Review: Being Human (US Series)

SyFy is at it again with a reimagining of the popular British drama, Being Human. This show is about the lives of three roommates, all dealing with surviving and thriving while they learn about being good people. Also, they are a vampire, werewolf and ghost.

The US version is starring Sam Witwer as Aiden, Sam Huntington as Josh and Meaghan Rath as Sally. It premiered on Monday night and I did enjoy it. I probably would be writing only glowing, happy thoughts if I didn't have the original to compare it to. I have only seen a few episodes from the British one, but you can see the differences. The pilot for both shows has the same basic premise but starts off with differences. In the British one, you jump right in to the story, feeling almost that this show has been on for seasons and you had been left behind. The US version provides more of an intro to the characters, even showing how the guys, Aiden and Josh, meet Sally. The US version also adds more emotion and suspense, like the episode cliffhanger.

Aiden, the vampire, and Josh, the werewolf, are a great duo. These guys play off each other really well, especially in the moving in montage. Throughout the episode, they provide each other with great stability and a family setting. They are similar in a lot of ways to their British counterparts. Aiden is a calm, cool guy that has a dark past we get a glimpse at. Witwer really brings the struggles of addiction to light when we see him deal with killing Rebecca and then facing Marcus in the hospital. Josh is a nervous, scared guy who seems awkward around everyone. He needs to learn to accept who he is and I think he will be entertaining to watch through this process. I like the addition of Josh's sister, who is a new addition from the British show. She adds a new element to his character, plus a lot of new story lines.

Sally is the only one that seems different from her predecessor, Annie. Annie is more independent and sassy than Sally, not to mention she can touch things and leave the house. However, we are seeing Sally at the beginning of her journey, so hopefully her character will grow into a stronger force. All the characters show more emotion, which is decidedly American.

I'm excited to see where they head with this series. The best part of the original series is the character development, and I feel they have really captured that. I do hope that they move away sooner than later from the original story and create something great that stands on its own, without comparison.

Midseason Musings

I don't know about you but I watch a lot of television. A lot. I might even be considered a "television junkie." With many shows in reruns for another week or so, now seemed like a good time to take a quick look at the shows, new and old, and see how they're doing.

American Dad - I don't like American Dad as much as Family Guy, but I like it more the The Cleveland Show. It doesn't wow me but it's fun. I really liked the Christmas episode. I enjoyed angry, wrathful Santa.

Bones - I've been a little ambivalent about it the last few seasons. It's felt a little too formulaic, but I think they have revived the show a little by deepening the character relationships. The most recent episode was one of their strongest because it forced Bones to examine her life and allowed her to have a few necessary breakthroughs.

Castle - I love Castle. I love Nathan Fillion. There's very little I don't think he can do (except maybe rap like NPH). I think some of his considerable talents are wasted on Castle, but I like seeing him as a lighter  character. The show itself keeps growing. The supporting cast is getting more developed, and that's fantastic because all of them are wonderful. I would like to see more of a story arc than just the average standalone procedural.

Chuck - Linda Hamilton. How awesome is she? I love her inclusion this season. It's deepened the mythology and lead to some hilarious and heartbreaking episodes. I love that Casey is learning to navigate fatherhood (sort of) and that Sarah and Chuck have been dealing with genuine relationship issues while working together. It's these type of stories that help keep the show grounded.

The Cleveland Show - It's okay. Occasionally there will be something that makes me laugh, like "It's a Great Pancake. Cleveland," but mostly, I watch it in the morning when I'm having breakfast and just want a little something to watch.

CSI - I miss the Grissom years but Laurence Fishbourne has been embraced. It's a show that had its peak and is now slowly going downhill, but it still has some life left to it.

CSI: Miami - Not only has it felt stale but it pissed me off recently, when out of nowhere, without any context to the storyline, religion was brought into the episode, and Horatio went to visit his dead wife on her birthday. It was awkward, weird, and left a bad taste in my mouth.

CSI: New York - Not as stale as Miami but definitely feeling a little stiff. The addition of Sela Ward was brilliant. She's given the show some extra life. What kills me about this show is this is the show where they should spend a little more time of the relationships and not just the crimes. The writers created all these interactions and then rarely go anywhere with them. It just leaves you dangling and not in a good way.

The Event - I have tried to get into it. I hear it's gotten better but it started off soooo slowly and felt like it didn't have a clue what kind of show it wanted to be. I stopped watching after five episodes. I'm going to go and try to finish it but so far, I'm unimpressed.

Family Guy - This season started off strong with the Clue-like murder mystery, then became a little uneven, and got better with Brian and Stewie and emaciated Santa. Sometimes I think Seth MacFarlane is at his best when he's writing the longer episodes. Other times, I just think Seth is nuts.

Fringe - I had to give Fringe up last season because of time constraints, but I started watching again and I'm so glad I did. It was risky to alternate between the two universes, but it has worked out brilliantly. Even with missing last season, I was able to just jump right back into the world and understand what was going on. This is one of the few shows I get excited about seeing.

