That Reena Girl

• Um, who is this again?

12-19-11

Beginning of the Week Awesomeness

As I mentioned earlier, I have become obsessed with Battlestar Galactica. I actually feel that there is now a void in my life since finishing the series. And yes, I cried at the end. Not the full on, hysterical kind of cry, more of a soft weeping. Sigh. But apparently I’m not the only one. Portlandia knows how I feel. I think I really need to be watching this show.

And last, but not least, I will leave you with my favorite holiday YouTube mashup: Hey Ya Charlie Brown!

12-16-11

Nerd University: Why Geeks Should Gravitate towards NBC’s “Community”

It has become a well-known fact that NBC’s show Community may be verge of cancellation or at least on hiatus until further notice (though, there has been some good news). As a fan of the show, I’m having a hard time figuring out why people aren’t watching it. With nerd culture becoming pop culture, this show should be a geek favorite. Here are my top 5 reasons while nerds need to get on the Greendale train:

1. Abed: From his ridiculous pop culture knowledge base to his Alien costume to his new favorite show “Inspector Spacetime” (which is their version of Dr. Who) this guy is the ultimate nerd and I wish he was on my trivia team. Oh and let’s not forget about the blanket fort he built with his BFF Troy (Donald Glover). I’d put Abed up against any of the guys on Big Bang Theory. Plus Danny Pudi was in Comic Con 2011 fav The Knights of Badassdom.
2. Hot ladies: Let’s be honest here; saying Annie (Allison Brie) and Britta (Gillian Jacobs) are  easy on the eyes is a massive understatement.
3. The Dungeons and Dragons episode: You read that right. They did en entire episode where the gang plays D + D and it was pretty awesome. The paintball episode “Modern Warfare” was also epic.
4. Guest stars galore! This includes Sawyer from LOST, Omar from The Wire, and Betty White.
5. They did a Claymation episode… entitled “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas”. Sure beats the California Raisins special they used to air every Christmas in the early 90s.

So seriously, get on your On Demand cable or on the interwebs and help save Greendale!

If you’re already a Community fan, leave your favorite episodes/show moments in the comments.

12-05-11

Beginning of the Week Awesomeness

It’s kind of like a prequel to Midweek Awesomeness…

Just when FOX News’ super investigative reporting on how The Muppets are brainwashing kids to be anti-capitalist was making me lose all faith in humanity, I saw this:

A friend of mine shared this link on Facebook and I felt that it was too cool not to share so I’m dusting off the old blog. Long story short:  Illustrator Dave DeVries has created The Monster Engine; an on going art project where DeVries takes children’s artwork and adds color, texture, depth, etc. to create amazingly detailed pieces from their original doodles. Forgot the art of Tim Burton, these creature creations are even better. I wonder if I can submit some of my work from the early 90s…I’m sure my mom has some real gems saved.

Here are a couple more. To view the whole gallery: The Monster Engine

If that wasn’t enough, LucasFilms put together a slideshow of all their holiday cards from 1977 to present day. Spoiler Alert: After Jedi was released, it was all Ewoks for several years, not that I’m complaining. I was lucky enough to actually get one last year. Nothing completes your holiday home decor quite like the image of Darth Vader releasing a peace dove. It really tied the room together. Here is this year’s card:

As if that wasn’t enough to get me through this ordinary Monday, io9 decided to post some amazing Battlestar Galactica fan art. This is what BSG (the 2004 reboot that I should point out I’m currently obsessed with) would look like if it was turned into an animated series. These were created by Otis Frampton, who has also given the animated series treatment to other sci fi favorites like Firefly. Check out his DeviantArt page for more.

06-23-11

Trendwatch: Bigfoot?

First it was vampires. Then came the zombie craze. But the real creature that seems to be all over the place lately is the legendary Bigfoot.

Maybe it’s because the supernatural is totally in right now. Maybe it’s because of its worldwide appeal since many countries around the world have their own Bigfoot-like mysteries. Either way, I’ve been hearing a lot about it lately.

The Huffington Post recently reported that researchers in California might have DNA evidence that proves the existence of Bigfoots.  But that’s not the only Sasquatch related new lately.

