The GT Podcast: Episode Two - The Podcast Strikes Back

 

The second episode of the Geek-tastic podcast has been recorded, edited with love, and is now available for your listening pleasure!

 

 

You can stream the poscast live by clicking here.

 

OR

 

You can download an mp3 of the podcast by clicking here.

 

 

Once again, your hosts Patrick and Matthew discuss some of the latest and greatest developments in geek news.  This time around we are joined by Mr. Ned Cato Jr., the host and moderator of the GeekRoundTable podcast.  If you haven't listened to his podcast yet, what's wrong with you?  It's a great geek podcast!

 

On this episode of the Geek-tastic podcast we discuss the death of Batman over at DC Comics as well as a brand new broadway musical that is headed our way which will be an adaptation of the greatest music video of all time . . . . . Michael Jackson's Thriller!

 

We also go into a lengthy discussion about the history and current status of the lawsuit between Fox Pictures and Warner Brothers over who owns the rights to make and release the movie adaptation of Alan Moore's The Watchmen.  I break down the history of the film's copyright ownership as best I can by going through a timeline of events that started back in 1987 and goes all the way up to January 15th of 2008.  I hope my explanation of the film's history makes sense.  The point was to try to explain why there is a lawsuit going on in the first place and how it came about.  You can be the judge of whether I succeeded in doing that or not.  Please feel free to let me know your thoughts or comments on the matter.

 

Show Notes

 

The two major resources I used when compiling the Watchmen lawsuit time line were Uncivilsociety.org where they have full PDF's of the official court documents that have been filed in the case available for viewing.  I accidentally call the site Uncivility.org during the podcast.  Sorry about that.  There is also a great article at the LA Times that was incredibly helpful in piecing together the story of the case.

 

Here's a link to the article I mention about the rape scene in The Watchmen.

 

I'm totally not making up the global synchronized Thriller dance events that take place every year.  You can check it out for yourself here at thrilltheworld.com.  You can even sign up to join in on the festivities if you so choose to.  I'm definitely going to try to be a part of the next global event.

 

You can watch the entire episode of South Park that spoofs the movie 300 by heading over to SouthParkStudios.com.  The episode is entitled D-Yikes! and it's about Mr. Garrison defending the lesbian bar he hangs out in from the Persian owners who want to turn the place into a Persian restaurant.  It's a great episode, and if you've seen 300, you'll think its hilarious!

 

And finally, here's a picture from the absolutely retarded Battle of the Cowl storyline we mention during the show.  You can see Two-Face in his dual sided Batman suit in the pic.  He's standing immediately to the right of the Batsuit that is in the glass case.

 



 

And why the hell is Harley Quinn in there?  Pardon me for asking, but isn't she insane and evil?

Geek-tastic The Web Comic: Episode #1 - The Futility of Fighting Batman

 



 

It is with great pride that I bring to you the next amazing chapter in Geek-tastic history.  The Geek-tastic Web Comic!!!

 

I know the comic may appear a little small to you, and it is, but that's because I had to shrink it down to fit on this page.  To see the comic in it's full size, you can click on the image above or you can click here.

 

Drawn by the skillful comic artist extraordinaire Matthew Jeffery and written by yours truly, the Geek-tastic Web Comic (which still needs an official name) is the next step our humble little site is taking to entertain you, our dear reader.  Along with the podcast and of course, the nerdy news postings, we are hoping to create a little something for everyone to enjoy here on the site.

 

Geek-tastic's current format, unfortunately, doesn't make for a good web comic format.  So I have opened up a sister site where all of the web comics we create will be posted.  Clicking on either the image or the above link will take you to that site.  I will also be adding a Web Comic category selector at the top of our site's main banner which will take you to the Geek-tastic Web Comic homepage.

 

Both Matt and I really hope you enjoy this, the first comic in the new series.  It is a reference to the lunacy that is the Mortal Kombat vs. DC video game that came out recently.  We personally find the idea of any of the Mortal Kombat characters trying to beat Batman in a fight as incredibly hilarious.  No one beats Batman in a fight.  Do you hear me?  No one!

 

Let us know of what you think of the comic.  We'd love to hear your comments.

The Week In Geek - 01/30/09

This week on Geek-tastic, we learned the following:

 

• Our new President is one badass dude.


• Playmates' new Star Trek toys look like total crap.


• 1970's Sci-Fi was actually really awesome.


• The new Indiana Jones videogame trailer looks super fun.


• There's a Star Wars horror book coming out, and I can't wait to read it.


• Comics are an amazing and expanding art form.


• Ninjas wear dockers and sneakers.


• Flow charts are lots of fun.

The New Batman: Arkham Asylum Trailer Looks Amazing

 

Thank god some good news came along to cheer me up after that horrible stuff about the GI Joe movie toys.  This new trailer for the upcoming video game Batman: Arkham Asylum looks absolutely phenomenal. 

 

In the new trailer we get to see a bit more of the plot of the game, along with a ton of new in-game footage.  And we also get to hear a lot of great dialogue from Mark Hamil as the Joker and Kevin Conroy as Batman.  Put it all together and you have what looks like it could possibly be the greatest Batman game ever.

 

Let's just hope the gameplay doesn't horribly suck.  If this game is fun to play, it could very well be one of the best games that could come out this year.  I'm definitely keeping my fingers crossed.

The GI Joe Movie Makes Me Want To Stab My Eyes Out

 

One of the more amusing things that came with the classic GI Joe toys were the character's military file cards on the back of the toy packaging.  The file cards included a pic of the character along with important information about the character and a description of their history and role in the GI Joe story.  The important information included things like the character's real name, any alias' the character went by, their job specialization and even (in the case of the Joes) their military pay grade. 

 

It was a tiny little bit of pseudo-realism that made the toys that much cooler.  I even knew kids (myself included) that would cut out the military cards and would keep a file of all of the characters they had toys for.  Now it looks like the new GI Joe movie is going to be including military file cards on the back of the movie toys as well, but this time around the information they are sharing with us about the upcoming film is downright scary. 

 

A GI Joe fansite called Hisstank has obtained copies of a number of the new toy file cards, and its making things look pretty grim.  Admittedly, it isn't all bad news.  The Stormshadow file card for example (pictured above) actually looks pretty cool.  But then you get retardedness like this:

 



 

Why does the GI Joe team's resident computer hacker look like a 70's porn star?  Seriously, what's with the bad haircut and the porn-stache?  And what in gods name is that stupid looking thing over his eye?  How the hell does that help him hack into computer systems.  And why do I get the feeling that at some point in the film we're going to hear some incredibly idiotic and inane technobabble from him like, "If I program a quadrolatical worm program into Cobra's unbreachable firewall, I can use it to bypass their binary firewall and hack into their internet!"

 

But sadly, that's not the worst of it.  Not by far.  The truth of the suckiness that this film will be presenting to us can't even be properly described.  It is best just to show you.  Meet . . . . . The Doctor!

 



 

Wow.  Just . . . . . wow.  He looks like a supervillain from a low budget sci-fi kids show from the 1980's.  Is this guy supposed to be menacing?  Really?  How can someone not look at this guy and bust up laughing? 

 

Here's the really really sad part.  For those of you who are reading this and who are GI Joe fans, you're probably asking yourself right now, "Who the frak is The Doctor?  I've never heard of him before!"  It's a good question to ask.  Just who is The Doctor?  Well . . . . . if this is any indication, according to IMDB the actor who plays The Doctor is also the same actor who plays Cobra Commander. 

 

So The Doctor most likely IS Cobra Commander!

