Poll Results: The Best Inception-based Batman villain

The results are in from the poll! The question was "Which of these INCEPTION actors would make a good BATMAN villain?" Joseph Gordon-Levitt won by a landslide, probably based on rumors that he'll be playing the Riddler in Christopher Nolan's third Batman movie. Ellen Page was a close second, which makes me wonder what villain she would play. Catwoman? Poison Ivy? Anyway, thanks to everyone who voted.

This week's poll will be a major geek smackdown. Who's the sexiest babe in the Star Wars movies; Princess Leia Organa, Queen Padme Amidala, or Aayla Secura?

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10 Things You Didn't Know About the TMNT Comics

A lot of people familiar with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles know them from the popular animated series. A somewhat smaller group (who consider themselves cooler) know the TMNT from the comic books. But even that group may not know all the details. Here are ten things you probably didn't know about the kung-fu amphibians.

1. The idea for the comic book series came from a doodle drawn by Kevin Eastman one night in 1983. It showed a lumpish turtle with two nunchucks. He and his partner Peter Laird thought the contrast of the supposedly slow turtle moving with the speed and grace of a ninja was hilarious.
2. The title "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" was a satirical reference to several trends popular in comic books at the time. "Teenage" was a reference to the eighties trend of making teen versions of superheroes like Marvel's New Mutants and DC's New Teen Titans. "Mutant" was a reference to the popularity of Marvel's mutant series like X-Men and X-Calibur. "Ninja" was a reference to the then cliche of ninjas flooding comics of the time, particularly Daredevil.
3. The two formed their own independent comic company Mirage Studios with just $1200; a combination of a $500 tax refund and a loan from an uncle. The name was a reference to the fact that they didn't actually have a formal comic book company or even a real studio. They drew the comic on their kitchen tables.
4. Eastman and Laird thought that giving the Turtles Japanese names would make them too foreign to American readers. They decided to give them European names, and drew from their art background by naming them after Renaissance painters. Leonardo (Da Vinci), Donatello (Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi), Michelangelo (di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni), and Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino).
5. Though one turtle was supposed to be named after the Renaissance painter Michelangelo, the turtle's name was misspelled as "Michaelangelo" since the very first issue. The spelling wasn't corrected until 2003.
6. The original comic was heavily influenced by Daredevil, specifically the work of Frank Miller. In the original TMNT origin, the radioactive waste that spills on the turtles comes from a can that falls off a truck. The same waste also hits a teenage boy trying to push a blind man out of the truck's path. This is a direct reference to Daredevil's origin. Also the Turtles' archenemies the Foot Clan is a parody of Daredevil's Hand Clan of ninjas, and Splinter is a parody of Daredevil's mentor Stick.
7. Shredder, the nemesis of the Turtles in every incarnation of the characters, was actually killed in the very first issue of the comic book in 1984. He didn't show up in the comic again until 1987.
   
8. The blade-covered armor of Shredder was inspired by a cheese grater. Eastman originally thought of calling him "The Grater."
9. The turtles' first licensing deal was for a set of lead figurines in 1988.
   
10. By 1989, Eastman and Laird were so busy with the licensing deals from the TMNT that they no longer had time to write or draw the comic books. They are widely criticized among comic fans as being sell-outs.

Sources:
Wikipedia
The official TMNT Website

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If The USS Enterprise Had Realistic Voice Recognition

