Which pony is your favorite? You can show your love for Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie or anypony with these customizable cutie mark shoes by Etsy seller Seriously Savage. She paints them onto Converse and all you have to do is specify your size and the cutie mark you desire! I like how besides the cutie marks on the side that she also paints the toes to match the characters.
Turnaround time is 2-3 weeks.
Check out more examples after the break.
Product Page ($75)
Oh, those poor Red Shirts. Always so expendable. Just so you know, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of every t-shirt goes to a fund to help support the surviving family members of fallen Red Shirts.*
*Just kidding! Kirk gets all the profits. Dating green alien ladies isn't cheap.
Product Page: ($14.95)
There are two Nightmare Before Christmas shirts on sale today a TeeFury, but Slender Jack is running away with the popularity vote. Regardless of which one is your personal favorite, both can be had for $11 each today only!
Product Page ($11)
This time on The BastardCast, the boys return to get creeped out by clowns, root for GWAR to play the Super Bowl, get drunk on Hello Kitty near-beer, and assure you that your vagina's are not haunted.
They're also discussing the ways in which BatFleck handles his shit, horrifying puppet hug time with Superman, Jason's newborn GTA V addiction, and we Trailergasm with Zero Charisma... and we also discuss the movie Zero Charisma.
Do you require more? You son of a bitch! Fine! The Expendables newest badass could be Frasier Crane (Kick), Schwarzenegger may lay waste to the smurf colored cat-elves in Avatar 2, The Hoff strikes out against Marvel and that guy who directed The Avengers because he was the best Nick Fury, and the rare Ned Beatty nickel!All that and a shocking amount German porn references on THE BASTARDCAST!
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Despite the fact that the majority of gamers are having a wonderful time playing GTA V, today will go down as a sad day for gaming. We now have word that Nintendo's former President, Hiroshi Yamauchi, has passed away at the age of 85.
Running the company from 1949- 2002, Yamauchi was responsible for Nintendo throughout not only the most important years of the company, but also the most important years in gaming. Taking over as president of Nintendo when it was still just a trading card company, he made the decision to move the company toward electronic entertainment, and his vision and creativity is seen through Nintendo's entire gaming history, as he grew and expanded video gaming itself.
Having been president of the company through its ground breaking NES console, all the way through to its performance focused GameCube, Yamauchi was a major player in arguably the best period in gaming; okay, I know that is almost the entire period of gaming, but you can just look at what gaming has morphed into, from what it originally was, and you'll see Nintendo's, and in turn, Hiroshi Yamauchi's, fingerprints all over it.
As a man that has helped build the gaming industry into the unbelievable monster that it is today, and in turn has provided us with years of entertainment, the legacy of Nintendo's former President will surely live on. It is without a doubt that Hiroshi Yamauchi's influence will continue to be felt throughout the gaming world for years to come.
[BBC News]
For those of you that have not heard of the Northampton Clown, here's the back story. In the quaint British town of Northampton, a clown, and let's face it, he's a SINISTER looking clown, and he's been popping up on street corners waving at passersby. The clown even has a Facebook page with over 150k followers. No one knows who this guy is because he doesn't stay around long enough for anyone to find out.
There's another famous resident of Northampton who many have wondered if there might be a connection between the two, Alan Moore. That's right, Alan Moore, who's been known to create some pretty creepy characters himself. Moore told the Northampton Herald and Post:
Apparently there had been a certain amount of comment on the internet suggesting probably some connection. No it's not me.
I am getting kind of used to this.
After having a comic strip I wrote 30 years ago spewing masked anarchists across the global political stage for the past couple of years.
Things that I write do have a tendency to spill into reality.
Having heard about this apparently local clown epidemic then I wonder. However the fact that we don't have anything to do with it will not stop us from exploiting this strange chance occurrence. Me and Mitch were quite tickled by that...
Now, we can be sure that it isn't Moore beneath all that makeup, but whether or not he has a hand in this somewhere is not really clear. If you read the interview closely, he never officially states that he has nothing to do with the whole thing, just that the whole area is strange and weird things happen there all the time.
The Telegraph recently talked with a person purporting to be the clown, but how can we really know, I mean how could they? The Telegraph reported:
He said he felt people were misinterpreting his intentions to cause mischief around the town, and said he would continue to mysteriously appear for as long as people stay interested.
"Hopefully they will soon see it as a bit of harmless fun," he said. "We shall see how it goes.
He added: "My actual age is two hundred and ninety eight and I come out of hibernation every thirty years."
What do you think? I'm hoping that this doesn't end with some drunk guys and a baseball bat beating the crap out of the clown, or a frightened parent over-reacting, or a scared kid running into the street and getting hit by a car.
Via: Northampton Herald & Post
If you're going to transplant one actor from Fringe to a new part in Fox's supernatural conspiracy drama Sleepy Hollow, then you couldn't do much better than John Noble, and Deadline is now reporting that the actor has just signed on for a recurring part in this fall's first new hit. Noble will play Henry Parrish, who Deadline describes as "a kind and reclusive man who possesses supernatural powers that have the potential to help the series' protagonist, Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison)." There's no word yet though just how many episodes Noble will appear in, or when his appearances will begin.
Did you see the series premiere of Sleepy Hollow this past Monday? If you didn't, you missed a rare treat, a bizarre conflagration of National Treasure, Washington Irving, The X-Files, Grimm, and Twin Peaks, and what kills you is that you buy it hook, line and sinker. Sleepy Hollow may end up being the best tongue-in-cheek, campy genre TV show since the heyday of Hercules and Xena (oddly enough Sleepy Hollow co-creators Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman got their start on those shows).
Anyway, if you haven't seen Sleepy Hollow yet, you should at lease be prepared to see it stick around for a while. The first episode was watched by 10.1 million viewers and a 3.5 in 18-49 demo. The show was Fox's biggest opening for a fall drama series in seven years.
