The release of vidgle.com is coming close. Today, there was a small meeting with members interested to be part of the website. It wasn’t a big turn out, but it was a great start to begin the site. Vidgle.com is not opened yet and the budget for the site is currently getting approved by parent Jenthony Enterprises, Inc. We currently have several shows that will begin production on the first week of February and the site will be open by the the second week in February.

From newscasts to reality shows, from talking about technology to sports, we are planning to have a huge variety of shows for anyone to watch and enjoy. We welcome any new ideas for future shows at anytime, we’ve already gotten so many ideas, that the lists of programming ideas just keep on growing!
Here are some of the current shows we are currently planning:

• Behind the Mic: a sitcom show about a radio station written by Anthony and Niki Cruz.
• AZ Tech Talk: a technology talk show hosted by Anthony and Sarah
• Con-Goer: a on-scene report from a convention.
• Sports Roundtable: Hosted by Randy Sobel, a weekly discussion show about sports
• Cruzn’ Hollywood: a weekly newscast about entertainment news hosted by Niki Cruz/
• Danny Karron’s Comedy Block: comedy standup by Danny Karron.
• The Five Towns College Report: a biweekly newscast about whats happening at Five Towns College in Dix Hills, New York.
• Comic-Tonic: a comic-book discussion show hosted by Sketkh and Geoff
• The Forum: A roundtable discussion about hot topics going on in the news.
• Talkin’ Theater: Behind the scenes of your favorite shows on theater, hosted by Christopher Cavallo.
• MIA: A reality stunt show that should not be tried at home!

Current and Interested Members:

1. Anthony Zaragoza (Founder, Manager)
2. Niki Cruz (Co-Founder, Producer)
3. Rob (Lead-Camera)
4. Sarah
5. Mike
6. Jen
7. Fred
8. Jon
9. Louis
10. Chris W.
11. Sam
12. Jim
13. Jesse
14. Brian
15. Tanya
16. Laura
17. Jesse
18. Justin
19. Sketkh
20. Geoff
21. Dan
22. Danny
23. Sean
24. Randy
25. Josh
26. Mark
27. David
28. Ashley
29. Amanda
30. Matt
31. Matt
32. Mary
33. Shannon
34. Sahajja
35. Regina
36. Reymiliz
37. Peter
38. Chris Cavallo

For now, check out www.vidgle.com for the latest updates about the brand new website.

Here are a list of conventions I’m planning to go to for 2008:

• IBS Radio Conference – New York, NY: Hotel Pennsylvania ( March 7, 8 )
• Anime Boston – Baltimore, MD: Haynes Convention Center ( March 21 – 23 )
• I-CON – Stony Brook, NY: Stony Brook University ( April 4 – 6 )
• Renaissance Fair – NJ ( ? )
• Sign Business & Digital Graphics, Printwear Show – Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Convention Center ( June 21 )
• E3 Media and Business Summit – Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles Convention Center ( July 15 – 18, CID )
• Otakon – Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Convention Center( August 8 – 10 )
• MangaNext – Secaucus, NJ: TBA ( TBA )

Some of the conventions, like Anime Boston, is not giving me a press pass because they believe we don’t cover that much anime. We are hoping by 2009, we will be able to get press passes from all conventions because of the reporting we are doing at all of the anime conventions we are covering with Vidgle this year beginning with Anime Boston.

I truly enjoy going to conventions, I’ve been going to different type of conventions since I was 5. I’ve been to bus shows, trade shows, sign shows, radio conferences, anime and sci-fi, and more. I’ve meet many people, especially at the Live365 conferences in 2004 and 2005 in California. By 2009 or 2010, I am planning to have a radio and internet conference covering podcast, internet radio, and other streaming technology. I’m also in full support for Jon’s idea of our own anime convention which is cheap, small and at a great location. I hope to get those two conventions alive by the beginning of the decade.

Picture above: Justin Taub, Peter Iengo, and Angelo Cannella attending the IBS National Radio Conference in New York City in March 2007. More pictures from the convention are here.

