Happy 4th of July!!!

It's Independence Day!!! A day of barbecues, fireworks, ball games, and fun times with family and friends. But let's not forget what today is really about - celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence thereby making today USA Day! So to celebrate, here's Felicia Day and Tom Lenk.

And if that doesn't put you in the patriotic spirit, here's Captain America doing what he does best.

For all of us at [IGH] have a happy, healthy, safe, and fun 4th of July! And don't forget to wear your Pride Pants!

NYCC '11: Friday's Fun

I'm two steps closer to being a zombie after today, we are all just dead tired. NYCC is packed and it's not even Saturday yet. Still, I can't complain because it has been a whirlwind of adventure. Having a press pass for the first time has opened up so many doors to places of awesome. Here are some highlights:


- Getsuyobi got to see the pilot of Once Upon A Time and was pleasantly surprised.


- I got the chance to see the season finale of Husbands! If you aren't watching this web series from the fantastic Jane Espenson, just drop what you are doing and watch it.


- Wysefyre got an awesome surprise at the Spider-Man panel.....really wish I could say more but she threatened me with Twilight.


- I got to chat with Dark Horse's Scott Allie. I got a lot of interesting details and will be getting even more when I sit down with Christos Gage, Rebekah Isaacs, Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan tomorrow!


- Wysefyre went to the Mark Hamill panel and will be stalking him at the Next Gen booth for the rest of the weekend. If you see her there, ask her for a prezzie!


- We are all really excited that Getsuyobi went to the Felicia Day panel and didn't get arrested.


- I made some good connections that might kick our Seth Green for SNL host into high gear....and got to hear some fun tales from Matt Senreich!




I know I haven't given you a lot of detail but I promise more is on the way. We are just in so many panels that we don't have time to write! Keep following us on twitter; we will be updating every time the signal comes through.


Like what you just read? Let us know in the comments below and keep up to date by following us on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr!

Halloween Premiere Weekend: Werewolves and Zombies and Internet Sensations, Oh My!

Last weekend was a great time for some geek-tastic TV premieres.  The Syfy channel premiered Red: Werewolf Hunter and AMC finally premiered the Walking Dead series.  Any card-carrying nerd can tell you why these two premieres have been hotly anticipated since their initial announcements, but if you have been under a rock or failed your official Nerd-License Exam (keep trying, you can do it!), I'll tell you why.  First, Felicia Day.  The Guild writer and star has been on fire over the past few years, with her own show and prominent guest spots on hit shows like Fox's House and Lie to Me.  Second, The Walking F'ing Dead.  The multi-Eisner award winning comic series by Robert Kirkman being made into a live-action series by the station that brought us Breaking Bad & Mad Men?  No brainer.  So, lets get down to the details.  How did each of these shows live up to the hype?  Read on...

Red: Werewolf Hunter

All of the camp, none of the guilt!

Couresty of SyFy

This is a Syfy Original Film...

Normally that'd be enough to end any credible review, but in this case we have a unique exception.  Sure, Syfy has a long-standing reputation of quality films like Sharktopus & Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus, but we won't let their record (and apparent sea-creature fetish) taint our judgment. The main attraction for this gem is its red-headed star, Felicia Day.  As I've mentioned, Felicia has recently been putting out an impressive collection of work, but this film is different for a few reasons.  First, it's a leap into the world of science-fiction action, which is not necessarily new to her, but definitely out of her niche of awkward comedy.  Second, she's taking the lead in a full length (for TV) feature.  Her most note-worthy roles are in web-based short episodes, and I mentioned her guest spot on House; however, we all know that all the sick person ever gets to do is fall over, then convulse after a wrong-guess diagnosis.

The plot of the film is a spin on the Red Riding Hood tale, and promises to be the first in a line of fairy-tale exploitation films from Syfy.  It starts with Red (Day) introducing her fiance to her family and eventually their family tradition of hunting werewolves.  What starts out as a fun weekend with the folks turns hairy (sorry) when Red's man gets himself snacked on by a werewolf and begins to manifest his own transformation.  From there it becomes a Romeo & Juliet tale of love versus family loyalty.

Any movie that starts with "Syfy Original" is going to have some issues with writing, but despite that, the cast was able to deliver some decent performances and some memorable moments.  I particularly enjoyed Rosemary Dunsmore's performance as the rifle packing Grandmother.  All-in-all the movie lived up to the hype by delivering a fun experience.  The IGH crew actually had a lot of fun playing our own little Riff-Trax session while watching.  Let's face it, we all watch the awful Syfy channel movies anyway, at least this time we can say it was to support Felicia (my love!).  So in closing, I'd give Red: Werewolf Hunter an IGH rating of 7 lycanthropes.

