The X-Entertainment Blog

04/04/2007: Getting there…

I will concede that these past few weeks haven’t been me at my most prolific; there are reasons for that beyond just sucking. I decided to leave Nick as a full-timer and go at it on a per-project basis, which has been really nice so far — enough work to stay in game mode consistently, but not so much that I’ve gotta let go of/stop building upon the other things I’d like to. I wanted to write for ToyFare more, wanted to focus on that newspaper column of mine and wanted to have the opportunity to call the occasional Wednesday a spade and spend it watching shitty DVDs. This should in no way, shape or form infer that I’m returning to the online realm on a 24/7 basis, because I’ve seen the other side and it is better. But I will have more time to do the site, and as soon as the smoke settles and my mojo lands, this place won’t be such a ghost town.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to whine about Gmail. I set up an account for work-related endeavors (not going to use my old AOL account which labels me a dinosaur, and not going to use my X-E account which makes the unknowing think I run a porn site), and despite the awesomeness that is 2 gigs worth of web-based never-fail e-mail, the way they group mail into “conversations” is just plain stupid. I won’t go into a blow-by-blow for those who’ve never used Gmail, but suffice to say, if you’re using it for anything nearing an official purpose where uber organization is key, you’re going to end up murdering someone completely innocent out of frustration. I don’t know why I’m writing about this.

My next ToyFare assignment is Transformers-related, and required me to read up/watch up on a little thing called Scramble City. I’d only seen the episode once many years ago, and it had no English dubs or subtitles, so I didn’t know what in the fuck. Now that I’ve seen a fan dub in full, wow, that’s a nice slice of Transhistory. Story goes like this: In Japan, Transformers: The Movie wasn’t released. To help bridge the gap between pre-movie and post-movie cartoon episodes for our friends back East, this Japan-exclusive episode was forged.

In the first episode of the would-be two-parter, we’re introduced to Metroplex and Trypticon, which doesn’t seem like all that much of a bridge-gapper considering that neither character appeared in the movie. The second part of the story was never produced, but the tale was ultimately wrapped up in a series of really odd commercials using the actual toys as stop-motion characters. Just to keep the confusion rolling, these commercials featured Megatron and Galvatron standing side by side, which is something that shouldn’t have been able to occur without the aid of Doc and a DeLorean.

Both the animated episode and the weird commercials are on the 20th anniversary Transformers: The Movie DVD, but you can at least watch the animated half over at this site. If you’re more interested in the fan-dubbed version, scour YouTube.

K- started a really great survey in the last thread — let’s make it official. In the comments, talk about some of the expensive-but-stupid purchases you’ve made through the years. I don’t even know where to start.

Posted by Matt. E-mail me!

What do you think of the new designs for the live action flick now that more pics have been released?

I have absolutely zero reservations about the new flick. I think it’ll be fun whether it’s smart or stupid. I think I’ll enjoy it whether it cares about longstanding Transtraditions or not. I know some folks who’ve seen good long chunks, and they’ve unanimously loved it.

Sorry for the double post, but the whole Megs/Galvy thing went something like this:

Since Japan didn’t get the movie, they had no idea that Galvs was supposed to be Megs.

As a matter of fact, I believe they were both seperate characters for a while and Megatron was later resurected as Super Megatron and buried Galvatron under ice in the Arctic somewhere. The whole story is told in Manga form in some Japanese related toy magazine in the 80’s.

Glad you have a good outlook on the movie. There’s alot of bitching and gushing about the flick.

As for the most expensive stupid purchase…hmmmm….damn, I’ve had alot of those….

I never got into Transformers that much; had a few as a kid, but never watched the show. I think the movie will be a lot of fun. It’ll be a great popcorn flick.

I never understand why people put down movies like MiB: II or Jurassic Park III or whatever…To me, those kinds of movies are ones where I don’t care about the writing or the story, I just want a good ride. I’ll bet the Transformer movie will be a good ride.

As for the survey, I’ll have to think about it…But I know I’ve spent money on lots of crap like that.

Wow…that Scramble City episode was more of a commercial for toys than all the other episodes….combined (watch it; you’ll get it then)

Heh … I paid $280 for a toy/model of “Space Battleship Yamato” AKA: the ARGO from Star Blazers … It looks choice, but all the super-cool electronic lights and sounds it made stopped working within 1 week. I didn’t take it back because the store i bought it from imported it from Japan … and what the hell were they gonna do? I still love it, but it DOES seem like a ripoff …

Also, i spent $20 on two Star Wars xbox titles: Episode 3, and Republic Commando … and i haven’t played them for more than 22 seconds each. And I firmly believe that I never will. Those were a waste of money for sure. I should’ve just set $40 on fire to say I did that instead. Now it just looks like i have shitty taste in Xbox games.