 

Whatever tiny little shred of hope I had left that this film wasn't going to suck more than any other sucky film in sucky film history has ever sucked before is now dead and gone.  This is shaping up to be the worst god damned movie of all time.  This film is going to make films like Waterworld and In the Name of The King look like oscar winning Best Pictures by comparison.  I'm going to have to get good and drunk before I can bring myself to step into the theater to see this giant piece of crap.

 

Is it happy hour yet?  I need a stiff drink after posting this.  Maybe a couple.  Aw frak it.  I can't wait for happy hour to come.  I'm just going to have to start drinking right now.  Only booze can help me forget the horror that is The Doctor.

 

UPDATE:  Since I originally posted this article this morning, Hisstank (the site I link to above) has been ordered by Hasbro to remove the images of the file cards that they had posted on their page.  Due to this I lost some of the images I had posted as I had directly linked to their images.  I apologize for this error on my part.  I was able to save two of the images below, but unfortunately the images of Stormshadow and the Baroness have been lost. 

 

I have edited the article to not reference the missing photos.  Once again, I apologize for this.

Geek Item Of the Week - 01/30/09

 

3D Star Wars Kites

 

I know it's the middle of January right now, and going out into the freezing cold to fly a kite probably isn't very high on everyone's "To Do" lists right now, but these kites are so damn cool I had to share them with you right now.  They are fully 3D kites in the shape of famous Star Wars spaceships. 

 

Available for purchase are an X-Wing, Vader's Tie Fighter and the Millennium Falcon.  All three ships are rendered in amazing detail considering the fact that they're just kites.  To be quite honest, they're suprisingly pretty to look at. 

 

I can't wait for summer to get here now so I can go to the beach and proudly fly an X-Wing kite.  I can pretty much guaran-damn-tee that it will be the coolest kite present whenever it is flown.  My only worry now is possibly running across some Imperial stooge who is flying a Tie Fighter kite.  If that happens, an aerial dogfight is bound to ensue and I can only pray my kite flying skills can help me outfly the pursuing craft.

 

Sadly, Thinkgeek is currently sold out of the Kites, but they do say they'll be getting more in come April.  I'm just going to have to check back in a few months.  Damn . . . . . I hate waiting.

Everything Is Cooler In Japan

 

It's pretty much impossible for anything to top the already pre-existing awesomeness that is Army of Darkness, but somehow this poster has accomplished this amazing feat.  There is so much greatness in this one image that my eyes are going into an awesomeness overdose.  Whoever designed this Japanese version of the Army of Darkness poster either needs to be given an award for being a graphic design genius or they need to be locked up for being absolutely batshit insane.  I can't decide which.

 

Of the many, many truly awe inspiring things in this poster, here's a list of some of my favorite things.

 

• The soup cans.  How, dear god, has no one ever thought of making Campbells soup cans with Bruce Campbell's name on them?  That's a veritable goldmine in potential merchandising dollars.


• A dolphin jumping through a clothes hanger.


• The pink polka dot background to the "Gimme some sugar baby!!" word bubble.


• The S Mart shopping bag with groceries in it.


• The happy and sad faces in the movie title.


• A hillside covered with toothbrushes and clothes hangers.


• The deadite that is sticking its head into the poster on the left hand side.  He just looks so happy.


• The castle flying the S mart flag.

 

There's a lot more to love, but those are my favorite bits.  Good lord I need to find a copy of this poster so I can frame it and bow before it in daily worship of its greatness.

 

Thanks go to Christina for pointing this out to me.  My day has already achieved its coolness pinnacle.  It's all downhill from here.

Johnny Rico Needs Your Help Soldier

 

 

Casper Van Dein rules!  The above clip is a PSA he did for childhelp.org, an organization that helps children who are the victims of abuse.  In it he once again plays the role of Johnny Rico, the hard-as-nails soldier from Starship Troopers (one of the best damn sci-fi movies of all time). 

 

This ad is 100% pure awesome.  From the music to the large number of extras running around in the background, this thing is the coolest PSA's I've seen since the days of the GI Joe cartoon show.  Props go to both childhelp.org for thinking of this as an idea for an ad and to Mr. Van Dien for being willing to don the space marine outfit once again. 

 

The only thing this ad is missing though is a narrator at the very end asking us, "Would you like to know more?"

Neil Gaiman Is Awesome, And He Loves Buttons

 

I love Neil Gaiman.  He's an amazing writer whose works include such great things like the comic book series The Sandman as well as full novels like American Gods, Neverwhere and Stardust.

 

He also writes children's books and just won the prestigous Newbery Award for his latest work entitled The Graveyard Book.

 

In the above video, he's promoting the upcoming release of the movie version of his story Coraline.  Even though it's basically just an ad for the movie, I can't help but find myself drawn in to just watch Mr. Gaiman talk as he explains his love for buttons and how he wonders how some people can actually be afraid of them.

 

Koumpounophobia is the irrational fear of buttons.  It is suffered by a small group of people across the world, and they would probably do well to not go see Neil Gaiman's new movie where people in a parallell world have buttons for eyes.

 

Thanks go to Geek-tastic contributor Christina for pointing out this awesome trailer/commercial to me.

Quiz Time - Name The Original Justice League Members

 

Another great quiz has been created over at Mental_Floss.  This time the challenge is to name all seven original members of the Justice League in less than four minutes.  Do you remember who the original seven were?  And there's no cheating here folks.  No looking up the answers on Wikipedia. 

 

How long will it take you to remember the original team?  It took me 1 minute and 37 seconds to remember them all.  I got the first five members of the team  in about ten seconds and then had to wrack my brain for the other two.  I'm glad I was able to remember them though.  I'd feel like less of a geek if I had failed to name them all in the alloted time.

 

To take the quiz, click here.

 

Be sure to post your results in the comments.  How many could you get?  If you got them all, how long did it take you?

This Week's Episode Of The Clone Wars Looks Cool And Creepy

 

I'll admit it.  I've been really enjoying the Clone Wars cartoon series.  Sure, there have been some bad episodes here and there (any episode with Jar Jar in it) but on the whole the series so far has been highly enjoyable and has even produced some episodes that I think are far superior to any of the prequel films.

 

I'm not sure if this week's episode is going to be one of those, but based on what we can see in the above clip from this Friday's episode it's going to at least be intruiging.  If the clip is anything like the rest of the episode, then we may be in store for some creepy cool Star Wars tension.  The image of a room full of clone trooper helmets on stakes certainly is suprising.  And seeing clone troopers in snow gear is pretty damn sweet too.  The references to Hoth are obvious with Obi-Wan and Anakin bundled up for cold weather operations.  In fact, I'm pretty sure Anakin is wearing the exact same style jacket Han wears on Hoth in Episode V.

 

But who killed all of the clone troopers?  It's not the separatists, that's for sure.  It looks like a new enemy is popping up in this episode.  I guess we're going to have to watch to find out who it is.

The Greatest Flow Chart Of All Time

 

The image above is only a small part of an amazing and hilarious flow chart that was created by the amazing people over at IO9.  To see the full image, you can either click on the image or you can click here.

 

The chart itself maps out how to create your very own episode of the original Star Trek series starring Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock.  It's got pretty much everything imaginable that the crew of the enterprise can run across.  Dangerous aliens, seductive women, children with god-like powers.  You name it and it's there. 

 

And of course, most of the problems that the ship can get into are easily solved by Kirk taking his shirt off and proving just how manly he is. 

 

The chart really does make for a great read.  I highly suggest it.  And kudos to the great folks who made this up.  It's awesome!

10 Years of Doctor Manhattan

 

I know I post a lot about the upcoming Watchmen film, and believe me when I say that I am working to bring you only the best things that I find online.  I do sort out the stuff I find and determine which things to post and which to not, and the above video is definitely post worthy.

