Jeremy-Stuff

Oh, Those German LEGO Builders

2012-02-16T16:26:00.000-06:00

This is awesome! Even if it is in celebration of Episode 1 in 3D.

Enjoy!

Andy Grammer And The High School Music Program

2012-02-14T23:06:00.002-06:00

Here is Andy Grammer doing something awesome!

Here's to artists that support the next generation of art and music.

Here's the copy:

On January 30, 2012, Patrick Henry High School students in Minneapolis, MN received a surprise they will never forget. Students in the music department learned Andy Grammer's hit song, "Keep Your Head Up" and while performing, Andy Grammer surprised them with a special performance! Thanks to Mentos, Andy Grammer also unveiled a donation of $5,000 worth of brand new music instruments.

Andy Grammer and Mentos Rocks believe music is an imperative part of a student's education and seek to make it accessible to students of all backgrounds. Mentos Rocks- a 16 city tour centered on great music is teaming up with artists to create awareness about music education cuts, encourage support and give back to local schools.

Hear Hear!

LEGO Star Wars news from Nuremberg

2012-02-10T10:19:00.000-06:00

Well, shoot! At this time it always seems like my blog becomes addicted to LEGO (what with the year's Toy Fairs all happening around the world). I'd like to pretend I'm sorry about that, but honestly I'm not. Anyway here is a great place to check out video and some of the pictures for the new LEGO Star Wars sets for late 2012.

Sets like the 9499 Gungan Sub.

An my personal favorite, 9516 Jabba's Palace.

Enjoy imagining!

Nerdy Music, Epic Violinist, Cute Girl

2012-02-03T12:00:00.000-06:00

It seems as though I am a Lord of the Rings junkie these days. Here is a video of violinist Lindsey Stirling rocking out themes from Lord of the Rings. I wish I could say that I like this video solely because I love the music from the Lord of the Rings movies. I do love the music but not solely. Lindsey's violin bowing style (though not-exactly realistic) is a lot of fun to watch. Additionally this video appears to have been shot in New Zealand and with a helicopter. EPIC! But honestly not the only reason I like the video.

I like it because this girl is really cute. Talented, charming, and musically impressive but also really cute. Sorry, but there it is. Enjoy the music!

LEGO Smeagol And Gollum!

2012-02-01T11:51:00.000-06:00

Both Smeagol and Gollum both in one poster! Wowsers! I kid; I kid. But the official picture is here and it is pretty awesome.

Below the break is almost all of the intended LotR minifigs. Man LEGO is really trying to ride the build-up of excitement about these sets. I can't wait to see more.

Here's the Fellowship pictured individually!

And here's a bunch of the baddies from LotRs including a ringwraith and two long-eared orcs. I can't wait to see the Uruk-hai without a helmet.

Impressive, most impressive!

2012-01-27T17:42:00.000-06:00

It's roomier than it looks!

UPDATED: LEGO Lord of the Rings Again

2012-01-20T10:22:00.002-06:00

I feel as though I should apologize for all of the focus on the upcoming Hobbit movie and LEGO getting the license for LotR and the Hobbit. After all there are many geeky things out in the internets and I am severely focusing on one small aspect of geeks taking over the earth. I could talk about the amazing Superhero movies coming out like The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises. Both movies look to be wicked awesome! I could point my readers to the hilarious SNL video (weird right?) that shows a middle-aged Harry Potter still trying to relive his glory days at Hogwarts in 2020. Man, that's a great balding wig Radcliffe is wearing! But I won't!

Na na na na, too bad! Cuz here's a little more LotR LEGO. Specifically LotR LEGO posters. You have already seen Frodo. Most excitingly here is LEGO Legolas! With apparently a new hairpiece and probably a new quiver and sword and bow.

And for good measure here also is Aragorn/Strider/Elessar. It'll be really neat if we get a new mold for Andúril his sword.

And now, I'm going to say that all day LEGO, LEGO, LEGO, Legolas! Hee hee hee!

Here is the official picture of the fellowship. Awesome, I'm drooling all over myself.

Bork, Bork, Bork!

2012-01-19T14:02:00.000-06:00

Here is a gem of a commercial from 1992. Sorry for the nostalgia, but I've been really nostalgic about the Muppets recently. I really wish the Muppet Show was still on. I really wish that I could still eat a bowl of Post's the Swedish Chef's Croonchy Stars. It would make the Swedish Chef proud. Still insane . . . but proud. Insanely proud.

Bork! Bork! Bork!

This Is How To Read the Newspaper

2012-01-13T11:27:00.000-06:00

Wowsers! Well done Joseph Herscher, well done!

Music by Jews Brothers Band on I-tunes: My Yiddish Swing

Bookstores After Close

2012-01-11T09:40:00.003-06:00

I always sort assumed something like this happened when bookstores closed! When I was in high school I dreamed of having a bookstore that looked a lot like this one does. Except I would have had cats at the bookstore to keep the books in order over night.

It seems as though Youtube is invading my dreams again. Nicely done for all those involved with this superb video!

LotR Lego Pictures Ring in the New Year

2012-01-02T11:48:00.004-06:00

Well my friends, happy 2012! May your Mayan calendar end with a whimper not a bang! However, if you are a geek and your morning is in need of a bang, I present the following:

A french site Lord of the Brick has located some of the preliminary pictures of the upcoming Lord of the Rings LEGO sets. I must admit that they are not finished products so the sets, when they arrive in May, may change a little. But it appears as though with purchase of all of the sets you can get the entire fellowship and a pretty big collection of Uruk-hai, Nazgul, and Rohirrim soldiers. Wowsers! Let's look at each of the grainy, confidential pictures, shall we? Spoilers after the break!

The first calls back the introduction of Gandalf in the first movie of trilogy The Fellowship of the Ring. Here we have Gandalf riding in his carriage complete with fireworks and brown horse. Sand-green shirted Frodo greets him and rides in with him so that the movie can run through a great deal of expository dialogue. LEGO set 9469 Gandalf Arrives contains Gandalf and Frodo. It is the smallest set and probably will be the least expensive.

The next set we see following the story through Fellowship is 9472 Attack on Weathertop. It is the only set to contain Merry Brandybuck but also contains two Nazgul. Frodo and Strider (Aragorn) fill out the cast for this set. (Incidentally I'd like to point out that I have already made nine Ringwraiths and they look almost exactly like the two figures pictured. I used Dementor black robes and dark bley [bluish-grey] hands and everything!) Also note the microfigs in the ornamentation of the Weathertop Tower.

The final Fellowship set is 9473 The Mines of Moria. It is a smorgasbord of characters and contains most of the fellowship including Gimli, Boromir, Legolas, Pippin, two skeletons (dead dwarves?), two goblins, and "oh no, they have a cave troll!" This is the only place thus far to get Pippin as well (Though perhaps we'll see Merry and Pippin redressed as a Rohirrim rider and a Gondorian castle guard later?) Man this stuff is awesome!

Next up we have two sets from The Two Towers. The first seems to be an elaborated army builder set. It is 9471 and it is currently called Uruk-Hai Army. It contains four Uruks and two of Rohan's finest. One, as you can see pictured is a horsed Rider of Rohan, and the other is a bearded man likely pressed into service in his homeland's time of need. The big thing about this set is of course the four enemies. Buying enough of these sets will outfit you with enough to actually take Helm's Deep. Saruman, you should have bought a few more of this set!