What do you Bastards think of Sleepy Hollow? Looking forward to more Noble-level zaniness? Sound off below.
Source: Deadline
It's a bit unfair to judge something fully after experiencing it partially. So keep in mind that I have an open mind about GTA going forward and that I'm simply relaying to you my initial thoughts. So far, I've played Grand Theft Auto V for about 25 hours over the last few days (for work!) and I've only completed 4% of the missions.
I've only just met Michael, mid-midlife crisis. I just stole a boat for him and met his wannabe gangsta of a son. We've only just begun, and yet I don't really care.
Franklin is a begrudging hooligan. I've spent most of my time playing as him. He has a dog that gets easily distracted during the thrill of the hunt by the thrill of the hump (worst POV porn E-V-E-R). I have given Franklin a full beard and a lo fro... just because.
I rather enjoy that we can switch back and forth between each main character's lives, but I do it out of boredom more than anything else. Will that change as I play more missions? Perhaps, and I am going to keep playing this, but so far, the missions have failed to grab my attention.The best part of this game is the make your own adventure feel of a truly enormous open world. Do you want to sail the ocean just to see if it ever ends? Go nuts. Use the cheat codes to fly/fall through the sky, to run fast, or to cause explosions with your melee attacks? Feel free.
You can just drive and drive and drive, or go to the strip club to experience a topless lapdance (but only one for novelties sake, because after that = sad).
You can do almost anything in this game, but really, I imagine that this is what it would be like to be Superman, but only Superman is a dick and nothing that he does matters.
That's not to say that this isn't fun. It most certainly is. I'm having a ball driving around and exploring the world, but eventually, this will all get old.
I'd feel better about this game's replay potential and the chorus of hype that accompanied it if the interiors of this world weren't so closed off - the exploration and the detail are amazing, but I feel like I'm driving around at 4AM and everything is closed.
At the end of the day, this is a popcorn movie with a bunch of thrills and explosions, but there isn't a lot of nuance, and from an evolutionary standpoint, it really doesn't do much to build on its predecessors, though again, it's extremely unfair to sum up this deep of a game this early in its existence.
A new massive map, some new cars, some new toys, and some new tricks. Right now, that's what you get for $60. Not a bad deal, but it's not a great one, either.
Stay tuned to NerdBastards for continuing coverage on Grand Theft Auto V, including a review on GTA V: Online, where we'll look at what that enhancement does for this game and this series.
In a world gone bad, sometimes, good men die hard. This is the story of a brilliant physicist, popcorn Christmas tree string, a hooker... WHO CAN SING!, and 18 cursed gold coins that may hold the key to the ultimate boner cure. This is Ask the Bastards, and we have finally returned to wreak more undeserved havoc on your browser window. That's right. For the first time in nearly a year, we're back to answer more of your nerdy questions, and we'll keep doing it twice a month for as long as you keep asking them.
For those of you who've never done this before, it works like this: Every time we're getting ready to launch an Ask the Bastards installment, we'll send out the call for questions on Facebook and Twitter. Be sure you're following us at both of those places, then wait for your time to shine and ask any nerdy question you'd like of us. We"ll do the rest. And if you're curious what we've answered before, you can browse the Ask the Bastards archive HERE.
Now, on to this week's questions...
What's the 1st thing you're gonna do in GTA5? - Ryan Leach
I just went and drove all over the place. The details and scope are amazing. The button mashing cheat codes are annoying, as is the lack of an all weapons cheat thus far. Besides that, though, my only real complaint is the unfair one that I always have about these games - we never get to do enough interior exploring in the cities. - Jason Tabrys
Well, the first thing I did was I ran up and punched someone in the face, just for a laugh, and I wasn't disappointed. After realizing how extremely satisfying it was to run around, punching random people in the face and taking their money, I went and picked up a prostitute, you know, just to make sure that was working right... - Brent Cook
Drive sensibly and obey all traffic laws. Just because it's a video game is no excuse to be a savage. - jeremy r! hudson
What's your best gaming memory? - Ryan O'Callaghan
I'm a sports gamer above all other types, so my best gaming memory is something I'm still chasing - a perfect game in MLB The Show. - Jason Tabrys
I am going to have to go old school. A group of my friends and I entered a D&D tournament at Fantasy Fair back in the days before it became Dragon Con. We loaded up our characters and knowing it was a dungeon crawl, loaded up on Passwall spells. We quickly passwalled down levels until we were just outside the Lich's lair. We were all rested, full health and healing available so we trounced that Lich in short order. The Table DM called the head judge over to confirm our time, we had finished in 26 minutes. I later found out that no other team made it to the Lich, let alone killed the Lich. We lost. We lost because other teams managed to get more Exp points. When we pointed out that Exp points were not in the contest rules as the determining factor we ended up getting free passes for the next year. - Mark Poynter
I'd say one of my best gaming memories was the first time I beat Resident Evil 4 on the professional difficulty. I won't lie to you; I am not that good at video games, despite my absolute infatuation with them, so this was a huge accomplishment for me. As a long time Resident Evil fan, I'd say that this is one of my favorite memories in my entire gaming career. - Brent Cook
