Developer: Pixel Licker Games

Compatible with: iPhone (optimized for iPhone 5), iPod Touch, and iPad

Requires: iOS 4.3 or later

Price: $0.99

Available here

“Slayin” is an app that wears its retro gaming heart on its sleeve. You don’t have to look hard to spot its influences from games like “Castlevania,” “Ghosts and Goblins,” “Metal Slug,” “Mega Man,” and more, yet “Slayin” is also unique. It touts its gameplay as the first endless action RPG, in that you are constantly moving, constantly battling, and constantly trying to level up and improve yourself through statistical upgrades and better equipment.

Mix those notions of nostalgic ideology and brand new mobile gameplay together, and it’s like tasting peanut butter and chocolate together for the first time. Yes, “Slayin” is basically the Reeses of the app world, yet infinitely more filling.

“Slayin” tasks you with choosing between three character classes (the strong knight, the ability loaded wizard, and the dual sword wielding knave) and embarking on a timeless quest to slay a dragon, and all other minions and bosses along the way. While all the classes have their own unique abilities and progression systems, they are all bound to the very simple play style which has you constantly moving in a small area, and shifting your direction left and right as you work to destroy everything in your path.

It may be simple, but it works so, so well. “Slayin” refers to itself as the first of its kind, and its uniquely relentless and dangerously addictive style certainly feels the part. Once you quickly adapt to the flow of “Slayin,” you’ll find yourself in that great zen like state a game can provide, where your actions seem to occur a fraction of a second before you even think them. You’ll need those extra quick reactions, as “Slayin” borrows its difficulty from many of those titles that influenced it, though I’m happy to report that the challenge is one based of skill over trial and error for the most part.

While more of an action game than an RPG, those role playing elements still shine in “Slayin,” especially when it comes to its upgrade system. As mentioned, each character type has their own upgrades and equipment available, which the game cleverly lets you purchase without much break in the action courtesy of an appearing shop keeper. Thankfully, the vast majority of your purchases are made with in-game currency, and the additional in-app purchases available are mostly novelty items that in no way are necessary for your completion, or enjoyment, of the game.

Where “Slayin” really hits it out of the park, though, is in that retro style. Apply this concept to any other form, and it just wouldn’t have worked as well as it does here in a hybrid world of 8 and 16 bit video game design. There isn’t a visual or audio element that doesn’t harken back to that time, and yet “Slayin” also adds just enough of its own style to those elements to feel fresh. This is particularly evident in the music (done by one of the same guys who did “Retro City Rampage”) where a few notes will remind you of certain classic games, yet the score itself is more of a unique entrant into the field than a mere tribute.

There are games out there without a fraction of the addictive nature and charm of “Slayin” that are still great. “Slayin” is a title that focuses on the advantages of the mobile platform, and uses every single one of them to craft an experience that is a feast for the eyes, ears, mind, and hands. It’s a twitch based actioner with equal measures of looks and heart, as well as a surprising amount of depth.

If you ever want to see and experience the design pinnacle of a three button game, then you need “Slayin.” As I type this, I just want to jump back into it’s one more play world that inevitably stretches on for hours, so let me wrap this up quickly by crowning “Slayin” the unquestioned app of the week.

Single serving coffee makers are all the rage, so you can expect to hear a lot about them this holiday season. Naturally they make great gift for many people on your gift list, from the busy professionals, young students to moms and dads.

We tested the new Verismo System by Starbucks and liked the system very much. Starbucks knows coffee, so any coffee maker with their brand name on it can be expected to meet a high level of quality, and the Verismo system lives up to that standard. As soon as you pull it out of the box you can tell that it’s well-made and beautifully designed as you can see from the photos above. It has a small footprint so it will fit in nicely on most kitchen counters without taking too much space.

We tested the 580 model pictured above, and a slightly larger and more advanced V-585 system is also available. The system is very easy to use, and all of the parts work seamlessly together. It’s easy to add water, clean by rinsing and also adjust the drip tray grate to adjust for different size cups. The machine warms up quickly in about 15 seconds so you can get your coffee fix right away when you need it.

The system uses pods like other single serving coffee makers, but here you use Starbucks pods that use the exact same coffee that Starbucks uses in their cafes and in their packaged coffee. The Verismo can be used to brew an espresso, regular brewed coffee, lattes and even an Americano. Instead of using milk, this system uses 100% natural dried milk pods so the lattes are very easy to make and you don’t have any messy cleanup. The results were impressive. The espresso in particular comes out great with the crema that espresso lovers expect and the taste is excellent. You can learn more about the available pods here.

Overall, this is a premium single serving coffee system that makes for a great gift idea.

Bullz-Eye: “The Lieutenant” wasn’t the last time you worked with Gene Roddenberry, but was it the first time you crossed paths with him?

Gary Lockwood: Yes, it was. They talked to me about doing this show, and Roddenberry was sitting there with the head of television at MGM, and that’s how I met him.