Set 9474 The Battle of Helm's Deep is of course the flagship set. In it, King Theoden and the three heroes from the fellowship battle a monstrously large force of five Uruks to save the (missing) citizenry of Rohan. The wall is present (hopefully with a lever that fractures it) and the front gate (perfect for tossing dwarfs at) and the great tower called the Hornburg (that hopefully contains the horn of Helm Hammerhand.) Theoren is fully resplendent on a horse and ready for Eomer to appear at the first light of the third day. My only regret is that Eowyn doesn't appear in this set.

The final set is (according to the movies) from Return of the King (though we all know that it is actually from the book The Two Towers). It is 9470 Shelob's Attack. This set is going to be a sought after bastard because it is the only place we see Sam and the first appearance of Gollum. Everyone knows Gollum and everyone is going to wants it, my precious. I appreciate that Sam appears to be holding the light of Elendil as he fights the enormous spider, Shelob. It is a pity that the only girl seen in these sets is the spider. Tolkien was very scant on female characters but hopefully LEGO (who already has a tendency to do this too) will go out of it's way to celebrate the few women that we do get in the trilogy.

Anyway, as soon as we get official pictures I will direct you to them immediately but in the mean time feel free to envision great builds and Balrogs taking up your time and LEGO building supplies. Enjoy dreaming with me!

What Are You Doin' New Year's Eve?

2011-12-30T11:12:00.003-06:00

Well if you are Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gorden-Levitt, you are obviously being adorable. Wow, I wish Katya my pillow girlfriend would sing with me on Youtube like Zooey does! Alas, Katya doesn't have much of a voice! Find someone awesome to sing with tomorrow night. And have a happy New Year!

Katya says have a happy New Year too!

So Before He Was Batman . . .

2011-12-28T09:15:00.001-06:00

. . . he was Pacman!? Well not really. Actually Christian Bale was merely a featured dancer on a Pacman cereal commercial from the eighties. I know, right? See if you can spot him. I'll give you a hint, he's not a girl or black. Check it out:

Anyway, sorry for the brief posts lately. If you can't watch videos, the last few months of posts have been pretty bare. Hopefully I'll get some writing time to build a longer post soon. But in the mean time, here's dancing Batman . . . I mean, Pacman dancing. Okay . . . well, . . . you get the idea.

Still More Hobbity News

2011-12-24T15:08:00.000-06:00

Good ol' Sir Peter of Jackson has given the world a Christmas present. Here is the next Hobbit production video! It is great to see Elijah Wood in Hobbiton again and it is surreal to have to think about the production staff army that the production team has to get to various parts of New Zealand. Good work all!

Happy holidays to all!

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Trailer!

2011-12-20T23:07:00.000-06:00

So this just came out:

HELL and YEAH! I look forward to seeing you all in December!

Hobbit LEGOs! This Is AWESOME!

2011-12-16T09:59:00.001-06:00

I'm screwed! I have wanted to see this since the beginning of my love of Lord of the Rings and my love of LEGOs. (Thanks to Brothers Brick for the announcement.) Read the whole article here. Here is the actual LEGO Company release!

Feel free to peruse my own Fellowship at Brickshelf.

We will have them my precious, all of them! Legoses maybe sneaky and false sometimes but they also likes moneys! We loves them and curses them both! Loves and curses! Gollum, gollum!

PS: Oh wait this probably means there will be a LotR LEGO game too! Hell yes!

You Want Me to Touch What?!

2011-12-09T11:31:00.001-06:00

Touch My Katamari is the newest Katamari Damacy game and it is being released specifically for the new Playstation Vita. The video below has a billiards pro demonstrate the concept and changes to the new game.

Get More: GameTrailers.com, Touch My Katamari - Billiard Pro Trailer, PC Games, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

As you can see you can stretch the Katamari in different shapes that (I'm guessing) allow the Prince into new areas and larger sized items. All Katamari games are pretty repetitive but also quite fun, so this could be a blast. Anyway, enjoy the video, the King of All Cosmos commands it! (And also the Kings cows too, apparently. Moo!)

The Legend of Korra Trailer!

2011-12-05T10:23:00.001-06:00

Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the best television shows I have ever seen! Seriously! This show is phenomenal! Aang the Avatar, seated atop his sky bison Appa, flies all over the four kingdoms and has adventures. These adventures lead him to end the war with the fire nation and bring peace to the world. (My description kind of sucks, but the show is awesome!)

Now, there is a sequel to the show and the opening of the new television show (due in 2012) has just shown up on the internets! (Alas, the original opening has now been taken down. Hopefully you saw it!) Here is the official release video:

A little more after the break . . .

As you have probably watched above, you may note that it shows a lot of Korra kicking ass! I love this. One of my favorite aspects of the original show was the strong, complicated female characters. Katara was a waterbending BOSS and a trainer to Aang the Avatar. Toph was the strongest earthbender and was even able to teach herself metalbending! Needless to say, I have a lot of excitement about seeing Korra in action!

At last finally, I need to ask everyone here to make me a promise. Whatever you do, do not see the movie directed by M. Night Shamalan! It is terrible (and a hackneyed 3D job to build ticket-sales out of the 3D craze two summers ago). Stick with the animated TV show--no movie! Let's all say it together now, "No Avatar: The Last Airbender Movie! Only watch the show!"

Now that we have gotten that out of the way, enjoy picking a part the above video with close magnification of still shots. Also still, never mention the movie. It will make me lose all respect for you. Not to mention that it looks like Korra will probably smack you around with her waterbending if you talk about the crappy movie anyway. I suppose that counts as a fair warning!

Rockapella Wishes Everyone a Happy December

2011-12-02T16:18:00.001-06:00

It is not a secret but my favorite group of a cappella rockers is Rockapella (of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego fame). They have been touring with the Boston Pops and have recently posted this message on Youtube!

So happy Decemberween to everyone! And I hope you have an upcoming awesome Christmas, Hanukkah, old New Year's, and Jeremy's Birthday. "Soon it will be Christmas day. . ."

Mario Opera

2011-11-28T17:31:00.001-06:00

Dear lord, this is brilliant! Just watch it!

(Plus, using fireballs while invincible is a BOSS move! Nice!)

LEGO Superheroes on the Way!

2011-11-21T12:19:00.001-06:00

Well the year 2011 is passing away quickly. Already it is time to get your turkey, and stuffing, and cranberry sauce ready. But I am fine with that! Because it means that pictures of the new Superheroes line from LEGO (due in 2012) are starting to appear.

The Superman set (6862) is the one I am most excited about!

January will see the release of DC Universe's Superhero line. I'm very excited! More pictures after the break.

Here are the rest of the pictures. They are all Batman sets. And although Batman is totally rad, I guess my main criticism is that most of the Batman sets are basically rehashes of the earlier Batman line. The Catwoman set (6858) in my opinion is great and a vast improvement from the unsurvivable Bat-dragster from the first round of Batman LEGO.

The Twoface set (6864) is sporting new colors. I appreciate the addition of a police officer too. It is nice to get one of Gotham City's finest. I think this is the first Gotham City police person produced. This I like! Here's hoping we get a Commissioner Gordon eventually!