It's a toss up between late night, bloodthirsty matches of Mario Party, the original, where we'd form blisters on the palms of hands from trying to rotate the joystick faster than anyone else. Or, the first time I played Cards Against Humanity, which is basically Apples to Apples made by bad people, and nearly died from laughing so hard over the card, "Pac-Man uncontrollably guzzling cum." - Sarah Moran
It's probably whatever game of Madden it was when I realized I could constantly score with a single properly executed passing route. Thanks, Michael Irvin! - Matthew Jackson
Question: I've missed out on comics all my life. Now I'm 30, and just starting to get into them. What is one standalone comic I NEED to read for Batman, Superman, the Green Lantern (Hal, specifically), Deadpool, Green Arrow, Doctor Strange, and Zatanna and/ or Zatara? - Blake Lewis
I can relate, as I didn't really get into comics until my early to mid 20s. Also, strap in, because you're going to get such a wide array of answers on this. I'll just say Kingdom Come. It's not an origin story, but we all have some innate knowledge of Superman and Batman's origins anyway. This is just a visually striking book with a powerful message about superheroes. It is an essential book. If you want something a bit newer, more political, and non-superhero based, the trade edition of Sean Gordon Murphy's Punk Rock Jesus will knock you on your ass. - Jason Tabrys
Hey man, I can sympathize. I haven't kept up with Spider-Man, The X-Men or The Avengers since the 90 s. I'm out of the continuity loop. Outside of any big news that makes it on my social radar (apparently Spider-Man is now Doc Ock... what's up with that?) I have no idea what's going on in the Marvel Universe. So what if I'm a little out of whack with the Marvel time line? I'm still an active comic reader, albeit a casual one. I've read a lot of good stuff w/o getting hung up on what showdowns, events, loves, deaths or any other significant pins in comic time history. Some of my favorite series are The Walking Dead, Fables, 100 Bullets, and Y The Last Man. Should you pick up any of these, I assure you will NOT be disappointed. Good, good stuff. As far as essential reads specific to Marvel/DC. From the Marvel camp: Whedon's run on Astonishing X-Men, Thor and Loki: Blood Brothers, and Marvel's Omnibus - Wolverine the Jason Aaron collection (an excellent assortment of Wolverine one shots). As far as DC goes, I only really read Batman. Hush, The Long Halloween, The Killing Joke, The Dark Knight Returns, Court of Owls. My favorite, though, is Batman: Black and White. It's a collection of short Batman stories each written by some of the industries best scribes. It's easy to read and will turn anyone onto Batman and, well, comics in general. Happy reading my friend. - Luke Gallagher
Why start with those heroes? There's Mouse Guard, The Walking Dead, Alien Legion, Dreadstar, Fables, Alan Moore's Swamp Thing, tons more. I would say go old school and pick up some of the Marvel Essentials for Doctor Strange because you've got to read and see the Steranko Doctor Strange artwork. - Mark Poynter
All the suggestions above are excellent ones. Kingdom Come is a must, and non-superhero titles like The Walking Dead, Fables, and I'll add Saga because it's easily the best comic around right now, should all be required reading. For Batman, there are some definite staples you need to check out like Frank Miller's Batman: Year One and The Dark Knight Returns, Jeff Loeb's The Long Halloween, and Loeb and Jim Lee's Hush. Those will often populate almost any Batman Top 10 list. What I also suggest is looking into anything from Scott Snyder, whether it be his run on Detective Comics overseeing Dick Grayson's tenure as Batman, especially the issues collected in The Black Mirror, or his current work on Batman in the New 52. Look for the collected edition of The Court of Owls because it is simply put, GENIUS. Oh! And while I'm a much bigger fan of Bats than Supes, Grant Morrison's All-Star Superman made me cry it's so beautiful. - Sarah Moran
There are three easy steps to finding the comics you enjoy, it's going to be a touch time consuming but worth it. First, take a Saturday (or Sunday, I am not the boss of you) afternoon and scout out a few of your local comic shops if you already don't have one you call home. Find the one that has the most people loitering around, desperately waiting to talk about comics. Like dropping a lit match into a kiddie pool filled with gasoline, you can flare up a conversation with them. Say things like "They never should have resurrected [insert name of any character that was dead but then got better]" or "they better bring back [insert name of currently dead character] soon or I will never buy another DC/Marvel/Archie comic again." You can then sit back and watch the salvo of comments volley back and forth. Within those comments will be volumes of comic book knowledge eagerly shared. Find out what sparks your interest, hear the opinions and see where they lead you and then browse the shelves a little.
Next, hit up used book stores, smaller comic book shows, flea markets, or your local public library; they can be amazing resources for discovering great books from the past few decades. While the later is free, the first three can often charge around 25 cents for a 'previously enjoyed' comic so be ready. The key to this step is browsing. Thumb through the well worn issues of the past and just see what catches your eye. This method is how I found Howard Chaykin's American Flagg in a used toy store and Warren Ellis' Transmetropolitan once at a swap meet next to some taxidermied rodents. With a little luck 20 bucks later you can grab a full run of Grant Morrison's JLA
The third and most crucial step is this: Search, share, and talk about comics. The first comic I ever read was one that was shared with me, the first I ever bought with my own money was based on a cover that made me say 'this dude is fighting the Legion of Super-Heroes? But he is a hero? He has to be bad-ass!' (I will give 5 Canadian Dollars to the first person that tells me what issue that was.)
Comic books are the most perfect story telling media we have ever created. They are the synergy of our two earliest art forms. As Neal Adams often says (and I paraphrase) "If you take the greatest writer and the greatest artist in the world and ask them to tell a story, you will get a comic book."
