Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Seven Days of Christmas - Day One - Oxhorn's Christmas Special

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. And yes, I'm one of those people who starts listening to Christmas music right around Halloween. I love snow, caroling, hot cocoa. Really, I love everything about the Winter, but thanks to Global Warming, we here in Kentucky have yet to experience any of the white stuff. With the Winter Solstice just around the corner, however, we're supposed to see a bit of snow, which makes me super happy.

For the next week, I'm going to be celebrating Christmas with my own "Seven Days of Christmas." Kicking off this week of merriment and yule is Oxhorn's Christmas Special. I've been following Oxhorn's machinima since my friends and I discovered ROFLMAO (Doo-doo-do-doo-doo!) a few years ago. His "Christmas for Geeks" has always been one of my favorite, as well. 

Be sure to check out Niki's recipe for Staghorn's Pecan Pie over at The Gamer's Fridge!



Enjoy! Leave a comment and let me know what you're looking forward to this holiday season!

Thursday, December 6, 2012

See SpaceLock in Star Trek Into Darkness Teaser


It's here! It's here! Christmas has come early for Star Trek fans. Well, it's come early for me at least. I woke up this morning, admittedly late, to a tweet from a friend that the teaser trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness premiered this morning.

When J.J. Abrams decided to release this trailer in advance of the sneak preview fans will get during the The Hobbit in IMAX beginning next week, he decided to set phasers to stun. The trailer, with narration by none other than Benedict Cumberbatch, is an action-packed minute that will leave you gasping for breath and wanting more. 

"You think your world is safe. It is an illusion, a comforting lie told to protect you. Enjoy these final moments of peace. For I have returned to have my vengeance."
Chills, my friends, chills.

Before I go on, however, let me stop for two minutes, to say that trailers like this are getting very formulaic. I'm reminded of Inception (BRRWWAAHHHHHHHH), The Dark Knight Rises (When Space Francisco is Ashes, Mr. Spock, you have my permission to die), and the very recent Iron Man 3 trailer (Explosions at key moments in the trailer highlighted by crescendos). Does that detract from the stunning visuals and the sheer epicness of the trailer itself? For me, no way. I've been super excited for this all year, and I get this movie as an early birthday present!

Monday, November 12, 2012

Cincy ComiCon Seeks to Connect Creators With Fans



People attend conventions for different reasons. Many want to have have a commission done by their favorite artist, some want to meet their childhood hero, whomever that may be, and others want to make industry contacts so they can get a foot in the door. For some, it's all of the above. I find it exciting when I get a notice about a new convention being organized because I think that it's just another opportunity for fans to be able to interact with their favorite actors and artists. It appears that a new convention in Cincinnati, the CincyComiCon is promising just that.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Cincinnati Comic Expo to be bigger and better in 2013

The beginning of November has brought lots of convention news around the area and today's news comes from Cincinnati Comic Expo. On the convention's Facebook page, organizers have stated they are challenging themselves to make the 2013 convention even bigger than it was in 2012. 6,000 attendees flocked to Duke Energy Convention Center in September to see over 200 artists, vendors, and exhibits. The convention this year included a Geek Prom, Kid Con, Jedi training, and demonstrations from Jason David Frank. After a very successful con in 2012, organizers have a big task ahead of them to supersede this year's success.

"We promise that 2013 looks to be the best year yet for CCE with some great guests already attending, first time attending comic publishers, popular media guests, and the best vendors and retailers a comic show could ask for!"

CCE began in 2010 as a pop culture convention with an emphasis on comic books. 2013 will begin with a Preview Night on Friday and continue with extended convention hours on both Saturday and Sunday. The event will include a costume contest and the return of Kid Con. 

Duke Energy Convention Center, Hall A
525 Elm Street  
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Friday, September 13, 2013
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Sunday, September 15, 2013


Be sure to check back with Kentucky Geek Girl for more convention news!


Friday, November 2, 2012

Mr. Homn is coming to LCTC in 2013!

And then a voice said, "Natasha, not everyone is going to know who that is." Okay... Lurch is coming to Lexington Comic and Toy Convention in 2013! That's right, Carel Struyken, who played Lurch in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, is the latest Media Guest added to the line-up for the sophomore LCTC. Struyken also appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation as Mr. Homn, the manservant of Betazoid Ambassador Lwaxana Troi, the mother of Counselor Deanna Troi.

Struyken portrayed Homn on five episodes of TNG and gave a commanding performance, though the character was more or less mute, save for one line in the episode "Haven" in which he said, "Thanks for the drinks." Homn seemed to have a high tolerance for alcohol. Lwaxana also accused him of having "outrageously lustful thoughts." Of course, Lwaxana also made accusations that would make most blush, so who knows if she was truly able to read Homn's thoughts. Regardless, Struyken was one of my favorite TNG and it's so great that he's going to be a guest at LCTC!


It's kind of funny, Struyken played Lurch in the film adapatations of the classic series The Addams Family, and he joins Felix Silla who was Cousin Itt in the original series! Silla also played an Ewok in Return of the Jedi, of which Struyken also has a connection; he played Terak, the antagonist of Ewoks: The Battle for Endor. (One of my favorites, btw!) 

