Hold your horses. I'm busy.

Go five something. There aren't enough 4.50 movies in the portal, don't you think?

While you're at it, go vote for the best of the month. Try something new and pick out movies that you would actually enjoy seeing if you didn't play video games and weren't a hormone-driven preteen male. It'll be fun.

Did you hear Tom's giving out $100 a day for the next twenty days? Of course you did. That's pretty awesome. If there are about three hundred thousand active users, your odds are 1 in 15,000. That's pretty good, but you're more likely to get diagnosed with prostate cancer in the next twenty days.
The more you know...

Speaking of which, pick some random bad thing and raise awareness about it. Raising awareness is cool. See, when you're actually raising money, you have to give a lot of the proceeds to the cause. If you're raising awareness, you can keep the money and still feel good about yourself while raising your estimated CD sale by 15%.

EDIT: And I'm not saying the money giving away is a bad thing here. No not at all. It's a very good thing. You're a very generous guy, Tom. Such a lovely man. So kind and wonderful.
I'm referring to the prostate cancer of course...

I want to see Wall-E, but the country I'm in doesn't get the movie until August, and I don't get back to the US until August. Blarg.

So an awesome sandwich.

Two large pieces of whole wheat bread. Preferably loaf bread, but plain ol' flat square bread gets the job done.

Get out paper plate (because washing dishes sucks, and I can't afford a mechanical dishwasher).

Cut loaf in half and lay down on plate (or lay down two slices).

Grab some cold turkey. If you have a whole cooked left-over turkey, it's preferable to plain old lunch meats. But both will do.
Make sure to have an equal assortment of light and dark. Both are required for ultimate satisfaction.

Lay down on bread. Cut cheese into triangles and lay down around bread draped lightly over the turkey.

Grab some lettuce and insert it in such a manner as to prevent it from falling all over the freakin house cause it can't stay in the freakin sandwich.

Grab four tomatoes. Lay them down in a line. Or if you have square bread place one on each quarter of the bread. YOUR TOMATOES MUST NOT TOUCH EACH OTHER OR THEY WILL SQUISH TOGETHER WHEN YOU BITE DOWN AND SQUIRT GOOEY CRAP ALL OVER YOUR FACE GOT IT?

Cut up an onion. This is really important. Lots of people miss the purpose of an onion. Spread the pieces lightly over your meal.
Throw in some bacon bits if you have them.
Also, some green relish might go nice with it, but it's an acquired taste.

Spread some low fat mayonnaise lightly across the bread (too many people screw up their lives by applying huge buttloads of mayonnaise to their sandwiches- it makes you fat and it drowns out all other tastes in the sandwich and you might as well have just eaten plain mayonnaise from a jar).

Put the two slices of bread together carefully so your junk doesn't go sliding all over the counter in a gooey mess.

Put a toothpick in the middle if you're feeling classy.

Throw it in the microwave for about a minute, or until golden brown with the cheese finely melted over the turkey slices.

Take a bite of your wondrous creation and perhaps drink it down with a freezing glass of liquid orgy (otherwise known as A&W Rootbeer).

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Because making useless posts on the Newgrounds front page is what life is all about.

Also, I was looking through my account features and found I had Bug banned. I can't believe I banned Bug. I love that guy. I must've just been tired that day and gotten irritated by the twenty-plus posts.
You're free, man. Spam my blog post away.

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And if I can stop procrastinating, I hope to have a game, movie, and website out by the end of the month. Will keep you posted.

And here's a great animation. Go watch it.

Quit giving me spoilers for every book, show, and movie in which I might possibly be interested!
I hate you.

In other news, this is the most awesome animation of May, so check it out. I love it.

Also, to my extreme relief, my new site is nearly completion (after being put off for almost a year now). So keep posted for that. I'll release an animation (your may or may not like) to celebrate its completion, so if you watch me over here, you'll probably be notified by e-mail (if you have that setting checked or whatever) of when that animation is completed and uploaded (thus signifying the completion and uploading of my site).

Have a great weekend.

And here's a photo of a chicken I once hatched with an artificial incubator I built out of styrofoam and pieces of stuff I found around the house. Pretty cool.

I've divided this into three sections, so if you're not interested in one you can simply skip to the next.

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I went to see Indiana Jones, here's what I thought:

It was fun. It was like a ride. You watch it for the thrill. It was more like a send-off party to Harrison Ford and George Lucas (both of whom are having their careers nearing the end). Tons of nods and references and nudges and winks toward past gags and scenes and moments (from Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and other Spielberg/Lucas projects).

Sure it was cheesy. But in a way they played on that well. You could tell by the look on Harrison Ford's face half the time that he was thinking "Do I really have to say that?" All the cast seemed to have a great time hamming up the thing, and even Shia Labeuf managed to laugh at himself and his many stupidities (though, even then, he was trying too hard and taking things too seriously).