PICARD: Computer.
COMPUTER: [chirp] Welcome to the USS Enterprise Voice Recognition System. If you know the extension of the person you'd like to call, please say it now. For environmental changes, please say "environment." For access to records and documents, please say "records." For entertainment options, please say "entertainment." For information on ship systems and diagnostics, please say, diagnostics." For the replicator, please say "replicator." For--
PICARD: Replicator.
COMPUTER: You said "diagnostics." Is that correct?
PICARD: No.
COMPUTER: You said, "No." Is that correct?
PICARD: Yes.
COMPUTER: I'm sorry. Please state your request again. For environmental changes, please say "environment." For--
PICARD: Replicator.
COMPUTER: You said "replicator." Is that correct?
PICARD: Yes.
COMPUTER: Thank you. Please state what you would like to replicate.
PICARD: Tea. Earl Grey, hot.
COMPUTER: You said, "Be whirled whey in a pot." Is that correct?
PICARD: What? No.
COMPUTER: You said, "No." Is that correct?
PICARD: Yes.
COMPUTER: I'm sorry. Please state your request again.
PICARD: Tea. Earl Grey, hot.
COMPUTER: You said, "Be pearl day, shot." Is that correct?
PICARD: No.
COMPUTER: You said, "No." Is that correct?
PICARD: Yes.
COMPUTER: I'm sorry. Please state your request again.
PICARD: Tea...Earl...Grey...hot.
COMPUTER: You said, "Need girl gay, hot." I'm sorry, but we cannot replicate human beings. If you wish female companionship, please visit our lounge, Ten-Forward.
PICARD: I didn't say "girl gay," blast you.
COMPUTER: I'm sorry. Please state your request again.
PICARD: Oh, for heaven's sakes. Look, I want a cup of Earl Grey tea. And make it hot.
COMPUTER: You said, "Zero-four Blevin's rakes hook a font couple Curly May pee and naked hot." Is that correct?
PICARD: Oh, forget it. I'll just use a teapot.

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"The Weight of Information" Radio Plays Premeire on YouTube

We recently featured an article on the satirical collection of news stories from alternate realities called What Were Once Miracles Are Now Children's Toys by Ira Nayman. Now comes a radio play based on the book called Weight of Information. The first one is about the mystery of gigantic floating heads that appear over every city in the world...but just float there whispering gibberish, which leads to debate as to their origin and purpose [youtube]. The second one features a behind-the-scenes peek into the Alternate Reality News Service and how it works [youtube]. Both are well-produced and funny.

That said, I don't think the YouTube videos quite work. I understand that it's a radio play, so you're just supposed to listen not look, but right now the videos show pictures of what are apparently the actors recording the plays. That kind of takes away from the illusion of what's going on. Personally, I would have used pictures that reflected what was happening in the story. Photoshopping some giant heads would have helped. At the very least, I would have used a static picture of a logo for the news service or something like that, so we're not focused on the screen. I also think a podcast would have been a better choice for the series than YouTube. Still worth a look...er, listen, though.

What do you think of the Weight of Information series?

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Video of the Week: The Empire Strikes Back (1950)

Today's video is brought to you by Ivan Guerrero (a.k.a. whoiseyevan). He creates what he calls "premakes," old movie clips edited as if they were 1950's versions of modern movies. One of his masterpieces is a trailer for The Empire Strikes Back, circa 1950. See what the AT-ATs, Boba Fett, and Darth Vader would have looked like way back then.

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EXCLUSIVE: Jar Jar Binks Explains Why He Sucked

Adapted from a post originally posted on Monkey Migraine Mountain on April 29, 2005

It turns out that not only did the fans hate the little kid in Phantom Menace, so did the little kid. Jake Lloyd, the boy who was given such classic lines as "yippeee" did his first interview in six years for MTV.com. Turns out he's been in seclusion all these years, trying to recover from the humiliation of that movie. And he's sixteen! Can you believe it's been that long? How time flies.

After reading that interview, we sought out and got an exclusive interview with the other most hated character in Star Wars, Jar Jar Binks.

Q: First of all, we'd like to thank you for taking the time and risking your life to talk to us.
A: Yousa most welcome, boyo. Meesa happy to get de chance to spek out.

Q: Let's start at the beginning. How did you get involved with Star Wars in the first place?
A: It not a long-o tale-o. Way back inna day, meesa just workin' at Cheesecake Factory as waiter. Meesa liken dat. Makin' muy-muy tips, so ever'ting bombad. Den dis Big Boss come in, hisen called George Lucas. Hisen say he be makin' big movie called Phantom Menace. He spek meesa be muy-muy popular in de movie. Jar Jar never done no actin' before, but me say okie-day.

Q: What do you say to charges of racism in your character?
A: Um, well, meesa not too comfy wit' dat. Big Boss Lucas, hisen tellin' me to shuffle meesa feets more, use-a lisp more. Makeup be putten on Jar Jar's face to make meesa lips bigger. Lucas, he even bringin' in tapes of Amos and Andy, tellin' Jar Jar to spek more like dat. Meesa tryin' to stop, but Lucas no listen.