BE: That was your first time headlining a series, although, you’d at least had a little experience as a recurring character on “Follow the Sun.”

GL: Yeah, well, I was the third banana on “Follow the Sun,” but I ended up doing the most shows. It’s hard to talk about yourself, but…it’s not that difficult. [Laughs.] What I mean to say is that the audience ended up liking my character, so I did most of the episodes of the show.

BE: There’s a quote attributed to you about how being the star of a series is like being a jet pilot: you’ve got a lot of experts working behind the scenes to get the jet running, and then the pilot sits in the cockpit and makes it work.

GL: Yeah, at which point you either live or die. [Laughs.] You get the spoils, but you also get the losses. The reason I kind of make a joke about jet pilots is that you go to work and you don’t do anything, you just sit there in a chair and drink coffee and look at girls. And then they call you, and go over and fly in front of a camera for awhile, and then you sit down for awhile while everyone else does all the work. So I kind of thought it was a little bit like being a jet pilot.

BE: When you think back to the character of Lt. Bill Rice, what’s the first thing that leaps to mind?

GL: Well, I just played him. I mean, I was just an actor. Bill Rice is not somebody I would ever be or… [Trails off.] They did ask me once if I wanted to go to Annapolis, but I was a bit too much of a rogue for that kind of life. One of my best friends did go to Annapolis, but he resigned after about a year. He didn’t like the regiment. So it takes a certain kind of guy. It was very difficult for me to consider. I wouldn’t say I wanted to be like Bill Rice, but acting is all making believe, so you create a character and you just go there and play him. I think I’ve done that with every job I’ve ever had.

BE: You obviously had some good writers to work with, led by Mr. Roddenberry, but what would you say that you yourself brought to the part that wasn’t there when you arrived?

GL: Well, here’s basically what I think, and I think this is not some epiphany on my part. [Laughs.] But I’ve worked with some very talented directors, as in (Elia) Kazan and (Stanley) Kubrick and people like that, and what one tries to do is…I think one should try to get as close to type as you can. And the reason I feel this way is that if you cast a certain look, a certain face, a certain body type, a certain person, and you put them in that part, most of the time when you’re making a film or a television show, you’re not really talking or something. You’re just doing reactions. And the reason that typecasting works, in my opinion, is that I did look like a Marine, I was athletic like a Marine…in fact, I beat a Marine through the obstacle course for a case of beer from our technical director once. [Laughs.] But the point that I’m trying to make is that when you put the camera on a person for a reaction, your story moves forward, not backward. And…I’m not a skinny guy. I look like I could’ve been a Marine. So if there’s anything I brought to it, it’s my physical stature. Also, I’ve got an aggressive attitude. I was a quarterback as a football player, so I had that kind of attitude, the guy who comes into the huddle and tells everybody to shut up and listen to what he has to tell them. [Laughs.]

BE: Roddenberry indicated at one point that “The Lieutenant” was, in a sense, another casualty of the Vietnam War, that viewers were already getting enough non-fiction war drama on their television sets. Did you get that impression as well?

GL: Well, no, actually. Here’s the thing that I’ve often thought: we did rather well considering that we were opposite Jackie Gleason, who was the lynchpin of television. Saturday night at 7:30 PM opposite Jackie Gleason, that’s a rough spot. [Laughs.] I kind of felt, based on how we were received, that had we been in another timeslot, we probably might’ve been in the top 10 or 15. So I can’t really say that the Vietnam War was credited to our going off the air, but maybe to some extent. There’s politics involved in life, and as an actor, I’m not a politician.

BE: You continued to work with Roddenberry after “The Lieutenant” went off the air. What are your recollections of playing Gary Mitchell on “Star Trek”?

GL: Well… [Starts to laugh.] It’s turned out to be very beneficial to me in the afterlife of that particular time, but I can say this: it was the most difficult, horrible job I ever had.

BE: Really?

GL: Well, because I had to put on these full contact lenses when I became the god-like figure, and I had these silver eyes. It was very, very difficult. I had to choreograph everything blind. I couldn’t see. Everybody thought I could see them, but I couldn’t. So I would have them put me on a mark, and then I did everything based on what I knew of where things were in the rehearsal, like a blind person. And then my eyes began to hurt, so…it was not a fun time, no. But, I mean, it turned out to be a real bonanza for me, in that I do autograph shows sometimes, and Frank Poole (from “2001: A Space Odyssey”) and Gary Mitchell are the ones I do the most autographs for.

BE: Speaking of Frank Poole, how was the experience of working with Kubrick? He was a formidable figure, to say the least.  

GL: Oh, yeah, he was the greatest. I’m one of these guys that got along well with him, but, I mean, everybody has their own story with him. But, yeah, he was the greatest to me.

BE: Did you have any interaction with Arthur C. Clarke at all?

