WORD OF THE DAY! 4/17/15!

STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT (2015) TRAILER!

STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT WEBSITE! 

battlefront [bat-uhl-frunt]
noun
1. The extreme forward area of a battlefield, where troops are in direct contact with the enemy.

EX. Star Wars: Battlefront 2 is one of my favorite games of all time. It is one of the few games from the X-Box/Playstation 2/Gamecube era of games that, from time to time, I pop in for a few hours and play with friends. It is so good that I bought the DLC twice on the original xbox and again on my 360. And the thought of a new Battlefront game is the one thing that may force me to buy a console, even if it is on PC, just so I can play with my friends.

I love Battlefront. I need this at the Midnight release on Nov. 17.

Don't screw this up EA.

WORD OF THE DAY! 11/4/14!

ANI: A STARKID PARODY!

podracing [pawd-rey-sing]
noun
1. Star Wars. A popular sport in the less-developed parts of the galaxy and one of the most dangerous sports ever invented.

EX. Podracing is the only thing Anakin Skywalker was ever good at.

That is the thesis behind ANI, the latest parody from Starkid, and today's subject of the Word of the Day.

Taking place between Star Wars Episode III and Star Wars Episode IV, ANI is a tale of following one's dreams, taking last chances, and redemption wrapped up in a musical parody of Star Wars & sports films. Lord Vader, or "Ani" as he likes to be called, is an over the hill, over weight and overly disliked overseer of the Deathstar project. When his position is challenged, he finds an opportunity to recapture his greatest moment of success-- winning the Boonta Eve podrace! But with little time to get ready and a lot of opposition in his way, its gonna take friendship and a little bit of the force to carry him over that finish line in one piece.

It isn't my very favorite Starkid musical but I still recommend it to Star Wars fans.

You can check out the whole show at the link at the top of the page or check out the first part HERE.

And remember to check out the incredible Sci-Fi film parody, filled with bits from Starship Troopers to Bug's Life, from Starkid:

STARSHIP!

Also, make sure to check out the definite must-see for fans of Batman, fans of Starkid, or fans of musicals is "Holy Musical B@man!" their latest and most awesome show. You can watch the whole thing by clicking the link below.

HOLY MUSICAL B@MAN!

But my favorite is probably the amazing Disney parody, with a focus on Aladdin, that they wowed their fans with last year:

TWISTED!

Or if you want to go back to the original hits and some Harry Potter, check out A Very Potter Musical and/or its Sequel. They have a number of other productions that are definitely worth seeking out, as well.

A VERY POTTER MUSICAL!

 A VERY POTTER SEQUEL!

 A link to Starkids: TEAM STAR KIDS!

WTF WED! DARTH VADER VS. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER VS. BEARS!

LIL' ORPHAN ANAKIN AS DARTH VADER

Let's start with the sour, move onto the sweet, and finish with the super sweet and sour formula brought to you by Austria and lots of bodybuilding.

Darth Vader is the coolest villain of all time. Then, they made him an annoying little kid in the prequels and ruined everything. So, correction, Darth Vader WAS the coolest villain of all time before George Lucas created some of the worst dialogue of all time and made Jake Lloyd the most unlucky kid in the galaxy. And now... a pallet cleanser!

BEARS BEARS BEARS BEARS BEARS BEARS!

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER AS DARTH VADER

Star Wars is my favorite film franchise. Then, they made the prequels. So, correction, Star Wars WAS my favorite film franchise. Arnold Schwarzenegger is my favorite action movie star of all time. Then, he got caught in an embarrassing sex scandal. Yet, corrections are not needed, cuz he is still my favorite action movie star of all time.

Combining Schwarzenegger's one-liners with the prescence of Darth Vader? Genius.

 GATTORADA: CAT-TOAST

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY 2013!

DARTH VADER & SON

VADER'S LITTLE PRINCESS

WORD OF THE DAY! 5/4/13!

procrastinate [proh-krah-stuh-neyt]
verb
1. To delay, defer, or put off an action until later or another day.

EX. Hey, I know today is May 4th, "May the Force Be With You" day, but some of you kiddies have exams this coming week! SO, on that note, remember to celebrate Star Wars style after you make sure all your projects and homework and studying is done for the coming week. I mean, I've never procrastinated. Like never. Not once. Not all the time. Please...um, study.

