Did you know that Toploader’s Dancing in the Moonlight was actually a cover version of the song originally sang by King Harvest? I was doing some research on the song, after stumbling on perhaps the trippiest cover version (of Dancing in the Moonlight) I’ve ever heard (more on that later), when I managed find the following videos. By the way, the first line of the song is “We get it on most every night”, not “We get it almost every night”.

First up, the original version by King Harvest, it’s audio only (don’t think they had music videos back then):

Secondly, a hit cover version of the song and most likely to be hear on radio stations around the world (instead of the original version), Toploader’s cover of Dancing in the Moonlight:

Last but not least, a recently released project by Tomonao Tanaka under the name S-KLAPP, featuring Lei Lani. This is perhaps the trippiest cover for Dancing in the Moonlight I’ve ever heard, so check it out:

The single is actually available at Play-Asia. Click here for purchase information.

Remember that Alicia Silverstone movie Clueless? You do? Good! Now picture the movie as a video game instead. Baffled? Now, I’m sure you would remember Lindsay Lohan’s Mean Girls (that was the movie that got every red-blooded male noticing her). Now, picture that as a movie as well. Heh. I wouldn’t be surprised if you are feeling as baffled about it as with Clueless.

No matter, let the good people at Paramount Digital Entertainment and Legacy Interactive tell you what they are up to these IPs when it comes to creating video games:

PARAMOUNT DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT AND LEGACY INTERACTIVE TEAM UP TO DEVELOP VIDEOGAMES BASED ON PARAMOUNT PICTURES’ FILMS

LOS ANGELES—July 22, 2008—Paramount Digital Entertainment and Legacy Interactive, announced today that they are developing titles based on the popular Paramount Pictures’ films, Clueless, Mean Girls and Pretty in Pink.

In Clueless: The Game, the player takes on the part of Cher trying to find the perfect boyfriends for all her pals.  Players will need to figure out what kind of guy their friends want by noticing what clothes these potential suitors wear and what sort of interests they have.  Once Cher knows what they want, she will have to pick out the right elements to make the perfect man for them.  Players will have to be quick!  Love waits for no one!

Mean Girls: High School Showdown, allows players to take on the role of a student trying to restore balance to the many cliques in their high school and to end the reign of the terrible “Plastic clique,” the prettiest girls and the meanest of the mean.  To do this, players will need to unite the cliques by using a few tricks of their own.  Players can choose to take the high road by using kind words and revealing important truths at the right time, or use the Plastic’s own evil tricks against them, by using rumors, pranks and put downs.  A mix of both might go a long way, too!

The classic 80’s hit movie, Pretty in Pink, is known as a movie that defined a generation, and now players will have the chance to relive the story in an all-new entertaining game format.  Through a series of beautifully rendered scenes, players will need to solve a variety of fun and challenging visual puzzles in order to experience the memorable story about love, friendship, the clash of social cliques and how to rise above them.  Andie, Duckie, Blane, and the rest of the unforgettable characters from both “the wrong side of the tracks” and not, return to play out the romantic fairytale love story, but this time with a dramatic difference…their fate will be put in the hands of the player.

“Paramount is focused on creating quality interactive entertainment based on evergreen motion pictures. With these games, we will not only reach the core casual games audience, but engage new audiences with our properties,” said Sandi Isaacs, Senior Vice President, Interactive & Mobile, Paramount Digital Entertainment.  “We are confident that our collaboration with Legacy Interactive will be a great success.”

“Legacy Interactive’s vision for these fan favorite films is one that seamlessly takes each story into the gaming world,” said Ariella Lehrer, President and CEO of Legacy Interactive.  “Our goal in collaborating with Paramount Digital Entertainment is to create games that longtime fans of the films will appreciate, but also games that challenge and entertain the casual gamer.”

About Paramount Digital Entertainment
Paramount Digital Entertainment (PDE) is a division of Paramount Pictures Corporation. PDE develops and distributes filmed entertainment across worldwide digital distribution platforms including online, mobile and portable devices, videogames, virtual worlds and emerging technologies.

Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands.  The company’s labels include Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, DreamWorks, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies.  PPC operations also include Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., Paramount Studio Group, and Worldwide Television Distribution.

About Legacy Interactive
Legacy Interactive (www.legacyinteractive.com) is a leading developer and publisher of casual games. Entertaining customers since 1998, the company has built a reputation for creating intelligent, realistic and engaging games for a broad audience. Located in Los Angeles, Legacy is known for its TV-branded games, such as Law & Order, as well as for its popular simulation games Pet Pals: Animal Doctor, Emergency Room and Zoo Vet.

In 2008, Legacy added movie titles to its growing game roster, including the upcoming animated children’s film Igor. Through Legacy’s popular game network at www.legacygames.com, customers can download and try more than 500 casual games plus read and write reviews and share play lists of their favorite games. Legacy’s games are distributed worldwide, in more than 12 languages, through its partners Ubisoft, Mindscape, 505 Games, and JoWood.

Check out the following screenshots from Clueless: The Game:

This is quite a surprise,  Otona no DS Kao Training, the face training game for the Nintendo DS that comes with a camera add-on is now selling at a discounted price of USD 19.90!!