Glee - See other posts for my opinion on it because there is not enough space for my thoughts on it.

Grey's Anatomy - I was sucked into Grey's about four years ago and I've sporadically watched since. Last season's finale was definitely "Must See TV" but other than the first few episodes of this season, I haven't been impressed. It feels tired, but the most recent episodes have gotten stronger and are starting to suck me back in... at least for a little while.

Hawaii Five-O - One of the few new shows I've fallen in love with. Smart writing, strong cast, good action and a gorgeous location. I would like them to develop Kono more, but other than that, it's a solid show.

Human Target - It's a fun show. I thoroughly enjoy it and by adding a couple of strong females to the cast, including their new benefactor/boss, they've taken the show to a new level of hilarity. It's got great action, interesting situations and characters and funny. It's the whole package without taking itself too seriously. What more can you ask for in a show?

Lie To Me - Sometimes feels a little formulaic but I love this show. Strong writing, fairly interesting stories, great cast and Tim Roth always keeps it interesting because I never know what to expect from him and as a wannabe performer, it's really fun to watch and study on-screen.

The LXD - If you haven't seen it on Hulu, go now and watch. The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers is just that - extraordinary. It has a cohesive storyline, and while the acting is sometimes cheesy or stiff, it doesn't matter because that's not why you watch the LXD. The dancing is amazing. All the gravity defying moves are 100% the dancers, no wires or anything like that. It's beautiful to watch.

NCIS - Keeps holding steady. It's well written and well acted. I like how they are delving into the other characters' pasts like using Tony's father or dealing with Ziva's daddy issues. I hear there will soon be an Abby-centric episode as well as a flashback to Tony's days as a Baltimore cop and his first meeting with Gibbs. It's definitely one of the shows I really look forward to each week and watch the reruns often when they are on USA.

NCIS: Los Angeles - Started off rocky but steadily improving. I really like the unexpected team of Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J. They just work so well. Adding Deeks and sending Nate away helped smooth out some of the bumps and Linda Hunt's Hetty is hilariously terrifying, though sometimes I think they lay it on a little too thick. I love Hetty but it gets a little one note after a while.

No Ordinary Family - I like it but I don't watch it regularly. I'm still playing catch up with it. It's cute. I think they are still finding their footing. I really the focus on how the family struggles to maintain a normal life with the powers. Only one of them is really interested in using his powers in a heroic way, while the others are just trying to adjust and figure out why they got them. One thing I found annoying was how they all got powers that were exactly what they needed like the son with the possible learning disability got brain powers. Just a little too convenient for my tastes, but this is one of the new shows I hope sticks around for a few seasons. There's still a lot of potential with it.

Private Practice - The show really came into its own with the Charlotte King rape plot. It forced everyone to step up their game, from the writers to the cast, and everyone delivered. As I said earlier, KaDee Strickland has been simply beautiful this season. There are a few stories that as bland or feel tired, such as the current Addison wanting a baby story, and I really hope they can find a story for Naomi because right now, as much as I adore Audra McDonald (they really need to get her to sing on the show), she doesn't have much to do and frankly, I wouldn't miss her if she left the show. Overall, the show has been really strong and if you haven't watched it before, this is the season to give it a shot.

The Simpsons - They're like an addiction I can't quit. We all know the show is tired and will eventually have to end, but until then I continue to be a loyal viewer. Occasionally, they have a really good episode, the kind that reminds me of the first few seasons, but more often than not, it's nothing special.

Supernatural - I <3 this show way too much. It's like crack for me. Hot guys driving across the country, in an awesome car, killing evil beings? I'm there. Supernatural is reminds of Buffy because it often gets mocked and overlooked, but it's a show filled with great stories and great characters and at the heart of it, it's about two brothers and the trials they go through in order to keep their family together. Plus the writers are not afraid to laugh at themselves and pop culture or break the fourth wall, which always leads to fun times. If you don't believe me, check out the season 5 episode, Changing Channels.

The Walking Dead - See group review for that.

So these are the shows I watch on a regular basis. After tallying the number up, I find myself a little scared at the amount of TV I watch. This doesn't even count the midseason or off-season shows like So You Think You Can Dance and The Cape or the shows I watch sporadically like The Big Bang Theory, Raising Hope and Nikita (recommend them all). You might have noticed these are mostly network shows, and there's a good reason for that. I don't have cable so most of my watching has to be network tv or what I can easily access on the interwebs. I know there are amazing cable shows out there like Dexter, Sons of Anarchy, White Collar, Breaking Bad and Mad Men. Eventually I will get to see those shows. Until then, I'd love to know your thoughts on the current season and if you can recommend any shows, I will gladly give them a shot.

Review: The Green Hornet

In most stories there is a beginning, a middle and an end. The Green Hornet however, is different. There was a something that could be a beginning, some daddy issues, an explosion, some back story, and then they drive a car in a building and out a window. While the action was fun, this movie just failed to impress me.