You said that you got into comic books late in life, I disagree. Sure you took 30 years to get in, but the good news is you actually have the full expanse of 75 years plus to explore and enjoy. While all the previous suggestions are great, my best advice is just to dive in and see what works for you! You will be the best judge of what you like and taking the social/share/browse method you can explore it all, often on the cheap. Actually, there is also the whole digital thing, which is cheap and expansive as well... I didn't want add a fourth step. - Jeremy r! Hudson
It really is very much a function of just what kind of story you're after. All of the characters you mentioned have been around for so long that each has innumerable incarnations and innumerable storytelling tones. My suggestion would be to sample all the recommendations above, plus a few you've never heard of, and see which of those tones you like best. I know that's scarily vague, but if you can get past the intimidation factor, going in blind is honestly part of the great fun of comics. - Matthew Jackson
How did you come up with the name? - Kelly Getz
I was standing on the edge of my toilet hanging a clock, the porcelain was wet, I slipped, hit my head on the sink, and when I came to I had a revelation! A vision! A picture in my head! A picture of Nerd Bastards. It's what make nerd news and entertainment possible. That's a much cooler story than a clever pairing of words. - Luke Gallagher
Wait a minute, I thought "Nerd Bastard" was Luke's porn name. He grew up on Nerd St. and had a dog named Bastard, right? - Adam A. Donaldson
I'm glad you asked. Actually it was my mother that decided to name me Jeremy. She's currently unavailable for comment. - Jeremy r! Hudson
How do you feel about Comic Con 'exclusives' that are made available to anyone a few months later? I'm looking at you, ThinkGeek - Jan Michael Rempt
If sites like that are simply unloading extra stock, then I don't really care. It's probably better for fans than buying the stuff on eBay for an insane markup. A couple of questions for you: if you buy a con exclusive and it ceases to become exclusive, is it less awesome? Is this a frustration born from the loss of the item's worth or the feeling that you got something that few others could? Please don't mistake the tone as me being a dick, I'm genuinely curious. - Jason Tabrys
I agree with Jason. If a newspaper gets an exclusive story, it doesn't mean that it's the only news outlet that can report that information, it just got there first. Same rules I think apply to Comic Con exclusives. - Adam A. Donaldson
What villain do you guys think ant man will face in his movie debut and same for doc strange? - Tony Spataro
Fat kid with a magnifying glass. I'm so sorry for that awful joke. - Jason Tabrys
I was going to say "the Shoe" but Jason beat me to the bad joke punch, at least that means there won't be any lame jokes after this... - Jeremy r! Hudson
Uncle-Man . . . wait, aunt is spelled with a "U" in there. With Ultron out of the picture my next choice would be MODOK. Yeah I know MODOK is not a traditional Ant-Man villain, but AIM would be a great starting point, imagine Hank Pym's work stolen by AIM, he goes to get it back and finds AIM working on MODOK. He can't let that happen.- Mark Poynter
Doctor Strange will have Baron Mordo as a 2nd tier villain, but he has to face The Dread Dormammu- Mark Poynter
Whats the difference between trekkies and trekkers? - Lowell Weisz
I don't know, to hell with labels, let's just all agree that the world NEEDS a new Star Trek series. - Jason Tabrys
An "I" and an "R". There is really no difference, no matter what any fan says. They're all chasing around the same mulberry bush. Mark Poynter
A "Trekker" is a Star Trek fan who feels some sense of elitism over others and wants to distinguish themselves from the originally derogatory term, "Trekkies." Where in fact, in this day and age, any Star Trek fan is a "Trekkie." The former slur, much like the terms "nerd" and "geek", has been embraced and you'll rarely find the term "Trekker" used much anymore. - Sarah Moran
I am more concerned as to why there aren't Warsers and Warsies... - Jeremy r! Hudson
Well, while you've got several worthy answers right up there to consider, I'd say that they're both honestly useless terms beyond the general "person who's into Star Trek" definition. Fandom has too many labels. Throw a few of them out and like what you like. - Matthew Jackson
What are your best/worst video games of the summer? Which ones just blew your minds with epicness or failed miserably? - Sherry Fisher
I'm SUPER discerning when it comes to my video game purchases (boy on a budget), so I don't really deal with the disappointment much since I often rent or try them before buying. My all time video game disappointment has to do with the numerous awful attempts to recapture the magic of Goldeneye 64 (Goldeneye Reloaded, Perfect Dark, and Golden Eye: Rogue Agent), just give us a fucking DLC of the original... PLEASE! - Jason Tabrys
OK, I am going to tell you about buying Infestation on STEAM. It used to be called War Z, but changed the name. Google War Z video game and you'll see all the bad press. It was on sale for 3 bucks so I picked it up. It has a 20 Meta Score on STEAM which should tell you all you need to know. Yes, it is a little clunky, and yes, you get jumped constantly and lose all your stuff, but I can't stop playing the damn game. I know I should just go get ARMA II and get the Day Z mode, but I can't stop wanting to dominate this crappy game before I do it. I want my 3 dollars worth! - Mark Poynter
I know this technically came out in the spring, but played Tomb Raider basically all summer long. I loved playing as the re-imagined Lara Croft, and the weapon modifying system was outstanding. It was a beautifully crafted game, plain and simple. The other game that I'd played in between play-throughs of Tomb Raider was Injustice: Gods Among Us, which was a lot of good, old-fashioned, over-the-top violence. Who doesn't want to send their friend through three separate buildings in one punch? Other than that, I wasn't really impressed with any of the games that came out this summer. - Brent Cook
Why do you guys think DC editorial has gone so far off the rails? The higher ups there have committed like a dozen fuckups in the past few months. - Jan Michael Rempt
The urge to tinker is a powerful one, but you have to trust your people and trust your initial instincts. Let writers write and let artists do their thing without undermining them, their work, and the plan or you risk losing some of them. Sales are still strong, but eventually, DC's developing reputation (which exists thanks to some very public creator splits from the company) could undercut their success. - Jason Tabrys
It makes me wonder if anyone is talking with anyone else before they go ahead and do things at DC. The Company with the "Girl Friend in the Fridge" legacy should think about how they project their image. Now I am wondering if DC is so wrapped up in NOT looking like Marvel, that their first instinct is to dive head first into the shallow end of the pool. The whole Batwoman thing was handled poorly, like DC is just a bunch of guys making comics in their parents garage. Wait, even those guys wouldn't screw it up as poorly as DC has lately. - Mark Poynter
Well... here is the thing. To cry out that DC Comics is some how a giant villain "hurmp, hurmp, hurmp", is a little bit of a misnomer. I should state at this point that I do not and have not ever received any monetary gains from DC Entertainment or any of it's parent companies or subsidiaries.
Publishing funny books is a business and businesses are about making money so they can stay in business. Makes sense, right? So you have a pile of creative people and you have a stack of business people, how will they ever get along? The answer is they don't. But in between that, you have the much hated editors and it has been that way since the dawn of the industry.