 

It's a fake 1970 newscast that is looking back on 10 years of living in the shadow of Doctor Manhattan, and it's brilliant.  The clip does an amazing job of capturing the feel of a cheesy 70's newscast.  From the sets to the actors to even the mics they're using, it all looks so good.

 

I think my favorite part though, is the couple of seconds they show of a Doctor Manhattan cartoon show from the 60's.  It looks like the Superfriends which is so rad.

 

This is the kind of stuff that is making me really excited about the Watchmen film.  The sheer level of detail the filmmakers are putting into the project is astounding.  Did they need to make something like this to promote the movie?  No.  But is it super cool that they took the time to make this?  Hells yes!!!

World War Z Concept Art Makes Everything Better

 

After having my heart trampled on by the stupidity that was the Snake Eyes poster from the G.I. Joe movie, I definitely need something to cheer me up.  Thank god then that I was able to find this picture of some concept art for the possible World War Z film that is currently in pre-production.

 

World War Z, for those unfamiliar with it, is a book that was written by Max Brooks (the same guy who wrote the Zombie Survival Guide).  It's about the zombie apocalypse as told by those who survived through the events.  Written as a historical account of the war with the undead, the book features a fictional author as he interviews different people and relates their stories of survival in a world overrun by zombies. Basically, the book reads like a report to the UN on how the infection started and then spread across the world.

 

The book is currently in the process of having a film adaptation made of it.  Brad Pitt's production company Plan B Entertainment has attained the rights to the film, and writer J. Michael Straczynski is currently writing a screenplay for it. 

 

The concept art shown above is by artist Daniel LuVisi who isn't officially a part of the project exactly, but he's put the piece together in an attempt to get hired on as a conceptual designer for the film.  I really hope that the people at Plan B are paying attention to this, because it's a beautiful piece of work.  They definitely need to hire this man, and fast.  I would go see any zombie film that looked even half as good as the action in this painting looks.

 

I did have to shrink the image a bit to get it to fit here on Geek-tastic though.  If you'd like to see a bigger version of the image (including some close ups on part of the image), click here.

The G.I. Joe Movie Makes Me Want To Cry

 

Ok, on first glance this new poster of Snake Eyes from the upcoming G.I. Joe movie doesn't look too bad.  From the waist up he looks like a fairly accurate representation of the character millions of kids grew up loving.  He's got gun in one hand, a sword in the other, a bandolier across his chest and he has the almost medieval looking visor over his face.  That's how Snake Eyes is supposed to look. 

 

But then as one scrolls down the photo, a glaring problem arises.  Why . . . . . in the name of all that is holy . . . . . is Snake Eyes wearing Dockers!?!?!?!?!?

 

Really?  Slacks?  Since when did ninjas start wearing business casual?  It looks ridiculous.  Why couldn't the rest of the outfit be the same stuff that makes up his top half?  Why oh why must you punish me so G.I. Joe movie?  Why must you make me fear your very existence when I have longed to see a live action version of the cartoon show since I was six years old?  Why do you have to suck so completely?  Having Snake Eyes wearing dockers is a horrible idea.  It would be like having Stormshadow wearing sneakers.  Oh, wait!

 



 

That's right, in the movie Stormshadow WILL be wearing sneakers.  Because of course everyone knows that evil ninjas never leave the house without wearing their favorite spair of tennis shoes.

 

What's really sad though is that at the same time I see insanity like this, the film also gives me a poster that looks really cool.  Case in point, the new poster of The Baroness.

 



 

This is pretty much dead on how I had hoped to see the Baroness.  Black leather clad, weilding dual guns, black hair flowing and wearing glasses.  That's pretty much spot on.  Why then, is this film seemingly capable of both delivering exactly what the fans want to see while at the same time crushing our hearts and souls with completly lunatic moves?

 

I greatly fear what this film will bring.  You can bet I'll be bringing a box of tissues with me to the theater when I go to see this.  If, when you're watching the film, you hear the sounds of a grown man crying behind you in the theater as his childhood is slowly raped before him, that'll be me.  I'll try not to be too loud.

 

There were three other posters released which feature Duke, Scarlet and Ripcord, but I didn't really find anything post worthy about them because the posters show all of the Joes in the same featureless, Batman ripoff, black military suits.  If you're really interested in checking them out, you can see them here, but they really are rather boring.

New Geek DVD Day - 01/27/2009

 

The Good: Batman on Blu-ray

 

Why It's Good:  While many of us are still feeling a warm and fuzzy high after watching the awesomeness that was last summer's Dark Knight  I should point out that as great as that film is, it (or any other Bat-film for that matter) would never have been made if it wasn't for the success of Tim Burton's 1989 film Batman.

 

It's easy to forget just how amazing Burton's Batman is when looking at it in hindsight after seeing something like Batman Begins or Dark Knight.  Up until Tim Burton came along, as far as the general public was concerned Batman was a happy crusader who wore blue and grey and when he punched people funny words like "Pow" or "Wham" flew across the screen.  Sure, we the comic book fans had read Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns.  We knew Batman wasn't just a campy hero.  But the average movie going public only saw Batman as he appeared in the Superfriends or in the old 60's TV series.

 

Then a guy named Tim Burton comes along and makes a film about a Batman who wears all black, who isn't a happy guy at all, and who beats the holy hell out of criminals.  Batman, as a result, would never be seen the same way again.  From that point on people could only see him as the Dark Knight and any attempts to try to make him campy again (I'm looking at you Joel Shumacher) were doomed to failure.

 

Now, Batman is available on Blu-ray, so you can enjoy its stylized glory in true high definition.  Is it as good as Christopher Nolan's take on Batman?  That's up for debate.  But what isn't is the fact that Batman was a turning point in superhero movies when Hollywood started to learn that dark hero films could turn a profit.  If it wasn't for Batman and it setting the standard, a lot of what we enjoy today probably wouldn't be getting made.

 



 

The Badass:  The All-New Superfriends Hour - Season One (Volume 2)

 

Why It's Badass:  I know I just sort of looked at the Superfriends in a negative light in regards to how it altered the public's perception of Batman, but that's not to say that the Superfriends was in any way a bad show.  Far from it.  Superfriends was a great kids show, and it was singlehandedly responsible for introducing both myself, and an entire generation of kids, to DC's superheroes like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash and The Green Lantern.

 

Superfriends and the Spider-man cartoon show are almost solely responsible for getting me to start reading comics as a kid.  And I'm sure I'm not the only person who that is true for.  It was a started step for many people on the road to being the geeks we are now, and we will forever be indebted to it.

 



 

The Awesome:  Hulk Vs.

 

Why It's Awesome:  It's The Hulk beating the ever-loving crap out of both Thor and Wolverine.  What's not to love about that basic premise?  From what I've heard, the two stories included on this DVD are short on plot and heavy on action.  This is pretty much the exact kind of film I've been wanting to see Marvel or DC create since I was about five years old. 

 

Finally, it looks like my dreams have been answered after all these years.  Now I can watch superheroes beating each other up for over an hour, with just enough plot to let me understand why they're fighting.  Plus, the animation quality looks to be top notch.  I am quite literally counting down the minutes until I can get off of work today so I can go pick this one up.  That's how badly I want to see this.

Scott McCloud On The Nature Of The Comics Medium

 

Scott McCloud is a comic artist and and theorist whose works include the comic book series Zot! as well as the books Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics which analyze comics and explore what goes into a comic and how comics can grow and change to expand their use as an artistic and storytelling medium.

 

Back in 2005, Scott McCloud gave a speech at the TED conferences (TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design) about the nature of comics and how computers and the internet can be used to alter and expand the ways in which comic stories are drawn and how readers can interact with them.  It's a fascinating presentation and I wanted to share it with you. 

