Teaser for The Hunger Games premieres during VMAs

One of the most anticipated movies of 2012 is The Hunger Games, based on the first of a dystopian trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The story follows a sixteen year old girl named Katniss, played by Kentucky-native Jennifer Lawrence as she survives in the ruins of what once was North America. Another Kentucky-native Josh Hutcherson plays Peeta and Liam Hemsworth was cast as Gale. Check out the video after the break!

Williams-Sonoma unveils the Marvel Kitchen Collection

When I saw the Star Wars accessories last year, I was ecstatic. Last week, on their facebook page, Williams-Sonoma posted about superhero cookie decorating classes held at their stores. After a brief moment of sadness for missing such an amazing event, I delved into the Williams-Sonoma website in order to take a look at why they would host superhero decorating classes (okay... why wouldn't they?!) The reason: The Marvel Kitchen Collection! Holy fondant, Batman! These new items look freaking awesome.

Around the Web: Rolling with Mad Deeps (Adele Cover)

I love the song "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele. I've been a huge fan of hers since "Chasing Pavements" a few years ago. I've seen lots of people on the Youtube try to cover her songs, but this is the first World of Warcraft Machinima that I've seen. I have to hand it to Xander and PaddyDCups for this great interpretation. They take real concerns of WoW players (Read: Raiders) and bring it into musical form. The vocalist's talent really shines through in this parody.

(via GeekGirlDiva and WoWInsider)

Around the Web: OK Go covers the Muppet Theme

Okay, folks, show of hands? Who's excited for the new Muppet movie? I'll admit that I didn't see The Smurfs, but I've been hesitant to see many things that have either rebooted, revived or remade things from my childhood. I still to this day haven't seen Alvin and the Chipmunks. But with Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) at the helm of this film, the first Disney-released Muppet movie since Muppet Treasure Island (1996), I think we'll be okay. Amy Adams also stars and I absolutely love her.

Muppets: The Green Album released today. It's the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational Muppet soundtrack ever and it includes 12 new covers of classic Muppet songs. Of course, the Muppet Theme, Mahna Mahna, and It Ain't Easy Being Green are all on there as well as Rainbow Connection. The album features OK Go, Weezer (with Hayley Williams), Rachael Yamagata, The Fray, Alkaline Trio among others. Clearly, there are a lot of great artists on this record! Here is the newly released video for OK Go's cover of The Muppet Theme.

Documentary Review: The Raid

When I heard that a feature-length documentary on World of Warcraft was being produced. I was very intrigued. Last summer, I watched a documentary called “The Dungeon Masters” which chronicled the lives of several Dungeons and Dragons players in a year following Gen Con, one of the largest gaming conventions in the world. In the documentary, we met the players and learned about their lives inside and out including how they started gaming and why, what obstacles they have overcome in their lives related to gaming, and so on. I was very impressed. So, when I set out to watch The Raid, I was expecting something comparable. I feel that while there many positive things about The Raid, there were several points which detracted from the film.

The documentary premiered on Gamebreaker.tv in conjunction with Typefrag and Curse Gaming. Over 19,000 viewers experienced the premiere along with Gary Gannon, Mike B aka Fony and the creator of the film Kevin Michael Johnson. The opening sequence features several people who are leaving their day-to-day lives to come home and get on their computers. From that, the documentary jumps right in to explanation of what World of Warcraft is and why many people participate in it. The viewer is introduced to three figures: Jesse Schell, CEO of Schell Games, Edward Castronova, Professor of Telecommunications, Indiana University, and Bonnie Nardi, Anthropologist and author of "My Life as a Night Elf Priest". Their comments provide context and enhance the discussion.

John Barrowman makes me happy inside

Okay, I will admit that I'm really behind on Doctor Who watching. That doesn't stop me from absolutely adoring John Barrowman, and becoming a tad obsessed after I saw him in the Cole Porter musical biopic De-Lovely. His charm, his style, his voice... what not to love? In "The Doctor and I" he takes a number from the Broadway musical Wicked and adds his own Jack Harness twist. It's totally swoon-worthy!

Broadway Geek

Most wouldn't necessarily associate Broadway musicals with geekdom. However, a new definition of geek is emerging.

Any person who has a deep, borderline obsessive, passion for something.

One passion, for me, is theater. I've always loved Broadway and have spent many a day listening to my Broadway Pandora station and various cast recordings. I was in choir in high school and college and loved getting to perform my favorite selections. A few years ago, for a Broadway showcase, I performed "There's a Fine, Fine Line" from Avenue Q. 

This year, is the 25th anniversary of the Tony Award winning Les Miserables, based on the novel by Victor Hugo. It is the longest running musical in the world and one of my all-time favorites. On the cusp of the French Revolution, the musical follows the stories of Jean Valjean, Fantine and Cosette among others. The story is amazing and all of the songs are so powerful. I've not been able to see a performance of Les Mis yet, but because of the 25th anniversary, there will be a touring production so I'm hoping to catch it soon.

Enjoy, Lego Les Miserables!

Blog Swap: Summer Reading Favorites

I, Tasha, have participated in the 20-something Bloggers Summer Blog Swap! Folks with blogs of all types have swapped with a randomly assigned partner to talk about summer.

I didn't have any particularly exciting summer stories, so I shared with her readers a story about my after-school kids who are all returning from summer break. You can check out the post over on Mom and Dem. My swap partner is Meghan, who writes Mom and Dem. You can hear from Meghan after the jump.

