“Arrow” Trailer
Warner Bros. and the CW has been trying to capitalize on the success of Smallville for a long time. First, there was the pilot for the Aquaman show, Mercy Reef. There was the short-lived Birds of Prey. Recently, rumors and test footage of a Jaime Reyes-led Blue Beetle have been flying around. But now, we have to prepare ourselves for Arrow, based on DC’s Green Arrow. Hit the jump to read the synopsis and see the trailer. Read More…
Return of the Toonami
Toonami is back, bitches!
Honestly, that is all I really have to say. Next Saturday on May 26 Cartoon Network will bring back one of the most beloved blocks of programming, Toonami. Apparently it will be a part of the Adult Swim programming block which I do not know if it will be a good thing or bad thing.
Nothing else has been announced, so we do not know what the programming will be. But it should be filled with anime, which may include already airing episodes of Bleach, Ghost in the Shell and others.
What we do know from the promotional teaser is that TOM will be brought back to a form which we are familiar with and not the 4.0 version that was introduced in the downfall of Toonami.
For those that do not know, Toonami was a programming block that began airing on the Cartoon Network back in 1997. They featured basically unknown animated shows, mostly anime which included Dragon Ball Z. A lot of Japanese shows were first introduced to the U.S. by way of Toonami. If it were not for Toonami, a lot of people may not be into anime today. The block was hosted by a CGI robot known as TOM. Sometimes he was given a story, and at other times, he was just an animation of someone pushing a button. Either way, Toonami was the birthing place for a lot of Japanese animation in the U.S. as well as a few original favorites like Samurai Jack.
I hope they continue bringing in new anime and more original shows. My only concern is how well Toonami will do in a world where most fans now torrent the latest anime episodes a day after its initial Japanese airing instead of waiting the months for a dubbed version to come to the U.S. Still, I am glad that something that helped shaped my nerdiness can now be shared with younger audiences.
#ToonamiisBackBitches
Falling for Shows
A lot of great TV seems to coming down the pipeline for this Fall. There are two shows that with their trailers I have become very excited about. It is really amazing how great work can be done for network TV, meaning it is all for free!
Elementary coming to CBS stars Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu as current day Holmes and Watson. Instead of being from London as in the original story or even the BBC version Sherlock, this version is from New York City. But from the trailer, the show seems to keep the charm and abrasiveness that we have all come to love from the great detective. It is funny though that they cast someone with an English accent even though they place it in New York. The sex change for Watson seems a little forced, but I have liked some of Lucy Liu’s work so I will give them the benefit of the doubt. This will be one show that I have on my DVR from the very first episode.
The Following from FOX starts Kevin Bacon as an FBI agent after James Purefoy who plays a serial killer. FBI agent after a serial killer, sounds familiar? Well, this will be FOX’s answer to NBC’s Hannibal series that is coming out as well. While I may enjoy the Hannibal TV show, this show has promise. Kevin Bacon looks in great form and Purefoy looks to be a force all his own in the role. Add to that the fact that it will not be just Purefoy every week as the villain, he will have an army of followers that Bacon must stop. My only concern truly is how FOX seems to mismanage its TV series that do not revolve around a megalomaniacal doctor.
Those are two great shows that I am looking forward to this fall. I can not wait to see what else is slated and hope that these shows really do interest me when I watch.
To close out for a bit of fun, in tomorrow’s season finale for Community there seems to be a little fun being had. According to the AV Club the episode will have the cast being depicted as video game characters. Not just any version, but retro versions of themselves. Should be a nice send off for the season.
Cheap Date: May 16th
Every Wednesday, I help you decide how to best spend $30 or less on entertainment for our very nerdy Cheap Date.
You have two choices that you can follow this week. The first choice is to go over the usual $30 budget and grab Diablo III for twice that amount. Most people are choosing Diablo III this week. It is a game that many people have waited over a decade for. Then there is the second choice which will consist of just comics and a game, but you do get more bang for your buck.
Let us assume that you do not have sixty dollars and want to stay within the thirty dollar budget.
Comics – $10
This week, we have three comics that are looking to thrill you recklessly.
Locke & Key Clockworks #6 from IDW by Joe Hill with art by Gabriel Rodriguez continues to impress. This issue ends the fifth Locke & Keymini-series. We finally learn what ultimately happened to the “Keepers of the Keys” when they face off against a former friend. Stephen King should be proud of his son’s fantasy-horror series that keeps this reader wanting more.
Wonder Woman #9from DC Comics shows us Diana’s continued journey into the realm of Hades. When Brian Azzarello said he was turning the rebootedWonder Womanseries into a horror story most of the audiences were confused. But going into the ninth issue, this series keeps getting better and scarier. Also Cliff Chiang’s art has a lot to do with the book’s success.