 

Mr. McCloud does an amazing job of analyzing the history of comics from prehistoric times to present and proposes some incredibly interesting ways in which comics can use  modern technology to expand their scope and alter how stories are told. 

 

If you're fan of comic books or newspaper or online comics, then I think you'll really enjoy the presentation.  It is 17 minutes long though, so be prepared to take a little time to really listen to what he has to say.  It's definitely worth it though, I promise.

They're Baaaaaaaccck!

 

For those of you too young to remember, V was a television series from the 1980's that aired on NBC.  It was about an alien invasion of the planet Earth, and it seriously rocked!  The aliens came to Earth pretending to be friendly, but while they had everyone on the planet convinced that they were nice they were secretly plotting to steal all of our resources and to kill us all off.  That is, until a small group of people found out the truth and began a resistence movement against the evil alien bastards.

 

Now, 20 years later, the show is coming back.

 

ABC has given a pilot order to V, a re-imagining of the 1980s miniseries about an alien invasion, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

 

Written on spec by The 4400 co-creator/executive producer Scott Peters, the new V will center on a female Homeland Security agent.

 

Peters is executive-producing the pilot with HDFilms principal Jason Hall.

 

If done right, this show could be a solid replacement for sci-fi fans who will desperately be looking for something new to watch once Battlestar Galactica ends this summer.  A good alien invasion show may just be the thing to fit that vacant spot nicely.  I personally hope they go with a dark series in which humanity has to fight for its survival and the aliens and totally evil bad guys.  But that's just me.

 

Either way, I'm just excited that V is coming back.  I loved that show as a kid and am really looking forward to how a modern remake treats the show.

To Boldly Go......

 

We were all saddened last month when Majel Barrett Roddenberry, the wife of the late Star Trek Creator Gene Roddenberry, passed away.  Today though, something uplifting can be found from that sad event.  Mrs. Roddenberry and her husband will be spending eternity together as they boldly go where no man has gone before . . . . . . into space.

 

Celestis Inc., a company that specializes in "memorial spaceflights," said Monday that it will ship the remains of Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett Roddenberry into space next year.

 

The couple's cremated remains will be sealed into specially made capsules designed to withstand the rigors of space travel. A rocket-launched spacecraft will carry the capsules, along with digitized tributes from fans. The Roddenberrys' remains — and the spacecraft — will travel ever deeper into space and will not return to earth, company spokeswoman Susan Schonfeld said.

 

This is such a fitting end for a couple that has taken millions of fans into the stars with their creation of Star Trek. Now fans will forever be able to look up into the heavens and know that Gene and Majel are travelling out into the vastness of the universe that they dreamed about so often.

 

Godspeed Mr. and Mrs. Roddenberry. Godspeed.

A Star Wars Horror Book? Wait.......What?

 

Over the last 20 years or so, about a million different Star Wars books have been written.  The've covered everything from thousands of years before Episode IV: A New Hope to well over a hundred years after the film and everywhere in between.  The books have been written in many genres such as action, adventure, comedy, young teen novels, etc.  Recently a three part series came out that was sort of in the vein of the noir crime novel genre.  But never, ever, in all these years has a single Star Wars book come out that was written to be a horror story.

 

That is, until now.

 

Deathtroopers is an upcoming novel by author Joe Schreiber that will be the very first book to ever mix elements of the Star Wars universe with horror stories like those you'd find in monster movies or slasher flicks.  Think of it like Star Wars meets Alien or Friday the 13th or something like that.

 

Details of the book's story are sketchy at best right now.  The only things I could find out were that the book will take place right before Episode IV, it comes out this year on October 27th (just in time for Halloween), and it's supposed to be pretty bloody and violent.  I have no idea what the plot of the book will be.

 

I can't say that I've ever heard of the author Joe Shreiber either, so I looked him up too.  It turns out he's a horror writer who's previous works include the novels Chase The Dead and Eat The Dark.  His books seem to be fairly well regarded based on the reviews from people on amazon.com, but other than that I can't really judge the guy because I've never read any of his previous works.

 

Personally, I find this move suprising but at the same time I am hopeful that the book will be good.  As a fan of Star Wars, sci-fi in general and horror films, I can't help but enjoy the prospect of a really good sci-fi horror tale set in the Star Wars universe.  Also, speaking as a fan who has longed for Star Wars stories to branch off from always being PG rated tales meant for general audiences into darker stories that focus on the seedier side of the galaxy, I for one am really hopeful that this is the beginning of a new trend for the expanded universe.  If this sells well and is well regarded by fans, maybe Lucasfilm and the Lucasbooks company will realize there is a strong market for adult centered Star Wars tales that focus on darker topics that the kids and family based books don't cover. 

 

Just imagine a Star Wars book that really delves into the evils that a person who has fallen to the dark side commits.  What falling to the dark side truly means and how it changes a person.  Speaking as an adult fan, that is the stuff I want to read.  I enjoy a cheery and happy story where the Jedi always win just as much as the next guy does, but I also want to see stories that focus on the opposite end of that spectrum . . . . . . where evil wins or good is corrupted.  It's time that the Star Wars universe grew up a little bit to appeal to the wants and needs of its grown up fanbase.  Hopefully, this new novel will be the first step in that direction.  Sure, the name of the book is kind of stupid, but the cover art is wicked cool.  I can't wait to read this one.

The 70's Were Way Cooler Than They Get Credit For

 

(I unfortunatly had to shrink the above image down a bunch to fit on this page, but if you click on the image itself you'll be able to see the image in it's full sized glory. You can also click here.)

 

Looking at the above painting by Artist Dusty Abell of television's sci-fi heroes of the 1970's, I can't help but get a little Nostalgic for the days of yore when the classic sci-fi shows I loved as a kid ruled television's airwaves.  Yet at the same time I can't help but marvel at how many of the shows I grew up loving are back in some form or another today and are still going strong.

 

The most obvious examples I can think of are Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who.  Both of those shows were staples of 1970's sci-fi television, and as such are featured prominently in the above picture.  Yet both shows are once again currently ruling the television airwaves through either remakes or modernizations or whatever you wish to call them.  Sure, the Doctor may not be wearing a colorful scarf anymore, and Starbuck is no longer a dude, but the shows are still going strong and are once again leading a wave of great new sci-fi TV.

 

Even other properties shown in the pic are still with us.  Spider-man has been ruling the box office lately.  Last summer's The Incredible Hulk was a giant movie sized love letter to the classic Bill Bixby series.  Even Captain America and Buck Rogers are about to get big screen adaptations made of them.  The point is this, the 70's were a helluva lot cooler than people give them credit for.  Were they perfect years?  Of course not.  But the same decade that gave us disco also gave us Wonder Woman on TV, the Six Million Dollar Man, Cylons, that sad song that played as Bruce Banner walked down that lonely road and so much more. 

 

I heard a lot of talk last year about how we were living in the "Era of the Geek".  How the Dark Knights success, along with all of the other great comic book films from last summer, had heralded in a new age where it was cool to be a geek.  Upon further reflection, I disagree with that statement.  We've been living in the era of the geek for quite some time now.  It's just that now is when the rest of society is starting to realize it.  Science fiction and comic books have been what kids have been raised on since the 60's.  Whether it was Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar galactica, Buck Rogers, Doctor Who, The Greatest American Hero, Spider-man, The Super Friends or about a thousand other great geek shows . . . . . comics and sci-fi has been ruling entertainment for generations now.  So is it any wonder then that we can enjoy something like the Dark Knight in theaters while watching shows like Heroes and Lost and Battlestar on TV? 

