#MakeThisBattle Feedback - Oct 15th

Lloyd finally found time to look through all the ideas selected in the latest round of MakeThisBattle. Thank you for your patience. The theme was based around actors and actresses and a lot of the chosen match-ups ended up being theme based. 

Let's see what he thought. Take it away Lloyd...

Betty White v Scarlett Johansson [submitted by J-Star]

I like both these people, but I don't really get the connection. Colors of white and scarlet. The age difference. But, not seeing much else. I'm sure I can sit and think about it for a while and figure more out, but that's never a great first sign. Betty White is by far, worthy of a battle. I liked Betty White vs Betty Paige a lot and we produced a demo of that match-up from years ago that was filthy. But, I think Scarlett is a little too random still. So many other actresses we could pick. Whilst she's a pretty big name right now, I'm not sure she needs to be in an ERB anytime soon.

Buster Keaton vs Tom Cruise [submitted by Eoghan]

Interesting. I'd love to learn more about Buster Keaton. He seems awesome. I get the connection...stunt actors...sorta. It could make for some cool disses in terms of Buster calling Cruise out for being a bit of a wannabe compared to an actual committed stunt actor. And I like the fact we'd be dealing with modern day action films against B&W films from the 1920's. But, end of the day I'm kind of lukewarm on this. Tom Cruise seems like he deserves a battle and Buster is really cool for history, I just don't know that this specific match-up is right.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg vs Judge Judy [submitted by DyLontheGreat]

I would hope that Judge Judy got down on her knees and did the "we're not worthy" bow if in fact they ever met in real life. That said, this idea does tickle me. I like that it's two strong authoritative women who are not "young and beautiful".  So many fun jokes mixed with killer historical detail. It'd be a lot of courtroom jokes but we haven't covered the law at all and there's a lot there. It's a fun idea for sure.

Ronald Reagan vs Arnold Schwarzenegger [submitted by Alvin Franco]

Very, very interesting. I never would have thought of this but now that I read it I kinda love it.  Reagan has been flirting with my brain for years now and we've always been trying to work out who the right fit is. This "actor turned politician" angle is really cool. Lots to play with both historically and culturally. Both of them are more than just actors and more than just politicians. Each has some dirt on them and each are super quotable. Nice one Alvin.  

John Wilkes Booth vs O.J. Simpson [submitted by AlexKnight002]

Mmmmmmmmmm.. this is a no. I kinda don't wanna give O.J. any more shine than he's been getting already. It's still a little too fresh. I believe that dude is guilty and murdered his wife in cold blood. Not enough time has past for me to make jokes about it. I know we've done MJ but if I had seen that documentary about MJ before the battle I'd never have done it. John Wilkes Booth is definitely a target (no pun) but a battle between two shitty cowardice people doesn't seem fun to me.

Seth Macfarlane vs Mel Blanc [submitted by Samwise]

Amazing. How have we not thought of this yet. Only drawback might be that we'd really wanna use some animation of their famous characters and that can lead us into YouTube copyright trouble very fast. But, I think we could find a way to do it right thought.  It's a solid idea and there is a lot of material to work with. I dig it.

Charlie Sheen vs Tony Montana [submitted by Mortal]

I don't really get this. Charlie Sheen has moved into an almost ERB joke of characters we'll never do. Over the years a lot of actors and fictional characters have got thrown around.  We've done quite a few too. But for the future I think I will be mainly rooting for the match-ups that have a really good mix of historical value, good connection and impact on their industry. And I don't think this one passes the test.

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"Monk's Hot Takes" - our manager offers some extra words!

It was interesting to see the names that cropped up in this Actor themed MTB. I love films. I watch maybe 4+ per week. I watch good films. But I also enjoy watching bad films. I have always enjoyed many aspects of the film craft. Over the years I have even had dreams which played out like films with scene changes and swooping view points and fully fledged plots. 

And I do think we could feature more actors and actresses than we've done in the last ten years. When it comes to actors, Tom Cruise is a solid, very worthy suggestion. For decades his name alone can sell movies and he doesn't do too many turkeys. He's also got that weird personal life / religious vibe which is perfect juice for a battle. I dig Buster Keaton. But I honestly think we may as well go with Cruise vs Chaplin if we're going that modern vs early film style of match-up. They are both very dedicated perfectionists who are two of the biggest names of their era. (Chaplin is top tier and the whole Mr Bean / silent actors vibe that never goes away on YouTube suggestions limits things too much in my opinion)

Reagan vs Schwarzenegger is definitely interesting. We have a lot of great options President wise still left to feature in ERB (Nixon, JFK & Reagan being the main ones) but the Reagan options I have seen in recent years have all been a little dull. Bringing in Arnie changes the gears up a notch. Like Cruise he has that instant name recognition and oodles of iconic films plus a lot of comedic value too. Initial thought - I am very down with this match-up. But I will let the idea sit and see if I think the same in a few weeks. 

OJ Simpson makes me laugh and I know it shouldn't. I really found the idea of him vs Thanos hilarious. But like Lloyd says - he's probably a no go. Then you have John Wilkes Booth who I've always dismissed previously but Pete spoke to me about him recently so I bought a book about him and its sitting on a pile to read before Xmas. Seth Macfarlane vs Mel Blanc sounds like an idea I should like but for some reason it doesn't excite me. Maybe my copyright senses are tingling too much. Maybe I just need to ponder it further. Its a solid idea for sure. But for what ever reason, I'm just not feeling it personally.

Vote for your fave from this selection here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/42783844

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As ever - a new round of MakeThisBattle begins!

The theme this time is "Bad Asses" in the sense of characters (both real and fictional) who have that feel of being a total bad ass. Chuck Norris for instance. Or Vlad The Impaler. Or Solid Snake. Or Rorschach. Or Boudicca. They could be deadly mean types. Hard nuts. Crazy mofos. Anything that loosely fits that theme.

You can ignore the theme completely if you prefer. But, when selecting the match-ups for feedback we will select 2 or more suggestions that match the theme.

Same rules apply. Seven match-ups in total will be selected. Three suggestions per person. You can post them in the comments below, email them to erbpatreon@gmail.com or post them on the Discord server in the dedicated '#make-this-battle' channel.

Deadline for submissions is... 5pm PT on Tuesday 27th October