Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane has stated before that he’s a huge Star Trek fan, even hinting in a recent interview that he wants to somehow be a part of the franchise. Read the full story
It’s a risky business, coming up with alternate endings to movie classics. Even if you’re just being funny, people can and do take it personally when you f*ck with their stuff (take George Lucas, for example). A little animation group called HISHE (How It Should Have Ended) has popped up, providing some nifty alternatives for The Dark Knight, Iron Man, and even The Empire Strikes Back. Read the full story
I guess all that’s missing is the celebrated cast of characters — The Log Lady, Agent Dale Cooper, Frank Booth — but the renowned director’s Parisian nightclub may be the next closest thing to hanging out in Lynch’s dreams, especially since it’s named and modeled after Club Silencio in Mulholland Drive. Warning: That’ll be 1000 francs, please. Read the full story
New York City geeks were recently lined up around the block for five hours in anticipation of one of Geek Culture’s patron saints. Simon Pegg, star of fan-favorite films Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, the J.J. Abrams reboot of Star Trek, and the cult-hit television show, Spaced, made an appearance at the Strand Bookstore as part of his U.S. tour to promote the American release of his new book, Nerd Do Well.
Now, more than ever, a Geek Girl movement is thoroughly under way. Books like Chicks Dig Time Lords, panels like “Geek Girls Exist” at San Diego Comic Con, and upcoming events like Geek Girl Con in Seattle all spotlight the fact that not only do women and girls genuinely enjoy things like sci-fi and fantasy independent of the men in their lives, but that they have valuable contributions to make to the creation of sci-fi/fantasy stories, as well as to their respective fandoms.
It’s easy to dismiss such efforts as unnecessary in 2010. After all, do we really need another “Women in Sci-Fi” panel? Aren’t we past all that? Couldn’t women just be included in things where gender isn’t the primary focus? Well, no. Not yet. If you ever wonder why the current rise of the “Geek Girl” movement is so important, one only need look at stories like that of Katie, a 7 year old Star Wars fan in Illinois who was teased in school for carrying a Star Wars water bottle.
Because Star Wars is “for boys.” Apparently.
Katie’s mother, Carrie Goldman, wrote a blog for ChicagoNow about the general topic of bullying and related it specifically to the teasing Katie was getting as early as first grade. When the news of Katie being teased for her Star Wars paraphenalia hit the internet, the geeky troops were rallied and the story was spread everywhere. Soon, Katie and her mother were being interviewed on national news programs and online for outlets like The Huffington Post. #MayTheForceBeWithKatie became a popular hashtag on Twitter, and a Facebook group was started for what has become Wear Star Wars/Share Star Wars Day, which is tomorrow, December 10th!
I had the chance to speak with Ms. Goldman about being a parent to the most well-known Star Wars fan under 10, how Katie’s been doing now that she’s been adopted by the geek community, and how she hopes Katie’s story will help others.
Designer Con (formerly Vinyl Toy Network) returned to Pasadena to mark the fifth year in a row of the convention that “smashes together collectible toys and designer apparel with urban, underground, and pop art.” The show provides a venue for fans to meet their favorite artists and gives them the opportunity to participate in live events and purchase special edition toys to add to their collection. This year’s festivities brought in a full house of attendees who snatched up the latest toys, gawked at new products, and battled the long autograph lines for the chance at going home with their favorite artist’s signature.
“It’s a strange existence,” actor Jake Lloyd bluntly tells the Chicago Comic Con crowd about working the convention circuit. Lloyd, best known as playing young Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), has largely grown out of acting and moved onto other endeavors (film editing) hence why talking about a childhood role can be so awkward. Yet Lloyd remains an avid Star Wars fan and will be forever connected to what comic con fans love: iconic characters.
The tens of thousands of attendees who poured into the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center August 19-22nd in some way were all looking to embrace the heroes and villains they grew up with. And this includes attending panels with actors like Jake Lloyd, buying dirt-cheap vintage comics, picking up a T-shirt, or recreating the characters themselves in costume. Regarding the latter, homemade Iron Man and War Machine costumes were just a sample of the incredible cosplay seen at “The Con.” A female take on a beat-down Kick-Ass also remains ingrained in my mind with her all too real make-up job.
John Jackson Miller, or ‘JJM’ as he is lovingly referred to on comic forums, is the writer of ‘Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic’ and ‘Mass Effect: Redemption’ which he co-wrote with Mac Walters, the lead writer of Mass Effect 2. This fall, Miller will write ‘Star Wars: Knight Errant’ for Dark Horse Comics in addition to writing a novel for Random House Books based on the same time period and characters. As part of Dark Horse Comics’ San Diego Comic-Con announcements, Miller will continue working with Mac Walters on a new series titled ‘Mass Effect: Evolution.’
Today’s best bloggin…
- A-Trak and Travis Barker live from the Roxy video. Hypertrak
- Interview with sexy stripper from Star Warz. LA Weekly
- All new Erykah Badu MP3, produced by Madlib. Okayplayer
- Death to the “hipster.” Searching for a new word order. Gawker
- Beck covered INXS…uh, no he didn’t. TwentyFourBit
- R.I.P. Alex Chilton. NYT
- Plastikman unveils iPhone app for live show audience participation. URBA-A-Trak & Travis
Phrases I have never heard uttered: “You know, I would work out… if only there was a Star Wars sneaker. Until then, I’m afraid I just can’t do it. Hey, pass the Doritos.”
Well just because I haven’t overheard it, doesn’t mean it can’t ever happen.
Well, something wonderful has happened for those people clinging to that as their last excuse for avoiding physical fitness. Adidas recently rolled out a massive range of Star Wars-influenced kicks. They started appearing in-store in January. With multiple seasons on the table, the first collection is split into three packs — Characters, Vehicles & Direct. The collaboration is a perfect mix of Star Wars characters, scenes & vehicles with classic Adidas Originals shapes, like the Nizza-Hi, the Samba & the ZX Runner.