 

The more I think about it, the less and less it suprises me.  What started as an underground culture in the 50's and 60's has grown to become the mainstream of the 21st century.  The progress has been slow and steady, but that's how social change works.  I'm just happy to say that I've been a part of the scene since I was a little kid.

 

(Via IO9)

The New Indiana Jones Videogame Trailer Makes Me As Giddy As A Schoolboy

 



 

I don't know how I didn't know about this, but there's a new Indiana Jones videogame coming out . . . . . . and it looks amazing!

 

It's called Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings.  It's coming out for the Wii, which saddens me a little only because I'm an Xbox 360 whore, but I'm still really excited about the idea of the game.  Getting to use the Wiimote as Indy's trademark whip could be a lot of fun.

 

Of course, no real gameplay footage is shown in the trailer, it's all just cutscenes, so for all we know the game will be total crap.  But the cutscenes make the game look like it's going to be a lot of fun.  Any game trailer that starts with Indy at the bar having a drink is guaranteed good times.

 

Sadly though, this has reminded me of how bad Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was.  By comparison, this game trailer is about a million times better.  Hey, maybe if we're lucky Lucasfilm will make a CG animated Indiana Jones series a la The Clone Wars.  Hell, I'd watch that!

I'm Going To Have To Start Watching Burn Notice

 

I've heard from a couple of people that USA's original TV series Burn Notice was actually a good show and was worth watching, but for one miscellaneous reason or another I just never got around to watching it.

 

I've also known for a while now that Bruce Campbell (hallowed by thy name) has a reaccuring role on the series as well.  I was always under the impression though that Bruce's character was a minor background role and that he only popped up occasionally on the series.

 

That may have been true at some point, but it appears that someone over at USA is a genius and finally realized that Bruce Campbell is beloved by millions of geeks and that if they promoted his being in Burn Notice heavily and also beefed up his role in the series, Bruce's already pre-built and highly loyal fanbase would flock to the show in droves to see what he's up to.

 

The result of that decision if the incredibly cool trailer posted above, in which we see Bruce doing what he does best . . . . . . being Bruce.

 

What's funny is that the commercial advertises "Bruce Campbell stars in an all new season of Burn Notice."  Stars in?  He's the star now?  I thought the other guy who played the agent who's the main character of the show was the star of the show.  I guess not anymore.

 

But hey, you aren't going to see me complain.  I'll watch any show that stars Bruce Campbell in a Hawaiian shirt and drinking heavily.  That, to me, is the model for a perfect TV show.

 

"Hey, a free drink is a free drink baby!"  Well said Bruce, well said.  You truly are a great and wise man.

Playmates Needs To Have Their Star Trek License Revoked

 

Over the last week or so, the first few images of the upcoming Star Trek movie toys have been making their way across the internets, and I can't help but feel angry and just how god awful horribly bad they look.

 

The toyline is being produced by Playmates Toys, the same company who put out the cheesy, but at least enjoyable line of Star Trek toys from the early to mid 90's.  Playmates has kept ahold of the Star Trek License for all these years and is now in charge of the new movie toys for the upcoming summer blockbuster. 

 

The problem is that in the last 15 years or so, it doesn't look like a single technological improvement has been made in how action figures are made at playmates.  These new toys look just like the old line of Star Trek toys from 1993.   Just look for yourselves.

 



 

Is this really the best Playmates could do?  The new Kirk figure looks nothing like the actor playing him.  And even those who do hold a passing resemblance to the people playing them look cheap and plasticy.  This is the kind of quality I'd expect if I found a line of Star Trek figures at a swap meet that were made by a knock-off toy company somewhere in Mexico.  Playmates is a large company and they hold the license to one of the biggest sci-fi franchises of all time.  And the best they could come up with was this?

 



 

Good god.  The Star Trek toy franchise has been destroyed before it even really had a chance to get going.  This makes me really sad.  I can only hope that someone at Paramount will at some point realize what an atrocious job Playmates is doing with the toy license and will revoke their ability to make more figures.

 

You know it's a sad day indeed when the new Star Trek Barbie dolls look a million times better than the action figures.  You'll have to excuse me for a bit now.  I need to go curl up into a corner and cry myself to sleep.

The Doctor's New Companion Will Be A Little Bit Bionic

 

Ok, not really.  But she was once bionic . . . sort of.

 

The BBC has accounced the identity of the Doctor's new companion for the upcoming Doctor Who Easter Special that will be airing on the BBC sometime this Spring and eventually in the US around the year 2037 (at least that's how it feels sometimes).  Her name is Michelle Ryan, and she's best known for her short-lived stint on the reboot of the Bionic Woman series that died a little while ago.

 

In the episode titled "Planet of the Dead," Ryan, 24, will portray the mysterious Lady Christina de Souza.

 

"As always the script is being kept strictly under wraps," says executive producer and writer Russell T. Davies. "However, we can reveal that Lady Christina is a woman with a mysterious past who's going to have a huge impact on the Doctor."

 

Current plans are saying that Michelle's run as the companion will only be for this one movie, but rumors have been flying lately that Ms. Ryan may very well become the Doctor's permanent companion once David Tennant leaves the show and Matt Smith steps in as the 11th Doctor.

 

I'll be keeping an eye on this and will let you know as soon as I hear anything new.

Barack Is One Bad Mother...(Shut Yo Mouth)!

 

Hey Man, I'm just talking about Obama!

 

Gamu Toys, a Japanese toy manufacturer is coming out with what can only be described as the most badass presidential action figure series of all time.  It's a line of 6" Barack Obama figures that come with a variety of weapons including things like guns, swords, the US Flag and even a lightsaber.

 

Yes, you heard me right . . . . . a frakking lightsaber!

 



 

The toy company's site seems to be down as I write this, as it's probably been crashed from the sheer force of the billions of nerds like me out there who are all trying to get the lightsaber weilding 44th President all at the same time.  So I have no idea what these figures cost, or even if they're available for purchase yet.  But I felt it my duty to report to you, my fellow geeks, that such awesome toys exist out there somewhere and you should be on the lookout for them.

 

Thanks go to my good friend Aaron for pointing out the awesomeness of these figures to me.

 

You can see more images of the figures in all of their awesome Presidential glory by going here.

The Week In Geek

This week on Geek-tastic, we learned the following:

 

• We finally learned who the final Cylon is.


• Fox Pictures and Warner Bros have reached an agreement over the Watchmen movie. Thank God!


• Some superpowers are totally useless.


• KFC is running a contest, and its name cracks me up.


• Captain Kirk is totally going to be nailing Barbie soon.


• We have even more evidence that Superman is a dick.


• The inauguration as seen through the eyes of a WoW player is highly amusing.

Geek Item Of The Week

 

Radio Controlled K9

 

Doctor Who has had many companions over the years.  He seldom travels alone.  But in all the years the time lord has been galavanting around the cosmos, he has only ever had one animal companion.  That companion was K9, the super-intelligent robot dog.  Now you too can have your very own robot dog companion, and he comes with these great features:

 

Each quarter-scale K9 is full of lush, accurate details. From the light up eye unit and back panel to the extendable nose blaster, this R/C K9 was made to be the next best thing to owning a real K9 unit. And just like the real thing, the R/C K9 is not a quiet robot; the only difference is that you are complete control of his 7 audible phrases. Heck, even K9's satellite-dish ears wiggle when he moves. This is more than just a great toy, this is a life companion - ready to serve you. "Affirmative, Master."



