batman
Poptastic 4 U: Hunger Games, CumberbaTch, Hobbit News, & More
I’m poppish and I know it.
*Ugh, new Hunger Games. I can’t wait for this movie. I am a nerd for this movie. I already have tickets to a showing (no, not midnight – I’m nerdy, but I’m also old). A spot aired on TV last night and, being a fan of the book, I have immediate reservations about it. Yes, I’m one of those asses that has problems when a movie doesn’t follow the book, i.e. the opening 4 seconds of this new trailer. Still excited, though. I’m mostly faux indignant. I do love the newest clip I’ve posted below the District 12 focused trailer.
*Speaking of The Hunger Games, a new report shows that even though the movie based on the young adult novel of the same name doesn’t come out for another three weeks, it may already be more popular that Twilight. I’m assuming it’s because The Hunger Games isn’t crap. …Did I mention I already have my tickets? [Blastr]
* Do I care about Top Chef? Not really. You see, living in Austin means I have access to more restaurants, and tattoo parlors, per capita than any other American city. I’ve been lucky enough to go to Uchiko a number of times. Their social hour is fantastic, the $6 Ham & Eggs of katsu pork belly served with yolk custard and espelette is amazing. This doesn’t even touch on their fish caramel sauce and maguro sashimi paired with goat cheese, fuji apple, pumpkin seed oil, and black pepper. It’s an incredible delight to sit there for hours tasting a million different things that you never dreamed were possible. So it was no surprise to me that Uchikos head creator, Paul Qui, won Top Chef recently. He may have “…felt pressure to win”, but that’s probably because everyone in Austin expected him to do so. [TV Guide]
*Wish there was a way for those Girl Scout Cookies to stick to your ass even faster? Well, yearn no more: You can soon get Girl Scout Cookie CHOCOLATE BARS! How about a Thin Mint Crunch Bar? No? Well, personally I’m holding out hope for a Samoa Reese’s cup. I’d call it a Katie Cookie FatAss Chunk. It would be awesome! Apparently the Thin Mint Crunch will be available in June. And who’s spreading this rumor, you might wonder? Why none other than the Girl Scouts of America themselves! [HuffingtonPost]
* You can take the Lindsey Lohan out of a train wreck, but you can’t take the train wreck out of the Lohan. I think that’s just about the nicest way I could word that. And, just for the record, I loved Mean Girls. In an attempt to ‘slum it’, Matt Lauer interviewed Lohan on the Today show. And in an attempt at a ‘come back’, Lohan…tried to have a coherent conversation. Ugh. It’s rough to watch and her hair only adds to the sad situation she’s in. [BuzzFeed]
* I want to live in Middle Earth the same way I want to work at Hogwarts. I’ll happily take being employed at a museum while living in New Zealand in exchange for that which does not exist. And this has absolutely nothing to do with Peter Jackson’s newest video production diary entry about The Hobbit! Is it me or is Andy Serkis getting kind of hot? Jackson is currently working on Part II of The Hobbit, no spoilers of which we’re able to see in the video. Many of the dwarves discuss their experiences and you get to see Hobbiton, which is beautiful beyond imagination, but you don’t really want to read me talking about it – you’d much rather watch it, right? See below.
* It’s about damn time: Johnny Depp is finally working on The Lone Ranger. The film will be coming to us from Walt Disney Studios and also stars – surprise, surprise – Helena Bonham Carter. I know: because we’ve all wondered what it would be like to see Depp and Bonham Carter in a film together and now we’ll finally get the chance. Depp will be Tonto to Armie Hammer’s John Reid, and Ranger will hit theaters in May 2013. [USAToday]
* Global warming is upon us. Our presidential candidates are an all new low of human scum. It is a leap year and the year the Mayans believed the world would end. But more than anything else, 2012 will be known as The Year of the CumberbaTch. He was Sherlock, he will be Smaug, and he’s currently portraying the new Star Trek villain. That’s not to mention War Horse and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, both of which were up for Academy Awards. No, there’s nothing that Brit can’t do apparently. Oh, wait. He can’t keep his mouth shut. In a recent interview with MTV, CumberbaTch notes that he couldn’t stop giggling while on The Hobbit set. He’s just such good besties with Martin Freeman, who portrays both Watson and Bilbo, that his pal’s hobbit get up kept causing the confident Englishman to burst into laughter. Very mature. A brief excerpt of the interview is below. [MTV]
* COMIC CON BADGES GO ON SALE THIS WEEKEND! Every year I get soooo excited for this. And every year I don’t go. I’ve never been to a Con and I feel sad and pathetic for it. I don’t know if I even truly want to go to SDCC at this point; it’s massively popular meaning there are too many people for too small a space, Hollywood has stepped in to make it less Comic-focussed and more Con-the-people-esque. Maybe I’ll drag my ass to Dragon Con one day, but I will always dream of SDCC before and after. Doesn’t really seem fair to DC, huh? [LATimes]
