And since it is X-Mas… Americajin.com will take a short break. Happy holidays to everyone!

Looking for pictures from the upcoming Chun Li movie? Here are what I have managed to find on the net - I will update this gallery as more images become available.

Find all the pictures below.

Sources are here, here, here and here.

Ever wondered what the world thinks about Italians? Some times its quite disconcerting to see how the world perceives us from the old boot, but still other times its quite funny… and sometimes also accurate.

Well, gone are the day of ancient Romans and the Roman Empire… now we are the land of odd gestures… Here are some fun examples…

The movie below is from Bruno Bozzetto and is good for foreigners to get an education on how Italy is different from the rest of Europe, specifically northern Europe.

As for this clip from the movie Eurotrip… its an absolute lie!!!

Russel Peters instead makes a great impression of Italians, accent and all…

As for those who wonder what all those gestures Italians do actually mean… see below.

What do you think?

I originally thought I would mainly get some high quality art (like Valeera Sanguinar), but I ended up finding also some quite funny things I’m going to go ahead and post.

The Dancing Blood elf is quite funny… is there a girl version anywhere?

No comment…. sheer genious, as the one below. Lol.

But what about cosplay? I mean, the girl below must be some sort of professional…

And for those who just want some Blood Elf images… check out the few below.

Sources of the pics are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Believe it or not, somebody had sued Grand Theft Auto San Andreas… wow, I would have never expected that. At least this is a funny lawsuit…

Who sued: The Play Pen - a strip club in LA

Why they sued: cause in GTA SA there is a strip club called “The Pig Pen.” See movie below…

Who won? Good news (thanks Gamasutra and Evil Avatar).

A U.S. federal court has dismissed claims by a strip club owner that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas’ satirical depiction of the club infringes the club owner’s trademark.

The legal battle, which pits the real-life East Los Angeles establishment The Play Pen against the game’s fictional Pig Pen, has been raging for over three years.
…
“The San Andreas Game is not complementary to the Play Pen; video games and strip clubs do not go together like a horse and carriage or, perish the thought, love and marriage. Nothing indicates that the buying public would reasonably have believed that ESS produced the video game or, for that matter, that Rockstar operated a strip club.”
…
“Undeterred, ESS also argues that, because players are free to ignore the storyline and spend as much time as they want at the Pig Pen, the Pig Pen can be considered a significant part of the Game, leading to confusion. But fans can spend all nine innings of a baseball game at the hot dog stand; that hardly makes Dodger Stadium a butcher’s shop.”

I just love the crack on the Dodger Stadium…

Street Fighter 4 is coming out shortly - as is a new Street Fighter movie: Street Fighter the Legend of Chun Li.

And to Chun Li we dedicate this web-page shrine - find more art in the gallery at the bottom. These two pics were my favorite ones I found. Which one is yours?

“Yatta’!”

A good chunk of Chin Li art was found at Creative Uncut (great website with loads of videogame art), the rest surfing the web.

But let’s pretend that’s not true… Or let’s just say that whatever the case, Blizzard has made a great job with their femal heroes. The art of the game is fantastic - and it has inspired tons of great artists that regularly submit their works of art to Blizzard and get posted on their Fan Art pages.

This post is dedicated to what, IMHO, are the best female art pieces inspired from WoW I found on the Fan Art website.

Enjoy and vote your favorite.

#1- The Light of Lights
by Krystopher Decker (Pepperwolf)

This dude should setup an online gallery and sell his art.

#2 - Valeera Sanguinar
by Paul Kwon (Shira Mune)

#3 - Rogue
by Wenjun Lin (Junc)

#4 - Paladin
by Jung-Hun Ju (kveldulv)

#5 - Night Elf Archer
by Paul Kwon (shiramune)

#6 - T7 hunter
by xia jie (jiejie)

#7 - Guarding the Moonwell
by Michael Nothdurft (M1keN)

#8 - Morganna and Jolinaar (Medivh)
by Val D (Jilian)

#9 - Become the Betrayer
by Nancy Cho (Avedral)

#10 - Lena
by Emiko Setsuna (Dênakê)

Note for Authors: For some I could not find a website link - please submit a comment if you want your link posted.

As usual I will be brief - but here are TWO great reasons to a avoid at all costs signing up for capped internet connections…
When I say capped, I mean signing up with a provider that says you can use only X amounts of bandwidth a month.
Reason #1: Monitoring your bandwidth usage is a pain if you alone use your PC/Mac…

• let alone if you have other users in the household…
• let alone if you have a kid surfing the net and playing games…
• let alone if your kid is hitting puberty.
• And BTW - please do put a security code on you wireless router if you use one. Apart from being a HUGE security risk, you dont want to provide free internet to all your freeloading neighbors, dont you?