WTF WED! DISNEY BUYS LUCAS FILMS FOR $4 BILLION!

WTF WEDNESDAY PRESENTS

DISNEY BUYS LUCAS FILMS FOR $4 BILLION!

Yesterday, George Lucas (as seen in the link above) announced the deal he made to sell Lucas Films to the Walt Disney Co. for a cool $4 Billion. Since Lucas owned the company 100%, he gets all the money and has claimed he will give most of it to charity. Perhaps more vital to know is that Lucas announced that Star Wars Episode VII will be hitting theaters in 2015. My reaction to this news was a mix of shock, horror, and excitement...

DARTH VADER GOES TO DISNEY LAND!

Lucas is smart to put his work in the hands of Disney, as long-time collaborators and as a company that has a great history with franchising and protecting brands; the perfect example, as of late, of Disney's involvement making a successful product was in the culmination of Marvel Film's crowning achievement, The Avengers. The film was the highest grossing live action film in Disney's production history and is generally agreed to a great film. It seems like Disney's plans are to basically go, "Hey! You make good stuff? Here is all this money and resources! Make more of that stuff and we'll all be rich and happy!" Plus, this means more Disney World Star Wars attractions which just makes me giddy with expectations. Well, there is on thing I am very weary about...

Star Wars Episode VII. The very idea is full of amazing possibilities and also teaming with the fear I have of a repeat of the prequel films; Lucas thinks Star Wars is for little kids, Disney likes to appeal to little kids, and so this could end up producing a really tame film. The other problem is that, going forward, has all sorts of complications. A direct sequel would seem impossible considering the actors can't really reprise their roles (which would depressing) and they can't be replaced (which would be lame); so the only options is to go forward into the expanded universe. But even that has its dangers... So, as we look forward, I think the Star Wars fans need to be optimistic and hold out for a New Hope.

WKUK STAR WARS VII

WORD OF THE DAY! 10/12/12.

fatherly [fah-ther-lee]
adjective
1. Of, like, or befitting a father.

EX.Nothing is quite so fatherly as cutting off your son's hand so you can be twinsies.

MUSICAL MONDAY! DARTH VADER THE MUSICAL!

ANDREW LLOYD VADER PRESENTS

DARTH VADER: THE MUSICAL

Today, I got you guys an oldie but goodie (sorry for the low quality, but some internet classics are difficult to find in excellent quality) of an operatic version of two iconic Star Wars scenes between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. A mix of silly and endearing, as well as impressive for its time, I'm really remiss in my inability to find more information about the creators. Regardless of this issue, I hope you can enjoy it.

WEEKLY ROUND-UP! 9/24-9/30/12.

WEEKLY ROUND-UP PRESENTS

OPPA GANGNAM STYLE WEEK!

7. MIXED BAG. POETRY JAM #5

“Here ye, here ye! Calling all beasts and birds!

I am the Unicorn. I am, therefore,

Unique.” The beast said, in Englishman’s words,

“Henceforth, I am the King of the Forest!” -A Sonnet about a Horse

6. MUSICAL MON! THE EMOTIONAL CLAWS & HAN SOLO GANGNAME STYLE!

"If only a beast like me could make music and make people smile...maybe there wouldn't be so much...war."

5. WORD OF THE DAY! 9/29/12. Mass Effect.

I swear I'll play Mass Effect 3 next time I get a break; I loved the first two games, but I really need some time to be able to dedicate to that game (I'm a 100% completionist in the first two games). Who was your favorite companion? Mine was Wrex.

4. WORD OF THE DAY. 9/27/12. Blowing...

According to the article I am citing in this Word of the Day, as well as Nintendo, the image to the right (or above on a mobile device) is incorrect and blowing into cartridges are a bad idea. Apparently, we've all been hurting out carts over the years.

3. WTF WED! GAME GRUMPING BREVITY WITH PORTALS!

While I do love some good animation and this week's stuff was awesome, I miss doing weirder and more thinky stuff. Hmm....

