Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Seeing Double: Ryan's Golf Cart Stunt Double!


The O.C. isn't really known for it's action-packed moments but it does have a few! And with those scenes you can always count on there being some epic stunt double action occurring as well.



An obvious stunt-doubled scene in particular is in season 1 episode 16 titled "The Links". You know the episode where the gang heads to Palm Springs for the weekend via Oliver's parents golf course mansion.


In the episode the group goes golfing and then at one point Oliver declares a race back to the club-house. Things get a little wilder than anyone except Oliver had expected.


They started racing like a couple of gentlemen but Oliver quickly turns the race into destruction derby! At one point Oliver drives his golf cart almost into Ryan and Luke's causing their cart to go out of control.

If you look closely during the above fast action cut scene you will see a stunt-man in place of where Ryan was sitting in the golf cart. On the very right you will see where Oliver and Marissa's cart comes close to making contact. Wrist cuff check, opened button up shirt check, bad Ryan wig check, check! Our theory is that Benjamin McKenzie didn't want to risk his charming good looks too early in his career so he said Hey Josh Schwartz hook me up with a body double baby! Alternatively perhaps Ryan couldn't pull off those kinda crazy golf cart maneuvers and Josh Schwartz had to call in the big guns!




The stunt double/stunt driver for Ryan according to IMDB is Matthew Taylor, he was in three O.C. episodes. He has been a stuntman for 20+ years and has doubled for some big Hollywood names including Brad Pitt!



Interestingly enough during the golf cart stunt shots Chris Carmack appears to be riding as Chris Carmack. Although the IMDB page for this episode states the stuntman for Chris was Kanin Howell (8 O.C. episodes). We couldn't find any scenes in this episode showing the stuntman Kanin Howell unless they did an epic job at disguising him as Luke (which could be possible). #stuntlife.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Wish This Was Real: The Links Speedway Ultra Rare O.C. Sega Genesis Game!

the o.c. video game tv show

One of the Everything The O.C. staff members happened to find this rare gem at a garage sale last Sunday! It's called The Links Speedway which was obviously inspired by The O.C.'s Season 1 Episode 16 titled "The Links"! After doing some initial research on the title we found out that this game was a prototype and never made it to box stores. Only a few copies existed and it's believed that the remaining copies were buried in a landfill to never be seen again...Until now!

the o.c. video game tv show

The back of the game box reads:

"Welcome to The Links Speedway Bitch!
The most state of the art 16-bit Sega title out to date!

Just when Ryan thought things couldn't get worse, 
Marissa's new friend Oliver has finally went crazy.

On the last hole of the day Oliver declares a race back to
the club house. Ryan and Luke must WIN to stop Oliver
from ruining their trip and stealing Marissa from them.

But beware there are many turns and tricks up Oliver's
sleeve so race with CAUTION!

Navigate through 5 Palm Springs golf courses to win
back Marissa and get rid of Oliver once and for all!

Everything goes, are you ready to roll?"

Controversy 

Further research revealed there was some controversy regarding the game's content as it included violent golf cart crashes, underage drinking and lacked an 18 hole golfing function all the while being rated GA (appropriate for all audiences). The other minor problem was the media on which it was released, Sega Genesis was an outdated system even in 2003. Marketing analysis revealed that gamer's and fans of the TV show wanted the game but the studio just wasn't willing to risk lawsuits or compromise changing the original experience. So they decided to pull the plug on the whole idea and destroy the remaining copies, which is a huge shame! 

Game Features:
  • 1 to 2 players (can play your friend or computer)
  • Choose to be team Purple (Oliver and Marissa) or team White (Ryan and Luke) 
  • Race one of the 5 Palm Springs golf courses
  • Character hat and hair customization
  • Original "California" soundtrack by Phantom Planet (midi version)
  • Dialog box with character face
  • Different Win/Lose outcome screens featuring Sandy or Natalie
  • Realistic dirt flings off of back tires while driving
  • Great sound effects
  • Great Luke catch-phrases like "Im gonna drop The Great Gatsby on his face!" and "Speed up their gaining on us"
  • Once your power meter is full a unique to character attack can be made
Minor complaints: 
  • Ryan and Oliver are always the drivers, while Marissa and Luke are always the clubbers/beer throwers
  • Phantom Planet's "California" song on a loop can be a bit repetitive
  • Luke's golf clubbing attack is a bit more superior to Marissa's due to longer reach
  • Marissa's beer throwing ability is a bit better than Luke's (which makes sense)
  • A couple of the race tracks have very difficult/close to impossible obstacles
  • Randomly a seagull walks across course 3 and can totally salt your game
  • Oliver throws down money on the track that can lead to your golf cart getting spun around
  • Ryan uses his smirk attack that can result in a 10 percent increase in golf cart power and speed

the o.c. video game tv show
Above are The Links game controls! Notice the throw beer and club options by hitting X or Y. We found these to be the most satisfying attacks besides the typical ramming of team Oliver/Marissa's purple golf cart! 