EPIC GIVEAWAY: We have a winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered in our contest for A Song of Ice and Fire signed box set. Thanks also to Mr. George R. R. Martin for signing it for us at the event at Joseph-Beth last week! Through the magic of Rafflecopter and Random.org we have a winner!

Congratulations to Jheri! In response to "Who is your favorite sci-fi/fantasy author?" she wrote:

I really like Brian Jacques, JK Rowling, and Rick Riordan. It's too hard to pick just one! haha

We hope you enjoy the series!

Be sure to check the contests page for upcoming giveaways!

Around the Web: Nyan Cap

Nyan Cat is everywhere, for reals. Captain America has been out for a few weeks and it looks like this video was made in anticipation of the film.

Video game news: New WoW expansion, Skyrim CE and more

Will Mists of Pandaria be the next expansion for World of Warcraft?

Last week, Blizzard Entertainment trademarked the name Mists of Pandaria. Speculation has begun about World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria being the next expansion for the nearly seven year old franchise. Lately, player base has been diminishing. It is plausible that Blizzard developers have decided to bring in the Pandaren, a mythical race of beer drinking Kung Fu Pandas, to lure some of the prodigal players back. Everything is purely rumor and speculation now. Don your tinfoil hat and read this excellent post from Anne Stickney at Wow Insider. In this Know Your Lore column, she breaks down the possibility of the Mists of Pandaria actually being the next ex-pac. My personal opinion is that Pandaren should not be a playable race. They're neutral and could kick anyone's butt, why join a faction?! If anything, open Pandaria up for exploration. The Cataclysm rocked the entirety of Azeroth, not just the side of the globe we see when we hit M.

More after the jump.

Around the Web: Gollum the Ring Bearer

I have a part-time job  at a historic house where people have weddings. I've seen dozens of weddings in the last three years, but I have yet to see something like this. This clip is from the British version of the television show Four Weddings. The American version is broadcast on TLC and both feature four women vying to have their dream honeymoon. The women attend each other's weddings and rate them. The bride with the top score wins.

Maybe this is something to think about as Jenna plans her wedding!

Around the Web: 16-Bit Game of Thrones RPG

Disclaimer: This video includes spoilers for Season 1 Game of Thrones and A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. It is also NSFW.

It's Game of Thones week at Kentucky Geek Girl and we found this awesome video on College Humor!



Not going to lie, I wish this was a real game.

Awesome Visual Effects Reel from Game of Thrones Season 1

Disclaimer: If you've not watched the show or read the books, but want to, there might be a bit of spoilerage in here.


This video reel showcases visual effects created by BlueBolt for Season 1 of Game of Thrones, the hit TV series on HBO. The footage is set to the fantastic opening theme composed by Ramin Djawadi. The video shows how the various locations in Westeros were created including The Wall, which is a massive structure. As someone who always likes to watch the making-of featurettes, this is a welcome video.


Season 2 begins April 2012.You can pre-order Season 1 now from Amazon!

George R. R. Martin draws hundreds to Joseph-Beth in Lexington

Last night, author George R. R. Martin drew a crowd of around 900 to Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington. In case you've been living under some sort of rock, Martin is the author of five books in the epic fantasy series "A Song of Ice and Fire" which has inspired the HBO series "Game of Thrones." The first season of GoT garnered massive attention to both Martin and the books, which I think is absolutely spectacular. The series was nominated for 13 Emmy awards including Best Drama and Best Supporting Actor. Peter Dinklage, who is a total rockstar by the way, totally deserves the award which Martin expressed to the crowd last night.

The signing in Lexington wasn't even supposed to happen. George R. R. Martin specifically requested that Joseph-Beth Booksellers be added at the end of this leg of his tour for the newly released "A Dance With Dragons," the fifth book in "A Song of Ice and Fire." Joe-Beth was particularly sentimental for Martin because he came to Lexington on his initial tour for "A Game of Thrones." That book tour was drawing crowds of less than a dozen, but in Lexington, hundreds came out to support him. Fifteen years later, Lexington showed that it still loves its fantasy and it still loves George R. R. Martin. But Lexingtonians weren't the only attendees of last night's signing. According to the store's Facebook page, people drove down from Columbus, OH and up from Tennessee and South Carolina to see the author.

Epic Giveaway: Paperback box set of "A Song of Ice and Fire" signed by George R.R. Martin

Winter is coming and what better way to be prepared than by reading George R.R. Martin's epic series "A Song of Ice and Fire"? Martin was a special guest at Joseph-Beth Booksellers here in Lexington last night and we were lucky enough to get him to sign this box set! I've read A Game of Thrones and am currently reading A Clash of Kings. We just wanted to share the wonderousness that is this series with all of you! Watch for a post this week where we discuss the awesome book signing, but for now, please enter this contest and help us celebrate a huge milestone for our blog!

Details:
1. One (1) winner chosen by Rafflecopter.
2: PRIZE: Paperback box set of "A Song of Ice and Fire" signed by the author George R.R. Martin
3. You MUST fill out the Rafflecopter form.
4. Comment to win: Who is your favorite science fiction/fantasy author?
5. Giveaway ends 8/10 at 12:01am
6. The BOX is signed, not the individual books.
7. Use RAFFLECOPTER to tally up your entries.