The Walking Dead Marathon and Review!!!

The Walking Dead is one of the biggest shows of the year, which can been seen in the slew of nominations it has been receiving. AMC is even doing a marathon of Season One on January 18-19. In honor of that, we are *finally* posting our reviews of the series.

@Wysefyre's review

I became interested in The Walking Dead comics shortly after this year's San Diego Comic Con. The buzz around the show was so great, I had to see what everyone was talking about. I still feel a little silly for not knowing about this amazing series. I devoured the TPBs and then, when I finished getting caught up, trepidation sunk in because I didn't know if the television series would live up to the comics. Needless to say, my fears were unfounded.

In six episodes, I fell in love with The Walking Dead all over again. I love how true to the comics the show was, while also veering off the story's original path to add new twists to the mythology. I really liked a lot of the new characters, such as Merle and Daryl, I liked keeping Shane around a little longer, and I liked the trip to the CDC. I think the small break for the survivors was needed. They needed to remember what having luxuries such as hot water was like, that way when it's taken away from them, it hurts all the more (yeah, I like them being tortured. It's part of the fun.)

That said there were a few things I didn't like, starting with Shane. As I said in my midseason post, I was worried about how they were going to deal with Shane. I like the idea of keeping him around for a little bit because in the comics, you don't get to really care about him, but at the same time, I really want this particular storyline finished. I want them to move on to the next arc because I want all the great character development that comes with it.

The inclusion of the CDC was smart of the writers. The survivors were in Atlanta, so why wouldn't they go to the CDC? What I didn't like about it was Jenner telling the group that it was a worldwide occurrence. I had naturally assumed that, but by outright saying it, it kills potential storylines because it killed hope. They now know there's no way to gain answers, not that we really want those answers anyway, but watching them struggle to find them would have been interesting.

I'm also opposed to the end of Jacqui's story. I get why she did what she did, but she was a poorly developed character, and it felt like the only reason they resolved her story like that was to simply get rid of her. It reminded me of Grey's Anatomy a little bit. Grey's had too many characters so they had someone enter the hospital and kill a bunch of people. What's the point? There would have been more emotional resonance if it had been T-Dog, another new poorly developed character, but he was developed better than Jacqui. Seriously, what did she do other than know how to get to the sewers?

Overall, I love the show. I look forward to see what other twists they throw at us, and I want to know how long before we get to meet Michonne. It wouldn't be TWD without her, so she needs to get introduced soon. Can season two get here already?

@Wilderowens Review

Unlike the other members of [insertgeekhere], I have only read the first issue of The Walking Dead. Now, before you stone me, I will tell you why. Zombies terrify me and this show didn't help that at all. I mean, I was hallucinating zombies walking down the street! It was bad and I really wish I was kidding.

Despite my fears, I did enjoy the show. I even watched it twice. The story really pulled me in and kept me simultaneously terrified and excited. Towards the end, I did feel like the plot was a little rushed. This could be due to the short six episode season. I am still excited to see where they head from here. With the whole world available to you, yet deadly at every turn, where would you head toward?

I especially enjoyed the character interactions. Each actor really embraced their character role in a way that made me connect with them. Shane had this down, with his alpha role in the group and his girl. He really showed how power-hungry he was when the one person who always outshines him showed up. When Jacqui stayed behind with Dr. Jenner in the CDC, I could understand her wanting to end the struggle. I am curious if we will see any of the characters that left the show but may still be alive.

All in all, I enjoyed the show and will recommend it to all. I even promise to finally read it and try to get over my fears. *runs and hides

Musical Friday - Remembering January's Fallen Broadway Shows

Broadway suffered very heavy losses this month. Twelve shows have closed since January 2 with at least two more scheduled by the end of the month. I can't remember the last time so many shows closed in a month, so we're going to honor a few.


First up, Promises, Promises





Promises, Promises is based on the film, The Apartment, and has music by Burt Bacharach, lyrics by Hal David, and book by Neil Simon. You might recognize a few of the songs, especially if you're a Gleek. And how could you not like a show starring Jack MacFarland, Carl Bruner (Ghost) or Tarzan, depending on age, and Glinda/April Rhodes? 


Next, West Side Story

Written by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim (his Broadway debut), West Side Story is loosely based on Romeo and Juliet. One of the most interesting aspects of this revival is not only did Arthur Laurents direct it, but to help make it more authentic, the production team wove Spanish into the book and lyrics.

And finally, my personal favorite, because I just can't let this show go... In the Heights

This is the first soundtrack I had that made me cry before I saw the show. I've gotten a little teary during shows but that's while watching them. What's unique about In the Heights is just how much emotion comes across, both on the stage and in the soundtrack. Part of the reason for that is, instead of sticking the performers in the booths while recording, they were all put together where the orchestra normally plays, so the cast could play off each other, as you can see in the above.


So let's bid a fond farewell to In the Heights, Little Night Music, La Bete, Free Man of Color, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Fela, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Brief Encounter, West Side, Elf: The Musical, Pee-Wee, and Promises Promises. Thank you to the casts and crews of the shows. You will be missed. Until we meet again...