Q: How have you coped with the criticism?
A: It bein' muy-muy hard on Jar Jar. So many people be hatin' Jar Jar. Meesa be seein' all dat, meesa wanna bury head in da sand. Jar Jar even get into the prescription pain medication. Dat be makin' Jar Jar all crazy up in head for long time, but Boss be doin' intervention last year. Meesa go into rehab, get cleaned up. Meesa also be goin' to therapy, makin' muy-muy progress on self-actualization. Jar Jar be knowin' it not Jar Jar people be hatin'. It be character on film. Meesa be knowin' his limits now, learn to love Jar Jar first.

Q: Did you ever take some of the criticism to heart, try to improve on your character in the second film?
A: Meesa be wantin' good scripts, good lines. Meesa hire writer to help out wit' Attack of the Clones. Meesa wanna make subplot where Jar Jar be gettin' smart, become Jedi like little Annie. But Lucas, hisen no listenin'. He be puttin' in more scenes of me trippin' on bantha poodoo, hittin' head, stuff like dat. So I be askin' George Lucas, "count me outta dis one." Better to be not in movie at all den doin' more o' dat. Only gettin' few scenes in Clones, spek only one line in third. Jar Jar outta dere.

Q: What drove you into hiding?
A: Oh, meesa be gettin' death threats from muy-muy fans. Terrrible tings. Meesa seein' cartoon where Jar Jar get chopped up. Meesa gettin' scared. Meesa no like it, so meesa sayin' bye-bye. Jar Jar bein' in college for few years, thinkin' on Art History major. Meesa also been doin' few independent films, plays off-Broadway, and commercials overseas.

Q: What will you be appearing in next?
A: Meesa gonna do Death of a Salesman at off-Broadway playhouse in September. Meesa also be inna studio, got a new album comin' out wit' best buddies Eve and 50 Cent. But meesa be really wantin' to direct.

NOTE: Thanks to Bryce Moore for his analysis of Jar Jar's language, helping to get the dialogue right.

If we get enough requests, we'll post a follow-up interview. What other questions would you ask Jar Jar Binks?

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Why Princess Leia Went Commando in "Star Wars"

One of the best stories that Carrie Fisher tells in her latest book and memoir Wishful Drinking is her explanation for why Princess Leia was so, er, bouncy in the original Star Wars.

Remember the white dress I wore all through that film [Star Wars]? George [Lucas] came up to me the first day of filming, took one look at the dress and said: "You can't wear a bra under that dress."

"OK, I'll bite," I said. "Why?" And he said: "Because... there's no underwear in space."

While that is a ridiculous statement in itself, it gets better. Recently, after Carrie Fisher told this anecdote in her one-woman show in San Francisco, Lucas came backstage to expand on his reasoning.

He explained that in space you get weightless, and so your flesh expands. What? But your bra doesn't, so you get strangled by your bra. That's why I couldn't wear a bra in the first Star Wars.

That explanation shows that Lucas knows as much about space travel as he does about writing compelling dialogue. Good thing Lucas is such a stickler for scientific accuracy, although it seems to have failed him on the subject of explosions in space. If that underwear thing was true, all the men would have been strangled by their tighty whiteys. Plus there's the fact that the ship had artificial gravity, so the whole thing was a moot point.

In case you're wondering, yes, today's female astronauts do wear bras, and there hasn't been an incident of strap-strangulation yet.

Would you wear underwear in space?

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10 Crazy But True Facts About "The Wizard of Oz"

Yesterday, Google decided to celebrate the 71st anniversary of the original release of The Wizard of Oz...for some reason. In honor of this odd anniversary, we decided to celebrate it in our own way by listing the ten craziest but absolutely true facts about the movie.

1. The Nazi Connection - In 1938, when filming began on The Wizard of Oz, the Nazi regime in Germany was in full swing. The Nazis had a policy of exterminating "undesirables," which included those born with a physical impairment. Some of the diminutive actors who played the Munchkins were part of a German troupe, and seized the chance to escape the Nazis and immigrate to the US.

2. No Suicides in Oz - A popular urban legend is that you can see someone hanging themselves in the background at the end of the scene introducing the Tin Woodsman. The story goes that one of the actors portraying the Munchkins committed suicide because of a failed love affair, and the moment was captured in film.