This is super exciting! Carel Struyken has been a part of some fantastic aspects of popular culture and it's great to have him joining Peter Mayhew, Billy Dee Williams, Margot Kidder, and the other fantastic guests that will be appearing at Lexington Comic and Toy Convention on Saturday, March 16, 2013 and Sunday, March 17, 2013. 

Lexington Convention Center, Heritage Hall
430 West Vine Street, Lexington, KY 40507
Saturday, March 16, 2012 10am-6pm 
Sunday, March 17, 2012   10am-4pm

Admission: 

22.50 in advance
$30.00 at the door! 
VIP admission - $45.00 in advance
Kids under 10 are always FREE!

Monday, October 29, 2012

Keeping in Touch

Gentle readers, I want to apologize for my lack of updates recently. You see, I've had a great deal of "real life" happening which has prevented me from writing and posting as often as I'd like to (or at all). I'm halfway done with my last semester of my BA, so school is really taking precedence, which I know you all can understand and empathize with. I have a bunch of ideas brewing for content that I'd like to bring you guys, so when the time comes, I really hope that you'll enjoy it.

Facebook has put a definite damper on the way I'm intereacting with you guys. With page owners having to pay to promote individual posts, it means that only about 10% of followers see any given post. Honestly, that's not fair. Things were fine the way they were before and Facebook was still making its money. No one thinks this is a good idea and even George Takei posted a call out to his fans to add the page to their interests lists. That's exactly what you need to do. Hover over the "Liked" button then click "Add to interests list." It's super simple and will ensure that you're seeing all of my updates.

I'm still around over on the tweet machine, but these days I'm really just tweeting about my thesis word count. (For the record, as of this writing, 2700.) The first draft of my senior thesis in history is due this Friday. I'm giving a presentation on Colonial Boston tomorrow for my Colonial America class. I have two other classes (Art History and Intro to Archaeology) but there isn't anything major for those classes now. Mainly it's just getting this thesis done.

I have have a couple of life related things in the works that I will definitely share with everyone when I can. If you follow me on Twitter you've seen me talk about them a little bit, but it's not something that I can share with everyone just yet. Big things are happening!

So, this is just an update to let you know that I'm still thinking about you and to say that I'm very, very sorry for my lack of updates. I really hope to rectify that very soon. Please go add Kentucky Geek Girl to an interest list on Facebook!

Much love,

Natasha

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Pandoracon Goes Gangnam - "Oppa Docta Style"


Pandoracon is a brand new multi-genre convention held in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Which sadly I did not get to attend, though my thoughts were there!) Though it is focused on science fiction, fantasy, anime, LARP, cosplay, and gaming, there is also a definite Steampunk element. And also: Doctor Who. There was a lot of Doctor Who going at Pandoracon. In fact, one of the guests was Travis Richey, who portrayed Inspector Spacetime on Community and has also started his own web series based on the Doctor Who parody character.


So what does this have to do with Gangnam Style? I thought I'd seen it all. Really. The Gangnam Style parodies have abounded in the last few weeks and I really thought that I'd seen all there was. But no. Not until I saw a video straight out of Cincinnati from this past weekend. Team Con-Doc is a Doctor Who improvisational group who put together this parody video and it's absolutely brilliant. With Ten leading the charge, Pandoracon went Gangnam Style. The coolest moment from the video in my opinion is when Richey, Inspector Spacetime himself, begins to do the Gangnam Style dance with Ten. Fantastic.

I had every plan to make it up to Cincinnati this weekend for the convention, but was unable. Seeing this video and the level of commitment that people have to the genre definitely makes me want to attend next year. Especially now that I've become a Whovian!

Huge kudos to the folks from Team Con-Doc and the organizers of Pandoracon.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Gangnam Style Goes to Dragon*Con

K-Pop is taking America by storm and artist PSY is leading the charge. The video for his infectious song "Gagnam Style" has amassed 106,340,747 views on YouTube at the time of this writing. The video is pretty much everywhere on the intarwebs. The randomosity of the video and the crazy dance moves have been appealing to everyone. And while I have mostly geeks and nerds as friends on Facebook, I can safely attest that everyone in the community is on board the PSY train.


As evidence of this, this weekend at Dragon*Con, YouTube user Minhnhat employed the use of  cosplayers and their awesome costumes to create a sort of lip dub version of "Gangnam Style". Featured in the video are Gandalf (who approves of everything), Deadpool, Captain America, and even Princess Peach with so many other amazing cosplayers that I can't even name because there are just so many. All fandoms seem to be represented; I even saw a Katniss (from The Hunger Games) in there! Kudos to all involved in this amazing video and to YouTuber Minhnhat for making these cosplayers look super badass. Also, thank you to PSY for making a song that will never ever stop being awesome.

Check out the original video for "Gangnam Style" here:


For more nerd news and general geekery, be sure to check out Kentucky Geek Girl on Facebook and head over to Word of the Nerd Online. Bex and Proffitt will be covering all of the Dragon*Con shenanigans over on Good Girls Gone Geek.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Beaucoup Pop Sponsoring Benefit for Aurora Shooting Victims THIS SATURDAY



Hello Poppers! Um, I mean, welcome loyal Kentucky Geek Girl readers. This Saturday, September 1, my good friends at Beaucoup Pop are sponsoring a benefit for the victims of the shooting which took place in Aurora, Colorado the morning of July 20. As someone who attended a midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises, my thoughts and prayers are constantly with the victims as they remember their loved ones, recover from their injuries, and try to put their lives back together. Though I am not able to be a part of the event, I encourage everyone to head out to Collectibles etc this Saturday and buy a commission from some great local artists or bid on something in the silent auction.

