Garnett, Brian, and Jeff gather round the studio with Del Rio and Brooklyn in the booth for this Thanksgiving Day special edition of Weekend Confirmed. Along with a little eggnog for holiday spirit, Whatcha' Been Playin? gets the festivities started with a closer look at Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit and Donkey Kong Country Returns, and then the upcoming Noble maps for Halo:Reach. The Front Page takes the holiday week off. In its place, the rest of the show includes favorite holiday memories, what games come out with the family at the holidays, and your comments on some of the best topics over the past few weeks. And if you're gearing up for gift shopping or already in the thick of it you won't want to miss the final segment which covers some of the best deals and videogame gift ideas.

Weekend Confirmed Ep. 36 - 11/25/2010

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Weekend Confirmed comes in four segments to make it easy to listen to in segments or all at once. Here's the timing for this week's episode:

Whatcha' Been Playin: Start: 00:00:00 End: 00:30:25

Whatcha' Been Playin and Cannata-ford a New Game: Start: 00:31:30 End: 01:00:23

The Warning: Start: 01:01:33 End: 01:29:02

Music Break featuring "Back": 01:29:02 End: 01:32:20

Holiday Specials: Start: 01:32:20 End: 02:03:58

NFL 'Tailgate': Start: 02:04:56 End: 02:14:36

Music Break this week features "Back" by Ivan Ives. Ivan Ives is a new breed of rapper. Mixing golden-era style beats with synthesizers and innovative song concepts with a skin-tight flow, he brings his truth to the mic with fervor and precision.

Originally splashing onto the scene in late 2007, Ives has manifested a name for himself by garnering multitudes of press and guest appearances. Rolling Stone named him one of the next 40 artists to watch. SPIN named him one of 8 artists you should know about. URB put him in their coveted Next 1000 and CMJ gave him in an artist spotlight. XXL/Scratch said, "don't let his indie rocker persona fool you—this guy can spit." The list goes on. Ives' global clout is further solidified by the co-signers on many of his tracks: The Cool Kids, Black Milk, Tre Hardson (Pharcyde), Percee P, Oh No, Cappadonna (Wu-Tang), O.C. (DITC), 2Mex (Visionaries), Vast Aire (Can Ox), and Fresh The Hitman—his main producer.

Ives' facility with his chosen musical form should come as no surprise considering his immersion over the years in the Wu-Tang Clan, D.I.T.C., and Big L. His professed influences are so inclusive, however, that they extend from the Delfonics, Kraftwerk, and Jefferson Starship to Arvo Part, Bela Bartok, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. The last one is a clue to what IS surprising about Ives‐he was born in Russia. But you'd never know it from listening to his records (or conversing with him); he sounds like a native of Los Angeles, where he's lived most of his life.

For more, check out the official Ivan Ives website and his "All My Life" video.

Original music in the show by Del Rio. Get his latest single, Small Town Hero on iTunes. Check out more, including the Super Mega Worm mix and other mash-ups on his ReverbNation page or Facebook page.

Jeff can also be seen on The Totally Rad Show. They've gone daily so there's a new segment to watch every day of the week!

Our Official Facebook Weekend Confirmed Page is coming along now so add us to your Facebook routine. We'll be keeping you up with the latest on the show there as well.