BEST...DIP...EVER.

BUFFALO WING DIP!!!

Ingredients:

16 oz. Cream Cheese, softened (leave out for an hour before using if it was in the fridge)

3/4 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce

1 cup Hidden Valley Ranch that was made from the packet (make ahead and chill over night)

Rotisserie Chicken (shred with a fork), should yield 2 cups

1 ½ cup shredded Tillamook Cheddar Cheese (do not use pre-shredded, it has flour on it and will end up oily)

Directions

· Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

· Mix together cream cheese and Frank's Red Hot Sauce until blended.

· Add chicken, cheese, and ranch, stir well

· Transfer to a 9x13 in baking dish

· Bake for 30 min.

· When finished, dab the top with a paper towel to collect any pooled oil.

· Transfer to a crock pot to keep warm, it will cool quickly otherwise.

· Serve with tortilla chips or celery & carrots.

*if you double the recipe, do not double the hot sauce!!

ENJOY!!!

JACKASS 3-D...Warning: The first 3 rows may get pee'd on!

Hey, I'm Matt Jones and this is the Movie Minute!

Now if this was the movie Jackass 3-D...I would proceed to get hit in the groin, kicked in the mouth, pee’d on, electrocuted, shot, stung or blown up! When Jackass first arrived on the scene, the audience would howl with laughter…but after seeing the 3^rd installment, I’m feeling less ha-ha and a little more ho-hum.

The movie in typical fashion was packed with take after take of cringe-inducing antics and jaw-dropping situations that we have come to expect from these screwball misfits...and there in lies the problem. Most of the stunts kind of fell flat on their faces and left me almost embarrassed for the group…the exceptions that had me rolling was the Bar Fight, Duck Hunting, and the Poo Cocktail Supreme.

My favorite innovation was when someone would get punched in the face and they would slow down the camera so you could really see how the body contorts when taking a blow. Steve-O was sober the entire movie, keeping up his sobriety which I applaud him for…but Sean William Scott made a cameo and he looked more beat up and outta shape than all of them. And to top it all off, I had to pay an extra $3.50 for these enormous, greasy 3D goggles, which was actually used like twice throughout the entire movie…clearly a tacked on gimmick to make extra cash.

The biggest shocker of the whole experience though, was when I was writing this at a coffee shop in Hollywood right afterwards and Chris Pontius comes walking in...let’s just say I almost didn’t recognize him cuz he had clothes on…GROSS.

Halloween is here and so is the new SPIDER-MAN!!!

Hey Guys, Welcome to the Game Room: Halloooweeeen Edition...Muuuhahaha! Can you guess what the most sought-after costume and video game is this Halloween? Nope, not Antoine Dodson...Spider-Man! The Web-Crawler is back for a multi-platform romp across 4 different worlds in the new Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions! Mysterio is trying to get his hands on an all-powerful tablet, granting its beholder unstoppable super powers…trouble is, the pieces are spread out over 4 dimensions. This is great news for us, cuz now we get to play as four of our favorite Spidey comic book versions, each with their own set of special attacks: The Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Ultimate Spider-Man, and Noir Spider-Man.

Every dimension you play through is packed with 15 challenges that unlock costume upgrades and abilities. No open-ended, sprawling Manhattan levels here…but you'll punch, kick, sneak and spin your way to the end of each level, only to face some the comics most notorious bad boys. Some of the highlights for me were the great voice acting from the TV series original actors, the Web of Destiny Challenges, and the comic-style, sketchy graphics.

Regardless of the bland storyline and the occasional fussy camera angle, this Spider-Man has swung his way back to the top of the charts and spun a web around my gaming dollars…Wait, my Spider Sense is going off, someone next door can’t pass the 3^rd dimension...GOTTA GO!

The Social Network... Fake or Phenomenal?!

Hey Guys, welcome to the Movie Minute…Facebook has 500 million users and is worth over 25 billion dollars...but it was a tumultuous road getting there for its creator. In the new film The Social Network, we follow angsty Harvard student, Mark Zuckerberg through the trials (literally) and tribulations of inventing the biggest phenomenon to ever hit the internet. We watch as Zuckerberg, played by Jesse Eisenberg, gets dumped by his girlfriend, abandoned by his classmates and betrayed by his best friend and that’s all in the first 20 minutes. The film overall was a masterful blend of brilliant writing by Aaron Sorkin and exceptional direction by David Fincher…As much as this pains me to say this, I was even impressed by singer turned actor Justin Timberlake who plays Sean Parker, the cocky Napster creator, with just the right amount of swagger.