2. WORD OF THE DAY! 9/30/12. Conclave.

I actually loved writing this little preview/primer article about my choices for the pre-release and I think I might try to do more magic articles, if you guys like that sort of thing. If you do, lemme know, and I'll share more of my thoughts on the subject. I want to work for Wizard some day so I like to talk/think about Magic and D & D a lot.

1. WORD OF THE DAY! 9/24/12. Life support.

And I think my most interesting article from last week was the comparison between The Dark Knight Rises villain Bane and Star Wars's Darth Vader. Character comparison! W007!

WORD OF THE DAY! 9/24/12.

life support [lahyf-suh-pohrt]
noun
1. A system, or piece, of equipment that makes life possible in otherwise deadly environmental conditions.
2. Medical equipment, or a system of such equipment, that replaces or assists bodily functions and so enables a patient to live who might otherwise not be able to comfortably function or survive without the aid of such equipment.

EX. Today, I'd like to take a look at two iconic film villains, Darth Vader (Star Wars) and Bane (The Dark Knight Rises), that share several similarities. Both characters are physically intimidating villains, both need life support to live that makes them part machine, with the imagery of Bane deliberately drawing on that of Darth Vader (arguably the most iconic villain in film history), and both have a similar arc in their respective films. By comparing the two characters, we will get a better understanding of the mythology underlying their development.

WORD OF THE DAY! 9/8/12.

filial rivalry [fil-uh-eel-rahy-vuhl-ree]
noun
1. The competition between a parent and child or between inventor and invention, in fiction or non-fiction, to live up to, surpass, to redeem, or to defeat one's creator or creation.

EX.

RELATED TO STAR WARS & X-MEN

The best example of filial rivalry in science fiction, of course, is the relationships of the Skywalkers; specifically, Darth Vader AKA Anakin Skywalker and his son Luke, to a lesser extent his daughter Leia and to an even lesser, but still significant, his grandchildren as is set up in the Star Wars mythology. Luke, initially, wanted to destroy Darth Vader (Obi-Wan Kenobi's murderer and the man whom he believed had killed his father) but after discovering that, in fact, Vader was what his father had become and meditation that brought him closer to the truth-- the truth being that forgiving his father and seeking to help redeem his father was the best course. In the end, Darth Vader fulfills the (rather obnoxious) prophecy of restoring "balance to the force" or "saving the galaxy" by throwing the Emperor to his death, in order to save Luke. This final act of sacrifice and ensuing death scene, where we see his human side for the first and last time (discounting the prequels) is a beautiful and artful way for Luke to begin his quest to undo the "sins of his father". The relationship between Luke and his father is perhaps one of the best stories in film fiction and has become a part of modern mythology.

Also worthy of note is that, in some versions of the X-Men mythos, Mystique is Nightcrawler's mother and Rogue's step mother. The quest for these two people to discover their origins lead them to find things in their past that they'd rather not know but, for their own sake and those of the readers, was a path that needed to be explored.

Such relationships and such parallels between stories across the history of fiction have created some of the most engaging stories; after all, most of us have families or, at the very least, loved ones that we simultaneously love and yet still have conflict with; conflict and resolution are the two opposing and working parts of any story.

WORD OF THE DAY! 6/7/12.

Darth [dahrth]
noun
1. Sci-Fi/Fantasy. In the fictional Star Wars universe, it is the traditional title of a Sith Lord or Master, the first part of the new name they take on. It was once believed to be a condensed version of 'Dark Lord of the Sith', and thus the reason for the title. In Star Wars, the title is taken on by most villainous force users as an official title, alongside a nefarious sounding moniker.


Time Lord [tahym-lawrd]
noun
1. Sci-Fi/Fantasy. A fictional extraterrestrial race and civilization of humanoids in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' main character, the Doctor, is a member. Also, called Gallifreyans, in reference to their home planet of Gallifrey, these advanced aliens are one of the oldest species in the universe and are called "time lords", because of their mastery of time and space. Physically, their outward appearance is identical to humans, but, despite their similarities, Gallifreyans have marked differences. The most obvious difference is that they have twice as many organs of the average human, as well as, a much larger brain. The average Gallifreyan is more reslient, heals much faster, needs far less sleep, etc. They're generally superior in all manners physical and mental, but their most astonish unique ability is their incredible "regeneration" ability.