GL: Yes, I did. Many times. He was a very nice man. As a matter of fact, Arthur Clarke and myself…I think we did the first live interview and conversation on the internet. I was on a stage at the University of Illinois, and Arthur was at his home in Sri Lanka, and it was on the birthday of the HAL 9000 computer. [Laughs.] It was fun. I remember Arthur’s image came on a screen, and it was, like, at 500 frames per second, which was like slow motion. But the sound, the audio, was real-time.

BE: You also got to work with Elvis on a couple of occasions: “Wild in the Country” and “It Happened at the World’s Fair.”

GL: Yeah, Elvis, I liked him. He was a real gentleman. I ended up being the quarterback on his flag football team. [Laughs.]

BE: What were your thoughts of him as an actor?

GL: Well, here’s the thing about famous musicians: their persona as a musician is so important, and they basically rely on that. “Wild in the Country” was supposed to be his breakout film, the first without any music, but after they screened it, everybody wanted music, so they went back and put in some numbers which weren’t there in the original version. So, y’know, what I’m trying to say is that Elvis Presley was a musician, a singer, and…I’m not saying he was a good actor, great, or bad actor, I’m just saying that he basically played himself all of the time.

BE: You mentioned Elia Kazan in passing a moment ago, with whom you worked on “Splendor in the Grass.”

GL: Oh, yeah, Kazan. Oh, God, he was a character. I got along with him reasonably well. He was a bit competitive toward the women all the time…and I chased a lot of girls in my heyday. [Laughs.]

BE: Did you learn anything from him as a director?

GL: [Long pause.] No, not particularly. I think Kazan’s greatest strength was that he had been an actor, and quite a good one, apparently. So he was very good at getting people into positions where he could get a performance out of them because he understood acting. Visually, he was certainly not a Kubrick guy. I mean, he had a very good crew, he had fine cameramen, but I do not believe that he… I mean, I don’t think he took hours to look for the great shot. I think he just understood the mechanics and the language of cinema and moved accordingly.

BE: How did you enjoy the experience of doing the heist film “They Came to Rob Las Vegas”?

GL: Oh, that was a lot of fun. A great job. I really enjoyed myself. I traveled all over. I was on that movie for months and months and months. Las Vegas, Paris, Italy, Spain…it was a great job.

BE: It was also an impressive cast.

GL: Yeah, it was a lot of fun to do. I remember running in the desert with Elke Sommer, and, my God, she was in great shape. Like a man. [Laughs.] But, yeah, it was a very nice job. And Antonio Isasi, the man who directed it, is still a friend of mine, and I saw him in Spain about two years ago. I went to Ibiza, where he lives, and visited him for about a week. He’s a wonderful man.

BE: Do you have a favorite project that you’ve worked on over the years that didn’t get the love you thought it deserved?

GL: Well, as far as a character and as far as just an adventure of doing a job and having a lot of fun, I would say that probably “Firecreek,” the movie I made with Henry Fonda and Jimmy Stewart and Jack Elam, was the most delightful job I ever had. I mean, it was great, great fun. I did enjoy living in England during the making of “2001.” I really enjoyed London. But “Firecreek” was an adventure every day, because we had a poker game that lasted for 14 weeks, and I won a hell of a lot of money. [Laughs.] And Jack Elam was, without a doubt, the most fun actor I ever worked with.

BE: Lastly, do you have any particular recollections about the experience of working on “The Magic Sword”?

GL: I do, although they’re not particularly great ones. [Laughs.] But, I mean, at that time, I got paid a small amount of money, but it paid my rent for a couple of months, so I wasn’t ungrateful about getting the part! But it was a very difficult movie to make. I mean, we shot very fast and…I think we shot it in three or four weeks.

BE: I can believe that, given that Bert Gordon was at the helm. I’ve heard that he was, uh, expedient with his productions.

GL: Yeah, well, he wasn’t Kubrick. [Laughs.] I remember in “2001” it took two or three days to get one shot once. In Bert Gordon’s movie, we would’ve been halfway through the film!

For the first time in a long while, driver involvement is making a comeback in 2012. Of course, the New Year is bringing its fair share of power hitters – what with a 650hp Mustang debuting and a bevy of 1,000hp cars – but if you look on the more affordable side of the spectrum, driving fun is back in a big way. Car companies are looking past adding “more” of everything into a car to make their offerings lust-worthy. Instead, they’re putting in features that can’t be summed up on a spec sheet, but do show up in the driving experience. Even Toyota is producing a sports car again. With cars like this on the horizon for 2012, it’s shaping up to be the Year of the Driver.

The story of Ford’s small, performance-oriented cars in the United States has been one of a constant disappointment. As Capris, Sierras and Escorts chewed up European roads with turbocharged fury, us Americans only got the lumbering Mustang. This year, however, we get the truly good stuff with the Focus ST. The specs are promising: 250hp from a turbocharged 2.0L engine, independent rear suspension, and all the natural racy bits on the inside and out. Price has yet to be released, but don’t be too surprised to see this car around the 24k mark. Most importantly, for the first time in seven years, Ford has a proper competitor in the hot hatchback class.

