Fringe: The Best Sci-Fi on TV

With pouring rain most of the weekend, and a near car accident, I decided to forget the movie weekend and instead stayed in the comfort and safety of my apartment. I then had grandiose plans of watching a bunch of movies on Netflix, but after about 20 hours of gaming, I couldn't deal with watching a single 2 hour movie. (This makes no sense since I can sit down and watch 4-8 hours of episodic shows that are about 45 mins a piece, but dedicating 2 hours at one time sounds like such a chore.)

So, instead I caught up on Fringe. God I love this show. I hate that Fox moved it to Fridays to accommodate yet MORE American Idol -- is anyone even watching this now that Simon is gone? I am frustrated that our current system of collecting data on TV watching behaviors depends on an antiquated system that doesn't take into account the whole picture of viewing habits and downgrades those that are becoming more and more common (watching online or on DVR is not equal to watching live broadcast according to advertisers).


It's too bad. Fringe has been a consistently good show, with interesting characters, storylines, and some great acting. It's often compared to X-Files, which I see as a plus. I suppose I should be thankful it's made it through 3 seasons so far -- the amazing Firefly didn't even make it through one season on Fox.

If you like science fiction or stories of the strange & unusual and aren't already watching Fringe, check it out before it's gone. And here's to praying for a Season 4.

Movie Challenge: What to See this Weekend?

I've managed to tweak my neck/back (likely after hours on 3 crappy computer set-ups this week), so will likely not be able to game as much as I'd like this weekend. So, I'm thinking about hitting up a movie -- it's been a slow start to the year for movie releases. Maybe that's fine; I'm pretty much a homebody until Daylight Savings takes effect (Sunday!!).

Anyway, here are my options this weekend:

Rango (animated movie with Johnny Depp as voice of lead character):

Red Riding Hood (loosely based on the fairytale story with Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried as Red):

Side comment: While I love the red hood, am I the only one who thinks everyone in the cast looks just a little too clean and coiffed for a medieval village?

and Battle: Los Angeles (sci-fi action thriller with alien invasion of LA starring Aaron Eckhart):

Pretty sure it's going to come down to Rango (liked by Fans & Critics) or Battle: LA (liked by Fans). I'll keep you posted if it is a "feel-good" or a "blow s**t up" kind of weekend here in PDX.

I Know How You Feel, Stephen Colbert

I don't get to talk about him much here (and maybe I'll change that soon while I wait for the summer movies to start rolling out), but I LOVE Stephen Colbert. I loved him on The Daily Show, I loved him in Amy Sedaris' Strangers with Candy, and I absolutely adore The Colbert Report. I admit that when the show first started in 2005, I didn't get it. But I kept with it, and now it's among my regular favorites.

This week, he covered a very important topic: The release of Apple's iPad 2.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Stephen Wants an iPad 2
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

Oh My God, I Need It!

I currently own no Apple products, but I have technology-envy with this one. I have to say, the iPad is pretty sexy and without even seeing it, I'm pretty sure the iPad 2 continues the tradition (despite it's still awful name).

There must be some research need for the iPad 2, right? Let's see if we can come up with one to justify such a purchase...

Hipster Superheroines

And the meme goes on!

This week, Comics Alliance follows-up up the Hipster Disney Princesses with something even better: Hipster Superheroines. There's even an opportunity to clip the images and make your own snarky hipster superhero. I see geeky birthday cards for all my friends!

A few favorites from the CA link:

Zatanna (it was a toss up between this one and the one with the PBR reference)

Wonder Woman:



Power Girl -- this one has a special place in my heart because of the Portland reference. So true, why bother?

Hipster Disney Princesses

Some days, it's like talking to yourself out here in ye' ol' blogosphere. A recent NYT article reflected on the decrease in blogging, especially by Millennials, in favor of "micro-blogging" on sites like Facebook and Twitter. I have a whole argument about why that's not really the same thing, but it's Friday and not sure I care that much to get into it.

So, instead, let's get to why I am here and still love playing with my blog. It's for the fun, ridiculous goings-on in the Geek World. Well, and anything else that amuses me. It may or may not amuse you -- so be it. Where our interests intersect in the great Venn diagram of the world, it's fantastic! Where they don't, we walk alone as pioneers, perhaps sharing the new and ridiculous with others in the world.

Oh, hai -- this is me not ranting or getting tangential. Blame the lack of sleep.

Anyway, I present to you Friday's treasure: Hipster Disney Princesses! (h/t io9) Maybe this is a meme I'm slow to notice, but having them together in the little gallery-type presentation format that io9 uses really drives this one home for me.

Here are my favorites:

This one wasn't in the io9 gallery, but a quick Google search on the topic yielded this awesome Alice:

I love that one of the definitive traits of a Hipster Disney character is the black framed glasses, and of course, a snarky comment.

Now, who is starting the follow-up to this? "Hipster Disney Queens" (I mean the queens, sorceresses and witches of the Disney world. Don't be so obvious.)

Super Heroes and Fashion Week Collide

Kapow! Crash! Bang!

I'm not really sure what to think or say about this, other than "huh." But last week was Fashion Week in New York (not that I follow such things, but I read enough on Twitter, iGoogle, Yahoo!, etc to know this information) and this post from Comics Alliance caught my eye.

Fashion designer Jeremy Scott showed off his 2011 collection, which appears to be largely inspired by the stylings of DC super heroes. While I love me some super hero garb, I'm not sure that I love the couture-ized version of costumes for high-end consumption.

For instance, here are two Superman-inspired designs:

Granted, I'd love for capes to come into style, but sequins? Meh, not so much.

What about these Black Adam-esque fashions?

I think I like these better, perhaps because of the bolts of lightning, and how elongating they are. These also seem to be more casual (no sequins!), which feels a bit more campy and fun.

I wonder if this is the beginning of a new fashion trend?

Dead Island Game Trailer

The Husband suggested I check out the new Dead Island video game trailer, posted all around the inner-tubes yesterday (for me, discovered via friend Winda Benedetti at MSNBC). And the inner-tubes don't lie, people. This is one helluva trailer. Check it out, then let's discuss...

Not only is the animation breathtaking (wow, is it), but there is a story in this 3-minute clip that is dramatic and heart wrenching. I'm no film student, but I really liked the device used of moving time both forward and backward. The music is sedate and melancholy (I didn't even notice it the first time through), in sharp contrast to the gruesomeness of the visuals. And while I didn't cry, the last 15 seconds -- a flashback to happier times -- gave me the chills.

I'm sure like many others today, I can't wait to see the game itself.

This also reminds me to always be prepared for that zombie uprising. **Shudder**

Wonder Woman Announced

(image via Yahoo.com)

I guess the big news this week is the casting of Wonder Woman: Adrianne Palicki. I've never heard of her, but I don't watch Friday Night Lights, which appears to be her big credit to date. Maybe she'll be great! Maybe she'll suck and the only place anyone will ever talk about this show again will be at Comic-Con. We will have to wait and see.

But, let me say, I'm a little more concerned about the latest developments I'm hearing about the story line itself. Over at Comics Alliance, they report that Ms. Palicki will be playing 3 roles:

• The titular crime fighter, "reinvented" here as an LA-based vigilante
• Alter-ego #1: Diana Themyscira, a mega-billionaire CEO
• Alter-ego #2: Diana's "plain Jane" assistant, Diana Prince

We can argue about the setting of Los Angeles for this series (I'm pretty sure I've already argued against this) or that Diana is a 'mega-billionaire CEO' (Is she supposed to be a female Batman??). But I have a big problem with her playing both the CEO AND her own assistant. Why? What is the point in that? Is it credible -- at all -- to think that a CEO/superhero would also be an admin? I barely have enough energy to do one job, let alone 3. Granted, I'm no WW, but come on. Can't Diana have a sidekick or confidante, another female who helps her in her professional role at the minimum?

Well, I hope the show isn't as much of a hot mess as what it sounds like thus far. As iconic a character as she is, Wonder Woman should be a great role in an amazing project. I hate to see the character diminished by producing crap. I'd rather have nothing but the comics than a half-assed project. The concept of the show doesn't strike me as something mainstream, so it would be important to get the geeks behind it. And so far, the geeks aren't too impressed...

UPDATE: I just found this sneak peek (via Sexy Beast) of the pilot. Read it for yourself, but my two cents: Bleck.

Gifties for Your Valentine (or Yourself!)

We're not too big on Valentine's Day in my house, which is fine with me. I don't need the jewelry/flower/chocolate cartels pressuring us to get gifts! But then I see all those ads, and I can't help it -- all I think is "Shiny!!" I like shiny.

But, as a geek girl, married to a geek boy, shiny things really aren't a part of our culture. So instead, I share with you a couple of alternates for your Lovable Geek.

First up - the 8-Bit Flower Bouquet (via ThinkGeek.com). Maybe it's because my husband is a Mario fan, so I always keep an eye out for Mario-themed gifts, but I think these are cute. I would totally put them on my desk, and AND they won't die (this always saddens me with cut flowers)!

Or how about a nice Star Trek themed cologne? I chose to feature "Pon Farr" (for her) from UrbanCollector.com but you might try "Shirtless Kirk" or "Sulu Pour Homme" for the geek guy in your life.

You might prefer a home made touch, so what about some delicious cupcakes? Whether you be gamer geek (h/t Hello Tauren!):

Or Star Wars geek (h/t Geekologie):

Finally, if you still think jewelry is the way to go, consider these nice dog tags, err "necklaces" for all the geek archetypes. Mine, of course, would be the global "Geek Girl," though your girl might prefer "Anime Geek" or "Fiend" instead.

Whatever you end up deciding, Happy Valentine's!

X-men: First Class Trailer

X-men: First Class trailer out now (via CBR's website)!

Probably need to watch this again a time or two, but it looks better than I thought it would. I'm not sure if that means I expected garbage or if it really looks good, but that's how it goes some days. I'm pretty sure this will follow absolutely none of the comic book continuity, but luckily for me, I wasn't a big X-men diehard fan, so I can live with it as long as there is a decent plot and good characters/acting.

I don't know most of the young actors attached to this project, but I am happy to see Kevin Bacon and Ray Wise appearing in the credits. Another generation of folks who can continue the fun of "6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon!" Huzzah~

The movie is scheduled for release on June 3rd at about 1,000 theaters near you. I'm sure there will be more to say on this one as summer approaches.