* Artist/Genius Igor Kieryluk decided to take it upon himself to imagine what the characters of Batman would look like if they were active during the Renaissance. Just check out Two Face below. [BuzzFeed]
Photo credit BuzzFeed
* Yet another ‘Worst Idea Ever’ is coming out of that stink pit known as Hollywood. A remake of National Lampoon’s Vacation is heading back to the big screen in the form of a remake. I couldn’t care less about this, so I’m ending it here: LAME. [DenOfGeek]
* Speaking of Hollywood, Netflix’s contract with Starz is coming to and end. Roughly translated this means that you have one week left to watch anything in your queue that’s a Starz feature. More than 800 titles will be soon to leave Netflix, so get off your ass and…and go sit on it, to watch some good family fun before it’s unavailable. Starz and Netflix were unable to reach a deal regarding pricing. Awesome. [SlashFilm]
* I once made my father an apron of questionable taste, as ironed onto it were the words “Heil to the Chef”. But aprons don’t have to just be plain or funny. They can also be hot as hell, as proven by Etsy store Nerd Alert. Love2Right came up with fantastically themed aprons including Harry Potter, Portal, and Super Heroes – oh, so many Super Heroes! My personal favorites are Wolverine and the Link aprons, but the S-Mart one is pretty great, too! By far the best thing about these aprons? They’re super affordable! [GeeksAreSexy]
* I have to tell you: Rush Limbaugh is an idiot. I’ve written about it, sure, but let it be know he is a stupid, stupid man. Birth control has nothing to do with prostitution, is not prostitution, and a man who confuses the two has no place in any role of authority or power. Just the latest news in his long term goal of proving himself a Class-A Moron. [BuzzFeed]
* And, finally, Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie trailer has finally hit the web. Both the new trailer AND the original 1984 movie in its entirety are below. Enjoy.
Happy Pop Year: Portlandia, Harry Potter, Snoop Dogg & More!
Philosoraptor [Inquistr]
It’s on.
* An Alien fan on YouTube has remixed the original Alien trailer from 1979 to look more like the Prometheus trailer of 2011. It is badass.
* Darth Vader is (kinda) dead (sorta). Bob Anderson, the master fencer who performed Vader’s battle scenes, has passed away at 89. [NPR]
* David Tennant is officially married!…to a girl who played his daughter in Doctor Who…who also happens to be the real daughter of the fifth Doctor Who from the 1980’s…You heard me. [NME]
* Snoop Dogg rocked The Price is Right recently. Just amazing. [Idolator]
* The opening scene of Raiders of the Lost Arc is iconic. Mesmerizing and perfectly shot, few movies have been able to grasp a viewer’s attention as efficiently and completely as Raiders. Due to the impact it has had on fans, many have attempted to recreate the opening sequence in different mediums. The newest incarnation comes in the form of classic movie clips from 30 movies shot between 1919-1973, edited together, and played side by side with the original. Pretty slick and very entertaining. [iO9]
* 85,000,000,004 rumor about Dark Knight Rises: Christopher Nolan has given in to the executives over at Warner Bros. and will be editing Bane’s voice so that viewers can actually understand him. It was originally noted in mid December by The Hollywood Reporter that Banes voice was a problem, but Nolan had little to no plans on altering it. It seems in an effort to please the studio and not alienate fans, Nolan may be changing his tune. [Blastr]
* It’s no secret that the science fiction genre is constantly overlooked during the Awards season. Then Lord of the Rings came along and – hopefully – changed this for good, winning all they deserved, including winning every nomination they had for Return of the King. Unfortunately, the Harry Potter franchise has experienced quite the Oscar nomination drought, which Warner Bros. plans on changing this year. The final two HP movies encompass the final book; I was not a huge fan of the previous movies, but I was floored by the greatness of the final two. Friends who were never Harry Potter fans even saw the final two films a couple of times in the theater. Just fantastic, and well deserving of the Oscar campaign Warner Bros plans on launching. [TheGuardian]
* I’m sorry, you’re claiming to have found what in your can of Mountain Dew?! Well, you must be mistaken, because according to Pepsi, Mountain Dew can dissolve an entire mouse carcass. [AtlanticWire]
* Watch an entire episode of Portlandia Season 2 online before it airs on IFC! Thank you, Internet Gods!
See the ep in its entirety here. [BuzzFeed]
Image courtesy of IFC
Hobbit Afterglow: 21 Jump Street, SNL, Batman & More!
I am slightly sad we didn’t see a glimmer of Smaug even though I knew full well he wouldn’t be in the first part of the Hobbit. That being said, I don’t want to admit to the amount of times I’ve watched that trailer…and have subsequently gotten my coworkers to do the same.
