Musical Friday - The Gaga Covers

Lady Gaga is one of the most talked about musicians these days. Whether it's about her behavior, political views, music, or her outrageous fashion sense, one can't deny she's a tour de force. How long she'll last is up for debate but while she's around, everyone from celebrities to the average Joe Shmoe has been having fun with her music. With so much to choose from, I decided this Friday will go to the everyday folk out there (though I might have to do one for the celebrities. Some of them are just too funny not to include.) So without further ado, I present...... Gaga!

Lady Gaga Acapella Medley Multitrack (Just Dance, Poker Face, Chillin, Paparazzi)

As the only female of the post, I chose Naya Marie because, of the many different covers I viewed, she was unique. She obviously very talented but by creating the medley, adding the beatbox, and performing all the parts herself, she gave the songs a twist that really energizes them.

Paparazzi - Metal Guitar Cover (HQ)

I love when songs are taken out of their designated genre and turned into something new. I particularly love turning pop songs into something edgier and harder. This version helps demonstrate how versatile Lady Gaga's songs are. If you click on the link in the video and watch the video with the vocal track, you'll see how great it sounds. Man, I wish I could play guitar like this guy....ah, just me on a stage, playing like a rock star...sigh...oh, sorry. Got caught up in the moment. On to the next...

 On The Rocks - Bad Romance

Part of me wishes these guys had worn outfits to go with the song but the rest of me knows the everyday clothes make this even funnier. On the Rocks is the University of Oregon's premiere all-male a capella ensemble. They have a new album out, which you can learn more about here.

Telephone - The Afghanistan Re-Make

I crack up every time I see this. Who thinks these guys might have had a little bit too much to drink one night and decided to put on a show? These guys are fighting overseas in dangerous situations and if this is what they need to do to blow off a little steam, then please, please, PLEASE keep doing this! I'd be laughing my ass off if any group of guys got together and did this, but these are soldiers and that gives it extra oomph. They are so awesome. I hope they can eventually make another re-make but as malibumelcher, the guy who filmed this, said it's hard to get them all together because they're constantly on missions. Here's hoping they are currently all safe and coming home soon.

Part of what makes Lady Gaga so great is the fun she inspires people to have. It's high energy, twisted, inventive, and, did I mention... fun? It gets people out of their shells because it's so over the top. It's ridiculous! I guarantee you there is a Lady Gaga cover for everyone. So pull up at seat, enjoy the videos, and if you have a favorite Gaga cover, let us know so we can put it in next time until then, a fond farewell!

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!

Glee: Grilled Cheesus

As I said in my previous post, Glee's sophomore season has not been living up to its hype (if that's even possible). There's an unevenness that's become more apparent than last year's back nine. We're five episodes in and they have been all over the place.

MAJOR SPOILERS!!!! 

Seriously, don't say I didn't warn you. 

Read on at your own risk

There are three storylines of importance in Grilled Cheesus - 

1) Finn sees what he believes to be Jesus in the grill marks of his sandwich, hence “Grilled Cheesus.” He attempts to pray and when what he prays for comes true, he believes it was due to a high power, leaving him with the desire to share this with the rest of the glee club. Later on, when something unfortunate happens to a fellow teammate but gives Finn something he asked for, he starts to question whether Grilled Cheesus is good or bad and eventually, his beliefs, already tentative and not fully formed, are seriously shaken and he’s left asking more questions.

2) Kurt goes through a family crisis. His father ends up in the hospital, comatose. The glee club tries to rally around Kurt, offering support and prayers. Kurt pushes them away because he doesn’t believe as they do and because he’s carrying around so much guilt, because of  his behavior prior to his father’s heart attack, that he has a hard time seeing how everyone is trying to help in their own way. For Kurt, his lesson is not about believing in God but believing in something more than what the five senses tell us.

3) Lastly, Sue’s story with her older sister, Jeannie, is a smaller storyline but just as important. Jeannie has Down’s Syndrome but that has never mattered to Sue. To Sue, she’s everything. She’s Sue’s hero, but Sue noticed, when they were very young, that people would treat Jeannie differently and cruelly. Sue would pray for her sister to get better and when she didn’t, Sue stopped believing. A conversation with Jeannie about God shows how at ease she is with her disorder, while Sue is the one who continues to struggle.

Memorable moments include -

Puck, giving one of the most profound and humorous statements of the show, saying, "Oh, I got no problem with the guy. I'm a total Jew for Jesus. He's my number one Heb. What I don't like seeing is people using J-money to cramp everyone else's style, 'cause it seems to me that true spirituality or whatever you want to call it is about enjoying the life that you've been given. I mean, I see God every time I make out with a new chick."

Brittnay - “Whenever I pray, I fall asleep.”

Jeannie says she doesn't believe God makes mistakes and asks Sue if she wants to be prayed for. Sue's voice cracking a tiny bit as she says, "That'd be nice."

Kurt singing a beautiful stripped down version of “I Want To Hold Your Hand” with flashbacks documenting significant moments with his father, including a not to be missed tea party.

This was an interesting episode. It wanted to say a lot but aside from the stellar performances of Chris Colfer and Jane Lynch, I felt it missed the mark. Wanting to explore spirituality is one thing but to lay it on so thickly is off putting. Why was Rachel singing  "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" Was it because it had the word "papa" in it or was it one of the few "Jewish" songs they could find that wasn't overly religious? I don't know but as beautifully sung as it was, it didn't belong there. Giving Mercedes two spiritual songs, one of which took place in a church, was too much.  There were comments made that didn't feel authentic, as if they were just put there to continually convey the show's message. I strongly believe that the questions asked should be explored but it felt as if they were being crammed down our throats.


I'd also like to point out that I do not believe that Finn wouldn't have known earlier about Burt being in the hospital. Kurt might have forgotten to tell him but Finn's mother knew. Why wouldn't she tell him as soon as she found out? I just don't buy it. I'd also like to know how old was the grilled cheese sandwich before Finn finally ate it? I get the symbolism behind the gesture but eating a cold, several days old grilled cheese sandwich is not that appealing to me. It was moments like these that kept taking me out of the story. I had to keep re-watching in order to find the good moments and it turns out there are many of them.


Jane Lynch was stunning. You could see her pain and anger simmering beneath the surface. Her scene with her sister made me want to cry because it was Jeannie comforting Sue. Chris Colfer was beautiful. He can mesmerize a person with both his acting and singing. Not a small feat, especially for someone so young. Mike O'Malley's portrayal of Burt is unpretentious and wonderful and he didn't even do much in this episode. Even Cory Monteith at the end of the show had me interested. Seeing Finn's faith shaken added a new depth to the character that hadn't previously been there. It's nice to see him growing as an actor. I also want to acknowledge Robin Trocki, the actress who plays Jean Sylvester. It's not often that shows use actors with disabilities, especially older actors with disabilities, and I think it's fantastic Glee does this because not only does it helps color the world of Glee and make it more realistic, but she can act! It's about time. Other than Chris Burke, who played Corky on Life Goes On, when was the last time you saw someone with Down's Syndrome or any other disability playing a role that was meaningful and important? Life Goes On has been off the air since 1993! I don't know about you, but I want a world as diverse as possible when it comes to the shows I watch.


I don't get worked up about a show's message very often. I like asking questions, being forced to think and a good controversy. I might dislike the writing or acting, I might hate where a storyline is going or cheesy special effects (I look to you X-Men Origins: Wolverine) but "Grilled Cheesus" bothered me enough that for a moment, I seriously considered not watching Glee anymore. Then I stopped, thought about it, and decided I love the show too much to just give up on it like that. I'll keep watching and hoping the show pulls itself together and in the meantime, keep you informed on how it's progressing.

* Sorry for the delay.  The other ep. reviews will be out this week and then done as each new ep. comes in.

Marvel's Point One: Highfive Marvel!

Marvel announced a new initiative called "Point One" which is a starting point for readers to join the ongoing storylines as a way to bring in new readers.

Unlike the rest of IGH, I don't read many Marvel or DC titles. The classic characters of these titles have been around forever and there is so much about them, it is hard to get started. I came into comics later in life and missed out on a lot that is important in these universes. It always seemed easier to avoid them and just read books that I could really understand. I tend to go for the smaller publishers for my comics. I know the basic origins of the major super heroes and my Marvel and DC buddies can fill me in on the details.

That's why this program is so awesome for me. Now I can jump on the Marvel train. (Too cheesy?) I would love the chance to read some of these titles, especially Invincible Iron Man (love the movies) and Deadpool (mostly because I like sarcasm). Maybe even a little Captain America, you never know. Now I have the option to jump in and understand what's going on without bugging my friends or reading 50 years of background material. The Marvelverse is my oyster. High-five Marvel. Granted, this may not bring in non-comic readers who are unlikely to walk into their local store but for the readers like me, this will be a good fit.

Point One List

FEBRUARY 2011
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #654.1
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #500.1
WOLVERINE #5.1

MARCH 2011
CAPTAIN AMERICA #615.1
DEADPOOL #32.1
HULK #30.1
THOR #620.1
UNCANNY X-FORCE #5.1

APRIL 2011
AVENGERS #12.1
SECRET AVENGERS #11.1
UNCANNY X-MEN #534.1

I think this will help Marvel a lot too and not just in the new reader department. In looking over the list slated for the "Point One" treatment, I also saw the names for their upcoming movies for the next three years. Great way to cross promote! (Just don't change the movie too much from the story or you will have even more enraged fans then you did after the Wolverine debacle of '09.)

To sum up, me likey. I also now need some suggestions of what to read! Please leave your guidance in the comments below.

I got a lot of great info from Comic Beat and iFanboy. Go check them out.

Getting ready for V!!

This post is spoiler-filled so if you don't like spoilers

go read another tasty article on [insertgeekhere].

Today, the first season of the scifi thriller V comes out on DVD!! In honor of that, here are some tasty tidbits I picked up.

At New York Comic Con, I got to attend the V Panel. It included Morena Baccarin (Anna), Laura Vandervoot (Lisa) and the original V Queen Jane Badler (Diana). But before I talk about what they said, I want to give you the scribbles from the trailer that they showed us. And yes, they are scribbles. I tried taking screen shots but it was too mesmerizing to ignore.

- "It's Earth or Nothing"
- Jack joins the 5th Column and meets the whole team
- More Red Sky from the finale - lasts at least five days
- The 29 other captains confront Anna about Red Sky and she gets angry
- Anna may have human emotion
- Diana is Anna's mother and is being kept in a dungeon

And now to the panel...the Moderator was Damian Holbrook from TV Guide. He was hysterical and if I got nothing else out of this panel, I found someone else to read.

This photo was borrowed from the fine folks at SciFi Cool

Where Season 2 begins:

The launching pad for Season 2 is Red Sky from the S1 finale. Even Anna can't foresee the impact. With Red Sky comes Red Clouds which make Red Rain. This was Anna's plan all along but not this quickly. She will have to deal with the repercussions. (For all of you original V fans, no Red Dust in this series.)

On Jane Badler joining the cast:

- She had to audition for the role but once she did, there was no contest.
- This is a different Diana than the first series; this Diana is wiser.
- She is very excited on this reboot; "Feels like Diana hasn't finished her business on earth yet."

Morena Baccarin on Anna:

- Anna does begin to feel human emotion as seen in S1 finale.
- She thinks it would be interesting if Anna felt enough emotion to connect to a human.
- Anna butts heads with Erica and of course, her mommy Diana.

Laura Vandervoort on playing two different scifi women:

- She loves both of them equally and feels so honored to play strong female roles. She also loves to play evil.
- LV says that Lisa will pick a side this season. Joshua referred to Lisa as his queen, others may also do so.

Finally some more tidbits from the Executive Producer, Steve Pearlman:

- We are not going to see a full alien invasion for a long time.
- Anna had 6 eggs that survived and they will been seen in the first episode. The Visitors grow quickly and these eggs will hatch quick! We will also see Valerie's baby growing up fast.
- We will see more and more about what the V look like for real.
- Toward the middle of the season, we will get some questions answered about why Tyler is the one, and more importantly, What are the V's genders?!

Resistance Updates:

We will see the globalization of the Fifth Column. Oded Fehr joins the team for a story arc to make this happen.

Each actor listed their favorite scenes:

Morena Baccarin - Using tail to kill another V in S2, punching my daughter (Vandervoot looked a little shocked at this!), and laying eggs.
Jane Badler - Using fangs
Laura Vandervoort - Puberty scene

I am super excited for this season to start, and really sad that they already cut back the episode order even though it hasn't aired yet! Please tune in on January 4, 2011 to find out why the Visitors are really here.

Review: Kick-Ass 2

Out this (past) week (yeah, I know its late, but RL sucks) is one of the biggest releases of the year (for me at least), Kick-Ass 2. We get another glimpse into the world of Kick-Ass and Hitgirl as they fight crime and get through school and life as blossoming superheroes.

Since we left our heroes, Hitgirl has moved back in with her mom and stepdad, Marcus (who you might recognize from the movie. He was in the first series, in the background, for one panel). She is really trying to be...normal...? Kick-Ass is moving up the superhero ranks as he trains to be the hero he is inside. The story starts off fast with Kick-Ass walking the beat and builds up a lot of loose threads that will (hopefully!) be explained soon. With a new superhero team possibly forming and Hitgirl giving up the life, I am truly exciting to see what happens to Kick-Ass as he continues his journey under the mask.

Mark Millar has set the standard again and I am so glad he did. You can really see that he enjoys writing these characters and I do wonder if some of the wisecracks represent his true feelings. The art is spot on, thanks to John Romita, Jr. He brings back the style that worked in the first series. The way the story looks to be going, we are going to get to see some great fight scenes and I am sure he will highlight every blow.

I need to admit, I have loved this story from the very beginning. Growing up, I was Dave, in my way, wanting to grab a mask and make my mark on the world. Very few people have that dedication but we all wish we did. While yes, it would probably be a stupid and dangerous thing to do, it would be memorable.

Check out this series, 'cause it will rock your world and make you want to buy that mask. Just get some combat training first. The first issue is out now so make sure you grab a copy. If you haven't read the first series, make sure you pick it up!