I loved the original Transformers G1 stuff - both the cartoon, and the comic book … so i’m pretty sad that Michael Bay is going to be doing the movie because he is a really lame director. It’s like getting married and wanting Mick Jagger to sing at your wedding, but finding out that it’s really Michael Bolton. Fuck it - Let Michael Bolton direct the movie … I guarantee that most of the audience probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference anyway.

Either way, the Trans-flick will probably be fun to watch, but I bet $1,000,000 that it’s definitely NOT going to end up being a classic like the 1986 animated original.

I think one of the biggest expensive-but-stupid purchases I made was a gigantic Puppet Master DVD box-set — I’m pretty sure the sets went out of print in ‘97.

I like the conversations thing. I mostly just use gmail for LJ comments and writing to my penpal, so it’s actually a great way for it to group things.

I bought a bass and a guitar, neither of which I ever played. It’s probably about $800 wasted and they remind me of what a failure I am (I quit playing piano for $800 of wasted potential?) every time I look at them. I’ve never gotten the initiative to sell them, though.

I bought PokÃ©mon Snap for $70 back when it was new. It’s easily the worst game I own out of over 300.

I can see being pissed at paying $70 for Pokesnap, but I liked that game. Shoot me.

Uhhh RewolfJ, you are wrong. Pokemon Snap is one of the greatest games of all time.

First, I myself think the new Transformers looks hella bad-ass. Of course it is going to be nothing like G1, but is that such a bad thing? I could do without “Dare to be Stupid” and “Ba Na Weep Gra Na Weep Ninny-bom” in my Transformers movie. Actually, I’d love a cameo of the universal greeting. Anyhoo, even the designs I balked at like Starscream look pretty fucking cool seeing them in motion in the TV spots.

As for the biggest waste of money, that would have to be my Wii (Don’t get me wrong, the system rocks and could probably have sold in store for this price). I payed just over $450 on ebay just to find a ton at the mall about one week after I got it in the mail. D’oh!

Me too, Katherine, me too. I tried to sell it. It’s a lefty though, so no biters. I’m up to $1135.00 I’ve always said I have too easy access to money

I’ll admit I wasn’t a true Transformer fan, but I vividly remember my brothers’ obsession with them. And the day I snapped the leg off of Matt’s Hot Rod (my brother bares a familiar name), that’s vivid in my head too. But from what I’ve seen online, despite the stupid human interlope the TF film might have, the graphics will be worth it regardless.

James, Episode 3 really wasn’t that bad. Give i a shot. While it’s lost some appeal since the movie was released, it’s worth it at least for the fighting game mode and for the ending when Anakin wins the duel. Haven’t played Republic Commando though.

Yeah yeah. Hot Rod’s still kicking though. I saw him up to the trunk in the attack. At least we managed to keep his wheel shield.

Breaking Hot Rod might’ve been a Hell worthy trespass, but months before that, I broke the arm off of his blue Centurian. (Ace, right?) Somehow, he was more mad over that.

The Centurions were cool. But not as cool as the godhead that was Hot Rod/Rodimus.

I didn’t spend the money, but I still feel bad about making my parents by Fort Max. I think they paid $100 for it.

The past few weeks have not been that bad, the Saturday blog entries are ALMOST articles, but if more frequent updates come, AWESOME!

Stupid purchases? On my right arm I am working on a sleeve of Godzilla characters. While I don’t think it is stupid NOW, I’m going to guess I wont be so excited about it in 20 years.

Magic Cards
Magic Cards
Online Magic Cards that aren’t even real, but cost the same!

oh duh… Sega Dreamcast the week it came out, my 8th grade year. I scrounged money forever and ended up pawning it after a few months.

I’ve spent more money on Kool-Aid than I’ll ever admit. Hundreds. Some was warranted (I rarely see Sunshine Punch anywhere), but most of the time, I end up finding it again later for a fraction of the ridiculous prices I paid.

I wrote about this long ago, but I bought a Sony Dreamcast for its ridiculous retail price and broke the thing due to my now-dead rabbit chewing on a plugged-in wire. I never had it fixed. Keep in mind, I bought five games to go along with it, and it broke after like two days of owning it.

