Jim Cantiello, pinball player to the stars
How one man's journey from MTV to X-Factor to E! red carpet specials basically always included pinball
Hola goofenbachers,
I’m in a good mood. We have good weather, the birds are singing, and I already threw my back out for the first time this spring! Oh, and MGC is just around the corner. Will Jersey Jack announce anything officially? IDK, because they unofficially already announced Harry Potter. People are feeling all kinds of ways about it, but I’m excited to see what they get. The John Williams score for me is an all-timer, so hopefully we get David Thiel rocking on some of that.
Anyway, in pinball we are actually playing — I’ve been playing a lot of Jurassic Park. Joe Ciaravino of Pinball Degenerates always uses that as an example of a bad game, and I don’t think he’s ever been wrong, which is saying a lot because he has a lot of absolutely horrible opinions.
Jurassic Park rules. It’s got great art, great music, and the gameplay is cool. I actually like being a no-name who is trying to change the fate of Jurassic Park. Maybe in mine nobody dies and Dennis Nedry gets to eat his way through the rest of the vending machine and the raptors learn about friendship? Idk, I’m just spitballing here.
Oh, and you know how we usually have hot young people holding Nudge Magazine to get you to buy them? Well we are going to continue that tradition with Tom Graf of Fox Cities Pinball and Triple Drain. Look at how hot this man is and how perplexed he is about this magazine. Damn. Also he’s definitely got the highest IFPA rank of anyone not named Keith Elwin that we’ve posted holding a Nudge. Lookin’ good Tom!
Speaking of HOLLYWOOD. This week’s guest is Jim Cantiello, whose career spans a really amazing time in the entertainment industry. Jim started as a producer at MTV in the early 2000s and was quickly able to move in front of the camera thanks to his fun sensibilities and the fact that he has an encyclopedic knowledge of entertainment stuff. He went from MTV to X-Factor to red carpet specials for E!, where he’s covered everything from the CMAs to SNL 50th to the most recent Academy Awards. OH, and he’s co-director of the LA pinball league and is a super pinball frickin’ nerd. Listen to it!
OK, bye see ya bye!
Doc Monday
Editor in Chief, Nudge Magazine