The Joker helicopter set (6863) is getting really re-done at this point, though it is still a cool set. The difference I can see is the lack of a spring-loaded air-pedo and instead lame flick-fire thingies. (Good for kids eyes; bad for bad-ass fire power.) Joker's outfit and hair is new as is the goon's shirt color.

The Batcave (6860) has some great improvements and some failures as well. New Robin is great. New Poison Ivy is greater. The improvements to the tech-look of Batman's cave are striking. But what we lost in this set from the previous one is the cave-feel, the sense of size, and worst of all Alfred! Here's hoping we get a clock and stairwell to add to the Batcave with Alfred.

So, all in all the new sets are pretty neat. I look forward to future incarnations of DC LEGO soon. I particularly look forward to Green Lantern and some of the other DC heavyweights. All told, I'm not really sure which sets I will be aching to buy (besides of course, the Superman set), but even with my criticisms I'll probably get a few of them. Anyway if you need me, you know where to point the Pane-signal. Jeremy out!

Star Trek vs. Star Wars

2011-11-18T11:59:00.001-06:00

Ever since the internets have been around there has been an ongoing argument about which would win in a fight, Star Trek or Star Wars. Some have noted that weapons of the Star Wars universe are multifaceted and more powerful than the combined strength of the Romulin, Federation, and Cardassian warships. The power of the Death Star certainly seems superior to anything we've seen (apart, perhaps, from Nero's mining ship). Others have argued that though the weapons of the Rebellion and the Empire might outclass the Federation, a gang of Klingons or even allied Borg could take over the Death Star in a matter of hours. After all Luke, Han, Ben and Chewbacca did with a little less than two droids and dumb luck. Plus the added women present in the Federation might well draw the attention of a gaggle of Stormtroopers who have only ever shot at Princess Leia from across a metallic trench.

This video isn't going to answer that question. But it does raise a more reasonable hypothetical question. What if the crew of the Enterprise found an old copy of the movie Star Wars and watched it?

Happy International Nigel Tufnel Day

2011-11-11T08:58:00.001-06:00

Today is a great day to be alive. Why you ask? Because today goes to eleven.

Sometimes as a bloke you are on a day at ten here. You are playing at ten. All the way up. All the way up. All the way up. Your on a ten at your day. Where can you go from there? Where? Nowhere, exactly! You need to be able to go to eleven. Because it's one more than ten!

HERE's a link to the clip I cannot embed. Have a rockin' eleven loud day!

Clever Girl!

2011-11-09T11:08:00.001-06:00

Uhm, this is awesome! What are you waiting for? Just watch it.

Best cosplay duo ever! And it comes with the Jurassic Park Official seal. Which makes it even more awesome!

LOTR Hobbit Video Blog #4

2011-11-04T14:22:00.002-05:00

Well, for those of you who haven't been following my growing excitement for the upcoming movies, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again we have another video blog from Peter Jackson. As a fan of all things Middle Earth I am, understandably, brimming with excitement.

This video talks about the 3D aspect of building these films. LotR was not shot in 3D (though as Peter says below, he wishes he had been able to shoot it that way,) but the two Hobbit movies will be. This will add to the immersive experience and hopefully make re-visiting Middle Earth that much more exciting.

After the break I have included the two video blogs that I have missed, just for good measure.

This second video discusses the first shooting block. In it, Andy Serkis (Gollum) talks about being a full-fledged 2nd unit director. Andy and Peter discuss the two-hundred-fifty days of the shoot and talk about being exhausted. Also if you had ever wanted to know where dwarfs go for vacation, this is your chance to find out. Also, also don't tell but someone very exciting makes a surprise visit at the end.

And the third video at first appears to focus on continuing to talk with Andy Serkis but instead we find Peter in London at Pinestreet Studios. In actuality the video is mostly about the thirteen dwarfs. The actors also get to try and name all of the Dwarfs. Of course Sir Ian McKellen get's them all. The best part of the video is that John Rhys-Davies makes an appearance. He calls the current dwarves poor buggers and wishes the oodles of women luck on getting themselves a sexy dwarf to lie-about with.

This is all pretty awesome! The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey comes out in a little over a year on December 14th, 2012. The follow-up The Hobbit: There and Back Again shows up the next year on December 13th, 2013. Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!

The first video is posted HERE.

Brickworld Fort Wayne Video from Indiana!

2011-11-03T16:34:00.000-05:00

Every year there are really cool LEGO Festivals all over the world. Here John Brune puts together a great video showcasing some of the most exciting things at the festival in Indiana this year. I particularly like the turned-over hazmat truck at 10:35 in the video. It's a great use of the neon yellow/green colored bricks that my brother and I always thought was Mountain Dew colored.

A couple weeks ago there was also a neat one in the Netherlands called Legoworld. It seems like the European LEGO fans are all master mechanical builders. Some of the vehicles (particularly the real working blimp?) are extraordinary.

One of these days I'll visit one of these festivals myself. Though, with great videographers like these I almost feel as though I haven't really missed out . . . almost.

Valmart Tries on LEGO Wigs

2011-10-27T15:16:00.001-05:00

LEGO Voldemort is the perfect balance between scary and adorable.

I always wanted to know why LEGO Voldemort didn't just put on a plastic hairpiece when he wanted to go incognito. Now it seems he has finally started having the same idea. It seems that in order to get ready for Halloween Voldemort tries to figure out which character from the Harry Potter universe he is going to go as. In this video, he even considers being Lockhart.

LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part II both come out in about two weeks on November, 11th, 2011. We'll see you all there!

Ahhhh! Moving!

2011-10-26T15:40:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the scanty posts this week; I am moving. I hope to catch up on cool geekery soon but in the mean time please enjoy the fact that Captain America came out yesterday and it is an awesome movie! I hope to be up an writing in a week or so!

Oh boxes of my stuff! You are too heavy and currently in the wrong place!

Minifigure Series 7 (and better pictures of 6)!

2011-10-18T11:33:00.000-05:00

Well, friends, we now have better pictures of the next two minifigure series that are coming out. Series Six (below) still looks incredible. The Genie is probably my favorite figure though it is really hard to pick a favorite with so many excellent figures available.

Series Seven (below) is the new announcement on the interwebs, and it too is pretty extraordinary. As you can see there are many excellent figures in this batch too. The tennis player, with blonde hair, is a nice reuse of the bed hair from the previous series. The Viking Lady will be a great addition to the vikings I already have. I can't wait to add her to my viking sets. And Poseidon (Neptune) will be a useful addition to many pirate ships, and erm, viking ships, and pretty much anything having to do with water and boat, ships. Also I like being able to have a Greek/Roman god minifigure.

The Aztec Warrior is beautiful! The Bagpiper brilliant. And even Tarzan is Fun. Well done LEGO! Well done. Series Five is available now: HERE.

Banks! Banks! Banks! Banks!

2011-10-17T10:03:00.000-05:00

Gentle readers, if you have an hour of time (and frankly even if you do not have an hour of time) watch this video! It stars Steven Banks and is the greatest one man, one act play I have ever seen! Seriously, the best.