Black Widow Saucy by Rob Duenos


Artists from all over the country have stepped up to help make this event a success. Similar fundraisers are happening nation-wide and Collectibles Etc and Beaucoup Pop are working with All C's Collectibles in Aurora to ensure that the money raised makes it to those in the city who were affected by the tragic events of July 20. If you're not local to Kentucky, you can still make a donation by clicking Donate on the podcast's website!


Beaucoup Pop is comprised of Matt, Tressa, Justin, and Kerry who bring you your weekly dose of geekery. Among the guests that they have had on the show is Return of the Dapper Men artist Janet Lee. They've just released Episode 70, so head over to their site to check it out. Subscribe on iTunes and listen on Stitcher Radio for your smartphone!


Fundraiser for Aurora Victims
Sponsored by Beaucoup Pop
Saturday September 1
12 - 5

Collectibles Etc
115 N Locust Hill Dr # 115,
Lexington, KY 
(859) 269-6633


Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Is There a Connection Between Breaking Dawn Pt 2 and The Hunger Games?

...aside from the Lionsgate association, I mean."Another Twilight post?" you ask. I am feeling quite alright and I promise I do not have a fever, however there was something I had to share. Last night on the Entainment Weekly Facebook page, a new image from Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 was released. Looks pretty harmless, really. It's just Renesmee (the vampire spawn of Edward and Bella) and her mother, played by Kristen Stewart looking at some sort of locket. Granted, I have no context for the picture, but are the inside of some sort of magical blanket fort to protect the child from the Volturi? I don't know... BUT! the point of this post is to examine one specific part of the picture.


So yeah, they're examining the locket and some such, but looking at the picture, I noticed the insignia on Bella's jacket sleeve. It looks oddly like the seal for the Capitol city of one dystopian country named Panem.

So yeah, if you look closely at the seal on the sleeve of the jacket, it looks an awful lot like the seal of Panem.


So, it's not exact, but it's very similar. Maybe a nod to The Hunger Games in Twilight? They're both properties of Lionsgate after all. Now, I'm no conspiracy theorist, but...


I know this is bullshit, but I wanted to make a Conspiracy Keanu meme.

Anyhoo, I don't know anything about the jacket that K-Stew is wearing in the picture, but the insignia really does look like that of Panem.

That's all.

Good day.

Image from Breaking Dawn Pt 2 courtesy of Lionsgate and Entertainment Weekly.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Flashback Friday: Old Gregg

Flashback Friday is a new series where I get in the wayback machine and revisit some of my favorite things from years past. It can be anything really, random stuff from teh intarwebz, books, movies, games, et cetera. Basically it's just a way for me to talk about stuff that I continue to think is super awesome, but I'm not quite as obsessed with anymore.

So, I don't even remember how in the heck I found out about Old Gregg. It was way before Adult Swim started showing The Mighty Boosh, the BBC series from which the Old Gregg skit was taken, so I don't quite recall. Regardless, I think I watched it no less than 10 times the first time that I was exposed to the hilarity.

The Mighty Boosh was created by Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding and originally aired on on BBC3 from 2004-2007. Adult Swim began airing the series in 2009. The Old Gregg skit was from the Second Series episode titled The Legend of Old Gregg. It's ridiculously quotable and probably one of my favorite British things ever.

To set up the skit, Howard (Barratt) and Vince (Noel Fielding) travel to Black Lake and hear of a legendary tale of a horrible creature in the lake. Howard goes fishing and fishes up a man-fish named Old Gregg. The rest is a weird and amazing story that can only be seen, not described.


I just don't know what it is that makes The Mighty Boosh so hilarious, but it's definitely worth a watch or two, or forty. I love the Moon, who is a recurring "character" on the show. It's hilarious!

Image from Google Image Search


What would you like for me to feature on Flashback Friday? Send me an email, leave a comment here, or let me know on Facebook!

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Join the 501st Legion at the LPL Tates Creek Branch TODAY!


Today, members of the 501st Legion will be helping the Lexington Public Library celebrate as they near the end of their Summer Reading Program. There's no specific program for the day, but members of the Legion will be at the library from 1-4 PM. It is not known which Star Wars characters will be showing up at the library today, so it will be a great surprise for everyone!

The Legion is an all-volunteer organization formed for the express purpose of bringing together costume enthusiasts under a collective identity within which to operate. The Legion seeks to promote interest in Star Wars through the building and wearing of quality costumes, and to facilitate the use of these costumes for Star Wars-related events as well as contributions to the local community through costumed charity and volunteer work. 

The Mid South Garrison is comprised of over 150 members from Kentucky and Tennessee. Head out to the Tate's Creek Branch today to support the library and see your favorite Star Wars characters.


Lexington Public Library 

3628 Walden Drive  Lexington, KY 40517
(859) 231-5580

Friday, July 27, 2012

Flashback Friday: Top 5 Homestar Runner Animations

Flashback Friday is a new series where I get in the wayback machine and revisit some of my favorite things from years past. It can be anything really, random stuff from teh intarwebz, books, movies, games, et cetera. Basically it's just a way for me to talk about stuff that I continue to think is super awesome, but I'm not quite as obsessed with anymore.