On to Pop Bytes!
* Daniel Radcliffe, also known as Entertainment Weekly’s Entertainer of the Year, will be hosting SNL in January. The musical guest will be Lana Del Rey. I have no idea who that is. Radcliffe is the first of the Holy Harry Potter trifecta to host the legendary skit show. Emma Watson of now modeling and acting fame has a fairly good chance for a future spot given her blossoming career. Not sure the same could be said for the rough looking ginger one at this point… [NYDailyNews]
* 1 million Avengers = No time for Diddlin’! Okay, there aren’t 1 million Avengers, but there are quite a few and when you write a script that pays specific attention to each that leaves little time for love makin’ on the side, according to writer Joss Whedon. So if you were planning on seeing the Black Widow and Hawk Eye get it on, keep dreaming. [Blastr]
* The trailer for 21 Jump Street is now online, though unlike the Hobbit trailer, I’m not sure too many people will be chomping at the bit to view it. Or watching it more than once. I too enjoyed the television show. When I was eleven.
* While we’re still working off that Hobbit mountain high, let me point out that Google Maps has a Middle Earth easter egg. If you haven’t already typed “Let it snow” into a google search bar, you should hop on that bandwagon, too. [BuzzFeed]
* Can’t get enough Batman buzz? Well, a new trailer has been released to help ease – or worsen – your addiction. [Apple Trailers]
* His belly shakes like a bowl of jelly. His beard is as white as the snow. He’s got a twinkle in his eye and a button red nose. And, apparently, Santa also has a boner for suuuuuuuuper slutty teenage girls. I guess it also burns when he pees now, huh? [BuzzFeed]
* A replicator would be great, but just working on the Enterprise for the United Federation of Planets would be tops!…But, then, I’d still probably be an admin, and I bet even in space that post ain’t a glamorous one. With the iPad 2 we’re all ready ahead of the tablets that the Starfleet crew used and Apple is bringing us closer to holographic messages day by day. Still, there are other awesome gadgets we thought we’d have by now that just aren’t a reality. [Tecca]
* Speaking of Star Trek, the 398,000th rumor to hit the news is that the sequel will have a little Capt. Pike action in it. There have been so many even “confirmed” rumors that have been squashed at this point. Though I’d be thrilled for his inclusion, I will take this with a grain of salt. [Blastr]
* And, finally, Spoke Art has released Star Wars ninja prints. And I want them all! [MTV Geek]
Friday Pop Bytes: Doc Who, SNL, Batman, & More!
* I see your Gingerbread AT-AT and I raise you one gingerbread Tardis and a bunch of cookie Daleks! These are all amazingly delicious sci-fi cookies, but what it comes down to is that Geekmas is going to go straight to my ass and thighs this year. [Blastr]
Card art by Matt Mawson, available at RedBubble.com
* A six minute prologue of Batman: The Dark Knight Rises (a title I hate) has leaked online. I recommend watching it ASAP before the studio does damage control and pulls every last one of them. It took me a while to find anyone on the interwebs that still has access to it. [Perez Hilton]
* Saturday Night Live has released their yearly Christmas card. It’s the hottest card right now. It’s got everything: a turkey, Grandma, some emo kids, sunburned drifters with soap sud beards….you know, it’s that thing where a hobo becomes a rich man so they take a big bubble bath… [BuzzFeed]
* The Onion is selling fake techie gift boxes for the gadget hound in your life. Disguise a hopefully awesome gift as an incredible piece of crap. I for one am thrilled these are fake products; if that visor organizer was real I would have had to get one for my father by now.
[TheOnion]
* Speaking of fake gifts, Prank Pack is offering iDrive: a steering wheel mount system for your tablet. And, yes, of course it’s fake, but I’m sure it’d sell like a Snuggie if it were real (in other words, it would sell shittily well). [CNN]
* I always wanted to see Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy do the weather. Let’s watch, shall we?
