and re-cover the modules at any time you need to revise. There’s absolutely no need to write any notes as you have access to the class forever. Even though this won’t remove any normal learning difficulties, it certainly reduces stress and eases things. And you’ve reduced costs, travel and hassle.