Pop Up Video - Star Wars Style

 

We sci-fi geeks are currently finding ourselves in a bit of a rut as of late.  What with Battlestar Galactica finishing its run and the first season of Clone Wars having concluded and the next season not starting until the fall, we find ourselves with scant few shows to watch as of late.

 

However, Lucasfilm and Cartoon Network are stepping up to the plate to keep us entertained at least partially through the long summer months.  They've announced recently that they will be re-airing season one of the Clone Wars animated series, but this time around each episode will feature little pop up boxes filled with random information about what's going on in the show.  They're calling the episodes, Clone Wars: Decoded. Think of it like VH1's Pop Up Video, but done Star Wars style.

 

Using text windows to provide in-the-moment insights into all aspects of the sweeping galactic conflict -- from trivia to background on characters and storylines -- Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Decoded enhances each episode with exclusive content created by the Lucasfilm Animation talent responsible for the show itself.

 

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Decoded is Cartoon Network's first-ever season-long commitment to enhancing the content of existing series episodes. Offering a new twist on the beloved series and serving as an unprecedented primer for faithful fans as well as new viewers, Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Decoded premieres Friday, May 1 at 9 p.m. ET/PT only on Cartoon Network. This full season of enhanced episodes will continue each Friday at 9 p.m. ET/PT, the regular time slot for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, leading up to the fall 2009 premiere of season two.

 

I have to be honest here and say that it's really cool that the folks over at Lucasfilm are doing this.  They didn't need to do anything like this.  The first season was done.  They could have left things as they were and waited until season two started.  But they've gone out of their way, did a bunch of extra work I'm sure, and are putting out something that fans can enjoy as they wait for more new episodes of the show.  It's a really cool gesture to the fans in my opinion, and it's awesome to see.  I just hope that when the first season box set of the show comes out, they'll offer these enhanced episodes up as a bonus feature you can turn on or off during the episodes.  That would be really sweet.

 

They've put up a sample of what the show will look like over at StarWars.com.  You can check it out here.

 

Well, it looks like I'll be rewatching the entire first season of the Clone Wars all over again.  If this is just an attempt to earn more viewers for the re-runs, its certainly working like a charm.

Top 25 Fictional Ads From Sci-Fi Films

 

Over at the DenOfGeek, they've posted up an interesting list of the Top 25 Fictional Ads From Sci-fi Films and while their list does include some of my all time favorites like the Jaws ad from Back To The Future II, I can't help but question the validity of this list with the glaring omission of what is easily the greatest fictional Sci-fi ad of all time.

 

I am speaking, of course, of the Fruity Oaty Bar commercial from the movie Serenity.

 

It is hands down the strangest ad any of us has ever seen and it features one of the most annoying yet catchy theme songs we've ever heard.  In case you don't remember the ad, or have never seen the film, this is what I'm talking about.

 



 

How, dear god, is that not #1 on the DenOfGeek's list?  How is it not even mentioned on the list at all?  It's not even included in the bonus section of honorable mentions.  I swear, someone at DenOfGeek should have their geek credentials revoked for this horrendous omission.

 

I'm sure there are other great ads that are missing from the list too, but I was fully expecting to see the Fruity Oaty Bar ad at the top of the list and was shocked when I didn't see in included on the list at all.  It has little blue singing girls, and an octopus that pops out of a woman's cleavage, and a frustrated asian guy who seems sad he didn't buy a Fruity Oaty Bar.  And those are just the big things.  Watch the ad a few time and you'll see all sorts of other weirdness going on in the background too.

 

Shame on you DenOfGeek for making such a glaring error.  Overall, the list is actually rather good, but this glaring error should never have happened.

Jackie Earle Haley Will Be The New Freddy Krueger

 

Hot off of his incredible performance as Rorschach in the Watchmen Movie, Jackie Earle Haley has signed on to play yet another fan favorite character.  He'll be taking on the role of Freddy Krueger in a new Nightmare on Elm Street film that is set to reboot the franchise in the same way the new Friday the 13th film just did for its film series.

 

New Line decided last year to relaunch the movie series centered on the iconic killer, who haunts the dreams of teenagers and kills them in their sleep. Krueger was played by Robert Englund in the 1984 original, spawning nine films and two TV series in what was New Line's most lucrative franchise until "The Lord of the Rings."

 

As sad as I am that Robert Englund won't be reprising his most famous role as the child killing Krueger, I must admit that I understand why he won't be.  A franchise reboot is just that, a reboot.  It means out with the old and in with the new.  And while I am certain that no one here would argue against Englund's ability to still portray the character with every bit of awesomeness that he once did, I'm sure we can all understand that a new film series demands a new lead actor.

 

Additionally, speaking with the SciFi Wire, the film's producer Brad Fuller had the following to say about Haley's casting.