The site has caused many of my financial downfalls. The Sectaurs Hyve was a few hundred, and I only bought that so I could write about it. An old box of Christmas Crunch cereal ran me $60 or so. Fireball Island was around $70.

I think I got the 89 Batman cereal for like $20 bucks on ebay, which my friends always make fun of me for, and I just don’t tell anyone about the $50 I spent on a box full of Bucky O’Hare toys.

Also, a bunch of domain names that I never got around to using. (thefootclan.org anyone?)

Ahh the joys of a $300 Chicago Bulls leather jacket. Ahh the joys of being a Bulls fan in the early 90’s. And yes it still sits in the closet not throwing that out

I’ve been trying to conjure up some of the thousands of stupid buys I’ve made, but they all seem distant, and there’s nothing laying out readily for me to spout out, though I know they’re there. Really, all I can think of are the books I’ve bought online. Since I discovered half.com a few years ago, I’ve ordered at least two dozen books. Half have been photo books, which were rare to begin with and I didn’t mind throwing down 30+, but I’ve paid up to the same, 30 bucks, for old catalogs for either the photography featured therein or catalogs for the inane; shit no one bought but had a good time browsing. I regret the bite I had to swallow after paying for such a thing, but if those damned books weren’t on the shelf as they are today, I’d hate myself just the same.

When I was like 11 or 12, my mom gave me access to my “life savings” (all the birthday card money and stuff since I was born or something) by handing me a debit card. Her intent, I guess, was to give me a shot at maturity. Bad move. This was a rather tumultuous time in my little life as my parents had just split.

-$150.00 for both the lion Voltron and the vehicle Voltron (you know, the big ones)
-$175.00 for a “real” ninja costume that I wouldn’t try on or return when it didn’t fit. Never wore it (and honestly, when would I?)
-One of those HUGE Breakdancing boom boxes with like 14 speakers and a double tape deck for like $300 (I eventually used it to piss off my neighbors with Circle Jerks and Black Flag tapes when moms was out)

By the time the money was about gone, my interests had turned to beer and pot (during this time we moved from “the country” to “the city” which is really just a wooded suburb, but seemed like the Bronx when I was 12). So the last couple hundred went to the head.

Back in high school I’d drop hundreds on orders of anime like it was nothing. But I believe the worst was when I spent like $120 on a Buruccha from Kodomo no Omocha.

Matt, before I go to bed, which should’ve been hours ago, work’s sneering at me just a few hours ahead, but is your box of random goodness still up for sale? You know, for a friendly donation to the site, you’re shipped a hefty big ol’ box of anything and everything? I know you posted that years ago, but I was just wondering.

It stuck in my head because in the example pic, that damned Granny Gruesome always stared me downed saying, “You know, you could own me again, maybe. AHHHYYAAGGGHHHUUU YAK!”

First- congratulations on continuing life choices, Matt (as long as this isn’t a thinly veiled attempt to play on Pogo all day).

I personally like Gmail, but not having to spend 5 minutes emptying the 600 junk-mail messages from my wife’s account.

As for wasting money, most of mine goes to computers and cell phones and the like. (Good example: I have 2GB of RAM coming tomorrow that cost $140 A.R.) I use them well and keep them for as long as possible, but I should probably give my car a little of that love too, considering it’s 12 years older than me.

Oh, does about 20 credits of college that will never help me graduate count? That’s worth at least $5000.

I always buy stuff when I think I’m getting a deal, and like a week later I see it for even cheaper than before. No fail, EVERY TIME. I bought a $128 Teen Titans Raven statue from eBay, I love the thing, but thats probably the most I’ve ever spent on something that doesn’t do anything. I spent $175 dollars on a movie boxset, Gungrave, but atleast they’re movies and I can watch them, so I don’t consider it a dumb purchase. Though a few months later they re-released it as a ‘thin pack’ and at half the cost, does plastic cost that much that if you make DVD boxes half the size it warrents a 50% price cut?!

Well, I did sink tens of thousands of dollars into an English degree with no teaching certificate, leaving me nigh-unemployable, but that was all scholarship money so I don’t think I can really count it. Actually, since I also had three meals a day at the world-famous Bean also covered by scholarships, I guess I turned a bit of a profit on that one.

So I guess my own stupid financial decision lies in the near future. I need a new trench coat. The problem is that I bought my first trench coat in a charity shop in Oxford for five quid, so anything I pay for a new one is going to strike me as a monstrous injustice. Not looking forward to that one.