WNBC political reporter Jay DeDapper was attacked and robbed Monday night. According to WNBC, he was attacked by three muggers after leaving a pizzeria after the 11 o’clock newscast. DeDapper fought back and the attackers fled. He was then taken too St. Vincents Hospital where he was treated and released. The first two muggers were identified and are charged for attempted robbery and assault, the third is still unidentified. In a statement, DeDapper states:

“”I am very grateful to the officers and detectives of the NYPD, the paramedics and medical personnel at St. Vincent’s, and most of all the good Samaritans who came to my aid following the assault on me Monday night. I feel very fortunate to have sustained only bruises and cuts and not more serious injuries. I look forward to getting back to work on the Presidential campaign for News Channel 4 — although the camera may not be ready for me as quickly as I would like.”

There is no word when he’ll be back on the newscast.

all of these characters are in brawl:

It was reported by Jenthony that WRAJ Internet Radio’s music guide on wrajradio.com was hacked on Friday. It did come to the company’s attention that there was a security vulnerability in the broadcasting software used for WRAJ Internet Radio to send song data to the website. My friend Maria O’Connell, in charge of handling situations like this one, said to Jenthony “It turns out that the hacker was able to access the computer used to broadcast the station at its headquarters in New York and was able to write the files within the music guide section of the website.”
Last year, WRAJ Internet Radio stopped sending song data to the website because of bandwidth issues. The WRAJ Internet Radio team in California is investigating and reviewing security issues on the site.

If you do see a page that seems to be hacked on my site, please notify me immediately with the timestamp and URL of the page.

During the New York Anime Festival, it was Santa-Con that took place in Manhattan, which hundreds of Santas came together. But this gathering is a little different, instead of Santas walking around, it was “No Pants Day,” that took place on Saturday. Hundreds of people came together at a Subway station by wearing no pants. According to Improv Everywhere, the organization that held the event, said there was an estimated 900 participants in the event.

“It was basically like a sci-fi convention with people wearing costumes, but instead, it was people wearing no pants.”

The group splits into three different subway trains and took the subway from downtown Manhattan to Union Square.

You can see pictures from Steph Goralnick on Flickr by clicking here.

WNBC announced on Thursday that New York City has opened the first public bathroom that can self-clean itself. At a fair price of 25 cents, you have 15 minutes “to do anything inside.” After the fifteen minutes, the doors will open automatically. After leaving, the bathroom will self-clean itself for 60 seconds before its next use. The first toilet is located in Madison Square Park in Manhattan, another 19 is on the way throughout the city.

Rob Morrison was on the 7PM and 11PM news slots this evening on WNBC, filling in for Chuck Scarborough. Since 2004, Morrison has been on Today in New York from 5-7am and newsbreaks from 7 to 12, which I rarely have time to sit down and watch the morning news. It was great to see him again for the evening, as he was the anchor on the weekend evening editons of Newschannel 4 before he landed into the morning shift. Since his arrival, he was able to keep the morning newscast at the #1 slot.

In 2005 after Jim Rosenfield’s departure at Live at Five, I was voting for Rob to take over the anchor job before Perri Peltz announced her return to the station in May 2005.

So you want to know the best times I had in 2007! So lets count them down, as 10 being the least favorite and 1 being the best.

10. Screw Prom Day

9. Great Wolf Lodge Trip
8. New Years 2007
7. My No-Celebration Birthday
6. San Francisco Trip
5. Anime Boston
4. New York City Trip
3. MangaNEXT
2. Jon’s 19th Birthday Party
1. Otakon

Wonder what will be in plans for the 2008 list!

Lets look at this survey that was made a few years ago to see if I am really from Long Island:
1. [x] You’ve always liked Billy Joel and you own several of his “records”

2. [x] You know someone who went to Chaminade.

3. [  ] Seeing a concert at Jones Beach Theater – the best place in the >world > > to see a show.