The FR-S/BR-Z was a joint project between Toyota and Subaru to deliver a car that puts driving enjoyment ahead of sheer numbers. This means low price, low weight and a truly amazing driving experience. The result of this Toyota and Subaru marriage is a low-slung coupe with a 200hp flat four. For those that think that is too little power, bear in mind the car weighs a featherweight 2600 pounds. Not to mention, the development team pegged the Porsche Cayman as a dynamic benchmark. The FR-S will be sold as a Scion here in the states, but the Subaru version will also be available as well.

The world’s best sports car gets even better this year. Redesigned from the ground up, the 911 gets a new exterior, interior and more power. The boxer six engine has been given a few tweaks to now produce 400hp. The chassis has been lengthened and widened slightly to provide more stable handing as well. Even though the changes are incremental, the 911 goes to show that evolution, not revolution, is the way to continually improve the world’s best all around sports car.

JLo advertisements aside, the Fiat 500 is a great little car, but this year the version car enthusiasts have wanted all along finally debuts. In Abarth trim, the engine is turbocharged to deliver nearly 170hp. New brakes, suspension and wheels are added. Finally, cutesy exterior parts are tossed in favor of new, more aerodynamic and menacing bumpers. This may be the sleeper hit of 2012, and will hopefully help improve Fiat’s public perception problem.

A historic nameplate comes back from the past to help the Camaro usurp the muscle car throne from its crosstown rival, the Ford GT500. Back in the 60s, the ZL1 badge graced the most powerful Camaro ever. Today, that badge is on a Camaro equipped with a 580hp, 6.2 liter, supercharged V8. The ZL1 was primed to punish the GT500 on the street or track, until Ford debuted their new GT500…

Never before has 580hp looked so inadequate; that is, until Ford debuted their new GT500. Playing their “This one goes to eleven” card, Ford debuted the new GT500 with 650hp and a 202mph top speed. Suspension and brakes have also been modified to handle the 100hp increase from last year. The fight for stoplight supremacy has just become a lot more interesting with the arrival of the revised GT500 and the new Camaro ZL1.

Get used to the back end of this car; you will be seeing it frequently as it cuts you off in traffic every single day. Yes, the perennial prep mobile has received an update for 2012. The new 3 series is new from the ground up, but the biggest change comes in the engine department. Naturally aspirated straight six engines were the hallmark of BMW’s sport sedans, but in 2012, none is offered. Instead, the base 328i receives a 240hp turbocharged 4 cylinder. However, a straight six is still offered in 335i guise, but that engine is turbocharged.

It wouldn’t a be a new year without a new automaker springing up to take on the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini, and this year’s contender hails from Denmark. The Danish Zenvo ST1 is the newest contender for hypercar supremacy. The ST1 boasts a supercharged and turbocharged engine to deliver 1,104hp from a 7.2L V8 engine. The ST1 looks to deliver Veyron challenging speed, but is also challenged by another hypercar competitor this year.

The second hypercar producer challenging Zenvo is not new to the game per se. Shelby SuperCars has been around for a few years and has already beaten the big boys at their own game with the SSC supercar by smashing the record for highest production car top speed. They are the single reason Bugatti created the Supersport version of the Veyron to grab the crown back. However, the Tuatara looks to change the glaring flaw of their previous car: its ghastly appearance. Whereas the SSC was a mishmash of supercar design cues, the Tuatara is exotic and streamlined. The Tuatara will also be faster than the SSC because it has a full carbon fiber chassis powered by a 1,350hp V8 engine. The best part is that the car is made in the U.S.A.

Hyundai’s three-door coupe is interesting to look at but not all that interesting to drive. Backed up by only 138hp in base guise, the Veloster can’t provide the performance to back up its looks, or even its name. Hyundai looks to change that in 2012, however, by turbocharging the little coupe to give it somewhere in the range of 200hp. Not much is known at this point of how the final car will look, or drive, but if Hyundai’s recent success is any indication, the car is not going to be a disappointment.

From the green side of the automotive universe comes two electric sedans, one of which is the Fisker Karma. The Fisker is an executive sedan that can travel 50 miles on a full electric charge. From there, the turbocharged 4-cyliner Ecotec motor from GM kicks in to recharge the batteries to supply a full 300miles of driving range.

The second electric car to debut this year is the Tesla S. Following up on the success of the Tesla Roadster, Tesla is debuting their first mainstream offering with the Model S. Priced from 55 grand, the Model S delivers 300 miles of driving range, all on electricity. There is no conventional engine on this car, just batteries.

We don’t know what it looks like, or how it drives, but we do know that this is one of the most anticipated cars of 2012. The reason is that this is Cadillac’s first true BMW 3-Series competitor since the dreadful Catera. A range of engines will be offered, and the car was tuned at the fabled Nurburghring, but final specifications are unknown at this time. However, if the ATS is as good as the CTS, BMW will have some fresh competition to worry about.