Reaon #2: Certain programs use way more bandwidth that you would ever expect… especially if you are a gamer and play any sort of online game and especially MMORPGs.

• See this article at BBC News on the cost of World of Warcraft.
• See this article on Massively regarding the hidden costs of MMOGs.
• For those with more know-how, see this PDF file from the Vienna University of Tech regarding a Traffic Analysis on World of Warcraft.

Top image was found here.

Here is then, a new WOW Demotivational Top 10.

TEN: Might be Starcraft… but still applies.

NINE: Yes, that is the face we all have in front of WoW.

EIGHT: Totally true, and you cant even do anything with all that gold you earn in your second job…

SEVEN: All gnomes deserve what is coming…

SIX: I do that often…

FIVE: Yes, they are making fun of us.

FOUR:That is a lie. There is NO HOPE.

THREE: Is lack of personal hygiene worth $15 a month? I ask thou from my RP server…

TWO:Prepared you are not… for our #1 Demotivational.

ONE: Now stop playing WoW for a bit and go hang out.

Sources of demotivationals are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here

A little Bonus one that made me really laugh…

Source is here.

Who is the hottest booth babe? Which booth babe has the best outfit?

Here are my top 3 (+ a gallery of 45 more pics at the end of this post).

Number 3: Level 5 Booth Babe (I think)

Number 2: Capcom Booth Babe

Clearly Number 1: Tecmo Booth Babe (BTW - Tecmo always has the best babes).

And for the worst outfit ever seen on a Booth Babe…Electronic Arts (EA) is the absolute winner. Possibly of the last 10 years of TGS history… if not booth babe history.

More snapshots below.

Which ones are your top 3?

Ever wanted to get into Digital SLR photography but didnt know where to start?

Ever wondered: “What first Digital SLR should I buy?” or “What’s the best starter Digital SLR?”

Here is the answer I just got from a friend of mine that told me to thank Ed T. for it… Thanks Ed!!!

Keep in mind, I think Ed is a Canon guy… so all you Nikon folks wont be happy!

ED’s GUIDE FOR STARTING TO BE A CANON DSLR PHOTOGRAPHER:

—

Ok buddy, here it is :) I’m sure you’ll get comments from the Canon-hating Nikon crowd, but it’s like comparing Honda vs. Toyota. Canon’s got over 65% of the DSLR marketplace and a great lens lineup, so that was enough for me when I was deciding. At the end of the day, it all comes down to the photographer regardless of equipment.

THE CAMERAS:

CANON EOS REBEL XSI: $620

12.2 Megapixel
Live View Function
3.5 fps Continuous Shooting
ISO 1600

CANON EOS 50D: $1400

15.1 Megapixel
6.3 fps Continuous Shooting
Live View Mode
ISO 3200 - Expandable to 12800

Honestly, between the two above, the XSi is the better STARTER camera (not just because of price). Because it’s got fewer functions, you’ll learn a lot faster to be a better photographer vs. a digital camera user if that makes sense. For example, you’ll have to get creative when shooting in low-light situations because it’s got lower ISO capability than the 50D. Then when Aperture, Shutter and ISO become second nature, you can upgrade to the camera you want. Could be the new 5D, could be the 50D, could even be the Mark 1 (if you have money to burn). I used the Rebel XT for over a year before I upgraded to the 5D. If I started off with the 5D, I don’t think the experience would’ve been the same. But hey it’s up to you - I know what its like buying new toys, sometimes you’re just gonna want the pimp stuff right off the bat.

Alternatively, you can go for the 40D:

CANON EOS 40D: $1000

At the end of the day and I’ll say it again - it ultimately comes down to the photographer. If you don’t commit to learning how to use a DSLR the way it’s supposed to be used, then you might as well stick with a point-and-shoot. It’s not going to magically make all your pictures great - you gotta “know” the shot you want and command your camera to deliver it.

Here’s exactly what I’m talking about:

These 3 photos were shot with a Canon 40D:
Pic1
Pic2
Pic3

Then again, so were these photos:
Pic4
Pic5
PIc6

Lol… I’m not saying every one of your shots needs to be a work of art, but there are clearly better ways to shoot those last 3 pictures. For example on Pic6, I maybe would’ve gone with a lower aperture and shot it with the cake at eye-level to make an interesting foreground, maybe bounced my flash off the ceiling so you lose the white shine on people’s skin. Shit like that. The guy who shot that used the built-in flash and the free lens the camera came with (says so in “more properties”).

Anyway - enough of the lecture. On to the lenses!

LENSES:

Ok here’s a quick lesson on lenses (sorry if you already know this).

MM RANGE
First is the mm range. Most point and shoot cameras shoot at 35mm. The higher the mm number, the bigger the zoom. The lower the mm number, the wider the shot. Really low ones like 17mm pics are fish-eye shots. Basically a lens that says 70mm-300mm, it means you can zoom from between 70mm to 300mm by turning the lens left and right. Prime lenses like the Canon 85mm f1.8, means it’s a set lens that it’ll only shoot at 85mm and you can’t zoom in and out.

APERTURE
All lenses have an “f” associated with it. Generally the LOWER the number, the better (faster) the lens is. So a 50mm f1.4 lens is going to give you better pictures in low light than a 505mm f2.8. Put it this way: Canon makes a 50mm f/1.8 for $80. But they also make a 50mm f/1.4 for $400. Then, if you want to go just one f-stop lower, they make a 50mm f/1.2 for $1300. That’s how much a difference the f-stops make. Took me forever to figure all that shit out.

TAMRON 18-250mm f.3.5 - 6.3 $479

This is one of the best starter lenses out there imho because of its range and price, and it’s pretty new. It covers you for really wide landscape shots (at 18mm) and at extra long zoom shots (at 250mm). Plus it goes as low as f3.5 on the wide shots (but will go as high as f6.3 on the long shots).

TAMRON 17-50mm f.2.8 - $419
This would be a nice “around the house” lens that you can take to parties. It has a great aperture and you can zoom out for group shots and zoom in just enough for great portraits. Notice how it’s only $60 less than the 18-250mm, and you only get 17-50mm. It’s all about the aperture baby…

TAMRON 17-50mm f.2.8 - $419
This would be a nice “around the house” lens that you can take to parties. It has a great aperture and you can zoom out for group shots and zoom in just enough for great portraits. Notice how it’s only $60 less than the 18-250mm, and you only get 17-50mm. It’s all about the aperture baby…

CANON 50mm (Prime) f/1.8 - $89 **Must Have**

This is the one lens all Canon users have - don’t leave home without it. It’s f/1.8 so it shoots crazy good pictures without needing any light. This is will likely be your official lens for portraits shots.

CANON 24-70mm f/2.8L - $1190
This is the lens right herrrr! Big ass lens, heavy (weighs 2 pounds, twice as heavy as the Tamron 17-2

FLASH:

CANON 430-EX Flash - $250

Word to the wise: NEVER use the built-in flash on your camera. It’s pure crap. It’ll amazingly make your photos look like they’ve been shot with a $100 point-and-shoot. This flash is excellent and will be the difference-maker on pics than require flash. There’s also a Canon 580-EX flash for $420, but you won’t need that unless you’re planning a lot of studio-type shots.

FLash Diffuser - $15
You’ll definitely want this for your flash. It diffuses the light so you don’t get harsh highlights on people’s faces.

—————————

My recommendation:

If I were you, I’d go with:
CANON EOS REBEL XSI: $620
TAMRON 18-250mm f.3.5 - 6.3 $479
CANON 50mm (Prime) f/1.8 - $89

The below can wait until later:
CANON 430-EX Flash - $250
Flash Diffuser - $15

—————————

That should be enough for you to absorb for now :) My only advice: keep shooting! Best way to learn is to take really bad pictures and figure out where you went wrong. Lots of forums online where you can share your shots and get feedback from other photographers.

And thank you.

For those few (maybe foreigners like me) who did not know, it all went with a false terrorist alarm that went on in boston some time ago.

“It had a very sinister appearance. It had a battery behind it, and wires” are the infamous words that were used to describe a marketing contraption - a lite-bright - used to market nothing less than Aqua Teen Hunger Force (from Cartoon Newtork). LOLZ

This soccer one makes my list as one of the best ones around. I hope the kid in the blue jersey (the jerk) wont suffer long term issues due to this picture circulating - he might be one of the nicest kids ever and just making an odd face as he tries to avoid the goal keeper. But still, and unfortunately for him, he was immortalized in one of those “oh so typical expressions of American machismo competitiveness” that seems to go so well with huge suburbans, soccer moms and absent fathers.

Buddy, we love you, even if you are a jerk.

As for the below… I guess Dali used to pain with photoshop?

Which one of these three is your favorite?

Sources of the demotivationals are here, here and here.

First… this sign… that shows the way to a rollerblade shop…

The second are these two girls…

The sign at their feet is better seen below…

Any comments? What do you think?

I was meandering the net when I came across a great Cat video - source is Anime Banzai. Well the video was really funny [I invite you to go check it out here] and it made me want to look around for a bunch of cat demotivationals… I already had some (like the World of Warcraft one or the Anime one) but here is what my research has found.