Hardcore #1 from Image Comics combines the ideas of Image greats Robert Kirkman and Marc Silvestri. This new series has an interesting science fiction take on assassins. Imagine if assassins could jack in and take over the body of anyone to complete their assignment. Now imagine if one of those assassins is using those methods to take on all the other assassins. Very interesting cyber-punk feel to the story that I am very interested in reading.
Video Games – $20 or 1600 MSP
The XBLA version of Minecraft was released last week. Within a day, it had already broken sales records and continues to do so a week later. Yes; there are cheaper ways to play this game but there is one thing that sets this version apart, Xbox Live. Xbox Live and its friends lists make the game so much easier to work with other people. When you boot the game up, it shows who is playing and allows you to hop right in to that person’s game. That is the reason many people pay the $60 a year for Live and will pay $20 for this game. No other service now does friends lists as well as Xbox Live.
Minecraft also eats away at time. You have to mine and collect materials to build whatever your mind can imagine, all of which takes time. Last night it took me two hours to clear an area and collect the materials to build an infinity pool that will serve my future castle. I do not even want to imagine how much time it will take to build my future castle without help. Oh well, in the meantime I can hop into other people’s games and leave my mark.
Even if you are unsure about playing Minecraft, you can always download the trial version.
And another “Amazing” trailer too…
See what I did there? Y’know… cuz it’s for Amazing Spider-man. This is essentially the trailer that was attached to the Avengers, so many of you have seen most of it. But there are a few extra scenes and an extended sequence at the beginning, so check it out.
So if you listen to the podcast, you already know that I am not as hyped about this reboot as Danny is. I am, however, up for seeing it, and I do think it will improve upon certain aspects that I felt lacking in the original franchise. The opening scene in this “super preview” embodies the heart that Spider-man/Peter Parker has as a hero. We also are reminded that Spider-man has lighter side. His wit is his way of avoiding the fear and anxiety of the life he has chosen. I’m curious (and I’m sure we’ll get some answers July 3rd) about who that is talking to Connors in what looks like a prison cell. Norman Osborn? Otto Octavius? The actor has a very Adrian Toomes look to him?
The We and The I Trailer
Prior to its premiere at Cannes, Michel Gondry’s The We and the I now has a trailer. So hit full screen and take a look. Then see what I’ve got to say about it.
Now I know some of you recognize the name Michel Gondry but aren’t sure why. Well, I’ll remind you. His body of work includes Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep, Be Kind Rewind, and The Green Hornet. Now I’ll admit that Green Hornet was a flop, but all of his other movies have been very interesting and deeply emotional. This trailer gives me high hopes for a well-told emotional story. Having been one of those rowdy kids on the bus in high school, I can relate to the events of this film. There’s a lot of potential.
Gaming Without Electronics
Gaming comes in two forms nowadays, electronic and traditional board. Today, I will be taking about three board games that the Call Yourself A Nerd staff plays on a semi-regular basis when we get together. These board games are not what would be considered traditional board games, basically not your mother’s Monopoly.
Zombies!!
Zombies!! is a game where you create the map as you go along, while killing/escaping from zombies. You are a survivor that must either kill twenty-five zombies or escape to the center of a helipad while clearing it for a rescue.
The great thing about this game is the board pieces and the cards. Cards can be drawn to either help or hinder players, such as placing zombies in certain areas. Then there is the board pieces that help create the city that you are trapped in. The board pieces are drawn randomly, but you can definitely use it to maneuver players into dead-ends.
Zombies!! is a fun and easy game to pick up. No knowledge of other games required, just your wits.
Risk Legacy
If we are to talk about non-traditional board games, then we should talk about a non-traditional Risk game. Risk Legacy is a very different form of the Riskgames rules. First off, during play of the game the board may change forever; which will affect future games. That aspect is what makes this game a must for anyone with a gaming group.
Legacy follows most of the current rules for the updated rulebook. You can either win by completely annihilating all other players or you can win by collecting four red stars which can be obtained in different goals, the easiest would be conquering another player’s HQ. There are five factions to play, each with their bonuses and weaknesses (all of which are chosen by the group before the first game begins). From there that is where it becomes interesting as you can create and destroy landmarks, and each time you do so it affects future games so it may just end up biting you in your own ass.
I would recommend anyone wanting to play should have a basic knowledge of Risk, but that should be easy enough. Also I would recommend that you have something more friendly to do afterwards for the truces you may have broken.
Pandemic
When I was talking about doing something a little more friendly after a game of Risk Legacy, I meant a completely cooperative game like Pandemic. The goal of Pandemic is to work together to cure four different viruses. You work on a world map, much like Risk, collecting cards that are different colors. When you have a five of the same color you can cure the virus. Sounds simple enough.