Review: The Day After and Other Stories by Wil Wheaton @wilw

Did you know that Wil Wheaton came out with a book of short stories? I got my hands on a copy of The Day After and Other Stories a few weeks ago and just got the chance to sit down and really enjoy it. It was part of a very short release in December, and I am so happy I bought it for two reasons.

One: It's wicked good.
Two: I got a tweet from Wil himself!!!!!!

Yep, so here is the story. When I bought it, I got a very nice automated email from Wil, thanking me for buying his book. So of course, I tweeted this:




To which I got this as a response:




Needless to say, I fell off my chair, then babbled incoherently for about twenty minutes. I did handle it better than I thought I would, especially after my first Wheaton encounter.

Oh yeah...so since this is a review, I should probably talk about the book. The Day After and Other Stories has four short stories, ranging in size and topic. Despite what I anticipated, these were not all sci-fi/fantasy stories. The element that ties the book together is that these are people stories. Each tale, no matter the length, touches upon the human condition. The title story, The Day After, is a zombie survivor story. One kid is trying to deal with his realization that his world is gone forever and there is no going back. Frankly, this story freaked me out but in that good way. You know, when you feel that connection to the characters. My favorite part is that he gives an intro for each story and his reasoning for writing it. One story, Language Barriers, is based on a conversation he overheard one day. Another story, Room 302, is based on a photo that a friend gave him. He even manages to bring his love of poker into a touching story about a bar patron called Poor Places.



In the intro for the book, Wil Wheaton says that he wrote this for his fans that wanted him to write more fiction. Well, the only fiction works of yours that I have read are this and The Last Unicorn (Pegasus Kitten) from Clash of the Geeks. Mr. Wheaton, I have to agree with them. You have great talent for drawing a person into a story and you should explore that.

Sadly, The Day After and Other Stories is no longer available, but I'm sure if enough people tweet him about it, he will cave to your demands. The Mob Shall Not Be Ignored! Until then, you should check out his bookstore, where he sells other literary delights!

Review: Batman Beyond #1

This issue is important. Very, very important. Why, you ask? Because this is the very first DC comic I have ever bought. *Fun shout out to a fan - TheCBGuy was surprised too.

I have said it before, Marvel and DC have too much background for a later in life comic reader. I tend to stick to series that I can embrace without reading 20+ years of work. I'm not saying that it's bad, just way too overwhelming for me. What ultimately drove me to buy this was my childhood. Batman Beyond was one of my favorite cartoons. If I was going to date an animated fictional character, it would be Terry. I still listen to the soundtrack, and I've got the series box set on my Amazon Wish List. So when I saw this on the Previews upcoming releases list, I was *mildly excited* to say the least.

I was somewhat pleased with the start of this new series. The writer, Adam Beechen, gave a decent intro to this world and in the first few pages, introduced us to many of the key and new characters. In this is a 3-issue arch, we get a brand new villain rather than an old standard character. This villain also doesn't really want to be a villain, so I'm not sure where this will go. I am hopeful that we will get some of the villains I remember from the past. The addition of the futuristic Justice League kinda threw me. I really wanted to read about Terry and Bruce's fight, not all of these other heroes. Hopefully, the next arch gives me some of the things I remember from the series.

The art is spot-on to what I remember of the show. Ryan Benjamin & John Stanisci are splitting the work. I feel that they really captured what the story was and brought that to the book. I am torn by the cover. It is nice and pretty but at the same time, kinda boring.

I still have to read the small Batman Beyond series that came out prior to this one but I will continue to read this. I am hopeful that it will turn into one of my favorite comics, and it has given me a chance to break into the DC Universe. The best thing this book did was make me want to rewatch the original show.

Musical Friday - Make Mine Marvel

If you haven't heard, there have been some exciting developments at Marvel this week - Tom Brevoort was promoted to Senior Vice President of Publishing and Axel Alonso was named Editor-in-Chief. With Joe Quesada moving up to Chief Creative Officer, this is going to bring forth a new age of Marvel (cue dramatic music). Completing the trifecta of Marvel family news, Stan "The Man" Lee received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. To celebrate, we're dedicating this week to all things Marvel.


For Major Brevoort -





What I like about this video is that it manages to capture the intensity and scope of the story in just a few minutes while leaving you wanting more.


For Colonel Alonso -





 Who would have thought Wolverine's Theme to be so mellow and Jewel-like?


And for Generalissimo Lee - 





I think Spider-Man's animated evolution coupled with The Ramones is a wonderful way to illustrate the long journey Monsieur Lee has been on. He keeps getting bigger and better and rocks hard!


Congratulations everyone! You deserve it and we can't wait to see what you do next. 

