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!

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.

‘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.

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!

Talking Dead and Comic Book Men Renewed for Season 2

Things seem to be pretty good over at AMC, the station formerly known as American Movie Classics that has gone from being a go-to source for golden-era Hollywood films to gritty, original programming. With hits such as The Walking Dead and Mad Men, fans have come to expect a lot out of the cable channel. In a release today, executives unveiled their plans to not only renew the network's newest shows The Talking Dead and Comic Book Men, they are extending their run from thirteen episodes to sixteen. Both shows are part of the network's Sunday night line-up and follow the series The Walking Dead, based on the comic book by Kentucky-native Robert Kirkman.


The Talking Dead, hosted by 'The Nerdist' Chris Hardwick, invites celebrity guests in a panel-style discussion of the night's episode of TWD. The show has featured Felicia Day, as well as stars of the show and Kirkman himself. The reality show Comic Book Men follows the staff of director Kevin Smith's New Jersey comic book shop Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash. In addition to the documentary style of the show, the podcast which Smith leads is part of every episode, recounts the adventures of the week. According to the AMC Blog, Neilson ratings place Comic Book Men as one of the most engaging reality programs on television. Both Hardwick and Smith are very happy with the news about their AMC programming. Smith was quoted as saying,  

"A thousand thank you's wouldn't cover the gratitude I'm feeling right now. And as you might imagine, everyone at SModcast Pictures is in love with everyone at AMC today! Rest assured, Walt, Bry, Mike, Ming and I are suited up and ready to hit the ice for our second season with Team AMC."

  Hardwick shared similar elation.  

"Talking Dead has been an amazing experience and I cannot pile enough hugs and thanks onto AMC for renewing it. I CAN'T WAIT for Season 3 of Walking Dead, so that we can finally talk about Rick meeting [SPOILER] and [SPOILER]-ing him with a heavy-duty [SPOILER] at the [SPOILER]. And let's not forget all the rest of the [SPOILER]s getting in on the action! [EXPLETIVE] me! It's going to be great..."

  According to network executives, both programs fit the model that AMC strives for in creating engaging original programming. While both television shows feature "real" people, they do tell unique stories and create "authentic characters." Both programs should be back in the fall to correspond with the premier of season three of The Walking Dead.

Are you a fan of these two programs? Leave a note in the comments and tell me what you think of them!

This article appeared on Word of the Nerd Online on May 10, 2012.

Geeky Super Bowl Commercials

Super bowl commercials are as old as the game itself. In fact, the championship that pits the two best teams in American Football turns 45 this year. The Super Bowl is the most watched event of the year and the ad space is worth millions of dollars, but who cares about sports? Seriously, folks, why does everyone watch the game now if not for the commercials? In the past few weeks, the 2012 Super Bowl commercials have been unveiled and are being shared on Facebook walls across the world. With the Avengers spot, the G.I. Joe Retaliation commercial, and an homage to Star Wars on the slate this year, I thought we could take a look at Super Bowl commercials of years past. Clips after the break!