My old roommate Kevin introduced me to the glorious Steven Banks and I am forever indebted. I am so pleased to see a decent quality version of this up on Youtube. Honestly I use this as a friend barometer. If you enjoy this show, we will probably get along fine! If not, we may run out of things to talk about very quickly. (This isn't to say that liking this show guarantees success, it doesn't. After all, total douche bags may also end up liking this show too--it's that good!) Also any women interested in being a future Mrs. Jeremy-Stuff ought to like Steven Banks as well. After all, he is incredible. I usually try to line it up third or fourth date. . . . if anyone was curious or something. Thank you. That is all.

Banks! Banks! Banks! Banks!

VW Time-Lapse Build

2011-10-11T10:12:00.001-05:00

Greetings Jeremy fans! When I first saw the announcement for this set I was duly intrigued. I don't usually buy large scale replicas because they do not fit well with my love of minifigures. But this set may actually force me to break my mold.

I have just found a really well produced time-lapse assembly of the new Volkswagen T1 Camper Van, set 10220. The video was put together by Marshall Matlock and posted on his blog.

If you are so inclined, you can buy the set here. It runs $119.99 US and is (as you can see above) a beautiful build and design! Enjoy truckin'!

More LEGO HP News!

2011-10-10T11:05:00.000-05:00

This game looks great! It encompasses the darkest of the Harry Potter Books and (as you can see from the trailer) has a mini-game for the Brother's Tale of Beedle Bard. Sweet! It will come out in December, so for those of you that have a Christmas list be sure to put this on it. (And for those of you that do not have a Christmas present list you can ask for it to celebrate my birthday!) Check out the video!

Also here is link to the Amazon page for pre-order: PS3 Harry Potter LEGO

The Alphabet of Cookie Monster

2011-10-03T15:16:00.000-05:00

This is a classic sketch from Sesame Street. As a child it was definitely one of the important ways I learned the entire alphabet.

And honestly, I still don't really believe that Cookie Monster isn't actually letter of the alphabet.

Ni No Kuni - Playing a Miyazaki Movie

2011-09-29T16:15:00.000-05:00

Well, it appears as though the videogame Ni No Kuni (literally Second Country but also referred to as The Another Country) is coming to the United States in 2012. Hopefully the world won't end before we get a chance to play this game.

I mean seriously it looks like playing a Miyazaki film. The game, which was developed by Studio Ghibli, follows the character Oliver through adventures in an alternate reality to potentially revive his recently deceased mother. In this alternate reality he will have to interact with alternate versions of people he already knows.

LEGO Project Two Improved

2011-09-26T10:46:00.002-05:00

Many months ago I created LEGO minifigs that modeled all of the members of my dear quartet, Tall Order. Given the limitations of the time I had to paint our soprano Bonnie's hair and opt for an incorrectly parted hairstyle for our alto Debbie. I also didn't originally have any equipment which made sense because our quartet didn't actually have any sound equipment anyway.

Now that has all changed!

We now have (somewhat) correctly parted hair, equipment, and Steve our photographer (who is also a loving husband to Ruth)! So I took pictures of our LEGO avatars (and loaded them on Brickshelf) doing all of the things we do best.
We perform:

We sing solos and duets:

We balance our sound with our LEGO mixer:

We even have violins for Ruth and Bonnie to play (as they often do at our shows):

Anyway you can see a good portion of the pictures HERE at Brickshelf. And come see us perform if you are in the Chicago area! We're almost as cool live, as our minifig counterparts.

LEGO Series 6 On Its Way

2011-09-23T11:50:00.000-05:00

Oh man! LEGO series 6 is looking really awesome. I mean really awesome! Surgeons and Romans and Robots, oh my! And Genies! And Minotaurs!

And Leprechauns! And Aliens! And a Spacegirl! And . . .

AWESOME.

Brilliant Sesame Street Parody

2011-09-22T13:02:00.000-05:00

I have been a fan of Sesame Street for as long as I can remember. One of the things that brilliantly separates Sesame Street from many other shows is its phenomenal use of parody often. It belongs in the same category as Saturday Night Live and The Onion. Here is an awesome parody of the hit show Glee--about a glee club--that follows the "G" club with some completely recognizable characters:

Michael J. Fox is my hero!

2011-09-19T10:19:00.001-05:00

I've always liked Micheal J. Fox. He will be forever immortalized by his role in Back to the Future as well as television shows like Family Ties and Spin City. He also suffers from Parkinson's disease and his foundation, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, has raised awareness and money to help those with the disease.

I hope one day I will have as good a sense of humor about diabetes as Fox has about Parkinson's. Here is is on Curb Your Enthusiasm:

You can buy his book here:
http://www.amazon.com/Lucky-Man-Michael-J-Fox/dp/0786867647

Where's Waldo Now

2011-09-14T16:35:00.001-05:00

I don't want any Where's Waldo movie.

I want this one!

Drive Recklessly?!

2011-09-14T09:54:00.000-05:00

What would you do if you had a chance to kill someone with reckless driving? Would you drive sixty-five mph rather than sixty?

Would you be willing to spin a thing 262,031 times and go back in time?

What if that person was a terrible person? I think we all have something to think about. Also I'm never going to stop drinking Honey Badger Anti-venom. Seriously, why not? It's delicious! And it takes what it wants, anyway!

Picard and the Alphabet

2011-08-30T10:15:00.000-05:00

Bill does this song much cuter but Captain Picard's version is pretty good.

LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7

2011-08-18T09:11:00.000-05:00

I was putting off buying LEGO Harry Potter years 1-4 for a while. Very recently I started in with the videogame version of plastic-brick Hogwarts and spell learning! And it is awesome. Traveler's Tales--the company behind other LEGO games like Star Wars, Batman, and Indiana Jones--continues to build amazing and enjoyable games. And each time they build one, the game gets better and more complex. (See non-force using builds, equipment, and batarangs!)

This time, one of my favorite parts of LEGO Harry Potter is the game's use of polyjuice potion. You use cauldrons to brew potions. Once you know the recipe for polyjuice, you then have the option of choosing between characters that you have located in the game. Those who have played LEGO games before will understand that this allows the "free play" aspect of the game to be used while still playing through the first time. What a clever use of the game's already predetermined mechanics! Awesome LEGO! Awesome!

There are many other sweet innovations to this game like shuffling spells and abilities, etc. Consequently, everyone has been very excited about the sequel to this game: LEGO Harry Potter years 5-7. Wait no longer! Apparently it is coming this winter!

And here is a preview:

Enjoy it quickly as I can see this being pulled down rather fast. And keep your building hat on! LEGO wins again!

Don't Worry!

2011-08-10T22:14:00.000-05:00

Seriously, be happy!

Also Robin Williams makes a guest appearance in this music video. Robin Williams, the man with a thousand voices and a manic personality. He named his daughter Zelda. He is in one of my favorite movies of all time. This is an awesome appearance.

Starcraft Stage Show

2011-07-28T09:44:00.000-05:00

In the vein of Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, I present:

STARCRAFT: Something, something in Korean

Yeah, it is sort of awesome! Why is this not on Broadway yet?
Why else?

Insufficient vespene gas!

DC and Marvel team up with LEGO to rule the world!

2011-07-21T14:11:00.001-05:00

Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man! This announcement is exploding with awesome!