Half a Review: The Cape

Last night, thanks to the awesome people at DC and NBC, I was able to preview the first hour of the two-hour series premiere for The Cape. According to Mashable, only iPad users were able to watch it, after downloading the DC Comics app (so happy I got an iPad for the holidays! Squeeee!). The video streaming wasn't great and I have a good connection. If you try to watch it on your iPad, be patient.



The Cape stars David Lyons, who I remember from the last few seasons of ER, as Vince Faraday. He is the hero cop who gets pulled into the city corruption by the mysterious Orwell, played by Firefly alum Summer Glau. They both perform their parts to the best of their abilities, which is outstanding. James Frain really stole the show as the supervillain Chess. He could switch on and off the creepy but you always felt that he was not quite right.

I have to admit, this show reminds me of the plot of a few hero tales. The whole plot takes place in Palm City, which reminds me of Gotham from Batman Begins, with corruption in every level of government. Vince Faraday, the good detective (a la Jim Gordon from Batman Begins) seems to want to believe in his fellow cops but after the Police Chief goes boom, he decides he has had enough. His best friend, Marty, convinces him to join the private company that's taking over the police department. Yeah, if it had been called OCP and a cyborg walked in, I wouldn't have been surprised.


Instead, enter Peter Flemming/Chess, a billionaire by day and villain by night or whenever he gets bored. Well, Marty and Chess betray Vince when he asks questions and frame him as a super villain. They think Vince dies but he is saved by a criminal circus troupe. Yes, I just said Criminal Circus Troupe. Now, before you roll your eyes and stop reading... they are freaking hysterical. I would watch a show just about them! Faraday hides with them to protect his family from Chess while he trains to become the Cape, his son's favorite superhero. He teams up with Orwell, who has a techno-filled garage just to help stop crime. They work to stop Chess, but he gets away in the end until next week.

Despite all of the borrowing of plot points, I really enjoyed it. The creator, Tom Wheeler, took everything I loved from superhero stories and rolled it into one great hour. I enjoy this superhero who uses illusion and some cloth to fight crime. Does it have some campy flair? Of course, but superhero stories need that, and this show has a lot of potential to grow. I will continue to tune in.

The Cape two-hour series premiere is January 9th at 9/8c on NBC.


Thanks to capesite.net for some of these great photos. They also have a great interview with the creator, Tom Wheeler here.

Breaking News: Marvel appoints Axel Alonso as Editor-In-Chief

In a not-so-surprising move today, Marvel announced the promotion of Axel Alonso to Editor-In-Chief.

Axel, an award winning editor, has been with the company for ten years, steadily moving up the ranks. Because it's hard for me to keep up with comics the way that I would like to, I had not been aware of who Axel was until last year, but then I started hearing his name everywhere. I was able to see him talk at SDCC and found him to be extremely engaging and full of ideas. You could tell this was a man who wanted to achieve a lot. After the Fear Itself press conference, it was apparent that it was only a matter of time before either he or Tom Brevoort landed in the big seat. I'm a little surprised at how quickly it happened, but I think this will be great for Marvel.

Congratulations Axel! Here's to many years of great and exciting storytelling.


Update - Tom Brevoort might not have gotten EiC but he has been named Marvel's Senior Vice President of Publishing. Congrats Tom! You definitely deserve it!

Are you ready for some Visitors?

Yes, the season premiere that I'm super excited about, V returns tonight!! Will Erica find Tyler, will Lisa take an active role in the Fifth Column, will Anna have babies?! Not to mention, Jane Badler as Diana! Find out when you tune in!



Back in November, I posted some spoilers for the upcoming season that I learned at the NYCC panel. If you want a small insight into what's to come, go read it. If not, just know that I saw some clips from the first few episodes and this season looks A-MAZ-ING!

Tune in to ABC tonight at 9pm EST!

Happy New Years from [insertgeekhere]!

Can you believe that 2010 is over?! We have been so lucky this year with the starting of [insertgeekhere] and we all want to say thank you for supporting us! Without readers like you, we would just be mindlessly babbling on a street corner. Again.

Here is a little recap of our favorite posts from 2010:

Pull The Trigger

Looking back to all those months ago with our first post where we just say hi to everyone.

Wilderowens Favorite Post of 2010:

Private Practice: Did you hear what happened to Charlotte King?

I love this post because its is not traditional geek. It was truly a great hour of television that covered a terrible event, and it deserved to be recognized.

Wysefyre's Favorite Post(s) of 2010:


I couldn't pick just one favorite. I have two.

Musical Friday - VideoSongs, An Educational Tour Through Music History
Not only did it make me laugh, but I loved being able to see the various instruments and voices that go into the songs.

My Epic Con Fails
Who hasn't had a wacky disaster or two happen at a con? I love this post because, not only are the situations funny, but I can also see them in a movie as a montage of the various mishaps which lead to the one con that proves to be the most perfect in every way one. Plus, regardless of what happened, Wilderowens got to talk to Wil Wheaton, and that by itself makes her and this awesome.