Following the daft Dodge Caliber, Dodge is looking to redeem itself in the small car segment with the Dart. The Dart also marks the first fruit of Chrysler’s merger with Fiat, because underneath the Dodge skin lies Italian bones. And not just any bones either, but the platform of the Alfa Romeo Guilietta. The Dart will be powered by a host of new engines and transmission choices, also supplied by Fiat. No hatchback version will be offered, unfortunately, but the Dart is shaping up to be a serious contender in the small car marketplace.

Much like the ATS, we don’t know much of the new Viper. Presumed dead last year, the Viper has been raised from the ashes to headline the new SRT brand. Branding confusion aside, the automotive marketplace will be a much better place with the rowdy Viper back in it. Here’s hoping the newest version can provide the same visceral thrills as the old one.

On the outside, it may look like another compact SUV for the masses, but the CX-5 is anticipated for what it means for Mazda as a whole. First, this CUV debuts the new design language that we will be seeing on all future Mazdas. Secondly, the CX-5 will offer Mazda’s Skyactiv engines and transmissions to offer admirable fuel economy without sacrificing driving enjoyment. The future of Mazda hinges somewhat on the success of the CX-5 in more ways than one.

Lexus has been a leader in luxury sales in North America for many moons and now that the competition is getting better Lexus has something for their customers that should be well received. The new Lexus G Series has been revised to bring in more aggression and emotion into the car. Engines are carryover items, but everything else is new or revised. The interior has been improved, suspension tuning changed, and most noticeably, the outside has been given a more aggressive fascia. This segment has been getting more competitive so cars like the GS are crucial in maintaining Lexus’ position in the American marketplace.

The Pathfinder finds itself following the same trends as other SUVs this year as Nissan revises the truck to abide by both customer demands and increasing emission regulations. That teaser image below is all we know of how the Pathfinder looks. However, we do know that, like many SUV’s as of late, it will be based on a car platform and not be a true truck. This has probably been done to deliver both fewer emissions, and a better ride quality. Like the Explorer before it, Nissan is adapting to the times with the new Pathfinder.

Competition in the long-neglected subcompact class is heating up, especially with Chevy’s new Spark added to the shuffle. Pegged as the go-to car for urban driving, the Spark will try going head to head with the Fiat 500 and Smart car. A stylish exterior and a host of gadgetry will give the buyer a little bit of a spunkier choice over the Aveo and similar cars in the marketplace.

In its quest to be taken serious by buyers against the likes of BMW, Audi and Mercedes, Infiniti has created its own performance line similar to BMW’s M and Mercedes’ AMG brand. Instead of offering cars that only deliver blistering performance, though, Infiniti has chosen not to focus solely on increasing power. The reason for this is because Infiniti wants their IPL versions to not only be faster than the base cars, but also comfortable enough for everyday use. For instance, the new G37 Convertible IPL adds slightly stiffer suspension, a modest bump in power, and a more aggressive fascia and wheel package for better performance, but is still a comfortable boulevard cruiser for when you don’t feel like carving up the apexes.

The Camaro has been a huge hit for Chevrolet and today the company made several announcements relating to the heavily anticipated Camaro ZL1. Chevy said that the ZL1′s monster engine will be rated at 580 horsepower and that the base price of the vehicle will be $54,995. It’s quite a vehicle to introduce as Chevy celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. The new ZL1 coupe is a 2012 model that will go on sale early next year.

The Camaro ZL1 features a supercharged 6.2L engine that makes it the most powerful production Camaro ever. The ZL1 goes from 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds and hits a top speed of 184 miles per hour! It also features a Performance Traction Management system that helps this beast hug the corners.

Chevy will also introduce a ZL1 convertible as a 2013 model that they featured at an event ahead of the 2011 LA Auto Show and Bullz-Eye was on hand to snap some photos of this beautiful vehicle as you can see in the slideshow above. Anyone who appreciates convertibles will love this vehicle.

Bullz-Eye: To start off by kind of stating the obvious, I’m sure you’re psyched about your show returning for a second season.

Nick Swardson: Yeah, I am. I’m really excited, ‘cause I feel like, no matter what happens, this is the show I wanted to make.

BE: So what are the origins of “Nick Swardson’s Pretend Time,” anyway? Did you pitch them the idea, or did they come to you with the idea?

NS: My friend Tom (Gianas) actually pitched me the idea. He created “Human Giant” and ran that show on MTV, and he did “Tenacious D” on HBO. He’s an old friend of mine. He directed “Gay Robot,” this original pilot that I did years ago. He’s really, really brilliant, and he came to me with this idea. I’ve always wanted to do sketch comedy, and I trust Tom a lot, so I was, like, “All right, let’s do it.” And we just jumped into the show. We pitched it to the network, and they bought it off the pitch. We didn’t even get a pilot. They ordered six episodes. Which was kind of good and bad. I kind of wish we had a pilot, because it was kind of a tricky show to make. (Laughs) We didn’t really have that trial by fire. We were just kind of thrown into the volcano.