A couple years ago my sister got married and I was the maid of honor and I had to purchase the 200 dollar dress. The airline lost the luggage that the bag was in, but found it after I had already called every bridal shop in the country to find the same dress and have it shipped and overnighted for like 400, grrrr.
Also, about 5 or 6 years ago I had a thing for coughjohnmayercough. I spent way too much for rediculously good seats…..so ashamed.
Curious, Matt, what is this column you write? Forgive me if you have already mentioned it

Congratulations Matt! I dream of being at a place in my life where I can make a decision like that.

I have spent more money than I should have on a couple of things… unfortunately they weren’t for me, but for sheisty exes. I have to admit I tend to be stingy and hold out until prices drop considerably. It saved me from paying nearly $80 on a LOTR boxed set for my husband… I got it for him this past Christmas for $17.88! And, believe me, everyone knew!

I still tend to spend to much on stuff for my daughter, but I feel that’s justified… the toys are really for all of us, right?

I was into the Transformers, Followed the cartoon and had my fair share of the toys. Still have my original Soundwave!

As for expensive embarasing purchases, I bought the movie Dance Til Dawn on VHS for my wife a few xmases ago…it cost nearly $100 bucks after shipping. It was released on DVD shortly after…Man was I Pissed! BTW Matt, you should really review Dance Til Dawn sometime, it would make great Article Fodder!

oh i just remembered i bought a $30 PSX game twice for my ex. The first time she lost it, than i bought it again for her after she broke up with me cuz i’m dumb, the game was Bust-a-Groove, which is even more insulting, i kicked her ass in it though, so i got my revenge >:D

I used to spend a lot of money going out to eat when I was younger, but all the kids did that. I would say my purchasing decisions by and large have been pretty good because I’m such a cheapskate. Comes with being Scottish.

http://www.mail.com I use that for one of my e-mail addresses, and it seems to work pretty well!

I’ve wasted money on tons (literally, tons) of stuff, but none of the individual items were all that expensive. One regretful purchase that comes to mind is a light jacket I bought, which is more like a gray wool shirt overlay than a “jacket” anyway, for like 80 bucks because I just had to have it for a New Year’s party outfit. Ugh. SO not worth 80 bucks, but it seemed like it was at the time. I’ve worn it like 5 times since I bought it in 99. Every time I see it hanging in the closet, it mocks me.

After reading the comments about the broken Hot Rod figure, I could come up with a better answer to a survey of great toys I’ve broken that I regret breaking.

Arrg….I don’t know what my most expensive “stupid” purchase was. I tend to think everything is cool when I buy it…but I guess it is the $100 dollars spent on Mulan and SPace Jam themed merchandise when I was in Middle School. Wow. That’s not so bad now that I look at it.

Ok, I think I have it. Over the past 1-2 years, I have probably spent over $300 on action figures (X-men, Star Wars, LOTR, etc..). They are in boxes in my basement, but I just couldn’t resist them. I like to think of most of them as a way to preserve my childhood. Decent excuse..right???

I traded in a bunch of Michael Jordan cards to a shifty card store owner for $100, then used that money to buy Mario Kart 64. I really liked that game, but it was nearly $90 when it first came out. Since then, my brother traded that game and our N64 for a PS2. I guess in hindsight those cards that took me a long time to collect are valueless these days, still there were some gems in that collection.

I also started collecting Simpson figures when they first came out and had all of the first several series (except some of the really rare pieces, i.e Radioactive Homer and the first Treehouse of Horror set) in their boxes. Again, I fell for the tricks of a shifty trade show man and parted with the set for below market value.

My sister uses GMail as her end all account for work, personal stuff, etc. so far she’s been alright and hasn’t had any major problems but after reading your blog today I’ll warn her

congrats matt. in the way of spending way way wayyyy too much on stupid purchases i think i have two. the first would be 80 bucks on a willy wonka coat when the second movie came out. it’s an exact replica of that ridiculous red velvet creature, i still wear it occasionally just so i don’t feel as stupid for buying it and never wearing it. the other thing would be the 200+ bucks i just spent on fall out boy tickets because i ordered all that i was able to without having people in mind. god sometimes the concert addiction gets draining.

A quick search tells me that you are referring to Granny Gross. I have one of those duder. You ask me nicely and I’ll find her for ya.

I spent $80 on ONE ticket for MCR last year. They were at my favorite club; there was no way I was missing it.

I tend to end up regretting more the amounts of time I’ve spent looking for things/amount of gas wasted than the actual cost. A good example would be the Toddler Turtles–I saw the X-E article, knew I just had to have them THAT DAY and proceeded to go to like every store within a 50 mile radius that might have them, and finally gave up several hours later. I ordered them online for a buck or two over the retail value and felt like the world’s biggest idiot. Out of habit, I would check store pegs for them every time I could, and it was actually a few months before I actually found them for sale at a Toys ‘R Us.

I’m dangerous in arcades and can think of times I might have dropped $50-100 in an hour or so. Probably one of my biggest impule purchases was the day I decided to buy a PSP on my lunch break. I just decided out of nowhere I was buying one that day. I spent a bunch getting it all set-up with accessories and games and stuff and then it went relatively unused for awhile. I actually use it much more frequently now and think it is probably worth about $170 (the current price), but not the amount I paid for it.

Perhaps the stupidest thing I ever bought was a Virtual Boy for retail price when it came out. I saved up for weeks beforehand working a summer job so that I could pick it up within the first few days after it was released.

While it did get a good amount of use, the fun did not justify the price tag. I did win some cool points with my friends before everyone realized that it was just the latest in a long line of Nintendo over-hype (yeah, I had the power glove and the Konami LaserScope too).

I blew $40.00 on Cheap Trick’s “Standing on the Edge” CD when I got caught up in a bidding war on Ebay. At the time, that particular cd was out of print so the bidding started at $20.00. I’m not even a huge Cheap Trick fan, but at that moment I just HAD to win that disc. Then I get the thing and find out I only really like 2 songs on the whole disc. What a waste, but it did cure me of my ebay habit. Now I won’t spend more than $10 for any disc.

I have wasted ridiculous amounts of money on live wrestling tickets. Back in college I must have gone to at least 5 WWE shows in the area, the topper being the floor seats at the King of the Ring. I did get to see Hulk Hogan join the nWo, and Mr. Perfect wrestle a few matches, so it wasn’t a complete loss.

Somthing Tommy said in the previous blog…shirts would be cool. We could maybe do a cafe press type thing.

Cafepress seems a little cheapo. I may do some shirts this year — about five years too late, but whatever. Kind of thinking that Waiterbot would be the X-E shirt.

Look at the bottom of the last thread for a purchase of mine that I regret. But I am here for TransFormers movie news!
I hear’d that there will be a Not-In-The-Movie-But-Related line of Microman style toys coming out. They will be disguised as hand-held objects like binoculars, MP3 player, GBA like console, and the like. The Game Boy dude better at least play those cheap block games.

I have never lost an eBay auction, because once I enter one I am willing to pay any amount. This always ends up in last minute bidding shenanigans and me slapping 20-50 bucks on top of the already inflated price, just to make sure.

I paid $50 for a lot of 50 MCR stickers. That was worth it, because the guy I was fighting against was a seller and would have charged individually for them making a profit.

Instead, I used them to curry favor in the Green Day/MCR line that we (me and The Colonel) cut in. It was around the building and down several blocks, I had an acqaintance already in line, and the guys we actually cut were intimidated (I guess).

I was the celebrity of that line. You may hate me on principle, but I regret nothing.

Biggest waste of money…that’s a hard one. I nickel-and-dime my money away more than anything else, and I’ve been more discerning in recent years. Plus I just really don’t know the value of a dollar, so if I buy something that I don’t end up using I never regret it, just kind of ignore it.
I deeply feel my husband’s large purchase mistakes though. $400 for an Xbox so he can play Uno online? Uno machine? That one hurts.

I’m gonna have to go old school with the Power Glove. I felt like the coolest kid in school when I got it, but man that thing was crap. What was the name of that game that came with it? Back Street Brawler or something like that? Garbage. My guy would just bounce around the screen like a coked up Trix rabbit.

I also had the SegaCD, another failure of a system. I thought it was cool at the time, but it only had a handful of games which lead to not much playing time. I did enjoy Ground Zero Texas and that Double Trap or Double Switch game starring Corey Haim. I think I got mainly because I wanted to see some naked ladies on a video game. Full Motion Video was all the rage then. Sadly, that was a wish not fulfilled.