 Getsuyobi's Favourite Post of 2010:

This Month Let's Work on Respect

I'm a patient guy by nature, and it always annoys me when I see the uber-fan acting like a jerk and giving all us normal fans a bad name.   I know we'll never get to the nerd-utopia that we all wish for, but it'd be nice if everyone would take a look at themselves and assess their own actions for once.  Here's hoping for a friendlier fan in 2011.

From all of us at [insertgeekhere] we want to wish everyone a Happy & Safe New Year!  We'll look forward to more geeky excitement in 2011!

2010: The Year of the Zombie

I'm usually not a fan of end-of-year remembrances; in fact I never read them. However, I feel like this has to be put out there: Was 2010 the Year of the Zombie? I say this because I feel like zombies were so hip that they were shoved down my throat as they tried to rip it out.

In all fairness, it really started (for me at least) in July at SDCC. So this is really the six months of Zombie but year sounds better. Zombies were everywhere, from merchandise to the zombie march to costumed zombies to the giant The Walking Dead panel. Yes, TWD, I blame you. ;) Thinkgeek started pushing their huge amount of zombie merch and TWD books were flying off the shelves. NYCC was the same, if not worse. Now with the success of TWD, this will only continue. There are zombie web series, and humorous zombie holiday shorts. Soon, who knows?

From BookPeople's Blog

To be honest, Zombies freak me out. I still watched The Walking Dead, and liked it despite the nightmares. My only fear/desire is that zombies will mainstream to the point that they sparkle. I would hate it but am damn curious to see how it can be done.

Prediction for 2011:
Year of the Frankenstein. I need more evil resurrection in my life.

Geeky Bad Habits

I know a lot of people that like to ask me about being a geek. Almost to the point of me being a little paranoid. I just can't hide my geekiness and I am proud of that. It has hurt me though. Professionally, it is bad when you start talking about how you need to leave work early to get to the comic book store in time. This got me thinking about how my geeky nature has brought on a few bad habits.


My Bad Habit: I hum the Super Mario Theme song when I'm walking and dodging people on NYC streets.

In My Defense: NYC streets can be so crowded, it is almost like surviving a video game. Plus, I only do it when I'm alone....


My Bad Habit: I eventually find a way to start talking about my zombie escape plan with almost every person I meet.

In My Defense: If you follow our tweets, you know that zombies freak me out! You have to be prepared!


My Bad Habit: I turn into an adrenaline-high-ninja-psycho fan at cons.

In My Defense: Everyone else either already is psychotic or they need to get out of my way.



I know, I know I'm a little crazy, and I have too much time for self reflection. In the end, I can't blame the geek community just because I'm so quirky. Still, I would like to know that I'm not the only crazy one out there! Please let me know if you have any geeky bad habits too!

Musical Friday - Geeky Holiday Fun!

It's holiday season and what better way to celebrate than with some good old-fashioned geeky fun.

Who better to start this off than the good Dr. himself, Dr. Who. Recorded for Dr. Who Confidential, Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvil give what has got to be one of the most.... interesting interpretations of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" I've ever come across. Major points for going full out.





What can I say about this next clip? The truth of the matter is, even though there are several other religious holidays celebrated in December, Christmas is the one that has become so commercialized that some of the other religions tend to have their own ways of celebrating Christmas time too. Case in point... Christmas for the Jews.





And finally, what does a geek really want for the holidays? napalmnacey knows and shares this knowledge in her rendition of Santa Baby: Geek Version.





Now, because I know you've all been good geek boys and geek girls, I'm adding a special bonus. Here with their retelling of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," I give you The Guild.





Remember, it doesn't matter what you celebrate (as long as there are no sacrificial, bloody offerings involved - that's a little creepy) as long as you are happy, safe, having fun, and surrounded by the ones you care about. Happy Holidays from IGH team! 

Review: Broadway's Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

About two weeks ago, Getsuyobi and I saw the Spider-Man musical. Since then I have been struggling with writing this review. Part of me feels uncomfortable writing about a show that is in previews and obviously incomplete, but the rest of me feels that given what's been happening with the show, that maybe it's time to suck it up and write.

Most people know the show has been plagued with problems since the beginning. For those who don't, the brief recap is big names actors were hired then dropped out, funding was lost then found, opening night has been moved around repeatedly, the very first preview ran nearly four hours due to technical difficulties including the actors being suspended over the audience, and the most distressing problem has been the actors keep getting hurt. These are not minor injuries. Before previews, two actors were injured doing the same stunt; one broke his toe, the other, both of his wrists. During the first preview, one of the leads, Natalie Mendoza, suffered a concussion and her understudy, America Olivo, took over the role for a few weeks, and finally, three nights ago, Spider-Man stunt double, Christopher Tierney, fell from a platform and into a pit in the stage. While reports have been conflicting as to how serious his injuries are (he's listed in stable but serious condition), but I think it is safe to say something is very wrong with the production. Well, a lot of things are wrong with the production.

The stunt that got Christopher Tierney hurt as well as one of the strangest slo-mo walks I've ever seen.

 

Spoilers!!! 

Let's start with the basics - the music and the book.

The music - It's bland. It's unmemorable and completely unworthy of being on a Broadway stage. There were maybe three songs that could be considered worthy, and of those, one of them, "Pull the Trigger," is included only because it had the best dance number, otherwise it was a meh song. It is apparent that Bono and the Edge are unfamiliar with writing songs for more than one character, though every now and then, they got something right like with the song "If the World Should End."

The book - It is a complete mess. Act One focuses on the origin story and all the basic components are there - Peter is bullied & wants Mary Jane, gets bitten by a radioactive spider, Uncle Ben dies, etc. However, and maybe I'm being a bit of a purest, but I have a problem with how Uncle Ben's death is handled. Flash Thompson, previously established as the d-bag that he is, accidentally hits Ben when he loses control of his car. Now, from a theatrical point of view, this works for the story. It doesn't add unnecessary people and it quickly move the story along, but as a Spider-Man fan, I feel it diminished his journey. Uncle Ben's death has played such a pivotal role in Peter's life because of the guilt he felt, that to take that away, makes him and the story weaker.

Act One also gives us Arachne, the weaver who bested Athena in a weaving contest and was ultimately cursed and turned into the first spider, and the Green Goblin. Arachne is featured more prominently in Act Two so I'll discuss her there, but the Green Goblin decently developed. I thoroughly enjoyed what was done with him. Instead of including Harry Osborn into the story, Norman and his wife, Emily Osborn, work together, playing with cutting edge technology and trying to manipulate DNA to create super beings. Norman decides to try some of this out on himself and when if goes horribly wrong, he's super powerful and his wife is dead, leading to him going nuts. What makes this work is there is an emotional connection with his transformation.

Act Two - Spider-Man has defeated Green Goblin, he's supposedly dead, and Peter has decided to hang up his Spidey shoes so he can have a real life. Enter Arachne, who freaks out over this because she has decided Spider-Man is the one to help release her from her curse and let her die. Yeah, there was a lot of head scratching done at this point. Her way of getting Peter to put the uniform back on was to, apparently, create illusions of the Green Goblin and Sinister Six, have them terrorize New York, and of course, kidnap Mary Jane, but before she does this, I think she tries to have astral plane sex with Peter. I'm still not sure how that all worked out.

If Arachne had been a better developed character, then having her pull everybody's strings might have made sense but she wasn't and most of the time, when she spoke, it just sounded like melodramatic whining. Her singing voice was outstanding but I just wanted to help kill her when she talked. The end also felt tacked on. I had read another review that said the ending left far too many plot threads dangling, so I'm guessing this was their way of fixing it, but it felt too hurried and just wrong. Then again, this is also the act that brought us an evil catwalk featuring the Sinister Six and "Deeply Furious," a song about shoes. You heard me. Shoes. I'm still not convinced they weren't pumping something in the air.

You have to see it to believe it!

Next - The actors and choreography

Overall, the actors were trying their damnedest to make the show work. It wasn't their fault they had such weak material to work with. One thing that was very noticeable was many of them sounded like they were straining their voice, Reeve Carney, who plays Peter, in particular, was struggling towards the end.

The bullies didn't work for me. I don't know if it was the writing, the direction, or the acting choices, but they were too stereotypical and too over the top, and whenever Flash talked, I was taken out of the story because the actor looked too old for the role and all I could think about was the original cast of 90210.

The outstanding performances were Jennifer Damiano, who captured Mary Jane's strong spirit while showing her vulnerabilities, Michael Mulheren as J. Jonah Jameson, who was perfect as the fast talking, stubborn, and Spidey slandering editor in chief of The Daily Bugle, and Patrick Page as the Green Goblin. Page gave the Goblin depth and humor and chock full of crazy. Scene chewing doesn't even describe what this man did. It was great.

The choreography - For the dance numbers, it was weak. Other than during "Pull the Trigger," it was lackluster. There was nothing spectacular about it. I was very disappointed by it.

Now the technical choreography is a different story. The performance we saw did not appear to have any technical problems and the stunts were outstanding. I don't know if I need it in a show, but the fangirl in me squeed a little when Spider-Man and Green Goblin flew over us. I counted ten different Spider-Mans, not counting Reeve Carney, and they rocked. The stunts are so complicated. I have to give Julie Taymor credit; she used as much space as she could to bring her vision to life. Speaking of her vision...

Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man

The sets - This is where Julie Taymor excels. Some people have called her sets too cartoony, I agree with some of it (using POW! & BAM! was too much), but it felt like she was going for a surreal type of universe. All of her masks were over the top, but I felt it worked with the mostly muted tones of set.

My absolute favorite set piece was the Chrysler Building. The top expanded from beneath the stage so the Green Goblin and Spider-Man could "chat," and then it inverts as Spider-Man falls to the ground. There are tiny taxis to help give the illusion of depth and it's just wonderful.