Top 10 Cat Demotivationals

#10 Kitty Treat - definitely the lowest of the top 10.

#9  Tiny Cat - This would be so cute if real…

#8 Domestication - That could easily be a human being - or myself…

#7 Kung Fu Fighting - I didnt know Chuck Norris was a cat too…

#6 End Cat - One cat to end them all…

#5 Overconfidence - Tell that to the Lakers

#4 The Satan Cat - One pissed off sonofa…

#3 Edumaction - Gotta get someodat smyelf

#2 What has been seen… Did this cat see its parents having sex?

#1 The Ceiling Cat - simply hilarious.

Sources of demotivationals and pics are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Remember Ico?

Remember Shadow of Colossus?

Possibly two of the best games ever?

It looks like Ico 3 The Queen will be unveiled at TGS.

Yes, that is Tokyo Game Show, in Tokyo, Japan, where anything can happen.

But the big question is… is it true?

More info here, here, here, here.

If you go here instead you can find a page with a flash trailer.

A caveat is written under the teaser trailer:

Disclaimer - This Flash teaser was only made for an art competition and is not the real thing.

For real things it’s best to check www.tigmagazine.com which has plenty of Team ICO-related material.

We said it before. All things that become pop culture and mass audience get Demotivational posters. Chuck Norris is pop, is mass, and he naturally has quite a few demotivational posters… (just like World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy or Castlevania or Anime in general…)

So here are a few of his best Demotivationals I found around the net, for your personal inspiration.

Personally this one is my favorite.

Either the lawyer below has the coolest name ever or Chuck really is ubiquitous!

Moreover, for those who play World of Warcraft, you know how bad it gets with good old chuck in the main chat channels…

(Source here)

Also found a Halo one! LOL

At this scene from The Family Guy I seriously laughed for an hour…

Demotivational sources are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

As for the best Chuck Norris quotes, here are the list of the ones Chuck Norris himself prefers! Source is Chuck Norris Facts:

When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.

Chuck Norris doesn’t read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.

There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live.

Outer space exists because it’s afraid to be on the same planet with Chuck Norris.

Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.

Chuck Norris is currently suing NBC, claiming Law and Order are trademarked names for his left and right legs.

Chuck Norris is the reason why Waldo is hiding.

Chuck Norris counted to infinity - twice.

There is no chin behind Chuck Norris’ beard. There is only another fist.

When Chuck Norris does a pushup, he isn’t lifting himself up, he’s pushing the Earth down.

Chuck Norris is so fast, he can run around the world and punch himself in the back of the head.

Chuck Norris’ hand is the only hand that can beat a Royal Flush.

Chuck Norris can lead a horse to water AND make it drink.

Chuck Norris doesn’t wear a watch, HE decides what time it is.

Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door.

Chuck Norris does not get frostbite. Chuck Norris bites frost

Remember the Soviet Union? They decided to quit after watching a DeltaForce marathon on Satellite TV.

Contrary to popular belief, America is not a democracy, it is a Chucktatorship.

If you liked this post please leave a comment :)

A Mercenaries 2 PR stunt was setup to give away 20,000 Pounds (i.e. the money, not the weight) of gasoline for free to lucky consumers…

According to the Telegraph:

A petrol station which gave away free fuel has been temporarily shut down after motorists flocking to its pumps caused traffic chaos.

Electronic Arts were giving away £20,000 worth of fuel at the station on Stapleton Hall Road, near Finsbury Park, north London, as part of a promotion for a new video game.

Chaos ensued… (see video below)…

Do you think they knew this mess was going to happen and did it on purpose under the old impression that “there is no such thing as bad press?”

More info can be found here:

• BBC News
• The Telegraph

“Il Messaggero,” a major Italian newspaper reports a few interesting facts:

1. In Bronzolo (Bolzano) somebody tried to go public with all the infidelities that are going on in the small town by posting a flier in the town hall that listed everybody. The Carabinieri are investigating…
2. In Canicatti‘ (Agrigento) somebody posted 20,000 fliers that point out a certain woman and say that she is “easy.” They also point to his husband, announcing he has been made a honored member of the “Canicatti’ men with horns club” for his enduring patience in tolerating his wife’s many infidelities with friends of his. The Carabinieri are waiting for somebody to press charges before they start investigating…
3. In Frosinone a 20 year old girl left his boyfriend to become a nun. The dude went up to the convent and laid out a banner that said “I Love You.” The Carabinieri give their support to the young boy in love.

From the Universal Studios in Universal City, LA… here is a real 747 (or maybe a 767) that was used in the War of the Worlds…

Buying the non-functional plane… $40K.

Transporting the plane to the set: $200K.

Tearing the plane to pieces: Priceless.