4. [  ] Is it just me, or is every girl from Rockville Centre is a pain?

5. [x] Billy Joel said it best, “either you date a rich girl from the North > > Shore, or a cool girl from the South Shore.

6. [x] What’s the big deal about the Hamptons?

7. [  ] If you’re not from Long Island or NYC,you’re not really from NewYork.

8. [x] You don’t go to Manhattan, you go to “the City”

9. [x] The Belt Parkway sucks!

10. [x] You never, ever want to “change at Jamaica…”

11. [x] You never realize you have an accent until you leave.

12. [x] Your parents took you to Nathans or Carvel (on the way home from >the > > beach).

13. [x] You wonder why there has never been a copyright lawsuit against > >Marvel > > in Long Beach.

14. [x] Block parties suck.

15. [x] The name “Donna Donna” means something to you.

16. [x] News 12 sucks.

18. [x] You hate the radio commercials for the Dublin Pub

19. [x] Somehow, you know the OBI is cool, but you’ve never actually been >there.

20. [  ]At some point in your life, you’ve either gone clamming, or caughta >bluefish.

21. [x] You know where at least one strip club is.

22. [x] Regular gas – $1.30

23. [  ]You remember concerts at Malibu.

24. [  ]You curse. A lot.

25. [  ]You can name at least three players on the Islanders Stanley > >Cupteams.

26. [x] You have come to terms with the fact that the Islanders have > >completely > > sucked since > > La Fontaine left.

27. [  ]You’ve purchased a 40, underage, at the bodega.

28. [x] You remember the exact day you stopped going to Jones Beach and >started going to Robert Moses.

29. [x] Public beach? What’s that?

30. [x] Is Huntington really that cool?

32. [x] You’ve been to McHeebs (Did an Irish guy and a Jewish guy really >open that place up together?)

33. [x] Pizza Supreme (The pizza place that used to be in Roosevelt Field >years ago)

34. [x] The Marathon

35. [x] Does anyone know why the HOV lane on the LIE stops in Hicksville >instead of the Northern State?

36. [x] “I’m going to the park.”

37. [x] You’ve had a seagull crap on your car.

38. [x] Either your parents or your grandparents lived in the city.

39. [x] You had a bicycle with a banana seat.

40. [x] You or someone you know has owned an animal that came from North >Shore Animal League.

41. [x] Even the concept of the Islanders EVER leaving is unrealistic.

42. [x] Al Arbour

43. [x] The guy who thought up the “new” Islanders logo..no way he’s from >Long Island.

44. [x] You’ve cruised on the “turnpike”

45. [x] You know someone with a cabana.

46. [  ]You’ve played golf at Eisenhower Park…legally or otherwise.

47. [x] You buy the hit stuff at Tower or the Wall, but go to Music Den to >get the really hard to find stuff.

48. [x] If you’re from Nassau County, you’ve been to Safety Town.

49. [NA] Quick! Who’s the Suffolk County Executive? Don’t know do you?!

50. [x] If you smoke pot, or you know people that smoke pot…you’ve heard >about it or been to Rockaway for Drive-thru service.

51. [x] You hate paying tolls.

52. [x] You don’t have to go far to see your family.

53. [NA] Grumman

54. [x] The Parkways, the LIE, the Causeway, Robert Moses Bridge

55. [x] The feast.

56. [  ] You know the exact streets that divided your school districts, but >have no idea which voting district you are in.

57. [  ]You^ve gotten drunk at the ^green^ or on the bleachers of some high >school.

58. [x] You know the difference between WLIR and WDRE, even though >theyplayed the same music.

59. [  ]You were an Islander/Met/Jet fan or a Ranger/Yankee/Giant >fan.Therewas no crossover.

60. [x] You can correctly pronouce places like Happauge, Commack, Islip, Islandia, Massapequa.

61. [x] You know the location of 6 malls and a dozen McDonalds and 36 7-11′s.

Some questions couldn’t apply to me, so [NA] is placed. Seems like I am at least for Long Island for now.