That's right DC and Marvel are teaming up with LEGO to create a Superheroes line. The DC part will feature Superman, Batman, Wonderwoman, Green Lantern, Harley Quinn, the Joker, Bane, and Lex Luthor. The Marvel line will incorporate characters from the Avengers, the X-Men and Spiderman. It will feature Thor, Captain America, the Hulk, Wolverine, Magneto, Dr. Octopus, and Deadpool. MOTHER-FLIPPIN' DEADPOOL!

more after the break

As a comic book fan, and a LEGO fan, and someone who has spent time and money collecting LEGO Batman, Spiderman, and parts for my own LEGO Justice League, I am thrilled about this announcement. It's almost like those LEGO guys were listening in to a conversation I had more than five years ago with my brother. Those sneaky bastards probably bugged our college apartment! It occurs to me that they have placed a lot of LEGO ninjas at my place over the past decade. Now please excuse me while I go have a private Lego-gasm. I'll try not to leave too many little LEGO pieces all over the floor.

Here is the trailer from LEGO Superheroes:

There is a place that you can submit entries to a contest featuring LEGO Superheroes. Ooh ooh, I hope I win! The link is here: http://www.legosuperheroes.com/

Awesome sauce! Jeremy out!

And thus, all videogames became awesome . . .

2011-07-15T09:26:00.000-05:00

FOREVER!

There is a genius in this video about a videogame pitch. I'm not talking about Tim Schafer, creator of the Monkey Island games, Psychonauts, and more. I'm talking about the executive. The brilliant cookie loving exec! I love the tie and collar. (Incidentally I built a similar tie and collar combo for my dragon puppet and my brother's chimpanzee puppet at my mother's wedding in 1996.) I love the smart phone. (Seriously who wouldn't have a phone cover of their own face in his position?) And I love cookie monster!

All is right with the world!

A Change in Perspective

2011-07-06T15:39:00.001-05:00

Every once in a while it helps to imagine the world from a different point of view. To see beyond what we can see with our own eyes, and try to comprehend a different universe. This certainly isn't to say that our perspective is wrong, just limited. Without the innate ability to try to see the world from beyond our own eyes, we never would have drawn maps, split the atom, or believed the world wasn't flat. And sometimes the world becomes greater when we can change our view, even though we still see the same thing.

For instance, what would a hula hoop session look like to the hoop?

Or what would the back of Mt. Rushmore look like?

And although this ability gives us hours of amusement it also allows us to be fully human as well. For it is not until we imagine ourselves as someone else that we can understand humanity very well either. So here's to being human! Enjoy the best joke I've heard all week:

A Jewish man in New York City walked into a restaurant and ordered a bowl of soup at lunch time. After a few minutes the waiter delivered the soup and continued to help the other patrons in his section. After delivering drinks to table 23 and extra napkins to the family at the five-top at 27 he noticed the Jewish man motion him over.
"How is the soup?" the waiter asked.
"I would really like for you to try it," replied the man.
"Is it too hot?" asked the waiter beginning to feel nervous.
"No, no. Please try the soup," said the man.
"I'm really not allowed to do that. Is there something wrong with the order?" asked the waiter beginning to fear that there was a fly or worse in the soup.
The man very patiently replied, "I would really like for you to just try the soup."
The waiter looked around, pulled the bowl to the edge of the table prepared to taste the soup. Suddenly he asked, "Where is the spoon?
The Jewish man smiled and said, "Ah ha!"

Never Anger the King of All Cosmos

2011-07-05T16:38:00.000-05:00

Or his kid for that matter.

This song will be stuck in your head all day. Na nah na na na na na nah na. Na na na na na na!

Hobbitty Dragon News!

2011-06-17T12:31:00.000-05:00

The star of the show Sherlock Benedict Cumberbatch has been cast as the voice of Smaug the Calamity in the upcoming Hobbit. I'm not sure exactly what all this means but Smaug has been cast which is good news.

In other confirmation news Elrond, Legolas, Frodo, Galadriel, and possibly even Saruman are back for this outing in Middle Earth. So not only will it be awesome to see Middle Earth again, but it'll also be the faces we are used to. Hooray!

I'm also headed to Ravinia to see the Fellowship of the Ring played by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on August 19th. So if you are in the north Chicago area that day come join the Fellowship! FYI though: tickets are $25.

Here's a link: https://www.ravinia.org/ViewDate.aspx?date=8/19/2011

Spidermonster the Musical!

2011-06-14T17:15:00.000-05:00

Even Seseme Street thinks the Spiderman musical is hilarious. I wish that Palisades still had licensing for Muppet Action figures because I would buy Grover as Spidermonster, Michael Steel muppet and Bono the Stage hand for everyone I know!

Ha ha ha! Bono the stage hand! Why is failure so funny?!

George Lucas Strikes Back

2011-06-01T11:31:00.000-05:00

This is brilliant!!!!

Green with Envy Trailer

2011-05-25T09:59:00.000-05:00

Oh Amy Adams, did you know what you were getting yourself into?

Probably not, but it was a good choice anyway!

There's a Zombie on Your Lawn!

2011-05-19T08:49:00.000-05:00

I don't know if all of you have heard of Plants vs. Zombies but it is an awesome tower defense game that mixes an eerie sense of foreboding with unparalleled cuteness.

Seriously the cute-o-meter goes through the roof with this game. But cute can only get you so far?!

So the game developer Popcap has let all of the stops out by including a song by the music developer Laura Shigihara that uses her voice as the pop-singing sunflower. So not only do we get a zombie videogame that is fun and addictive. Not only do we get an adorable way to take out frustrations on adorable zombies. We also get a musical number.

This is the best game ever created.

The Passing of a Friend to Humanity

2011-05-17T13:50:00.000-05:00

Twenty-one years ago today a masterful artist and craftsman passed on to the next world. Here is his friend Frank Oz eulogizing him with humor, sadness, and most of all love.

We miss you Jim!

Kermit the Frog Interviews Pirate cast!

2011-05-11T19:06:00.000-05:00

I really like Kermit! That's all I have to say.

If you can hear this . . .

2011-05-06T13:29:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry, but if you can hear this you are a cylon.

This is a video of the Sacramento State Jazz Singers singing Bear McCreary's arrangement of Jimi Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower" from Battlestar Galactica. The show for all of its weaknesses was still awesome. And I have a great deal of Lego pictures on my hard drive that prove it was a sweet show. Sorry about yet another video but it appears as though that's all I can comment on these days. Enjoy!

Cuz I'm also a cylon! Or at least an awesome jazz cylon wanabe!

Order's, Sir?!

2011-04-22T10:05:00.000-05:00

Soon enough LEGO fans will create all of the Starcraft characters doing everything they do in the game! Zealots that can rush; Mutalisks that can fly; and Ghosts that can nuke. One day!

Hobbit, Hobbit, HOBBIT!

2011-04-14T15:29:00.000-05:00

And in Hobbit news . . .

Peter Jackson has started by posting a video blog of the beginning of shooting The Hobbit. I've included it below! I can't tell you how excited I am about these movies. Seeing some recognizable sets, and some caves that are not immediately recognizable make me have to root around and get my Frodo costume ready!

I'll warn that this video is a bit of a tease but Serkis and McKellen both make a brief show! Enjoy!

Unicorn Love Serenades Us All!

2011-04-06T22:54:00.000-05:00

I laughed; I cried; I think I may have peed a little! I hope it was as good for you as it was for me.