BE: You have a pretty vocal fanbase. I presume you’ve gotten some advice, either helpful or otherwise, as far as where to take the show in its second season.

NS: Yeah, it’s been interesting, because people didn’t really know what to expect from the show. My fans were kind of, like, “Well, wait, what is it? Is it stand-up? I don’t understand what it is.” They were kind of confused. Obviously, comedy’s subjective, and people either bought the show or they didn’t. (Laughs) But the people who got it, they loved it.

BE: So is Season 2 along the same lines as Season 1, or do you think you’ve kind of fleshed it out a bit more as far as what you want from the show?

NS: Um… (Long pause) I mean, it’s more aggressive. Like, there’s some really crazy stuff. (Laughs) It’s really aggressive. But we’ve kind of counterbalanced this season with doing more of a live element and more storytelling than stand-up.

BE: How much flexibility do you have with Comedy Central as far as your vision for the show? Has there been any point when they were, like, “Uh, can you dial it back a bit?”

NS: Uh, yeah. (Laughs) At the beginning, they were, like, “This is way too aggressive.” But that’s the whole point of having and doing a show. Why not make it the most aggressive thing you can do? I just didn’t want to play it safe. I wanted to just throw it against the wall, and hopefully it works. Hopefully people will dig it.

BE: Do you have a particular favorite sketch from Season 1?

NS: Yeah, I’ve done a lot of sketches I really love. There’s one that we kind of leaked early that I think is the craziest sketch ever, and it’s basically an ab infomercial, but to get great abs, it’s all about trying to suck your own dick. (Laughs) So it’s a cord that you buy that you wrap around your knees and your neck, and this infomercial guy is hosting it, and he’s just super-sincere. It’s, like, it’s not about being anything gay. It’s, like, “What better way to get a six pack than by trying to suck your own dick?” (Laughs)

BE: Would that be one of the things that Comedy Central was hesitant about?

NS: Uh, yeah, I think they were just kind of, like, “Holy fuck, how are we even going to try to pull this off?” (Laughs) But we did. And the sketch came out amazing. (Laughs) I’m so happy with it.

BE: You had a lot of guest stars, many of whom came from a sketch-comedy background. It looks like you were working from a wish list of your favorite comedians.

NS: Yeah, I got people who were really great sketch performers, and…you know, I didn’t want a lot of celebrity, ‘cause I didn’t want the show to be, like, a celebrity calling card, where you’re going, “Hey, look who I put in this sketch!” I wanted the sketches to come off on their own. I didn’t want people to just be, like, “Oh, this guy’s in this sketch ‘cause he’s friends with Nick.” I got lot of no-name people. I wanted to kind of discover more people. I thought that’d be more fun.

BE: That being the case, do you have any guests lined up for Season 2?

NS: Not a ton, no. But we’ve got Ron Perlman, who’s pretty incredible. And he’s really, really funny in it.

BE: Are there any characters that’ll be recurring from Season 1?

NS: Yeah, Gary Gaga. (Laughs) And Wheelchair Cat. Both of them are coming back. Oh, and this one called Creepy-O.

BE: I’d guess it’s easy to fall back on recurring characters. Was there any hesitancy on your part as far as doing that?

NS: No, because I don’t feel like…I wouldn’t have done them if we hadn’t found a really funny or good new context for them, you know? I mean, it wasn’t like a mandate where it’s, like, “Well, you’ve gotta have four Gary Gaga sketches,” and you have no choice. (Laughs) It wasn’t like that. We found a really funny context for these old characters, and it’s really solid. So we’re pretty psyched.

BE: Your comedy is…I guess you’d call it somewhat critic-proof. The critics may not get it, but, as I said, you’ve got a pretty ravenous fanbase. Was that weird for you, or did you always kind of foresee that was going to be the case?

NS: Oh, I always foresaw that. (Laughs) Critics hate me. I mean, they really hate me. Especially on the film side. But, you know, it’s, like…I don’t know what it is that spawns that kind of disdain. I mean, I’m just making comedies and trying to make people laugh, and I’m doing my best at doing that. It’s all subjective. I think it’s kind of bizarre that these critics will review Academy Award-nominated movies, and then they’ll review these other movies, these comedies, like “Bucky Larson,” and they’ll pile on it to make themselves feel better. If that’s what they want to do, that’s fine, but I don’t make movies for them.

BE: On a related note, I have to ask you if you saw on the Onion AV Club where they took on “Bucky Larson.”

NS: (Uncertainly) No. What do you mean?

BE: Nathan Rabin does a column called “My Year of Flops,” and he dedicated one of them to “Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star.”

NS: (Excitedly) Did he? It’s weird, ‘cause the Onion can be hit and miss. They’ve actually been more cool to me.

BE: Well, I don’t know if you’ll find it as funny as some might, but Rabin’s really good about taking people to task no matter who they are. At the very least, I think you can go into it with an awareness that you’re not getting it any worse than anyone else.

