Kendrick Perkins, Meet Blake Griffin

Or, more specifically, meet his midsection. You may remember Timofey Mozgov getting a face full of crotch last year from Blake Griffin. Somehow, some way, BG has topped that dunk. Last night against the Thunder, the Clippers ran THE SAME PLAY from that first dunk, just with Chris Paul at point guard instead of Randy Foye. Griffin sets a screen, slips by his defender, and goes up for a dunk. Last year, Mozgov tried to take a charge (and failed). This time, Perkins tries to block the shot, AND FAILS. This has to be the dunk of the year. No questions asked.

Top Ten NBA Plays from January 30

Normally, the Top 10 of any given day is average, at best, but thanks to some particularly dominant balling, January 30, 2012 provided a very good day of cool plays. Check out the best from Monday night. And you know #1 is going to get its own post.

Shaquille O'Neal + Undies = Another Night of Inside the NBA

Ah, TNT. Your post-game hijinks are very entertaining. This latest snafu is just the latest in a series of bets between Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley on Inside the NBA, which Shaq joined this year. The problem, though, is that Shaq isn't very good making off-the-cuff comments, so sometimes weird things are said that don't make any sense. In any case, Shaq and Charles each supported a player the previous Friday--Shaq was high on Blake Griffin while Barkley wanted some Kevin Love. Both players had relatively similar stat lines: Griffin had 21 and 10 with 5 turnovers, while Love had 17 and 14 but hit the game winning 3-point field goal, so the Timberwolf got the love. Heh. Love got love. I didn't even mean to do that.

Anyway, since Shaq lost, he had to wear his underwear to last Friday's taping of Inside the NBA. And let me tell you, a large man wearing underwear is pretty hilarious. Fast forward to 2:50 into the video if you want to skip all the talking and just get to the undies.

More Dinosaur Office! Rawr!

You may remember College Humor launching the "Dinosaur Office" series on the Nintendo 3DS this summer. Apparently there have been several more videos since the initial one, so we'll steadily get you caught up this week. In this episode, Craig tries his hand at the dating scene, with not very successful results. There's a good use of the first-person view for about a second, which is always a bonus. Rawr!

See more at CollegeHumor

Barack Obama to Host a Google+ Hangout Monday

President Barack Obama will host a Google+ hangout this Monday at 5:30 p.m. EST, fielding questions on various subjects. Visitors can comment in real-time on the conversation, and a few folks will actually get to live video chat and interact with the president. The White House says the forum is an example of the president's commitment to "creating a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration." For more information, check out Obama's G+ page or visit the White House's website to view a live stream of the hangout.

Dogs Barking Star Wars Music

Volkswagen released a commercial recently with dogs barking "The Imperial March" from Star Wars. It's apparently a preview for their "Game Day" commercial, which I can only assume means the Super Bowl. But this is pretty adorable, so enjoy!

Dirk Nowitzki is a Broadcasting Genius

Dirk Nowitzki missed a game against the Timberwolves earlier this week (contrary to popular belief, it was not due to his finger being weighed down by the $1.3 million ring owner Mark Cuban recently gave the 2011 champs) but he still made his presence felt. In the second quarter, he was guest announcing/being interviewed by the normal announcers, when suddenly a breakaway happened, with Jason Terry throwing a lob to Brandan Wright, and...well, this happened. Time to shut it down.

Sh*t Chicagoans Say

Yes, I'm sick of these videos too. But this one legitimately made me laugh out loud multiple times (specifically the Rahm Emanuel and hot dog bits), which I really haven't done on too many of these. So please, enjoy "Shit Chicagoans say."

Meet Vermin Supreme - Best GOP Candidate for 2012?

Man oh man, I have no idea how I missed this a couple weeks ago, but with President Obama's State of the Union speech last night, it seems like a fine time to bring it back to the light. During a debate for "lesser-known" candidates, Vermin Supreme was given a few minutes to speak. And boy oh boy, did he make the most of it. He even incorporates sprinkling some dust on another candidate at the end of it. Definitely worth watching in its entirety, if for nothing else than his funny outfit.