The Walking Dead

In a perfect world all apocalypses would look like this.

Courtesy of AMC

To start, I'm a huge fan of the Walking Dead comic series.  I first picked it up when they were around issue #50 and I've been a steady reader ever since.  If you haven't looked at it yet you owe it to yourself to pick up the first trade.  Robert Kirkman's epic "horror movie that never ends" has set the new standard in horror/suspense books and garnered an immense fan following as a result.

The story begins with our protagonist, Sheriff Rick, waking from a gunshot-induced coma in an abandoned hospital.  Confusion turns to cold-blooded panic when he finds he's not alone in the world, but instead there are hordes of walking undead dying to invite him to dinner (I really can't help it!  Sorry!). After meeting some warm bodies, Rick sets off to search for his missing family, and from here the series will lead us through the story of Rick and the many survivors he meets along the way.

The series is being directed by Frank Darabont, who also brought us classics like The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile.  It's obvious from the first episode that he has studied the source material and has a deep respect for Robert Kirkman's original vision.  So many scenes were ripped right from the book and the direction and acting made it seem completely natural.  I was fortunate enough to be at the Walking Dead AMC panel at San Diego Comic Con and got a first-hand account of how Robert and Frank have been working together.  The collaboration has clearly paid off big time.  We all know the pitfalls of comic book adaptation, especially to a TV series, but what the Walking Dead has pulled off is nothing short of perfection.  I personally cannot wait to see how the rest of the series plays out, and how far they'll get this season.

When it comes to living up to hype, this show not only lives up to, but surpasses expectations.  I would, with confidence, give AMC's The Walking Dead the patented IGH rating of 18.9 head shots.

I hope you've enjoyed these shows as much as I did.  I also hope you enjoy my review.  Let us know what you thought on the comments, or send a tweet our way @IGHInsider.

Mata atode aimashou!

Musical Friday: Whedon Edition

@Wilderowens here with a Whedon-flavored treat.  With the Dollhouse dvd coming out this week, a new music video was released as a treat for fans.  This is not the only great music coming from actors in the Whedonverse.




This is "Remains" by Maurissa Tancharoen & Jed Whedon.  This video is hauntingly beautiful and such a great tribute to the show.




This is the Macarena sung by Amber Benson, Tara Maclay from Buffy, and Common Rotation, which includes Adam Busch, who we know as skinless Warren.  This video was actually a gift to her fans for posting comments about her book, Death's Daughter.  You can learn more about Amber Benson in this interview.





This is actually a tribute video for "Do You Want to Date My Avatar?" by Felicia Day, creator of The Guild, also know as Vi from Buffy and Penny from Dr. Horrible. This is just funny.


I also wanted to include Christian Kane's new video, The House Rules, but CMT won't let the video embed properly!  You are going to have to watch our favorite lawyer here.  I am not a huge country fan but he adds a little rock in there.  His voice is great and he is so hot.




This is Adam Baldwin singing his Firefly classic, The Hero of Canton. I just love his passion and his hat.




This is Joss singing from Commentary! on This American Life. He is my master.

Musical Friday!

We here at [insertgeekhere] are trying to get posts up in a more timely fashion but we're still getting ourselves organized and real life gets in the way so to pass the time and because I love them so I give you awesome geeky music videos. Enjoy!




Danny Fong is ridiculously talented. He has several other tracks and you should check him out at http://www.youtube.com/user/daniscool99



With themes from beloved shows like Reading Rainbow, Duck Tales, Pinky and the Brain, Gummi Bears and in later episodes, Jem, GI Joe, Heathcliff, X-Men, Golden Girls and Gilligan's Island, DeStorm serves up a series of videos that invoke nostalgia while making them something new and exciting. Find him at http://www.youtube.com/user/DeStorm





I have a confession to make: I was not that interested in The Guild when it first debuted. Wilderowens kept telling me how awesome it was but I remained unconvinced until this came out. When I saw this in all its amazing geeky perfection I realized just how special The Guild is. If you haven't been watching it, you should. Catch up with episodes at http://www.youtube.com/user/watchtheguild or www.watchtheguild.com  And if Date My Avatar doesn't convince you of the awesomeness of The Guild, then this should.....




Hope you enjoy these as much as we do. More posts will be coming soon and be sure to keep checking for our tips and coverage of New York Comic Con!