Homestar Runner is a series of flash animations which became wildly popular in the early 2000s. Most of the animations centered around Homestar Runner, but characters Marizipan and Strongbad were featured often as well. One of my favorite things on the site was Strongbad Emails. If you've ever heard reference of Trogdor or Teen Girl Squad, this is where it comes from.  This week on Flashback Friday, I'm going to count down my Top 5 favorite animations!

5. Everybody to the Limit
This is a great video that was based on one of Strongbad's emails. When the ILOVEYOU virus was running rampant on the internet, Strong Bad received an email that said "i love you - fhqwhgads" with a string of random letters. It turned out to be quite the catchy tune.



4. Stunt Double
Strong Bad gets an email asking if he ever uses a stunt double.




3. A Jorb Well Done
Coach Z can't say the word "job" so the rest of the gang tries to teach him. It's kind of like "My Fair Lady" but not at all.


2. Teen Girl Squad 12 - Valentime's Day 
Valentime's are serious times.


1. Trogdor
In this email, Strongbad is asked to draw a dragon. Awesomeness ensues.



What would you like me to explore during Flashback Friday? Leave a note in the comments!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

K-Stew Cheats on R-Patz and the World Mourns True Love


True love is dead, ladies and gentlemen. It was confirmed via statement from Kristen Stewart today that she did in fact cheat on her boyfriend Robert Pattinson with her Snow White and the Huntsman director. Now, I've not seen it, but I've been told that SWatH is pretty terrible, so I wonder just what kind of direction she was taking. *wink wink nudge nudge* Honestly, I feel horribly for Robert. Why would she want to cheat on him? For a sparkly vampire he's not unfortunate looking. I quite like the previews for his new movie Bel Ami. I know that he'll be able to move past the role of Edward Cullen.

I really don't think that Kristen needed to issue an apology, but she did and it's out there. She's 22 and her director was 41. Is there anything wrong with such a vast age difference? Absolutely not. (I personally would not couple myself with anyone that much older.) But he was married and she has/had (status is currently unknown) a boyfriend. There's just forty kinds of messed up about this. If you're going to cheat, even if you're under public scrutiny, don't get caught. Don't make yourself look like any more of an emotionless asshole than you already do. I'm looking at you, K-Stew.

Now, I have no dog in this fight. I can't stand Twilight, but I respect the people that do. I know that people were absolutey devastated with this news, because they translate the fictional relationship of Edward and Bella into the IRL (sort of) relationship of Kristen and Rob. And no one was more upset than Nutty Madam, a vlogger from England, who goes all sorts of Chris Crocker.



PS I was pretty upset when I found out that Clay Aiken was gay. So, there's that...

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Geeky Flea Market Finds

I don't know if it's something unique to Kentucky, but it seems like there are flea markets and peddler's malls in almost ever town. When I was a kid, I would browse through the used video game and movie offerings at the Hillbilly Flea Market in Russell. On a recent trip to Morehead, I stopped in at the Peddler's Mall there and found some items which were rather unique. It definitely has a different feel than going into an antique store, because a lot of items that I came across were really not worth anything. However, I did find some interesting gems that I wanted to share. I didn't end up buying anything, but these items struck my fancy.


The Complete Next Generation Trek IQ Book was compiled by Alan G. Rochussen. It was originally printed in 1998. Here's a summary of the book:

How high is your Star Trek IQ? 

Star Trek: The Next Generation was the most popular and entertaining SF television show of all time. With more than half a million fans attending over a hundred conventions annually, the excitement continues today. 

If you are serious about your favourite show, here is your chance to prove it, with a unique, entertaining survey-guide that dares to go where no guidebook has gone before -- all the way from the episode #1 ('Encounter at Farpoint') to #177 ('All Good Things...'). 

This comprehensive, authoritative book covers every single episode, and includes multiple choice questions, character trivia, plot puzzlers, cryptograms, crossword puzzles, word searches and riddles. It is designed not only to test your knowledge of this immortal series, but to improve it dramatically -- and to award you and your friends with a Mission Performance Rating, and an actual Starfleet ranking -- from ensign to admiral.


Okay, so admittedly I wouldn't buy a 2003 calendar, but it had some awesome pictures of all of the Star Trek captains from Kirk to Janeway. Honestly, I would have bought it, but it had significant water damage. Hopefully it was well loved back in 2003!


I hadn't gone into the Peddler's Mall that afternoon expecting to buy anything, but if this set of I, Claudius had been DVD, I would have bought it in a heartbeat. I'll be finishing my BA in History in December, but I also have a mnior in Classics. My favorite period in Classical history is the Roman Empire. I, Claudius is a mini-series from the BBC which premiered in 1976. While a work of fiction, I think that I, Claudius provides an interesting view of the Julio-Claudian line. Some of my favorite actors are in it: John Hurt (Harry Potter, Hellboy, V for Vendetta) plays the Roman Emperor Caligula and it's so over the top, it's fantastic. Patrick Stewart (X-Men, Star Trek: The Next Generation) plays Sejanus, who was prefect of the Praetorian Guard, essentially bodyguards for the emperor. John Rhys-Davies, Derek Jacobi, and Brian Blessed (all fantastic actors) round out the cast. I know that it's ridiculously campy and it's basically a Roman soap opera, I just love it!