1/4 Scale R/C K9 features:

 

• Full R/C control of movement and sounds


• Speaks 7 phrases (plus one more when first activated)


• Extendable Nose Blaster (note: unit will not move when extended)


• Nose Blaster firing sound effects


• Removable side panel


• Lights in side panel and on back


• Light up eye unit


• Ears move when in motion


• Dimensions: approx 15" x 5" x 10.5"


• Batteries: Uses 4 AA and a 9V (not included)

 

If you've never seen an episode of Dooctor Who with K9 in it, that's understandable. He was a regular on the show back in the 70's and has only appeared once on the new version of the show.  However, he's a regular on the Doctor Who spinoff series The Sarah Jane Adventures.  Here's a great clip of K9 playing chess with the Doctor.

The Mutant Chronicles Looks To Be Filled With Awesome

 

The above trailer is an almost perfect example of what I look for in a good movie trailer.

 

• Monsters that need  killing . . . . . . Check.


• Spaceships . . . . . . Check.


• A post apocalyptic world . . . . . . Check


• John Malkovich . . . . . . Check


• People shooting things . . . . . . Check


• Things getting stabbed with swords . . . . . . Check


• A small band of heroes vs. an army of mutants . . . . . . Check


• Direct references to human history even though the film is set in the future . . . . . . Check

 

Ok, so I'm a simple guy, and I like simple things.  So sue me.  But god damn if the trailer for the upcoming film The Mutant Chronicles doesn't look frakking amazing. 

 

Set in the 23rd century, mankind is at war with evil mutants that seem hell bent on wiping us out.  It's up to a small group of soldiers to save the whole of humanity.  Now that's what I call a classic sci-fi plot.  The film has an interesting cast with people like the aforementioned Mr. Malkovich along with Ron Pearlman, Thomas Jane and the hot Asian chick who played deadly little Miho in Sin City (Devon Aoki).  Mix that up with an army in World War I outfits that are fighting the evil mutants with trench warfare and I'm sold. 

 

Oh, and if the film doesn't sound like it has enough geek cred for you, it's based on a tabletop pen & paper RPG game by the same name.  This thing makes the D&D film look like a low budget piece of crap.  Oh...wait...the D&D film was a low budget piece of crap.

 

Sigh.  What I wouldn't give for an R rated D&D film.

 

The Mutant Chronicles is set to come out on April 29th.

Guess Who's Coming To Middle Earth

 

No, it's not Hellboy.  It's the guy to the right of the Hellboy comic.  His name is Mike Mignola, he's the creator, writer and artist of Hellboy...and he's just started working with Guillermo Del Toro on the prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit.

 

According to MTV news, Del Toro has announced that he is working with Mignola on early visualization designs for the film.

 

"We are sketching and designing with Weta's John Howe, and [Adam Lee]," del Toro offered. "Mike Mignola is coming soon. He's going to do a stint on the design team."

 

This is good news for fans of Mignola, who worked with del Toro on both "Hellboy" films as well as providing some art for "Pan's Labyrinth."

 

"In about two, three months we're going to full-on have more designers come on ... from outside Weta. But we are already about a good third of the road [along] with some of the creatures — some really interesting and strong designs."

 

I personally see this as good news.  Del Toro and Mignola work really well together, and if their prior works together like the Hellboy films and Pan's Labyrinth are any indication we're going to be in for an amazing visual treat when we go to see The Hobbit.

 

I am definitely counting down the days until this film comes out.

Are These Two Guys Dangerous To Kids?

 

Apparently so, according to the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood.  They're currently running a voting campaign on their website to determine the toy or game that will be deemed evil enough to earn a TOADY award.  The TOADY award stands for Toys Oppressive And Destructive To Young Children.

 

Lego Batman?  Oppressive and destructive to young children?  Really?  Ok, the oppressive and destructive bit I'll buy...but only to criminals and mobsters and supervillains maybe.  He's definitely not oppressive or destructive to kids.  Surely they must be joking, right?  What's their complaint against the game?  Here's what they have to say about it on their website.

 

How do you turn the ultimate creative toy into a symbol of commercialized childhood? Begin by partnering with media companies to sell that toy in branded kits designed for recreating movies like Star Wars, rather than creative construction. Then, dispense with hands-on building altogether by turning your toy into a video game so that instead of deciding what to build next, children choose which cyber weapons to use to beat up their opponent. Finally, ignore the fact it was rated suitable for ages 10 & up and partner with McDonald’s for a Happy Meal toy giveaway to simultaneously promote the video game, junk food, and the violent Dark Knight movie series to preschoolers.

 

Now I'll agree that as cool as Lego Batman toy sets are, they're not as cool as a giant pile of miscellaneous Legos that you can use to make whatever you want.  But that's not to say that Lego Batman sets are bad or oppressive.  Sure the kids are given instructions to build the specific Lego sets they'be bought, but doesn't teaching them to be able tofollow instructions and to build a specific item and complete a goal count as educational too?  And do you really think that whatever they build will always stay the way it is once its built?  Hell no, it'll only be a matter of days (if not hours) before the Batmobile or whatever it is gets taken apart and is rebuilt into either something else or gets added on to in some awesome way.  That's what Legos are for.

 

I'll grant you that it is a step in introducing a kid to an incredibly commercialized property, but that doesn't mean that the game is Oppressive or Destructive.  Batman has been around since the 1939.  Multiple generations have been raised on him, and the world doesn't seem to be coming to an end.  Considering that there are a million other things out there for kids to play with that are more dangerous than a videogame (take for example kids who find a parent's hidden gun or a kid who decides to play with his dad's powertools), I really don't see Lego Batman really earning a place on this list as horribly oppressive or destructive.

 

Also, on a totally unrelated side note.  Bonus points will go to any reader who realized that in the photo of Lego Batman and Robin, there is a ladder in the puddle's reflection that isn't actually there behind them.  Woohoo!  Go bad photoshop jobs for the win!!!

 

(Via Joystiq)

The Inauguration As Seen Through The Eyes Of A WoW Player

 

This last Tuesday was a truly historic day for America.  The 44th President of the United States was sworn in.  Eight years of bad politics and the machinations of evil leaders have come to an end and a new era has begun where we can hope that the future will be better than today.  Barack Obama is now our President.

 

As historic as this event is though, that doesn't mean that we can't have a good time with it and make some fun of the event.  Take for example the above picture of the election, as seen through the view of the World of Warcraft player interface.

 

I absolutely love this picture.  Aside from the basic level of nerdity that is superimposing the WoW interface over a picture of our new president, there is a bunch of great little nerdy things within the picture itself to love.  Some of it may be hard to see above because I had to shrink the photo down a bit to get it to fit on the page.  If you'd like to see the full sized image, you can click here.  But here's a few of the things I loved about the pic:

 

On the right side of the screen you have Barack Obama's current quests that he's working on.  In his queue at the moment is a quest called "Crush The Republicans!" which required him to collect the heads of both John McCain and Sarah Palin as well as collecting 270 electoral votes.  Barack, of course, has collected 364 votes.  Also in the quest queue is "Transfer of Power" in which he must take office to complete the quest.  As of Tuesday afternoon, that quest has been completed.

 

In the bottom right hand corner of the screen is the most recent spell Barack has cast...the Hymn of Hope.  On the left side of the screen, partied up with Obama is Joe Biden, and in the bottom center of the screen you can see that Obama has earned the achievement "President of the United States"

 

I was curious as to what Obama's character class would be in the game, and after consulting with a veteran WoW player, it was determined that based on the spells shown on the screen, Barack Obama would be a Priest and Joe Biden would be a Warrior.  These classifications seem fitting to me as Obama will now have to pretty much heal the nation and Biden will have to fight alongside him as he does this.

 

After a little more thought though, it was decided that Dick Cheney is definitely a Death Knight.

LEGO + Princess Leia In A Bikini = New Levels Of Geekdom

 

You know, yesterday I would have told you that it was physically impossible for someone to create something in the likeness of Princess Leia in her slave outfit that I wouldn't find attractive.  Today though I have woken up to this image, and I realize that I was wrong.  It is completely possible for someone to make a statue of Slave Leia that I think is NOT hot.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love Legos just as much as the next person, but actually taking the time to use Legos to build a giant statue of Princess Leia in a gold bikini?  Something about that just seems wrong to me.  I mean, sure it's awesome that someone had that much committment to create something so truly unique, but the resulting statue is...well...sort of creepy looking.

 

I'm not sure whether it's her robot looking face, or her freaky hair, or maybe it's just the standard Lego clamp hands and square feet...but there's just something about this statue that is just plain wrong.  Slave Leia is just not meant to be transformed into giant Lego form.  The standard Lego minifig is fine, but giant Lego Leia?  Just say no kids.  Just say no.

 

(Via Geekdad)

For my Batman Friends

 

This is just too, too awesome to not share.

 



 

Who says the Boy In Blue doesn't have a sense of humor?

The New Street Fighter IV Trailer Looks Good But.....

 

 

It sounds like total crap!  I don't know who Capcom got to write the dialogue for this game, or who they got to hire the voice actors used to play the characters...but they really need to be fired.

 

I know it's a fighting game, and so to even expect a decent story is kind of besides the point.  But if you're going to make a five minute long trailer like this one and fill it with tons of character dialogue, can't you at least try not to make it sound so cheesy that I can't help but laugh at it?

 

The game itself looks great.  The video shows off each and every character in the game in action fighting against other players, and it's an impressive list indeed.  There's a ton of characters in the game, including all of the classic Street Fighter characters as well as a bunch of new people too.  I really want to play the Lucha Libre wrestler!  The game's  visuals look really solid and the gameplay looks like it will be a helluva good time.  But my god the voice acting in the trailer is atrocious.

 

It sounds like something from the early 90's in its level of cheese.  It's almost as bad as the dialogue from the Street Fighter live action movie.  At least we can take solace though in knowing that once the game comes out we can skip past cutscenes and just focus on what a Street Fighter game should really be about...beating the holy hell out of other people with no rhyme or reason as to why you're doing it.

To Boldly Go Where Barbie And Ken Have Gone Before

 

Oh good lord.  This is not what I wanted to see when I got up today.  Of course I should have expected something like this coming at some point.  With JJ Abram's new Star Trek movie coming out as one of this year's big summer event movies, it was only a matter of time I guess until we started seeing all of the merchandise tie-ins.  Both the good and the bad.

 

This one, sadly, falls under the category of bad.  Mattell has released information about a special new line of Star Trek Barbie dolls that they will be releasing in conjunction with the release of Abrams' new film this year.  Yes, you heard me right...Star Trek Barbie dolls.

 

What's really sad though is that as much as I want to make fun of these toys (which are nowhere near as cool as the classic Mego Star Trek Dolls), I can't help but admit that they have gotten the new Kirk's perfectly coiffed hair helmet down perfectly.  It's kind of scary in its accuracy really.

 

And while I feel ashamed to see such beloved Star Trek characters turned into girly collectible items, I will at least take heart in knowing that Captain Kirk will waste no time whatsoever in sleeping with Barbie and taking over her dream house.  He'll probably also steal her pink convertible and drive it off of a cliff just for fun.  Kirk seems to love doing stuff like that.

Watch Dollhouse....please.

 

There is a lot of hubbub going on about whether Joss Whedon’s new show, Dollhouse, starring Eliza Dushku, is actually going to last past its first few episodes. Right out of the gate there are a lot of things working against Dollhouse. The first thing is the pilot is not getting rave reviews. Rumors have been swirling that it lacks Joss Whedon’s token wit. Rumors which were confirmed by Pop Candy’s Whitney Matheson after viewing the sneak preview this past weekend. Secondly, it has the distinct honor of being scheduled on Friday, a common night where TV shows go to die. Third, it is on FOX. You know….the network that is the serial killer of good shows. And lastly, its lead star, while gorgeous and possessing a decent amount of acting skill, has not shown much of an ability to carry her own TV show (i.e. Nurses, Tru Calling).

 

All that said, I think people should give Dollhouse a chance. Anybody who watched Joss’s Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog knows that he actually hasn’t lost his wit or his comedic genius. The man has a lot of talent and if anyone can pull this off he can. As stated previously, Friday night tends to be a dead zone for TV programming, however, with the economy in the toilet at the moment and the fact that people aren’t going out nearly as much to save money, Friday has the potential to grow its TV viewing audience. We should all give Friday a chance! We must also remember that the new “pilot” episode was written in a bit of a hurry and is meant to be more of an introduction to the show and how it works (you know, for those audience members who need everything spelled out for them in overly annoying detail). Oh, and let’s face it! Eliza Dushku is hot, hot, hot. Who wouldn’t want to watch her?

 

So, in the interest of saving Sci-Fi television let’s at least try to give Dollhouse a chance. There is no promise it will be good or that it will last. But, Joss Whedon seems to believe in this show an awful lot and, honestly, he hasn’t really let me down yet. It is just really good to see Joss Whedon back on television and I for one am anxiously awaiting the February 13, 2009 Dollhouse premiere.

It's Time To Get Lost Again

 

 

After an eight month hiatus, Lost returns tonight on ABC.  And while I'm not nearly as pumped up for this return as I was for Battlestar's return last Friday, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to getting back into lost and trying to figure out just what in the hell is going on in that show.

 

It amazes me how for four straight seasons a show has managed to not really answer any of the questions it has brought up, but still manages to make for completely compelling TV viewing.  It's almost as if it's hypnotic.  Maybe that's why Ben has those big creepy bug eyes.  He's hypntizing us to watch more of the show, even though he knows every episode only brings more frustration as what you thought was going to be an answer to something only raises four more questions.

 

Since it's been a while between last year's season finale and now, TV Guide has put together a handly little list that explains what was going on with each major character on the show as last season ended.  It's a pretty good way of catching up in preparation for tonight's premiere.

 

Maybe this season they'll finally explain what the hell that giant statue of the four toed foot was all about, but somehow I doubt it.

The Most Amusingly Named Contest Ever

 

TV and movie tie ins are nothing new, especially when it comes to popular franchises or big budget events.  And fast food tie ins are just as common as any other type of merchandising deal.  It's not uncommon at all to see McDonalds giving away Batman toys with the release of a new Batman TV show or film, or for Taco Bell to be selling Clone Wars kids packs.

 

However, every now and then the pairings of TV and fast food produces some rather strange or hilarious results.  Case in point, the new contest that KFC is putting on in conjunction with the Sci-fi Channel for their Battlestar Galactica TV show.  KFC is currently running a contest called the Frak Pak Sweepstakes in which 10 lucky winners can take home the following:

 

• BSG DVD set


• Framed photo of the BSG version of The Last Supper


• BSG autographed script


• Big Frakkin' Bag


• Cylon Toaster


• A year's worth of KFC chicken

 

Now I have no problem with KFC and Sci-fi working together to promote the best damn show on Television.  I that's that's totally fine.  What I do find absolutely astoundingly funny though is that it's fairly obvious that the people in the marketing division of KFC aren't big BSG fans and have never actually seen the show.  If they had ever actually taken the time to watch an episode, they would have realized that naming their contest the Frak Pak Sweepstakes is a very bad idea.

 

For those of you who have never seen Battlestar Galactica, let me explain.  In the BSG universe, Frak is a very common swear word.  It's used on the show to replace the word Fuck.  This enables the cast of the show to basically be cussing constantly without catching any flak from the censors.  Some examples of the use of the word Frak on the show would be to call someone "A motherfrakker" or to exclaim in a shocked voice "You've got to be frakking kidding me".