So here you are about to climb your ivory pedestal with your high horse because you're armed with a few tropes that you copy and pasted off the internet. But you forget, we live in the era of the internet where 'news' travels faster than the speed of rational thought. So some of these perceived issues are actually based on link baiting headlines and half formed ideas that might not actually be as big an issue past the media attention grabbing headline that it spawned.
A great source on this is Sean Howe's Marvel Comics: The Untold Story, a wonderful insight into how a comic book company that was on the verge of blinking out of existance for finacial reasons was saved by an asshole big mouth editor by the name of Jim Shooter (the 1970 s Dan DiDo). If you read the book, you'll be amazed at how little things have changed. Now... who wants to ask about Stan Lee/Steve Ditko/Jack Kirby? - Jeremy r! Hudson
Credit where credit's due: I'm about to basically paraphrase part of an excellent editorial by Comics Alliance's Andrew Wheeler, which you should read HERE. Basically, we're dealing with a very specific kind of tone deafness: a group of people who believe they're acting in the best interest of broad public consumption, but are really making a very specific kind of comic for a very specific kind of readership. For a long time now, DC has been fixated on the darker side of comics, as well as the event-driven, Read This Or Get Left Behind side of comics. In the process, they've lost some of the fun, but the buzz is very often still there. The result is a company that cares less about letting creators play in their sandbox and more about making sure a certain kind of comic is being produced every month. That's a dangerous way to do it when your company is this big. There are other problems, of course, but that's the root of many of them. - Matthew Jackson
As a reminder that Star Wars Episode VII isn't the only sci-fi/fantasy project casting right now, it seems that a pair of leads are being courted for the highly-anticipated World of Warcraft movie. Deadline is reporting that if all goes according to plan, then Colin Farrell (Total Recall) and Paula Patton (Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol) will headline the movie based on the massive online role-playing game.
The rub, according to Deadline is that they're not sure that "Farrell is going to make a deal-sources said it's 50/50." So Farrell may not end up being in the film after all, but perhaps he's the frontrunner and preference of director Duncan Jones for the part. Patton, meanwhile, is said to be in negotiations for a lead role, as Jones tests other potential leads in case Farrell doesn't work out.
In the meantime, Warcraft is still on schedule to start shooting this January in Vancouver for a 2015 release date. The project is set up at Legendary Pictures, and although no studio is attached yet, it's widely expected that the film will be released through Legendary's new partner, Universal.
More news as it develops.
Source: IGN
It's kinda cool how they stayed in character a bit for the video, and even though it's nothing we haven't already gotten from the trailers, it gives us a slightly different perspective of the characters. I like that they bring up Agent Coulson dying, and I can't wait to see how they handle that. Will they really make it as simple as "Yeah, he's just not dead anymore"? This is definitely a show that any self-respecting nerd won't want to miss (Joss Whedon's return to television!), and be sure to check back tomorrow night after the show airs for our official Nerd Bastards review/recap of the show!
[ComicBookMovie]
I don't need to tell you what Firefly is, or why it's so prevalent in nerd culture. A) I'm lazy and B) any nerd worth a lick knows all about Mal, the crew of Serenity, and the Whedon way. Bah, screw it. Like to hear it, hear it go. Like a leaf on the wind, Firefly (the show) danced around us joyfully and left before we were ready to say goodbye (cancelled by FOX after a 15 episode run). Then came Serenity, the Firefly movie that was made specifically for the (space-western-starved) fans. It was good and it was shiny (albeit Whedon hitting us in the feels with Washe's death, that bastard!). *sigh* Then it was gone again. Despite the ever growing fan-base and demand for more adventures, the cast and creatives of Firefly/Serenity departed ways and made nice careers for themselves. Out there, somewhere, we know Serenity is still flying! Flying where, though? Back to us perhaps? Well, get out from your bunk, hold onto your Jayne hats and wipe that mudders milk from your lips, 'cause Serenity is getting a sequel!
Don't get too excited. It's not a movie. Dark Horse Comics has announced that it will launch a new Serenity comic book, which will take place after the events of the film. Georges Jeanty (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) will provide the art. Here's a description of the plot:
As the series begins, Mal and the crew are recouping from their recent strike against the sinister interplanetary government, The Alliance, in which they exposed government agencies as those responsible for the creation of the Reavers - the scourge of the universe. With River Tam in the co-pilot chair and a very pregnant Zoe reeling from the death of her husband, Wash, Mal is finding himself and his ship in greater danger than ever.
No writer or launch date has been announced, but look for more info to hit at New York Comic Con next month. I am willing to give the art/story a chance, if only for the fact that it's more Serenity / Firefly.
Source: Comic Book Resources
Damon Lindelof - some find him to be a brilliant writer, including all of those in Hollywood that keep giving him job after job. Others of us think a bit less of the man, annoyed with his tendency to use intentional obscurity to spice up his scripts. But whatever you think of him, he has his fame and when he has something to say, people listen. And he does have something to say right now, and it's about how Breaking Bad's Walter White and Batman are the same character at their core. Check it al out after the jump:
In a recent editorial with Vulture, the man had these things to say to prove his point. He begins with his assertion that Batman was, in his soul, always the person he ended up becoming:
"Bruce Wayne was already Batman.
"Because millions upon millions of people are murdered by criminals all the time - especially in comic books. But the sons and daughters of those people do not become Batman. But Bruce Wayne?
"Bruce was different. There was something inside him. Lying dormant. He just needed something powerful enough to awaken it."
Well, that's kind of a painfully obvious statement, but where does Lindelof take it from there? He makes the point that Walter's origin catalyst was his cancer and that even when the cancer went away he did nothing to put his life back to normal, comparing that to a hypothetical Batman situation:
"But then the cancer goes away.
"This is the equivalent of Bruce Wayne's parents suddenly reappearing to him and saying, 'We had to fake our deaths when you were a kid and we've been in witness protection all this time, and we're so sorry, but the guy who shot us was actually an FBI agent helping us and he wasn't even a criminal and we love you, so can we have our pearls back and NOW YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE BATMAN ANYMORE!!!'
"But would Bruce stop being Batman?
"No. He would not. Because he is Batman. And once the catalyst has ... well, catalyzed? There is no going back"
He then goes further into demonstrating the comparison by making some rather stretched connections:
The first scene of the season-three finale, "Full Measures" is a flashback, which, as you might surmise, I have an affinity for. In this moment from the distant past, we see a newly married Walt and Skyler being shown a house by a real-estate agent. This house, of course, is the one they will end up living in for the next couple of decades...
So here's your homework. Go and watch that scene. Hear Walter White's voice as he frowns upon the modesty of the home he has not yet purchased. Look into Walter White's eyes when he says, "I don't think this is gonna be enough." Is it ambition you see? Or is it something else?
Of course, by Lindelof's reasoning, you can compare Walter White to absolutely any character that finds themselves in extreme circumstances and manages to rise to the occasion. Thus, pretty much every super hero and super villain. So why choose Batman specifically? Who knows?
You can head over to Vulture and check out the entire editorial, but it reads a bit like Creative Writing 101. Still, you might get something out of it that I didn't.
Thanks to blastr for the heads-up.
Every day the internet produces an astounding amount of goodies and gems. Most hilarious, some amusing, but all worth at least a few seconds of your time. We here at Nerd Bastards try to bring you the best bits of news and nerdery the webz has to offer, with a bit of snark thrown in. But sometimes not everything makes the cut. Monday through Friday we'll be bringing you our inbox leftovers, our forgotten bookmarks, the nerdy bits that simply slipped through the cracks. You can submit items to Nerdy Bits by emailing us at nerdybits@nerdbastards.com.
ABOVE: I'm sure you've seen the kick ass fan art by Babs Tarr's reimagining the Sailor Scouts as a biker gang. Now, Mandie Bettencourt, Ruby Rocket, Yume Ninja, Jennifer Newman, and Michelle "Chubby Bunny" Nguyen have expertly brought it to life. For more photos, head on over to Geek Tyrant.
Looking for a way to add a little Sailor Moon to your daily attire? Then look no further than these necklaces by these official offerings from Big Bad Toy Store. These babies are sterling silver or gold and come with Swarovski crystals. For more info and a look at the other necklaces head over to Fashionably Geek.
Customized N64 that looks like it's right out of Tron? Yes, please! Created by DeviantARTist Zoki64 you can see more pics an video over at Geekologie.
Whether you're looking to ride your bike safely or start a Spider-Man themed, Daft Punk cover band, these custom bike helmets from DONY Custom are for you. [Nerd Approved]
Before we bid goodbye to this generation of consoles, let's take a moment to remember all the good times we had and eat delicious, delicious cookies. [Geeks Are Sexy]
Another convention, another incredible cosplay music video. This one comes to us from Montreal Comic Con. Enjoy! [Geeks Are Sexy]
The Lannisters are Sesame Street. I repeat, The Lannisters- well, actually Lena Headey and Peter Dinklage were on Sesame Street and it was glorious. [Nerd Approved]
This will blow your mind. It's a compilation of 974 people playing Super Mario Bros. Recorded by Stabyourself.net at the 2013 Gamescom in Germany this is one incredible feat in gaming. [Technabob]
Before tonight's premiere of ABC's Agents of SHIELD, why not brush up on the history of SHIELD - a capella style. [Topless Robot]
And now, T-Shirts You Gotta Buy... TODAY! (Before they're gone.)
And don't forget the ever-popular official Nerd Bastards tee available at Red Bubble:
We've been following the development of Disney's latest live action update of a classic fairy tale and not simply because the Disney princesses are in. I don't believe they were ever really out, but as our generation (the ones who grew up during Disney's second animation renaissance) become adults the princesses are becoming more popular than ever. And that being said, the last few live action re-tellings of said princesses - Snow White, for instance - have only been so-so. Sure, none of those live-action attempts at Snow White came from the House of Mouse, but their Alice in Wonderland was a bit of a letdown, too.
For Cinderella they've gone and hired Kenneth Branagh, and man, do I hope that makes all the difference. Not only has Branagh built a career out of making Shakespeare accessible to the masses, but he directed Thor, masterfully. Asgardian god/alien? That could have been a HUGE fuck-up in the hands of a lesser director.
Now Cinderella has officially begun filming, as announced by the press release you'll find below the cut, and thanks to the D23 Twitter account we get our first look at Lily James as the titular princess,
So free, so happy, so not yet kept in rags and doing the bidding of her evil stepmother.
Cinderella will also star Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, Richard Madden, Hayley Atwell and Stellan Skarsg rd, and is expected to release March 13th, 2015.
Source: /Film
Walt Disney Pictures announced today that principal photography has begun at Pinewood Studios in London, on "Cinderella," Disney's first-ever live action feature inspired by the classic fairy tale.
Directed by Academy Award -nominee Kenneth Branagh ("Jack Ryan," "Thor"), the film stars Lily James ("Downton Abbey," "Wrath of the Titans") in the title role, Richard Madden ("Game of Thrones," "Birdsong") as the Prince, Oscar -winner Cate Blanchett ("The Aviator") as the infamous stepmother Lady Tremaine, and Academy Award-nominee Helena Bonham Carter ("The King's Speech," "Alice in Wonderland") as the Fairy Godmother. Holliday Grainger ("Great Expectations," "Anna Karenina") and Sophie McShera ("Downton Abbey," "Waterloo Road") play Ella's stepsisters Anastasia and Drisella, respectively. Stellan Skarsg rd ("The Avengers," "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo") and Nonso Anozie ("Game of Thrones," "The Grey") play the Arch Grand Duke and the Prince's loyal friend, the Captain. Tony Award-winner Derek Jacobi portrays the King.