UPDATE: So apparently Serenading Unicorn is a whole thing. I love it! You can find lots of videos here on Youtube. All I have to say is that when I become fabulously rich I too want a piano made out of clouds!

Man, I hate it when this happens!

2011-03-31T09:33:00.000-05:00

And Here's Series Five!

2011-03-30T14:58:00.001-05:00

Anytime I begin to think that I'll have monies, LEGO announces another group of Collectible Minifigures. Thanks LEGO you big jerks. The clown pairs with the earlier clown, the dwarf with the dwarves from before, and Sherlock Homes is too cool! Not to mention the gangster, the Beefeater, and the anthropologist too! And all we seemingly have to put up with is another snowboarder! Well done!

In related news, Series Four figures have been spotted at Toys backwards R Us stores even though their release date isn't for another couple of weeks. So needless to say, the Bricklink stores are already a-buzz with fervor! The cool part of this collection seems to be the apparent lack of filler figures to round out sixteen new minifigures. Every figure seems awesome. I guess I'd be least happy to end up with a fist full of skater dudes or surfer chicks, but even these figures have some great new pieces or colors. Vikings and geishas fill out existing LEGO castle themes and the hockey player and figure skater are the first examples of minifigure ice skates available. Plus the musketeer, werewolf, and Hasmat guy are all going to be violently sought after figures. This latest set as well as the upcoming series five is pure win!

Gnome Chompski Attack!

2011-03-30T14:52:00.000-05:00

If only this was a real game! If only!

Chad Vader Parody

2011-03-25T09:36:00.000-05:00

Chad Vader reminds us what day it is. Just in case you have a hard time remembering what comes after Thursday or three days from Tuesday. Honestly it can all be somewhat complicated. Alas, the song that this parodies is not.

Enjoy and be sure to check out Chad Vader on Youtube. The first episode from season one is here.

These ARE the droids you're looking for . . .

2011-03-16T09:15:00.001-05:00

"In sad news today it appears that the two leads of Star Wars Revisited: Revisited have been forced to part ways due to artistic differences. It is unknown whether Simon Pegg (Scotty from the new Star Trek reboot fame) and Nick Frost (who can still do a hella-good chimpanzee impression) will move on to other projects or just sit around rolling in the massive piles of awesome they have already accrued. What is known is that they have already killed Phillip, and by the power of Greyskull, this video is among the greatest nerd things ever made."

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

In all seriousness, this video is obviously a plug for Simon and Nick's upcoming movie Paul which will be arriving in theaters near you on Friday March 18th. It needs not be mentioned that the combination of two nerd actors, that have stolen all of our hearts, doing a scene from a beloved moment in most of our childhoods is a flawless move. I really wish they had actually shot the entire movie because I would, without doubt, watch the hell out of that. In the mean time, try not to spend too much of your day pondering what might have been. I'll meet you at the Winchester for a pint!

LEGO Star Wars III teaser

2011-03-15T09:50:00.000-05:00

Everyone that is immersed in the world of Star Wars Lego knows about the coming game set to be released on all platforms. This one is about the Clone Wars and actually looks pretty good. Like Travelers Tale's LEGO games before this new game promises some awesome innovations like the Jedi's ability to lead Clone Troopers and direct other characters. (And apparently Clone Trooper's ability to make a mess of themselves in trying situations.)

Nonetheless, it looks quite fun!

Walk Down Amnesia Lane

2011-03-07T08:51:00.000-06:00

I first heard of the band They Might Be Giants on a road trip to the midwinter youth conference from a friend I really looked up to named Rob. I was thirteen at the time and They Might Be Giants smacked of something cool, and grown-up, and somewhat forbidden. This isn't to say that music was forbidden in my house or anything, far from it. But this was something that high school and college kids listened to and TMBG was closely associated with what was still a totally radical MTV. Oh days of the early nineties, when neon was still exciting and Clarissa was still able to explain everything. Even though TMBG existed before and will continue to exist after my childhood, a reasonable facsimile of the group will always reside in that place.

Years later I still have a very strong love of They Might Be Giants. Currently they are among the groups that I have a coveted signed album from thanks to a show in Ann Arbor. They were promoting their new album Mink Car. The band has moved on to children's music as well as continuing their own geeky, subcultural, musical ambling. And it is a world that I still crave and appreciate. So thank you! To the band made up of John and John: I salute you!

They Might Be Giants - Istanbul (Not Constantinople) from They Might Be Giants on Vimeo.

Avengers Attack!

2011-02-15T09:59:00.000-06:00

(not nearly as powerful as a Miyazaki attack but still potent)

So the movie Avengers actually won't come out for another year or so but someone has put together a pretty awesome trailer for the future movie based on shots from the movies that are coming out with members of the Avengers in them. And it looks pretty good. Keep in mind if you follow Ironman, Captain America, and Thor this is nothing new. Hopefully some girls might join the team soon.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's AWESOME!

2011-02-08T23:38:00.000-06:00

This is a short Superman comic done in the vein of the old Superman serials from the forties and fifties and it is awesome! Disney animator Robb Pratt put this together because he was bored, or something! All I have to say is that we need to bore the pants off of Mr. Pratt as a full time job. Becasue his boredom is clearly Nerd-o-topia's gain!

Thanks to Topless Robot for the tip.

Pirates of the Caribbrickean

2011-02-02T12:13:00.000-06:00

Well friends! LEGO is moving forward on a new Pirate theme. Pirates of the Caribbean! That's right, there will be new Jack Sparrow minifigs as well as other characters from the movies. And in summer of 2011 there will be a new Travelers Tales PotC game too.

Be sure to check out MTV's gallery for the rest of the sets.

MTV Shows

Black Stormtrooper, Fool!

2011-01-28T13:36:00.000-06:00

This video, as you may see from the credits is by Donald Faison and Zack Braff. On top of it being LEGO and awesome it is voiced by Turk and JD from Scrubs! How awesome is that?!

I mirror the fine writers of Topless Robot when I say to George Lucas and whoever else may be watching, "Give Faison the chance to do a Lando show! LANDO SHOW!"

The TRUE Lord of the Rings!

2011-01-28T10:10:00.000-06:00

This is kind of, absolutely awesome!

If you want to know who the new King of the Nerds is: his name is Tim McGovern. Enjoy!
See the rest of his work here at Topless Robot!

LOTR Bloopers!

2011-01-21T10:55:00.000-06:00

Bloopers are often some of the funniest parts of the DVD but alas there weren't bloopers on the Special Edition LOTR collection. Now that oversight has been rectified.

Lee this video is for you!

Global Warming Announcement

2011-01-13T10:59:00.000-06:00

Seriously there's a difference between weather and climate change, but only if you believe science.

Also Gimli Handles the One Ring Like a BOSS!

2011-01-07T13:46:00.000-06:00

Well, it appears as though another hurdle to filming and producing the Hobbit has been jumped! Warner Brothers is going to finance the $500 million price tag for the two movies saving it from pre-vis perdition by a bankrupt MGM. Still no word if Andy Serkis and Ian McKellan are on board but at least now Peter Jackson might actually be able to pay them. I hope that the news will mean that the Hobbit will actually start filming soon.

In other actor news though, Elijah Wood along with Orlando Bloom and, Cate Blanchett have joined the cast. This recent mews is unsettling to many fans. To those LotR-o-philes that might argue that none of those characters were in the Hobbit, let me say this: They are correct.

