Trent Reznor and the Nine Inch Nails (NIN) are offering up their new album “The Slip” as a multi-format download that is currently only available by downloading it.  The best part is either the fact that it is free (and not degraded sound quality) or that they encourage you to send them remixes of the album again.

You have to give them a valid email address and they will send you the link to choose your format.  There is even a choice of “above CD quality” audio and of course the hi-res album artwork is available as well.

This is either a really huge publicity stunt that will spring board users into some sort of new way of spending money or it is a brilliant stroke of acknowledging (like Jay-Z just did with Live Nation or Disturbed did by offering two new tracks on Rock Band DLC before they can be bought as mp3’s just by pre-ordering the album at Best Buy ) that selling “CD’s” is not THE way to make money off of your music anymore.  That being said, if you want to support the band or feel the need to hold an actual physical album, NIN says there will be CD and vinyl versions available in July.

The Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA 4) video game comes out for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 tonight at midnight.  I was one of the suckers lucky ones that was able to reserve the special edition versions for the 360 at Best Buy for only $90 (pictured above - Vaseline not included).  I am admittedly happy and yet still sad because I will not see all of you.  I will likely see less of Call of Duty 4, and Halo 3 may not even know me anymore. (here we go again)

I am hoping the Xbox Live service can hang tough this time.  If it does, the game that IGN rated a 10, will be a slam-dunk for the 360 over the PS3 just for the online play.

Spanky ignore your initial thoughts and come to the darkside, make the purchase!

Look, even if you don’t play Halo 3, this is worth a look. It’s just one of life’s little crazy coincidences. A player gets betrayed in a most curious way.

It might get a mild chuckle out of you.

-MC Spanky McGee

I’m not going to tell you what’s involved in this game. There are a million sites out there that already describe it.

My message to you is: I am NOT buying Grand Theft Auto IV.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/ptech/04/10/grand.theft.auto/index.html

“If players want they can jump online and never even play the single-player again,” Jeronimo Barrera, vice president of game development, told GameTap. “Online is a serious time sucker. You’re going to have to be really careful if you’re married,” he added with a smile. “

No shit, Jeronimo. I know this game is going to kick a ton of ass, but keep that shit away from me. I will end up like this:

I totally lost control with Halo 3, although I’m doing better with COD 4.

But I am not going anywhere near GTA IV. Fuck that. I’ll end up like one of those Chinese dudes in the internet cafes. D E A D.

Or pretty close to it.

-MC Spanky McGee

The crew over at Kotaku found a satirical piece by Bill Maher about Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s flat out make believe mispoken Bosnia mission. It is a YouTube video that spoofs her alleged sniper fire incident by turning it into a Call of Duty (COD) video game by Activision. There is also a nice little John McCain Nintendo wii title they throw on at the end. Enjoy.

Hillary Lies: The Game

Some are amazing. Some just aren’t. At any rate, relive the machines that have made us a little more zombie-like.

-MC Spanky McGee

Ok, this thing is pretty fuckin’ awesome, except for the model airplane noise that would get this thing blasted out of the woods by an RPG during combat. You know that the government has a huge boner for robots, and I’m sure they’re getting all fired up about this one.

In the video, you’ll see that the Big Dog slips on the ice and recovers. That’s my fav part. The motion of the legs is pretty astounding.

-MC Spanky McGee

Here’s another Soupy Trumpet daily-dose of internet finds to enjoy:

• TotallyCrap found a video for Do It Yourself (DIY) Liposuction
• brand new The Incredible Hulk trailer with Edward Norton as the Hulk
• G4tv Attack of the Show host Olivia Munn in a bikini at Complex
• Brett Favre’s replacement Aaron Rodgers is in Alaska competing in a sled dog race
• download new Super Smash Bros. Brawl stages to your wii
• Sheryl Crow has plans to sing with Fleetwood Mac - “no official announcement“
• President George Bush’s daughter Jenna Bush is getting married May 10
• City Slickers’ own Billy Crystal got cut from the New York Yankees today
• Perez Hilton is at SXSW
• George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Don Cheadle, and Jerry Weintraub started Not On Our Watch a new Darfur charity
• Comedy Central’s old show Battlebots is coming to ESPN in November

Here’s another Soupy Trumpet daily-dose of internet finds to enjoy:

• The Smoking Gun treats us with another mug shot gallery - this one called “the nip slip collection”
• G4tv found an awesome custom Mario modded Nintendo wii
• Bill Simmons wrote a “What If?” piece for ESPN Page 2 that exams what might have happened if all the NBA trades went down differently
• IGN released their Super Smash Bros Brawl guide - the game is amazing
• you can bid on rapper The Game’s custom Cadillac Escalade on Ebay while he is locked up
• listen to Lupe Fiasco’s Superstar Remix with T.I. and Young Jeezy at Complex
• Britney Spears and K-Fed fight over $1 million legal bill
• Heather Locklear’s shrink called 911 on her because she thought she might OD - aka suicide attempt
• crazy ass R. Kelly made a dis track called “I’m a Beast” and may be directed at Ne-Yo, Young Jeezy, or Jay-Z
• College Humor’s Stupid Question weekly entry

And Hot Off The Soupy Trumpet Press:

• New York Governor Eliot Spitzer kicks it with Emperors Club VIP prostitutes
• Sally Kern says that gays are worse than terrorists

Here’s another Soupy Trumpet daily-dose of internet finds to enjoy:

• an amazing use of Adobe Flash… probably a CG Asian woman… really dope and at this point purpose-free
• George Bush, Paris Hilton, and Mel Gibson celebrity Butt Plugs
• old school step-by-step tutorial on turning an NES controller into an mp3 player
• iPhone 2.0 software will be available for free update in June… iTouch users will have to pay for upgrade again
• video editing by Hillary’s camp makes Obama look “blacker”… Photoshopping to an election (may swing our vote)
• Dave Matthews Band announced new summer tour dates
• PGA Pro Golfer Tripp Isenhour got charged with killing bird with golfball
• 40,000 exposed to hepatitis and HIV in a Las Vegas clinic by reusing syringes and vials
• Destiny Child Kelly Rowland got a boob job so she could fit in a Beyonce brand, House of Dereon, top
• 300 director Zack Snyder’s new graphic novel adaptation The Watchmen character photos released
• Call of Duty 4 (COD4) Xbox 360 patch feedback