Finally here is a little demo of the awesome game-play and head-turning graphics! We give this title a cool 9/10! It's a truly a one of a kind game and I must say flipping Oliver's cart and beating him to the club-house is therapy within itself as well as the epic Sandy Cohen cut-scenes! They don't make them like this anymore folks! See you on The Links!

Thursday, August 18, 2016

The O.C. Basement: Sidekick II Sweepstakes plus more!


Back in 2005 the official fan club of The O.C. "The O.C. Insider" featured an awesome contest!
You simply had to fill out the contact form with basic stuff like name, email, birth date and wallah your submission went out! The prize was none other than the very high-tech Sidekick II. Which was timed perfectly with the release of Season 3's episode 5 "The Perfect Storm", also known as the camera phone that captured the Dean Hess and Taylor Townsend making out!


The O.C. featured product placement such as this throughout the series but none are as obvious as the Sidekick II! When sandy tells Dean Hess "This little puppy is a phone, surfs the web and unfortunately for you it transmits photos" its a clear sign that Josh Schwartz was welcomed to the dark side. But never the less it was done tastefully!


Here's one of the close-up shots of Taylor Townsend using her bedazzled Sidekick II. She is messaging Dean Hess, notice the Dean's messaging handle "Dartman 4 U", wonder what that even means. Even more interesting is the date on Taylor's Sidekick, September 15th. The episode didn't air until November 3rd, so September 15th could very well be the day the filmed the episode or scene!



Lets take a look at the beefy specs shall we!
  • Flip screen 
  • Screen Size: 5.1″ x 2.6″ x 0.9″
  • Weight: 184g (6.2oz)
  • Display: 240×160 pixels, over 65,000 colors (16-bit color), Transflective TFT screen viewable in bright sunlight
  • 5-row QWERTY keyboard , dedicated number row , dedicated 12-key dialpad area , includes easy access key for @ symbol
  • Backlit screen and keyboard with light sensor
  • Integrated VGA (640 x 480 pixel) camera, supplemental LED for close-range illumination , night mode setting for darker environments, convex mirror for self-portraits
  • Navigation and Controls
  • Scroll Wheel with push capability
  • Send/End buttons (with page up/down capability)
  • Directional pad
  • Control buttons: Menu, Jump, Done, Cancel, Volume up/down, Power , Application-specific shoulder buttons
  • Front and back speakers
  • Speakerphone
  • 12-voice polyphonic sounds
  • Vibration Motor
  • GSM/GPRS radio Tri-band (900/1800/1900 MHz) Multislot Class 10 functionality
  • Wireless off “airplane mode”
  • Memory: 32 MB RAM, 16 MB Flash
  • Battery, Rechargeable internal Lithium polymer battery
  • Interfaces: Audio jack, Power jack, Lanyard attachment



Interestingly enough Big Boi, Paris Hilton, Burt Reynolds, Molly Shannon, Snoop Dog and Wee Man were all featured in the promotional commercial above. Did Molly Shannon just say let me Ask Jeeves!?! Ewwwwww, good gosh the worst search engine known to man, even back then! Ahhh a true spectacle of the early 00's sigh..Who would have thought that devices like these would soon take over our lives in a much bigger way than just looking up recipes and chatting! One thing is unsolved though, who won the Sidekick II?!

To read more about O.C. Insider click here!

Friday, August 12, 2016

The O.C. Fan Fiction: The O.C. Crystal Pepsi!



Its 8:00am Seth, Ryan and Kirsten are all hanging out in the kitchen, chit-chatting before they head out to "the man" OR school..Sandy walks in the kitchen with a overly chipper step interrupting them as he hands them each a soda..

Sandy: *in a kid in a candy shop tone says* They did it guys, they brought it back! I'm presenting to you the holy grail of the soda world, a glimpse in the obscure and exotic..soon you will be calling my Sandy the soda king

*Seth, Ryan and Kirsten pick up the frosty cold soda's looking at them as if they were something from Mars*

Seth: I thought Michelle Obama upped the standards for breakfast requirements dad? What happened to a nice glass of OJ?

Ryan: *just gives a look*

Kirsten: *giving a happy smirk* Oh I remember these..

*Before Kirsten can get another word out Sandy super enthusiastically says*

Sandy: It's a Crystal Pepsi! Its the drink of champions, back in the early 90's these babies made my year...well...something special.

Seth: Yeah if you call 69 grams of sugar special

Kirsten: 69 grams of sugar?!?

Ryan: *gives a surprised raised eyebrow look*

Sandy: Well yeah but you see, this is a classic and it's only here for a limited time so drink up....

*Family is loosing enthusiasm*

Seth: Yeah dad such a classic, that it *looks at his phone* only lasted a year before it was taken off the shelves. I guess Pepsi was blown away by the major success that they cancelled it?

Sandy: You know, you're lucky to be having one of these things son they are rare as ever!

Kirsten: Rare? How much did you pay for these sugar bombs?

Sandy: *Sandy starts to get shy* Well, you know like I said it was a special occasion and they are highly sought after..I kind of made a little, I mean not so little eBay bid for the bundle.

