Ok just got back from GDC in SF and it was frickin awesome! My favorite part for sure was Ken Levine's session on Bioshock- how to get people to care about your stupid story. Highlights also included getting to be on the front page of Xbox Live on your 360. I got a few shots with Major Nelson that were a blast. I also got to be on NBC and G4 a few times. Lastly but not least, I started a company this week which is called Charisma+2. It is promotional models who actually game. Some of the girls are top pro level girls who can kick derriere male or female, others just play alot of games and have a blast doing so. Xbox Live Inside wants to do a story on it but I want to make sure I have plenty of videos and pics of the girls. If you send any to me, please let them be no longer than 3 minutes & keep it PG-13
Send them to yvonna@charismaplus2.com

Oh ya... the video on the the 360 got enough complaints that microsoft revoked my gamer tag... as of now, it looks like I will no longer be Coochie Dimes. So no more "coochie coochie cooooooooo" when I frag you anymore :(

In the light, or shadow as it were, of missing out on the fun at CES, I decided not to hide in my sorrows but to drown myself in Mass Effect. I played KOTOR straight through for days when it first came out. I was hoping to get a similar addiction with ME. I was not dissappointed!

masseffect.bioware.com/_commonext/images/me/screenshots/2007/masseffect_05_1280x760.jpg


Although I would not call it the very best Game of the Year 2007, the NYTimes here bestowed Mass Effect (ME site)with the honor for its "focus on character development, personal growth and moral tension, all fueled by a graphics system created to evoke emotional empathy."

So 1) grab some Stoked cuz its tasty energy & because you won't wanna sleep for days 2) buy Mass Effect because you will spend countless hours on it especially if you do all the side quests then 3) leave a message on your phone that you may be unavailable for about a month due to saving the all living sentient and mechanical beings as you explore & save the mulitverse.

CPL day 1

We are unpacked at the wonderful Hyatt Regency (thanks to Stoked!) and ready to go. At first, I gotta admit, we were a little dissappointed that the only thing on the agenda today was to get our badges and check in... then we realized it was a great idea. We got to get all kinds of kinks worked out (like there is no way to hook up the TVs in the rooms to the Xboxes!). Tunesha had made friends with some people when they were setting up the BYOC. She found someone who would let us practice on their screen! Yay for Tunesha being absolutely adorable. However, the best part of the day was getting to meet the other competitors and talk to some of our friends we had met online. We also got to meet up with our camera crew to plan out the rest of the week and do some interviews. Sorry this is just a glimpse into the day- but Id like to get some practice time in before manana :) Tunesha has a bunch of pics on her site !


Today started out kinda startling with a phone call at noon from Angel Munoz, the founder and president of the CPL www.thecpl.com/ , asking for a favor. Now you may be asking yourself, "why is that startling?" Well Tunesha and I had been treated to dinner at Riccardi's last night. We ate like Pincesses... really hungry ones with Tiramisu and Creme Brulee for dessert ^_^ After dinner, there was practicing until the wee hours of the morning. So we were beyond dead tired.

However, Angel asked me if I wouldn't mind playing at 2:00 even though I was not scheduled to play today. How could I tell him, "no". Little did I know at the time I would be put in a bracket with some of the top Halo players in the world! This is still rather new to me... first tournament, first game to play multi-player against real people and not bots, and first public kill. I gotta admit, I like it LOTS!

The clock chimed 2:00 way too fast but I was excited nonethless. The leader was Strongside www.mlgpro.com/archive followed by another awesome player Elamite Warrior gameroom.mlgpro.com/view/Op3LKQOwKrI.html, both of whom were exceptional in the match and just all around great guys. The 3rd guy in our 4 man match was Powell. Even though I didn't wipe the floor with these pros- I was able to score and ended up with quite a crowd of people cheering me on with each kill. So a big ol' Texan "THANKS Y'ALL for the McLovin!" ^_^

shameless product placement- but i can't help it- its good & I needed the energy!shameless product placement- but i can't help it- its good & I needed the energy!

After playing, Tunesha and I got to be the bearers of good greetings by handing out some Stoked Energy Drinks to the BYOC. We then interviewed Ogre, Girl Next door, and L337 Lauren www.myspace.com/L337Lauren with whom I had just played in Montreal in the Miss Video Game finals www.missvideogame.com/ .

Tomorrow Tunesha has her match at 1:00 so we will keep you posted on how that turns out. She should have a pretty decent turn out also because everyone who meets her just adores her.. but how could they not ?! So check back to hear about the match, the concerts, interviews with some developers and more pictures. Oh ya... we will also be posting some fun videos shortly too. Wish you were here!