Where the challenge lies is at the end of each turn you have to infect cities around the world. Infect a city enough times and that city in turn infects surrounding cities. Players have to travel to cities and cure the viruses one infection at a time until a cure is found.
Pandemic is a simple and easy game to learn. The hard part is to keep track of your players and the viruses as they spread. Currently, our group is sitting on about a thirty percent survival rate for the game. It is a game that we have a hard time winning, but at least we are losing together.
Those are three games that the CYaN staff plays together. We have a few more that we trot out every so often, but I will leave that for another post. I enjoy these non-traditional board games and will always keep a look out for more.
DVR Weekly: 5-14-12
Life can get pretty busy, so the invention of the Digital Video Recorder, aka DVR, has been a godsend for those of us who love television programming. Well, I’m one of those people. In this weekly article, I’m going to talk about some of the shows I am keeping up with on my DVR. Pretty straight forward, right? Well let’s get started.
The New Girl – Ep. 1.24 “See Ya”
Finally took the time to go back and catching up on this show. 5 or 6 episodes in 2 nights. I had forgotten how enjoyable this show is. This episode wrapped up some story elements that I imagine will tilt back and forth as long as this show stays on air. Schmidt continues to be the funniest character while bringing some serious heart to a generally silly character. Nick has made strides in not being such a wet blanket. The only real disappointment to me is the end. The series is essentially back where it began. If it gets renewed, we’ll see if they figure some way to shake things up. Loved the joke about Damon Wayans, Jr.’s character, Coach, going off to hang out with other white people (Happy Endings).
Community – Ep. 3.19 “Curriculum Unavailable”
Another clip show like they did last year. It’s a fun way to do jokes that don’t fill an entire episode. Definitely barrel rolling toward the season finale in a fun way. Looking forward to the fall of Chang. But does that mean we lose Ken Jeong in season 4?
Young Justice – Ep 2.03 “Alienated”
This show keeps rolling along. In this episode we learn a) Aqualad’s whereabouts 5 years later and b) his dark parentage. An interesting twist based on the character’s origin and I’m looking forward to seeing what that spells out for the team.
I was originally going to talk about Sherlock but decided I’m going to wait until next week to do a special wrap-up edition.
I’ll see you all next week… same DVR channel… same DVR time…
Million Dollar Demos coming your way
I have in my possesion two of the unreleased demos from 2002 One by One Foo Fighters’ album! Ok, so yes, you could go online and find these gems yourself; but why bother when you could just join us here at Call Yourself a Nerd?
These are what drummer Taylor Hawkins referred to as the Million Dollar Demos because that is how much money the band dropped on the first draft of their wildly successful One by One album. Why were there two drafts you ask? Well, Taylor was recovering after a bad drug overdose. The band had just finished a long tour and were kind of burnt out, Ghrol was lending his talent to other bands to avoid the band’s creative blocks… in summation: Band drama + personal drama = The almost demise of the Foo Fighters! They dealt with their stuff, regrouped, because they are too awesome to split up and recorded in Dave Ghrol‘s garage to create the version you all, no doubt, have at home.
Before we get to the clips, I have listened to them many many times already and feel justified in saying that the Foo Fighters are one of the best rock bands of our time. They did release these two songs; these are the rough cuts. I appreciate the fact that they wanted to put their best work out there and not just something that would sell. Too many artists get lazy or perhaps frustrated and put out tracks that just fall flat. That is not the case with the Foo Fighters. They always deliver amazing tracks that hold onto that iconic sound while still evolving.
Enjoy! and scroll down for a tangent afterwards….
Tangent… I believe a band is only great if they hit on multiple levels. 1. Sound, 2. Lyrics, 3. Live shows, and 4. ego. You only have to watch this group live once to see that they hit on each and every one of those levels. At their shows it is not about the flashy costume changes, it is about the music and the fans. I went to see them play a huge arena show a few years ago and we were in the pit against the railings about midway in the crowd. They had a catwalk and lowered a second stage from the ceiling so that the people in the back of the arena could have a front row view. They used their stage in a way where even 5’3” Natalia could see everything. They were even gracious to their opening acts, thanking them and expressing how much they enjoyed touring with them. This time it was Weezer who opened for them and since it was the last date on the tour Dave decided to pay male strippers dressed as rock meds to dance behind as they played. I think the massive amounts of cat calls and laughter alerted Rivers to what was going on and it was pretty priceless. So yes, 1. nailed it everytime. 2. everlong… enough said. 3. Best views, great sounds, long sets, guaranteed encore. 4. T-shirts and Jeans, no hollywood crap, c’mon the frontman plays drums for up and coming bands because he loves music. (See: Them crooked Vultures, Queens of the Stoneage etc.), gracious, no frills!
Call Yourself A Nerd 