Here are some WTF items:


So, apparently this is an air-brushed poster titled "Hollywood" and it just features the portraits of a bunch of actors. I can pretty much tell who everyone is, but some of them are a bit off. I thought that the portrait of Marlon Brando looked a bit like Simon Baker (The Mentalist)... so yeah, kind of off. That's probably the worst picture of Nicholas Cage that they could have used. I think I would have preferred this one:


And finally...


This isn't so much nerdy or geeky, but just kind of out there. Do people put things like this in their homes? Honestly, it reminds me of the "Draw me like one of your French girls" meme.

Have you seen any geeky items at the Flea Market? Share them on Kentucky Geek Girl's Facebook page!

Be sure to follow me on Twitter @geekgirlinky
Add me to your circles on Google Plus!

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Completely Comics Episode 61: Completely Important News from SDCC 2012





In this week's episode of Completey Comics, I joined Troy and Will for a discussion about important news from San Diego Comic Con 2012.We discuss upcoming news for DC and Marvel, movie news, and I lament Firefly's cancellation 9 years later.

Be sure to check out the episode here.

For more news and reviews for the casual comic book fan, you can check out CompletelyComics.com!

Contact information for Completely Comics:
Email: completelycomics@gmail.com.
Facebook at www.facebook.com/completelycomics .
Completely Comics Facebook Group Page
Twitter @completelycomic
Voicemail at 641.715.3900 and enter extension 694617#.

You can subscribe to them on iTunes, Stitcher, and now you can find us in the XBox 360 Marketplace!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Jena Malone Reaped for Catching Fire and Mockingjay

This article was originally featured on Word of the Nerd Online on July 8, 2012.

Not long ago, we brought word that Jena Malone was being considered for a role as District 7 tribute Johanna Mason, a character that features prominently in both Catching Fire and Mockingjay. While several actresses were being considered for the role, among them Mia Wasikowska and model/actress Zoe Aggeliki, Entertainment Weekly reports that Lionsgate has officially offered the Sucker Punch actress Malone the part of Mason. Her career is extremely diverse, as she as appeared in Donnie Darko, Saved!, and most recently The Hatfields and McCoys mini-series on History.

 Mason is the last surviving female tributes from District 7. The year she won, which is not told in the books, she pretended to be weak and feigned hunger and fatigue in an attempt to overcome her opponents, which she did rather ruthlessly. Katniss Everdeen, protagonist of The Hunger Games and District 12 tribute, described Johanna as having a wicked ability to murder. She is cunning and sarcastic, but eventually proves to be a formidable ally to Katniss and Peeta as the series continues.

With filming set to begin in September, the time is drawing near to finish assembling the cast that will carry the rest of the series. While the novel Catching Fire provides very little in the way of character development, perhaps director Francis Lawrence has an opportunity to cast figures dynamic enough to hold their own, but not overshadow the primary cast. Weeds actor Hunter Parrish is being considered for Finnick Odair of District 4.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Around the Web: Hayley Reports

I love people who make content for the web. I feel like the internet is a place where you can be a lot more free to do what you want. One of my favorite web creators is Candis Phlegm, who I first saw in the web series Awkward Embraces. Her latest project is called Hayley Reports in which Hayley gives a report on the TV movie Mary, Mother of Jesus starring Christian Bale. In true middle-schooler fashion, we get to learn a lot more about Hayley herself than the movie.


I loved this video! Huge props to Candis for capturing the personality of a middle-schooler. I have taught fifth graders who have acted quite similar to this, not even joking. I hope this could become a series where Hayley reports on different things. That would be awesome. Can't wait to see what Candis comes up with next! Check out her actress page on Facebook and follow her on The Tweeters. She's absolutely hilarious, y'all.

‘Once’ Casts Sleeping Beauty and Mulan for Sophomore Season

This article was featured on Word of the Nerd Online on July 7, 2012.

The fantasy drama Once Upon a Time is gearing up for San Diego Comic Con with several announcements regarding casting for the show's sophomore season. The May season finale drew nearly ten million viewers and the series promises to be just as intriguing for season two. Once, which returns in September 2012, takes viewers into the world of their favorite fairy tales, shifting back and forth between "the real world" and a fantasy world made up of characters from classic Disney stories. The season ended with Snow and Charming discovering their true identities and Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin returning magic to the world. His actions will more than likely bring about dire consequences.

Around the Web: Cookie Monster Parodies Call Me Maybe



Carly Rae Jepsen's song "Call Me Maybe" seems to be the most parodied song of 2012. Not that it's inherently a bad song (like Rebecca Black's Friday was), it's just super catchy and lends itself to new interpretations. Jimmy Fallon and Jepson collaborated on a really great version of the song that went viral last month. Sesame Street has done some really great parodies of popular culture over the years, one of my favorites being Twin Beaks which was a parody of Twin Peaks. In "Share it Maybe", Cookie Monster expresses his aching desire for some cookie munching action. The results are delicious.


Friday, July 6, 2012

Good Girls Gone Geek Podcast Episode 10 - British Invasion


Recently, Bex and Proffitt, the lovely ladies of Good Girls Gone Geek, invited me to be a part of their podcast extolling the virtues of the British television programs which have been invading American airwaves. We talk about news and updates for Sherlock, Downton Abbey, and Doctor Who and also discuss what makes them our favorites. We're also joined by Sean Perrault, Gaming Team Lead for Word of the Nerd, a Canadian who talks for bit about the awesomeness of Canadian film. It was a fun time!

