'Care Bears meets Black Hawk Down'

Found another reason to feel old today when I ran across this news release:

"Homicidal Teddy Bears Hold Top Slots on iTunes in First Month"

Battle Bears has been downloaded more than 800,000 times -- at 99 cents a pop -- since it launched Aug. 31.

"The object of the new game: kill cuddly pink teddy bears before they commit 'huggacide' with deadly embraces to OLIVER, an advanced robotic teddy bear with a lot of attitude. When OLIVER annihilates the hug-crazed bears, rainbow colored blood beams from their necks or splashes across the moving touch screen. But the homicidal teddies multiply, and each of 20 levels of play leads to more advanced battles, cut scenes and surprises featuring new weapons, including the 'Bearzooka.'"

But, no worries. This is all accomplised with "adorable animation," a phrase written in the same breath with a reference to "intense bear-on-bear action," whatever that means.

Again, maybe I'm old and need to lighten up. This app reviewer calls the Bearzooka "totally cute" in this YouTube clip.



Writer/director Benjamin Vu (whose company produced the animated "CORALINE")describes it as "Care Bears meets Black Hawk Down."

BATTLE BEARS went to Top Ten Apps on iTunes in its first week and remains the No. 1 Action/Adventure Game and No. 3 on the All Games list, according to those who want to sell it.

Judge for yourselves. There's a sample. And then you tell me.

Anyone else sicko of Jocko?

The great breadth of Michael Jackson coverage has gotten to be too much for me.

I understand the pull of celebrity. And Jackson's story is complex, so there are many layers to probe. But I'm on overload, and I don't think I'm alone.

Browsing on iTunes a couple of nights ago, I saw two albums released on July 7, the day of his memorial. One was an album of performances from the service. The other, a different collection of Jackson songs.

A click to the page for the collection of Jackson songs showed people using the reviewer comments option to express a different kind of opinion, dismissing the release as a money-grab: "Wow, that didn't take long."

Now for fans truly grieving Jackson's death, the album is no such thing. And, advice that came from the arts and crafts retailer Michaels also could be helpful, I suppose.

"Michael Jackson fans are pulling out old albums, posters, concert tickets and other memorabilia and are collecting new keepsakes to remember and celebrate the King of Pop," declared a news release from the retailer that listed tips for preserving and displaying the items.

The connection seemed a little thin to me.

But I'll list the ideas here, in case I've just become too cynical.

-- Mount photos and paper memorabilia on acid-free paper.
-- Use acid-free glue and tape to mount items.
-- Use glare-free conservation glass to prevent fading caused by the sun's UV rays.
-- Group smaller items around your treasured piece to create a larger display.

"Unprotected memorabilia such as concert programs, album covers and especially autographed photos will deteriorate quickly without proper preservation," said Michaels President and COO Shelley Broader said. "Framing old souvenirs or new ones like magazine covers and newspapers will create personalized, treasured mementos for years to come."