In reality, it's just a large bird stretching its wings. The production let a lot of wild birds wander around the set to make it look more like a forest.

3. It's a Dog's Life - If you need any more proof of how poorly little people are treated in Hollywood, consider this fact. The actors that portrayed the Munchkins were each paid $50 a week. Terry, the dog who played Toto, earned $125 a week.

4. Oz Was a Flop - Though well reviewed, The Wizard of Oz was a failure in its original theatrical release. The movie cost $3 million ($46,990,384.62 adjusting for inflation) to produce, and only grossed $2.8 million ($43,857,692.31) in its initial release. It also didn't have much of an impact on pop culture at the time. The movie only became financially successful and a part of American culture when it began airing annually on network television.

5. The Nation Was Color Blind - The movie famously changes to technicolor when Dorothy leaves Kansas and arrives in Oz. However, when the movie first aired on television, color televisions were so rare that most viewers saw it entirely in black and white, anyway. That was one of the things that made the early television airings so popular; there were so few color shows at the time that could take advantage of the relatively new color TVs.

6. Oz is Not in Black and White - The opening and ending to The Wizard of Oz were not originally filmed in black and white. They were filmed on Sepia Tone film, which gave it more of a brownish tint. However, from 1949, all the prints shown of Oz were in black and white. The movie wasn't restored to the original sepia tones until a 50th Anniversary special-edition videocassette was released in 1989.

7. The Creator's Coat - When it came time to dress up Professor Marvel for the opening scene in Kansas, the costumers wanted a coat that looked old yet distinguished. So they went to a thrift store and got a rack of old coats. They finally decided on one, and when Frank Morgan put it on, he discovered a label that read "L. Frank Baum." That's the name of the author of the original novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Baum's widow confirmed that (by a staggering coincidence) they did indeed have one of Baum's genuine coats. They gave it to Baum's widow after production was complete.

8. Why Frank Morgan Keeps Showing Up -Frank Morgan plays five roles in the movie; the cab driver, Professor Marvel, the Emerald City gatekeeper, the Wizard's guard, and the Wizard himself. The reason he plays multiple roles is that they were trying to entice W.C. Fields to play the role of the Wizard, and were trying to give him more screen time. Fields ultimately passed on the role, but the gimmick of the multiple roles moved to Morgan.

9. Dorothy Wore Silver Slippers - In the original novel, Dorothy's slippers were silver, not ruby. However, the producers changed them to the color ruby so they'd look more interesting in Technicolor.
10. The Wicked Witch Was Too Wicked - The original version of the movie had more scenes with the Wicked Witch of the West, but children in the test audiences found her makeup so terrifying that they had to cut or reshoot the scenes to give her less screen time.

If you liked this post, please vote for us for "Best Sci-Fi" blog award! It only takes a minute and we really appreciate it. Click Here!

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Mr Spock Sells His Ears, Justice League Without Batman or Superman, Superheroes "Mined To Death"

1. TOSS-UP Which Star Trek auction sale is more impressive: Leonard Nimoy's $3000 Spock ears, George Takei's $4000 Sulu suit or William Shatner's $44,000 Captain Kirk uniform?

Maurice: Spock's ears for me. How old is that piece of rubber?
Money Migraine: Spock for me, too. The Kirk uniform is from the movie, not the TV show. The Sulu tunic I don't even remember.

2. ComicBookNews says DC is moving forward on a Justice League movie, but has taken a bizarre turn. No script has been officially worked on, but the basic plot is outlined. Actors are quietly being tested for the roles. The big surprise is the team roster: Green Lantern, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter. No Batman or Superman. This would eliminate the problem of recasting Batman from Christopher Nolan's Christian Bale. It also gets around the threatened lawsuit by the family of the Superman creator Shuster. Is it a good idea though?
Maurice: I don't know. It comes down to how badly we want this movie made and how much we're willing to accept. Flash and Wonder Woman would be cool, but Martian Manhunter? It might even make the team stronger. Superman doesn't need a back up team and it would raise the stakes nicely. Batman never struck me as a team player anyway.

Monkey Migraine: Waste of time. This would be like doing an Avengers movie without Iron Man and Captain America. If you're not going to do it right, don't do it at all.

