Photo by Sean Cliver 2010

By the time you reach your 30s you’ve probably lost someone close to you in an automobile accident. Statistics can really suck.  For me, it was my grandfather when I was about 12 years old.  My friends and family have always teased me about being a slow and cautious driver, but the event of my grandfathers death shook me enough to take driving very seriously.  Ryan Dunn may have done some irresponsible things that led to his death, but at the end of the day he seemed to be a good guy that made a bad decision (don’t we all?).  Check out this video done as a tribute to Ryan Dunn by the folks at Dickhouse (Jackass, Wild Boyz etc..). We’re sincerely sorry for your loss.

What we know so far:

The New Show: “Voltron Force” will be the new name given to the animated series on Nicktoons.  Voltron Force will also be given an obligatory toyline from Mattel that will offer heroes and villains from the new series.  There are also rumors of a feature length Votron film depending on how well the series does on Nick.

Episodes: Starting in June (they just started airing a few weeks ago.. oops) 2012 Nicktoons will air 26 half-hour episodes of “Voltron Force“, with the option to produce more if the series does well.

Plot: Variety leaked some plot points and  stated that the series will be similar to the original (robot lions), but will introduce some new recruits brought in to fight alongside the original characters.  Remember when they replaced the black lion with the princess, that was bonkers!!

We’ll be at the panel for sure and will fill you in on all the goodies.  Plus we think Carrie Keagan is going to be a blast to watch. UPDATE – The panel will be held Thursday, July 21 at 6PM

I was saddened to hear about Ryan Dunn’s passing.  Although I never met him personally, I always felt an odd connection to the CKY/Jackass guys as they’re exactly like the crew I grew up with (minus the fame).  For those that asked us “what about Proving Ground?”, we did receive a bit of information from G4 today that highlights their plans for the series. Upon the wishes of Dunn’s family, G4 will be airing the remaining episodes of Dunn’s new science/stunt show beginning on July 19th along with a special tribute episode of Attack of the Show.  A few weeks before Dunn’s accident we also featured an INTERVIEW with Proving Ground co-host Jessica Chobot where she spoke very highly of her chemistry with Dunn.  Reading her words after hearing what happened sort of unsettled me.

“Chobot: The power behind G4’s Proving Ground is its dedication to pop culture. I, for one, am intensely interested in the more nerdy side of things, from classic 80s teen movies to videogames to TV shows while Ryan, believe it or not, has an amazing curiosity and intelligence for the more technical/engineering side of things. We also got along fantastically, so the combination of us as hosts worked out well and really created some hilarious moments.  I’m also a big fan of how Proving Ground doesn’t focus on just the two of us. The entire crew that had been hired on to shoot the project was forced to do some of the trials and tests. It made for an incredibly fun and low-key atmosphere, which a show like this should have. I have to say, for this being my first go at major television, I couldn’t have asked to work with a better team of people. I count every single one of them as a quality friend.”

Best wishes to everyone involved.  I’m glad to see the show is coming back despite the tragedy.

INFO FROM THE PRESS RELEASE:

G4 CELEBRATES THE LIFE OF RYAN DUNN WITH SPECIAL TRIBUTE EPISODE OF “ATTACK OF THE SHOW!”

AND RESUMES AIRING “G4’S PROVING GROUND” ON JULY 19

Los Angeles, June 27, 2011 – G4 announces plans to celebrate the life and career of Ryan Dunn with a special tribute episode of the network’s live daily series “Attack of the Show!” on July 19 at 7pm ET/PT featuring Dunn’s most memorable moments on G4 as well as interviews with some of his closest friends and colleagues.  Following the special, G4 will pay homage to Dunn’s work and respect the wishes of Dunn’s family to bring back “G4’s Proving Ground.”  Only one episode of the new series had aired prior to Dunn’s death and the show was taken off the air following the tragic news.  The nine-episode series will resume with the second episode in its original timeslot on July 19 at 8pm ET/PT.

“Ryan was an incredible talent who will be missed tremendously by his many fans, including G4 viewers,” said Neal Tiles, President, G4. “It was important to all of us at G4 to find a way to celebrate his life and pay tribute to him.  With the support of Ryan’s family, we’ve decided to air the remaining episodes of ‘G4’s Proving Ground’ and give his fans the opportunity to continue watching this series that he was so passionate about.”

The sneak peek premiere of “G4’s Proving Ground” on Tuesday, June 7 during G4’s E3 coverage averaged 149,000 viewers and the series resonated with G4’s young male audience, capturing the imagination of gamers, movie fans and pop culture enthusiasts.  The series continued to gain traction and nearly 600,000 total viewers saw the premiere episode during its original run.

The series follows Dunn and co-host, Jessica Chobot (“Attack of the Show!”, IGN), along with a team of experts, specialists and prop masters from the worlds of film and television, who assist the two in determining if great pop culture moments can be executed in real life through action-oriented trials, stunts and experiments. Once the best strategies and tactics are determined, all plans and materials are then taken to the “Proving Ground” to be executed and reveal once and for all if the pop culture moment in question can in fact happen in real life.  New episodes will resume in the series’ original timeslot on Tuesdays at 8pm ET/PT and include shows dedicated to pop culture icons such as The Goonies, Harry Potter and Star Wars.

“G4’s Proving Ground” was created and is executive Produced by Michael Bloom and Bruce Klassen for Bongo Pictures, along with Laura Civiello, Vice President of Development and Darren Wadyko, Director of Development at G4.

“G4’s Proving Ground” resumes Tuesday, July 19th at 8 pm ET/PT, only on G4. For more information, please go to: http://g4tv.com/provingground

About G4

G4 offers the last word on gaming, technology, animation, interactivity and “geek culture” for the male 18-34 demo. The network has given young guys of today’s digital generation a television home. G4 is the #1 podcasted cable network inAmerica and is available in 59 million cable and satellite homes nationwide. G4tv.com is a top web destination for video game news and information. The network’s popular original programming includes “Attack of the Show!,” “X-Play,” “American Ninja Warrior” and “Campus PD.” G4 also continues to expand its live event coverage at CES, Comic-Con, E3, Tokyo Game Show and more. G4’s Multiplex features content on all possible digital platforms, including G4tv.com, G4 Mobile, G4 Podcasts, G4 on Demand, G4 Video Player, G4 Wii Portal and G4 PS3 Portal. G4 is a network of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience

The poster for the film should have a SPOILER warning

The Story – When the bubonic plague hit in 1348 it was pretty bad time to be a Catholic. Monks and Nuns were infected just as much as the beggars and peasants, and the one man everyone looked to for guidance, the Pope, packed his bags and ran away to Babylon. Back then, most people believed that the Black Death was in fact one of God’s biblical plagues, and that God was very very pissed off. Acting out of desperation, men committed unspeakable acts in the name of God in order to shield themselves from his wrath. This is a story of those men. Black Death follows a group of men on a mission from the church locate a strange village accused of necromancy (bringing people back to life.. not humping them, that’s something else). Once at the village  it’ll be their job to help them “find God” (or kill them trying).

Sean Bean about to stabby stab

Sean Bean With a Sword: Black Death never had a proper theatrical release here in the United States despite its high production value and stellar cast. After watching the film, it’s pretty apparent that conservative ‘mericans wouldn’t really appreciate how the church is depicted in the film, despite the depiction being 100% historically accurate. Sean Bean once again straps on his blade and leads a group of holy-inquisitors on mission. In all honesty I believe that the sword wielding character Sean Bean plays in so many roles, is actually just Sean Bean… so we’ll just call him Sean Bean. The men arrive at a monastery looking for a guide to “mysterious village of necromancy” but sadly the only guide they could get is a wimpy monk by the name of Osmund. Osmund is struggling with his faith due to his love of a beautiful woman (which the Church does not allow due to Benedictine Law).   I found Osmund, played by a skeletal Eddie Redmayne, to be annoyingly doe-eyed and un-charismatic. He was so annoyingly skeletal that I longed for him to catch the Black Death so Sean Bean could get more screen time.

Carice Van Houten in the necro-bog

Swords and Ladies: The action sequences, although few and far between, are brutal and well choreographed. Limbs are hacked, eyes are stabbed, and heads do roll. The sword play is ultra-violent and made me never, ever want to get into a sword fight with Sean Bean. Sadly however, the bulk of the film is spent traveling through the plague infected wasteland and not fighting with swords. When the men (with their numbers already diminished) finally do arrive in the village of necromancy they are greeted by an eerily stepford-esque society that are all incredibly happy and untouched by the Black Death. The village leader is also a woman (something that was very rare in this period) named Langiva (mix up the letters to spell….),played by the incredible Carice Van Houten from films such as Valkyrie and Black Book. Langiva has ulterior motives that I won’t reveal in case you decide to check this one out. Once the men arrive in necro-town the movie gets strange and sort of falls apart.

Opinion: Black Death needed to be another hour long. It wasn’t a bad film at all, but its strange pacing and structure were its undoing. Just when you’re starting to get a feel for the atmosphere and characters, the movie is over. Was the film meant to take a stab at the idiocy of the Catholic church during the time of the black death, or was it simply trying to paint an accurate picture of the period? Black Death is not worth a purchase by any means, but is totally worth checking out on Netflix as it is currently on instant watch. Also, you can’t really go wrong with Sean Bean and Carice Van Houten.

The Walking Dead

Theeeeyyy’rrreee baaaaaaaaaaaaaacccckkk.

Perfect Couples was cancelled a while back for a Paul Reiser show that was cancelled for, well, the sanity of all Americans. It seems the episodes that were never aired when the show was being given its due, are now available on Hulu. Honestly, I wasn’t a huge fan of the show while it was out, that is no secret, but it was getting slightly better as more episodes came out. These two most recent are examples of what could have been include the “party shirt” episode, which is funny and I think well written for a sitcom.

The sad thing is, I think this show actually makes a decent summer replacement show and I could see it doing well in this kind of position, but alas it’s bell has tolled and we will not be hearing much more from these dysfunctional couples. Send ‘em out with a band and catch the last few episodes on Hulu.

Also, one mystery that has bothered Scott and I since the beginning….They are in Portland.