NS: Yeah, I mean, the Onion makes me laugh, and I don’t take myself fucking seriously, you know what I mean? So I’m definitely not going to be offended, by any means. I’ll laugh just as much as anybody.

BE: I’m sure this story has been told elsewhere, but since I don’t know the answer to the question, I’ll ask it: how did you first fall into Adam Sandler’s camp?

NS: Adam was a fan of my stand-up. He saw my first special on Comedy Central, and he called me up and said, “Hey, I really like your voice, I like your style, would you want to work together?” And they had a script that they wanted me to rewrite, and I rewrote it, they loved it, and the rest is kind of history.

BE: What were your thoughts on “Grandma’s Boy”? Certainly that’s one that wasn’t exactly critical adored, either, but did you think it turned out pretty well for what it was?

NS: Yeah! I loved “Grandma’s Boy”! That’s one of my favorite movies in the world. In fact, that was the first script that they brought me in on. They’re, like, “We have this movie ‘Grandma’s Boy,’ and we want you to rewrite it and make it crazy and make it rated-R.” And I did, and they loved it. And I love it. And, yeah, that was another one where critics came after us, but we don’t really care. I mean, they’re not really on our radar. Adam doesn’t read any reviews, ever. But “Grandma’s Boy” was one where I was really proud of it. It was kind of the first time I really put my stamp on something and put a lot into it. And I did read the reviews, and I was kind of surprised that it met with such hate, but it spawned such an amazing cult following. I mean, really amazing. But, you know, I’ve had a lot of critics who reviewed it off the commercial, and they emailed me a year or two later and were, like, “Hey, man, I’m really sorry. I gave ‘Grandma’s Boy’ a shitty review because I thought the commercial looked stupid, but I finally just saw it, and it was really funny.” So that was kind of interesting.

BE: It’s also interesting that, in the midst of these films that we’ve been discussing, you’ve also turned up in two films that were highly acclaimed. First of all, you were in “Almost Famous” for a moment or two. How did that come about? Was it a “right place, right time,” or did you actually audition?

NS: That was really a pivotal moment, actually, ‘cause I’d moved to Los Angeles, I was in the grind of auditioning, and, you know, there’s just so much rejection that comes with that. I mean, you’re constantly getting close to pilots, getting close to movies, but ultimately it’s just tricky, as one can imagine. So I got this audition for Cameron Crowe, and I was so excited. I’m such a huge fan of his. And the casting director is, like, “Hey, you’re really, really funny. I want you to meet Cameron.” So I’m, like, “Okay!” And I met with Cameron, and he was, like, “Fuck, dude, you are really, really funny, and I love what you do, but you’re not right for the part that you’re going in for. But I want you in this movie. You have to be in this movie somehow.” So we just kind of created this part and improv’ed it on the day. But it was really validating to have somebody like that go, “Hey, man, you’re really, really funny.” I was just a kid, auditioning and getting rejected, so for somebody like that to validate why I was out there in L.A…? It was really big.

BE: You also turned up in “Art School Confidential.”

NS: (Laughs) Yeah, that one was really bizarre. I auditioned for it, and then maybe six, eight months later, they called me and said, “Hey, you got that part.” I’m, like, “What part?” They’re, like, “‘Art School Confidential.’” “That was six, nine months ago I auditioned for that!” “Yeah, yeah, we’ve just been trying to get it off the ground.” Yeah, that one was a trip. I love Terry Zwigoff. He’s a sweetheart.

BE: What are your favorite recollections from working on “Reno 911”?

NS: “Reno” was amazing. That was one of the most fun jobs I’ve ever had. Those guys, all the police on the show, are old friends of mine, and they called me up and they’re, like, “Hey, we have this show, let’s make it crazy, it’s all going to be improvised.” And my favorite thing about it was that they kept telling me that the show was going to get canceled right away, so to just fuck around and do something crazy. So I created the character of Terry…and the show did not get canceled. (Laughs) It was on for six years. And I was a gay roller-skating prostitute. But it was great, man. To improvise like that every day at work…I mean, I love improvising, so it was kind of a dream.

BE: I’m curious: do you think there’s ever been a comedy album that so succinctly summed up its contents the way your record Seriously, Who Farted? did?

NS: (Laughs) No. No, I do not. I mean, when I first thought of that as an album title, it made me so happy, because it’s, like, I know it’s stupid. It’s funny: I would read stuff about it, and people were, like, “Oh, it’s such a stupid album title” Uh, yeah, I know. I’m not taking myself seriously. It’s supposed to be stupid. I was just hoping that the album would even just get nominated for something, just so someone would seriously have to say, “And now, Seriously, Who Farted?” (Laughs)

BE: Of your films, is there a particular one that stands out to you as being your best work?

NS: (Sighs) Oh, fuck.

BE: (Laughs) No pressure.