I didn't really think of this as a film so much as an experience. It reminds us all of those good ol' times we had as kids watching the classic Indiana Jones series and getting totally vacuumed into the on-screen adventure.

Overall, I'd say it's worth watching. They go way over-board at times, and you may find yourself thinking "Oh brother", but it's a good kind of fun "Oh brother" rather than the obnoxious irritated "Oh brother" you get from most films that have the names of either George Lucas or Shia Labeuf involved in the mix.

Go see it. You'll probably enjoy it.
And considering the alternative is "Speed Racer", I'd say if you're going to the cinema this weekend, DEFINITELY choose Indiana Jones for your mindless action flick (if you value your life, avoid Speed Racer).

I assume you've already caught Iron Man last weekend and are planning on catching Prince Caspian next weekend, of course. Otherwise you should make one of those your choice for this weekend.

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So if you know me, you know I love Batman and, just as much, the Joker.

We've all been hearing and seeing a ton related to Dark Knight. And, let's face it, it's probably going to be one of the best movies ever. You've got Christian Bale and Heath Ledger (two legendary actors who have almost never failed to provide an incredible performance and have played some of our favorite roles). You've got Christopher Nolan (one of the five greatest directors alive who honestly has never failed to provide an incredible film with deep characters and rich personality with a engaging dialogue and a compelling plot). You've got other amazing actors like Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and many more brilliant performers who have joined the cast. And you've got Batman and the Joker (the greatest hero and the greatest villain ever created- and I'd argue some of the greatest fictional characters ever invented as well). And I loved Batman Begins (far better than those disasters produced the first time they tried to create a Batman series).

Now, Ledger's joker voice and portrayal (from the theatrical trailers) isn't exactly what I was hoping for, but I'm sure that's simply because I haven't seen enough of it.
In the trailer he seems to be going solely for 'insane murderer' with the voice of a pedophile. The true Joker was a lunatic, but he wasn't growling in an Adam Sandler voice the entire time. I always liked Mark Hamill as the Joker (Hamill's finest and only decent role). He brought to the table the theatrical inanity and over-drama that was the Joker. The Joker's behavior is goldenly unique in that he can smile and prance about and giggle in his high pitched voice and then turn around and shoot an innocent victim in the head, in front of the victim's loved ones. This was what made Joker truly evil. This was what drove others insane. He kept a neat suit and a big smile, and always had a darkly clever bit of humor that you can't help but chuckle at, even if he's saying it while lowering someone into a pool of deadly marine life.
However, I expected Ledger to come up with his own take on the Joker, as a fantastic actor like him should. I wasn't hoping for a clone of Mark Hamill's voice (which was slightly too cartoony, but toned down a bit would've been just about perfect).
And I'm sure whatever he does will be better than Jack Nicholson's grossly inaccurate portrayal of the Joker. Ugh.
I must add that Heath Ledger got the laugh perfect. It's the spine-chilling careless empty laugh that it should be. Let's hope he gets the smile right (without the demon smile, Joker loses half the effect).

Ultimately, the Joker's motivation, his central plot, who he is, is more important than his behavior (though behavior is quite important- ie, Jim Carrey's ridiculously loony version of The Riddler, who was supposed to be composed and dignified).
And this is up to the writers. Will they get it right and satisfy the true Batman fans?
Joker was not just some fat old psycho who went around killing people and making corny jokes (as Nicholson's Joker was).
No, not at all. The Joker is so much deeper than that. The Joker is a central figure to the entire Batman story. The Joker is a part of Batman really.
The Joker lost everything. Like Bruce Wayne, he had everything ripped from him. He was left empty and broken. He was destroyed.
He had nothing left, so he began destroying the lives of others, specifically those who had ruined him.
Then he encountered Batman.
Batman is basically the equal and opposite of Joker. The Joker and Batman both lost everything that meant something to them. Both needed revenge. Joker took it; Batman didn't. From there, their methods of dealing with the complete emptiness of their souls completely differed.
Batman made Gotham his life. He had a vendetta against crime, one which he'd spend every breath, forsaking any other life (unlike "heroes" such as Superman and Spiderman, who quite often put their own personal lives in a significant position over their duties and responsibilities), carrying out.
Joker, on the other hand, made Batman his obsession. He hated Batman with everything that was in him because he and Batman were exactly alike, and he saw Batman as weak, a pathetic little boy in a costume crying for his mommy and daddy, trying to make them proud. And he had to destroy Batman. But just killing Batman wouldn't have done anything. In fact, killing Batman would've been giving him exactly what he wanted- a heroic end to all his misery, dying because of his cause. No, Joker had to break Batman. He had to make Batman laugh. Everything he ever did was intended to drive Batman insane. He was never interested in money or power. He always wanted to make Batman laugh. That's why he never killed Batman, even though he often said he intended to. He could've killed Batman easily. He had numerous opportunities. He had to twist Bruce Wayne. He had to torment his soul. To the point where he finally broke, and Batman laughed.

