Take the Poll

I keep forgetting that Blogger has a polling system. As long as we have it, we might as well use it, right?

As you can see by looking to the immediate right, the question up for polling right now is: What is your favorite new or returning TV series this season?

Your choices include, in no particular order or preference: The Waking Dead, Dexter, Homeland, Treme, Elementary, The Big Bang Theory, American Horror Story, Sons of Anarchy, Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad, Revolution, Castle, Glee, Person of Interest, Survivor, Fringe, Vegas, Arrow, Copper, Grimm, Once Upon a Time, Revenge, or 666 Park Avenue. And if your choice isn't reflected there, please click on Other? and let me know what you think, deal?

Thumbs Up for London, Epic Fail for NBC

I just watched most of the opening ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympics. I had to turn away. NBC, in the form of Meredith Viera and Matt Lauer, destroyed any enjoyment I may have gotten from the show.

The opening ceremonies were amazing, and fun, and a spectacle to behold. I amused myself thinking that this is what we would get if the UK ever got off its butt and actually won Eurovision for a change. Yeah, it was that kind of spectacle.

There was a battle between Voldemort and Mary Poppins, a jab at America and our lousy healthcare system, appearances by Mr. Bean, JK Rowling, Daniel Craig and The Queen, tributes to the world wide web and children's literature, and a touching love story told through the history of British pop music. We even had a three second audio cameo of the TARDIS sound during "Bohemian Rhapsody." Like I said, amazing.

The problem was NBC had Viera and Lauer over-explaining everything to the audience at home. This isn't the freaking Rose Bowl Parade, and we are not dull children. We have brains, and failing that, Google, we don't need you to explain it all. I don't know what shocked me more - the things they did not know or what they thought we did not know. I know I will never watch any program with them involved again. Even with thousands of Twitter folks telling them to shut up live, they continued their idiotic banter.

A note to the folks at NBC who put this together… Do you ever wonder why the rest of the world hates the United States? Tonight, it's because of you.

Tomorrow Is Free RPG Day

Free RPG Day 2012 is tomorrow - Saturday, June 16th. All Things Fun! will be participating in the event at noon and at 4 PM. Entry is free! Here are the details:

Come out and join us this Saturday, 6/16 for Free RPG Day at All Things Fun! We'll be hosting a slew of Role Playing Game events in support of this worldwide celebration of Role Playing Games (RPGs).

Doors open at 11 AM and we'll have a limited supply of FREE items (limit 2 items per person while supplies last). And then starting at Noon and 4 PM we'll be running a number of different Role Playing Games including: Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, DC Comics Adventures, Cosmic Patrol, Shadowrun and more. Entry into these events is also FREE!

We will also be running raffles for some cool RPG Day goodies during the day.

So, if you've been curious or if you'd like to check out some of the Role Playing Games this is your chance.

Come on out to All Things Fun! and enjoy!

Eurovision 2012 Finalists

Here are the final 26 entrants for the Grand Finals of the Eurovision Song Contest for 2012:

United Kingdom, France, Italy, Azerbaijan, Spain, Germany, Hungary, Albania, Russia, Iceland, Cyprus, Romania, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Moldova, Ukraine, Serbia, FYR Macedonia, Malta, Turkey, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Lithuania.

Clicking on each nation above will take you to the YouTube music video for their song entry. The Final will be held on Saturday, May 26, 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

If you're in a participating nation, who will you be voting for? And if not, who are you rotting for? Let us know!

The Final Six Entries in the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest

These are the five nations who are always in the Finals, plus last year's winner and this year's host, Azerbaijan.

United Kingdom: "Love Will Set You Free" by Engelbert Humperdinck



The UK always tries to make an effort, like trying to get Morrissey, or getting Andrew Lloyd Webber to write the song. This year they got decades past pop idol Humperdinck. It's just not enough, UK…

France: "Echo (You and I)" by Anggun



Speaking of trying to win, every once in a while France decides they'd like to win and actually enters something catchy and modern. This is one of those years. Another one that's growing on me.