3. In a recent interview with Hero Complex Director Mtthew Vaughn says superhero films are dying and won't be around much longer. "It's been mined to death and in some cases the quality control is not what it's supposed to be," Vaughn said. "People are just going to get bored of it."
Maurice: I disagree. There's plenty of good action left in the superhero genre. They said the same thing about the Western and police genre years ago, but they keep finding an audience. As long as the studios put out quality material with dramatic scripts, solid acting and great special effects the genre will survive.
Monkey Migraine: I disagree too. CGI is making it possible to portray superheroes in all their glory. The superhero genre is just getting started, and a great movie like "batman begins" and "Iron Man" can change the game. Movies like "Scott Pilgrim vs the World" will redefine the meaning of a superhero movie as well.

4. Happy Anniversary: On this day in 1883 William Gray invented the pay telephone. Phones were hard to find back then. When his wife fell ill he was frustrated by the inability to make a phone call to the doctor without begging a local merchant to use his phone. The idea of a pay telephone was born out of this need. The payphone boxes were once so common that it was used as an changing room for Superman. Several time machines including Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure and Doctor Who also used the box. Pay phones will disappear in the next ten years.

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Ten Greatest Geek Quotes As Charts

What's geekier than quoting your favorite lines? Reading charts of course. Here are the greatest science-fiction and comic book quotes as charts.

"Do. Or do not. There is no try." - Yoda, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back(1980)

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Video of the Day: Darth Vader Being a Jerk

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Austrailian Cave Tour Offers To Yell At You in Useless Klingon

A popular Australian cave has translated their tour to the pointless Star Trek language Klingon. I admire people for the effort it takes to learn a new language, but is it really necessary to have tours using it? Will the Louvre French museum have a tour in Avatar Na'vi? Will we be able to enjoy Arizona's Grand Canyon listening in Clockwork Orange's Nadsat?

The population that can actually speak and understand Klingon could fit in a medium-sized airplane. This is more a publicity stunt than anything else.

Here's the press release from the website Boldly Go where No Tourist Has Gone Before! - Jenolan Caves

Boldly Go where No Tourist Has Gone Before!
KLINGONS AT JENOLAN CAVES!

We are poised to boldly go where no other tourist attraction has gone before, with the first cave tour in the world to be available in the Klingon language.

In the Star Trek universe, Jenolan Caves was first immortalized in the Next Generation episode ‘Relics’, through the naming of a ‘Sydney Class’ Starship - the USS Jenolan. Now, this relationship will be developed further, when Jenolan Caves adds the language of Star Trek’s great warrior race to a tour of their most popular cave.

Opened on Stardate 60358.1 (December 2006) Jenolan Caves’ Self-Guided tour takes visitors through “The Nettle Cave”, and is seen by 150,000 - 200,000 visitors annually, making it the most visited cave in Australia.

Visitors take the tour with a digital audio device, provided by ‘Acoustiguide of Australia’. The tour is currently available in 8 languages. However, as of August 22, it will be available in 11 languages, one of which will be Klingon – the first genuine tour available on Planet Earth for Klingon speakers.

Early July saw Klingon scholars, Michael Roney Jr (aka naHQun) and Tracy Canfield, fly in from the USA, to finalise the translation and record the Klingon audio tour in a Sydney studio. Tracy and naHQun experienced the amazing Nettle Cave first hand, with naHQun exclaiming, “lH, qar’a’”? (For Terrans, he was remarking on the beauty of the cave).

In Sydney, on August 22nd, to launch the tour to Star Trek devotees, Jenolan Caves staff will attend OzTrek3. The self-guided tour with Klingon commentary will then be available to all Jenolan Caves visitors.

Would you take the self-guided tour in Klingon?
or 
 [Would] SoH tlhap [the] [self-guided] [tour] Daq tlhIngan?  
Translation courtesy of Mrklingon.org

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Pic of the Week: Star Trek Facepalm

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Video of the Week: Dumb and Dumber INCEPTION Trailer

Inception is an exciting adventure, but it was missing the dramatic acting skills of Jim Carrey. This trailer by Andrew Fischer of nurv.com fixes that.



His second video, brilliantly edited to match the original Inception trailer, isn't as funny to me.

What do you think of the trailer?