3-D Google Map Commercial

Google Maps rolled out a pretty awesome commercial, courtesy of San Francisco's Venables Bell & Partners. And we mean that literally. Two guys use a wooden gyroscopic structure as we follow the path of a little blue ball as it checks out some restaurants, tidies up at a barbershop, and finally, goes bowling (spins equal wins!). Pretty cool. Here's the spot below.

Terrell Suggs = American Hero

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs appeared via phone on ESPN's First Take Monday morning, and did something that millions of people have wanted to do to Skip Bayless for years. The two are no strangers to each other, and Suggs takes offense to something Bayless said earlier and calls him a d-bag. I personally don't care what it was that Bayless said, but he's one of the least liked and respected of the ESPN personalities, at least among fans. So Suggs may have just become an American hero because of this video. Check the video out below, with the magic word coming at about 30 seconds in.

Mascot Dunks Basketball, Breaks Backboard

With the Indiana Pacers on a road trip, the team thought it was best if Boomer, their mascot, went on the road to local Indiana high schools to perform at halftime shows. Gotta stay keen on your senses, after all. Thus, the panther made an appearance at the New Palestine/Triton Central game on Friday night. One of the elements of his halftime show is a dunk off a trampoline. After finishing his flip and slamming one home, the backboard shatters as cheerleaders scatter all over the place. No one was hurt, fortunately, and some rowdy fans even get to rush the court.

New Palatine ended up winning the game 70-45, making this the most exciting part of the game. The second half was played in the school's auxiliary gym. Lucky they had a backup plan!

Golden Globe Highlights

The Golden Globes once again took place over the weekend, and it was full of predictability. The usual suspects won (for a full list, click here) at the 69th iteration of this thing, and aside from Ricky Gervais's usual barbs--which, while toned down, were still quite funny--there wasn't too much to get excited about.



That being said, there were TWO things that are worth sharing, and one of them involves the above Gervais. His opening monologue had its share of insults and barbs, which is always welcome at these otherwise dry award shows. But the real winner may have been a little 10-second clip of Morgan Freeman, who was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award for being awesome. Freeman is one of the best and most recognizable actors in the game, so plenty of his highlights, like Shawshank Redemption and Driving Miss Daisy made the montage of his work. The best of the bunch, though, was one from the PBS children's show Electric Company. Freeman portrays a vampire taking a bath in a casket, and, well...that's really all you need to know. Watch the original clip (from 37 years ago) of that scene below.

 

Stephen Colbert Makes an Exploding Noise, Hilarity Ensues

This video is nearly a year old, but we here at A Hot Cup have never claimed to be timely. Well, sometimes we are, but more often than not, we'll stumble upon videos like this well after they air.

In any case, Stephen Colbert is speaking with an anti-nuclear war advocate, and clearly disagrees with the advocate's views. Colbert shows his impersonation of the atomic bomb to demonstrate how awesome it would be, complete with very realistic sounds effects, and it is most certainly awesome. Check it out below.

Possible 2ge+her Reunion?

Far be it from me to utilize a Perez Hilton report from two months ago very often, but when it comes to the best boy band of all time, MTV's fictional 2ge+her, well...I just have to go for it. Fresh off of meeting Alex Solowitz (aka "Bad Boy" Mickey Parke) last night, my 2ge+her bones started shaking. Hearing this (probably unsubstantiated) news of a potential reunion concert among the four surviving members of the band--as Michael Cuccione, who played Jason "QT" McKnight, sadly passed away back in 2001--may just be too much. If you ain't familiar, think of this as like the Spinal Tap of boy bands. In other words, it's awesome.

