What do actor/author/blogger Wil Wheaton, actress/writer/geek heroine Felicia Day, author/blogger/freelance troublemaker John Scalzi, and Rock Band have in common?

Besides all being universally awesome, I mean?

This:

See more videos of Rock Band shenanigans from the Phoenix Comicon at Wil’s blog.

UPDATE: OK, that’s just weird. Pretty much just as I was posting this, Tommy over at RockBandAide discovered that a song from Felicia Day’s web series The Guild is in the pipeline for the Rock Band Network. It must be true: Felicia Day must truly be the center of the geek universe.

[Read | image source and explanation]

Let me start out by saying most emphatically that this is so very not safe for work. But I came across this event mentioned in Time Out Chicago, and figured you might find it as amusing as I did.

Apparently an organization called Naked Girls Reading (which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like) recently hosted an event at a studio in Chicago called “Naked Girls Rock.” For the readings, the girls focused on “‘debauched legends from the annals of rock history,’ song lyrics, and groupie exploits.”

After the reading, the girls hosted a Guitar Hero tournament — naked, of course — on a large projection screen, which lead to some, ah, interesting photographic opportunities, which Time Out took complete advantage of.

Hit the Read link if you’d like to see the results, but once again, let me be very clear: You will see images that depict full frontal female nudity. If such things bother either you or whoever owns your computer, you’re not going to want to hit that link. OK? OK.

EDIT: Err, apparently I was looking at the headline of the article when I wrote my own headline. It’s not Rock Band, it’s Guitar Hero. I now go to hang my head in shame.

[Read]

In honor of today’s releases, I bring you another video (with much better sound quality) of the Harmonix team performing the Cartman version of “Poker Face,” courtesy of Joystiq.

That’s Rock Band communications manager John Drake on vocals, Harmonix co-founder Alex Rigopulos on drums, and if I’m not mistaken, I believe that’s MTV Games’ Jeff Castaneda on guitar. (I approve of the ‘do, Jeff.)

Joystiq also posted a couple other videos of goings-on at the Harmonix GDC party, both of which you can find embedded after the break if you don’t care to click through. Warning: Wanton male upper-body nakedness found within!

[Read]

Continue reading →

This is so meta it hurts my head. Apparently a company is making a real, entry-level Stratocaster modeled after the Rock Band guitar controllers…which are, in turn, modeled after real Fender Strats.

That company: Fender.

[thanks to Lee for the HOT TIP and pic]

There’s plastic instruments, and then there’s plastic musicians. This foursome took the stage at Ümloud! a couple weeks back and rocked the house with their…ah…spirited rendition of “My Hero.”

The complete video is embedded after the break, and don’t miss the rest of the Ümloud! videos at YouTube.

[via Ümloud!]

Continue reading →

To help raise awareness for Ben Stiller’s “Stillerstrong” charity drive (which aims to build a much-needed school in Haiti), Stiller shot this video of a phone call with former president Bill Clinton. In it, it is revealed that the two make a habit of playing Rock Band together. Apparently Clinton “totally shreds” the solo in “My Sharona” on Expert, while Stiller hogs the mic.

It’s a cute video promoting a good cause, and it’s embedded after the break.

[via @mosjef73]

Continue reading →