Italy: "L'Amore È Femmina (Out Of Love)" by Nina Zilli



I think this one has a real chance of winning. Dancey, jazzy and fun.

Azerbaijan: "When the Music Dies" by Sabina Babayeva



Another power ballad, but a strong one and a real contender for the win.

Spain: "Quédate Conmigo (Stay With Me)" by Pastora Soler

You'll have to click the link above to see the Spain video, embedding forbidden by YouTube. It has no chance to win though in my opinion, but then again, just my opinion...

Germany: "Standing Still" by Roman Lob



Europe aside, I think this could be a hit here. I like it a lot, one of my favorites, and another strong contender for the win.

The Grand Final for the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest takes place on May 26th in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The Final Six Entries from the Second Eurovision Semi-Final

Turkey: "Love Me Back" by Can Bonomo



Traditional and groovey. This one is growing on me. The video helps a lot.

Estonia: "Kuula" by Ott Lepland



Slovakia: "Don't Close Your Eyes" by Max Jason Mai



The token rocker this year hoping for a rerun of 2006 Lordi win. I like the song, very Linkin Park and Papa Roach, but the chorus is a bit too Europe for me.

Norway: "Stay" by Toolji



This is another early favorite for me. It's got everything a Eurovision song should have. This is a surefire entry for the Finals, and maybe the win.

Bosnia & Herzegovina: "Korake Ti Znam" by Maya Sar



Lithuania: "Love Is Blind" by Donny Montell



The blindfold is a bit much, and the disco transformation scared me more than a Rick-roll.

The Second Semi-Final takes place on May 24th in Baku.

The Next Six Entries from the Second Eurovision Semi-Final

Ukraine: "Be My Guest" by Gaitana



I'm digging the 1990s power dance diva thing, but how did she get the X-Men as background dancers?

Bulgaria: "Love Unlimited" by Sofi Marinova



More disco, but a decent little dance tune. I like the music video portion, but the stage show is boring. I have to wonder what the real performance will look like.

Slovenia: "Verjamem" by Eva Boto



Another power ballad reminiscent of Serbia's entry in 2007, boring, but it could win.

Croatia: "Nebo" by Nana Badric



Like Bulgaria, great video, but what will it look like on stage?

Sweden: "Euphoria" by Loreen



Slow build, powerful voice, but turns frequently into house music. Could be a contender.

Georgia: "I'm a Joker" by Anri Jokhadze



Guilty pleasure here, it is sooo Eurovision. Where else in the world could you rhyme 'joker' with 'rocker' and do your worst Taco imitation at the same time? I love it.

The Second Semi-Final takes place on May 24th in Baku.

First Six from the Second Eurovision Semi-Finals

Serbia: "Nije Ljubav Stvar" by Željko Joksimović



F.Y.R. Macedonia: "Crno I Belo" by Kaliopi



Zzzzzzzzzzzz...

The Netherlands: "You and Me" by Joan Franka



I'm really not sure what American Indian feather headdress symbolizes in The Netherlands, but Joan Franka is certainly a frontrunner in my mind.

Malta: "This Is the Night" by Kurt Calleja



This kinda reminds me of bad 1990s disco, and I kept expecting to get Rick-rolled. It's catchy though, and very Eurovision.

Belarus: "We Are the Heroes" by Litesound



Ditto. Pretty too, just not sure about the Power Rangers costumes.

Portugal: "Vida Minha" by Filipa Sousa



The Second Semi-Final takes place on May 24th in Baku.

Free Comic Book Day 2012

From the All Things Fun! Newsletter:

So what is Free Comic Book Day? It's a national event hosted by comic stores every year on the first Saturday in May. It's a celebration of the comic medium and literacy. All Things Fun! hosts one of the largest celebrations of Free Comic Book Day in the region.