Old Spice = Mind Blown

Old Spice is at it again with their hilarious commercials, this time bringing back Terry Crews as the well-oiled muscular man screaming about something or other. I really don't even need to say anything, the WTF-ness of it all shows itself below. Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-power! *SMASH*

Sh*t Nobody Says

Last month we posted the "S*** Girls Say" video, which I believe was intended to be one of many by that YouTuber. Despite not finding it very funny, I figured it had viral potential, and boy, did it ever. There are tons of spin-offs, and again, none of them are overtly funny to me (although the common masses seem to eat them up). However, this one actually did make me laugh a few times, so it's worth sharing. Check out "Shit Nobody Says" below.

Very Embarrassing Soccer Goal

A Hot Cup has never really been one to embrace soccer. We prefer scoring in our sports, with flopping kept to a minimum. However, this play's sneakiness makes it worthy of this blog.

Mallorca player Gonzalo Castro misses a difficult shot, and then uses said flopping to his advantage. After pretending to be hurt and winded and kneeling out of bounds, Castro scores an easy goal when Real Sociedad goalkeeper Enaut Zubikarai casually tosses the ball out in front of him during a Copa del Rey match. Zubikarai thought he'd be able to clear it with ease, and Castro says, "Not today, my friend." I don't know what's more embarrassing--giving up that goal, or giving up five others en route to a 6-1 blowout loss. That's like a 114-39 basketball score or a 45-7 football score. Very impressive.

Ranking the Pokemon: #115- Pidgeotto

This is how much of a n00b I was the first time I played Pokemon: I caught a Pidgey early in the game (like everyone does, since it's only one of like four you can catch in the beginning areas), then trained it, evolved it, and tackled the Elite 4 with a Pidgeot. Common sense now tells me that was a stupid thing to do. Here's why: Pidgeot (and by extension, its pre-evolved forms of Pidgey and Pidgeotto) is not very good. All of these Normal/Flying types tend to have very similar movesets, but let's dissect Pidgeotto's bit by bit:

It starts with Gust and Sand-Attack. One does minimal damage (and is not a Flying type move like it is in later generations) and the other reduces Accuracy, which is very annoying to fight against, but generally not worth your time fighting with. It eventually gains Quick Attack, which is an improvement over Gust in that you'll always attack first with it, but is still very weak. It picks up Whirlwind and Mirror Move along the way, two moves that are generally useless--Whirlwind does absolutely NOTHING in battle (again, only in this generation, it was improved a bit later on), while Mirror Move just copies whatever your opponent did last. Ugh. In between these two gems, Pidgeotto learns Wing Attack (whose base power was amped after this generation) and Agility, which is really the only good move of the bunch.

It doesn't take a genius to see that since nearly half of Pidgeotto's moves were improved in later generations, it must not have been very good in THIS generation. And it's not. But it does have a saving grace--I still have a soft spot for 'geotto since it WAS the first Pokemon I ever caught, and despite being a pigeon, which does not taste very good, it looks like a turkey, which is delicious. I'm assuming Pidgey tastes how it looks, which means comes Thanksgiving I'm catching a whole bunch of 'em.

Grade: C-

Previously: #116- Exeggcute

Ranking the Pokemon: #116- Exeggcute

Exeggcute is not terrible. I love eggs; they're delicious, and that's clearly what Exeggcute is--half a dozen eggs. I mean, it's got "egg" in its name. Very clever, Game Freak. It's also got decent stats and evolves into Exeggutor, which, while one of the ugliest Pokemon in the game, is considered one of the best and something most everyone would consider having on their team. Sort of like Joakim Noah.