Reeve Carney and the deliciously wonderful Patrick Page

Finally - The direction - I love Julie Taymor's work. I think she is a brilliant director and her visuals are out of this world. However, I do not believe she was the right person for this or maybe she could have been the right director, if she had not also co-written the book. It feels as if she took most her source material from the Spider-Man movies, not the comics and that makes a big difference. This isn't a story she can just come in to and do whatever she wants. There is a very rich history to consider. She created a new character, Swiss Miss, who did nothing other than get her butt kicked by Spider-Man. She could have been interesting, if she actually did something and hadn't looked like the mutated lovechild of the Tin Man and Dot Matrix from Spaceballs.

I could go on and on about the strange spectacle that is Spider-Man, but I think I've said more than enough. As of now, the opening date has once again been pushed back, and it's scheduled to open in February. The reason given for this is they want to retool the show, particularly the second act. This will also allow them to get the tech in order. The other night's accident has been deemed human error so the show will go on. It is my sincere hope that they focus on strengthening the book and the songs and find a way to attract new fans while satisfying the old fans. And yes, if they ever make it to opening night, it will seen again.

 Pictures courtesy of Sara Krulwich / Redux Pictures and Jacob Cohl

Team Unicorn teaches us all how to have a Safe Holiday!

The makers of the Geek and Gamer Girls Song just gave us a holiday treat. Team Unicorn comes to my rescue with this great instructional video: A VERY ZOMBIE HOLIDAY. With all of the zombie craziness lately, it is always important to be prepared. This video makes me feel better about buying my pies!




Did you spot a few familiar faces in the film, besides Team Unicorn, of course? I saw Brian Kameoka as a Caroler, who runs The Guild twitter crew and Jonathan Nail as the husband who also plays Michele Boyd's husband on Solo, a great web series. Behind the scenes is Sean Becker, who seems to be behind every web series these days!

Breaking News: Marvel announces Fear Itself

Today at 12 pm, at Midtown Comics Times Square location, Marvel's Editor in Chief, Joe Quesada, announced Marvel's summer event Fear Itself and together with Executive VPs Axel Alonso and Tom Brevoort, they unveiled the Fear Itself banner and later on, answered questions from the fans, the press, and the internet.

Billed as an "extension level event," Fear Itself will kick into high gear in April 2011. It will involve the God of Fear, deal with what's happening in the real world issues, as well as a secret that is at the heart of the Marvel U, when revealed it will shake the entire universe up and people will not be able to look at each other the same way. The entire MU will be involved including "what is left of the Fantastic Four."

It will be by Matt Fraction and Stuart Immonen and will run seven issues for seven months. But why should you take my word for when you can watch the trailer and listen to Matt Fraction's statement below.







So what does everyone think? Excited? Angry? Indifferent? Tell us your thoughts here or discuss this at our new Facebook page here.

Review: Freckleface Strawberry

Last Thursday, I went to see Freckleface Strawberry The Musical, playing at the New World Stages. It is a children’s show based on a book series written by actress, Julianne Moore. The story is about a girl, Strawberry, who is the only redhead with freckles among her friends, how she wishes she did not have them, and the lengths she was willing to go to get rid of them.

I cannot express how much I enjoyed this show. From the moment the characters took the stage, started playing with their schoolyard toys and started singing, I knew we were in for a special show. It was so full of life. The book was funny and sweet and the music was engaging and infectious. It's a smart show that makes it great for kids, but also engages the adults, such as the Freaky Freckleface Family complete with a bad Godfather impersonation. Occasionally the fourth wall is broken and the audience is included in the story, which delighted most of the kids. The choreography was outstanding, particularly the playground scenes. During the song, “Basketball,” the company performed a complicated sequence involving dribbling basketballs to music. So much could have gone wrong, but it did not and it looked spectacular.

The actors were wonderful. Dance captain, Morgan Smith, filled in for Hayley Podschun, as Strawberry, and she was delightful. She really captured Strawberry’s pain at feeling different but also captured what it’s like to be a kid. Linda Gabler did triple duty as Strawberry’s mother, teacher and classmate, Jane. Yet the real breakout star of the show was Kimiko Glenn who played Emily, the boy crazy and ditzy friend. Her comedic timing was spot on. She often stole whatever scene she was in.

Freckleface Strawberry is enjoying an open-ended run, and I would recommend it to anyone with young children as well as adults looking for a show that is a little more innocent. Just be careful after the show because you might get mowed down by some kids running to catch a glimpse of one of the actors. 

Musical Friday - Cyber Friday, Tron-day

Musical Friday again! Tron is out TODAY! In case you weren't sure what Tron is all about (really?!), we've got the most efficient way to explain: a Tobuscus Literal Trailer!

Literal Tron Trailer!

Yay!



Tron has been a nerd classic for over 20 years. This homage comes from The Key of Awesome and is all about the sweet escape that our fantasy worlds offer, and also naked ladies...



We'll end the fun with the video for Daft Punk's video "Derezzed", from the official Tron Legacy Soundtrack. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Daft Punk - New Music - More Music Videos