Having been my first tournament not as a journalist or video host, I had never stayed until the finals. I was usually in the hustle and bustle of it.

Come to find out, people leave after they get kocked out of the competition. Makes sense. I just didn't get to meet as many people as I had wanted. I suppose I had most wanted to interview Lil Poison www.lilpoison.com/ who had started competing when he was 4 years old. In the unraveling of our days though, Tunesha *CHICKAMUNGUS* Davis and I were swamped with stuff to do and just didn't get around to it.

The top 16s were exciting and fun even though Tunesha and I didn't make it that far, we had gotten to know some of the people who were in it. In fact, all the guys I was cheering for made it to top 8s and 3 of them to the top 4.. maybe I should ask for a good luck charm tax- however, I think maybe the endless hours and magnificent skills had more to do with their scores :)

The final 4 finished : 1st Ogre 2, 2nd StrongSide (the guy in my 1st match!), 3rd neighbor and 4th was Activ. (real names were posted here www.xboxusersgroup.com/content/view/4072/151/ ). What made the finals so intriguing was that Activ was an unknown in that he was just an ordinary guy! How cool is that! Although going into the competition, I didn't know anyone, it didn't take long to spot the pros. It was also fun to see that some of the guys who had volunteered to help train me beforehand were some of the pros in the match! Like LEGEND FOR REAL. But knowing that ayone with the hours to put in and skill could rise out of nowhere and be in the top 4 made the event especially fun. I can't wait to get off this laptop & on my 360 to go play right now! so ttys!

oh wait! I also found out from the director of photogrpahy that we should be getting some footage this week. So keep your fingers crossed. I will also pull out some still from those tapes. Tunesha has some pictures too... so check back to see it in picture form. I was talked into being especially cutesy for the last day- I'll tell you why later. But the anime chicks had nuthin on me that day... though I don't know if that is a compliment or not. hmmmmmmmm.

In case I don't check back or respond it is because I am getting ready for Montreal. I have been super snowed under with work for the past few weeks and am getting ready to go to Canada this week. Admittedly I wish I had been in a situation to have more time to train for the tournament but alas twas not in the cards :(
SO I am just going to be super stoked about going on this awesome trip! What a great prize for the top 5. Miss Video Game really outdid themselves - I'll tell you more about it when I get back.
ttys!

This was my struggle with myself and halo3:

Click here 

It is one week later and I am just catching my breath. This was an awesome QuakeCon. It is my 3rd one and I can hardly wait until next year.
I also scored hugely either by pure chance or getting to review gadgets or games for tek.advancedmn.com ! My name was drawn for an amBX system, I've already been LOVING the Triton AX360 headphones which are phenomena and yipee skippee ...I can hardly wait for.... wait for it....an nvdia 8800 ultra!!!
Aside from the usual craziness that accompanies QC, I had the rare and wonderful opportunity to play the Dating Game and went on a date with who was Bachelor 2. Every year nvidia has a big night on the main stage with a theme. This year it was game shows. It ranged from Deal or No deal to ending with the Dating game.
Although I was entertained by some of the other answers... I went with the most gentlemanly responses as I was a bit scared off by the risque answers the other 2 (Da Ninja & Bawls cap guy- who I remembered from last year!) gave when I asked what would you do if my B-day fell on the same night as QuakeCon.
DJ from Oklahoma was super cute and was on is way to starting at OU (probably ) soon. I was wearing enormous heels and am already tall so I was a little taller but he was very self confident and it didn't seem to bother him at all.
We went to eat & talked up a storm about gaming and other things like motorcycles and also Brazilian Ju Jitzu which I like (along with a passion for mixed martial arts shows like UFC etc). Then we strolled through the BYOC and throughout the event spanning the 2 towers of the hotel. I wish I had a picture of him but I don't.
Anyway, alot of people were asking- so thats how it went down. I imagine I would have had fun with either of the other two also because well, they seemed nice enough & I try to have fun in every situation. But DJ made it particularly easy. I had a wonderful time and he was great.

