steve-wiebe
Latest
King of Kong remake has a new script, penned as a mockumentary
Director Seth Gordon launched his first major film back in 2007, King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, and has since gone on to a successful career in directing several feature films and major television shows. He's even pinned to the forthcoming remake of '80s hacking classic, WarGames. His next move, however, could be a return to the documentary that launched his career, with Gordon telling The Playlist that he's still hard at work on a New Line Cinema-backed remake. Bizarrely, said remake may actually take on a mockumentary feel. Gordon credits his recent television work as inspiration: "There's a few different avenues. I've done some work on 'Modern Family' and 'The Office' and have worked in this doc style, and so that inspired me to say, instead of doing a traditional narrative feature script, what if we did the remake in the doc style?" Black List contestant Melissa Stack penned the most recent draft of the script, which Gordon takes as confirmation that the project is still "quite real." We can't imagine Billy Mitchell being too responsive to direction in Gordon's remake, but then again that tumultuous interaction could turn out to be a hilarious documentary unto itself.
Hank Chien reclaims King of Kong title
This is one of those stories we scarcely need to report, as we're sure you felt it somewhere deep in your bones, but there's a new (old) King of Kong. As the unmistakable feeling of the tectonic plates shifting below your feet will attest, the honor was taken by plastic surgeon Hank Chien with a Donkey Kong score of 1,068,000 in two hours and 45 minutes. Chien takes the title from Steve Wiebe (1,064,500) who took it from Billy Mitchell in September (1,062,800) who took it from Chien (1,061,700) who won the title in March of 2010, besting Mitchell's 1,050,200, which had stood for three years. In related news, Joystiq has recently broken its own record for "Most Stories About the Donkey Kong High Score in One Year" and you don't see anybody writing a frigging blog post about that.
Steve Wiebe publicly attempting to best his own Donkey Kong high score
After much back and forth earlier this year, currently, Steve Wiebe is sitting comfortably atop Twin Galaxies' worldwide leaderboard in Donkey Kong. But that's not enough for Chicago's Logan Hardware. The soon to be re-opened hardware store has hired Wiebe to not just teach a Donkey Kong class, but also to spend nearly five hours attempting to best his own high score on January 15. The public is free to attend the attempt, whereas the class costs $12 -- if you're looking to snap a pic with Wiebe or to have him sign your ultra limited edition laserdisc copy of King of Kong, ponying up the $12 is probably your best option. If that weren't enough, Logan's throwing in a free t-shirt and the chance to ask Wiebe what he really thinks of Billy Mitchell's hot sauce brand. And, surely, the answer to that last question is priceless.
Steve Wiebe is the King of Kong again
Billy Mitchell must be pissed. The certified "Video Game Player of the [20th] Century" has lost the Donkey Kong world record -- again -- to longtime rival Steve Wiebe. Wiebe nudged Billy's July 31 record of 1,062,800 points with a masterful 1,064,500-point effort, achieved on August 20 and confirmed today by score authority Twin Galaxies. The two rivals memorably starred in the 2007 documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. Hank Chien, who ever so briefly enjoyed the limelight, falls to third on the all-time leaderboard. [Pictured: Billy Mitchell; photo credit: Joshuah Bearman]
There is a new King of Kong
Sorry, it's not a sequel to King of Kong, the documentary that showed the battle between ruthless Billy Mitchell and nice guy Steve Wiebe to become the world's best Donkey Kong player. This is a new guy on the scene, 35-year-old plastic surgeon Hank Chien, who's just taken the world record in the game according to Twin Galaxies with 1,061,700 points after a two-and-a-half-hour session. Chien says he expects that the honor will keep him "pelvis-deep in cocaine and highly-desirable sexual partners for all of my days." Or at least we bet he was thinking that.