G4 PREMIERES MARVEL’S ORIGINAL ANIME SERIES IRON MAN AND WOLVERINE FRIDAY JULY 29 AT 11 PM

“Heroes” Stars Adrian Pasdar and Milo Ventimiglia Lend Their Voices to Marvel’s Anime Series

LOS ANGELES, June 23, 2011, – This summer, G4 and Marvel team up to bring fans a whole new way to see their favorite Super Heroes with the premiere of two original Marvel anime series, “Iron Man” and “Wolverine.” The eagerly anticipated series will air exclusively on G4 with twelve half-hour weekly episodes that include interconnecting storylines and cameo appearances by several popular Marvel characters. G4 viewers can be part of all the action when “Iron Man” premieres on Friday July 29th at 11pm ET/PT followed by “Wolverine” at 11:30pm ET/PT and will air weekly Fridays from 11:00-Midnight ET/PT. With epic battles, action-packed storylines and mind-blowing animation, these series star some of the most popular Super Hero comic book characters of all time. And for more intense action, two new Marvel anime series—X-Men and Blade—will premiere later this year, exclusively on G4.

G4 is the exclusive U.S. television home of the four brand-new anime series, guided by New York Times best-selling author Warren Ellis (Iron Man: Extremis, Astonishing X-Men: Xenogenesis) and produced by Madhouse for Marvel Entertainment and Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan (SPEJ). Adrian Pasdar (“Heroes,” “Castle,” “Profit”) will lend his voice to the character of Tony Stark in “Iron Man” while Milo Ventimiglia (“Heroes,” “Gilmore Girls,” “Rocky Balboa”) takes on the title role in “Wolverine.”

“Iron Man”
In an effort to make amends for his past in weapons manufacturing, Tony Stark has dedicated himself to building the world up rather than tearing it down. Traveling to Japan to build a new arc reactor that will deliver unlimited free energy to the Japanese people, Stark is challenged by the Japanese government and the media when he attempts to import the necessary nuclear priming device. When the nuclear reactor is repeatedly attacked by the mysterious Zodiac consortium, Stark must gather his allies to take on Zodiac and its mastermind.

“Wolverine”
Based on the popular graphic novel by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, the series begins when Mariko, the love of Logan’s life, is forced back to Japan by her crime-lord father, Shingen. Logan vows to get her back at any cost. He is plunged into a chaotic world of corruption and violence, forcing him to team up with young assassin, Yukio, to battle their way through the Japanese criminal underworld.

The “Iron Man” and “Wolverine” anime series are produced by Madhouse, Marvel Entertainment and Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan. Sony Pictures Television is the distributor.

About Marvel Entertainment, LLC
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information visit http://www.marvel.com/.

About G4
G4 offers the last word on gaming, technology, animation, interactivity and “geek culture” for the male 18-34 demo. The network has given young guys of today’s digital generation a television home. G4 is the #1 podcasted cable network in America and is available in 59 million cable and satellite homes nationwide. G4tv.com is a top web destination for video game news and information. The network’s popular original programming includes “Attack of the Show!,” “X-Play,” “American Ninja Warrior” and “Campus PD.” G4 also continues to expand its live event coverage at CES, Comic-Con, E3, Tokyo Game Show and more. G4’s Multiplex features content on all possible digital platforms, including G4tv.com, G4 Mobile, G4 Podcasts, G4 on Demand, G4 Video Player, G4 Wii Portal and G4 PS3 Portal. G4 is a network of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.

Amazon Prime

I have been an owner of an Amazon Prime account for about 2 years now. I did a lot of my christmas shopping on Amazon a couple of years ago and thought it would be worth while. At $79/year for Prime, you originally got free 2 day shipping and $3.99 overnight. If you buy more than a few things on Amazon a year, I count it as worth it. Recently Amazon has been rolling out features for their Prime account holders. The first was Amazon Prime Instant Watch Video. It was a netflix like streaming service available through Amazon’s VOD service, but these were all free. The initial offering was good, not mind blowing, but a great little add on for someone like me who already had Prime and had a Roku.

Amazon today announced the addition of 1000 new movie and television titles. I read through the movie list, nothing amazing, but again great content add ons. Titles like Superman: The Movie, Training Day, JFK, and Kramer vs Kramer jump out at me, but what really caught my eye was the television announcement. If you have kids and have been worried about cutting the ol’ cord, the mixture of Netflix and Amazon Prime may be just what you needed. With Netflix counting Nickelodeon titles like Yo Gabba Gabba and Wonder Pets in their roster, and now Amazon adding things like Sesame Street (also on netflix) and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood to theirs, you have hours on end of glorious television that you don’t have to feel bad about your kids watching.

We are all about cutting the cord here at Nerd Appropriate and the addition of family friendly content may be the bump you needed to save some of those dollars for their college account. Check out Amazon Prime  at amazon.com. They also have a free, yes free, account for parents they call Amazon Mom. Although I do not believe that the Instant Video is included on the free account.

The Sky is Falling – In recent years Alien Invasion has become incredibly popular. Aliens are, as Scott would say, “The new hotness”.  Everywhere you look someone is getting killed/probed and/or abducted by an Alien.  Where is Will Smith when you need him?  Falling Skies does not reinvent the genre of Alien invasion, but humanizes the story and makes it feel a bit more real.  Falling Skies is more of a post apocalyptic survival tale akin to Max Max than it is Independence Day.  Elements such as starvation, ammo conservation, and clean water are just as big of a threat to the survivors as the Aliens themselves.

The Story – Earth has already fallen and the story picks up roughly six months after the invasion began.  From what we can tell, the aliens hovered around our major cities and eventually released a massive EMP (Electromagnetic, Pulse).  With all of our global electronics fried, we instantly became cave men. The bulk of the world’s military got their asses kicked and civilians didn’t fare much better. The story follows the Mason family as they struggle to survive and locate lost family members. Patriarch Tom Mason (played by E.R’s Noah Wyle) is an ex-history professor who is now second in command of the 2^nd Massachusetts.  That’s right; the civilians have banded together to create a new Revolutionary army and are hoping that by waging a Guerilla War that they can eventually make the Aliens go home (see: Vietnam).  Guerilla War isn’t pretty; C4 shopping carts, .50 cal Machineguns bolted to a Pontiac GTO, and sawed off shotguns; we’ve effectively become the creeps from the Road Warrior.

The Aliens: Kids on Leashes – Two alien types are revealed in the pilot, Skitters and Walkers.  The CG and puppetry used for the aliens is top notch, and almost cinema quality.  Skitters are the fast moving, hard to kill, spider-like creatures that appear to kill you by biting you… oh yeah, they also wear vests.  Walkers are bipedal mechs that are heavily armed and armored. Much like the predator they have a three-beam tracking laser that turns you to “goo”. Mechs, as you can imagine are incredibly difficult to kill and terrify the survivors. I should also add that the aliens are doing something terrible to Earths children! (not the children!) Children have been found wearing a bio-organic “leash” which controls their minds. The leash is also grafted to their spine and is currently impossible to remove. I think I know a few people that are leashed…

Can you Survive? – Falling Skies is a great show that I wasn’t expecting to enjoy as much as I did. Each character is given ample screen time allowing the viewer to establish actual feelings for them. This makes the difficult situations they’re thrust into have much more dramatic weight and tension. I’ll be tuning into Falling Skies all season and you should too!  As a matter of fact you should sprint to your DVR and order yourself a up a season pass.   Falling Skies is produced by Stephen Spielberg and airs Sunday nights at 10pm on TNT.

Damages

I’ll admit up front this post is a little bit of a cheat. My wife and I watched season 1 of Damages about 2 years ago when we still had cable. So how is this summer of Netflix? They have both seasons 1 and 2 available for instant streaming right now. So no more than two days ago we decided in the massive drought to finally turn on Season 2 of Damages. That’s right, two days ago we started it, today I’m writing about it because we finished the whole season, it is that freaking good.

The quality of this show is unbelievable. Let me just throw a cast list at you:

• Glenn Close
• Rose Byrne
• Tate Donovan
• Zeljko Ivanek
• Ted Danson
• Timothy Olyphant
• William Hurt
• Tom Noonan
• Darrell Hammond

That is obviously not a full list, but if that list doesn’t get you a little excited than I don’t know what to tell you. You are looking at list with multiple Academy Nominations, Golden Globes, Emmys. This show packed the talent in and it shows.

Damages follows the story of Ellen Parsons (Byrne) as she takes a job at the most prestigious law firm in New York run by the infamous Patty Hewes (Close). The law firm is known for taking down big names with humungous class action suits. In season one they go after a man named Frobisher (Danson). He pulled a fast one in the stock market and left his employees with nothing. Now I know this sounds like a procedural, but it is anything but. If you are a fan of Lost or Flash Forward, any of the large season long sprawling shows, than this show is for you. The show immediately shows you snippets of what is going to happen, quick cuts of things coming, then smoothly transitions into the current (past) timeline where you see the dominos fall into place. All the while trying to guess what will cause what. They use visual cues throughout the season to let you know whether you are in the past or future and when it transitions from past to future, well, all I can say is that my wife and I both lost our shit over it. The show is never slow, there is rarely a filler scene, everything is taught with suspense and drama. Written and directed skillfully, this is honestly one of the best shows available on Netflix and I don’t say that lightly.

Season one has one of the most jarring and shocking scenes I have ever seen on TV or in movies. It is a scene that continues to play out through season two and I assume season three (only available on Amazon Instant right now), and it is exactly that kind of writing that makes for a show I love. You should have stopped reading this article a while ago and moved over to Netflix.com and added this to your queue. You will not regret it.

Sherlock, Watson and Lestrade

Well, we’re here again. The bleak, hot, humid days of summer where TV sucks and the game releases are lacking. I look at this as a good chance to go through ye ol’ Netflix queue and catch up on some TV and movies. So I’m kicking off a new series of articles that I have invited my nerd brethren to write along side of me and called it Summer of Netflix. A good chance to make recommendations on shows you can catch up on.

My first entry into the series is Sherlock. A new series from the BBC about a modern take on Sherlock Holmes. The usual cast of characters are all here, Sherlock, his land-lady, Watson (played by Martin Freeman of the british the Office) and Detective Lestrade. BBC originally only funded 3 episodes of this excellent series, but fortunately, as of earlier this year, they have picked up the show for 14 more episodes. This is good news indeed, but I’m hoping that both the creative force behind it (Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat) and the actors themselves can make it back. Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Sherlock, is rumored to have been picked up for a role in The Hobbit. So, the timing may be poor, but hopefully it will all work out.

The quality of the show is top notch. Cinematography to action sequences, all shot beautifully. The stories are told artfully, leaving you hanging until the masterful explanation is spewed in a harried, angry way from Sherlock’s mouth. Sherlock is played as a recovering addict who brilliantly tears into people whenever confronted with a new poor soul. The camera pin points to specific things he spots as an explanation of his findings falls out of his mouth in a waterfall of words. Sherlock is an odd one, he does his work seemingly for free and for nothing other than the thrill of the chase. The opening episode focuses on Watson though, who has recently returned from war where he was a field medic. He is introduced to Sherlock through a mutual friend and immediately falls in step with the chase after a serial killer. It seems the thrill of the chase is as much a stimulant for Watson as it is for Sherlock. Freeman plays him masterfully though, as the somewhat more grounded partner to the elevated genius that is Sherlock.

Overall this is an excellent series, and I couldn’t be happier to know there are more episodes on the way. If anything it makes me consider trying Dr. Who on for size. Both Gatiss and Moffat are heavily involved in that on going series now, and the quality seems to be on par with what they brought to Sherlock. All three episodes are available on instant watch now. So check it out, let me know how much you love it!

G4 went ahead and put the pilot episode of their new nerd/science show up for us all to enjoy a bit early. Here is what Chobot had to say to us about the premise of the show “The power behind G4’s Proving Ground is its dedication to pop culture. I, for one, am intensely interested in the more nerdy side of things, from classic 80s teen movies to videogames to TV shows while Ryan, believe it or not, has an amazing curiosity and intelligence for the more technical/engineering side of things. We also got along fantastically, so the combination of us as hosts worked out well and really created some hilarious moments. I’m also a big fan of how Proving Ground doesn’t focus on just the two of us. The entire crew that had been hired on to shoot the project was forced to do some of the trials and tests. It made for an incredibly fun and low-key atmosphere, which a show like this should have.”

In case you missed the rest of our interview with Jessica, check it out HERE. I have to say, the show is a ton of fun. On a show like this, chemistry between the hosts is the key to success and you can clearly see that Dunn and Chobot got along famously. If you’ve ever wanted to race go-carts with power-ups (oil-slick,turbo-boost,and more), then I think Proving Ground is your sort of show. I thought the first episode was an absolute blast and I can’t wait to see more. Proving Ground is set to premiere on June 14th on G4.

So what TECH is Lucas waiting for?

Like the guy or not, movies would not be where they are today without George Lucas. A pioneer in sound, editing techniques, animation, and digital cinema (or at least hires the best in those respective fields), George Lucas has always embraced innovation and technology. According to Lucas, he is holding out for a more “cost-effective” film making technology to be created. Lucas states, that in order for the series to be considered financially viable, it would have to be produced for roughly 1/10th the cost of one of the prequel films…so about 12 million bucks. An “expensive” cable science fiction television show like Battlestar Galactica had a budget of around 1million per episode; whereas ABC’s LOST reportedly had a massive budget of over 2million per episode. So, using this new (uninvented) technology Lucas is looking to shoot Star Wars: The T.V. Show for around 500k per episode.

Just give the series to Dave Filoni and let him have at it..

But for some reason I keep coming back for more. Thankfully, we’ve still got Fringe (for now) and there’s two new JJ projects slated for next season: Person of Interest and Alcatraz. There’s also a new comedy starting Zoey Deschanel and a pair of fairy tale inspired dramas (really?). Personally, I’m hoping that Awake will live up to this excellent trailer…

The NA crew worked our way through half of the new lineup in Episode 26 (to be posted soon) and will round up the second half in a future podcast. Because of the pace at which new shows get cancelled were keeping a death watch of sorts this year. And now we turn it over to you. Have you looked at the Fall lineup? What are you excited about? What shows do you love and are worried about? Will Blood and Chrome meet the same fate as Caprica? Although the links below are for the big 4 networks, feel free to discuss any of your TV thoughts below for Fall 2011.

NBC Fall 2011 lineup

CBS Fall 2011 lineup

FOX Fall 2011 lineup

ABC Fall 2011 lineup

1. The nerdist podcast. The nerdist podcast needs to be part of your life. Chirs Hardwick has always embraced popular nerd culture with wide open arms. Because Hardwick has been around for so long, he manages to get some of the best “nerdy” guests in the business. Folks like Felicia Day, Jimmy Fallon, and Nathan Fillion frequently drop by and prove that Hardwick is one of the best interviewers on the planet.  If you do end up listening, I guarantee that you’ll have a laugh and learn something too.  The nerdist podcast isn’t incredibly old, but has managed to spit out a whopping 91 podcasts. What makes nerdist podcast so damn enjoyable? Comedy! While a ton of other podcasts focus of “serious business“, the nerdist is all about laughing and having fun.  Obviously other people agree with me, as it was just announced this week that the nerdist podcast will soon be on the BBC TV network. Did I mention that their intro is by Nerd Appropriate alumni Anamanaguchi?

2. G4TV’s  Feedback –  I’ve been watching Adam Sessler review games for over a decade, and its always interesting to see what the guy has to say next.  One thing you can’t deny is Adam’s love of all things “video game”.  Even after doing thousands of reviews, Adam is still incredibly passionate about video games and the growing industry.  After spending so many years in the proverbial “trenches” I feel as though video games are truly part of Adam Sessler, and without them he might wither away… sort of like Samson after someone cut his magical golden hair.  Adam Sessler will probably play and review games until the day he dies.  Because of this unparalled passion, Feedback often has a lot of awesome insight into the gaming industry.  Adam and the rest of the G4 staff pull no punches and frequently brutalize games when they’re garbage… It’s actually pretty refreshing.  I do have to admit that I miss having Abbie Heppe on the podcast, but it’s still damn good!

3. Giant Bombcast - Unruly, loud, crude, and awesome.  Giant Bomb sets the bar incredibly high for video game journalists everywhere.  It’s not that they’re the most articulate and genius reporters on the planet, it’s simply that the men of Giant Bomb are REAL and know their stuff.  Together, Bombcast has more cumulative video game knowledge than the rest of us could ever hope to obtain… and they’re not jerks about it.  The Giant Bombcast is typically over two hours in length which makes it a veritable marathon of nerdery.

4. The Sword and Laser – Nerd Appropriate alumni Veronica Belmont loves books. The Sword and Laser is an awesome podcast for fans of science fiction and fantasy literature. While I haven’t read the majority of the books Veronica and Tom like to talk about, I really enjoy the banter and chemistry that the duo share.  The Sword and Laser is currently on their 63rd episode which means that this dynamic duo have managed to read a whole lot of books.  Veronica is a huge supporter of the nerd community, so we in turn totally support her.

5. Weekend Confirmed – The CNN of Gaming podcasts.  These guys take gaming incredibly seriously and their attention to detail and production value is really staggering.  Honestly one of their microphones probably costs more than our entire setup.  Hosts Garnett Lee and Jeff Cannata are down to Earth and enjoyable to listen to.  They bring in a wide variety of guests from within the industry and have a real gift for getting people to open up and be themselves on the air.  Weekend Confirmed is a new addition to my podcast rotation and I can’t wait to see what else these guys have to teach me.

Honorable mention – Rated NA Podcast – I’m proud of what we do here at NA. Sure, our production value isn’t the best and we typically talk over each other (and crunch loudly on ice and chips), but we do our best. Currently on episode 25, we’re having a blast creating new content and talking to people we find interesting and entertaining.  Our pod cast focuses on everything “nerdy” from television and movies, to video game news and literature.  We have no intention of quitting, just growing and becoming more nerdy than ever before.

Thanks!

I’ll go ahead and say it, I miss Olivia Munn.  Back when Munn was co-host of Attack of the Show, we would watch and laugh on nightly basis.  There really was something magical about her smug/bitchy sense of humor as well as her unparalleled chemistry with co-host Kevin Pereira.  Munn eventually left AOTS and was cast in NBC’s Perfect Couples, which didn’t survive the brutal 2010 season (so many new shows got the AXE this year).  Well good news Munn fans! Aaron Sorkin has hired Olivia Munn to play a financial analyst in his upcoming HBO drama More as the Story Develops. From the tiny bit of information floating around the interwebs, the series will be about a cable news network and will star Jeff “Dumber” Daniels as the producer (or anchorman), Will McCallister.  Also, currently in talks for the female lead is Emily Mortimer who can be seen in the upcoming Paul Rudd comedy, My Idiot Brother. Good luck on this one Munn!

I must admit the premise of J.J. Abram’s new drama “Person of Interest” actually sounds pretty damn fun.  In case your memory is cloudy, Hollywood’s new golden boy (Abrams.. doi) got his action-teeth wet directing episodes of his uber fun C.I.A drama, Alias.  I guess you could say that  Abrams loves his spy hi-jinx, because he’s back for more.  Check out this brief clip of “Person of Interest“.

What is it about?  Well it seems as though Ben Linus is a super scientist that found a way to predict when crimes are about to happen.  In order to stop said-crime, he enlists the aid of James “Jesus” Caviezel, an ex-CIA super operative.  Both Caviezel and Michael Emerson are spectacular actors, so this should be a treat. Person of Interest will air this Fall at 9:00pm on CBS.

CAST: THANKS IMDB

Gellar’s new series “Ringer” has been picked up by the CW!   The good news about  ”Ringer” is that it’s from writer-producers Eric Charmelo and Nicole Snyder of Supernatural fame. It also stars Nestor (Is he wearing eye-liner?) Carbonell from LOST.  While I never really jumped on the Supernatural bandwagon,  I do have to appreciate its fans and content.  One of these years I’ll have to watch.

So what’s it about?

All we know is that “Ringer” is a murder mystery show (see: Veronica Mars, Twin Peaks) that involves identical twins.  Plot Summary from IMDB: “A young woman on the run from the mob poses as her wealthy twin sister to try and evade them, but soon discovers that her sister has a price on her head as well.

CAST – Thanks IMDB

They’ve done it again!

Struggling all season with a 1.4 rating (note: not great) Chuck has pulled off something spectacular, a 5th season pickup!  Having watched Chuck since the first season it continues to be one of my favorite shows on television with constant nods to all things nerdy.  This season Chuck managed to pull off something that kills most shows, babies and an actual functioning romantic relationship! Also, the bulk of the season took place out of the Buy-More and in the field. Oh yeah, I’m pretty sure the addition of Linda Hamilton (Sarah Conner) and Timothy Dalton (James Bond) didn’t hurt either.