Animal Planet is currently airing a show called “Finding Bigfoot” about The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO), who travel the country examining sightings and searching for evidence to prove the existence. Some members of the group have dedicated decades to searching the forests of America for the elusive beast. Armed with the latest technology like thermal imaging and night vision cameras, recording devices, etc they travel from state to state, meeting with locals and checking the area out for themselves. They have quite a knowledge base of Sasquatch…or as the experts say, Squatch …facts. For instance, I did not know:

• Bigfoots are nocturnal.
• Bigfoots like to travel along power lines.
• When Bigfoots run, it is graceful and smooth as if they’re floating on air, despite their immense size.
• Bigfoots communicate with a series of howls, screams and growls (that the researchers often imitate).

I was half expecting their leader, Matt Moneymaker (no, really that’s his name) to say that Squatches love cinnamon but they hate pepper. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised at this point if there was a “Harry and the Hendersons” remake in the works.

Really hoping the Loch Ness Monster is next.  Fingers crossed!

06-21-11

R.I.P. Ryan Dunn

I feel like because of my lifestyle choice (straightedge) I should weigh in on the tragic death of Ryan Dunn.

I’ve been following the story since it broke yesterday. I’m a fan of the CKY videos, Haggard, etc so I am familiar with Dunn’s body of work. What really gets to me are the comments that either insinuate or flat our say that he kind of had it coming. Not just because he tweeted a picture of him drinking prior to the accident, but because of his daredevil lifestyle/career.

It was Dunn’s willingness to put himself in harm’s way for the sake of our entertainment that made us like him and watch shows like “Jackass”. And regardless of the type of crazy life he led, his death is still a tragedy.  This whole “it was only a matter of time” attitude is pretty disgusting. He wasn’t just an entertainer put here for your amusement; he was a person with friends and family that loved him. Being a risk taker does in no way mean that you deserve it should the unthinkable happen, it just makes it more likely. That’s why they call it a risk.

And anyway, he didn’t die doing a stunt. He died in a fiery car wreck. Show some sympathy.

Same thing happened when Steve Irwin died from a stingray barb to the chest. Are we really that heartless to say “Oh, well he shouldn’t have been messing around with wild animals”? Are the people we see on TV and in movies really that one dimensional to us?

Even if Dunn was drinking, it is still a terrible terrible thing to have happened. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t condone his actions. Drunk driving is a horrible, stupid decision. But at the same time, people make mistakes and this one cost him his life and that of his friend Zachary Hartwell, who was also in the car.

Speaking of Hartwell, would you say that it was” only a matter of time” because he did three tours in Iraq and was a stunt car driver? I’d consider those huge risks, for different reasons. No, going to Iraq is not the same thing as performing stunts. Hartwell put himself in harm’s way for our protection not entertainment, but both things come with a high probability of injury or even death. Does that make his death more tragic or more likely?

Who are we to criticize at this point? Dunn’s decision (if he was driving drunk) cost him his life, waving a finger in disapproval means nothing. We need to get off our collective high horse and remember that people are people, even if they live for the extreme and in the public eye.

Rest in peace Ryan Dunn and Zachary Hartwell.

UPDATE 6/22/11: The toxicology report was released and Ryan Dunn was in fact drunk at the time of the accident. I still stand by my previous statements.

04-19-11

Game of Thrones: Not Just “Boy Fiction”

From the New York Times:

The true perversion, though, is the sense you get that all of this illicitness has been tossed in as a little something for the ladies, out of a justifiable fear, perhaps, that no woman alive would watch otherwise. While I do not doubt that there are women in the world who read books like Mr. Martin’s, I can honestly say that I have never met a single woman who has stood up in indignation at her book club and refused to read the latest from Lorrie Moore unless everyone agreed to “The Hobbit” first. “Game of Thrones” is boy fiction patronizingly turned out to reach the population’s other half.

I waited patiently. I waited until “Game of Thrones” aired before I responded to New York Times writer Ginia Bellafante and her stereotypical views on what women like in terms of books and television.

Dear Ms. Bellafante,

I am a woman and I loved last night’s episode of “Game of Thrones”. I also recently purchased a copy of The Hobbit, have seen all three Lord of the Rings extended editions, and I attend Comic Con every year.

I am not alone in my love of all things “nerdy”.

I’m sure you’ve been getting your share of geek girl backlash so I won’t add to it. You’re obviously just completely misinformed.  Allow me to enlighten you.

I have been looking forward to “Game of Thrones” since the first previews. Though I have not read the original source material, I love any kind of epic story, whether it is in the past like Lord of the Rings or future like Star Wars. I’m sure you consider those “boy fiction” too – though I was not aware until now that was a literary genre.