Steve Wiebe reclaims Donkey Kong Jr. world record
Steve Wiebe's done it again. After claiming the Donkey Kong Jr. record back in April, he was usurped from the throne by Oklahoma-based gamer Mark Kiehl the following fall. But, as of yesterday, Twin Galaxies reports Wiebe's back on top with an epic score of 1,190,400 points. What makes the story even more interesting is when Wiebe managed to set the record: Valentine's Day. As any of you who've seen The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (all of you reading this post, we hope) can attest, the man is married, so to spend any amount of time on The Lover's Holiday playing Donkey Kong Jr. is total dedication. As if we couldn't respect Wiebe any more than we already do! [Via National Post]
The King of Kong DVD signed and delivered, the cheap and easy way [update]
Update: Sorry, gang. Looks like they ran out of supplies. The offer's no longer available. How would you like to own a copy of the critically-acclaimed documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters signed by the film's underdog protagonist Steve Wiebe? Well, you can have it -- in fact, the act of acquiring such a rare gem is actually pretty easy. All you have to do is pay $9.95 (that includes shipping!) andorderstevewiebe'schristianmusicalbum. What? Yes, fine -- if you buy Steve Wiebe's Christian music album, cleverly titled "The King of Song," you get a signed copy of the similarly-titled film. We can't speak for the quality of any music that's not hardcore funk, but in terms of raw value, a signed copy of a great film and any CD for just $9.95 is a pretty spectacular deal. The offer's only available until January 1, so you'll need to act quickly, should you decide to act at all.
Stride Gum ponying up 40,004 quarters for a Wiebe win
We've known for a good while now that Billy Mitchell's arch enemy, Steve Wiebe (our hero!), would be competing for another Donkey Kong world record at E3. What we didn't know was that Stride Gum would be investing $10,001 in quarters -- and a year's supply of "the world's longest lasting gum" -- if the star of King of Kong can accomplish the task.The official statement from Stride says, "Reward will be paid provided Wiebe successfully beats Billy Mitchell's current record of 1,050,200 during a single game of Donkey Kong at E3 2009." We'll be there, cheering him on and giving Walter Day high fives in the background. If we see a kill screen, we'll be sure to tell everyone that we possibly can within the immediate vicinity. Would you expect any less?
Joystiq Interview: Gary Vincent, co-founder of the American Classic Arcade Museum
After spending some quality time perusing the classic arcade collection amassed by the FunSpot and the American Classic Arcade Museum, we had a chance to speak with one of the museum's founders, Gary Vincent.An employee at FunSpot since the '80s, Gary was instrumental in creating an environment where classic arcade machines were preserved for future generations. Sitting next to the mini-golf course that helped to launch FunSpot in the early 1950s, we discussed the origins of the museum, how technology has both helped and hurt the arcade scene and the process of bringing a classic back to life. %Gallery-51257%
Joystiq visits: FunSpot & The American Classic Arcade Museum
New Hampshire may be synonymous with annual biker rallies and kick starting Presidential primaries, but in our industry it's known as the mecca for classic video games. FunSpot, home of the American Classic Arcade Museum, sits comfortably near Laconia, New Hampshire, a small town that welcomes families looking for a wholesome adventure away from home -- and droves of gaming enthusiasts, of course. The American Classic Arcade Museum is a non-profit organization committed to the promotion and preservation of coin-operated games and their associated history. The museum acts as the first floor to the three-storey mecca called FunSpot, established in 1952 by Bob Lawton and named "Largest Arcade in the World" by Guinness World Records in 2008. We recently had an opportunity to tour the giant complex, which sports a bingo hall, mini-golf, 20 lanes of 10-pin bowling, and over 300 arcade machines ranging from the first coin-op to modern day Daytona racers.Check out the highlights of our visit after the break, and make it a point to stop by the place if you're ever in Laconia. It's the only safe way to travel back in time.%Gallery-51257%
Steve Wiebe sets Donkey Kong Jr. world record
Steve Wiebe, the lovable protagonist from the documentary The King of Kong, recently became too impatient to wait until E3 to crush a classic gaming high score. Twin Galaxies, the unofficial scorekeepers of global gaming records recently announced that Wiebe had set a new high score of 1,139,800 for Donkey Kong Jr., surpassing the previous record of 1,033,000 set by Ike Hall. Meanwhile, our high score on Donkey Kong Jr. Math goes untouched, as it has remained for nearly two decades. Bring it on, teacher man.