Why are we so happy the show is sticking around?  Having attended all the Chuck Comic-Con panels I can say with total certainty that the cast of Chuck loves their fans. I’ve seen Zachary Levi tear up in total appreciation of the people that continually save his show. This is just a brief post to congratulate the cast and crew Chuck on their success, (as well as their impending syndication).  Five seasons in today’s cut-throat world of show cancellations in no small feat.

G4TV.com

We all knew something was in the works. For months Jessica Chobot has been tweeting cryptic messages about her life and living situation. While being cryptic is nothing new on twitter (I have friends that tweet like they’re freaking super-spies), Chobot’s tweets were a more mysterious than usual. Theories popped up on message boards: Was Jessica ‘pregnant? did she and Blair join a local Los Angeles gang? Was she quitting IGN?  Well last night the truth was finally revealed. Everyone’s favorite IGN reporter is in fact joining the ranks of G4TV! Chobot’s new show Proving Ground sounds incredibly unique, and is just what the network needs right now. The premise: Take all of your favorite stunts and gadgets from from the world of video games and television and see how they function in reality. From what we’ve been hearing, Chobot and Ryan Dunn (Jackass) will be working with Engineers to try and make some bad-ass video-game contraptions function in real life. I for one can’t wait to see a fully operational Lancer or perhaps the Normandy 2..  Maybe they can even get a cadaver to carve up.. wishful thinking.

G4TV.com

The new series premieres June 14th at 8PM ET on G4TV. Sorry DirectTV.

G4 DEDICATES AN EVENING OF PROGRAMMING TO POP CULTURE PHENOMENON “420”

“420” Programming Line-Up Includes

• “ATTACK OF THE SHOW: 420 SPECIAL”
• “A VERY 420 X-PLAY…MAN” and
• “WEB SOUP’S 420 SPECIAL”

LOS ANGELES, April 11, 2011 — For the fifth year in a row, G4 dares to be the only network to dedicate an evening of programming to the ever popular “420” holiday. Celebrating the growing mainstream acceptance of this otherwise alternative culture,  the night begins with specially themed all-new episodes of the network’s core franchises “Attack of the Show!,” “X-Play” and “Web Soup.” The evening culminates with the cult film “This is Spinal Tap,” Doug Benson’s acclaimed documentary “Super High Me” followed by “The High Road with Doug Benson.”  G4’s “420” programming event begins with “A Very  420 X-Play…Man” at 6:30 PM ET/PT, “Attack of the Show: 420 Special” at 7pm ET/PT followed by “Web Soup’s 420 Special” at 8 pm ET/PT.

G4’s “420” Programming Guide:

“A Very 420 X-Play…Man”

6:30 pm

Adam Sessler, Morgan Webb, and Blair Herter call in sick for 420 and count down the ‘Top 7 Games for 420’ from a secret location. Discover the 5 Best Gamer Foods for the Munchies and experience 30 Seconds of Awesome: STONER Edition.

“Attack of the Show: 420 Special”

7pm

Celebrate this year with “Attack of the Show!” as Hosts Kevin Pereira & Candace Bailey explore cannabis and the stoner lifestyle from the U.S. to Europe’s most celebrated cannabis destination: SPAIN!

Viewers will take a trip to the grow farms of the emerald triangle to a 10,000 square foot nursery in Palm Springs, ride along with a collective that delivers and then stop off and go shopping at an all-ganja farmers market.

But it doesn’t stop there – viewers will fly across the globe to the Spannabis cup in Barcelona, where Alex Sim-Wise explores the world’s biggest pot festival, to see the crowning of the number one strain in Europe.  Returning to the States, viewers will see when what happens in Denver at High Times Medical Cannabis Cup!

Sara Underwood will deliver POT News from around the world in the WEED FEED as well as report from the party to end all parties – Carnival in Brazil!

“Web Soup’s 420 Special”

8 pm

“Web Soup” celebrates the most altered day of the year with an entire episode of 420-themed videos and comedy sketches.  Host Chris Hardwick unveils the trippiest, most unbelievable videos on the internet – and teaches the “Web Soup” audience a few things about the perils of recreational drug use.

For more information, please visit http://g4tv.com/420

About G4

G4 offers the last word on gaming, technology, animation, interactivity and “geek culture” for the male 18-34 demo. The network has given young guys of today’s digital generation a television home. G4 is the #1 podcasted cable network in America and is available in 59 million cable and satellite homes nationwide. G4tv.com is a top web destination for video game news and information. The network’s popular original programming includes “Attack of the Show!,” “X-Play,” “American Ninja Warrior” and “Campus PD.” G4 also continues to expand its live event coverage at CES, Comic-Con, E3, Tokyo Game Show and more. The network’s key acquisitions include “Heroes” and “Lost.” G4’s Multiplex features content on all possible digital platforms, including G4tv.com, G4 Mobile, G4 Podcasts, G4 on Demand, G4 Video Player, G4 Wii Portal and G4 PS3 Portal. G4 is a network of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.

Press Release:

“Workaholics” Comedy Central’s new show really finds it’s groove in this week’s episode “Office Campout”. The new episodes airs Wednesday, April 20^th at 10:30PM.

OFFICE CAMPOUT:

The guys decide to crash at the office for a little “office camp out” while their house is fumigated, but their camp out is threatened when two burglars break into the office.

ADAM DEVINE

Adam Devine started his career in stand-up comedy after graduating high school in Omaha, Nebraska.   After two short years in the business, Devine was asked to perform in the “New Faces” show at the Montreal Comedy Festival.  Shortly after the festival, he was cast opposite Jon Heder and Diane Keaton in the Warner Bros. movie, “Mama’s Boy.”  He appeared on COMEDY CENTRAL’s “Live at Gotham” and also appeared on TBS’ “Frank TV” and ABC’s “Better Off Ted.”  He can currently be seen as a recurring guest-star on ABC’s “Samantha Who?”  Devine acts, writes and produces all of Mail Order Comedy’s material.

ANDERS HOLM

Anders Holm grew up in Evanston, Illinois and graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Madison.  After college, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue writing where he performed and wrote sketch comedy for Second City LA and Upright Citizens Brigade.  Holm has toured the country as part of the National Lampoon Lemmings.  His writing credits include the writers’ assistant on Fox’s “Bones,” and the head writer’s assistant on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher.”  Holm’s acts, writes and produces all of Mail Order Comedy’s material.

BLAKE ANDERSON

Blake Anderson grew up in Northern California where he performed improv and sketch comedy.  He moved to Los Angeles where he studied at The Groundlings and Upright Citizens Brigade and toured the country as part of the National Lampoon Lemmings.  Anderson has been seen in commercials for Snickers and McDonald’s as well as on MyspaceTV’s hidden camera show, “Special Delivery,” where he was a fan favorite with one of his videos earning more than one million hits.  He acts, writes and produces all of Mail Order Comedy’s material.

KYLE NEWACHECK

Kyle Newacheck grew up in Northern California and graduated from The Los Angeles Film School with a degree in editing.  He worked in many facets of the industry, but his preference for comedy prevailed.  Newacheck is a director, editor, producer and writer who worked for Myspace TV, National Lampoon and Super Delux.  He, along with Adam Devine, Anders Holm and Blake Anderson, created Mail Order Comedy.  Newacheck currently directs, edits and produces all of Mail Order Comedy’s material.  He is currently editing a feature length film that is directed by Shira Piven and executive produced by Adam McKay and Will Ferrell.  He also produced his first album using Mail Order Comedy’s alter egos, “The Wizards” and taught at LA Film School.

I don't miss you.

Cable and I always had a rocky relationship. We would fight over bills and Cable was always late to dates. It just wasn’t working. Why I ever settled down and got married to her I’ll never know. When the final realization happened that we were no longer working as a couple, I knew I had to cut the cord and do it quickly. It was a weird day for us both. It was a long phone call with a lot of pleading on her end asking me to stay. Telling me all the things that I’ll miss, trying to make deals with me about how it will be different, and while I was tempted, I held firm and hung up the phone. My living room had gone dark.

At first it was weird, I felt alone and kind of empty. I’d sit on the couch wondering what to do, thinking about all of my options. Cable used to make it so easy for me. We could just sit together all day not really doing anything but watching time pass. There were a few times I thought I may have chosen wrong, maybe Cable was right, maybe I did need her in my life. I mean Cable made me laugh, made me think about things a little more closely, she even taught me how to cook. What was I doing without her? Over time though I stopped comparing every experience I had to how it was different from Cable and started just doing what I wanted to do. For once I was watching the TV I wanted to watch, not just what cable found. I was watching movies I had meant to watch all along. Cable used to tell me that I’d miss out on all of my favorite things without her, but it didn’t happen. I just had to look in different places. Ultimately, it was a lot cleaner without Cable. I just went to the place with the program I wanted to watch and watched whatever episode I wanted to see. With Cable, I always had to wait for her to be ready to watch what I wanted to see. Sometimes, if I forgot to tell Cable about something I’d just miss it entirely.

There have been others though, Roku, Xbox, Hulu. The funny thing is, they all know about each other and they are OK with it. Hulu doesn’t care that I call Netflix up when I want to watch a movie. Netflix doesn’t get mad that I sometimes ask Amazon about watching new movies and TV. Hulu is perfectly fine catching up on my favorite shows a day or two later, she doesn’t bitch about how I always ask her to hold to much, like my DVR used to. And the savings! These dates are all so cheap. I mean Amazon doesn’t even care if I watch anything with her for months at a time. She doesn’t make me pay for things I don’t care about. It’s great! Netflix and Hulu are my constants. I may take them out every month, but its a drop in the bucket compared to what I used to spend on cable.

Did I mention that now I actually enjoy watching TV again? It’s not this brutally one sided relationship anymore, where cable just tries to sell me combo deals and over priced channel packages that I don’t want to watch in the first place. Plus, if I have a long break at work, sometimes Hulu or Netflix will come to my work and hang out with me. Cable never did anything like that.

Yeah, life has been OK since I finally broke it off with Cable.

Press release: Just because you’ve left college doesn’t mean you can’t take the party with you. For three post-grad pals trying to make their way in the real world, the revelry continues all day and night, whether they’re in their office cubicles grinding out a paycheck or back at their house partying it all away! Blake Anderson, Adam Devine and Anders Holm star in “Workaholics ,“ COMEDY CENTRAL’s newest half-hour scripted series, premiering on Wednesday, April 6 at 10:30 p.m.

From the minds of the hilarious and irreverent Internet sketch group Mail Order Comedy, “Workaholics” is a single camera comedy featuring three friends who work together as telemarketers from 9 to 5 and live together from 5 to 9. Dress codes, deadlines and waking up before noon are not things these guys are used to. They do their jobs and sometimes they even do them well, but they show up late, leave drunk and always live for the day…even if they don’t know what day it is. Co-created by Mail Order Comedy’s Blake Anderson, Adam Devine, Anders Holm and Kyle Newacheck and 5th Year’s Dominic Russo and Connor Pritchard, the series stars Anderson, Devine and Holm and is directed by Newacheck and Chris Koch (“Modern Family”). Kevin Etten serves as the show runner.

NA-Ash:  Thanks for taking some time to talk with us guys.  We’ve seen the first handful of episodes of Workaholics and think they’re funny as hell.  How excited are you for the April 6^th premiere?  Nervous at all?

Kyle: I am very excited for the premiere.  I can’t wait for people to watch it, we’ve been waiting quite awhile for it to happen so I’m not that nervous, just anxious to see how people receive it.

Adam: I am excited as FUCK. Only curse words can describe my level of excitement. I’m not nervous. If I thought the show blew then I’d be nervous.

NA-Ash: Well I think it’s damn funny good sir!  Now a good deal of the show seems to be improvised; do you guys typically stick with the script or just “go for it”?

Adam: We make sure we have good takes of what was written and then do a couple of takes where we take it to weird town. We usually use the weird stuff. Its fun being the boss and having the freedom to try something in a weird different way. I’d say forty percent of the show is completely improvised.

Kyle: We go into every episode and every scene with a solid script, but sometimes it doesn’t work or someone has a funnier way to approach the scene so we try it.  The rule of thumb is, if it still serves the story and is funnier, then we do it.   Sometimes we just run it for 8 takes and then it gets weird… that’s my favorite stuff.

NA-Ash:  Being a huge fan of vulgarity, I love how raunchy you all get.  Nearly every “unmentionable” is mentioned at least once in the very first episode.  Are you guys this demented off of the show?

Kyle: Yeah, I mean when you grow up in a world where internet porn is so accessible, its tough to remember what you can and can’t say.  I’d say I’m even more demented off the show… and proud of it.

Adam: Yeah, we all grew up on rated R movies and NWA. This is just how we are.

Wednesday, April 6 at 10:30 p.m on Comedy Central

NA-Ash:  You know, I never thought that the accessibility of internet porn was actually tainting a generation.  Speaking of taint, we’ve all had some interesting experiences with telemarketers.  Have you all ever done anything cruel and unusual to the people of this most reviled profession?

Kyle: My last name is tough to pronounce, even though its incredibly phonetic, so when telemarketers would call and ask for Mr. “Nowoncheck”, I would give them three chances to pronounce it right and then they could talk to my dad, I don’t remember it ever happening.  Idiots.

Adam: I used to be a telemarketer myself so I’m pretty nice to them when they call. Its amazing how mean people can be, supposedly my first two children will be murdered and I did catch a few blow horns to the ear.

NA-Ash:  You have the daunting task of directing this band of misfits.  What aspect of your job do you find to be the most challenging?

Kyle: I think the most challenging aspect of my job is balancing the comedy with the logistics.  Sometimes we’ll write something big and funny, and then I need to take it to production and find a way to make it work with the budget and the time constraints.  Being a start up show, I faced many challenges trying to pull off certain shots and stunts.  For the record, I like those types of challenges.

Adam: Kyle is a good director and I hope someday he gets to direct something with explosions.

NA-Ash: Scenario: You and Adam enter a dimly lit dojo; an old Asian man bows before you and slowly ushers you toward the center of the room.  The ancient man states that in order to leave the dojo alive, you must battle to the death.  Two men enter… one man leaves… What happens next?

Kyle: I swing at Adam, miss, then he climbs up my body and puts me in a koala clutch until I submit.  (This exact thing happened one night when we were hammered).

Adam: The old asian man backs up for dramatic effect and trips down a 30 stair stone staircase. The two dudes decide not to fight to the death and go drink goldschlager at a college bar instead.

NA-Ash: Some terribly nightmarish things happen to the characters on Workaholics; urine in the face, pretzels jammed into ear canals, and rogue sexts. These poor characters can’t seem to escape utter humiliation.  Honestly, where the hell do you guys come up with this stuff?

Kyle: Just think about the worst case scenario… It’s usually pretty funny.

Adam: A lot of the stuff on the show is based in reality. Either it has happened to us or someone we know.

NA-Ash:  This being NerdAppropriate.com we love to ask what “nerdy” things people are into.  Is there anything about yourselves you’re almost too embarrassed to share?

Adam:I LOVE pez. I have a real serious collection at my parents house. I leave it there in case I ever have a girl over. I don’t but just in case.

Kyle: I’m really into Mythbusters.  And iPads.  And I used to watch wrestling religiously.

NA-Ash: I too watched a fair share of WWF as a kid, don’t tell.  We wish you tons of luck on the new show, and we’ll be tuning in for sure.  Any final thoughts or sage like advice for our readers?

Kyle: Always put relish on your hot dogs.

Adam: Drink bunches and don’t do coke

You can catch an all new episode of Workaholics , tonight April 13th at 10:30 p.m on Comedy Central!

PLAY ME

What is it about a bunch of anthropomorphic cat people that has the internet in such a frenzy? Wondercon showed the world the first glimpse of the all new Thundercats in action, and I couldn’t be more excited. You see, I used to wake up an extra hour early for elementary school in order to watch Thundercats in the morning.  There was something wonderful about popping out of bed before dawn, eating some cereal, and watching Lion-O stomp Mumrah’s ever-living ass.  Apparently I’m not the only nerd who is excited about the new Thundercats trailer, as the internet is going crazy for this clip. Take a look at the new cats in action and please let us know what you think! Sword of Omens , give me sight beyond sight!

Does it have The Force?

Initially, something felt a bit “off” with the Clone Wars, almost as if they didn’t really know what they wanted to do with the series. The same thing happens with every show, and its why I always say the pilot episode is typically the worst episode of a series. Why is this? Well the director, actors, and crew are still working out the kinks and figuring out how to make the best product possible. Because The Clone Wars released their pilot theatrically, many Star Wars fans openly dismissed the series as being “silly” or “childish”. My response to them: You’re into Star Wars hotshot, it’s supposed to be fun and silly… Get over yourself. The new season of The Clone Wars has had more action, mystery, and death than episodes 1-6 combined, including the part where Anakin kills all those poor Tusken kids. Now before the internet tears me some new face-holes, I love the original trilogy, and I grew up watching Star Wars. Like most of you out there I have incredibly vivd memories of seeing Return of the Jedi in the theaters and waiting all day in line to see Attack of the Clones. The Star Wars universe is a special one, and people hold it very close to their hearts. The Clone Wars just makes it better.

Season 3 Finale

Can the Clone Wars go on forever? Sadly no, but only Mr. Lucas knows when the series will end. From a military perspective neither faction has made much headway in terms of “winning” this massive War. Both sides have suffered major losses, and appear to be acting out of desperation. During an important battle Anakin’s padawan Ahsoka vanishes without a trace. She awakens to find herself inside a dank cargo vessel along with several other captives. Her lightsabers are gone, and her communicator has been destroyed. At this point Ahsoka is just a teenage girl on her own. Oh yeah, she happens to be personally trained by Darth Vader…no big deal. Ahsoka’s journey from the annoying “snips”, to the almost-Jedi she is now is really the heart of the story. Much to my surprise, Ahsoka has grown to become my favorite character. I personally blame her voice actress Ashley Eckstein for making Ahsoka so likable and strong. Ahsoka kicks some serious ass.

No light sabers? No biggie... trained by Vader.

Let the Wookie win

Ahsoka and the rest of the captives are dropped off on abandoned forest moon in order to be brutally hunted by Trandoshan big game hunters (think Predators). Within the first few moments most of the captives are dead, unlike stormtroopers these Trandoshans can apparently aim quite well. Soon Ashoka encouters a small band of Jedi Padawans who have been in hiding for ages, and are afriad to fight back. Without giving too much away, I’d like you to watch this video clip.

That’s right, Chewbacca! Many people my age have lost the ability to “feel magic”, but I’m happy to say that watching a young Chewbacca battle along-side Ahsoka was nothing short of wizard (we can still make this word popular!). In all sincerity, The Clone Wars has made me feel that same Star Wars “magic” that I experienced back when I was a youngling.

So I challenge you! If you dismissed Star Wars: The Clone Wars and never bothered to watch it, pick it up on Blu-Ray, and let me know if you too still feel that magic. My money is on “yes”.

Tomorrow: We talk to Ashley “Ahsoka” Eckstein ( It’s awesome )

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Perfect Couples

NBC announced last week that after April 7th, Perfect Couples, the NBC sitcom starring nerd favorite Olivia Munn, will be pulled from the air and replaced with a new Paul Reiser sitcom. Nope you didn’t read that wrong, it is apparently 1993 and Paul Reiser has more promise then Perfect Couples to NBC. Get ready for some zany stories about airplane food not being very tolerable.

After many bad reviews of Perfect Couples by yours truly, I kept with it and have to say it started to show some hope. I don’t know that it would ever hit the comedic strides of 30 Rock or Community, but the “main” couple played by Kyle Bornheimer and Christine Woods were showing great comedic timing and, especially Woods, often had me audibly laughing. It’s too bad this show will not get a full shot at sticking around. I think with another year and some more story development we could have had a good show, but we’ve seen it happen to many shows who needed some more incubation, including NBC’s “The Cape”. Another one bites the dust. The cast had some talent, I wish them all the best.

source: ew.com

An amazing crossover event!

When? : Tonight at 7:00 pm est (other times in other places that aren’t Eastern)

Why?: If you’ve never watched AOTS before you’re missing our favorite nightly pop culture explosion.