I don’t know bout you, but I’m ordering it. Not everyday you have a DS game with such an add-on selling at such a price. Want to join me? Click here for purchase information.

Check out what could be the best Street Fighter III: Third Strike match/comeback ever played. The video was taken during Evolution 2004, a beat-em-up game tournament held in the States featuring Justin Wong vs. Daigo Umehara…watch the parries and be dazzled:

And now, check out of a parody of the same match, Mortal Kombat style. It’s pretty funny, but I’ll let the video do all the talking:

I also envy those gamers that are adept at beat-em-ups. In my case, it’s more of like mashing buttons rather than getting the combos right. I can’t put a finger on why, but the best game to do so (mash buttons for any hope of winning) would be Marvel vs Capcom 2 on the Dreamcast.

In any case, it would be an achievement for me to obtain a level of proficiency with Street Fighter 4. I’m just waiting for the price to go down a little (you know, hype does drive up prices), before getting the game. If you have the time, read about The Escapist article on “Race and Street Fighter II”, check it out here.

Phoenix Wright/Gyakuten Saiban fans, listen up. Fancy a private viewing of the Gyakuten Saiban Tokubetsu Hout Orchestra Concert? Well now you can, affordably too, as the 2008 Official DVD Book is now selling at a discounted price of USD 31.90, down from its original price of USD 44.90.

The DVD Book comes with both audio and visual recordings of the concert and also a booklet that contains a digest of the event and commentaries from the music producers.

Interested? Click here for further details.

I just got back from Cameron Highlands. Had lunch at the Ye Olde Smokehouse, expensive but definately worth it. The strange thing was I had the Cameron Highlands – Tapah road almost all to myself (and the car and the girlfriend), not many people going downhill on a Sunday?

Ah yes. Before I forget, FYI, a bouquet of a dozen Grade-A roses (the type that blooms with 50 petals and lasts a month) sells for RM 50 at Cameron Highlands’ Kea Farm area during the Valentine season. Definately a bargain!

Back in 2001, Sega actually released a Magic: The Gathering video game for the Sega Dreamcast. Released only in Japan, the game was a faithful rendition of the collectible card game, just check out the following video:

Now, having a Magic: The Gathering game on the Nintendo DS would be really cool. I would actually like to petition Sega to create an updated port of the Dreamcast game (with new cards and new rules) for the Nintendo DS. It’s time that the game that started the CCG craze to show upstarts like Yu-Gi-Oh and Culdcept DS on the Nintendo DS how it should be done!

Click here to sign the petition!

Coincidentally, a used copy of MTG for the Sega Dreamcast is currently selling for USD 74.90. Click here for further details.

I’ve got a collection note from Pos Laju that requires me to collect something from the post office, in-person, no representatives allowed. Could it be that my copy of Arcade Mania (by Brian Ashcraft) is sitting at the post office, waiting for me?

Well, it will have to wait till Monday cause today is a Friday. Furthermore, even if the post office opens tomorrow, I’ll be leaving early for a holiday at the Cameron Highlands. To all you guys out there staying back in KL, all the best stemming the feeling of pain after spending a bomb on Valentine Day’s dinner.

A friend of mine who recently came back from his holiday Down Under passed a copy of FHM Australia’s March 2009 issue. Ahh. Now this is a much more classier, cooler, hotter, nicer (you can put together all the nice adjectives here) compared to the Malaysian rag we have here. The articles are quite good, nevermind the women (I think they toned it down a bit).

Even a news items from Malaysia made a two page news item in the magazine and here’s the downer, it was concerning the landslide in Bukit Antarabangsa. My problem with the mag is that the landslide piece made KL sound like the landslide capital of Asia.

Here’s the part where it gets to me a little: “The city was hit by a massive landslide on 6 December last year……And it’s not the first time nature pulled the rug from under the Malaysian capital. In 1993, the Highland Towers apartment building collapsed after a landslide triggered by heavy rain, killing 48 people. Visit at your peril”

But then again, if hillside developments continue to flourish, then perhaps FHM Australia is right!

Talking bout FHM and Malaysia, Tim Chew of Mediacorp Publishing posted a comment on my old FHM knockabout post (here). Seriously man… http://fhmmalaysia.blogspot.com/? Two words for a magazine of FHM’s stature: Lifestyle Portal, and not cheap ass blog wannabe.

And perhaps stamp collectors as well. I didn’t know that there were stamps released in Ayumi Hamasaki image. Well, now you and I both know that the Ayumi Hamasaki 10th Anniversary Stamps were released in June 2008 to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of her debut.

This series of 10 stamps features the images of her album covers starting from her original album “A Song for XX” to her ninth, Guilty. The last stamp is a specially enlarged image of her 10th anniversary single “Mirrorcle World”.

Now, what makes this Stamp Frame such a collectible item is that it was previously only available at her “ASIA TOUR 2008 ~ 10th Anniversary” concerts or through the Japanese Post Office (by filling up a form). Now you can get this at Play-Asia and to sweeten the deal, the site is selling it at less than half price!

That’s right, it’s on sale now. Go check it out…click here for further details.