Ryan: *gives a surprised look plus a one-eyed eye brow lift as he goes in for another sip, enjoying the drama unfolding before him*

Kirsten: *starting to get annoyed* Don't dance around the question Sandy!

Seth: This tastes kinda funny actually..does anyone notice the after taste?

Sandy: My stomach is feeling a bit strange but I blame that on the excitement..

Kirsten: Well yeah its filled with high fructose corn syrup, a ton of calories...

*before Kirsten has can finish her sentence Ryan blurts out*

Ryan: And has an expiration date of JULY 1993.

*Sandy immediately spits out one of his last gulps of the drink, wipes his mouth on his suit sleeve in utter amazement, shock and disgust and says*

Sandy: Well that explains the price!!

Kirsten: SANDY!!!

Seth, Ryan, Kirsten and Sandy end up spending the next 30 minutes throwing up the expired Crystal Pepsi drink. It wasn't pretty. Rosa was later called to the scene and spent 3 hours cleaning up the whole kitchen until it was crystal clean.

THE END

Thursday, August 11, 2016

The O.C. Fun Fact: How old were The O.C. actors when the pilot episode aired?


Ever wondered how old The O.C. actors were when The O.C first started? Well question no more! We did all the crazy math and have the answers that you were too lazy to find yourself! Look below..



Look at all those baby faces, a truly vintage promotional photo taken during the filming of the pilot episode at The Battered Women's Shelter Fashion Show.


When The O.C. aired, Mischa Barton (Marissa) was 17, Chris Carmack (Luke) was 22, Benjamin Mckenzie (Ryan) was 24, Kelly Rowan (Kirsten) was 37, Peter Gallagher (Sandy) was 47, Tate Donovan (Jimmy) was 39, Melinda Clarke (Julie) was 33, Adam Brody (Seth) was 23 and Rachel Bilson (Summer) was 21.

The O.C. Casts Birthdays: 

Tate Donovan was born on 08/25/1963 - 39 years 11 months 11 days at the time of The O.C. Pilot
Chris Carmack was born on 12/22/1980 - 22 years 7 months 14 days at the time of The O.C. Pilot
Adam Brody was born on 12/15/1979 - 23 years 7 months 21 days at the time of The O.C. Pilot
Rachel Bilson was born on 08/25/1981 - 21 years 11 months 11 days at the time of The O.C. Pilot
Mischa Barton was born on 01/24/1986 - 17 years 6 months 12 days at the time of The O.C. Pilot
Kelly Rowan was born on 10/26/1965 - 37 years 9 months 10 days at the time of The O.C. Pilot
Peter Gallagher was born on 08/19/1955 - 47 years 11 months 17 days at the time of The O.C. Pilot
Ben Mckenzie was born on 09/12/1978 - 24 years 10 months 24 days at the time of The O.C. Pilot
Melinda Clarke was born on 01/20/1970 - 33 years 6 months 16 days at the time of The O.C. Pilot

Friday, August 5, 2016

The O.C. Holidays: The O.C. 13th Anniversary - August 5th 2003



Happy 13th anniversary to The O.C..We gladly congratulate the show for becoming a teenager! August 5th 2003 and beyond!

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

The O.C. Basement: Mad Magazine The O.C. Edition!



In the June 2004 issue of Mad Magazine, The O.C. was featured in the magazine with their version of The O.C. called The O.D.!

Tom Richmond (Artist)

Tom Richmond (artist) and Dennis Snee (writer) packaged up a very humorous satirical comic strip that true fans can laugh about. The piece features most of the characters from season one, including Anna and Luke!


Without further ado, enjoy these epic O.C. caricatures and hilarious dialogue below! Also make sure to read the epic true story at the very bottom! Click on each page for easy reading! 

the o.c. mad magazone june 2004 the od

the o.c. mad magazone june 2004 the od

the o.c. mad magazone june 2004 the od

the o.c. mad magazone june 2004 the od

the o.c. mad magazone june 2004 the od



About a year or so after the The O.D. piece was published in Mad Magazine Danny Bilson (Rachel Bilson's father) calls Tom Richmond (the artist behind the artwork). Danny Bilson asked Tom if he by any chance had the splash page (what you will see below), Danny was looking to purchase it due to being an overly proud father. Unfortunately Tom gave his original to someone else but was so honored by the request that he contacted Mad Magazine and got them to reprint 2 large size splash page's. 



One for Rachel and her father and the other to have Rachel Bilson sign and mail back as a shameless trade-off. Since Rachel was dating Adam Brody at the time he was lucky enough to get Adam's signature as well! Rachel writes "Tom - Thanks <3 I've never looked better" and Adam said "Tom I love being punched in the face". Tom framed it up and displays it outside his studio along with other greats like Lost, Sopranos and Two and a Half Men. 



Bonus Features: 

Danny Bilson is no newbie when it comes to comics! Read about the time that Adam Brody and Rachel Bilson's dad teamed up to create the comic called the "Red Menace" here!!

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