It’s a good thing that I have banned myself from purchasing things online…at least with my OWN money. Besides the $250 purchase, that I mentioned in the last thread, I spent from 16 to 21 buying everything I could think of via the internet. Clothes that didn’t fit me, nameless accessories and collectibles, not to mention all the CD’s and VHS Anime that I never watched or listened to. I think we’ve all done it. My spending habits destroyed me financially to the point that I am now live cash-only as a rule. It can be a pain sometimes, but at least I can only spend what I have.

T-shirts…woot! Transformers…woot! We picked up this new coffee called “Meth” when we were in San Franciso. Best…coffee…ever. It totally lives up to it’s name. Coffee hasn’t made me hyper in years, but here I sit, shaking and unable to stop talking/typing.

We still use AOL at our house. It hasn’t caused us any problems so we haven’t bothered to switch to something else.

Dumbest thing I ever bought was that Wal-Mart had Superman 64 and the Blade GB game in the $20 discount bin and those are possibly two of the worst video games ever made. I bought them because I like comic book stuff.

I once spent $60 or so (Canadian, but still) on a XFL Jersey. This was prior to the one and only season, and I eventually gave it up for a book.

Back when I was into wrestling, I went to the Over The Edge PPV in Kansas City where Owen Hart died. Probably one of the weirdest experiences in my life.

I paid FIFTY DOLLARS for the Leo DiCaprio version of Romeo + Juliet when it was new on VHS…Jesus. VHS!!

Matt- Waiterbot would be a good idea- it ties into the whole spirit of XE Christmas, but it is not an exclusively Xmas logo, like Santa or Mista Snowman.:)

I once, for no particular reason, I bought an accordian. I can’t play accordian, have no particular intrest in playing the accordian, and am not a fan of accordian music. I’m not even gonna say how much I spent for it.

I think the moral here is, when you buy something on ebay, think twice about it.

First: gmail gets much better if you use the POP downloads You can still access all of your messages on the web but when you are at your computer it works normal.

Second: Saw a commercial for the new Transformers movie looks like an entertaining fun flick.

Third: I have blown hundreds of dollars buying antique computers. I just had to have a functioning Apple II.

Matt, I know what you mean about Gmail. I rarely read my email on the actual Gmail website, so when I have to visit the site, I’m like, “WTF?” The whole “conversations” thing is a really dumb way of organizing stuff.

I just use Mozilla Thunderbird to read my email (you have to enable POP mail on your gmail account-I think gmail has a step by step guide). You can make folders and stuff, and it’s a lot more organized than the Gmail site. Kind of like Outlook, but (IMO) much easier to use.

I guess if you use several different computers to check your mail, it’s not as easy to use an email client like Thunderbird, which might be why you aren’t using one, I don’t know. Just thought I’d throw out a suggestion though.

I bought a domain just to build an e-mail account from the X-E server. Problem is, I need to clearly categorize e-mails and keep them forever, and have easy access to something someone may or may not have sent me seven months ago.

You could always go with one of the pay services like fast mail, I know some people that really like that. I also want to know if you would still do boxes of random stuff? I admit I tend to ignore most sites offering of branded merchandise, but I tell you here and now if you offer an X-E tshirt you have a buyer right here. I’ve bought brand new tires before only to have to junk the car a week later. that hurt.

I don’t really have one specific purchase that I have wasted a ridiculous amount of money on,but I do blow tons of money on various assorted crap.
Hundreds of dollars on action figures,
Hundreds on heroclix,
and other crap like candy and scratch off tickets

Ok, I saw TMNT last night. My reaction: Good, but not good enough. The geek in me is happy, though. Not many people at the show, let alone little kids (the ones that were knew how to behave themselves, save for one, but even that one at least cheered at the right times, during the good parts)

I agree with not enough of Don & Michaelangelo, and the whole thing with April as a ninjaâ€¦didn’t seem believable, even after 3 movies & 2 tv shows (live action one? what live action one?) Also, we could’ve seen more scenes with the monsters, but it was ok. Patrick Stewart is still awesome.

As for dumb buys: I’ll admit that I was one of the poor saps that spent $80-something on the Princess & Erin Beanie Babies in ‘98. Shut up. Now THAT’S worthless.

I spent $80 on ONE ticket for MCR last year. They were at my favorite club; there was no way I was missing it.

This is pathetic. I spent $210 on creatin and protien when I thought it would be cool to work out so my arms could not touch my ears. I think the protien was called Max Explode and was “fudgey mint.” It was like drinking quickcrete. I should have spent the $210 on smaller shirts.