It has been a week since E3. I still have articles to write and am almost caught up on work from taking off for E3. That being said, a lot of peole have asked what I thought of it. Articles aside, I'll tell you my impression of the event itself. IT WAS AWESOME! I loved it. It was by far my favorite though I can see how it would be less exciting for those back home. For me, it was awesome. It was ONLY about content. No over priced sets trying to hype up a game that may or may not be good. Just the games on display or hands-on and without lines. At one point I was sitting on a veranda with a small poster for a background for interviews with the shoreline off to one side and a cocktail bartender on the other side of a lush hotel. There was no screaming needed. No crappy distractions. It was great.
I would have preferred they chose a place closer than Barker Hangar for the games not in the suites, but it was not a big deal since most of the games were also accessible in the suites which were mostly on the 2-4th floors of the hotels. The other thing that would have been better is for the hotels to be closer together. Still, the new set up rocked HARD!
anyway, that is my take on it. I hope they leave the fluff for pr0n, cuz this was so much more efficient, professional, and gaming oriented.

ok it is 11:45pm Pacific Time
I am just getting back to room foregoing a few parties because I really need to write some articles. I am downloading my video and recorder thus stealing a few moments to write this. My articles will be on advancedmn.com which I will link on my profile.
It is hard to capture everything since it is all happening so quickly. Some people have complained about Barker Hangar. They say it is sub par or no big deal compared to last year. I suppose I have a hard time understanding fully because what I like most about E3 is seeing and playng the new upcoming games. The environment
or actual building or size of the showcase has very little to do with it. I was able to steal a quick trip to Barker Hangar. For thos of you don't know. The games are being shown in an old ariport hangar just inside Santa Monica. It is not nearly the scope or scale of the yesteryear's E3s. However, the games still rock!
Like I said, I could only go for a moment today. I will go almost all day tomorrow except for a few appointments and press conferences.
I will do my best to stay in touch between writing articles and actually attending the events and playing the games. SO seriously.. I have got to write even though I would rather sleep... even more than go to the parties! My feet have blisters and my body sleep deprived. Yet, it is time to write! ^_^
ttys!
11:53

Hi- It is 1:35 I am writing this in a real rush because everything is happening so quickly. At the moment EA is about to have a press briefing. I need to get my butt in there but wanted to say that so far for me, I love this venue.

It is VERY different than previous years, that is true. However, the format allows for much more content without the fluff. Although, I kinda wish there were more actual content to be told. Between press briefings, I have seen a few vendors. I just got out of the Logitech appointment where PC gamers will freak over the new items they are announcing in August. For starters, incredible surround sound speakers that enhance a shooter like nothing else. A mouse which has interchangeable grips for whatever the player prefers. and a great keyboard i'll have to go into in a minute. I'll be writing a more in depth article on tek.advancedmn.com with pics and video. Crud! EA is opneing the doors right now- I'll be back shortly!

2:08 before i go on further-
Woo hoo, intro time,
Tammy Shackter from EA... looks like it's Casual Game time introducing Kathy Vrabeck, publishing president.
Initial vision is to bring interactive gaming to the mass public.. a diverse demographic of anyone who does not identify themselves as a core gamer. Local content is easier to do. Multiple platforms from consoles & phones.
5 demos that help define the group. Pogo.com 135 games for the whole family and 1.5 mil subscribers.
wii game- boogie on the wii 3-D shown by
Alain Tascan - who shows the customization and for sale outfits etc.
He is now demonstrating his dancin skills :) and singing too he is singing pussy cat dolls horribly & everyone loves it.
Mobile- trying to reach out to the 2 billion with game ready devices because even those who can't afford a console but already have a phone. Global opportunity. Harry potter, madden, tetris nba, bejweled, simpsons,, nuclear meldtown
playground from EA Canada
multiplayer dodge ball. EA team is jumping into the action. Accessibility is key. They know only 3 moves. Very simple to be successful. They are now showing another game Kicks. And other games besides classic playground games. Like fantasy games which are a combo of soccer, volleyball and other games... but again, accessibility is key.
Another new game developed for the wii- Trivia game- Smarty Pants on the wii. Showing a video of it being played.
2:30
Early preview of Stephen Spielberg's game exclusively for the wii which has an editor in which the user can create his own game. It is called Blocks and is alot like Jenga & 3_D Tetris
Alex Rigopulos is intro'd to tell us more about Harmonix' Rock Band. Co-op band making music. There are drums , fender guitar, and mic.... in addition to the music on the disc will be online music available afterwards with literaly hundreds of songs.
Itro of littel stephen- but i gotta go to an appointment!
poot!
well ttys!

On Thursday May31st, my sister Nina gave birth to Sophia Isabella, who is sooo precious. She weighed 6oz. and was so completely adorable with the most gentile, loving disposition. She didn't even cry. If she was not too happy with it being to light in the room, or was hungry, or just cold, she would whimper the sweetest little, tiny cry you've ever heard.
I am sure I will make a video & post more pics than the 4 I posted in my "I'm an aunt" album very soon. As for now, I need to catch up on work I missed for the 4 days I held, coo'd, and loved on my new little niece. This little priceless jewel has stolen my heart. I know everyone thinks the new baby girl in the family is a princess. Maybe they are. I am not sure. All I know is that this little angle is breathtakingly perfect and one precious princess!