Why do you think the eroticism has been “tossed in for the ladies”? Where you talking about the brothel scene or poor Daenerys’ wedding night? I’m surprised you made no mention of the one scene in which the sons of Eddard Stark get shirtless and prepare for the arrival of the king. It was so “Sex and the City” after all.

While I’ll admit the women of “Game of Thrones” are getting the short end of the stick (no pun intended) in the first episode, I suspect that won’t be the case moving forward. All the gratuitous sex is just setting the stage for the female characters’ to use their feminine powers of seduction to get what they want. Sex as a weapon is subtler than a sword. I have a feeling that Catelyn Stark, with the possible death her son Bran and Daenerys Targaryen, being forced to marry a savage warlord, won’t stay quiet for long.

I can tell you didn’t like the show. It wasn’t your cup of tea. But please don’t assume since you didn’t like it, that most women won’t like it either unless they are hardcore D&D fans. There is more to the story that has yet to be revealed, and whole lot more about the pop culture world you need to learn. Women like myself are far more common than you think.

Now do yourself a favor and go read some Tolkien.

03-21-11

Something Tangible to Hold On To: A Decade of Puppets in Pop Culture

Is it just me or have puppets been slowly creeping their way into the mainstream lately? I originally wrote this in late January, but at the time, no one else saw the pattern. Well, today, Ford has announced a new “spokespuppet” for their new Focus campaign! Do you believe me now?

Puppets have been used in movies, TV and advertising for decades. Let’s not forget the Pets.com sock puppet dog (voiced by none other than Michael Ian Black) or for you history buffs, Danny O’Day and his dog Farfel in commercials for Nestles back in the 1950s.

Don’t get me wrong; puppets never really left the public eye. Sesame Street has been on for 41 seasons. But with anything in pop culture, their popularity ebbs and flows. Lately I’ve noticed a resurgence of more and more felt-covered friends.

Now, a brief history of puppets over the last decade. It all started with Comedy Central’s prank calling show “Crank Yankers” which debuted in 2002. The brainchild of Adam Carolla, Daniel Kellison and Jimmy Kimmel, the show featured the comedic talent of Tracy Morgan, Sarah Silverman and Kevin Nealon. And then there was Weezer’s music video for their song “Keep Fishin’” featuring the most famous puppets of all: The Muppets. Shortly after, the smash hit Avenue Q made the jump to Broadway. Then in 2006, a comedian by the name of Jeff Dunham came onto the scene with ventriloquist skills and a variety of characters. Again, puppet loving Comedy Central would not only air his specials but for a brief time, gave his own TV show.

Advertising hasn’t been sitting out on this trend either. First Zappos decided to use puppets to portray their dedicated customer service representatives in ads last year. Recently, Band-Aid and Neosporin teamed up for the “Squeeze and Stick” campaign. The commercial and corresponding website feature five- cute-as-can-be characters that represent the 5 signs of healing. There is even a song, complete with a demo karaoke style so you can sing along too.

I am going to place the influx of puppets in mainstream media on one man: Jason Segel. 2008′s “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” introduced us to “Dracula: The Musical” and from then on Jason Segel and puppets became synonymous. Segel took it to the next level and decided to go big: doing another Muppets movie. The stakes and the excitement are high. Entertainment Weekly recently proclaimed, “The new Muppets movie can’t come out soon enough”.

But why puppets? We can do so much with digital animation; don’t puppets seem a little dated? To answer my own question, absolutely not! Puppets bring back memories from the days before CGI rained supreme, when characters seemed more “real”. Their creation was an art form all in itself. Think of the master of all things puppet, the late Mr. Jim Henson. Where would be without his skill, his art, and his iconic characters that have stood test of time? Honestly, which Yoda do you prefer: Empire Strikes Back Yoda or Yoda from Episode I?

In a world full of CGI, 3D and animation, it is nice to have something tangible to hold on to.

03-08-11

The Zombie (Media) Apocalypse is here!

This fall, the living dead will be invading your TV. Consider yourself warned.

Fresh off the success of the first season of AMC’s The Walking Dead, other networks are looking to cash in on the gory phenomenon. Are zombies the new vampires?!

