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Jeff & Ryan Take Los Angeles

Jeff Gerstmann
Commentary
Jack Black: Used to be way into him, then hated him, now I'm coming back around again.
There isn't any party like West Coast party, as a West Coast party does not stop. At least, that's what I keep telling myself. Ryan and I are down in Los Angeles this weekend to attend Spike TV's Video Game Awards show. It's sounding like it'll be a fun show this year with Jack Black at the helm and live performances by 50 Cent, Weezer, and LL Cool J.

Actually, if Uncle L is planning on performing anything newer than "Pink Cookies in a Plastic Bag Getting Crushed by Buildings," I'm no longer interested in what he has to say.

I think the Spike awards have gotten better every year. I have to imagine that putting on a TV show that both honors video games and looks like a watchable television program is no easy feat. It's a tough balance to maintain, and in past years, they've probably gone a bit too far into the "let's get celebs on so people who don't play games might watch." It's that desire to entice viewers that results in all the weird half-naked girls, Samuel L. Jacksons, and everything else that has been on in past years.

This was my second year as a judge, and the categories were pretty tough. I don't know who's going to win, and for once, they're airing the award show live, so all of the winners won't have leaked out days before the broadcast. That's a pretty smart change. With a judging panel that crosses multiple gaming publications and a big basic cable megaphone to shout from, Spike TV's show is the closest thing we've got right now to the big, celebratory broadcast that other types of media get.

If you're interested in hearing out what we're up to this week, me and Ryan are going to employ the use of an evil tool known as "Twitter." You can find my stupid 140 character messages here, and Ryan's over here.

The actual show, the Spike TV 2008 Video Game Awards, airs live on Spike on Sunday at 9PM. I guess check your local listings to see what "9PM" actually means. I'm pretty sure it means "9PM Eastern Standard Time."