However we need to keep in mind that it doesn't destroy the world to have them appear. For instance, Lady Galadriel (who as an immortal elf was alive) may have been connected in some way to the council of wizards and the banashing of the Necromancer from the south of Mirkwood. Legolas is the son of King Thranduil of Mirkwood. Bilbo spends weeks staying out of sight in the Elven King's stronghold. There is plenty of opportunity for Legolas to appear here. And the red book that appears in the LotR movies is actually noted in Tolkien's mythology of middle earth. We see the red book started by Bilbo, continued by Frodo, passed to Samwise. This book after the movies eventually ends up in the hands of Sam's offspring as they are made the Wardens of the Westmarch. The book is what Tolkien pretended he found traces of when he wrote the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Furthermore, we knew that the hobbit was going to be elaborated on. Otherwise there would not be two movies on the horizon. I urge my geeky brethren to not get upset because Peter Jackson is doing what he said he would. Nerd rage subsiding!

As a final treat here is Gimli destroying the One Ring like a BOSS!

Start 'Em Young!

2011-01-03T11:27:00.000-06:00

This is an adorable video of a Starcraft commentator and his four year old daughter watching a Starcraft game. She is particularly impressed with counting Pylons and Zerg Drones (that she calls "shooties"). But the important part is involving your kids in what ever you do be it art or music or intergalactic conquest! All of you Starcraft players be sure to continue playing with your kids!

Happy Holidays to all of the World!

2010-12-28T08:59:00.000-06:00

This essay, written by yours truly, was posted on the Baha'i National website about halfway down the page. I don't feel bad copying myself so here it is in its entirety after the jump:

As a child, the oncoming Winter Holiday season always filled me with joy. The garland and greenery on street poles, the colored lights that appeared in the windows of houses around the neighborhood, and the threat, and often appearance, of snow dusting the yards and empty branches of the town always meant one thing to me. It meant that my birthday had nearly arrived.

I was born just before midnight at the very beginning of December. When my parents arrived at the hospital, the day was cold and dry and a gray pallor overshadowed the dark browns, sepias, and tans that colored the streets of my home town. However, the following day my father was amazed to find that he had to brush more than a foot of snow off his car in the hospital parking lot. It was almost as if snow had arrived to usher in my birth, though in truth, the snow could also have been for any of the other babies born within that twenty four hour period. Regardless, I have always had a very congenial relationship with snow.

Having been born in December often meant that family friends would try to appear understanding that I would be so lucky -- or so unlucky -- to have to share my birthday month with the celebration of the birth of Christ and the holiday atmosphere. Some with birthdays close to mine would even knowingly commiserate with being shorted presents because of the pressure of the holiday season.

However unbeknownst to many who would comment in the supermarket, I possessed a special talisman that alleviated any stress or disappointment that might creep into my month of December. I grew up a Baha’i. Growing up in a Baha’i family meant that Christmas day never included presents carefully lying under a colorfully decorated tree unless we were visiting one of my grandparents’ houses. Often, it would be a day much like any other winter day though usually my family would take time to read from the New Testament on that day about the birth of Christ. When we were at grandparents’ houses we would often accompany them to church and happily sit through the Christmas service.

One winter I remember visiting a family friend and the joy of lighting the first candle on the menorah. I remember really wanting to light the rest of the candles too but understanding that the lighting would be done on subsequent days. Afterward we played with a dreidel, though we never figured out how exactly to play the game because of the confusion over many years of differing house rules. It was a blast.

I guess I am most thankful for learning the importance of sharing during the holidays. Whether my family was sitting around a Christmas tree or not, I always was contented to celebrate that God’s love for humanity was so great that He sent mankind a redeemer. Whether I sat at a table with latkes or a table with Cheerios, I was inspired by being able to identify the power of God’s generosity that abundantly overshadows our own earthly expectations.

Later on in the year, I was pleased to be able to recognize the fortitude and beauty of subjugating our own human desires in my Muslim friends’ sacrifice during Ramadan which often fell so close to our own Baha’i month of fasting.

I am even happy to share my birthday snow with everyone who is excited or amazed by its arrival. In this way, the garland and greenery, the colored lights, and even the snow in this season become more than just decorations. Their outward appearance is just a symbol for peace and joy and celebration and there is enough room for us all to join in. After all, everyone benefits from peace on earth and goodwill towards men. And everyone benefits from being reminded to have a happy holiday, whenever that holiday may be.

Sleeper Cylons Beware

2010-12-21T09:23:00.000-06:00

Any sleeper Cylons will immediately recognize the version of "All Along the Watch Tower" played here. It is played on an autoharp and those familiar with the show will recognize that the hesitation at the beginning of the song is intentional. This becomes an important part of the plot.

Even if you don't follow the new Battlestar Galactica, it is a pretty cool song.

Series Four

2010-12-20T19:23:00.000-06:00

LEGO has released pictures of the soon to be upcoming fourth series of Minifigures.

LEGO has figured out this is like printing money. Well done!
(Sorry the pictures are blurry better ones to follow.)

Attack of the Antikythera

2010-12-14T14:19:00.000-06:00

Around the year 1900 an ancient Greek shipwreck yielded a strange geared device. This many geared device is actually a pre-Christian computer for predicting eclipses. Work this precise would not reappear until the fifteenth century. Here is a model of an antikythera built out of LEGO.

LEGO is an incredible medium for art and science and . . .
everything!

Sci-Fried sings Star Wars Christmas

2010-12-13T11:15:00.000-06:00

You know it's Christmas when the lights get sparkly and the lightsabres are used to light menorahs! At first I was bothered that the people in the video weren't all that good looking. And then I realized that neither am I, and these are my people! Muppets, Yodas, Bad Goatee Guys - all my people! (I love the Rebel Trooper that cannot clap with everyone else during the chorus!) So happy Star Wars Christmas to all of you Star Wars geeks out there. And try to forget that the Star Wars Holiday Special exists!

Emo kid does Zelda song . . . really well!

2010-12-08T09:06:00.000-06:00

I don't care if you don't know Zelda; this video is worth a watch! And then it is worth watching a couple more times. And then wondering where the water comes from in the spill and all the extra glasses and . . . blergh!

It's awesome!

Bonetti's Defense is the Only Thing Suitable Considering the Rocky Terrain

2010-12-01T09:18:00.000-06:00

One of the greatest movies of all time now with lightsabers! You are welcome!

If Han Shot First Then What Did Greedo Do First?

2010-11-30T15:16:00.000-06:00

I guess with this picture we can all agree on one thing Greedo did first.

This is How It's Done!

2010-11-30T13:13:00.000-06:00

Wow! Check this out! No auto-tune, no crafty staging, no pyrotechnics and no meat dresses. How did these people ever succeed in show business? Oh yeah, that's right. With simplicity and beauty! I want to do this!

Sweet Sidekick Rhymes

2010-11-23T09:14:00.000-06:00

This video has some tight rhymes about all of our favorite Heroic sidekicks. After all it is really hard to find anything worthwhile that rhymes with Luigi (mansion non-withstanding). I really appreciate the inclusion of Robin and Tails in this rap too. This is for all of the countless hours I made Dan, my brother, play Tails on Sonic 2. Thanks for the saves and killing those stupid robotic monkeys on the Green Hill Zone. You were the best sidekick I ever had and frankly I should have been yours more often.