Free Comic Book Day is a great way to see what's happening in the world of comics. Comic publishers create titles specifically for the event. These books are usually introductions of new characters or new story arcs. Retailers (like All Things Fun!) then purchase these titles from the publishers and give them away FREE!

Join us Saturday, May 5, 2012 as All Things Fun! celebrates with one of the largest celebrations in the region! This event is so huge it spills out to three area libraries!

And as if a huge assortment of FREE comics wasn't enough we are hosting our famous FCBD MEGA-SALE! Everything in the store will be on sale. Including Buy 1, Get 1 Free Graphic Novels! The first 10 people in line will also get a free copy of Marvel Comics Secret Invasion (Retail: $29.99.) Don't forget doors open at 11am!

We'll have random door prize raffles all day long! One lucky customer will win a copy of the New 52 Batman Hardcover Vol. 1 Court of Owls signed by Scott Snyder!

We'll have costume characters and Artist Dane Cypel from Arcana Studios on hand. All this and a schedule full of great events.

So don't forget, tomorrow, Saturday, May 5th is Free Comic Book Day, so get to your local comic book shop, and especially if you're in the South Jersey/Philadelphia area, get to All Things Fun! and celebrate!

The Last Five Entries to the First Eurovision Semi-Final 2012

Russia: "Party for Everybody" by Buranovskiye Babushki



Hungary: "Sound of Our Hearts" by Compact Disco



Austria: "Woki Mit Deim Popo" by Trackshittaz



Moldova: "Lautar" by Pasha Parfeny



Ireland: "Waterline" by Jedward



Poor Ireland. Why they are not always a part of the Final is beyond me. They always try so hard, and they are the only country to win twice with the same performer. Unfortunately, they went with Jedward again this year. Sigh. Better luck next year, I guess.

I have to admit, Austria is kinda catchy though. We'll see. The First Semi-Finals take place on May 22nd, in Baku, Azerbaijan.

More Eurovision 2012

Here are five more entries from the first Eurovision 2012 semi-final...

Finland: "När Jag Blundar" by Pernilla



Israel: "Time" by Izabo



San Marino: "The Social Network Song (Oh Oh – Uh - Oh Oh)" by Valentina Monetta



Cyprus: "La La Love" by Ivi Adamou



Denmark: "Should've Known Better" by Soluna Samay

The Eurovision Song Contest 2012

The Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan this year, at the end of May. For those unfamiliar with the phenomenon, it is similar to "American Idol," but predates it by several decades.

Over forty nations, mostly from Europe, but some from Africa and Asia, enter one original song into the contest, and over two semi-finals and one final, all of those nations vote by phone or computer for their favorite. The trick? You cannot vote for your own nation's entry. The winning nation hosts the contest the following year. Past winners and contestants have included ABBA, Katrina and the Waves, Lordi, Cliff Richard, Nena, Lulu, Johnny Logan, and Celine Dion.

Here are four more entries from the first semi-final:

Albania: "Suus" by Rona Nishliu



Romania: "Zaleilah" by Mandinga



Switzerland: "Unbreakable" by Sinplus



And Belgium: "Would You?" by Iris



While Albania and Belgium present some of the same old ballads that invariably both bore audiences and also win the contest sadly, Romania and Switzerland are more with the spirit of the mad dancey eurotrash tunes that embody the spirit of Eurovision. I kinda like Romania as an early fave, and the Swiss entry is growing on me.

Eurovision 2012 Is Coming

Yes, it's that time of year again, time for the annual Eurovision Song Contest. Today, I'm giving you a peek at the first four entries from the first semi-final on May 22, 2012.

Competing for Montenegro: "Euro Neuro" by Rambo Amadeus



For Iceland: "Never Forget" by Greta Salome & Jonsi



Greece: "Aphrodisiac" by Eleftheria Eleftheriou



And Latvia: "Beautiful Song" by Anmany



Greece is always a fierce competitor in Eurovision, and it looks like this year is no exception. Latvia's song is growing on me, mostly because it's about Eurovision. There are many more to come. We'll see what happens.