Everything’s coming up Illuminati

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, May 15th, 2009

Just as the cinematic version of the Catholic Church had enough problems to deal with during “The Da Vinci Code,” it’s got a whole new one in “Angels & Demons.” Based on Dan Brown’s best-selling book and again starring Tom Hanks as globe-trotting symbologist Robert Langdon (although this time with better hair), the next chapter takes Langdon to Vatican City as the age-old enemy of the Church, the mysterious and underground Illuminati, rears its malevolent head again after a few hundred centuries. It’s up to Langon and a comely Italian scientist to decipher puzzles and symbols and get to the bottom of the conspiracy and save the day. Earnest Hanks looks, explosions and intrigue ensue.

If you’re thinking a tad more small-scale, however, you might want to invest a couple hours with the charming indie comedy “Management,” a new film at Cinema Arts Theatre. It’s kind of strange to think that Jennifer Aniston does anything under the radar, but this kind of is, and is charming to boot. She plays a woman who likes life on the safe side, until she meets a slightly nutty free spirit (Steve Zahn) who takes a shine to her and crosses the country to win her heart. Woody Harrelson is the third piece of the love triangle, as her yogurt-peddling ex.

There is a heap of DVD goodness coming on Tuesday so strap in. If you miss the season finale of “24″ on Monday (or missed the whole seventh season for that matter), pick up the DVD set or Blu-ray. The first season of HBO’s odd and ever-watchable vampire series “True Blood” is also out on both DVD and Blu-ray — that’s for those who like their backwoods weirdos and bloodsuckers in hi-def. The third season of “Friday Night Lights” is out as well, and that’s DEFINITELY a show worth watching in full. Not as good as the first two addictive seasons, the third is still entertaining and nicely sets up the upcoming and recently announced fourth in 2010. I like Kevin James and World War II flicks, so “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” and “Valkyrie” are in my Netflix queue, and “Fanboys” is an above-average paean to all us geeks and “Star Wars” nerds.

For those Jack Bauer lovers out there, what’s been your favorite season of “24″ so far? Spill your thoughts in the comments, and have a great weekend! Play me out, Keyboard Cat:

Nerd up for Free Comic Book Day on Saturday

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, April 27th, 2009

President’s Day. Patriot’s Day. National Eggs Benedict Day. None of them hold a candle to Free Comic Book Day, the one day of the year where geeks get to mix with regular folks of all ages for our national pastime: getting free stuff.

Started in 2002, Free Comic Book Day is held annually on the first day in May — which would be this Saturday for all you calendar-challenged types. This year, comic book stores all across the country will be handing out one of the best lineups in FCBD history, 2 million comics in all, to entertain as well as fight illiteracy. Get to the shop early to get your hands on DC Comics’ “Blackest Night” No. 0, the entry issue into this summer’s biggest crossover event featuring Green Lantern and a whole bunch of other colored Lanterns. (I got an early look at it and it’s definitely a must-read.)

Marvel Comics is offering up an “Avengers” comic written by Brian Michael Bendis featuring Thor as well as the New and Dark Avengers squads. The youngsters will want a copy of “Disney/Pixar’s Cars,” based on the hit movie, and the gang from “The Simpsons” makes an appearance in “Bongo Comics Free-For-All!” Those into ’80s toy franchises will want a copy of “Transformers Animated/G.I. Joe” from IDW, and there’s an issue of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” for the Jedi nerds like me. That’s the best part: There’s something for anybody and everybody. And did I mention they were all FREE?! You can check out the whole lineup here.

Now, I bet you want to know where to go locally, don’t you? Well, my favorite store, Laughing Ogre Comics in Lansdowne, will be one of those participating, as well as its sister store in Fairfax at University Mall. Both will be hosting signing events, too: the Filibach brothers, writer/artists of “Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures,” will be in Fairfax while “Mini Marvels” writer/artist Chris Giarrusso is stopping by Lansdowne. There are other shops, too: Nova Comics in Springfield, Big Planet Comics in Vienna, Ron’s Collector’s World in Annandale, Aftertime Comics in Alexandria, Hole in the Wall Books in Falls Church and Painted Visions in Woodbridge, among them.

If you happen to have some money left over after getting your free comics, you might want to plunk down some cash for some new books out this week. Those interested in “Blackest Night” will want to see what happens in “Green Lantern” No. 40, as the Green Lantern Corps takes on its Orange Lantern counterparts, and to see what happened in the last big Green Lantern event, there’s “Sinestro Corps War Vol. 1″ in trade paperback form. That’s cool, but I’m also interested in “Dark Reign: The Cabal” this week, a five-part one-shot explaining how Doctor Doom, Namor, Emma Frost, Loki and The Hood all formed their uneasy evil alliance.

And what do you know: Free Comic Book Day just happens to be the day after “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” gets released! It seems Hugh Jackman wants you to come out to Free Comic Book Day, too (and would like you to see “Wolverine” while you’re out and about):

The Cinderella generation

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

Like trickery and transfiguration in your fairy tales but not villainy and rescue? Russian scholar Vladimir Propp boiled fairy tales down to their basic plot points, and this fairy tale generator allows you to pick your storylines and see what you get. For use as templates: “Cinderella,” “Snow White” and “Hansel & Gretel.”

A lot of people think Michael Jackson is a bit creepy. I’m not one to judge, although I also do not choose to wear only one glove at a time. This blogger takes a funny look at the recent Jackson auction collection and makes some entertaining insights.

There’s nothing like watching an animated dude falling down a mountain and hearing “AAAAARRRGH!” set to a techno beat.

I had no idea that Simon Cowell hated owls or was a leader of beavers. I’ve just had some knowledge dropped on me.

Japanese toy companies love reimagining our pop-culture franchises. Here, see what happens when you monkey with “Sesame Street” characters and turn them into tchotchke with suction cups.

This one’s for the time nerds: a graphical representation of minutes passing us all by. Carpe diem!

The geek-friendly site Great White Snark offers a cake of the week as one of its regular features. This week’s treat is a Jabba the Hutt cake that’s really quite cool but looks hella unappetizing.

“Snakes on a Plane” is just not a movie made to be edited for TV. Why? Because then you get problems like this.

I am all about a Twitter, but this post looks at several Tweets that may just get you fired. Lying to your boss, calling him an idiot and publicly hating your job are not great ways to keep it.

This random pic is for fans of Queen and the New Gods: Freddie Mercury vs. Darkseid!

Sure, Earth Day may have passed but that’s no reason to not proclaim both your eco-friendliness and your “Star Wars” geekdom. Throw on one of these shirts, grab your green lightsaber and you’ll be ready to save the world. Or at least the ozone layer.

Got a great link? Send it over to novapoppin@gmail.com. Here’s your video of the week:

A cheat sheet for your next trip with Doc Brown

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

If, say, you ever find yourself piloting a DeLorean powered by 1.21 jigawatts or befriending this guy on the left, make sure you print out this handy-dandy cheat sheet for time travel. Scoff if you’d like, but it’s got some important stuff contained within. For example, it would be helpful to know pasteurization if you somehow find yourself in a time pre-pasteurization. (It also suggests you take credit for something like this when it happens. So I guess it should be brianization now, huh?) Quite a few topics are covered, from chemistry and flight to health and technology. Hang it up in your time machine and if you head back to the future, remember to pick up a sports almanac.

Mario, that lovable Nintendo plumber, is a proud member of the proletariat. Check out this very cool animation featuring the People’s Mario laying the smack down on Goombas, Marxist style.

Along the same cartoony lines, you will seriously waste countless minutes randomly taking out clouds on this site. Simple yet effective. Make sure your speakers are on — the popping sound is half the fun.

Sometimes the artistry that goes into web design truly amazes me. This is one of those sites where I have no idea how they did it, but they make the simple action of moving a ball between the hands of seven different figures pure artistry. Another site to play with as a midday stress reliever.

For those wondering what exactly to do in an emergency, follow this list. Thankfully, I’ve been practicing my door-opening karate chop.

I like this page, as it allows one to find out exactly what song topped the charts on your birthdate. It’s C.W. McCall’s “Convoy” for me. Ah, you have to lve any song that includes CB radio chatter.

For those like me who love both “Star Wars” and “MacGyver,” this is a must-see.

I don’t know really what to say about this site, other than it will keep you busy for a while.

Got a great link? Send it to me at novapoppin@gmail.com. And here’s your video of the week, a new classic:

Catching up on Internet superstars you missed

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, April 8th, 2009

When I first saw “Dramatic Chipmunk” on YouTube a couple years back, I thought it was the funniest thing ever. Thing is, it was already old by that time and I was late for the pop-culture train. So while you’re keeping up with the viral Joneses, this site gives you the rundown on 99 Internet sensations that you may have missed. They’re all here: “Chocolate Rain,” “Boom Goes the Dynamite,” “Peanut Butter Jelly Time,” “Charlie the Unicorn” and “George Lucas in Love.” My personal favorite: “G.I. Joe Porkchop Sandwiches.” Just remember — some are pretty NSFW so wear the headphones, kids!

Fairfax’s own ThinkGeek is again the place to get your ’80s on with some of their newest items. Impress your video-game pals with some “Space Invader”-inspired ice cubes in their mixed drinks. But you must serve them wearing neat-o medieval steel gauntlets and an official Adams Atoms shirt just like the one Ogre wears in “Revenge of the Nerds.” NERRRRRRRDDDDSSSS!!!!

This is pretty amazing: the lowest-tech version of “Star Wars” ever.

“Back to the Future II” seemed pretty far out when it set the adventures of Marty McFly in 2015. We’re still six years away, but here’s a list of what the movie has already accurately predicted.

For web-based baseball games, this one’s pretty fun — and morally challenging. “Baseball Juiced” lets you choose between taking steroids or just hitting the gym naturally before swinging for the fences. But what out for random drug testing!

Courtesy of my new favorite website Topless Robot, this list checks off the 10 most likely serial killers among cereal mascots. OK, Count Chocula I can see, but Sugar Bear?!

And those looking for a serious time-waster as well as channel your inner Neil Peart will want to bang these virtual drums to back your fledgling synth band. (Thanks to Warren for the tip.)

Got a great link you want to share? Send it on over to novapoppin@gmail.com. Here’s your video of the week, a tremendous mash-up of “Star Wars” and “Snatch” (again, with saucy language):

A prank that could turn out to be a nerdtastic treasure

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, April 1st, 2009

I have spent many a keystroke showing the love for my favorite pop-culture store, Fairfax’s own ThinkGeek. And it, like many sites on the Interwebs today, pulled April Fools’ pranks on their readers. (Hey, Google — mucho props for the Gmail “Autopilot.”) In all its geektasticness, ThinkGeek put up a joke product today reminiscent of a classic scene from “The Empire Strikes Back”: a Tauntaun sleeping bag for your little “Star Wars” nerd. (The Unicorn Chaser and Squeez Bacon were also ingenious.) The thing is, a LOT of people fell for this fake cool product and a LOT of people really want it to be very real, so ThinkGeek is promising its peeps that they’re getting on the horn with George Lucas’ peeps to see if they can actually make it happen. Stay tuned. I don’t have any kids, but I’ll totally keep it around for when I show them “Star Wars” for the first time.

I have no idea who came up with this entertaining animated video, but the Kenyan tourist bureau should hire them post-haste.

Movie-quote junkies can appreciate this: the 100 best movie lines in 200 seconds.

Who isn’t driven crazy when you need to call some company’s customer service, and are forced to talk with a computer to get the job done. (Oh, if they only somehow understood obscenities.) This hand-dandy link for Dial a Human! is a must for those who love to speak with an actual person, giving you the 411 on what numbers to dial to get somebody real on the phone.

Chances are, most of us will never have to deal with a zombie attack. Yet if you ever find yourself in this apocalyptic scenario, these are the first people you’re supposed to kill. Dang it, nerds are fifth on the list!

Cooking by Numbers takes cooking and turns it right round, baby, right round. Whereas normally if you’re gonna get your chef on, you find a recipe and THEN go get the needed ingredients, this interesting site takes what you already have in the fridge and the cupboard — like, say, beef, butter, chocolate, coffee and eggs — and tells you what you can make. Of course, you have more options with the more stuff you have lying around. Thankfully, noodles and sauce is always a choice.

Got a great link? Send it to me at novapoppin@gmail.com. Here’s your video of the week. Watch it and you’ll never hear Katy Perry the same ever again.

A nerd must-have: the Admiral Ackbar shirt

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, March 25th, 2009

As you might imagine if you’re a regular viewer of this blog, I’m a big fan of action figures. And a big fan of “Star Wars.” One of my favorite figures of that line back in the day was a guy you had to send away for, that being Admiral Ackbar. (If you’re at a loss, he was the red, lobster-y leader of the Rebel fleet against the second Death Star at the end of “Return of the Jedi.” Any geek worth their Lego Millennium Falcon knows who I’m talking about.) So, boy, was I psyched when I saw this Admiral Ackbar T-shirt that featured one of his most memorable lines. The Force is strong with this one, yo.

There are a lot of people with too much time on their hands. But this guy is at least doing something entertaining as he’s taking creative liberties with a gang of Stormtroopers. The political-leaning folks will like this post from the same site: a critical look at bad paintings of Barack Obama. (If you like want to see the art sans commentary, go here.)

Maybe the Stormtrooper guy recently got a pink slip. That means he also has one of these.

What’s that saying, about stuff coming from the mouths of babes? This is a pretty funny list of how first-graders filled in the blanks with famous proverbs.

I pity the fool who doesn’t check out this Tuff Talkin’ Mr. T! Pull the string on a real Mr. T or an action-figure version for one of his many “A-Team” catchphrases. I can get behind this jibba-jabba.

Check out The Virtual Piano and its many chords for a quick musical interlude to your day. Word to your diminished 7th!

Anyone besides me recall those Quizno’s commercials from a few years back featuring weird creatures singing, “We love these suuuubs!”? The guy who created that has his own site and there is some wicked cool stuff on there, usually having to do with chinchillas, crabs and cats in viking attire. This video of a Slayer fan is simply priceless.

Got a lead on a neat-o link? Send it to me at novapoppin@gmail.com. For your video of the week, I present … “Kitten War”!!!

My Freaky Pony

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

As much love as there is for 1980s toy franchises of late, there seems to be something almost as popular: customizing aforementioned 1980s toys. This link brings together a host of customized My Little Ponies that are pretty dang entertaining and clever. I was never a big My Little Pony fan back in the day, obviously, but how can you not love these freaky horses? The nods to He-Man, Batman and “The Nightmare Before Christmas” are swell, but the “Star Wars”-centric ponies are AWESOME, especially the Boba Fett, Stormtrooper, Chewbacca and Han-Solo-in-Carbonite ones. Also on the same site: an item about people who want to keep LEGOs close to them at all times.

This is a cool little trick to see if you belong to 2 percent of the population or the other 98 percent by testing your number-guessing, geography and fruit-recollecting skills. (Alas, I am not unique enough to be in that elite 2 percent. Sigh.)

Those who follow “The Office” will appreciate the weird, animated city on this site. Go from building to building for quirky comedy sketches with members of the community. It’s cool, and voyeuristic!

Speaking of “The Office,” Ricky Gervais wrote a hilarious open letter to President Obama. The gist? A plea to send recent London visitor Paris Hilton back to the States and make her stay here.

I grew up on the old 1960s “Batman” TV series thanks to syndicated reruns (and man, was I scarred when I saw how old Adam West got!). One of my favorite parts — other than the “Pows” and the “Whams” — was the sleek Batmobile. There is a whole site devoted to the history of the super car, from toys and specs to the background of how a forgotten concept car became the pimped-out ride of a campy Caped Crusader.

Pondering making your own horror/sci-fi movie and can’t come up with a sufficiently cliched plot? Your prayers have been answered with this handy-dandy plot generator.

Got a great link? Send ‘em to me at novapoppin@gmail.com. You’ve been waiting for it, so here’s your video of the week:

Virtual Stan is the man!

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, January 15th, 2009

In the ongoing pursuit of finding you the freaky-deakiest links and whatnot on the Interwebs, I have some very cool stuff for you this fine Thursday.

If the people around you just aren’t entertaining you enough, then go to the Internet and meet Virtual Stan. Created with three guys with probably way too much time on their hands, Virtual Stan is like a cyber-Teddy Ruxpin, if you could make Teddy frown or sing “Roxanne” with his robot BFF, Zorthron. This a time-waster of the very best sort: You can make Stan smile or put him in a box, and have him belt out Metallica’s “Creeping Death,” push different buttons to have him say a bunch of different phrases (a simple “Ha Ha Ha” will elicit a giggle), in front of a blank background or a choice of locales, from an Apple Store to Italy. Although my personal favorite is having Stan croon “Brick House” in front of Hogwarts School of Wizardry. Oh, if only you could place a lightning bolt on his forehead…

For the immature ones in the house, we have this list of unfortunate road names.

I’m not even sure this thing has a name but it will keep you amazed forever. Move your finger to the tune of Journey’s “Any Way You Want” for true awesomeness.

This is a really neat little application to check the massively popular social networking, video, music and blogging sites to see if your choice of usernames is taken. So, Mr. “Bootscooter75,” you’re out of luck on Gmail, Vimeo and Pownce, but otherwise your handle is available on quite a few places. Score!

And although it’s not exactly the usual fare on links day, area music fans may want to check out the Songwriter’s Association of Washington’s Young Artists Showcase at 7 p.m. Friday night at the COFFiHOUSE in Merrifield. The up-and-coming band Sing Me Insomnia has some catchy tuneage, and Vienna native Natalie York is one of the more talented jazz singers I’ve heard in a while. (Thanks to Julie for the tip!)

Here’s your video of the week!

Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn’t seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

Get your Force on

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, January 8th, 2009

What’s up, everybody? It’s been a while since we looked at what was cool out in cyberspace, so I’m starting today with something perfect for the true “Star Wars” nerd.

Most of us played with toy lightsabers back in the day, imagining we were Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader. Possibly that’s still the case, and maybe you’ve moved past easily breakable plastic weaponry and wanted something a bit more realistic — or as realistic as you can get when dealing with fictional colored lasers from a galaxy far, far away. Enter the Custom Saber Shop. This is for the truly hardcore lightsaber aficionado: The site offers a host of illuminated blades, hilts and other supplies you’ll need to customize your lightsaber. In fact, they have a whole Saber Builder application that allows you to pick, choose and price out different aspects, from screws, switches, pommels and other doodads to truly make it one of a kind, and if you need help, there’s a forum filled with like-minded folk. May the Force be with you indeed.

I LOVE me some cereal. Seriously. Frosted Flakes, Apple Jacks, Corn Pops, Fruity Pebbles, Cookie Crisp … mmmmmmmmm. Yet perhaps Me and Goji will help me eat better and more organically by letting me design my own cereal! BOOSH! You can choose from more than 30 ingredients, from wild Maine blueberries to goldenberries to whatever the heck a hunza raisin is, to put in your breakfast-y concoction, they’ll make it for you in New England and then ship it down to you in a Cereal Capsule. It’s not exactly cheap, but it’s fun way to be a little bit healthier with your cereal options.

Think you can double-click with the best of ‘em? Test yourself in the World Mouse Clicking Championship.

One of my favorite online stores, the Fairfax-based Thinkgeek, is currently having a clearance sale with up to 60 percent off on a number of cool items — you know, if you’re in the mood to get a wi-fi detector shirt or a voice-command Dalek (yessssss!!!!!). But some of the new stuff is worth a gander as well.  This Destruct 3 Demolition Game would be a good choice for those wanting to take out some stress via wanton board-game destruction, and while I’ve never seen a sushi pillow before, that Ikuri Roll looks hella comfy.

Anybody find any neat websites over the holidays? Resolve to hook me up in the new year and send them to novapoppin@gmail.com. Now for oh-so-genius video of the week: