Jeff Bakalar makes his return on Fat Tuesday--how appropriate. Justin reveals to the world that he loves Alvin & the Chipmunks, on top of his fascination with Disney music. Disney we can forgive, but really? An Alvin & the Chipmunks cover of "Uptown Girl?" And we figure out that Alvin wears a giant "A" because he's committed adultery.
On today's show, Justin learns some new racial slurs from Clint Eastwood's "Gran Torino." Jeff tells us to check out Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler"and reveals to us that he once was a professional wrestler known as "The Flying Daisy." In actual news, newspapers are asking the federal government for a bailout. Get with it! Newspapers are going the way of the dodo. On top of that, it's National Pancake Day, so head on over to your local IHOP! Let Fat Tuesday's debauchery begin in earnest.
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(Credit:
Crave Asia)
Japanese camera accessories maker Kenko is slapping pictures of Disney characters on its new point-and-shoot.
The DMC-50 comes with a 5.17-megapixel sensor, 2.4-inch LCD screen, 128MB of internal memory (with SD card expansion slot), and 4x digital zoom. That's right, boys and girls, this shooter doesn't have an optical zoom lens: This new kid on the block is begging to be ousted from our labs so far as specs are concerned.
What's mildly interesting is the rear interface, which looks like a portable game console. But other than that, the design is still quite conventional, unlike Polaroid's kids cam.
(Source: Crave Asia)
(Credit:
Iriver)
Disney appears to have a penchant for making music gadgets out of its characters' heads, and certainly its most famous franchise won't be left out of the party.
Iriver's Mickey-themed "MPlayer," which Craver Jasmine France spotted back in January, has made good on its promise to finally arrive on the U.S. market. We can't help but feel a bit slighted, however, after having seen the MP3 player roll its merry way across countries in Asia while taking on all forms, occasionally getting blinged and even picking up a disease or two along the way.
As originally billed, it comes with 1GB of built-in storage, a USB port, and 9 hours of playtime. But do take note of one feature not mentioned earlier: "This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer, or birth defects or other reproductive harm." So if you live in the Golden State, tweak the ears at your own risk.
(Credit:
Dvice)
We know about the whole obsession with kawaii (translation: cute) in Japan, but how much Mickey can any culture stand? Already they've gotten silver, gold, and even Swarovski-diseased 1GB "Mplayers," and now Disney and Iriver Japan are introducing "Season 2" of the eared one in even more colors, patterns, and designs, according to Dvice. Between this and High School Musical, we may need a set of blinders as well as earplugs.
(Credit:
Engadget)
Most any other day, this gold-plated MP3 player would likely be subjected to a good measure of disgust and ridicule. But compared with the horrendous Valentine's version that assaulted our senses recently, it actually looks decent.
This limited-edition collaboration of iRiver and Disney is oddly described as an "'assassin's mace' of a device," according to Engadget. Whatever that means, it's double the price of the regular 1GB MPlayer at about $123. ("Assassin's mace"?)
(Credit:
Tokyomango)
Once again, the concept of "one step too far" seems to have eluded yet another gadget maker. And this time, appropriately enough, it involves one of the all-time leaders of marketing excess, the Magic Kingdom.
We agreed with fellow Craver Jasmine France in appreciating the clever and simple design of the "MPlayer," Disney's latest MP3 homage to Steamboat Willy (and much more appealing than previous players, we might add). Now the bad news: There's a hot pink version festooned with ears covered in Swarovski crystals, according to Tokyomango, apparently a misguided "Valentine edition" just released in Japan. (It gets worse.)
As much as we often envy the Asian markets for products available only in that part of the world, this is one instance when we're happy to be excluded.
(Credit:
Disney)
Disney has long had the reputation of being the ultimate control freak when it comes to its brand, which is no mean feat considering the endless stream of its products worldwide. In TVs alone this year, for instance, the Magic Kingdom has released themed models for everything from Pirates of the Caribbean to High School Musical.
But if branding is so important, then why not go straight to the source? That's what the company has done in Japan with the release of a 20-inch HDTV that features The Mouse himself, complete with a pair of his trademark four-fingered gloves embossed on the frame just below the LCD screen. Manufactured by Uniden, according to Akihabara News, the TV goes for about $782 on the Japanese market. It's about time Mickey showed that he had a pair--of ears, that is.
(Credit:
Brando)
With all due respect to the penguin speakers craved by some of our colleagues (OK, just one), we think this pair is the best way to go if your audio equipment must be shaped like an animal.
Hong Kong-based Brando is often known for its bizarre products, including speakers, but we give them credit for this "USB Mickey Mouse" model. Well, maybe not too much credit: As Gizmodo notes, there's no indication that Brando has been licensed to use the iconic ears by trademark-obsessed Disney. So if you want a pair of these, you may want to plunk down the $26 before the Magic Kingdom's royal lawyers get involved.
(Credit:
Akihabara News)
If we were running Japan's Run-At, we'd be cranking out Disney-branded products everyday--not to compete on the current market, but to be sold as collectibles later on. It's well known, of course, that fanatics will shell out big bucks for all things Mickey, so why not cater to that set?
The new limited-edition "Mickey Mouse iPod Nano," for example, would probably be a good investment if you didn't actually use the thing but squirreled it away in its special leather case and original packaging. (Can't you just see yourself on PBS' Antiques Roadshow someday?) The nearly $300 price is roughly twice that of a regular 2GB Nano, but those engraved ears are not to be underestimated in the long run, given that only 500 of these players will be made. We're still kicking ourselves for selling those old shirts at Buffalo Exchange.
(Credit:
Akihabara News)
Mickey Mouse isn't just for kids, as any trip to eBay will show. (We once sold an old Mickey shirt to Buffalo Exchange for $50, only to see it on display for $125 a day later.)
That "Disneyana" obsession would explain the design of the newly released "MixStick" Mickey MP3 player, which looks distinctly more adult than previous Disney music devices made by Japan's Run-At. Akihabara News says it does come in three other colors, but the silver version pictured here could easily pass for a grown-up player, with or without the ears.
Although the specs are mediocre, with only 512MB of storage, we all know that's not the most important factor when it comes to Mouse memorabilia. But for our money, we'd rather go for Run-At's Snoopy iPod. Or maybe we're just still upset for selling that Mickey shirt too cheap.