Listen to the podcast here.

For more podcasts from Word of the Nerd Online, subscribe on iTunes or go directly to the podcasts page!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

16-Bit Game of Thrones RPG: A Clash of Kings Expansion



This video contains spoilers for Season 2 of Game of Thrones and is NSFW.

So last year, the folks at College Humor posted a hilarious spoof of Game of Thrones using 16-bit graphics to make commentary on the show and I featured it here on Kentucky Geek Girl. They're at it again with the A Clash of Kings Expansion. This video takes a look at Season 2 and the poor decisions of characters, Daenerys' search for her dragons, and the gratuitous boob shots. It's spot on and absolutely hilarious. I would love to see more Ser Jorah Mormont friendzone, though.




Movie Review: The Amazing Spider-Man


I'm not going to lie, July 3 absolutely snuck up on me. I fully realized that The Amazing Spider-Man was being released the day before Independence Day, but I still somehow let it creep up. So, on a whim, I decided to attend the midnight premiere of the film and boy am I glad that I did. Let met first say, and I am definitely sure that I am echoing the thoughts of others when I say that Marc Webb's take on Spider-Man is extremely detatched from the Sam Raimi venture which began a decade ago. (Digression: Wow, it came out the Spring of my Freshman year of high school. I saw it at the drive-in and it was awesome. Now, back to the regularly scheduled review.)

Thursday, June 28, 2012

The "Star Wars" That I Used to Know



I'm no Star Wars fangirl, but I can appreciate the sheer anger that people feel towards George Lucas. Changes here and there, Greedo shooting first, "Nooooooo!" and all that and elicited a strong ire towards the man behind Lucasfilm. Those emotions, according to TeddieFilms, can best be expressed through a rendition of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" which has been probably the most over-played song of the year thus far. I do like the original and I really enjoy this parody of it. I'm not even sure you can call it a parody, more like a reimagining of the song.




The visuals are very reminicient of the original Gotye/Kimbra video, but I think the painting could have been a bit more Star Wars related. I know the video is very abstract, but they could maybe have done an abstract Death Star or something. Also, the George Lucas/Kimbra part wasn't quite as strong on his last solo line. It's the line that I'm always signing at the top of my lungs when belt out the original song. Other than that, I think that the vocals were great and quite on par with the original version.

TeddieFilms is no stranger to song parodies with a Star Wars twist. Last year, they released Primeday, which I featured here on the blog. According to the after-video credits, they'll be collaborating with IGN for a video in the near future. I'm curious to see if they'll continue with the Star Wars trend or they'll branch out into more aspects of popular culture.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

So Many Somethings: Farewell, Nora Ephron

I have been a cinema fan my entire life. One of my first memories of watching a movie for adults is Mermaids when I was 3. We saw Curly Sue and then went to Fazoli's for spaghetti. I cried when MacCauley Caulkin's character died in My Girl. Movies were a huge part of my formative years and that love of film has continued to this day. My tastes are extremely diverse and I have no qualms in going to see an action movie one day, a science fiction film the next, and follow it all up with a great Rom-Com. I can safely say, however, that the latter will always be my favorite genre and there are very few filmmakers who have been able to do with romantic comedy what Nora Ephron achieved.

Nora Ephron, who created my favorite movie of all time You've Got Mail, passed away this evening from complications with pneumonia. She had leukemia and kept her health issues out of the public eye. Tonight I mourn the loss of an amazing filmmaker and the creator of some of my all-time favorite characters. Her wit and charm will sorely be missed and the world is a better place for having Nora Ephron in it.

I remember watching When Harry Met Sally when I was very young, but was unable to appreciate much of the humor in the film. Sleepless in Seattle was one of the first movies I ever remember truly loving and I've seen it too many times to count at this point. However, it was You've Got Mail that really did it for me. It was created at the beginning of an age when the internet and computers were becoming mainstream; my family had just gotten our first computer when it came out. The story was simple enough, two people strike up an internet friendship and it's revealed (to the viewer of course) that they are actual rival bookstore owners. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan have this wonderful chemistry and I think it was that coupled with Nora Ephron's brilliant script and direction that made both Sleepless and Seattle and You've Got Mail possible. 

Watching her movies, You've Got Mail especially, ellicits so many emotions from me. When I cry at the end of the movie, I want Joe to wipe my tears away and say, "Don't cry, Shopgirl." There are just so many subtle nuances about the movie that are so wonderful. You've Got Mail helps make the darkest days brighter and it's one of the few movies that I could watch every day and not be bored with it. It also instilled in me the desire to own my own bookstore and it's been a not-so-secret dream of mine since I was 11 years old. I was just so inspired by the character of Kathleen Kelly and the fact that her entire life was shaped by books. 

Michael is probably my favorite John Travolta film. I remember wanting to review it for my elementary school newspaper, but my teachers not letting me because it wasn't a kids movie. (As an aside, all movies were kids movies to me just because I liked them. I guess my bar was set really high.) I cannot forget Julie & Julia, which was her last film. She captured the essence of Julia Child so brilliantly in that film. She has has the best way of bringing her stories to life and the way that she works with her actors and actresses is phenomenal.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from Nora Ephron's movies. She has left such an amazing legacy and I am forever changed by her films. 

"Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life. Well, valuable, but small. And sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven’t been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn’t it be the other way around? I don’t really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So goodnight, dear void."

"Look, Annie... I love you. But let's leave that out of this. I don't want to be someone that you're settling for. I don't want to be someone that anyone settles for. Marriage is hard enough without bringing such low expectations into it, isn't it?"

"Annie, when you're attracted to someone, it just means that your subconscious is attracted to their subconscious, subconsciously. So what we think of as fate is just two neuroses knowing that they are a perfect match."

"Caviar is a garnish!"

 "I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

"Hey, how about... oh, how about some coffee or, you know, drinks or dinner or a movie... for as long as we both shall live?"

"People are always saying that change is a good thing. But all they're really saying is that something you didn't want to happen at all... has happened. My store is closing this week. I own a store, did I ever tell you that? It's a lovely store, and in a week it'll be something really depressing, like a Baby Gap. Soon, it'll be just a memory. In fact, someone, some foolish person, will probably think it's a tribute to this city, the way it keeps changing on you, the way you can never count on it, or something. I know because that's the sort of thing I'm always saying. But the truth is... I'm heartbroken. I feel as if a part of me has died, and my mother has died all over again, and no one can ever make it right."

Monday, June 25, 2012

Prada Unveils Steampunk Inspired Fall 2012 Campaign



Prada, the fashion house known for its innovative designs and uniqueness, will celebrate its first century in fashion in 2013. The company has revealed its Fall 2012 menswear line. The couture magnate's inspiration for this line comes from the world of Steampunk. Prada called upon actors Willem Dafoe, Gary Oldman, Garret Hedlund, and Jamie Bell for their fall/winter photo shoot.

Photographer David Sims shot the campaign, which is described as a subtle parody of power and role-play. "Exaggerated poses and conspiratorial glances hint at the game, a plam solemnly placed on the heart or into a pocket with precise formality," explains the Prada website.



You can view the full line on the website for Prada's 2012 fall/winter campaign. Do you think more fashion designers should draw upon Steampunk as inspiration for their couture?

First Clip of Shirley MacLaine on Downton Abbey

Fans of Downton Abbey have been waiting for this since we first received word that veteran actress Shirley Mac Laine would be appearing in the next season of the Masterpiece Theater drama. The American Film Institute recent held an event to honor the Terms of Endearment actress' extensive body of work and gave the world a sneak peek at the next season. Seriously, she's one of the most accomplished actresses in Hollywood and she'll appear on Downton Abbey Season 3 as Lady Cora's mother, who travels from New York to visit the family at Downton.

Elizabeth McGovern, who plays her daughter on the drama series, introduced a clip from Season 3 in which two matriarchs (MacLaine and Maggie Smith) exchange their pleasantries. It is going to be very interesting to see how these two strong female characters will get along. We all see how the Dowager Countess (Smith) handled Isobel Crawley (Penelope Wilton).

Lexington native Lucy Sharpe will be playing Miss Reid, Martha Levinson's maid, in Season 3.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Guest Post: Anime Review: Another

As I have come to acknowledge that there was a severe lack of anime on Kentucky Geek Girl, I have asked one of the biggest anime fans I know (who just happens to be an awesome geek) to write a series of anime reviews. I may do some myself, but I will freely admit that I'm still starting to get into anime, though I love them all the same. Huge thanks to Heather for being up for this undertaking. I sincerely welcome her contribution to Kentucky Geek Girl!

Heather Jayne is a 25 year old geek of all trades, games, comics, science fiction, anime, you name it. When she was 8 she was given her first anime to watch, recorded on a VHS tape, it was an anime older than her called Galaxy Railway 999 and a movie special to the series featuring her favorite character, Pirate Queen Emeraldas. After watching the series her love for anime boomed. Her favorite entertainment genres are action/adventure, horror, science fiction and mystery. Usually you'll find Heather watching anime on her Macbook Pro, reading comic books or obsessing over anything related to the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Contact her via Twitter @HeatherMonstar.


“Do you know Misaki? Misaki, from Class 3 of Year Three? The story about Misaki?”

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Geeks Who Care: Wonder Woman Costume for a Cause Contest



Have you ever dreamed of being Wonder Woman? Who hasn't really. If you've ever dreamed of being a superhero and saving the day, HalloweenCostumes.com is giving you your chance. They're giving away $500, a video camera, and a Wonder Woman costume to the person who comes up with the best project. It doesn't matter how old you are and even guys can enter, because everybody can be Wonder Woman! The rules are simple, you have to live in the United States and submit the best deed that you would do as Wonder Woman for a day.


Monday, June 18, 2012

Word of the Nerd Online Presents: WOTN Theatre Spectacular!


In honor of The Tony Awards which were held last week, we decided to host our own "Theatre Specacular" podcast. I was very privileged to take the reigns as host for this special edition of the Word of the Nerd Online podcast. I'm joined by Jason Padua of Word of the Nerd Online and Rachel Proffitt of WOTN and Good Girls Gone Geek. In this podcast, we give a run-down of the Tony winners. We also discuss the highs and lows from the show. Rachel, JP, and I are all theatre people so we talked about the shows that we are excited to see and what is coming near us. We also talk about our favorite theatrical experiences as either actors or technical crew. Later, we're joined by Sean Perrault of WOTN, who helps us close out the show.

The podcast can be found here.