Steve Wiebe to go for Donkey Kong hi-score at E3
Amidst the lights, glitz and elbows to the face at this year's E3 will be Steve Wiebe, who will use the spectacle as the backdrop for his latest attempt to reclaim his Donkey Kong arcade scoring title. Wiebe will take joystick in hand June 2nd at the show, marking his fourth attempt to break the record since he was outscored by fellow quarter jockey Billy Mitchell at the end of manufactured biopic, King of Kong. The undertaking will be nationally televised by G4 as audiences crowd in front of their sets, pining for a chance to catch a glimpse of Wiebe's sweaty palms and maybe, just maybe, the classic's infamous 'kill screen.'
King of Kong underdog to cameo in upcoming film
When King of Kong director Seth Gordon was approached to direct a new Vince Vaughn comedy for Newline Cinemas, he couldn't help but include a small appearance by everybody's favorite underdog Donkey Kong legend. That's right, school teacher turned DK record-breaker Steve Wiebe will have a small walk-on role in Gordon's upcoming film Four Christmases. The role is uncredited by IMDB, but a representative from Newline reports that Wiebe will have a cameo appearance as Jim, Reese Witherspoon's character's brother, and brother-in-law to Vince Vaughn's character. No word yet if Wiebe's character will allude to Donkey Kong, record-breaking, or his unexplainable disdain for hot sauce.[Thanks, Edog]
Last minute Halloween costume idea: Billy Mitchell
If you're still searching your soul (and your closet) for a last-minute Halloween costume idea, then you could probably do a lot worse than dressing up as Billy Mitchell. Or, as Mr. Awesome likes to call him, "Silly Bitchell".If you want to talk cheap gaming costumes, then check out MTV's Multiplayer blog. Looks like all you need access to are a mullet-y wig, facial hair and a patriotic necktie of some sort. Plus you need to have attitude in spades and the ability to drop cheesy lines left and right. You can accessorize with bottles of hot sauce, arcade tokens, and a sneer.Halloween on the cheap. Get a friend to dress up like Steve Wiebe, and you're set.
Billy Mitchell ain't no 'son of a gun,' ex-champ speaks on King of Kong
Billy "Video Game Player of the Century" Mitchell has broken his silence, speaking out against the documentary The King of Kong, which casts the former Donkey Kong high score holder as the film's villain. "I guess they paint me as a son of a gun," reflects Mitchell, who hasn't seen the movie. He guesses right.Mitchell and cohorts recently spoke to MTV about Seth Gordon's reality-based film. Gordon and crew whittled away more than 300 hours of footage to forge a playful drama detailing Donkey Konger Steve Wiebe's journey to the top of the record books -- all, of course, at the expense of Mitchell's image. And, according to former Twin Galaxies referee Robert Mruczek, The King of Kong is also "full of holes." For example, Mitchell and Wiebe had rubbed shoulders back in 2004 (before the documentary was filmed), during the Classic Gaming Expo -- they even played Donkey Kong! Whereas, the film implies that Mitchell has avoided almost all public interaction with Wiebe and has shied away from playing Donkey Kong in his rival's presence. More surprising is that Billy Mitchell wasn't even the Donkey King high score holder at the time shooting for the movie began. That honor had belonged to no-name Tim Sczerby, who is conspicuously absent from Gordon's film.It's easy to confuse documentary filmmaking with fact-based accounts. But don't be fooled, these cost-effective movies can be just as contrived as VH1's next B-list reality gimmick. Unfortunately, the "actors" can end up being the victims. But maybe Mitchell should heed a friend's advice and cash in on his new reputation. America loves its villains ( ...and loves to pay to see 'em villainate).
