Thanks to Product Reviews for the news that Ricky Gervais is to appear in Grand Theft Auto IV:

The comedian will play himself in the game as he is a stand up act performing in the comedy club in Liberty City. Going into this comedy club might just be a welcome break while you hang out and have a rest, and you will also be able to watch Gervais as he performs some new material that he has written especially for Grand Theft Auto 4.

Although the thought of Rick Gervais in a latex suit for the 3D modelling process is a little distracting, the bit about performing new material is what really got me interested. Games have been incorporating other form of entertainment for some time - for example GTA is famous for the range of radio stations you cam ‘tune in’ to while playing & slaying, both classics and exclusive music. But comedy’s a new one for me, and to go to the effort of accurately modelling Ricky Gervais and asking him to write new material for it, sets a new standard for the future. Will the comedy stage tour soon be thing of the past as comedians go entirely virtual and tour different games and 3D worlds?

Speaking of video game music, and seeing it’s the weekend, courtesy of BB Gadgets here’s a wonderful video of a remote control car playing the Mario theme on wine bottles. Trust me, it makes sense once you see it: