In case you missed it the first time around, I only reminded you like five times, Dr. Horribles Sing Along Blog is back for viewing. No longer an ITunes exclusive, Dr. Horrible has returned to Hulu due to popular demand. Each chapter can be viewed individually or the whole show can be watched as one 42 minute clip. I can't think of many better ways to kill an hour at work.
In other Horrible news. Joss Whedon has confirmed there will be more chapters in the musical dramedy starring Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion.
As long as you're opening a Hulu account (it's free) check out the Film Crew channel. The Film Crew is essentially MST3K without the props and bots. I wrote about them back on Feb 11th, and have since seen the films offered on Hulu. If you were a fan of MST3K, Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphys voice overs to bad movies will take you right back to Saturday mornings on the couch with a bowl of sugar smacks and the channel tuned to Comedy Central.
The new trailer for the eagerly awaited Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince hit the net. The film is scheduled for release on Nov 21 of this year, and if the trailer is any indication, it'll be the darkest chapter yet.
For now, watch the trailer, mark your calendar, and fellas, remember; Emma Watson (Hermione) is 18 now. Feeling old yet?
If the video doesn't work. (you know how YouTube is) You can find it at MSN or MTV.
Do you really have the right to call yourself a progressive radio station if five of the last eight tunes you played were by the Cranberries, Nickelback, Norah Jones, Lisa Loeb and the Go Gos?
Some things should never be repeated. Some are huge like the Civil War or a Celine Dion comeback tour. Others are small like getting back with an ex you know is bad for you or repeating, compared to what?, when your wife asks if she looks fat.
Some things, the idea of repeating would be so heinous, you imagine no one in their right mind would even attempt to repeat them. In fact the thought of repeating certain things should cause physical reactions. Nausea, sweats, perhaps physical discomfort. The sense you would feel when you come to the realization that your foot is nailed to the floor in a revolving door.
That's pretty much how I felt when I read this morning that MTV is going to remake The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
First thought that comes to mind is....why?
Bear in mind, I'm not talking at all about the original stage production. That could be fun in a limited run. Nope, I'm talking about the movie.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the twisted brainchild of Richard O'Brien and Jim Sharman. A tripped out glam horror/sci-fi musical shot on a shoestring and starring unknowns. Most of whom went on to bigger and better things.
It is also the highest grossing midnight movie, and still plays to this day inviting cult fanaticism and audience participation. Rocky Horror fans perform the whole film in full costume down to the slightest gesture on the theater floor while the movie plays overhead. (I miss you 8th St. Playhouse)
Going to see Rocky Horror required preparation. Toilet paper, newspapers, squirt guns, lighters and more were mandatory if you wanted to fully immerse yourself in the Rocky Horror experience, and the costumes...oh, the costumes. You haven't lived till you've seen several young ladies all dressed as Little Nells Columbia standing around chatting or practicing their dance moves. No wonder the Pussycat Dolls do nothing for me, they're tame compared to what I saw as a kid.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show starred than unknown Tim Curry as the transexual transylvanian Dr. Frank N Furter. Susan Sarandon spent 90% of the film in bra and panties as the prurient Janet Weiss. Barry Bostwick was her equally naive fiance Brad Majors. Rounding out the cast were Richard O'Brien as Riff Raff, Patricia Quinn as his sister Magenta, Little Nell Campbell played Columbia and Meatloaf was her boyfriend, and nephew of Brads mentor Dr. Scott, (Johnathan Adams) Eddie. Peter Hinwood plays Rocky the Frank N Furter created man, and the film is expertly narrated by Charles Gray to tie it all together.
So why wouldn't this work as a remake? Why would it? There are a lot of thing to consider before going down this very dangerous and fated to fail path.
First, midnight movies and cult films aren't made, they happen. There is just something right about the chemistry, the production and what it taps into in the current hip consciousness that makes them special. Often the creative team is going for something completely different. Just take a look at films that had all the right elements and failed because they were going for cult status. Snakes on a Plane comes to mind.
Second, Rocky Horror challenged the morality of the time with it's goth/glam outfits and questionable sexuality. Janet and Brad getting seduced by this creature was the greatest fear on a parents mind and the kids knew it. With films like Brokeback Mountain garnering critical acclaim, does anyone really care if a character is gay anymore? How many parents would bat an eye in our post Madonna/Britney society if their daughter wore a corset to a movie, or their son had pierced ears and wore eyeliner? They see this every day and worse. There's nothing left for Rocky Horror to challenge. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if gay and lesbian rights groups protested the film for portraying homosexuals as sex crazed deviants out to corrupt the youth of America.
Third, there's no smoking in theaters....of anything! To many, part of the RHPS experience was mind expansion, if it wasn't, chances were good you'd get a contact high anyway. I also could not imagine my local Regal multiplex allowing a midnight mess to be made in the theater. Better leave the water pistols and TP at home this time around.
Fourth, it's an MTV production meaning it will be cast with whoever is big at the time regardless of true talent. RHPS by MTV would be a stunt casting extravaganza. Eddie Izzard as Frank N Furter, or maybe Sascha Baron Cohen. Let's get Jared Leto to play Brad and Amy Lee as Janet. You see where I'm going with this? It would be battle of the divas and the losers would be the people who shelled out 9 bucks for it. If you think MTV is going to do anything but a PG13 film you are deluded. Out goes the overt sexual deviance's that made the original so much fun, and to some shocking.
I could probably come up with another half dozen reasons not to do this film, and I couldn't come up with one as to why they should. I'm sure MTV thinks they could make money off a RHPS remake, and maybe they will, but I think their money could be better spent on something original. Throw that money at Joss Whedon if you want a sci fi/horror musical to call your own. Make something that's relevant to our disaffected Bush era youth. Do something positive instead of rehashing old taboos that hold as much water as a leaky thimble these days, or as Frank N Furter would say "Don't Dream it, Be it."
Let's hope the powers at MTV wake up and cancel this project before it gets too far.
This new article may very well prove I am also a finely tuned athlete. All these years existing as a primo catch and I marketed myself as PBR when I should've been going for a bottle of Dom, or at least a good boxed wine.
One of the best things about this article is the actual test subject. Clem Burke is a one time mentor, though I'm sure he wouldn't remember me from 3 decades ago, and lifelong idol/hero. I learned how to do a drumroll by emulating his style over and over again. Heck, I even learned a disco beat playing along to Heart of Glass and it didn't suck!
The article doesn't say anything I haven't been saying for years. At 43, I probably suffer from as many sport/drum related injuries as any athlete. Both my shoulders have bone spurs, I have tennis elbow which may need surgery some day. Both my calves are hyperdeveloped which often constricts lactic acid so I have chronic pain in both legs. (running helps this a bit, as does stretching) There are other minor aches and pains and I can't attribute all of them to old age, since I'm not that old.
It is true that I would have to spend about 15 minutes before and after shows doing various stretches while my band mates were working on 12-16 oz curls. Doing shows is like running in place for 40 minutes under 90 degree lights, and I won't even go into rehearsals.
Only problem is, most drummers tend to get a gut, myself included. We usually get the short end of the stick, no pun intended, since we're not as svelte as a singer or guitarist. This is from not doing any ab exercises and focusing more on speed than strength. We also get accustomed to eating more to keep our energy up since we burn so many calories. Sadly, our habits don't necessarily change when we're not gigging, or god forbid not working with 2 or 3 bands at a time.
It's all fine though. my wife says while every girl may want to date the singer or the guitarist, they all want to marry a drummer.
That's good enough for me.
here is the original article
Drumming beats most sport as exercise
Will Pavia | July 23, 2008
THEY have been the butt of jokes, and even the most agile of their number have seldom been regarded as paragons of physical virtue.
For all John Bonham's thunderous half-hour solos behind Led Zeppelin and Keith Moon's frenzied skinbashing with The Who, neither man - nor the generations of drummers who followed them - was ever recognised as a finely tuned athlete.
All that is about to change. After an eight-year study of Clem Burke, the veteran Blondie drummer, sports scientists have concluded drummers are comparable in their physical prowess with world-class sportsmen.
Marcus Smith of the University of Chichester said: "For me, as a sports scientist, he is no different to the Olympic athletes I have worked with."
Dr Smith and Steve Draper, of the University of Gloucestershire, monitored Burke's oxygen uptake, blood lactate and heart rate in rehearsals and live performances.
"He loses up to two litres of fluid in a performance, which is similar to a runner going out and doing 10,000m," Dr Smith said.
Burke burned 400-600 calories an hour. His heart rate averaged 140 to 150 beats a minute, though it could rise as high as 190 beats - equalling that of Cristiano Ronaldo in a Premier League football match.
Restoring the honour of the rock drummer has been a labour of love for Dr Smith, a lifelong Blondie fan. In 1998, as he was finishing his PhD, there were rumours the band was about to reform. He wrote to Burke that summer as a fan and as a sports scientist who had worked with professional football players and British Olympic boxers. They met at Wembley Arena, where Burke agreed to let Dr Smith follow him around on tour.
"There is a lot more to it than having a beer and walking on stage for two hours," Burke told The Times. Even if that was how he used to do business, "at this point in my career, I'm conscious of needing to be prepared".
He does not think, however, that he is the only one who requires the services of a sports scientist. "Rock and roll music is in middle age now," he added.
Burke needs to stay in peak physical condition and can sometimes suffer from joint pain. "Jacuzzis, saunas, massages, all that is incorporated into the life of the modern drummer," he said. The late Moon, whose manic performances seemed to create enough energy to power the national grid, was once his idol. "These days, I say he taught me what not to do. He was very physical but he basically killed himself with excessiveness," Burke said.
As he spoke, drummers up and down the country basked for a moment in the warm glow of recognition for their physical achievements.
Dave Rowntree, the drummer for Blur, said: "I would lose a stone every time I went on tour. You get a three-hour workout every night."
Sarah Jones, 22, who plays drums for indie band New Young Pony Club, said: "I think of drumming as exercise. Other musicians can stop occasionally but you have to be going like the clappers for the whole gig."
She now meets drummers with strict fitness regimes. "I do see drummers who start preparing hours before they go on. They say, 'Right, it's time for my banana now', and they will have specific energy drinks."
She wonders whether this fits within the rock and roll image. "It does seem rather boring," she said.
Yesterday I gave some updates to previous posts. Somehow I forgot one of the most important and immediate updates even though I had it written boldly on my Zombie Survival Guide desk calendar.
Spaced, the amazing BBC series created by and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevens and directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) has finally hit our shores in a region 1 (U.S. for those of you not familiar with regionspeak) release. The set includes the whole 14 episode series and a ton of extras including additional commentaries with celebrity fans like Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino, Patton Oswalt, Matt Stone, Diablo Cody and Bill Hader. You owe it to yourself to get this series. You owe it to everyone you know to introduce them to this series. You owe it to Tim and Daisy and Mike and Brian and Twist and Marsha and yes even to Tyres O'Flaherty to witness their lives in motion.
Spaced is one of the few shows that use pop culture references where and how they make sense. When Tim berates a child for wanting a Jar Jar action figure because Phantom Menace was crap and loses his job, it makes sense. I wanted to cry over Phantom Menace too. I know my thought process is a lot like those of the characters in this show. Rapid fire and full of iconic lines and scenarios crammed in there willy nilly just waiting for a chance to be needed.
Sigh, my mind works like a Looney Tunes cartoon.....
Spaced is also the series that inspired Simon and Edgar to begin Shaun of the Dead, and for that alone you must buy the set. Tim gets too stoned while playing Resident Evil 2 then dragged to a performance art show where he starts hallucinating zombies. I kid you not. So go out and buy Spaced. Street price is around $35-$40, and it's well worth it.
Since I'm stuck taking an online Driver Safety course (I got caught speeding, first time) I thought it would be fun to give some updates on things I've previously written about. Well, fun and less time consuming. Damn my lead foot!
Back on Feb 7th I wrote this piece on the upcoming Oneechanbara film.
I'm happy to say that the film has been released and premiered at the New York Asian Film Festival last month. Is it good? I don't know. Am I gonna see it? First damn chance I get!
Oneechanbara is also heading to US game consoles early next year with Oneechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers at a budget price for the Nintendo Wii.
Japanese Game Trailer
In other resurgent video game news, on Feb 15th I reported on the Capcom/New Line legal battle over the Dead Rising game.
While I haven't been able to find any new info on the lawsuit, which George Romero knew nothing about. It seems like you can't keep a good zombie game down. Dead Rising has been retitled and ported to the Nintendo Wii. More than likely the Wii version will bee a bit easier to get through as several game elements have been tweaked and they are adopting the Resident Wii-vil 4 control scheme to take advantage of the Wii-mote. The newish title, Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop will hit stores this winter.
In additional Dead Rising news there are several rumors floating around that Dead Rising 2 is in the works, this time by a western studio. Taken out of the Colorado shopping centers. Frank West the protagonist of Dead Rising may be working on his tan while bashing zombies in LA or Vegas. Can we expect more lawsuits since Resident Evil: Extinction also takes place in and near Vegas? I really hope not.
You are probably one of the handful of people who went to Mamma Mia this past weekend and skipped Dark Knight, so you missed the awesome trailer. There's no reason you couldn't see both, you know. Actually, if you're not aware of The Watchmen, I'm going to assume you landed on this site by accident, which is strange since I'm not aware of a blogsite called all the cool greeks. Watchmen has a theater date of March 6th 2009. It's written by (voice of Solid Snake) Dennis Hayter (X Men & X Men 2) and directed by Zack Snyder (300 & Dawn of the Dead). If you missed the trailer, I'm feeling generous so here it is.
Finally, The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman is currently my favorite comic. A sentiment I made pretty clear on March 28th.
Since then The Walking Dead volume 8 has been released collecting issues 43 -48, and issue 50 hit the shelves a few weeks ago. If you are not reading this book there is something wrong with you. Not that I'm judging but really, you should get checked out or something. The Walking Dead isn't a typical zombie book. This book is about people, survivors first, and it's a pretty compelling and oftentimes brutal read. Issue 50 is a great jumping on point for people afraid to start a book without knowing who the characters, and what the situations are. It's a fresh start for us series veterans who need a breather after the emotional roller coaster we've just ridden. It's also a new beginning for those just coming to a series they'd like to feel invested in. Walking Dead collections can be found in most major bookstores and at Amazon. New and back issues, as well as collections can be found in your local comic shop.
So that's it for my updates. I've now gotta go study up on my 3 E's. (Education, Engineering and Enforcement)
Just a quick reminder that Doctor Horribles Sing Along Blog part 2 is up for your viewing pleasure. You can still catch part 1, but remember it all comes down on the 20th. Part 3 is up on Saturday the 19th. Watch it, learn the songs, there will be a quiz later.
Doctor Horrible part 1 is online, and it is AWESOME!!!
To catch it click here. I mean, you can finish reading this, but then clicking here is absolutely imperative. I won't even feel bad if you click here before you finish reading this. Doctor Horrible will only be up for a limited time while these words will be here forever. In truth there's no reason you shouldn't click here right now.
What excuse could you possibly have? That meeting can wait, they're not going anywhere. If it's important, they'll call back. Really, what are the chances the baby's gonna develop the reasoning to stick a wet finger into an open socket in the next twelve minutes? Let grandma lie there, she knows better than to reach for the cookie jar. let her muse awhile on what that cookie would've done to her diabetes. You can hold it for a lousy 12 minutes. I said you can hold it!
So you see, there is no reason to not click here. Don't go to another sight first, you'll just get distracted with what world leader is screwing what people now. Possibly get sucked into the whole how much is a picture of this celebrities baby gonna cost controversy.
While I'm at it, if I can go off on a tangent. What the heck is up with celebrity baby pictures? My friends have kids and it's all I can do to keep my inbox empty enough to receive other mail. Aww, look how cute he/she/it is still covered with placenta and umbilical cord. Here's the latest video of our baby sleeping, at about the 10 minute mark he/she/it makes a little fist, Awwww. Here's us bringing the baby home, if you squint really hard you can kinda see some bald head peeking out from the 32 blankets we have him/her/it wrapped in. Then you get that picture every year for Christmas in the same outfit only several sizes bigger. Only celebrities would think of selling their baby pictures. Honestly, all you need is one shot of Winston Churchill and you're pretty much covered in the baby picture category. What do we really care anyway? Face it, by the time these over privileged kids are old enough to have their own reality show we will hate them. We will be so over saturated with their American royalty status it will be all we can do to avoid news about them. Two words for you Paris Hilton. Honestly, the only celebrity baby picture I would want to see would be on the cover of Weekly World News. That's the end of my tangent.
Back to Doctor Horrible...
Here's all the reasons you should click here right now. Doctor Horrible is Awesome, but I covered that already. It will only be online for a limited time. It will be shut down on the 20th. Neil Patrick Harris is amazing. Nathan Fillion plays a jerk. Felicia Day is cute and wonderful. Simon Helberg is Moist. The songs will stick in your head and make you smile. Joss Whedon, need I say more? The world's a mess and I just need to rule it. It's curtains for you Doctor Horrible. Lacy, gently wafting curtains. It's only a little over 12 minutes long for part 1.
So what are you still doing here, when you can click here? I wont mind. You'll be glad you did.
There are a lot of shows I watch regularly, but few that I need to watch as they air. (thank you DVR) The Showtime original series Dexter is one of those shows. Based on the novels by Jeff Lindsay, (I'm working on the first) Dexter is one of those shows that hooks you in and won't let you leave unless it's in several plastic garbage bags drifting on a warm Miami undercurrent.
For the uninitiated, and those with basic cable. Dexter is the story of blood spatter analyst for the Miami Dade PD, Dexter Morgan. He's an incredibly likable guy. He's devoted to his job, his friends on the force including his adoptive sister Debra the foulest talking cop in the precinct. He has a beautiful, if not damaged girlfriend and her two kids he deeply cares for.
He's also a murderous sociopath.
Fortunately for Dexter, and the rest of the city. He was adopted by Officer Harry Morgan after witnessing his mother being killed. Harry recognized Dexters impulses for what they were, and instilled in Dexter a code to live by. A moral compass to substitute for missing morality. Dexter uses this code to enact justice on killers and rapists who have somehow escaped traditional punishment.
Dexter is a brilliantly written program. Nothing is easy in Dexters life and there were moments in the second season where I swore there was no way out for our anti-hero. Good thing the writers on this show are a lot smarter than I am since it's surprises like last seasons that keep me coming back.
Of course the best writing in the world couldn't save poor acting. Fortunately Dexter has some top notch talent talking the talk.
Michael C Hall (Six Feet Under) is so disarming as Dexter that it makes his moments of insanity blaze off the screen.
Jennifer Carpenter (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) plays his sister Debra, and trust me, she is every girl you ever wanted to date rolled into one, except she has the lousiest taste in men and she would kick your butt then laugh about it with your best friend later over burbon shots.
Julie Benz (Angel, Buffy) is Rita. Dexters single mom anchor to normalcy. Except nothing is normal with Rita. She is severly damaged from a disastrous marriage and slowly starting to heal from it.
Lauren Velez as the nihilistic Lt. Laquerta, C.S. Lee as wisecracking Vince Masuka and David Zayas as Angel Batista the closest thing to a true friend Dexter has rounds out the excellent cast of regulars.
Both seasons of Dexter are available on DVD and I strongly recommend watching them. A third season is on it's way this fall and I couldn't be more excited for a returning show. This excitement is exacerbated by the amazing image above sent to me by the far hotter of the Scalin siblings, the babelicious Miss Mica. Check her out at MicaWave. The image is indeed done by Shepard Fairey of Obey fame and will be promoting Dexter at this years San Diego Comic Con at the end of this month.
Not to go all Perez Hilton on you, but it's been reported that Mac Guy Justin Long and amazingly adorable, free spirited, Letterman flashing actress Drew Barrymore have called it quits. Way I see it I'm back in the running. My wife understands. So Drew, we know you like the dorky guys. What do you say?
I don't know if it counts as geeky or not, but I feel a need to let you know about LucBessons late 2005 romantic noir fantasy Angel-A. I completely forgot I had thrown this on my Netflix queue, and in truth was expecting the 3rd disc in the anime series Black Lagoon when I tore open the bright red envelope.
This was definitely a case of getting a book for it's cover since I had seen the DVD box at a Blockbuster and the image had me so intrigued that I had to see it not even really knowing what it was about.
Released here in 2007, Angel-A is the story of a down on his luck, in debt Arab American (green card) low rent criminal named Andre played by Jamel Debbouze. After some unsuccessful attempts at extending his debt deadlines, and unable to even get himself arrested, Andre decides to end his life by jumping off a bridge into the river Seine. He meets Angela played by the beautiful Rie Rasmussen who apparently has the same idea and jumps first. Andre, of course jumps in to save her, but who's really doing the saving?
In researching this film I couldn't believe the effect Luc Bessons work has on people. there doesn't seem to be a middle ground, he's either hated or loved. Someone had even said that The Professional was his litmus test for personal relations. "If you like that movie, I can't even talk to you." It's all a bit extreme, I have a friend who doesn't like Fifth Element, but I'm not gonna leave a burning bag of dog poop at his door. Now if he hated Dawn of the Dead.......well that's just stupid (wink).
I have to wonder, am I not hipster enough to hate Luc Bessons work? Does French cinema need to be 3 hours long and incomprehensible to be good? Is Luc Besson too easily translated to an American audience (The Professional, Nikita, Fifth Element, Subway) to be considered a true French artist. Opinions of his work are very polarized. Polarized is a good way to describe Angel-A as well. Everything in this film is contrasted. Andre is short and Angela is tall. He is dark, she is light. The film itself is in black and white with amazing cinematography by Thierry Arbogast. Paris itself becomes a character in the film and the movie takes us to some amazing locales. This isn't a heavy movie. Definitely not as heavy as "It's a Wonderful Life" that it's clearly influenced by. You don't have to watch it with a box of tissues by your side in case a fly gets in your eye. There is nothing too deep in the dialogue or the characterization. Some may see it as too simple but once the players start exhibiting shades of gray it would throw the whole light/dark balance off. Some pop psychology platitudes rear their ugly heads, but again, I think it works here.
Maybe I just identify too much with Andre, and maybe, just maybe here is where Angel-A ties into my geek lifestyle. Andre sees himself as a loser, unable to fit in and inept at all he does. Who hasn't felt like that? Upon meeting Angela he tell her when he looks in the mirror he sees shit. In one of the movies more touching moments she forces him to look at himself in the mirror and asks him what he sees. I don't know. He replies. See, your making progress already, you don't see shit. Is her comeback.
Angel-A is one of those rare romantic fantasies you can watch with a significant other and not feel you've been roped into a "chick film". Andres treatment of Angela can be crass at times but instead of condemning him for it, I'm taking cultural differences in account. Besides, if I had a beautiful leggy blonde following me around wanting to do nothing but help me, you can bet your butt I would find a way to screw that up ASAP! Right ladies?
So if you're looking for a movie that's easy on the eyes, mind and heart (with a killer soundtrack) you may want to check out Angel-A.
By the way, if you do see this movie and wonder if you missed something because Andre always has his right hand in his pocket. Wonder no more. Jamel Debbouze lost his right hand at the age of 15. His signature move is to keep the stump hidden.
I've been saving this one since Noah pointed me in it's direction. How I missed it? I can only assume there was some sort of planetary alignment, or I was infected by an intergalactic parasite that rendered me temporarily incapable of of discovering or recognizing awesomeness. (That would explain the new Heidi Montag song I found...far, far from awesomeness. In fact, anti-awesome if there could be such a thing)
So, as Joss Whedon explains in his Master Plan. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog was conceived during the writers strike as an alternative way to do business. I.e., bringing entertainment to the public for fun and profit while circumnavigating the hollywood business model. I.e., money grubbing studio execs who'd rather fill our lives with unscripted pablum till the section of our brains that recognize art start reacting to accidental crotch hits (funny, but not art) and gaggles of losers vying for the amorous attention of yet another loser who everyone knows will be back for another season sans this seasons winner/real loser.
Joss tells it with far less bitterness and much more of the funny, so I suggest reading it..there are Forest Kings....Ohhhhhh.
Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog will premier with act one "Wheee" on July 15th. Act two follows "OMG" on July 17th, and the final act "Denoument!" is up on July 19th. Word of caution. The whole thing comes down midnight July 20th. After which it will be available as a modestly priced download, and eventually as a dvd with tons of extras. I know I'll be watching, and I'll try to get a reminder out early each day another episode appears along with a short review.
If you're a Buffy fan, you may remember an episode called "Once More With Feeling" where Joss tapped into his inner Sondheim and gave us a genre musical episode. If you haven't seen it I strongly suggest seeking it out. Dr. Horrible is Mr. Whedons second stab at a musical. This time about a shy evil Doctor and the hero who thwarts his plans.
Whedonverse regular Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Serenity, Buffy) plays Captain Hammer (the hero, natch) and Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie, How I Met Your Mother - ser) stretches his acting chops to portray the titular Doctor Horrible. (just don't know if I see NPH as a Dr.)
Judging by the talent involved this should be, to quote another NPH character, awesome! and legendary!
If you want a little taste of the characters check out the online Captain Hammer comic at Dark Horse Presents. While you're there check out the back issues featuring additional work by Joss Whedon as well as new Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba and work by my old friends Bob Fingerman and John Arcudi and many more. Get used to the web comics folks, something tells me your going to hear a lot more about them before too long.
I'm a big fan of the Phoenix Wright videogames for the Nintendo Gameboy and Nintendo DS. For those unfamiliar with the series. Phoenix Wright is a young defense attorney with a spirit medium as a partner. Each case features odd characters, odder situations and logic that will often have you ready to bang your head against the wall. Twisted logic aside the games are amazingly fun. There are currently 3 games available. Ace Attorney, Justice For All and Trials and Tribulations all available for the DS. Though the Phoenix Wright storyline ends with Trials and Tribulations, Nintendo has continued the Ace Attorney franchise featuring a new litigator Apollo Justice. I haven't played this one yet, but if it's anything like the Phoenix games, I'm sure I'll enjoy it. Anyway, while playing Trials and Tribulations I came across these two game screens featuring everyones favorite bumbling detective Dick Gumshoe. I got such a laugh out of them I thought I would share. Enjoy.......