While, a Gallifreyan ages much slower than a human, if a Gallifreyan is terminally ill they can choose to regenerate. This process sets up a violent and complete metamorphosis that affects their whole bodies and makes them into a completely new person (usually younger in appearance). Each new regeneration brings a new face, a new personality, and other new quirks, but with all of the old experiences.

 For these reasons, Gallifreyans are often considered amongst the most immortal beings in the universe and feared/respected across time and space.

Yet, presumably lost in the Time War, only one subject is believed to still exist.

TOMORROW...

.....THE STATUS QUO STRIKES BACK!

DAILY ROUND-UP! 11/2/11

TALES FROM THE WHITE PONY!

This awesome webcomic from Nathan Staples and Ben Dewey is just awesome. I've just started reading it and it is about a gnome and his companions (trolls and an elf chick) going on an adventure. It is hilarious and awesome, the best mix of good D & D and everything it can get its grubby awesome paws on.

The 10 Most Explosively Masculine Captain Kirk Battle Techniques

Believe it or not, yelling out the name of your opponent is not in this list. But that is only because it transcends being on this list.

HOW MUCH DOES THE INTERNET WEIGH?

HOW DOCTOR WHO BECAME MY RELIGION

To quote myself the other day, "Doctor Who is like the best version of God condensed into a human-like (Timelord-like) body."

ROWAN ATKINSON AS DOCTOR WHO-COMIC RELIEF 

 There is about a dozen reasons why this 20 minute sketch is both funny and awesome. It literally points out all the problems with the pre- Russel Davies years Doctor Who series. It undermines some of the sheer ridiculousness of the concepts of time travel, bad guys who don't just kill the hero, and regeneration. Mostly? Stephen Moffat wrote the sketch and it stars Rowan Atkinson, Jonathan Pryce and about five actors who were all rumored to play the Doctor at various points. Fun Fact: Hugh Grant was offered the role of the Doctor and passed it up (he regretted this misstep but I don't).

 GTA V TRAILER

 

DAILY ROUND-UP! 9/23/11

Oof, I feel a little lousy right now but today was pretty awesome with big (though silly) D & D action. I swear I will have to recount one moment from tonight as one of the funniest moments in our game where a character almost broke everthing.

10 SUPERHEROES YOU DIDN'T KNOW HAD SUPER POWERS!

This article is pretty hilarious and covers some of the wackier unintended super powers in comic book history but maybe misses a few special ones I can't think of off the top of my head. Maybe Lois Lane's power to end up in dangerous situations. Then again, I guess that is really her own fault with her being a nosy reporter and being obsessed with marrying Superman (what an annoying twit she was.)

DARK KNIGHT KILLS CHRISTMAS!

My Dad actually passed this one down to me.

JIMMY OLSEN NEARLY CALLS SUPERMAN A D***!

Most of my friends know about my obsession with my self-meme Bat-D*** but the real Richard in the world of comics is not found in Detective Comics. He is found in Action Comics! In the Silver Age, a common way to sell a Superman comic was to have him doing something d***ish on the cover and then explain it on the inside.

75 ACTION COMICS COVERS WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD!

BEST FIGHT SCENE...EVER?!

Link above? Kinda funny. 

Link below? INCREDIBLE!

UM....WAIT! THIS HAS CHAINSAWS!

1ST SEASON OF RETRO GAME MASTER!

Awesome for Kotaku to take such an incredibly fascinating Japanese videogame show and then make it more pallatable for a Western audience (a little too much, perhaps?). The Kacho is the man.

THAT'S ALL FOLKS!

Blog Plans!

Good afternoon or good morning or good night. It's difficult to greet someone online without knowing their location, isn't it? This post is merely an opportunity for me to tell you about some of the regular kinds of posts I will do. They are as following,

"Great Scot!"

1. ONE STEP BACK, TWO STEPS FORWARD.
Whenever.
These posts were written before the blog was started but I plan to share some of them with you for various reasons. These recapitulations will not always be in their original format, as I might clean them up just a little before I thrust them into your eyeballs. Mostly, I have some old poems, movie reviews and story ideas that I would love share with you, my audience.




2. MUSICAL MONDAYS.
Mondays.

"In Case You Were Wondering..."

