GTPlanet Weekly Rewind

Here you are, rushing in to see the Rewind this week and I’m willing to bet the title is what attracted you, isn’t it? Perhaps it did but you don’t have the slightest clue as to what it means, or why I’ve chosen it to represent this week’s Rewind. Well to make things relatively simple for those of you who are but a bit confused, “Danger Zone” is a title easily recognized for it’s Top Gun fame, or if you’re simply a Kenny Loggins fan you’ll recognize it due to that as well Another interesting tidbit is the “Danger Zone” has also become a pop-culture joke reference in the animated series Archer – thus the title is an homage to both.

First off the title: no, GTPlanet is not concocting some devious master plan that involves an indefinite lunar eclipse or anything of that nature. This week’s title is a direct reference to heavy metal band “Sevendust” and their newly-released album bearing the same name. If any of you GTPlanet Faithful out there are fans of the genre or are always looking out for a new band to listen to, I can’t recommend these guys enough as every album is jam-packed with variety and all of the great things associated with heavy metal.

I was going to make this the third Rewind with a title referencing the hit classic (yes, I just said that) “Friday” by Rebecca Black, but I figured it’d be better not to simply for the sake of all of you – you’re welcome. I say that now but I assure you it’s going to happen sooner or later because it’s fun and the feedback has been just as fun.

For those of you scratching your heads, wondering where you recognize this week’s title or why there’s this strange sense of familiarity coming into this week’s Rewind after having read just the title, then I’ll tell you: Gran Turismo 2. “Now Is The Time”, performed by The Crystal Method was one of the many tracks featured in the game and was perhaps one of the most fluid music tracks in the game. It could mesh in with any track, with any car, under any circumstance and it would seemingly make the moment that much more intense.

It’s finally here, after more than four months of rest and anticipation the 2013 Formula 1 season is about to kick off, in fact for the more fussy among us it could be argued the season has already begun, what with the inaugural weekend having begun today with practice sessions 1 and 2 earlier. The opening race—considered to be the real beginning of the season by those of us less fussy—kicks off this Sunday at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia. Judging by the looks of things it’s going to be a fairly close season.

This weekend will mark the merging of ForzaPlanet and GTPlanet into one cohesive being, henceforth known as “ThePlanet”. I’m only kidding of course, as a great deal of you will already be aware that GTPlanet will remain GTPlanet but with even more bits. A never ending well of potential is how I would reference the upcoming merger. Of course it’s nothing like a law firm where the names can be partnered, because then you’d have Planet-Planet and that’s just confusing for everyone involved.

Before anything else, before I even advance into my usual introductory diatribe I want to preface the entire Rewind with wishing the late and great Carroll Shelby a belated happy birthday; he would have been 90 years old this past January. For those of you (and I’m one of them) who are of the opinion this entry isn’t long enough, fear not because we’ll revisit the subject in May where I’ll put together a lengthier tribute.

Yes, another reference to “Friday” by Rebecca Black. It’s a catchy song once you’ve listened to it over one hundred times, but of course we’re not here to discuss Auto-Tune wonders, are we?

Here we stand at the precipice of what may very well be the outlining of the upcoming eighth generation of video game consoles. As you all know by now Sony is poised to make a special announcement of some kind next week Wednesday. Is it really the acknowledgement that the eighth generation begins this year or will it be something else?

I’m not even going to beat around the proverbial bush this week with the titular reference; the song, performed by .38 Special was the main theme to one of my favorite comedies ever: Broken Lizard’s Super Troopers. If you’re familiar with the movie or the comedy troupe’s work in general you’ll no doubt appreciate that you’re now picturing one (or all) of your favorite scenes right now, and for that you’re welcome.

You’re probably sitting there wondering to yourself “Why is the Rewind so late this week?” and to that I say it isn’t late, quite literally it was postponed to make way for other bits of worthy news I’ll cover again later on in the Rewind, so consider this a special ‘on-the-weekend’ edition of the Rewind. And I know you’re staring at this week’s featured image again—back to me; look, I’m on a horse! There’s no horse why are you looking over here?

As of today’s posting the GTP Rewind is three months old, quite the achievement for a weekly dose of what’s been happening in the community at large here at GTPlanet. I know you’re staring at the Lexus image above not paying a single solitary thought to what I’m saying right now, so allow me to quell any further thoughts regarding the image: that Lexus, the 2014 IS-F, is an edit and a shockingly fantastic one at that.

This past Sunday, the 13th of January, the entire world witnessed the official unveiling of General Motors’ next generation iconic American sports car, the Corvette. The new C7 reasserts the “Stingray” moniker and looks the part just as well, with a hint of not only the Stingray concept that was introduced not long ago, but also concepts of previous generations, such as the Mako Shark and the Aerovette – the end result, while not revolutionary was indeed a necessary evolution in the brand’s lineage. So, here’s to the 2014 Stingray!

No this isn’t an announcement that GTPlanet has officially partnered with Burger King for the “Gran Turismo Your Way” sweepstakes or whatever it would be referred to as. You’ll just have to read on if you want to see what this week’s title refers to, and I assure you that it’s going to be a good one.

It never ceases to amaze me the things people are capable of doing with such photo-editing software like Photoshop, GIMP, or Paint.net; things that exceed my current level of skill. Now that’s not to imply these techniques are overwhelmingly difficult because they’re not – it’s the mastery of such techniques that will get you in the end.

One week before Christmas and the Rewind is still running strong! Of course, that wouldn’t be the case without all of you looking forward to it every single week, thus giving me the incentive to individualize each week’s entry in content and presentation. So thank you, GTPlanet community.

…into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist. Michael Knight, a young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of criminals who operate above the law.

What a crazy week this has been, nay, what a crazy Friday this has been for me thus far. Whether it be my own computer not wanting to function as it should, or our very own Jordan spooking the daylights out of me with the newly appointed “GTPEDIA” footnote here – I’ve had quite the experience in these few hours ushering in a new Friday; the first for December might I add.

With Thanksgiving firmly fading into the depths of my rear-view mirror, it’s now time to prepare for the final and perhaps most joyous holiday of the entire year – Christmas. I have something in mind just for the occasion but we’ll cover that in due time, but I assure you it will be in the spirit of good tidings upon ye.

I’m still running down the effects of Thanksgiving, a holiday where you gather with family and friends, cite things your thankful for and then celebrate such by stuffing your face with delicious foods, all while watching your favorite movies or sports programs. Are there even any games shown on Thanksgiving? Outside of Motorsports and Professional Wrestling I’m not really interested in sports, but before you think to yourself “T, I don’t particularly care for you anymore.” you should know I was once infatuated with Baseball.