Head over to Word of the Nerd Online for more awesome podcasts and check out Rachel (and her partner in geek, Bex) at Good Girls Gone Geek.

What's your favorite musical or play?

Nerds Descend Upon Louisville in Just 10 Days

 

Kentucky has just exploded with conventions over the last few years. Just a couple of years ago, the only convention that I knew about as someone who lived in Lexington was Scare Fest, and though it's a great con, it really fits into its own niche. (I can't wait to attend this year, PS.)  Little did I know that there was a great con just a few counties over in the city of Louisville that I would get to attend last year. FandomFest emerged out of Fright Night Film Fest and has now become one of the largest multi-genre conventions in the Mid-West. At the rate that it is growing, it could become a Dragon*Con for the Upper South/Mid-West and that would be phenomenal. In fact, it's not even just one convention. Fright Night Horror Weekend and Film Fest is a huge part of the affair, as is FandomFest, which brings in many guests based in pop culture, but there's a third component as well, Mid-America Comic Con. Rather than having one niche convention, the organizers of FandomFest have brought together some of the biggest names in popular culture, horror, comics, literature, movies, you name it really, for one great weekend.

Also in Louisville that weekend, specifically on June 30, is Derby City Comic Con. I had the pleasure of attending DCCC last year as well and was so pleased for it to be my first convention in almost 20 years (my first ever convention was the Fox Kids Expo back in the early 90s and it was glorious.) We had a great time at Derby City and met a lot of great folks, even though I didn't get to talk to Tony Moore at either convention. For the first year of the convention, I think that they did astonishingly well, as around 3000 comic fans came out to the Kentucky International Convention Center for the con. This year, it will be back in the same location with some great artists in attendance made up by a lot of local talent. There will be a silent auction in which you can place your bids all day with winners being announced just before the convention comes to a close. All proceeds from the auction benefit Kosair Charities. 

You want to know the best part? These conventions are only A BLOCK AWAY from each other and while Derby City runs from 10-5, but FandomFest continues into the evening, especially the gaming and panels portion. Check back to Kentucky Geek Girl for full previews of both conventions.

Fandom Fest/Fright Night Horror Weekend
and Film Festival/ Mid-America Comic Con
Galt House Hotel
140 North 4th Street Louisville, KY 40202
CONVENTION HOURS
Friday 4pm- 2am FOR VIPs 5pm-2am for General Admission
Saturday 9am-2am FOR VIPs 10am-2am for General Admission
Sunday 10am-5pm FOR VIPs 11am-2am for General Admission


Derby City Comic Con
Kentucky International Convention Center
221 South 4th Street Louisville, KY 40202
CONVENTION HOURS
VIPs get in at 9AM; Doors open at 10 for regular ticket holders.
Facebook | DerbyCityComicCon.com | Twitter


Friday, June 15, 2012

If Game of Thrones Was a Romantic Comedy


This has to be one of the most unique Youtube videos I've seen in awhile. Someone has taken Season 2 footage from Game of Thrones and created "Game of Thrones: a Westeros Rom-Com." This is completely accurate of the state of romantic comedies today. We meet the girl, the boy, and the problem as to why they may or may not end up together. It's a very short clip, but well worth watching! Oh, and the theme song is "Call Me Maybe." You really can't get better than that.


Sunday, June 10, 2012

Guest Post: My Dream Cast for the Fires in Eden Series




Today, I am very proud to host Kentucky Geek Girl's first official stop on a blog tour! If you'll recall, I was a surprise stop on Jackie Gamber's tour for her new book Sela, but this will be the first time that we've planned everything out before hand. I'm very excited to host a guest post by the incomparable author Stephen Zimmer. Stephen and I sat down for a nice cup of coffee at Joseph-Beth Booksellers awhile back and you were able to see his answers to my questions in a post from last week. One very interesting thing about Stephen: he's not just an author, but a filmmaker as well. He even has his own IMDB page!

When thinking about a story, I think it's neat to imagine who would play a  character in a movie version. I've done this for many characters in role-playing game campaigns in particular and it's just fun to think about. For today's stop on the Spirit of Fire tour, I asked Stephen to think about who he would cast in a film version of his Fires of Eden series. Spirit of Fire, the third book in the series, is out now. Thank you so much, Stephen, for stopping by and sharing your fantasy cast! 

You'll be able to see Stephen discuss and sign Spirit of Fire at Joseph-Beth Booksellers on Friday, June 22 at 7 PM. For more information about upcoming events at Joseph-Beth, check out their website!

Please enjoy this guest post by author and filmmaker Stephen Zimmer.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Garden of Your Mind (Mister Rogers Remixed)


Having been born in 1987, I got to experience the wonder of Mister Rogers when I was growing up. There were so many wonderful programs on PBS (or in my case KET - Kentucky Education Television, the local PBS affiliate) but my absolute favorite was Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. It, coupled with Reading Rainbow, helped fuel my curiosity and imagination as a youngster an the enduring spirit of Fred Rogers still resonates with me. I mean, where else could you go learn tai'chi, see awesomely random video tapes from Mr. McFeeley on topics like how shoes are made, and visit the Neighborhood of Make Believe? I was so sad to learn of Fred Rogers' passing in 2001, it was such a sad day for children everywhere knowing that there would be no more new episodes of his program. I hope that today's parents expose their children to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, because it helped fuel my imagination.