As you may have picked up, I hated Jack Nicholson's representation as the Joker. He ruined a masterpiece of art.
Now, you may like that portrayal, because you don't know the true Joker, and that's fine. I'm not going to rant about your opinions. You're perfectly entitled to them.
I like Hugh Jackman's representation of Wolverine, but a lot of fans of the original Wolverine don't. Why? Because the pre-movie Wolverine was an animal. He was far more savage. I think Hugh Jackman balanced his savage side with his good side well, and stayed true to Wolverine's personality, but a lot of people don't. However, unlike them, who go around trolling fans of the movies, I have no intention of arguing with you about which versions of which characters you favor.

Anyway, high hopes for Dark Knight. I hope I'm not let down.

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Poll time: What was your favorite animated movie?

I'm compiling a list of great feature-length animated films. I thought you guys listing your favorites would help me not miss any.
I'd appreciate it! Thanks!

...that I'm sure you're just late in sending, right, guys?

So I had a fantastic birthday. I had barbecue spare ribs (mmmmmmmmmm) at Sizzlers, then went and saw Iron Man (which was pretty much absolutely awesome), then grab some pizza at the Hut, then went home for some ice cream cake.

Good times. I got some books. And some junk food. And some tshirts.

Still waiting for that XBox360 you all pitched in and got me to arrive. ;)
In my dreams... Maybe if I made more animations about Sonic and Bleach... then you'd all be sending hundreds to my Pay Pal account...

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Anyway, I had a movie I wanted to release on my birthday (first one entirely voiced by my newly formed "audio team"), but I didn't complete it in time. Probably going to aim for a Wednesday or Thursday release now.

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What's with the scores on movies these days? It's really cheapening the stuff that deserves those scores, when EVERYTHING gets 4.18 or above.

"Brawl Taunts" is basically just some scribbled popular video game characters talking about "boobs" and "bawls" (yeah, hilarious... definitely...)
and "Irod Bad!" is just terrible...

Then there are movies like "crossroads in the sky" and "Karma" that are pretty well done, but a year ago would've only been ranked 3.90 - 4.05, and are now in what (previously) was the top fifty.
Of course, within only a few months time, the top fifty average score has risen from 4.24 to 4.32.
Weird.

Ah well, some great movies recently, so I shouldn't be complaining. Some of the newcomers on the flash scene these days are incredibly talented, and it's awesome to see some of the content being produced here.

I would like it if YouTube submissions would stop being so encouraged here. There are hundreds of video sharing sites, but as Gerkinman and I were discussing yesterday, the number of flash sites is rapidly declining. And the ones that stick around are usually all game sites.
Meh...

And happy mothers day to all you moms who come to Newgrounds, as there are so many of you around here.

Oh, and "Dark Knight" is going to be an absolutely awesome movie, which I am greatly anticipating.

they're shiny

That series is awesome. Yotam Perel is almost unparalleled in comedic writing on NG. Some brilliant moments in his stuff.

Anyway, I haven't made anything in a really long time, and I have nothing to show for it.
On one hand I'm incredibly busy. On the other hand I'm disgustingly lazy with my free time. April's halfway through and I've released one movie this year and it's a collab.

So here's some cool stuff out recently:

Charlie the Unicorn 2

MindChamber's Latest Art Contest - Pretty neat idea.

Metal Gear Collab

Camp North - A collaborative website a ton of awesome artists are making.

Luis interviewed AloneintheDark. Yeah, I just got this from Tom's recent news post. But AloneintheDark is an awesome animator, so you chould check it out. Btw, why aren't interviews with authors going in the NG Mag anymore? That place is dead.

Zekey's Aniboom (the spamming website) RadioHead Contest Entry - I find this animation oddly appealing. You should watch it and vote for it if you have an account over there.

Haha. Digg, you've made your point. < Digg this.

Emma Watson turned eighteen and gets access to her $20 million fortune..

This is the greatest bear ever.

Mets Get Rick Roll'd

The below image is pretty neat.

Hey < username>,

I'm the Content Recruitment Coordinator at aniboom.com, the leading portal for the animation community.

I recently came across <movie name> , and thought it was very cool. Aniboom.com and Radiohead have just launched the "IN RAINBOWS Animated Music Video Contest" and we'd love to see what you would come up with.

This could be a great chance for you to show off your skills to Radiohead and animation industry as well as potentially take home $10,000 to produce a full length video using a track from their new album, IN RAINBOWS.

It's a great opportunity, so make sure to submit your storyboard or animated video idea before April 27th. The sooner you upload, the more views you can accumulate, adding to your chances to win.

You can get the details by going to http://www.aniboom.com/radiohead

Questions or comments? Please be in touch, any time.

Cheers,

Sharon Drath

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<Website>'s e-mail spamming system isn't working very well apparently.