NS: (Long pause) I don’t know. I mean, I love “Grandma’s Boy,” ‘cause I just put so much into that, but I also love “Bucky Larson,” which just came out. I really love it. I mean, it was tricky and it was a really thick character, but it was fun to do a character that thick and that strong and not have to swear. He was, like, this G-rated, sweet character. So that was pretty fun.

BE: So is your focus going to be on the TV series for right now, or do you have any other films in the works?

NS: I’m developing more films. I don’t really want to do any more character-based stuff. I’m just trying to write some stuff so I can develop my own voice and be more myself. So that’s kind of the direction, hopefully, that I’m going in.

The first day was all about the history and pedigree of the Chevy small block. Today, we experienced how the small block is being used nowadays and a firsthand account of cruising on Woodward. We started the day at the birthplace of ZO6, ZR1, and Grandsport Corvette motors. Then, we cruised Woodward in the Chevy parade and ended the day by sampling applications of the small block in both Chevy cars and others.

The GM Performance Center is where traditional craftsmanship and modern attention to detail meet to create some of the highest performing motors on the planet. Here, every 430hp Grand Sport motor, 505hp Z06 motor and 638hp ZR1 motor take shape. Each motor is built completely by hand and signed by the technician that builds it.

To ensure correct specifications, advanced torque wrenches are used to give the builder a guide when each individual fastener is bolted to the motor. In fact, each bolt’s torque is registered in a massive database for each engine to ensure quality even after the engine leaves the factory. No other facilities offer this level of attention to detail, not even many of Mercedes’ AMG engines.

Not only is every motor built by hand, but if you partake in the Build Your Own program, the hands that build your Z06, ZRI or Grandsport motor could be your own. For $5800, you can visit the performance center, and with the help of a qualified GM engine builder, build your own motor. At the end of the process, your own name will appear on your engine’s build plate.

After the Performance center, we partook in the Centennial GM Cruise. There were multiple examples of both GM’s heritage and future presented here. Everything from vintage Camaro’s, a Corvair, the new ZL1, and 50 Chevy Volts whose owners drove from all over the country to attend.

Cruising Woodward in this formation is an experience in and of itself. For starters, it’s one of the few times you can have police lights in your mirror and not be terrified. And then there’s just the visceral experience of it all, especially in a new SS Chevy Camaro Convertible. You don’t go fast, but are just surrounded by thousands of examples of rolling Americana. The smells, sounds and environment all harken back to a time period that we are still waiting to return to.

The Camaro convertible is a perfect car for such a trip, because it’s a car of theater. In normal day-to-day traffic it has low visibility and is too relaxed, but in an event like this, or any day where you really want to enjoy the drive at any speed, and the Camaro shines. The styling stands out from miles away, especially in the Big Bird Yellow my car came in (there’s no other color to get a convertible in). The engine, burbling with anticipation and ready to launch at any moment, rumbles in the background. Plus, the best part of the convertible is that it solves the visibility issues of the coupe, with the top down of course. I could think of no other car to take to an event like this.

We finished the day with a celebration of cars with small blocks of any kind. Present were resto-mods, a rat rod, a modified Camaro, and even a Miata. The best part was that the owners were gracious enough to take us for a ride. I was able to ride along in a modified new Camaro with parts you can buy at a Chevy dealership today, and still keep your warranty. The differences from my stock one were astounding. The attitude is just ramped up with a new exhaust and intake. In addition, the heritage body parts connected the car to its past, but with a modern twist. If you’re interested in these parts, check out the Synergy packages on the Camaro configurator on GM’s site for the wheels and body parts. The performance parts can be had on Chevy’s site as well as GM Performance Part’s site.

Throughout the day we were able to experience the performance and tradition of the small block and Woodward in a way that numbers could never do. To see thousands of people lined up to catch a glimpse of these old cars is truly amazing. It was also to see the dedication and tradition that goes into the best Corvette motors and how the small block can end up in many other packages. The best part was that Day Two was just the beginning; today will be the full Monty with most of the cars making an appearance. Bullz-Eye will also be exploring some traditional Detroit landmarks in the SS Camaro. Make sure to check back tomorrow for our Woodward finale piece.

Today, Equinox launched a confidence campaign. Basically it’s an effort to inspire you to get your lazy ass to the gym and get into the kind of shape that will give you confidence. To support the campaign, the company created Equimatic, a Facebook app that works a little bit like Instagram, framing uploaded pictures to look like a polaroid, and giving them a bit of a vintage blur filter. The hope is that confident people from around the world will upload pictures on the Equinox Facebook page, showing off their confidence and sending those pictures to friends and family.

Maybe it’s just me, but I hate getting pictures of my super-fit friends with their shirts off, but that’s probably just because I’m out of shape. And maybe that’s the point. To inspire the people around you to work for a body that will give them the same kind of confidence you have.

The best part of the campaign is that anyone who uploads a photo to the Equinox Facebook page will be eligible for exclusive Equinox rewards. If you’re feeling extra fit, and feel like flaunting it to a few of your closest friends, check out Equinox Equimatic on the Equinox Facebook page.