"Cinderella" is produced by Simon Kinberg ("X-Men: First Class," "Elysium"), Allison Shearmur ("The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"), David Barron ("Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," "Jack Ryan"), from a screenplay by Chris Weitz ("About a Boy," "The Golden Compass").
The filmmaking team includes three-time Academy Award-winning production designer Dante Ferretti ("The Aviator," "Hugo," "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"), three-time Oscar-winning costume designer Sandy Powell ("The Aviator," "The Young Victoria," "Shakespeare in Love"), director of photography Haris Zambarloukos ("Sleuth," "Thor") and Academy Award-winning editor Martin Walsh ("Chicago," "Clash of the Titans").
The timeless story of "Cinderella" dates back to 1697 when first created by Charles Perrault, although it truly came to life for millions all over the world in 1950 with Walt Disney's celebrated animated feature.
Director Kenneth Branagh says: "It is impossible to think of Cinderella without thinking of Disney and the timeless images we've all grown up watching. And those classic moments are irresistible to a filmmaker. With Lily James we have found our perfect Cinderella. She combines knockout beauty with intelligence, wit, fun and physical grace. Her Prince is being played by Richard Madden, a young actor with incredible power and charisma. He is funny, smart and sexy and a great match for Cinderella."
The story of "Cinderella" follows the fortunes of young Ella whose merchant father remarries following the tragic death of her mother. Keen to support her loving father, Ella welcomes her new stepmother Lady Tremaine and her daughters Anastasia and Drisella into the family home. But, when Ella's father suddenly and unexpectedly passes away, she finds herself at the mercy of a jealous and cruel new family. Finally relegated to nothing more than a servant girl covered in ashes, and spitefully renamed Cinderella, Ella could easily begin to lose hope. Yet, despite the cruelty inflicted upon her, Ella is determined to honor her mother's dying words and to "have courage and be kind." She will not give in to despair nor despise those who abuse her. And then there is the dashing stranger she meets in the woods. Unaware that he is really a prince, not merely an employee at the Palace, Ella finally feels she has met a kindred soul. It appears as if her fortunes may be about to change when the Palace sends out an open invitation for all maidens to attend a ball, raising Ella's hopes of once again encountering the charming "Kit." Alas, her stepmother forbids her to attend and callously rips apart her dress. But, as in all good fairy tales, help is at hand as a kindly beggar woman steps forward and, armed with a pumpkin and a few mice, changes Cinderella's life forever.
Production on "Cinderella" will take place at Pinewood Studios and locations throughout England.
"Cinderella" will be released through Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures on March 13, 2015.
The night we've all been waiting for is upon us, and we're just a few short hours away from the premiere of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC! Despite the rumor that Joss Whedon had to rewrite a few scripts because of how awful they were, Whedon seems to confirm the contrary in a recent interview.
Now, this doesn't necessarily mean he didn't have to rewrite the scripts, as he says he read it in its outline form, but I think that this is a good sign of how deep this show's story is going to go. Also, he confirms that he is more of an overseer of the project, not unlike he is with the rest of the Marvel universe, and we know that his brother and sister-in-law, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, will be taking over show-running duties as the show moves forward.
This definitely gets me amped up and excited to watch not only tonight's episode, but also the rest of the show, which obviously was the point of the interview, but I don't care. This show looks great, and it's not something that you're going to want to miss. Also, be sure to check back here later tonight for our Nerd Bastards review/recap!
[Comic Book Therapy]
In all this hype leading up to the premiere of Agents of SHIELD - tonight at 8pm EST on ABC! - executive producers Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen have been giving all sorts of interviews. They gave one such interview today to The Hollywood Reporter, in fact. It's full of all sorts of bits about their creative process, their expectations for SHIELD, and the trials of creating a superhero-less superhero show. It's really great, go check it out.
But first! Let me draw your attention to this. THR, wisely, took the opportunity to get any info out of the pair about the much anticipated Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog sequel. What did they have to say?
Tancharoen: We wish we could be doing everything at the same time, but it's always something that is in our hearts and always something we desperately want to do. But now Joss is away. He's in London prepping, and we are here everyday consumed by this. But there are about six songs ready to go.
Whedon: In some form or another, it will exist. Obviously we've been saying that for a long time and it's been slow going. But we never forget. It lives in our hearts.
Tancharoen: I will play Groupie #1 before you can call it Old Hag #1 (laughs).
Six songs, guys! That's something, right!? Though I'll admit, I don't believe there's any way in the forseeable future Whedon, his brother, Joss, or Tancharoen will find the time. And let's not even imagine what the schedules of Neil Patrick Harris, Felicia Day (assuming her character would appear in a sequel), and Nathan Fillion are like!
Sheesh... more and more Dr. Horrible 2 sounds like a pipe dream, but what do you think? Will we see a sequel before we're dead? Maybe they'll just release the songs or even record a soundtrack only at some point?
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is produced by the creative trio of Joss Whedon, and husband and wife team Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen. Hot on the heels of the series premiere, THR has posted an interview with Jed and Maurissa discussing the series. One of the biggest tidbits to come out of that interview is the one big NO-NO word that no Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. can ever utter.
What word is out of bounds? What word could be so bad that it can never be said?
"Mutant"
What kind of rules exist in the SHIELD universe?
Tancharoen: We can't ever say "mutant."
Whedon: There's a database that's tailored to our show with the properties we can use as well as the properties that are owned by other studios and things that are flagged for major franchises. There are certain areas we can't go because we don't want to step on the toes of the movies. We've had free reign. There are certain rules in terms of the Marvel brand. Marvel is very focused on being grounded - and it is our world with the one twist that they're superheroes. There's no Metropolis, there's no Gotham. It's New York City and Chicago, and in the cinematic universe the process of powers is pretty young. They say it's only been a couple years since Iron Man in terms of our timeline in the universe. So the idea in our world that powers exist is new to the population and SHIELD's job description. It used to be keeping those things secret and that has now changed, so we're dealing with some of that.