Oh, I designed a Neighborhoodies t-shirt one day last year and it ended up costing $60. The shirt is really kind of ugly looking (my fault, I guess, since I designed it) and I never wear it. Definitely the dumbest online purchase I’ve made.

You’ll have to update wikipedia now that you’ve changed your circumstances Matt - I hate to think that there’s bad info on there!

OH YEAAAH when I can’t be in the ring droppin’ a big MACHO MAN ELBOW THEN I’D BETTER BE HAVING A NICE COLD TRIX POP DIG IT!

A Sony PlayStation. It was $100 then, and I hated it, almost never never used it.

I bought a domain just to build an e-mail account from the X-E server
What did you call this one, incumming email dot com?

First thing that comes to mind is the djembe my brother bought. It’s an African drum and right now is in his home-bedroom, not his college bedroom. He hardly ever uses it as anything more than a table for his laptop.

Oh yeah, and probably my current cell phone. It was $350 and I originally bought it because of how cool I thought the outside clock was. This thing is glitchy as hell. Especially when it’s cold: my family went to Colorado this past Christmas and the thing kept restarting whenever any cold air hit it.
http://www.phonedog.com/r/i/40...-1908-400-395-275×500.jpg

Anyone else seen the new Trapper Keepers? They come out in the fall, and damn, I want one. Also, I think the internet could benefit from about 35% more information about Trapper Keepers.

I’m a rather obsessive fan of the Residents, and paid $360 for a cd of only 20 minutes of music. i love the CD, but the cd was repackaged with other rare songs the same week i bought the original for about $16. of course i ended up buying the rerelease for the other songs.

Well, I just finished reading John Dies at the End for the second time, and it occurred to me that it’s the sort of twisted crap that would appeal to many X-E readers. It’s funny and chock full of paranormal happenstance, and it’s long enough to keep you occupied for a couple of days. And I, some random guy on the internet you’ve never met and have no reason to trust, heartily recommend it. Anyway, the link is in the website box, putting this post on the slow train to Validationberg, so just click my name to start killing brain cells.

Oh, and the idea of a Trapper Keeper article warms the cockles of my heart. Which is good. Because I hate it when my cockles get all chilled.

Er, never mind…lol. Would have helped if I had read all the posts first!! I have spent hundreds of dollars on Buffy The Vampire Slayer/Angel/Firefly/Serenity stuff! Mostly posters and graphic comics and dvds. No weird life size cut outs of Spike or anything!

PWOT? Wow, haven’t been there in years. I discovered Fark.com and never looked back.

$48 for a theater programme. I collected them. It was for a circus show from the 80s. I have NO idea why I spent that much on it. I have no idea why I bought it!

Maybe it wasn’t released officially theatrically in time for the new season, but I have the Japanese laserdisc of Transformers the Movie that I got because the “shit” line was intact.

$60 for Yngwie Malmsteen’s “Alchemy” CD Japanese import with poster. The CD sucked and the poster was a cheesy fold out thing and printed poorly at that. I felt so ripped off.

$800 for a set of metal Red Octane ddr pads. I was wearing through the plastic cheapo ones fairly quickly but fell ill a month or so after dropping the cash on these pads and never really recovered so they just sit there.

$1600 for the Dance Maniax 2nd Mix arcade machine. I used it crazy for the first year but then got sick. Used to go to Foxwoods regularly and drop a few hundred on the machine there several times a week so this was actually a purchase that saved money in the end.

$60 Escaflowne movie deluxe edition. The one that came in teh stupid huge box. There is no way that was worth that much. In fact the price dropped waaaay lower than that a few months later, but fors ome reason I saw it at Best Buy and had to have it right then and there.

Oh man those were teh days of no children, having a decent job and cheap rent. Which meant MONEY TO BLOW. Now I have to think hard about purchasing cheap shiat. Sucks.

Just bought all the DVD ’s of 8 films to die for. I’m about to watch Unrest. If it’s too scary I have Shaun of the Dead on stand by. Let you know how it goes.

I definitely spent too much money on a “Tetsuo: The Iron Man” DVD, original first printing. Then it was released on a Tartan DVD not too long after that.

blayne,
do you live in NYC? your name isn’t exactly common - so i’m thinking we might know eachother

1. Every season of 24 (I still have to buy the last one though, and I don’t consider it stupid, but… I probably just could’ve rented them rather than bought. *sigh* Oh well!) That’s about 250 bucks.

2. I have way too many collectable Barbie dolls. The most I’ve spent on a single one is about 70 bucks, but I have over 50 of them - none less than about 20 bucks. (and I still really want to buy the japanese geisha “Maiko” for 130. :o)

3. I spent 70 odd dollars on a statuette of Van from Gun X Sword. He is imported from Japan, and he’s gorgeous, so I don’t regret it - I just wish he could’ve been a little cheaper.

Anyone ever used to go to Fade2Black? That is the place that introduced me to (the late) Parking Lot is Full. Best… Internet… Comic-strip… Ever.

KITTYGIRL! I think I bought that same Escaflowne box, the boring blue one, right? I was pissed too when I saw it for 30 bucks like a month later!

I absolutly LOVE the series, but HATED the movie, I don’t ussually get grossed out but how they pilot the guymelifs (guymelufs, guimilliffs?) made me kinda sick.

That’s incorrect. Takara, being partners with Hasbro in Transformers, knew full well that Megatron was going to be turned into Galvatron. Artwork by Takara that showed Megatron and Galvatron in the same instances were made to ‘hide’ the fact Megatron would be turning into Galvatron. That’s why Ultra Magnus is depicted as Galvatron’s adversary, yet Rodimus Prime is nowhere to be seen, to similarly hide the fact he would replace Prime.

Super Megatron (and later Ultra Megatron) was ressurected and rebuilt out of Galvatron’s remains in the Battlestars: Return of Convoy manga.

kingklash - those Real Gear Robots movie toys will be in the movie in some capacity, *apparently*, or at least things similar to them.

Well, I collect Chrono Trigger merchandise, and spent $300 on the Shonen Jump exclusive version, which is basically exactly the same as the normal version, only it comes in a copper-colored box. So basically, I paid $300 for a cardboard box.

Chrono Trigger stuff has eaten up about $1500 of my hard-earned cash, but on the bright side, I have the most complete CT collection on the internets.

I collect almost as prolifically as Matt (I’ve seen those old photos of your toy shelf, haha) and other than Chrono Trigger, I’ve also spent obscene amounts of money on Star Wars toys, Zelda toys, and Pez dispensers.

I spent $60 something on a Share Bear Carebear circa 1988 that was brand new and still in it’s box…I personally didn’t think it was that stupid of a purchase, but my fiance, my friends, my sister and pretty much everyone I know thought it was…

CuteLucca I like those keychains, pretty bitchin’. Did they ever make like, figures? ’cause those would be pretty nice.

In recent times, probably some clothing. Like a 100 dollar Supertramp belt buckle. Or maybe one of several T-shirts I bought, but never wear, like this baby-blue Megaman one. And it wasn’t expensive, but I initially felt guilty about a Jason halloween costume, until I realized how awesome it is to own a hockey hersey that says “VOORHEES 13″ on the back.

The real kicker with the Escaflowne box was the fact it was super hyped at the time, and I too didn’t particularly enjoy the movie either. Not until I had seen the entire series and then watched it afterwards. The movie is a reimagining of the series in a shortened form. The thing that irked me even more was when Bandai rereleased the series in a box package set that INCLUDED the movie for the same price I paid for JUST the movie. I bought it though, loved the series and had a new appreciation for the movie afterwards but man, it wasnt worth that initial ridiculous investment for a DVD of extras I never watched and a soundtrack I never cared to listen to. Blegh.

The Fox version was HEAVILY edited. I have no idea why they chose that for Saturday morning fodder, it seems too inappropriate and would need massive editing. Thats probably why they abandoned it, that and low ratings.

sadly, I do not live in NYC, I WISH I did. I am up here in Canada because I can’t afford U.S. university tuitions. I travel to NYC a lot though.

I spent 120 bucks on all 3 seasons of beast wars, but wait thats the greatest show ever har har har i win

i still like your name! i’ve never met another blayne besides the one i’ve grown up with…and i was thinking, “he’s getting a whole sleeve of godzilla tattoos and didn’t tell me!?”

Considering my lack of cash, any DVD, book, toy, or CD I own that cost more than $20 can be considered an expensive purchase, and probably stupid unless I watch, read, or use it constantly.

And Matt…glad to have you back on a more frequent basis. I hope the new job works out!

After being told that the stuff I wanted was very expensive and therefore not worth showing me where it was in the store I purchased a 1000 thread count bed sheet for $160 just to prove to the old bag of a serve person that I could afford it.

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