Who?: Kevin and Candace are out filming the “420 special” so Alison and Danny are filling in.  Cool right?

Where?: On Cable!  Check local listing for G4TV.  Sorry Direct T.V. subscribers, you don’t get to watch anymore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THcItXSnngA&feature=player_embedded

Much more like The Shield than Heroes...

The television series for Brian Michael Bendis’ detective comic “Powers” has finally been given a green light and will appear next year on FX!  Languishing in development hell for ages, nobody ever thought Powers would fight its way to the small screen.  Luckily for us a few of FX’s originals didn’t do so well this year.  We’re elated to hear that the same production team that worked on The Walking Dead will be involved with the pilot.

The Plot - If you haven’t read Powers, the story involves a pair of detectives that deal chiefly in super hero related homicide. The story picks up with Christian Walker and his partner Deena Pilgrim investigating a grizzly homicide involving one of the nation’s premiere heroes. Bendis does a superb job of creating a reality only slightly removed from our own. Both heroes and villains exist in this reality, but are often incredibly flawed and human just like the rest of us. The murdered hero, Retro Girl was the only exception to this rule, a young heroine that was the shining example of what a hero should be. Do yourself a favor and pick up the Powers series!  Keep your eyes on the site for further information involving what is sure to be nothing short of “super”.

Go ahead and list your dream casting decisions below.

You are a slave taken from your family and your home. Everything you knew is now obsolete. You must fight or die in the arena. Do you fight for freedom? Do you long for the glory of victory? Is your blood even worthy to stain the sands?

Spartacus: Blood and Sand immerses you into the world of the gladiator. Brutal, sexual, and one hell of a good story, Spartacus (Andy Whitfield) must fight his way through gladiator school, the pits, and the arenas to be reunited with his wife.

Thirteen episodes of blood, nudity, and an amazing plot sets Spartacus above most shows I have seen on TV. Originally airing on STARZ, but now on NETFLIX, this epic is a must if you like any kind of action. I watched many of the episodes 2 and 3 times. Spartacus has a very strong “300″ feel, but works very well giving the setting and fighting some amazing style. The fight scenes are epic and ridiculous at the same time, each becoming more and more violent. The stylized dialog is done very well also, and is one of my favorite qualities of the show. The story gets better and better until finally ending with a jaw dropping conclusion. I was blown away by this series, PERIOD. Do yourself a favor and give this show a shot.

WARNING!

Spartacus is not for the fragile. There are some pretty intense sex scenes, and a ton of nudity (Male and Female). Perv Alert: Lucy Lawless naked!!!!!

The Bad News:

The star of Spartacus, Andy Whitfield, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in March 2010.  He will not be returning for the 2nd season. I have read they are looking for a new lead for the 2nd season though.

The Good News:

STARZ has released Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, a prequel, to Blood and Sand. You can catch Gods of the Arena on STARZ Fridays at 10pm, or NETFLIX on Saturday. Yeah, good job NETFLIX!

Thanks for reading.

In recent years free running, or “parkour” has exploded around the world.  From 007 to Mirror’s Edge this new extreme sport has captured the attention of nerds and ninja fans everywhere.  Until now no series has actually documented how these extreme athletes train, and how they get to be “the best there is at what they do”.  G4′s new reality series Jump City Seattle follows Seattle’s best free runners and their incredibly ninja like behavior.  Check out these amazing athletes in action on Conan ,and ask yourself, “Do we really need a CG Spiderman?”

Answer: No, no we don’t.

Felicia Day is Tallis, an Elven Assassin

Her Character – An Elven Assassin named Tallis.

The World - Ferelden during the events of Dragon Age 2.  Meaning the blight is over, and the world is in relative peace.  Anything is better than an Arch-Demon right? (… I hope Flemyth shows up)

The Adventure – From what Day states, it will be a tale of adventure as Tallis must assemble her team and track down a rogue mage (an apostate).

The Budget – Still very slim, but much higher than The Guild.  The Guild is famous for making things look great with no money, that being said… this will look very pretty.

The Crew – Directed by Independence Day producer Peter Winther.  Director of Photography John Barley of LOST.. yes that LOST..

How Many Episodes? – Six in total for now… there will be more.

Who else is in it? –  I asked Felicia Day during a chat this afternoon (nothing fancy there were a few hundred of us in the room… I’m not that cool.. haha) what familiar faces we could see in Dragon Age Redemption and she replied ” George Clooney and Julia Roberts”… Thanks for that news :p

Anyone from the Dragon Age Games?: It appears not.  All the characters are of Day’s creation.

You can read more about Felica’s upcoming adventures in the land of Dragon Age in her offical USA today interview. Felica Day breathes fire into the Dragon Age Series (we need to start writing articles with titles like that)

When can you see it? – This Wednesday you can see the first exclusive trailer on our friend Jimmy Fallon’s show (again.. 1 sided friendship).  And we will have the clip to view here as well!

Here we go again. Fox previewed its new series Terra Nova during “the big game” this past week. It’s a show about humans who destroy the future, and then go back in time to have another go at it. There’s dinosaurs and that guy from ABC’s short-lived Life on Mars. Kinda smacks of Avatar a bit, and Steven Spielberg is involved. That’s not really important right now because, gee, if there’s any safe place for sci-fi on network television it’s Fox: Dark Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, Terminator: SCC… all cancelled within two seasons.

Don’t believe me? Are you familiar with the Friday Night Death Slot? This is where shows go to die. There’s even a wikipedia article about the topic. Fox is the greatest offender. And, in case you were keeping score, Fringe was recently moved to Friday nights. The guys at the top are betting on the fact that Fringe viewers watch the program “time shifted.”  (Time shifting is what cavemen did in the early 21st century before Hulu.) No word on where Terra Nova debuts, but with the expectations of Steven Spielberg (Boom Blox anyone?) and the fact that it will air on Fox, there’s no way this show has a chance IMO.

Check out the trailer and leave your thoughts and expectations in the comments:

Community on NBC

We’ve said it numerous times before, but Community is the best show on TV right now. Better than your HBO dramas, your reality TV, and I’ll say it…better then 30 Rock (GASP!). I know I am a huge proponent of Community’s big sister 30 Rock. I still may say that 30 Rock is a smarter comedy, but as a whole Community blows it out of the water.

Community does something a lot of other shows fail at. They create a cast of widely diverse but likable characters, all with flaws, and then create compelling stories around each individual in what I call feature episodes. There’s been a Troy episode, an Abed episode, even a Shirley episode, but this week they went with someone different. A character mentioned few times, shown even less, paired him with the most recently ignored character on the show, Pierce, and made one of the most heartwarming and funny episodes I’ve seen on any show ever. That is a lot of hype, I know, but it is well deserved.

We are all unabashed fans of D&D here on nerdappropriate.com. We tend to out our love of the game on the podcasts and have written about it very little. The reason we love the game so much isn’t because of the fantasy world or the hack and slash adventure, it’s simply because it is an excuse at our age to gather all of our friends around a table and have fun. We all talk and eat, share jokes and stories, and yes, game. It is an experience afforded to very few people once you get out of college and start your life. Time becomes short, projects become many and you end up barely spending time with the people that make you laugh and let loose. I know that the thought of D&D still makes most people roll their eyes and laugh at how dumb or childish it is, or god forbid nerdy, but if you can’t act that way with your friends, then they aren’t your friends in the first place.

So why am I all gushy? I’m including the episode in its entirety on this post. If you’ve never watched the show, there isn’t much in this episode that will leave you wondering what happened, it is a pretty good one off. All about being human, having fun, letting down your guard and enjoying time with your friends and family. There is a great message about ostracism and Jeff (Joel Mchale) shows a great deal of humility, which is what the heart of this episode is about. Please take the time to watch it and if you aren’t filled with happiness at the end of the episode, come back and let us know how much of a cold, heartless bastard you really are.

Updated with bonus content just added by NBC

As far as we know - nobody has been cast for the Role

AICN reports that David E. Kelly’s wonder woman has been ordered to pilot by NBC. David E. Kelly is best known for legal dramas such as Alley McBeal and L.A. Law ( note: that means Los Angeles, not Spanish for “The”). Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the series is about crime fighting and not courtroom shenanigans. According to sources the rights to Wonder Woman were very expensive to acquire, so bringing the character back to series was a huge challenge.

The new series, which is set to start airing in September 2012 is quoted as being

“a reinvention of the iconic D.C. comic in which Wonder Woman — aka Diana Prince — is a vigilante crime fighter in L.A. but also a successful corporate executive and a modern woman trying to balance all of the elements of her extraordinary life.”

For the life of me I can’t seem to find any sort of solid casting information, so that leads me to believe the role has yet to really be cast… my vote is for Julia Voth!

Always speaking in riddles.

Here is what we know so far

• He will return in “ghost Jedi” form and will probably have advice for Obi Wan.
• The voice cast probably stained their pants when they learned Liam Neeson would be joining them/
• You can hear him on Jan. 28th and again on Feb. 11th

So why would such a high profile actor head to the Cartoon Network?  Simple, he loves Star Wars.

“These characters resonate…even after all these years.” said Neelson. “Growing up, my heroes were cowboys; they were strong and mysterious, and it seemed like they always rode off into the sunset. For kids today, Star Wars has that same kind of magic. I really wanted to be a part of that

Check this out!

NBC has new heroes. No not those heroes, but some other ones on the new TV series, The Cape. The Cape stars David Lyons as the good-cop-turned-super-hero. At first you think, gee, that’s so meta because a lot of heroes have capes, but this guy actually fights with a cape, so take that, post-modernism.

The deal is that he was framed for crimes he did not commit, and is now believed to be dead. Vince Faraday takes on the persona of The Cape, striving to put right what once went wrong, and make the city a better place for his wife and young son. What are his powers, you ask? Well, he’s sort of a jack-of-all-trades, if the only trades in the world were circus acts. The Cape is skilled in escapism, magic, hypnotism, weight estimation and the like. He could also probably land one of those metal rings on the top of an old-timey milk bottle and win you a giant stuffed animal. [By the way, did you know that expertise is commonly characterized by 10,000 hours or 10 years of deliberate practice? This guy learned all that circus shit in a few weeks. At this rate, he could probably speak conversational Icelandic after a few days exposure.]

N7 marine turned council representative turned illusionist ringleader

The Cape is mentored by the circus’ de facto leader, Mass Effect’s Captian David Anderson… er, Keith David. Max Milani (actual character name) is not just a ringleader, but he’s also a ring-leader… yeah, criminals. Carny bank-robbing criminals. Imagine what you can do with that. Only problem is, these guys seem strangely altruistic by the second episode, so the jury is still out on this “carnival of crime” (their words, not mine). Hey, did you know that Max Milani is a reference to Max Malini? He was an illusionist around the turn of the 20th century. Hey-o! Someone is doing their character research!

This same technology was used for the seance in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey

Oh, there’s also a corporate head-honcho, who is naturally evil insofar that he wants to privatize all of the city’s public services (police, prisons, maybe even garbage collection, who knows) so that his defense company can remain financially viable in this “tough economic climate”. Or maybe he just wants power. Anyway, he maintains the Star Wars stereotype that the British are evil. That guy’s villain name is Chess. They call him Chess because he uses chess metaphors to frame his thoughts and speech. He’s also got some rad early 90′s hologram technology which he uses to plot out his sinister plans. He must be a visual thinker.

"Yeah it is...I wanna triple the ram"

Finally, there’s Orwell, played by Summer Glau, best known for her portrayal of Paige Pratt on CBS’ Cold Case and Mandy Cooper on CBS’ CSI — which, until today, I thought were the same show along with Law and Order, NCIS and Burn Notice. You know how there’s always that “guy at the computer” that helps the hero out in the field? You do? Well that’s Orwell! This is an obvious reference to… you guessed it… Orson Welles (Or+Well, duh!). Orson Welles voiced the character of Unicron in the 1986 classic, Transformers: The Movie. Much in the same way that Unicron was omniscient (remember that core full of CRT monitors?) she is always where the action is, taking pictures, hacking computers, and feeding data to The Cape to keep him one step ahead of the evil Chess. And, no, just because she sits at the computer doesn’t mean she’s in a wheelchair. She does a little field work too and drives a bunch of fancy cars.

Ok, really now…

This show treads a dangerous line of being comic-y to the point of seeming insincere, but if you can get into that head space, it is worth watching. Sure, NBC doesn’t take any big chances with another program about good guys vs. bad guys, but its colored differently enough to feel refreshing, even if the characters and themes of the show will seem all too familiar to comic fans. The show seems like it has come further than other new programs do after two episodes, but the origins are sometimes the most interesting parts of hero stories.  And, if Orwell turns out to be somehow related to Chess (as the show seems to steer you toward) it may be time to start punching people. There are a couple of moments, however, where the show seems to be self-aware, taking a sudden deviation from cliche comic references. Hopefully, this show will get enough viewers to develop the characters and storyline a bit further, but beware the curse of the Glau!

Tune in

The Cape airs only one hour of the week on NBC, or all the time on Hulu (thinly-veiled sarcasm). Look for more opinions and conversation about The Cape on Episode 12 of Rated NA. Happy viewing.

___________________________________________________________
G4

New Co-Host Candace Bailey Officially Joins Host Kevin Pereira To Kick Off 2011 as TV’s Only Show Dedicated to the Latest News on Tech, Games, Movies and All Things Nerd-Core for Men 18-34

Los Angeles, CA – January 11, 2010 – “Attack of the Show!,” G4’s go-to show for a daily trip to the digital water cooler, switches up its look to give viewers more of what they love for TV’s destination for all things tech and gaming. The always live and unpredictable nerd-culture program “Attack of the Show!” says hello to 2011 with all-new stuff – a hot new host, a blazing new set and cool-as-ice new segments. New co-host Candace Bailey inaugurates her reign of co-hosting as she joins forces with the show’s long-standing host, Kevin Pereira. Together, this dynamic-duo will bring fans the latest and greatest news in tech, games, web culture, comics, pop culture and more. Collaborating with Kevin and Candace is G4’s leading team of correspondents including tech guru Chris Hardwick; expert on all things extreme Alison Haislip; comic book aficionado Blair Butler; all-around nerd authority Blair Herter; sexy field correspondent Sara Underwood and movie connoisseur Chris Gore. Catch the new “Attack of the Show!” starting tonight, 1.11.11, at 7pm ET / PT.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Candace’s addition and her on-air chemistry with Kevin brings new energy to “Attack of the Show!” that keeps viewers ahead of the culture curve that is constantly changing,”

said Neal Tiles, President G4.

“The new show proves that G4 keeps its finger on the pulse of the industry, giving pop culture fans the knowledge and entertainment they crave.”

The new “Attack of the Show!” welcomes Candace, fresh from her ‘AOTS Vision Quest’ adventure that took her to the heights of nerd-core, and adds a sprinkle of new segments. All this will be capped with a completely new look for the show as our team of expert magicians has created a shiny new set for our hosts and correspondents to play in. Kevin, Candace and the AOTS Correspondents will entertain viewers daily from the set and report live from the biggest events in the industry including Comic Con, CES, E3 and more. The new “Attack of the Show!” is bringing in tons of new material to maintain its highly regarded level of awesome.
___________________________________________________________
Check out the new bigger and badder “Attack of the Show!” live every weeknight at 7pm ET / PT. Fans can also check out exclusive behind-the-scenes content and videos from “Attack of the Show!” online at g4tv.com/aots.

*NOTE* Big thanks to G4 for giving us a heads up!

Tomorrow at 7pm EST (LIVE), Attack of the Show returns with an all new set (goodbye Carbonite Kevin), a new co host, and a whole new dynamic. So do yourself a favor and spread the world that Attack is coming back bigger and better than ever. Why not give the gift of laughter and inappropriate Portuguese penis jokes to your closest friends?

Bill Haverchuck - allergic to nuts.

The clip below nearly made me tear up when I first saw it many years ago. You see Bill and I were a lot alike in high school. Just like Bill, I was a “latch-key kid” and would often come home to an empty house. Also like Bill, I was allergic to most everything, including nuts. And finally, seeing someone so damn happy to eat a grilled cheese just brought me joy.

Cancelled? I'm sad about it too.

… of Caprica that is. Syfy will air the remaining episodes of Caprica January 4th, 2011, hot on the heels of the DVD release at the end of 2010. Finally, now there will be more room for shows about spooky ghosts, professional wrestling, and vampires. From one angry viewer’s perspective, the network seems to be planning  to stick to its branding strategy of Syfy NOT SciFi. In other news, I just cancelled cable. Sorry Sanctuary, it’s not you, it’s me. I’ll see you on Hulu.

Only on DVD… what is this, 1997?

Caprica Season 1.5

Caprica Season 1.0

Caprica miniseries

Here is a list I complied of early 2011 premiere dates for new seasons, new shows, and mid-season replacements.  Which ones will you be watching?

Attack is back on 1/11/11 (Binary for HW==)

BY TITLE

• Attack of the Show (G4) Jan. 11 – One of my favorite shows is rebooting once again.  New set, new co-host, new comedy.  Now let’s hope it’s still funny as hell.
• Archer (FX) Jan. 27
• Being Human (Syfy) Jan. 17
• The Cape (NBC) Jan. 9 – Can Summer Glau break the dreaded “Curse of the Glau” and lead this new super hero drama to success.  I sure hope so.
• Caprica (SyFy) Jan. 4 – Already cancelled, but finishing strong.
• The Event (NBC) Feb. 28 – Really enjoyed the pilot and first few episodes and hear that The Event is the new LOST.  Anyone watching this one?
• Face Off (Syfy) Jan. 26
• Ghost Hunters (Syfy) Feb. 23
• Ghost Hunters International (Syfy) Jan. 5
• Merlin (Syfy) Jan. 7
• Parks and Recreation (NBC) Jan. 20 – Amazing Cast and Aubree Plaza looks and acts just like my perpetually aggravated sister-in law.
• Perfect Couples (NBC) Jan. 20 – with our old friend Olivia Munn.. will it survive?
• Robot Chicken (CN) Jan. 9
• Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (Starz) Jan. 21 – Prequel to the hit gladiator show.
• V (ABC) Jan. 4
• Young Justice (CN) Jan. 7 – DC comics have some of the best animated shows out there.  Young Justice highlights the adventures of Robin, Superboy and other “sidekicks” as they learn to adventure on their own. Looks cool!

Will you be watching any of these?  I for one am going to give The Cape a shot simply because I want to see “Curse of the Glau” forever broken.

Candice Bailey takes over for Olivia Munn on 1/11/11 Binary for change

Kevin Pereira welcomes Candace Bailey as the new co-host of Attack of the Show, starting January 11, 2011. Wish her luck as she embarks on a special vision quest to prepare her for this grueling task.

What about Alison Haislip who was highly favored to inherit the position?

tweeps, your overwhelming support for me has brought me to tears. thank you from the bottom of my heart. more to come soon, i promise.

We will have to wait and see.

Those looking to dive right into the leagaleze can follow this link:

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c111:1:./temp/~c1114hYzrN::

Streaming Live Sat 12/11 8pm EST

With no more major releases slated for 2010 (sans Cataclysm), our gaming year is officially over.

Nerd Appropriate is covering the 2010 Spike VGA awards with a live stream, some pizza, and hopefully some toilet humor. (Sat 12/11 8pm EST)

Even if you can’t attend the party itself we are going to give away “Achievements” to the folks that can guess the winners in a wide variety of categories.  What are these “achievements” you speak of?  You’ll have to wait and see.

How do you cast your vote? Simple, copy and paste the list below and select a winner for each category.  Paste your answers in this thread and you’re done. Like I tell my students, even if you don’t know the answer or don’t have an opinion, guess! Like you were really “working” at your desk anyway?

The actual VGA’s have around 30 different categories, but we narrowed our list down to 10.  Good luck!

1) Game of the Year

• Call of Duty Black Ops
• God of War III
• Halo: Reach
• Mass Effect 2
• Red Dead Redemption

2) Studio of the Year

• Bioware: Mass Effect 2
• Blizzard : Starcraft 2
• Bungie: Halo Reach
• Rockstar San Diego: Red Dead Redemption

3) Best XBOX 360 Game

• Alan Wake
• Fable III
• Halo: Reach
• Mass Effect 2

4) Best Sports Game

• FIFA Soccer 2011
• Madden NFL 2011
• NBA 2K11
• MLB 10: The Show

5) Best Shooter

• Battlefield: Bad Company 2
• Bioshock 2
• Call of Duty: Black OPS
• Halo: Reach

6) Best Action Adventure Game

• Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
• God of War III
• Red Dead Redemption
• Super Mario Galaxy 2

7) Best RPG

• Fable III
• Fallout: New Vegas
• Final Fantasy XIII (sigh)
• Mass Effect 2

8 ) Best Original Score

• God of War III
• Halo: Reach
• Mass Effect 2
• Red Dead Redemption

9) Best Adapted Video Game

• Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• Scott Pilgrim: The Game
• Spider Man: Shattered Dimensions
• Star Wars: The Foce Unleashed 2, even more unleashed
• Transformers: War For Cybertron

10) Most Anticipated Game

• Batman: Arkham City
• Bioshock: Infinite
• Gears of War 3
• Portal 2

Mad Men

Amazon has made the first 3 seasons of Mad Men available as regular DVD, Bluray, and Digital Download in HD for $9.99 each. This is one of those shows that I knew I wanted to catch up, especially lacking cable now, and I could not pass up a deal like this. So feel free to join in.

]]> http://www.nerdappropriate.com/2010/11/28/another-cut-the-cord-deal-alert/feed/ 13 http://www.nerdappropriate.com/2010/11/26/community-is-only-12-on-amazon-today/ http://www.nerdappropriate.com/2010/11/26/community-is-only-12-on-amazon-today/#comments Fri, 26 Nov 2010 05:58:53 +0000 matt http://nerdappropriate.com/?p=349

That’s write, I’m yelling with all caps. Because the show we obsess about, the show we talk endlessly about, Community is only $12 on Amazon as part of their Black Friday deals. To buy it digitally is twice the price, this is absolutely too good to pass up. So stop thinking about it and let your inner consumer click the little buy now button below and purchase it. Unless you already have it, then well, good for you. We love this show, plus we are required by law to mention Alison Brie at least once a week on this website.

Movie: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World – As I write this my family is sitting in the living room enjoying the misadventures of Scott Pilgrim as he battles to win Ramona’s heart.  Hopefully watching Scott Pilgrim on Thanksgiving becomes a new family tradition.  Scott Pilgrim is a love letter to nerds and gamers everywhere.  As a film SP does something magical, it perfectly captures that adolescent feeling of being lost in life and finally finding something worth fighting for.

The music is a blast with great new songs by Metric, Blood Red Shoes, and Beck.  If you haven’t seen Scott Pilgrim yet you must see it in order to level up.

Mary "Mar" Winstead as Ramona Flowers

Game: Mass Effect 2 – There are now only two types of video games, those that came before Mass Effect 2, and those that came after. Flawless visuals mixed with a complex yet understandable story make ME2 the best game of the year, if not all time.

Mass Effect 2 improves some of the major game-play flaws of ME1 and makes the combat fun and addictive.  As the middle chapter in a massive story, it manages to introduce a handful of characters even more memorable than those in the first chapter.  To say that I’m eagerly awaiting ME3 is a colossal understatement. Thank you Bioware for setting the bar oh so high.

T.V. : The Walking Dead – Although only on its 4th episode, The Walking Dead is the only serialized drama I’m watching this year.  With amazing acting by a talented cast and some truly horrific moments, this is one of the best things I’ve ever watched on the small screen.

After reading the first thirty issues of the comic I knew it would be nearly impossible pull off a television series about the zombie apocalypse that ”never ends.” Well they did it.  The television show is as good as the comic, if not better.

Let’s hope that like the comic book, the television series ”never ends”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGB4VDQI6XM

The Clash at Demonhead

Roku Black Friday Sale

I love my Roku, and now that it has Hulu Plus for a measly $8/month you really have no reason not to get it. Roku is running an awesome black friday deal, so stay up til midnight playing Cataclysm or Assassins Creed or whatever it is that is striking your fancy this holiday and make a purchase that will save you money in the long run. The cable company is ripping you off and you don’t need that much TV, you’ll realize what you love most and support it better.

Roku Black Friday Deal

I have a macbook pro, it was given to me by my work and I use it for work I do at home and some other things around the house. I have videos and music on my laptop that I would love to watch on my TV or listen to over my stereo, but I’m not getting an Apple TV, why? I don’t need it. What I do have is an XBox and I want it to do everything, is that asking so much?

So here is the deal, I have an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm that I wanted to watch tonight, so the hunt was on. How many crazy hacks do I have to do to watch this video, how much time do I need to spend in my terminal to make this work.

The answer? None. Nada. Zilch. I found the Connect 360 by Nullriver. I downloaded it, I installed it (it works itself into your preference pane), I opened my xbox, went to my media and to my surprise, my macbook was listed. Now I expected it to be a pain. I clicked my TV Shows folder, clicked my Curb video and boom. Playing. I’m now happily watching my video and barely had to do anything.

]]> http://www.nerdappropriate.com/2010/11/23/im-a-mac-fanboy-in-a-microsoft-world/feed/ 6 http://www.nerdappropriate.com/2010/11/22/netflix-offers-streaming-only-plan/ http://www.nerdappropriate.com/2010/11/22/netflix-offers-streaming-only-plan/#comments Mon, 22 Nov 2010 22:25:06 +0000 Scott http://nerdappropriate.com/?p=261

Netflix streaming only plan for $7.99

Today, Netflix announces a streaming only plan for $7.99 per month. Consequentially, the cost other plans appear to be increasing by a dollar or so, depending on your plan. The plan announcement arrives on the heels of the recently announced Hulu Plus, which came out of the preview period earlier this week, also $7.99. Looks like a little healthy competition here, giving consumers more choice beyond cable and satellite. Score!

Greendale standoff

As far as watching the show goes, if you don’t feel like watching the entire series, well then I pity you, but I can give you a quick jumping off point. The following episodes are ranked the highest for me, all are available on Amazon, so cut the cord already and get in on the digital revolution.

Episodes you need to catch are as follows (ordered by release day):

1. Season 1, Episode 5: Advanced Criminal Law.
   Why? Chevy Chase features heavily and is hilarious through out. The songs he writes are brilliantly awful.
2. Season 1, Episode 9: Debate 109.
   Why? Probably one of the first time the show starts breaking down the 4th wall and truly gets weird. It is awesome though and also about when the show starts to hit its stride
3. Season 1, Episode 17: Physical Education.
   Why? Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) in tiny gym shorts is hilarious, and the discovery of alternate Abed is icing on the cake
4. Season 1, Episode 23: Modern Warfare.
   Why? Hands down one of the best episodes of the entire show. The school breaks down into paintball warfare
5. Season 2, Episode 4: Basic Rocket Science.
   Why? They accidentally hijack a rocket simulator made by KFC called “Eleven Herbs and Space Experience” in an episode filled with pop culture references and vies with Modern Warfare for my favorite.

Five should be enough right? Although in reality you need to watch both seasons. I’m leaving you with the clip I teased in the beginning. Troy and Abed in the morning.

BUY THIS: Community: The Complete First Season

WATCH HERE: Community on Hulu

FOLLOW THESE TWEEPS: Donald Glover, Gillian Jacobs, Alison Brie, Danny Pudi, Joel McHale, Ken Jeong, NBC Community

Caprica won't live to see a second season, neither will my cable service

It’s that time of year again… no, not when department stores start putting out holiday decorations (that happened months ago). This is the time of year when fall television makes its first round of early cancellation announcements. By now, it should come as a surprise to no one that just about anything that isn’t “reality” based or a procedural crime drama finds its head on the chopping block. I was somewhat surprised at the cancellation of JJ Abrams’ Undercovers, but stunned to learn that Caprica will not make it past its first season. Now, after consecutive years of premature show cancellations, I find myself wanting to cancel cable all together.

I’ll admit that Undercovers didn’t have the sci-fi underpinnings of a show like Fringe to keep viewers interested before the token Abrams’ multi-season-story-arc could really get going, but was enough of a welcome deviation (from other shows on television) to keep my support. Caprica, on the other hand, seemed like a surefire bet: a program based on a blockbuster series, seductive marketing, and a home on a channel that caters to fans of SCIENCE FICTION. What really has me worried here is this: If science fiction programming cannot survive on a channel that caters to that audience, then where will it survive? Certainty not on broadcast TV (see also Terminator: SCC, Life on Mars, Pushing Daisies, Virtuality, Defying Gravity, Firefly, and Dollhouse).

Season after season, I’m starting to feel that television no longer caters to my interests. Practically speaking, it is more emotionally gratifying to watch a whole season of a TV show through a web based service than to have something torn away from you after 6 or 7 episodes. It has been (or will be) mentioned on the Rated NA podcast, but where will fans of these niche-type shows find comfort? Can a show, like Caprica, live as an Internet-only show, partially funded by page advertisements, in-show ads, and/or even fan contributions. It works for NPR and PBS (not quite the same scope, but you get the idea).

I don’t claim to have the answer to the emerging frontier of web based / internet streaming programming, but I do know this: Keep cancelling the things that I love, and I’ll keep looking forward to cancelling cable television.

PS #SaveCaprica

Alas, this is not why we are here though, we are here for Eureka, a quirky take on X-Files where a town full of geniuses have nerdy, scientific problems pop up on a weekly basis and the everyman character of Sheriff Jack Carter, perfectly cast with Colin Ferguson, helps solve the mysteries. This show didn’t take the 2 to 3 show warm up most shows require, it is deftly played out immediately with a wrong place wrong time storyline for Jack’s character to fall into. The mystery is oh so scientific but told in a humorous manner. Everyone raves about Big Bang Theory being the nerds comedy haven on television, I’ve never been much of a fan, it plays too stereotyped. Henry, played by Joe Morton, the mechanic, turns out to be a genius who is knee deep in the towns experiments. The recurring gag of the patch on his suit is good for a chuckle. The humor in the show is light and airy, with just enough sarcasm to keep me happy, and such wonderful characters. Seriously, I don’t know how I’ve missed this show for 3 years. I’m playing catch up now and laughing all the way through.

I definitely brand this one nerd appropriate and highly recommend giving it a shot. I sadly missed the comic con panel on this one last year, and now I wish I had stayed, what was announced at the panel was the internet loved Felicia Day was joining the cast for season 4, and I can see it being a perfect fit. Is SyFy the new bastion of well written TV? Battlestar, Eureka…I’ll definitely have to keep an eye on it.