[WEEKEND OPEN BAR: The one-stop ramble-about-anything weekend post at OL. Comment on the topic at hand. Tell us how drunk you are. Describe a comic you bought. This is your chance to bring the party.]

There ain’t nothin’ on this planet like live music.

We create as many venues for musical performances as possible, from drug-fueled festivals to cozy coffee shops. When was the last time you watched a late-nite talk show that didn’t feature some sort of live musicianship? Hell, one of the annual highlights of the Superbowl – a sporting event – is the musical halftime show.

It’s hard not to be affected by musicians who’re willing to wear their hearts on their sleeves in front of a live audience.

Some argue that concerts are magical simply because they’re ephemeral. There might be something to this notion, as the performances infiltrate our memory-banks and eventually germinate into the stuff of legends. However, there’re also no shortage of concerts that’ve been documented and still manage to entertain, awe, and inspire.

What we’re talkin’ `bout, of course, are live albums.

So what’s your favorite live album? Is it a classic like Frampton Comes Alive? Maybe a hidden gem like Iron Maiden’s Rock in Rio? Tell us which concert album (or DVD!) gets your toes-tappin’!

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Japan’s got themselves some swagger. Declaring themselves some goals. Yeah, well we got a guy who can eat nearly seventy hot dogs here in the States.

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[In an attempt to expand his insular perspective, Rendar Frankenstein became An American in Canada! Join Rendar as he tells of the wonders encountered while traveling through North America’s most jovial nation. It’s one-third travel guide and three-fourths misguided interpretation!]

The urge to fill our gullets with sugar is a human condition, not a national one. Therefore, unless you were raised in the sullen ghettos of Dentalvania, chances’re pretty good that you like candy. With that being said, every country has its specialties, its own interpretations as to how one should simultaneously excite the taste buds and destroy the teeth.

Canada is no exception.

I present, for your informational consumption, three of Canada’s tastiest candy-treats: Smarties, Mr. Big, and Wunderbar.

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Would you be shocked if you found out that a comic book franchise is aiming to be a trilogy? I hope not.

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No need for words. Drink in this picture. It’s Mars. That’s the planet Mars. Stunning. Oh, all right. NASA provides some context.

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I have absolutely no doubt this movie is going to leave me with taut nipples from ridiculous action and watery eyes from whatever ending Nolan has drummed up.

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Oh shit I love me some Lizzy Caplan. She held it down on Party Down, and got all sorts of nude on True Blood. Even made a welcome appearance on New Girl. Now the favorite of mine is crossing a new threshold, into the world of the Marvel.

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Diablo III ain’t World of Warcraft. Da-doi! We all know that. Ain’t even the same genre of game. However, what made WoW so fucking addictive was that in addition to the gear whore mad dashing, there was a continual flow of new content. D3 ain’t got that, and even the developers know that’s a problem.

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Chuck is like, tots my hero. Love him. Love a lot of his works. Don’t really love Snuff. Why can’t we be getting a Rant movie?

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One of the problems of being both bipolar and posting news and reacting to it immediately is that I often find myself oscillating. ‘Cause I’m crazy and also cause I don’t allow myself much time before passing the swag along to you folks. So despite my initial reaction and desired stance, I’m getting a tickle in my balls for Uncanny Avengers.

Here’s John fucking Cassaday’s cover.

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