But in my opinion, the real stand out performance was made by Andrew Garfield. He portrays Zuckerberg’s BFF and CFO and I couldn’t decide if I was for him or against him the entire movie until the final scene where [SPOILER ALERT!!!] he loses his stock options and position in the company, then storms over to Zuckerberg and lays into him. Parker sends him out with security, broke and humiliated, but I was on Garfield's side...he handled himself appropriately...so much so that I think the film ended as him being the hero! He got his in the end, Zuckerberg ended up paying out the nose to all involved and was left with...uh, billions of dollars. Walking out the theater, confused on who was right and who was wrong, I was left with the infamous words of Zuckerberg, talking to the students who were suing him for "stealing" their idea..."If you guys invented Facebook, you would have invented Facebook." He's got a good point...

HELLOOOOOO HALO!

Hey Guys, here at the Game Room we are saying good bye Modern Warfare 2…HELLO Halo! Bungie has just released their last installment in the Halo franchise, throwing an epic party in New York City’s Time Square! I can’t say I blame them, cuz Halo: Reach turned out to be just what the Gamer ordered. In this Halo: Combat Evolved prequel, you play as Noble 6 a new recruit to the Spartan team on Planet Reach gearing up to launch an attack against the Covenant alien race. You can play through the campaign alone or alongside with up to 4 friends.

Everything you expect is here including lush lands, memorable music and out-of-this-galaxy gameplay. While playing through the main game or one of the frenzied multiplayer modes, you’ll find new vehicles to ride, battlefields to blow up and weapons to wield. My favorite new addition is the jet pack, a new armor upgrade that has been on my wish list for a while now. If you have an extra c-note burning a whole in your pocket, you can spring for the Legendary Edition with a slew of halo extras! Now I believe there is a circular planet that needs saving…so get to it!

Captain's Cider Recipe...

Yarrr! Hosting a fall party...having a birthday, anniversary, house-warming celebration?? Well, I have the perfect libation that will WOW your guests and keep them talking about your bartending skillz for days!! It's easy to make, visually appealing, and most importantly...DE-LIC-IOUS! I call it...the CAPTIAN'S CIDER:

1. 1 1/2 oz. Spiced Rum
2. 2 1/2 oz. Apple Cider
3. Slice of Apple Squares
4. Cinnamon Stick

Start with a short glass (rocks, bucket) and ice. Add the rum (Captain Morgan, Sailor Jerry's, 10 Cane are some great options) and apple cider (Tree Top, Mott's, Martinelli's). Cut up a slice of red apple into small cubes and add to the drink. Stir and garnish with a cinnamon stick!

If you are hosting a fancier soiree...make the drink in a champagne flute and use Martinelli's Sparkling Cider! Guests will love the bubbly version!

If it's an outdoor party or on a particularly colder evening...try heating the apple cider, rum, apples and cinnamon on the stove and serve in a mug...warms you to the core!

Now you can really enjoy your shindig knowing the Captain is at the helm!

Cheers,

MJ

Nintendo 3DS Update...

Hey guys!

Looks like Nintendo finally announced the release date for the 3DS! It's a little vague, but March looks like the lucky month when this hot little item with drop here in the states, with the release in Japan just a month prior...

Speculation about price has been running rampant all over the internet...I have read everything from ranging from $100 (ha!) to $400 (double ha!). I'm no insider, but I do know Nintendo's history and they pride themselves on having the lowest price point for their hardware...If I had to gamble all my money in the back on a number in Vegas, that would be my favorite system price...$199.99! Call me crazy, but I can't justify paying more than that for a handheld gaming system, that does nothing else...I dropped 2 bills on my iPhone and even that was tough to do. Especially when the Wii is $199.99 AND includes games and controllers...Nintendo will be doing themselves a disservice for charging the US consumer more than that.

Don't be fooled by the fanboys waiting over night in line for the next best system...that's not where the money is made (Halo excluded)...portable gaming systems have thus far made the majority of their money from parents buying for their children. In this economy, you'd be hard pressed to find a parent that is willing to shell out 300 bucks for a DS upgrade.

Agree or disagree? Leave me a comment and tell me what you think!!!

Til next time, Game On!

MJ