 

Haley "was the only person we ever considered for the role," Fuller wrote, adding: "Come on, people, an Academy Award Nominated actor is playing Krueger. This was no small accomplishment, but everyone involved wanted it to happen. We all know that Jackie is an unbelievable actor, but I want to let you in on something you might not know. [Director] Sam [Bayer], [fellow producer] Drew [Form] and I had drinks with Jackie and were elated to learn that he is just like us. He is a huge fan of horror, and well aware of the rightful place Freddy Krueger holds in the horror pantheon. Quite simply, he knows what he has to do, and is very up to the task."

 

Personally, I'm really happy with the casting of Haley as Freddy.  He's a tremendous actor who can play insane and creepy really well.  He's a perfect choice for the role, and I think he'll do an incredible job of filling in Englund's shoes.  Plus, this film is being made by the same people who were behind the Friday the 13th reboot which was amazingly good and faithful to the original series.  If this new Freddy film is anywhere near as good as that reboot was, both new and old fans alike will definitely have something to love.

James T. Kirk Is One Badass Motherf.....

 

I absolutely love this new TV ad for Star Trek. It serves as a reminder to us all just how much of a badass James T. Kirk is.  The opening line is the absolute best as Kirk is about to get into a barfight with a bunch of random guys.

 

Random Bar Dude:  There's four of us and one of you.

 

Kirk:  So get some more guys and then it'll be an even fight.

 

Oh how much I've missed the awesomeness that is James T. Kirk on the big screen.  It's been far too long.  I can't wait for this film to come out.  Oh, also.  The film has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA.  Just thought you'd wanna know.

28 Days Later Is Getting A Comic Book Mini-Series

 

Fans of the 28 Days Later movie franchise, and fans of zombies in general take note.  The popular british horror films about rage infected people are getting a new comic book mini-series based on them.  The series is a collaboration between Boom! Studios and Fox Atomic.  No writers or artists have been announced for the project yet, but the first issue cover has been released with art by Tim Bradstreet.

 

[The] Initial launch story will be firmly based in 28 DAYS LATER continuity with the first arc focusing on Selena. Bridging the gap between 28 DAYS LATER and 28 WEEKS LATER, a few key questions will be answered along the way: what happened to Selena after 28 DAYS LATER? How did Selena happen upon the machete she wields in 28 DAYS LATER?

 

BOOM! Studios also put out a previous one-shot story based on the 28 Days Later franchise back in 2007 entitled 28 Days Later: The Aftermath.  That story was written by Steve Niles (creator of 30 Days of Night).

 

I'm always up for a good zombie story, and I don't care whether it comes in book form, comic book form, or movie.  Zombies are always interesting.  It's just a fact of life.

The GT Podcast: Episode 04 - The Geek Stereotype

 

The fourth episode of the Geek-tastic podcast is online and ready to be listened to.

 

 

You can stream the podcast by clicking here.

 

OR

 

You can download a copy of the podcast by clicking here.

 

 

In this episode of the podcast, Matt, Ned and myself get into a rather interesting debate over my decision to boycott the TV show Heroes.  As you may recall, I wrote this article a little while back in which I ranted against that show's negative portrayal of comic book fans and by extension geeks in general.  Well, as we were getting ready to record a podcast about entirely different topics, Matt mentioned to me that last week's episode of Heroes was really good.  This got all three of us talking about Heroes and my decision to stop watching it and it just went on from there.

 

What came out of this though was a great conversation about geeks and their portrayal in popular culture medias like TV and movies.  The conversation starts off by being about heroes, but moves on into other areas as well such as the Watchmen's dismal performance at the box office.

 

In the second half of the show, Johann from the GeekRoundTable joins us and he, Ned and I discuss our thoughts about the series finale of Battlestar Galactica.  Be warned though, that conversation is spoiler filled and should only be listened to if you've already seen the final episode.

 

Here's some show notes:

 

This is the scene with Claire from Heroes that really started my whole boycott of the show.  Sadly, the geeks shown in the store who are staring at her are cut off right at the end of the clip, but I've gone ahead and taken some screen captures of them and you can see them here.  Be sure to pay close attention to the guy on the right:

  



 

To see the images in their full sizes, be sure to click on them.  And remember, this is how the folks over at Heroes portray their core fanbase on national television.

 

Feeling insulted yet?  I know I am.

T-Rex + Whale + Giant Squid = Super Awesome Battle

 

Some things in this world are so purely awesome, they defy all attempts to explain them.  This is one of those images, and it is available as a print or as a t-shirt.  You can buy them here.

 

A massive thank you goes to the folks over at IO9 for bringing this shirt to my attention.

 

It's a damn good thing T-Rex's are extinct, because if I ever actually saw this battle in person, my eyes would explode from the overload of awesome and then my brain would shut down because it would know that my life had just reached its pinnacle and everything else would be downhill from there.