Having the Talk with Your Kids

2010-11-18T09:32:00.000-06:00

I found out recently that I am going to be an uncle. This is very exciting news but also stressful as far as all of the work that must be done to correctly geek educate her. The introduction to the Star Wars world is in itself a big hurdle. Below is a video that interviews dads negotiating the same hurdle. Good luck.

Stormtrooper Suck Explained by Science!

2010-11-16T14:20:00.000-06:00

Or why can't a trained Imperial Storm Trooper seem to hit the broad side of a planet?!

The humor website Cracked recently published an article that makes this actually more plausible than it seems. Here's the science:

All throughout the Star Wars trilogy (yes, we're calling it a trilogy, and always will) the enemy Stormtroopers spend almost every battle firing wildly, missing slow-moving targets, and are generally unable to land a shot roughly in the same zipcode as the good guys. But we know they're not incompetent: We see their handiwork elsewhere in the movies -- like when our heroes stumble across a destroyed sandcrawler -- and Obi-Wan Kenobi himself even says: "These blast-points... Only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise." These are supposedly squads of cold, calculating, efficient murder machines, professional soldiers literally bred for the purpose.

Yet, the second you put an Alderaan Princess in front of them, you've got five Stormtroopers missing a stationary target roughly eight feet away, three firing their guns wildly into the sky, and one asshole trying to ride his blaster rifle like a pony -- and none making the shot. Fans jokingly refer to it as "Stormtrooper aim." But it's not lazy film-making (or at least, not just that): There's actually a perfectly logical, scientific reason behind this behavior. Soldiers in real wars behave in exactly the same way.

Read the rest of the article at: http://www.cracked.com/article_18858_the-biggest-star-wars-plot-hole-explained-by-science.html#ixzz15TkYWRML

And may the Force be with you always!

AT-AT Costume

2010-11-11T11:16:00.000-06:00

This makes me want a dog so that I can dress him/her up like this! And sing the song! And put little action figures on . . .

I'm a nerd.

OK Go again!

2010-11-10T09:48:00.000-06:00

This song may not be quite as catchy as the last one but it meets my somewhat thoughtful mood today. Enjoy!

News Flash!

2010-11-10T09:02:00.000-06:00

Why do news shows make everything a News Flash even when it isn't? As exciting as a dog that can open a root beer can is, this dog's awesome manual dexterity should never be a news flash! With that in mind, this is totally not a news flash. However, it is a LEGO factory built out of LEGO that can assemble sculpture. And that is unbelievable. Weighing in at an estimated 25,000 LEGO bricks this is an impressive nerd act if I have ever seen one! It uses five of the NXT Lego Programing devices that recognize the color and shape and orientation of the pieces. My favorite part is all of the minifigs that are obviously working in the factory. The only thing that would make this better would be if the minifigs were given little LEGO printed checks at the end of each week!

You Shall Not Watch?

2010-11-09T09:35:00.000-06:00

Who wants to hear Sir Ian McKellen recount filming as Gandalf on location in Khazad-Dum? I think the correct answer is that everyone should want to hear it! Enjoy!

Remember, remember!

2010-11-05T11:59:00.000-05:00

Happy V for Vendetta Day! The graphic novel for this is awesome! Consider picking it up here.

Jar Jar and the original trilogy

2010-11-03T09:02:00.000-05:00

The Star Wars fan world has spoken and the results are clear. Jar Jar would not win a senate seat in our Galactic Senate! For some reason though this doesn't keep us from continuing to use him as bombad comic relief. This short film put out by LEGO shows us what happens to Jar Jar after the Imperial Senate has been disbanded and regional governors have direct control over their jurisdictions.

I'm uncomfortable with the idea that perhaps it was Jar Jar who blew up the the Death Star and not the son of Skywalker, but I suppose I'll have to let it pass. It is, after all, really adorable!

Wow! Andy Grammer rocks!

2010-10-25T13:37:00.000-05:00

So, Andy Grammer just released a video for his song "Keep Your Head Up" and it is all sorts of awesome. You get to choose what happens in the video. And the video responds to your choices while the song continues. It is a choose-your-own adventure with a really catchy tune!

Here is the link: http://vevo.com/videoevolved/andy-grammer/keep-your-head/
Seriously, try this out!

There's Not Knowing Where You Might Be Swept Off To

2010-10-22T09:15:00.000-05:00

Hopefully Middle Earth during the Third Age! Whee! After much ado it appears as though the Hobbit is moving forward. I was originally very excited that Guillermo del Toro was on board to direct but due to the time commitment necessary for this job he has moved on to other things. This means that Peter Jackson has been signed to direct the two films that will tell the story of the Hobbit. And the be fair, Jackson is still a dream director for this story!

Today a significant part of the casting has been announced. A handful of the major parts have yet to be confirmed but we'll keep our fingers crossed that they are still going ahead. The announced parts thus far are as follows:

Bilbo Baggins - Martin Freeman
Thorin Oakensheild - Richard Armitage
Fili - Rob Kazinsky
Kili - Aidan Turner
Oin - John Callen
Gloin (Gimli's dad) - Peter Hambleton
Dori - Mark Hadlow
Dwalin - Graham McTavish
Bombur - Stephen Hunter

There is word that a number of actors from the Lord of the Rings are returning for this stretch of the story. Sir Ian McKellen has been the most vocal of these actors, and I can't imagine anyone else as Gandalf. The yet unconfirmed parts acted by known players are:

Gandalf - Sir Ian McKellen
Gollum - Andy Serkis
Elrond - Hugo Weaving

Rumor has it that Jimmy Nesbitt and David Tennant may also be awarded roles. There are a handful of juicy parts such as Bard, The Elven King (Legolas's dad), and Beorn that hopefully will be filled soon. Currently there is also a lot of speculation about who will voice and play the devastating dragon Smaug. No word has arrived yet on who will voice this part. Friends, this is incredibly exciting news from New Zealand! Having been phenomenally impressed by the Lord of the Rings saga in Peter Jackson's hands, I expect that this story too will be lovingly crafted. We shall have to watch closely to see this project reach fruition!

After all, "the road goes ever on and on,
down from the door where it began . . ."

Another awesome video

2010-10-09T17:02:00.000-05:00

Sorry about so many videos lately, but this is too awesome not to post. Deal with it!

Paper Yoda is Adorable!

2010-10-07T08:52:00.000-05:00

This is the entire reason why I like Star Wars LEGO. It is adorable. And I don't know if I'm having a fruity day or something but this song almost just made me . . . uhm I think there's something in my eye. Enjoy!

Series 3!?

2010-10-05T09:55:00.000-05:00

Hang on to your Small LEGO figs! I've found pictures of Minifigs Collector sets series 3! This is just pre-visualization shots so who knows what we'll actually get, but the figures here look pretty cool!

Uncle Matin's Sword Trick!

2010-10-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

A funny take on Indiana Jones and the impressive number of baddies he takes out in his first feature film. The best part is at the very end!

Star Wars Rap!

2010-09-27T11:19:00.000-05:00

This song cracks me up! The lyrics are actually quite well written and I enjoy listening to it while driving away from my geeky friends! Bill G., this is up for you specifically! Enjoy!