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George Lucas Filming STAR WARS Fan Film

George Lucas is filming a documentary on Star Wars fans at Star Wars Convention V this month called The Stories Project. This is probably because of all the negative publicity generated by the documentary The People Vs. George Lucas. The film is basically a series of interviews trying to figure out why fans are so mad at George Lucas for messing with Star Wars. They're trying to counter it with a film about fans who think everything is just lovely in the SW universe.

My fondest Star Wars memory is hearing the audience cheer as Darth Vader lifts Emperor Palpatine and throws him down the shaft in The Return of the Jedi. Hopefully, my son will have a fond memory of the movie too.

If you want to be a part of the film then head over to StarWars.com to tell your story.

What would you say if you were part of the documentary?
[Image source: arescube2000@yahoo.com]

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Contest Winners: Free JEDI JUNKIES Movie Giveaway

Congratulations to the two winners of the Jedi Junkies movie giveaway contest: Wzz (Ruth) and Scott Suehle!

Please send us your email addresses here so we can send you you're download codes. Enjoy your free movie!

Here's the full list of contestants:

• Wzz (Ruth) - 62pts
• UPDATE Auriette - 11pts
• Scott Suehle - 8pts
• Jappleseed - 1pt
• SkaryDrunkguy - 1pt
• Anonymous - 1pt

Thanks to Mark Editz for making the film and New Video Media as the digital distributor for giving us two codes to give away. Check them out on facebook.

If you didn't win, it's also available on iTunes(US) and Amazon VOD.

Look out for next month's contest where we'll be giving away some awesome t-shirts!

Update: I missed an entry because it was accidentally flagged as SPAM. If necessary I'll authorize an additional prize for the third place winner.

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5 Actors Who Should Have Been Cast as Thor

So we've gotten our first glimpse of Thor in the official movie trailer. I personally was underwhelmed with Chris Hemsworth's performance. Is he the best choice for this role? No. He's just the cheapest. Even though it's too late to make any kind of campaign, I still think it's worth considering who would have been a great Thor if Marvel wasn't watching their purse strings for the budget of the upcoming Avengers movie.

5. Paul "Triple H" Levesque - One area where Hemsworth falls short is the physique. He has an okay body, but no more than the average actor who goes through six months of rigorous bodybuilding. Thor's a freakin' god. It takes more than a six-pack to carry that off. That's why I'd have gone with Triple H. Okay, not the greatest actor, but physically, he would have carried himself better as Thor. Imagine seeing that guy throwing a hammer. Plus, he probably would have come cheap.


4. Jason Statham - Another problem with Hemsworth is that he doesn't have the attitude. Even the original Norse legends of Thor describe him as hot-tempered. Hemsworth looks like an eighteen-year old mad about being sent to his room. That's where I would have Jason Statham come in. If there's one thing Jason Statham can do is look like he's gonna go buck wild. Check out his performance in In the Name of the King to see the medieval butt-kicking he would have brought to Thor. He would capture that berserker Viking I'm-gonna-chop-off-your-knee-caps attitude. Of course, he would need a blonde wig, though.

3. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson - Of course, the best choice would be someone who has both the physical presence and also the warrior mentality. To get someone with the physique and the attitude, I think the Rock is on the short list. Even though his recent movie roles have made him kind of warm and fuzzy, we know from his years strutting on the mat in the WWE, and his role as The Scorpion King that he can do anger and attitude. Of course, being Samoan, it would take quite a bit to pass Johnson off as a Nordic Viking. Then again, who ever said that the ancient Vikings didn't make a stop in Samoa?

2. Russell Crowe - As much as Hemsworth in the trailer was pronounced a powerful fighter, does anyone believe Hemsworth as a soldier? Thor is supposed to be an ancient Norse warrior, a god who's lived for thousands of years and fought in countless battles. Hemsworth looks like he just got out of high school. I think Russell Crowe could have done a better job. He showed himself as the ultimate warrior in Gladiator. I would have loved to see Crowe swinging the mighty hammer Mjollnir. All he would need is to bulk up, grow out his hair, and dye it blonde.

1. Brad Pitt - As long we're dreaming, let's throw in Brad Pitt. He would be my number one pick. Not only can he pull off the blond studly Nordic role (tell me he doesn't look like Thor in this pic from Troy), but he's also a real tough-guy when he wants to be (check out Snatch to see his warrior side). And he can actually, you know, do that thing that actors are supposed to do called "acting?" This would, of course, have been phenomenal casting, on par with Robert Downey Jr. for Iron Man. Pitt's name actually did float around for a while as a possible contender for playing Thor. If it had gone through, it would have changed the whole game. And forced Marvel to open their wallets.

What do you think of the list? Any others you can mention to play Thor?

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Who Wants The World's Dorkiest Wedding? Batman and Wonder Woman Say "I Do."

The dorkiest wedding I've ever seen is the one between a guy and a girl dressed as Batman and Wonder Woman. I've seen a lot of costume weddings, from Star Trek to Star Wars and this is the worst. Ever. Where to start?

Neil Vaugh, 45, said "I have always wanted to be Batman, ever since I was a little boy and Sharon said she had always wanted to be Wonder Woman." Compromise is an essential part of marriage. It would have made more sense for  Superman and Wonder Woman to get married. Or Batman and Catwoman. Or Superman and Supergirl if you don't mind the creepiness of cousins marrying. The list goes on and on.

The costumes are cheap. A wedding doesn't need to be expensive, but if you're going to do it, go all the way. 40-year-old bride Sharon Vaugh bragged, "Our wedding was absolutely amazing and it cost us less than some couples would spend on just the dress." Splurge on some authentic looking costumes and make sure they're in your size.

If other people are wearing costumes to your wedding, ask them not to wear a costume better than the bride and groom. This goes back to the last point. If the Joker (Master of Ceremonies) looks cooler than the groom he looks like an idiot. Its like guests showing up wearing wedding dresses and tuxedos. It looks wrong.

Pose in character. Taking pictures with Batman and Wonder Woman holding hands running through.a meadow just looks wrong. Yes, it's a happy time, but stay in character for the pictures.

What do you think? Is this the world's dorkiest wedding?

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What the Green Lantern Costume DOES Look Like

Earlier this year my brother posted an image of what the Green Lantern costume might look like and we were 100% wrong. No one could have guessed the intergalactic superhero's costume would look like this:

Its completely different from any superhero costume I've ever seen. Here's how it differs from the comic book:

1. It's all green instead of black, white and green.
2. The mask covers more of his face and has a different shape.
3. The chest logo glows instead of just being a pattern on the costume.
4. It looks like his skin's been stripped off to expose his muscles.
5. The costume glows from inside.

For reference, here's the comic book version of the costume and an oddly effeminate muscle diagram below.




What do you think of the new Green Lantern costume?

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Pic of the Week: They Force Chokin' Everybody Out Here

If you don't get it, then check out this post on the latest meme.

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What Would Your Car Look Like If You Worked For Darth Vader?

We got the following email from a member of the awesome Star Wars charity group "501st Legion."

In the Star Wars movies, the Imperial stormtrooper always travels in huge troop carriers. But there's gotta be times when a stormtrooper wants to kick back and cruise around with his buddies on a beer run. What kind of car would the stormtrooper drive? That's the question answered by Chris Feehan, the Charity and Event Coordinator for the legendary 501st Legion's Empire City garrison.

Here's how he described "stormtroopifying" his car with custom-made labels:


'I have been a member of the 501st Legion / Empire City Garrison for just over two years. Around the same time I joined, I bought the white Dodge Stratus, and I have wanted to Stormtrooperfy it since I bought it.

I looked into custom painting it, getting it skinned, but all the options I looked into cost more then the actual car. After getting some vinyl 501st stickers for the back, I started thinking about using that sort of material to do it.

I bought some vinyl self stick sheets, used for detailing cars, a product called RapidTac, and a squeegee. I designed and cut some shapes myself to resemble the decals on a Stormtrooper helmet to fit my car. I used a wet application using the Rapidtac, which lets you easily position the decals, and eliminate bubbles and creased using a squeegee. The materials and tools only cost around $50, and with some precision measuring, cutting, and applying, I now have the Stormtrooperfyed car I had wanted.

I am the Long Island Event Coordinator and Charity Liaison for the Empire City Garrison (local 501st chapter), and we have over 50 members in NYC and Long Island.'

Only Stormtroopers could make a Dodge Stratus this cool. Check out more pictures of the car before and after after the jump:

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Who's The Most Popular STAR WARS Villian?

Last week's poll "Favorite Star Wars Villain" yielded predictable results.

First place was Darth Vader (Shock and Awe!) followed by Boba Fett and Darth Maul.

Jar-Jar Binks got a bunch of votes. This proves we have the funniest readers on the planet.

Here are the final results.

This week's question is "What sci-fi world would you want to live in: Star Wars, Star Trek, Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica, Stargate or Toy Story?"

We know you have an opinion. Have your say on this week's poll or last week's poll in the comments.
[Image: amazingben]
Update: Changed question

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Is Slave Leia Sexy or Sexist?

While I was researching Slave Leia group appearances for last week's Jedi Junkies week, I found a great article that discusses the controversial aspect of the Slave Leia costume. Called "Princess Leia and the Ubiquitous Bikini," lady geek Audrey M. Brown presents her viewpoint that the Slave Leia cosplay scene is really about sexism and exploitation, not Star Wars fandom. It really captures all the reasons why the Slave Leia phenomenon makes the geek in me uneasy, even as the red-blooded male in me enjoys it. Here are some of her points:

• Slave Leia's costume is overexposed - Princess Leia wore many outfits throughout the Star Wars trilogy, not just the metal bikini. She had a wide assortment of costumes that female fans could dress up in, including her Endor outfit, her white outfit from the original Star Wars, but the metal bikini is disproportionately popular.
• Portraying Slave Leia demeans her character - Princess Leia's lowest point in the original trilogy, even more than when she was tortured by Darth Vader, was as a slave for Jabba the Hutt. The outfit clearly humiliated her. So why would so many women want to portray her moment of weakness? While one could argue that Leia made the outfit a symbol of strength when she strangled Jabba to death with her chain, I think her outfit when she led the Rebellion on Hoth is a better symbol of her strength.
• Most Slave Leia models aren't portraying Slave Leia - Even if you buy the idea that most Slave Leia costumers are trying to bring her character to life, you have to admit that most of them aren't doing a good job beyond the costume. If you cruise the gallery at Leia's Metal Bikini, you'll find most of the women smiling like beauty queens. The majority of the Slave Leia cosplayers have a look on their faces more suited to a Playboy centerfold than matching Leia's original demeanor.
• Slave Leia is about attention, not cosplay - I think her strongest argument is that the Slave Leia phenom isn't about fandom at all. It's about attracting attention - specifically male attention. Let's face it; waving any scantily-clad woman in the face of the average male is enough to get his attention. When you put a beautiful woman in a skimpy outfit that also matches a male geek's most common fantasy, it's like pouring blood into shark-infested waters. Any woman who puts on the Slave Leia outfit and walks into a sci-fi convention is going to draw huge crowds. And maybe that's really the point.
  

So what do you think? Is Slave Leia about empowerment or exploitation?

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Contest: Free JEDI JUNKIES Movie Giveaway

This week, my brother and I are excited to announce our latest contest!

The Prize
One of two (2) free iTunes downloads for the Star Wars fan documentary Jedi Junkies.

How we'll choose a winner
The two people with the most points wins. Here's how you get points:

• Leave a comment using a valid email address = 1 point
• Become a Google Follower = 1 pt
• Post about this contest on your blog including a link = 5 pts
• Tweet, Digg or Facebook about this contest = 2 pts each

Let us know in the comments how many points you've tallied in case we miss the trackback. In the case of a tie, we will randomly select two winners using Randomizer.org. Its important to use your valid email address because this will also be the email we'll use to send you the download.
How Long
The contest will run for one week from August 2 - 9, 2010.

Restrictions
One entry per person. Participation limited to U.S. residents with existing iTunes (U.S.) accounts. You can set one up for free here.

So, what are you waiting for? This movie is awesome, so start collecting points today!

Thanks to Mark Editz for making the film and New Video Media as the digital distributor for giving us two codes to give away. Check them out on facebook.

It's also available on iTunes and Amazon VOD:

iTunes (U.S.) store: http://www.iTunes.com/Movies/JediJunkies

Amazon VOD: http://www.amazon.com/Jedi-Junkies/dp/B003NVOVKS

So, do you want to win a contest?

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