Exeggcute loses some points for a number of reasons, though. For starters, a third of these eggs look bad. They all have cracks in them, but we'll overlook that because the two in the back look terrible. One is half-broken, while the other is either bemoaning a lost lover or drunk (or a combination of both). Secondly, the only way to catch an Eggsy is in the Safari Zone. For those who haven't played the game, the Safari Zone is this little area where you're limited in the number of steps you can take, and only get special "Safari Balls" to catch things with. I think you can also throw food and rocks at the Pokes, with varying success. But you can't actually attack them, put them to sleep, or any of the other normally fun things to do whilst battling. Which makes Exeggcute really hard to catch, and we don't like difficulty in our Pokemon games. Finally, Eggsy is just not all it's cracked up to be (an egg related pun, who'da thunk it?). It learns a plethora of fairly inaccurate moves--some will still probably make it onto your final version, like Stun Spore--but overall, its natural moveset is kind of limited. I know, I know, you can use the MissingNo. cheat to gain unlimited TMs, but if we're playing honestly, you can't, and I'd like my Pokes to at least have two good moves they learn naturally. Eggsy ain't got that, so that's why he ain't high up on this list.

Grade: C-

Previously: #117- Magmar

What Is the Kobe System?

I sure as heck don't know, and judging from the comments of the video below, nobody else does, either. But Nike has created a commercial starring all sorts of personalities (from Kanye West to Serena Williams to Aziz Ansari) talking about how the Kobe System changed their lives. And it can work for you, too, if you just follow your dreams!

Discount Double Check Part II

Aaron Rodgers has had a stellar season for the Packers this year, throwing for over 4,600 yards and 45 TD with only 6 interceptions in 15 games. But by far the most impressive thing he did this year was starring in State Farm's "State of Imitation" commercial, otherwise known as the "Discount Double Check" commercial. Said commercial still makes me laugh after dozens of viewings because of the guy's "I'm a robot" thing he does.

In any case, State Farm has just released a second part to this commercial, this time featuring Rodgers' teammate B.J. Raji. Again, Raji doesn't seem to realize he's stealing Rodgers' touchdown dance, and adds a little musical flair and hip-swaying of his own. There's something really creepy about watching Raji do this, and I don't think this commercial is as funny, but hey, it's still worth checking out.

Louisiana-Lafayette Runs the Six-Man Weave

The Louisana-Lafayette Rajun' Cajuns defeated the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in a thrilling 72-70 OT victory Thursday night. Except, well...the Cajuns used six players on the final possession. And despite holding the ball for roughly 10 seconds before even starting to run a play, nobody seemed to notice. The Cajuns score fairly easily, and you can't help but wonder if the extra man was the reason for that. My bigger question is HOW DOES NO ONE NOTICE THIS?!?!?! Not one assistant coach? Not one bench player? Not someone ON THE COURT??? A school tried this against us in a junior high game on a free throw, with an extra guy lined up on the line. We raised a stink, but as the free throw went up and in, the extra player gracefully backpedaled to the bench and sat down, bringing it back to five on five. Smooth.

Adding to this story, Western Kentucky fired head coach Ken McDonald. Granted, the Hilltoppers were 5-11, so that was part of it, but you have to think McDonald is being used as a scapegoat here. Too bad, as the Hilltoppers have one of the weirdest mascots in all of D-I basketball.

Landon Collins Picks Alabama Over LSU; Mom Says "Oh No You Didn't!"

OK, she didn't really say that, but this is still fantastic.

Landon Collins, the No. 1 rated safety in all of America, recently announced his college choice at the Under Armour All-American Game. He had narrowed it down to LSU or Alabama, and before a national television audience (as well as everyone at the stadium), he selected Alabama.

That didn't sit well with his mother, who publicly embarrasses him by saying that he should have gone to LSU instead, believing it's a better fit for him. Translation: "It's closer to New Orleans, and I want to party when I come visit you." She even tried to start a "Geaux Tigers" chant, apparently. Awesome. Check out the scolding below.

Greatest Magic Card Artwork

Fellow dorks like myself may have, at one time or another, played the Magic: The Gathering trading card game. I will admit there was a phase where the crew and I played often. It was fun, but it was pricey as all get up, so now we may bring out the cards like once or twice a year. Even then, I'm in it for the artwork as much as anything else. And there have been some funny pictures over the years that linger with me long after I've initially seen them.

"Greatest" is clearly a misnomer; these are just some of my favorites. There are also like three million MtG cards, so I obviously have not seen them all. You may also notice that these cards are mostly green; since green has the most creatures, they have the most funnies, too. Also this will most likely turn into a series, since goodness knows I'll need some article ideas down the road.

Bloated Toad

This one is a particular favorite of mine because toads are funny creatures. Just how morbidly obese it is already warrants a chuckle (I can't believe it would only deal two damage though!), but I love the extra addition of the mouse or whatever that is on the branch just watching him. I can only imagine the mouse doing some taunting, and the toad can only sit there and be like "Maaaaan" because he's too bloated to move. Also this card reminds me of how I feel after a large meal, so there's nostalgia points for that.

Recycle

I've never even used this card in a game, so it could be terrible for all I know (it looks like it, but I tend to  undervalue actual good cards). But I mean, how can you not like that picture? There's a goblin wearing a chef's hat! He's holding a vat of something disgusting, probably earwigs, and is feeding it to Russell Crowe. On top of all of those shenanigans, the mug in front of Crowe is smiling. Wins all around.

Blanchwood Treefolk

Sometimes simple is the best. Blanchwood Treefolk doesn't have any special abilities, and there's nothing overtly special about this picture. But for me there's something quite precious about a tree sprouting multiple legs and being able to walk across the land, all with a smile that can only come from a wise grandfatherly figure. Fantastic.

Juzam Djinn

The very first time I saw this card, I didn't see the little 2 in the casting cost (which is on the top right of the card). Without that 2, this then becomes a 5/5 for two swamps, which is AWESOME. Since I know not all of my readers are as nerdy as me, if you can get a creature with more power (the number to the left of the slash on the bottom right) than the card costs (the combination of things at the top right), it's usually a good deal. Usually. In this case, it's still a good deal, just not as awesome as I initially thought. The main point of that rant was to show that the 2 is very hard to see--try and find it yourself! And the picture speaks for itself--if you don't think this crazy-looking thing holding a tiny man like a GI Joe is funny, then don't bother talking to me.

Presence of the Master

I didn't even know this card existed until just a few moments ago, but I needed to include it. It's Albert Einstein on a trading card surrounded by 10 planets. I don't even know what the last one is (Pluto's moon?), and to add to the chaos of the inner circle, each corner has a different element going on (my personal favorite is the sun). There's just so much happening that it had to be included.

Bill Walton and Friends Hangout While Watching Basketball

Earlier this week we posted a Muppets hangout that showcases some of the features of Google+. Well, some of the folks from TNT are joining the G+ craze, too, and have done a hangout of their own. In this one, Bill Walton, Kenny Smith, Spero Dedes, Steve Kerr and Jon Barry watch a  YouTube hoops clip and provide their own commentary. Seeing as how I do this constantly in my daily life, I can definitely appreciate it. As always, self-promotion is common on here, so feel free to add me on Google+, and let's hangout!

Rudy Fernandez Over the Head Alley-Oop to Kenneth Faried

In Wednesday's game against the Sacramento Kings, the Nuggets realized they were, well, playing the Kings. In a 110-83 rout, two newcomers to the team--Rudy Fernandez and Kenneth Faried--topped the highlights, as they connected on a no-look, over-the-head alley-oop. Fernandez is an interesting piece for the Nuggets; he's always had talent but has never really gotten to play very often in stints with Portland and Dallas. And Faried set the record last year for most rebounds in college basketball history, so you KNOW he'll eventually fit in on the Nuggets. For now, let's just be happy the NBA is back so we can enjoy plays like this.

Jimmy Kimmel Torments Some More Children

Jimmy Kimmel has made a habit of breaking children's hearts lately, courtesy of some cruel parents. Whether it was having our nation's moms and dads tell their kids all of their Halloween candy had been eaten, or allowing them to open a Christmas present early, only to find out it was something lame (like a half-eaten sandwich). And Kimmel was barraged with such a large amount of responses that he made a part 2 of horrible Christmas gifts. I'm more of a fan of part 1, myself, since the kids don't seem NEARLY as spoiled in that one, but there are still a few chuckles in the one below.

Ranking the Pokemon: #117- Magmar

This may be the only case of a Pokemon from the Blue version being lower than its corresponding Red version. I'm not necessarily a huge fan of Electabuzz, either, but it's a bit better than Magmar, so that's why the weird duck-billed platypus is lower.

Magmy doesn't have a ton going for it. Fire types are not very good in this generation of games (and still aren't, but especially back then), so it gets snuffed out fairly easily. It also doesn't learn a lot of good moves naturally--it gets Flamethrower and Confuse Ray and...well, that's about it. I've also discovered Magmar evolves into Magmortar, which is even weirder and has a bullhorn/fire bazooka weapon. I know I'm not supposed to take other games into account, but that lowers Magmar by a letter grade.

Grade: D+

Previously: #118- Shellder

Brendan Gibbons Likes Brunettes

Michigan kicker Brendan Gibbons was the hero of the Sugar Bowl Tuesday, as his 37-yarder in overtime led the Wolverines to a 23-20 win over the Virginia Tech Hokies. Especially after there have been a ton of missed field goals in crucial moments this year, Gibbons credits head coach Brady Hoke with a unique way of coping with any nerves. Check out Gibbons' humorous thought process below.

More Ish on Stack.com

You love college football, right? Of course you do, you're a fan of this blog. I break down the top plays of the college football season over at Stack.com, and since more people probably read this than have read that article, I feel like I should promote it here as well. Check it out!

Huge Group of Girls

Once in awhile a video will come along that is so groundbreaking, so awesome, that it must be viewed by everyone and will be the talk of the town. This is not that video, but it's mildly entertaining and despite being kind of annoying, it at least rings true. Check out Last Call Cleveland's "Huge Group of Girls" below. One of the comments suggested he'd like it better if it was "Group of Huge Girls." I think I agree. Kudos to my buddy Pilloff for sending this along. It also gradually improves as it goes along, so if you're bothered by it at first, you'll only be slightly less bothered by it by the end.

Hangout with the Muppets

The Muppets have been one of the early adopters of Google+, mostly as a way to promote their movie that came out about a month ago. And one of the better features of Google+ is the Hangout, which allows up to 10 people to live video chat from all over the world, with a bunch of cool features, like mustaches for Movember and the ability to talk with people even if they don't have a webcam. Check out as the Muppets demonstrate how Hangouts work, singing along to David Bowie's "Under Pressure."

Feel free to add me on G+ as well (yay shameless plug!).

Stevie Johnson Wishes Us a Happy New Year

 
Buffalo's Stevie Johnson has developed the reputation for making silly touchdown celebrations. I'm sure you remember his antics a month ago when the Bills played the Jets and he pretended to shoot himself in the leg, a la Plaxico Burress (who plays for the Jets), before miming a jet crashing into the ground. That act cost him a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, so he should have known what was coming when he pulled off this latest charade.

In the final game of the season against the Patriots (which really had no value for the Bills, as they were already eliminated from playoff contention), Johnson scored a first-half touchdown, then lifted up his jersey, wishing everyone a happy new year. Of course this warranted another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, and the Bills' coach Chan Gailey benched Johnson for the remainder of the game. The Bills lost 49-21, after giving up 49 unanswered points, so I don't think the celebration or benching had too much to do with the outcome, since Johnson doesn't play defense. His wallet might be a little lighter, though, and as he is a free agent this summer, this may have been his last game in a Bills uniform. I'm with him, though, and want to wish you all a Happy New Year. Big things in 2012!