* The Cheerio’s website recently came under fire for a new ad campaign. A new feature on their site allows kids to create their own honey bee inspired comic strip. But because Americans are sexually repressed monsters, the fan-made featured Hot Comic of the Day was completely inappropriate for children. And it gave entirely new meaning to the birds and the bees talk. [CinemaBlend]
* Three new Doctor Who clips have been posted online. I just can’t get enough. The sixth season has just been absolutely incredible, the story lines above and beyond any television writing I’ve ever seen. Steven Moffat out does himself episode after episode, year after year, I hate having to pick a favorite Doctor Who, but this sixth series is really topping it all for me. If you’ve been riding the line of whether or not to dive into the Doctor Who obsession, there’s no better moment than right now. The current series maintains the whimsy of the Doctor while mixing in all the darkness and sorrow of classic X-Files. They really are truly compelling to watch. See all of the new clips on Blastr. [Blastr]
* The wonderful, fantastic, legendary creator of the Mario Brothers is kind of, sort of retiring. Miyamoto, head of such notable projects as Zelda and Donkey Kong, will be stepping down as Head of Development at Nintendo for a position creating smaller games, citing multi-year long projects as his reason. Hey, at least he’s still making video games. In other news, a memorial service for a lost part of our childhood will be held in my mind, following six bottles of Shiner Holiday Cheer lager on Saturday evening. [The Nerdist]
* An Estate Sale is being held for the remaining items owned by Rue McClanahan. I’m not going to lie: I would love to get my hands on some of that stuff. I’m sure there are incredible pieces of jewelry, amazing home accents, and awesome furniture with hidden drawers just filled with classy vintage porn. One question remains, however: How will the lucky buyers get all that wicker safely back to Florida? [Out]
* Buzz Feed has compiled a list of the top 50 celebrity tweets of 2011. If you’re on twitter, I highly recommend following Jenny Johnson. No one can make fun of a Kardashian the way that woman can. And, of course, you should follow me @ChicGeekDaily! Thought Patton Oswalt didn’t make this list, he certainly made my own top tweets sheet. [BuzzFeed]
* I love artist Christian Petersen’s reimagined movie posters of classic sci-fi films. Done in a minimalist style, the color and simplicity of each is just gorgeous. And my personal favorites, if of Dark City, easily one of my Top 5 movies of all time (this excludes the Star Wars episodes 4, 5, & 6, and all three LOTR films, because, let’s face it, they are on a whole other plane of fantasticness). [Blastr]
* If you’re lucky enough to have a blanket of snow in your yard, do you do anything with it other than the occasional shoveling. A snow Jabba the Hut may inspire you to get more creative with your winter powder. And if snowy Star Wars doesn’t move you, perhaps an icy Batman will. [MSNBC]
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If you like this, please consider following me on twitter, @ChicGeekDaily!
This Is Your Brain on Pop Bytes
And here we go.
* The Evil Dead is not only definitely being remade, but it even has a 2013 release date. Seriously, Hollywood, enough with the needless remakes. Come up with something original, Lord knows there are enough screenplays out there floating around. Bruce Campbell is my one and only Ash. Evil Ded Redone = This I don’t need. [MovieWeb]
* The viral marketing for the next installment of the Batman franchise, The Dark Knight Rises, has begun. Bane has leaked, as well as pictures of Cat Woman stealing the Bat Bike, Joseph Gordan Levitt as a cop in the Gotham snow…There’s so much spilled about the internet regarding this movie that I may very well be bored with the film long before it comes out. [Wired]
* I sense….I sense you ache for the magically morbid for your day…I sense… Bizarro Magician Deaths – with pictures! [HuffingtonPost]
*A New York based artist claims to have found animal images in the background of DaVinci’s Mona Lisa. You don’t want to know what he saw in Georgia O’Keeffe’s Black Iris. [ABC News]
* Gifts for that Star Trek fan of yours. Be warned: that Romulan Ale tastes like it came out of a faulty replicator. [Blastr]
* Star Trek gifts not your style? How about a pregnant virgin Mary ornament? It’s an oxymoron in blown glass! I mean, a miracle. [HufingtonPost]
*A Hermes crocodile handbag sold for over $200,000 at a Heritage Auction this week. The hearing impaired buyer was immensely disappointed to find the item was, in fact, just a crocodile purse and not the Chocodile Hearse he thought he was purchasing.
* The newest enticing chat coming from the rumor mills is that the iPad 3 will hit us in February of 2011. That’s good, because I’m so over the iPad 2. It’s not like I spend my days comparing every tablet to it, using my coworkers’ every chance I get, drooling over it…imaging the two of us on vacation in Tahiti: “Oh, iPad2, you’re so funny!…Put some lotion on my back?” [NewYorkPost]
* Kermit the Frog was recently interviewed regarding the future of the Muppets. Noticeably absent from the article was any news on the current whereabouts of Uncle Traveling Matt. [MTV Geek]
* Rick Perry is now aware of all of his many, many shortcomings as a presidential hopefully. In light of this epiphany, he’s now clawing desperately at the Christian Rite in an attempt to maintain votes. His recent “Strong” video is not only incredibly offensive, but also mocktastic!
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* I think everyone every where should totally feel bad for the below storm trooper. You may be out of work, but at least when you lost your job, you were just laid off.
And a final note in awesome news:
* An extended 8 minute trailer has been released for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Willing to read subtitles? You can see an amazing film adaptation of the book on Netflix streaming right now.
The Nerdy Foodie 