 

So for KFC to name their contest the Frak Pak Sweepstakes, they're really actually calling their contest the Fuck Pak Sweepstakes.  I can't help but that that's quite possibly the most awesome contest name I've ever heard.  If I'm wrong in my assessment that no one in the KFC marketing department has ever seen BSG, then the only other option is that they are knowingly calling their contest the Fuck Pak Sweepstakes, and that actually even makes the contest that much cooler.  I really hope they did this on purpose.

 

And yes, of course I signed up for the contest.  I wants me some of that kickass Battlestar swag.  If I win though, you guys can have all of the chicken.  While I like KFC and all, a year worth of their food would probably cause my heart to explode like a giant grease filled grenade, and I'd rather not die from chicken overdose.

 

(Via ToplessRobot)

Here's Something You Don't See Everyday...A Post Apocalypse Comedy

 

Hollywood Writer John August was bored during the writers strike last year.  Without any real work that he could do, he decided to take his time off and do something creatively constructive with it.  He wrote a script, got some friends together and shot a short film that was designed as a possible pilot episode for either a TV series or a web series.  The result is the strangely funny post apocalyptic comedy called The Remnants.

 

So far, only this 10 minute pilot episode has been created, but after watching it I find myself praying that they make more of it.  The Remnants stars an ecclectic cast featuring Ernie Hudson and Justine Bateman among others.  What exactly brought about the end of the world isn't really told to us in the episode, nor is it exactly clear what humanity has turned into.  Vague references are made about some form of either zombies or monsters, but the characters only seem to be worried about being out at night.  There's enough left out to make me really curious as to how the rest of the story will go, but the little bit we get to see here is certainly entertaining on its own.

 

The film has a great nhilistic sense of humor.  There's a rather amusing exchange about the current worth of a Nintendo Wii in a world that no longer has electricity, people are surviving on food like pringles and lunchables, and at one point two guys even play a game of rock paper scissors to see who will get to have sex with the only single woman in the group.  This is definitely my sense of humor.

 

Please hear me hollywood.  Make more of this series.  It's something totally unique.

New Geek DVD Day - 01/20/08

It's yet another really slow week for geeky DVD releases. We've reached the dulldrums of January and find ourselves in a post christmas drought of new things to watch. I've collected some stuff that may be of interest this week, but really only one truly good thing came out.

 



 

The So Odd It May Be Decent:  Repo! The Genetic Opera

 

Why It May Be Decent:  I haven't seen this yet, so it may be total crap, but the premise sounds fun.  Anthony Head (Giles from Buffy The Vampire Slayer) stars as a repo man for an organ company in a bleak future where people are dying from organ failure left and right.  Giles' job is to collect replacement organs from people who have failed to keep up with their payments.

 

The film is also a musical.  So think of it sort of like a modern Rocky Horror Picture Show, but with a lot more blood and gore.  It's a rock opera afterall.  It does sound just about wacky enough to be entertaining, but be warned...Paris Hilton also stars in the film too which means it could just as easily suck mad donkey balls.

 



 

The Meh:  Max Payne

 

Why It's Meh:  Max Payne was a much loved video game.  But as goes with most much loved video games, it got a fairly bad movie adaptation made of it.  Critics trashed it, and most of the reviews I've heard from fans of the game say it's pretty awful. 

 

It is a video game movie though, so you can't really expect much can you.  It stars Marky Mark, and as long as he's shooting lots of people or monsters it may at least be fun to watch with the sound turned off.

 



 

The Underrated:  City of Ember

 

Why It's Underrated:  It stars Bill Murray as an evil character (not something you see often).  That's got to be worth something, right?  Plus, it's a post apocalyptic world in which everyone lives in a giant city underground.  That's always a plus in my book too.  It also has Tim Robbins who I will always like just because he starred in the Hudsucker Proxy.

Sure, it's about two kids so it's sort of a kids film, but I've read some positive reviews that say the script is rather good and the sets are gorgeous.  If you are needing a new Sci-fi fix this week, this would be the way to go.

 



 

The Awesome:  The Powerpuff Girls - The Complete Series

 

Why It's Awesome:  It's Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup!  They're three little girls who are also badass superheroes.  They protect the city of Townsville and their enemies include the amazingly awesome Mojo Jojo (a super-intelligent and evil Chimpanzee. 

 

The show was a groundbreaking piece of animation history.  Featuring a unique artistic style (designed by Genndy Tartakovsky who created Samurai Jack and the original Clone Wars series), witty dialogue and enderaring characters, The Powerpuff Girls was ahead of its time and it pushed the entire genre of animation ahead as the 20th century came to a close.  It was the first ever superhero cartoon show to star exclusively female lead characters, and it was one of the first original series Cartoon Network had that became a smashing success.

 

This set has all 78 episodes from the series as well as the Christmas special they made.  And it's only $42.99.  Hell, just the episode Meet The Beat-alls is worth that price alone.  You aren't going to find another great show like this for such a cheap price.  This is a definite must-have for any animation fan and for any fan of superhero stories.

What's Your Super-Useless Super Power?

 

Thanks go to Garp (a fellow member of Wil Wheaton's Geeks group on Propeller) for posting about this and making me aware of it.  It's a very funny little blog called Superuseless Superpowers.  Each post is a different Superuseless power, and the powers the writer has come up with are pretty damned amusing.

 

Pictured above is the illustration for the Superuseless Superpower of "In Flight Flight" which is the ability to fly, but only while in the confines of a moving airplane. 

 

Other examples of great Superuseless Superpowers that can be found on the site are The Slightly Invisible Man, Lukewarm Touch and more.  My personal favorite though, was this one:

 

13th Bullet Bulletproof

 



 

SUPERUSELESS SUPERPOWER: Eventual Kevlar Skin

 

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Boink.

 

So what's your Superuseless Superpower?  I believe my power would be to be able to see exactly two and a half seconds into the future.  It's just enough time to see the car that's about to hit you, but not enough time to dodge out of the way.

 

But hey, at least I'd die knowing what hit me.

For The Aspiring Klingon Novelist

 

I'm a fairly big Star Trek fan.  I've seen all of the shows (except Voyager, no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't get over it's suckiness), I've watched all of the films.  Hell, I've even read some of the novels.  But as big a fan as I am, I can't say that I've ever felt the need to own a Klingon Keyboard for my computer.

 

Apparently though there must be a market out there for just such a thing, because that is exactly what they're selling over at Cherry Keyboards.

 

This exclusive Klingon language keyboard is based on the best selling G83-6000 series keyboards from Cherry.

 

It is a good quality keyboard with 105 keys, PS/2 connection and is available currently in black. This keyboard will be available for delivery from mid November, but demand for this limited edition is high so reserve yours now to be the first with this exclusive model.

 

Cherry will only be manufacturing a small quanitity of this model, so please reserve yours early to avoid dissapointment.

 

Demand for this limited edition is high?  Really?  Maybe I'm just out of touch, but I would have figured that aside from the people who dress up as Klingons and go to conventions to perform reinactments of Klingon Operas or Klingon Accension Ceremonies, there wouldn't be enough people out there wanting this to technically say there's a "high demand" for them.

 

Maybe I'm wrong though.  It's rare, but it happens occasionally.  For the time being though, I'm perfectly content with my keyboard in boring old English.  If someone were to ever put out a keyboard printed in Twi'lek though, then I fully admit that I'd have to go out and buy that.

 

I suppose that this keyboard could come in handy though if you were...oh...say...trying to write a translation of Klingon Hamlet or something.  So it's not all bad.

 

(Via Geekologie)