Screams from Room #209

Ok, faithful readers, I will admit that I've had some difficulty getting into the Halloween spirit this year. But this video, sent in by, alert reader, Dena, definitely gave me the creeps.

Quick Note: This is not one of those sudden jump-out videos. I wouldn't do that to you. . .in this post.



Now, there are a few of reasons why I think this video is fake. First of all, if it was recorded on September 4, 2003, why did it take so long for them to upload it? I mean, people have been uploading videos to YouTube since April 23, 2005 and people have been interested in the paranormal since at least September 10, 1993, so why would they wait until September 4, 2012 to upload it, never mind the fact that it's just getting popular just now in October of 2013. Wow. I think I put too many dates in that paragraph.

Also, why is it that we can hear Amy at the beginning of the audio, but not later on? And why can you hear John's muffled drive-thru speaker speech when he's outside of the room, but not when he's giving the description of what was in the room? Plus, the screams from room #209 come in a bit too clear, if we can't even hear John most of the time.

Furthermore, two seconds pass between the time the unnamed security manager says "John, are you there?" to when John walks back out of the room and is clearly not using his radio. And somehow, in those two seconds he manages to tell the security manager (and us, the audience) that he wants Amy to call the police, that there's no one in the room and that the furniture was all turned over. Then John puts the radio to his lips for one second, and manages to tell the security manager that the carpet was ripped up and the shower was on and, once again, there's nobody in there.

Finally, why didn't John turn on the light when he walked in the room? If I were John, turning on the lights would be the first thing I would do if I were to hear screams in a dark room -- call me crazy. A flashlight is a dark room is just asking for the spooky.

However, even if this video isn't real (which I doubt it is, because Jimmynut22, who uploaded it is also a filmmaker, apparently) (and he uploaded the exact same video with the title "Alien caught on camera" a day later on September 5, 2012), I still think it's effective as a creepy video and a fun way to kick off this Halloween season.

Movies By the Numbers

When it comes to movies, I have a pretty good memory. No, I won't be able to quote a line by heart after the first viewing (like some alert readers I know), but I can tell you, from memory, that Ferris Bueller skipped school nine times, that there are 12 cabins at the Bates Motel, and that Sauron created one ring to rule them all. However, I can't even fathom how long it would take to research and create a video like this:



Impressive, no? I tip my hat to you, AlonzoMosleyFBI for your dedication in finding 100 different movies that happened to mention a number and putting them in numerical order. He's even insightful enough to know that inquiring minds like myself will want to know which movie is which in that montage, so he created a list on his blog. Sidenote: I've seen 64 of the 100 films he chose.

Then, as if that wasn't enough, two years after AlonzoMosleyFBI created that "100 Movies, 100 Quotes, 100 Numbers" he decided to do it again, this time with the characters mentioning dates from 1900 to 2000. Yes, certain ones like 1955 and 1985 might be obvious, but I was amazed that he found a film for every year within that century.



Well done, AlonzoMosleyFBI! Once again, here's the list of movies he used in that video. I've seen 59 out of the 100.

AlonzoMosleyFBI, if you're out there, and if you're a faithful reader of this blog, and if you're taking requests, might I recommend doing a montage of seven different movies that each mention a different color in our visible spectrum of light. In fact, I've already done the research and I have your list, right here:

Red - This one was easy.
Orange - I couldn't decide whether to use this clip for "orange" or "blue."
Yellow - Nobody tells me I can't get a clip for yellow. Nobody!
Green - Careful, this clip features some spoilers from this classic 80s comedy. 
Blue - I couldn't use my first choice, so I went with this one.
Indigo - Uh. . . does this work?
Violet - Triple points!

Impressed? I thought so. I didn't even use Google! These were all from memory, and it was a little harder than I thought it'd be. I don't know how AlonzoMosleyFBI does it.

Procatination is the Thief of Time

As I've mentioned before on Slice of Fried Gold, internet people love cats. People also love music. And when you put the two together? Well, you get a special sort of magic. Behold! The Procatinator!

In case you're too timid to click on random links on this site (which is understandable), let me explain how it works. The Procatinator places a random song with a random animated .gif of cats. Once you've had your fill of one cat, simply click on "Show Me Another Cat" and you'll get another random pairing. It's simple, yet genius. And don't ask me how I know this, but there are approximately 88 different cat/song combinations and counting.

My thanks to alert reader, Mitch, for sending this in. I don't know how much time I'll spend on it but I. . . .Whoa! What?? It's midnight already? How did that happen?

In Soviet Russia, Film Silences You!

This week was a little busy for me, so I still haven't been able to see The Artist. I'm a big fan of silent films, so I'm excited to see a modern take on the silent film genre. However, since I haven't been able to make it to the theaters, I've been making my own silent movies by using The Artistifier. The Artistifier, sent in by alert reader, Jeff, takes any YouTube video you can find and turns it into a silent movie. You, then become the director and choose what the actors are saying and where the captions should go.

Need an example, faithful readers? Ok, then.

Remember that Russian Trolololo video from a while back? Well, I took that heart-warming video, uploaded it to The Artistifier, and made it into a deep, award-winning film about one man's existential view of his own mortality and his hubristic downfall. . .or just added the first thing that came to my mind as I watched the video.

Click on the box below and check it out:

I know, right? Deep stuff. You should be shaking in your boots, D.W. Griffith!


Give it a shot yourself. Find a YouTube video, turn it into a silent film and then post it in the comments section on this site for everyone to see.

Happy silenting!

Get a Grip, Parry!

During these many years of Slice of Fried Gold I've introduced you to a number of musical numbers. Some of which were catchy and fun, and others that make you want to claw your eyes out. Although, for the record, if you're listening to an annoying song, it may be more effective to just plug your ears - now you know.

Anyway, I would like to add another song to the official Slice of Fried Gold playlist today. This one was brought to my attention by, alert reader, Simon. And, as a disclaimer, I have to let you know that it is both catchy and adorable. You have been warned!



Told you so.

For me, this song is going to go right up there with Hamster on a Piano or John Cage's 4'33" - you know, songs you can't help but sing along with. Parry Gripp, the songwriter of "Baby Monkey (Going Backwards On A Pig)," actually does a new song every week on his site, and his YouTube channel is full of awesome little ditties. Plus, he's the lead singer of the band Nerf Herder, who did the theme song for Buffy the Vampire Slayer so he's already a winner in my book.

So there you go. What did you think of "Baby Monkey (Going Backwards On A Pig)?" Is this going to make it to your iPod? Or will you do your best to scrub this song out of your head after reading this post?

Or are you unable to read this part of the post because you clawed your eyes out during the song? I told you it wasn't very effective.