Musical Friday - Halloween Time

It's Halloween and we've got some awesome new videos for this Friday. The best part of Halloween is all of the great horror & sci-fi films all over TV and theaters. Since I was a child, one of my all-time favorites has been the original Ghostbusters. Anyone who remembers the original 1982 movie can't help but think of the classic theme song by Pay Parker Jr. Our first video is one of the greatest mash-ups I've ever seen. Featuring the classic GB theme and rock legends AC/DC. I defy you not to crank this up and totally rock out!



Our next video is actually a rare bonus feature from Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. The film was a masterpiece of CGI when it was first released in 2001 and for its DVD release the animators went back and recreated a few scenes with outtakes for a blooper reel. This short dance segment was also created as an Easter Egg for the bonus content section. It wouldn't be Halloween without Thriller!



Lastly, not so much a music video but a movie trailer featuring one of the creepiest songs of all time. This trailer shows another classic film in a whole new light (darkness?) Most people wouldn't argue that Gene Wilder's version of Willy Wonka became the cult phenomenon it is thanks to the underlying darkness and sadness he gave the whimsical character. Please enjoy the horror movie version of the trailer featuring the infamous "Wondrous Boat Ride Song"



Hope you've enjoyed the spooky music. Let us know what your favorite Halloween songs are by leaving a comment or shouting out to us on twitter @IGHInsider. Have a fun and safe weekend!

Review: Weekly World News Vol. 1 TPB

Warning: Spoiler Alert!!!

  “Only thing worst than being saved by a democrat is being saved by a freak.”

Weekly World News, by Chris Ryall and Alan Robinson, follows Ed Anger in his quest to rid America of freaks, democrats, gay, pot smoking, vegetarian Indians, etc. but mainly freaks. Now when I say freaks, I mean honest to goodness freaks, ripped straight out of the WWN such as Manigator, UFO Alien, and perhaps the most famous of them all, Bat Boy, whose ability to be in the right place at the right time has earned him the love and trust of the American people, and even churned out a musical. (*Note - I was able to see Bat Boy the Musical during its off-Broadway run, loved it, it was hilarious, and think it should be revived.You can find more info about it here.)

But back to Ed, whose hate, anger, and bigotry almost destroys America. To save the country he loves so much, he has to team up with the very freaks he absolutely loathes in order to learn a very valuable lesson in tolerance: America has always had freaks.You don’t have to like them but you do have to accept them. It’s the only way to survive.

It took me a while to get into the story. When I started reading it all I could think was, “Why am I reading about a crazy bastard who stands for everything I hate and does this story have a point?” But I kept on reading and all these little details started to pop out at me. There were so many pop culture jokes in the writing and art they needed to add a blurb at the end to explain them all. I particularly enjoyed the Twilight Zone “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” sequence. It fit so perfectly with Ed’s paranoia. There was also a couch jumping Tom Cruise panel, two of the Three Little Pigs, and my favorite - a nod to Jack Kirby in “Sgt. Kurtzberg and his Fightin’ Commandos” posed to echo the cover of Marvel’s “Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos” #1. But did anyone notice Howard the Duck, Devil Gumby and Commissioner Gordon in the hand holding scene? Big smiles!

The three things I loved most about this -

Ed believes Bat Boy is an attention hound and glory hog. Bat Boy really does manage to show up at the perfect moment to save the day and get the photo-op. Makes one wonder if he is genuinely lucky or is he a diabolical mastermind who somehow manages to orchestrate these incidents?

Bat Boy’s mouth never closes. I don’t know if it’s possible but he never talks. Just says, “Skree” over and over as if we’re supposed to understand what he’s saying.

However, the absolute best part of this story is Manigator. Ed goes down to Florida after learning about Manigator’s existence and boy, is he in for a shock when he learns Manigator talks about prayer while drinking American beer and owns an unregistered weapon. As Ed puts it, “Aww dammit, you’re a Real American!” He is also the reason Ed Anger is able to learn how to be more tolerable and able to save the day. Besides, how can you not like a guy who’s impressed by ice cubes?

As I said earlier, it took me awhile to get into the story and while I had parts I loved, overall, I wasn’t sure if I liked it in its entirety, but once I started to really digest the story, and tell people about it, I quickly appreciated what a unique voice it had. That’s when I realized how much I liked all of it. It’s a great romp. So, if you like fun and quirky stories with depth, and filled with quality art, then this is the story for you. Read it then come back and tell us who your favorite freak is!

Halloween - Things to See and Do

With Halloween is right around the corner, it was time to put together a list of some of the fantastic events happening in New York City.

Let's start with the Abrons Arts Center Henry Street Settlement & Third Rail Projects have come together to bring us once again, the Steampunk Haunted House. Billed as "a beautiful and terrifying dreamscape of neo-Victorian elegance and phantasmagoric clockwork horrors" it's said to terrify and delight without spilling a drop of blood.

Oct. 26 

Head into Astoria, Queens for Haunted Oktoberfest at Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden, New York City's oldest beer garden. Going on through the weekend, be sure to check out their Jack O' Lantern and costume contests as you enjoy some of the best beers around. 

Oct. 27

At The Times Center, sit down with horror meisters Wes Craven ("Nightmare on Elm Street," "Scream," "My Soul to Take") and Oren Peli ("Paranormal Activity", "Area 51") as they talk about horror and scary movies with Times theater critic, Jason Zinoman. 

Oct. 28

 After Dark at Madame Tussauds New York allows you to explore the attraction in almost complete darkness while trying to figure out who's real and who's not.

Swing by Bushwick, Brooklyn for The Horror Show. Set in a half abandoned 1900's brewery, patrons climb to their seats and watch amazing twisted acrobatic feats in this gothic circus-ballet created by Anya Sapozhnikova.

Oct. 29

Head over to Forbidden Planet for their Annual Costume Contest. Stop in at any time starting at 10 am on the 29th until 9:30 pm on the 31st and get your picture taken for entry. 

Straight Up Vampire at Joe's Pub is what happens when you put vampires, 80's pop, Paula Abdul and Quakers together. A young Quaker girl loves a young, politically idealistic vampire but is being forced to marry someone else and MC Skat Kat and Benjamin Franklin vie for power in the Assembly.

92YTribeca is hosting a Labyrinth Sing-Along and Costume Party. Whether you're dressed as the Goblin King or any of the muppet cousins, you'll have a beer in hand as you sing your heart out.

Oct. 30 

Party Like a Rockstar at Hudson Terrace. It features a complimentary open vodka bar, only for an hour so get there early, live performances, special effects and a costume contest with the winner taking home $500. 

Union Hall in Park Slope, Brooklyn will host A Very Heathers Halloween, an event dedicated to all things Heathers. Featuring drink specials such as the Hull Clean and all your favorite 80's chart toppers. 

The Spirit of the Golden Age Halloween Party at Opia Restaurant is the place to throw on your best 60's attire and enjoy vintage cocktails, prizes, a live big band, and tons of fun. 

Oct. 31

Starting early, the Highline Ballroom will be hosting a few of Halloween events, beginning with Phantasmagorey, An Edward Gorey Halloween Brunch Spectacular, and ending with Hussies From Hell! A Divas and Deviants Halloween Party where you can hang out with drag queens, go-go dancers and burlesque performers. 

Oh! You Pretty Things: The Rocky Horror Picture Show 35th Anniversary Bash is an all-night event filled with live performances, a Rocky Horror stage show, a costume contest and various other fun things.

Webster Hall will be transformed into Webster Hell and all four floors will be filled with "ghoulish freaks to badass queens to sexy nymphos and everything in between." There'll be plenty of excitement as you watch the virgin sacrifice ritual as well as many other spectacular theatrics and entertainment. Don't forget about their $5000 costume contest featuring some of the sickest, most creative and interesting costumes you can find. 

Of course, you can't forget New York's Village Halloween Parade. The best Halloween parade around, join various dancers, artists, bands, puppets and tons of New Yorkers in their Halloween best as you walk your way through the village.

These are just a few of the many options available for Halloween fun. There are also plenty of events happening on Long Island if you can't get into the city. Be sure to click the links because many of these events run through the weekend. Remember to be safe, don't do anything too stupid, take tons of pictures if you do and have lots of fun! Happy Halloween!

Lego Musical Friday!!!!

Wysefyre here with this week's Musical Friday. Today, we're talking Legos. Most of us had them growing up (if you didn't, call your parents & yell at them for depriving you) and they provided us with hours of fun. We built villages, machinery and vehicles, and took the heads off of the little Lego people and played with them (or was the just me?)  Over the years, Legos have gotten more impressive and more themed. You can build the Star Wars and Harry Potter universes or more generic pirate ships and wild west towns. The possibilities are limitless (this is sounding too much like an ad so I'll move on). It was only a matter of time before people started getting really creative and making movies and video games with Legos. Here are some of the great videos floating around...


Pump It - The Black Eyed Peas




A jail break and a giant killing robot? How does it get any better? Parker W. Young does an amazing job with this.


Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen



This video has it all - Queen, Death, his personal assistant, Beelzebub, and salsa! Who can ask for anything more? Now we go from Queen to.... Broadway?


Blackout - In the Heights (Original Broadway Cast)




My current musical obsession is In the Heights. As you can hear, it's not your parents' Broadway show. It's something different and exciting. I saw this video and fell in love with it. It's a fairly accurate portrayal of the show's staging and they're so darn cute. $100 is the most money he's ever seen? Makes me smile every time. Now to finish up, what Lego post would be complete without..........


Star Wars Gangster Rap - Bentframe




You can learn more about Bentframe here. Be sure to check out their other songs. Hilarious! The video was created by Michael Inglis and it's such a perfect compliment to the rap. You know you love dancing Stormtroopers and a break dancing Yoda as much as I do.


There you have it, a small taste of the power of Lego. I hope you enjoyed it and maybe this will spark your imaginations and you'll want to go out, get some Legos and create amazing videos yourself. (If you do, send them our way so we can feature them.) Until next time....

My Epic Con Fails

@Wilderowens here with a little insanity break.  I have been reading all of the NYCC reviews and recaps about other people's experiences.  Everyone loves to talk about all of the awesome people we meet or the cool stuff we do at cons. Well, sometimes it isn't always so easy or fun for us. I personally can think of 5 things I wish I could do over at New York Comic and San Diego Comic Con.  Please join me in lamenting over my Epic Con Fails:

     5 - At my first NYCC, I thought I was so prepared.  I had just made it into the Chronicles of Narnia panel and thought I had figured out all of the good stuff to do that day. I was so excited until I learned that I missed out on a easy to get into Seth Green signing. I had mistakely thought it was later in the day. The panel wasn't even that good.

     4 - At this year's NYCC, I had a guaranteed Frank Miller bracelet for his signing. I thought that was so awesome considering that they are so hard to get.  Except I couldn't find the person who had it for me in time.

     3 - At my second NYCC, I had my research done (I learned from my mistakes), and had everything I needed when I walked into the Javits Center....except my ticket.

     2 - At this years SDCC, I had another chance to meet Seth Green. I waited on line for two hours to   meet him and was second in line. As you now know from above, I had been dying to meet him for years. Now I had my chance. Seth Green is a classy guy.... I'm not so classy. I was so tired at this point and so driven to get this autograph (since this really was years in the making!) that I kinda went crazy. I had given my camera to someone for a pic and they asked if we were ready. I said loudly, "Let's take a pic!" and proceeded to grab Seth Green and put my arm around him. I even pressed my cheek against his. When I walked away and began to calm down, I realized how crazy I was acting.  I even considered going back to apologize, but that probably would have made it even worse.  Now this isn't the first time I have met or even worked professionally with a celebrity, but this was the first and only time I lost control.

     1 - At this year's SDCC, I made it to the Eureka screening, and sat through a weird Klingon play just to get in the second row. All for a good pic of Wil Wheaton. My friend, who didn't come, and I are both harboring huge crushes on him. Wil speaks and then sits down, right in front of me! I have brilliant plan of having him hold up a sign I wrote saying hi to my friend while I take a picture. I quickly write out a sign, turn on my camera and go up to him right before the screening starts to ask. For the record, Wil Wheaton is awesome. He says yes and holds up the sign. I step back to take the picture, my camera shuts down right then, the lights dim and his handler says "You have to return to your seat." Wil Wheaton hands me back the sign and says sorry. I had thought I might have a shot after the screening but he left early. That sucked so much, I thought I would die. I hate my camera.

After writing this, I am torn between laughing and crying at my exploits.  Please share some of your embarrassing experiences too so I don't feel so lonely!

Guardian Project Panel at NYCC

@Wilderowens here with more NYCC info.  While at NYCC, the whole team was able to attend the Guardian Project Panel starring Stan Lee! (Unfortunately, we were not allowed cameras or recording devices, so I will do my best to explain what we saw through words and mime.)  To be honest, we had no idea what this panel was about, just that there was a Stan Lee signing attached. That sold us. We were near the front of the line and waited for about two hours, just chatting with Deadpool and working on our schedules. 

As part of this panel, we got limited edition numbered posters designed by Neal Adams, which is neat. So going in, we rush to get as close as we can to Stan..I mean, the stage.  Still no clue what's going on.  Then it starts....

I have to take a minute to talk about introductions. At these events, the moderator introduces each panelist with some small details.  However, big names don't get introductions because everyone knows them.  Stan Lee, well he hates being introduced as "the Man that needs no introduction", so he was kindly introduced as "The Man Who Loves People" Stan Lee! 

The Guardian Project is a joint venture with the National Hockey League, but is not going to be a hockey story.  The main protagonist will be a human boy who has the ability to summon a number of heroes with a wide range of unique powers.  The heroes will be original creations from Stan Lee, each based on an NHL team.  There weren't any clarifications made about the actual plot, but based on what we saw it seemed kind of like a Ben 10-esque action show targeting a younger audience.

Stan Lee talked about how he played street hockey as a kid and how excited he was to work on this. He was originally going to do this with another unnamed league but they dropped out at the last minute.  He loves hockey so to do this with the NHL seems like his dream come true.  Stan Lee was the one who brought Neal Adams in to create the art, which is spectacular.

We also heard from some staffers on the project and learned some fun facts.  This project took eight years to figure out how to work a story around the teams.  The NHL saw this as a great way to connect with their younger fan base.  They truly wanted to be partners in this project.  We got to see an exclusive trailer with the characters.  (And this is where the mime begins.) We saw all 30 characters but they ran by very, very quickly for the most part.   The one that really stuck with me was the San Jose Sharks hero, who was a regular guy with a shark head.  He looked really cool.  They also showcased the NY Rangers hero (way to play to the crowd) and he was an actually ranger!  The one that they featured the most was the LA Kings, who appears to be the centerpiece of the NHL Guardians.  In the video, they also talked about motion capturing actors to simulate the heroes, which leads me to believe that this might also be a TV series but nothing was clarified.


Here is a shadowed trailer from the Guardian Project website:



The initial reaction from comic book fans that I spoke with about this was a not-so-optimistic reaction.  I have to admit, my first thought was similar, but after they kept talking about it, I began to change my mind.

1- They are creating brand new characters, not reusing the mascots.
2- The stories are told in the hockey world, but not about hockey.
3- These comics are not for you and me, they are being written for a youth crowd. That makes a lot more sense.

Their big reveal is on January 30, 2011 in Raleigh, NC.  Stay tuned here for more updates.

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.

Retired Extremely Dangerous - Cully Hamner talks RED

RED and Other Astounding Tales

As a fan of the comic, I was excited and a little apprehensive going into this panel. I wanted to know more about the movie but worried the movie, now with additional characters, was going to take away from what made RED so great.

I had thought the panel was going to be crowded so I left the panel I had been in, Intro to Animation Voice-over Acting with Stevie Vallance, a few minutes early, hoping to slip into the panel before RED. That panel was the Spotlight on Ne-Yo. Imagine my surprise when nearly everyone left after Ne-Yo was finished and the room was empty. Where were the hoards of people rushing to get a good seat? At the beginning of the panel there were, at most, a dozen people in the room. I was disappointed by the turnout.

The people who were going to be talking were Ben Abernathy, the editor of the comic, VP and General Manager, Hank Kanalz, and one of the men who brought the world of RED to life, artist Cully Hamner. I think they were a little surprised by the lack of people but once they started talking, it didn't matter.

Cully was asked how RED came into being. He explained how he and Warren Ellis had wanted to work together but never got around to it, and finally around '02 - '03, Cully whipped up a brief treatment of a story and sent it to Warren, asking what he thought. Warren responded by saying he was just going to get in touch with Cully because he had something else in mind. It was RED. After that, everything fell into place pretty quickly and they went to work.

A few of other interesting points:

• According to Ben Abernathy, they liked the idea of a small miniseries and the three issue format of RED was something they were going to try with other stories/projects. I don't know if that ever really happened.
• RED was the last project Cully worked on which was hand lettered. Lettering was done by John Costanza.
• RED is currently in its third printing.
• Cully is working on the prequel to RED, called Red Eyes Only. It tells the story of why Moses decided to retire. Cully knows it's late; he accepted the blame for it, but it's because he's putting his guts into it.
• The reason for RED's unique three panel cover is because Cully felt that Warren Ellis' script was so movement oriented (it is!) he didn't want to use a single static image, and instead, opted to use three sequential  panels. 
• They talked about the prequel comics that came out for the movie. Each one gives some background to the other characters. The art styles work very well for each individual character. My favorite comment during this was Cully saying the comic about Morgan Freeman's character was written so you could practically hear Morgan Freeman narrating the comic using his "Shawshank Voice."

After everyone had talked for a little bit, they showed an extended trailer for the movie, found out what RED stands for (see title), and then opened the floor up to questions. Some highlights were:

• Was Cully surprised by the actors who were picked? More like flabbergasted. He said each week he'd get a call and another big name would be attached to the picture like Bruce Willis or Ernest Borgnine. He could believe such star power wanted to be a part of it.
• When he draws, does he think about what he's working on could be eventually turned into a movie? No, he thinks cinematically but in terms of doing the comic justice. He never thinks past that. As Cully put it, "I'm a comic book guy." 
• How involved was he with the movie? (This was one of my favorite stories) Cully wasn't involved and at the time of the panel, had not seen the movie, but he did visit the set in New Orleans. When he got there he saw that the RED trade paperback was all over the set, being used for references, and on the back of all the set chairs was his art and logo. They even sent him his own canvas chair backing with his name and the logo on it.
• Did Cully have anyone in mind when he drew Moses? Warren Ellis had dinner with Patrick Stewart one evening and remarked to Cully how impressed he was by how hard and fit Patrick was. So Moses is part Patrick Stewart with some Sean Connery thrown in and little bits and pieces of other guys Cully didn't mention. He said when he draws he tries to pull from faces he's familiar with and goes from there. 

This wasn't the most exciting panel I went to during Comic Con but I really enjoyed it. Cully Hamner is a very interesting guy and I could listen to him talk about his process for a long time. By the end of the panel, there were more people listening but again, I was really surprised by how few people were there. I also wanted to yell at the people who had been there the whole time and kept asking Cully questions about the movie, even after he said he had not seen it.

The movie looks like it's going to be a lot of fun. It has a stellar cast and it appears as if they kept the tone of the comics. It opens tomorrow, October 15, and I hope many of you go to see it.  - wysefyre

We got an interview with.....Amber Benson!!

Sunday, as New York Comic Con was ending, a book signing was happening downtown. We had wanted to go because we are all fans of Amber Benson, but as you might have read in our recap of day three, we couldn't due to wacky shenanigans. Instead we sent a friend of the IGH team, Faith, to cover the event. This was especially fortuitous because Faith happens to be acquaintances with Amber. So without further ado, please give a warm welcome our guest blogger, Faith, and enjoy! 

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Interview with Amber Benson

Sunday, I caught up with an acquaintance of mine at her book signing at Books of Wonder, on W18th Street in NYC. The acquaintance in question is the renaissance woman, Amber Benson.

After a wonderful panel including Amber, Mindi Scott, Laura Toffler-Corrie and many others, as well as book signing by these amazing writers, who call themselves the 10'ers, the 2010 incarnation of a community of authors debuting YA or MG novels, (The 2009 incarnation was called the Debutantes, and the 2011 writers will have a catchy nickname as well.) Amber made some time for me and was more than willing to answer my questions.

Will [your movie] Drones be coming to NYC?

Slamdance took up a lot of the promotional time for Drones, and as hard as we tried to make deals with IFC and the like, it just didn't happen. However, it's coming to mainstream theaters in March, so it isn't much of an issue.

What are you currently writing? 

I'm working on the fourth book in the Death's Daughter series. Book three will be out in March, it's with the publishers now. There's going to be a fourth and a fifth book.

Any news on Ghosts of Albion?

Oh, I would SO love to write more of that, Chris [Golden] and I would both love to write more of them, but our Editor left, so we're sort of stuck on that front at the moment... but keep your eyes open, we both love it so much.

What are you doing now? New books, new film projects, acting?

Adam and I have another film project we'd like to begin, we're working on funding right now. It's sort of a "Hard Day's Night" meets "Cinema Verte". We're definitely in the planning stages, so you heard it first!

How is Adam [Busch]?

Adam's great, he wishes he was here, actually. He's in Phoenix, for Drones, it's sort of the baby we have joint custody of, sometimes he watches it, sometimes I do. He's on diaper duty right now.

Does it bother you when people come to the book signings and are strictly Buffy fans?

Not at all. It's all part of the package, and y'know, I feel like no matter how they got here, they're still here. It's really great to be recognized in that way.

So, with how busy you are, what's your guilty pleasure right now?

Reading. Most definitely. I write so much, that it's wonderful to be able to sit down with a book. I love mysteries right now, I'm reading a book by Henning Mankell. It's really wonderful.

Amber's always wonderful to talk to, and I consider myself very lucky to count her among my acquaintances. She promised to keep me apprised of her projects, and I'll keep all of you in the loop!

~Faith Alana Alastair (@faithlessfate)

We are one month old!!

Happy Anniversary!!

[insertgeekhere] is one month old today!!  Since we began, we have gained followers on blogger, twitter, and on our new tumblr, and the blog has amassed over 1300 views!  We have connected with some great comic artists and writers, other blogs and even NY Comic Con.  We promise to continue passing on anything and everything geek that comes our way.  For our great fans we have many fun ideas for the blog.

In our future we plan on:

- More tv reviews including some fun spoilers
- More comic reviews
- Interviews with awesome people
- Giveaways
- Gaming coverage
- Features such as People We Want to Touch
- Anything else that we can think of

Thanks again to all of you!

The [insertgeekhere] team
@wilderowens, @wysefyre & @getsuyobi

Review: The Jeff Lewis 5-Minute Comedy Hour - Episode I: Tag

@Wilderowens here with the best video of the week.




This is the very first episode of the The Jeff Lewis 5-Minute Comedy Hour, entitled "Tag".  Just overlook the fact that it is only 4:32, which I suspect was done on purpose....

This video answers that life altering question: How do you play tag?  This father and his friend try to teach it to his kids with hilarious results. More importantly, it shows how kids today can't just go out and play.  They need everything to have purpose and direction and lack imagination.  It makes me miss playing tag (and feel old).  I loved just running around until I fell over.

Anyways, this is funny stuff!  We all know the Jeff Lewis who plays our favorite leader Vork on The Guild but we very rarely get to see the cursing Jeff Lewis.  I have had a geek crush on him since I saw him in the Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em Improv show during San Diego Comic Con in July and this video just made it even worse.  This also stars other guild staples Brett Sheridan (Mr. Wiggly), Vince Caso (Bladezz) and Tara Caso (Dena).  Everyone had their acting hats on because they played it so straight-faced that it made everything even funnier. Vince and Tara came off as so monotone and bored that they reminded me of other teens that I know.

So thank you Jeff Lewis for making me laugh until I peed a little and making me think and making me feel old.

Well actually, just thanks for the first two.