It is not a secret to most of my friends that I have a fondness for musicals. Its a genre that has generally touched me for a few reasons. I think the main reason is I love a good story and a song is one of the oldest and best ways to tell a story. Also, Mondays usually suck pretty hard. Thus my solution to woo you out of your Monday blues is to melt you cares away with a funny musical number or two. I will mostly be getting these videos off youtube and some of them aren't even from stage shoes.


3. REVIEWS: THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE KILL IT WITH FIRE
Tuesday, hopefully.

"Ying-Yang!"

Half of the reason I started this blog was to come up with a better way to share my movie reviews with everyone. I will also be doing books, comics, television and videogames, when the mood strikes me but films are my forte. I became a theater critic in my sophomore year of high school but it wasn't until the summer of 2011 that I found my voice as a critic after reviewing 101 Movies I have never seen before. I plan to keep reviewing and sharing my opinions with you. Some day I hope to start a video series about reviews but that's for another day. As for my 101 movie reviews I will be retroactively posting them on Sundays, at some point. EDIT: School has just started for me and I am having some trouble balancing an 18-HR schedule so until I can get that under my control I may miss some of these.

Japan is the biggest WTF factory on Earth, btw.

4. WTF WEDNESDAYS.
Wednesdays.
A big part of nerd culture, especially since the rise of the internets, is things that make you want to yell "WTF!"As a level 80 Netmancer, who has been slumming the series of tubes we call the internet for about ten years now, I consider myself somewhat of an authority on the internet. Few things truly shock or surprise me anymore but I never lose faith that the over the next wave I surf I will find a new WTF subject of Cthulhuc proportions and be forced to defend my mind.

My Thoughts Can Get Intense.

5. STUFF I THINK ABOUT.
Thursdays and whenever.
These posts are a new idea that also helped inspire my desire to start a blog was that I have a lot of funny observations and stories that I would love to share with you guys. I try to keep them lighthearted as a rule but perhaps once I get my footing I'll delve in the darker stuff. I love to talk and discuss things with all sorts of people and when I discover some interesting new fact, see something I've never seen before or discover that I've been wrong about socks for my entire life I will share them with you. I really think that is the most powerful glue that holds the internet together, the ability to share and realize you are not alone in the universe.

"Ha chechechechecha!"

6. SCI-FI FANTASY FRIDAYS/ SATURDAYS
Fridays or Saturdays.

My Fridays are when everything gets exciting around my Fortress of Solitude. Forced from my Bat Cave and into the halls of the Action Society I greet my fellow friends and we prepare for a night dice rolling and role- playing. I love Dungeons and Dragons, want to write sci-fi fantasy fiction and comics and I absolutely love to talk about it. On Friday evening after a night of leading my friends through dark corridors and graveyards I will share my love of fantasy with you. Whether its a chapter from a book I'm working on, a concept for a character, a story from my Dungeons and Dragons experiences or just an essay on how "Goblins Are People Too," I can't wait to share the energy of my Friday nights.

Ultimate Face Palm.

7. NERD CULTURE SMACKDOWN
Once or twice a week. Mostly on Sundays.
As aforementioned I spend a lot of time talking to other nerds about various nerd culture and I consider myself an expert on most things nerd. Therefore, every Saturday I will provide a look at, an opinion or a history of, some element of nerd culture. Heck I might just post an awesome video that sums up something.

Neologisms! W007!

 8. WORD OF THE  DAY.
Everyday, mostly.
As a lover of language and a wordsmith I will try to post a new word that is either really cool or really nerdy (like everything here) every day. 

Yippee-kiyay mother f*****!

 9. DAILY ROUND-UP

Weekdays, mostly.

This will be wear I try give you guys a general round-up of interesting articles, videos and games I've found throughout my day. Let me explore the webs for you! Let me be the Captain Ahab and those sweet nuggets of juicy internet be my white whale.

11. MIXED BAG.
Whenever.
This will be the category that encompasses everything else from poetry, to web comics, to videos, to articles about wampas, to dungeons and dragons experiences, to naruto fanart and to whatever else I deem digestible for my audience. I will also do mixed bag blogs when I feel like I can't do my regularly scheduled content.

Han Solo Shot First.

And that's it. I hope to entertain you and always remember that "a nerd in the room, is always worth twelve on the web."