Until those studios that own the rights can come up with some kind of agreement, we're not going to see some of the characters we'd all love to see together. It's a shame, a down right shame, but its something fans are going to have to learn to live with.
Via: THR
Man, is Bruno Heller (The Mentalist) just scoring all the deals lately, or what? On the heels of the news he's working on the Commissioner Gordon origin series, Gotham, for FOX, Deadline is reporting Heller is also producing a space-western for the CW. Wait, what, space-western? You mean the genre basically defined by Joss Whedon's Firefly?
This new show, Red, is described by Deadline as a, "neo-Western drama about the first human settlement on Mars and life on this new frontier, centering on the relationships between the town's female sheriff, a doctor and a criminal." Mentalist executive producer, Tom Szentgyorgyi, is also on board and has written the pilot.
Now, after reading the premise I wouldn't call this show a Firefly rip-off because the similarities really end with it's in space (though, really on Mars) and it'll have humans living the frontier life. Lots of shows have explored those themes, but Firefly was first. Even SyFy's current show, Defiance, owes a lot to Firefly. That being said, it is impossible to hear space-western and not immediately think Firefly, and whether that will help or hinder Red is yet to be seen.
I'm definitely intrigued by the series, and am thankful it's not on FOX considering that network's abysmal track record with sci-fi shows. It's weird though, Heller pitches a DC Comics show and it goes to FOX. Then he takes a sci-fi program and gives it to the CW, which already has series, Arrow and soon The Flash, based on other DC Comics' properties. I don't get it, but then again, I'm no TV producer so what do I know?
What do you Bastards think of Red?
Source: Deadline via Blastr
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug opens next Friday, December 13th, so Warner has released five new clips from a movie so long they could release a hundred more clips and there would still be footage left.
In the first clip, Evangeline Lilly and Orlando Bloom speak some of that sexy elvish she just told Conan about. In the second clip, Thranduil (Lee Pace) finds out an evil entity may be returning to Middle Earth. So much acting in those eyebrows. The third clip follows Bard (Luke Evans) and Thorin (Richard Amitage) as they try to out-gravitas each other. Smaug isn't the only one who's smoldering.
In the fourth and fifth clips, Bilbo (Martin Freeman) avoids telling Gandalf about the ring he found in the goblin tunnels, and then he convinces the dwarves to get into barrels. He managed to do this without flipping off the camera.
[Sources: The Playlist and CBM. Banner courtesy of Warner.]
So, Warcraft lurched ever closer to becoming an actual, real movie yesterday when Universal revealed most of the movie's cast, and hoo boy, don't get your hopes up lots of sexy blood elves or sassy lady dwarves. Nope, Universal is planning to throw a good ol' fashioned Azeroth sausage party.
Warcraft will star Ben Foster (the odd redheaded guy you'd probably recognize from tons of stuff like Six Feet Under and 3:10 To Yuma), Travis Fimmel (a dude from Vikings), Toby Kebbell (the "weird" or "nerdy" guy from lots of hunk-fests like Wrath of the Titans), Rob Kazinsky (the guy who confusingly looked just like Charlie Hunnam in Pacific Rim), Dominic Cooper (Tony Stark's dad in Captain America) and yes, exactly one woman - Paula Patton (also the one lady in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol).
Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, Anton Yelchin and Anson Mount are also rumored to be in the movie, but none of them have confirmed, because honestly this party is starting to look pretty lame.
Just food for thought Universal - World of Warcraft is the most popular video game amongst women aged 25 - 54, and by various accounts around 30 - 40% of the player base is female. In other news, around a third of WoW players desperately want to hump each other. So yeah, if you really want this movie to be true to the Warcraft universe, I'd invite some more girls to the party and start writing some elvish orgy scenes.
via /Film
Ben, Travis, Toby, Rob, Dominic and Paula via Shutterstock
The Japan Foundation Manila (JFM) is inviting Japanese learners and language enthusiasts to the 41st Nihongo Speech Contest - to be held on 22 February 2014 (Saturday). The venue will be announced on a later date.
The 41st Nihongo Speech Contest is part if the 9th Nihongo Fiesta, which will also feature the Nihongo Quiz Bee, and lots more activities centered on Japanese culture.
The Champion and the Outstanding Performance Awardee will both take part in an all-expense-paid week-long study tour in Japan; all qualified contestants will receive consolation prizes.
The deadline for submission of the duly accomplished application form with a written copy and a recording of the speech (time limit: 5 minutes or less) will be on 22 January 2014 (Wedenesday) for Luzon/NCR applicants. Pre-screening is scheduled 1 February 2014 (Saturday) at the JFM office in Makati City.
For details/clarifications on the contest, please contact The Japan Foundation Manila via telephone at +632-811-6155 or via email at email[at]jfmo[dot]org[dot]ph. YOu can also visit their website at jfmo.org.ph.
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION and STRAIGHTENER will be performing in three Asian countries, namely Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan as part of a "TOKYO FM EARTH X HEART Project" Asian Tour in December 2013. Organised by TOKYO FM, a Japanese radio broadcast station, this is the first time the two bands are in Singapore.
The gig will be held on 20th December 2013 at the *SCAPE Ground Theater (previously known as the Warehouse). Gates open at 7:30 PM and the gig will start at 8:00 PM. Tickets are pegged at SGD 88 each and the gig is an all-standing event. You can purchase tickets online via SISTIC.
TOKYO FM is a radio broadcast station that features special station philosophy, the concept of "EARTH CONSCIOUS (Loving Earth Feeling Hearts) and HUMAN CONSCIOUS (Loving Lives Connecting Hearts)". An annual concert named "EARTH X HEART" is held to remind audiences of the need for environmental conservation.