The CW, who has successfully done the “vampire thing” with it’s hit show Vampire Diaries, is looking for the next big pop culture trend to exploit. I mean, explore.  Currently in development, The Awakening takes place during a zombie apocalypse. Two sisters, whose back-story has not been released (probably because it isn’t even written yet), will square off during the turmoil. And the latest news from the scene is that the aforementioned sisters have already been cast.

When I first heard the CW was taking on one of my favorite horror icons, I was concerned. But then again, the CW (back in their WB days) also brought us Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so the undead is really familiar territory for them. And Vampire Diaries has actually surpassed my expectations. They include as much gore as I think you can show on network TV before 11pm. It’s no True Blood, but it is a thousand times better than Twilight (queue the backlash).

Even NBC is getting involved. Their new show is entitled Zombies vs. Vampires brings in both ends of the living dead spectrum. However, in researching the plot for the show, I was sort of disturbed by the description; a “fun buddy cop procedural.” Apparently, within the police department, there is a special unit dedicated to “zombie crime”. The team is led by the aforementioned “buddy cop” duo, one who is secretly a vampire <insert lame joke about working the night shift here>. Another interesting tidbit about this particular version of the zombie apocalypse is that zombie-ism is controllable by medication and they are able to be part of society.

I don’t know how I feel about this show. The premise seems fun and campy, like Shaun of the Dead, but it could horribly, horribly wrong. I also wonder how detailed the zombies can be on NBC.  I’m fairly confident they will be nowhere near was decayed, decomposed, and terrifying as the ones on Walking Dead. If you have seen the Halloween episode of Community, I’m guessing it might be more along those lines. If that’s the case, it will be pretty tragic.

Pilot air dates have yet to be released but I am still turning my zombie loving attention to The Walking Dead, as long as they get their writer situation squared away. For those of you with your doubts after season one, let me explain. Season one corresponded with volume 1, issues 1-6.  Since Robert Kirkman was not sure the series would be picked up, he rushed through quite a bit and the first volume was thin, which is why there was a lot of added material in the show. However, fans of the comics know that the story really picks up after that. I’m up to volume 4 and I’m really hoping they stay true to the source material. If they do, viewers are in for a thrilling treat.

Which zombie themed show are you looking most forward to?

08-06-09

When it Comes to Marketing Campaigns, HBO’s True Blood is Killing it!

Originally posted on Digithoughts:

Who would have thought something as classic as vampires would mix so flawlessly with something so new as an integrated marketing campaign? HBO certainly did when they set out to promote their new hit show “True Blood.” This is truly a case study for a marketing plan done right.

Here’s a background for those who have not yet seen the show: A synthetic blood drink has been invented that can sustain a vampire’s thirst for blood. This technological advancement was so significant that vampires can now “come out of the coffin” and become members of society.

Instead of a traditional marketing plan, True Blood creates an “in world” perspective. This is done through a vast array of social media, digital, and traditional advertising techniques but for the purposes of time and energy, I will focus on my favorites. The first campaign started before the debut of the show at last year’s Comic Con. HBO ignored reality and decided to play with imaginations by promoting the synthetic blood drink, Tru Blood, that the show is so appropriately named after. Posters promoting Tru Blood appeared on buildings and in magazines in the same way liquor ads do. They had catchy phrases like “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drink Friends”. They even launched a website for Tru Blood, which rivals even the best high-end beverage sites out there (it’s complete with “type finder”, product descriptions, and of course, merchandise).

Of course, HBO didn’t stop there they took it even further digitally with the clever use of micro sites, blogs, and Twitter. The vampires’ lives on True Blood parallel the struggles other minority groups have faced in this country and in this universe, the fight for civil rights is not just for the living. Their main opposition, The Fellowship of the Sun has a bright, sunny layout that mirrors the (public) message of the church. It features sermons and words of wisdom to help us “live in His light.” If you didn’t know any better, you might just join the Light of Day Institute. The newest edition to True Blood’s online world is the American Vampire League which is styled to look like governmental and nonprofit websites. The content is what really brings the AVL to life; news, an “Intolerance Watch,” a Vampire Friendly Brands section, and even its own Public Service Announcements. And if you’d like to support the AVL, there is an online kit where you can download fliers and T-shirt designs so that you too can rally for the cause.

Blood Copy is a blog written entirely from a vampire’s perspective. It is updated daily with everything from videos, to social commentary. On July 31st, 2009, regarding the topic of health care in America our blogger writes: “Breathers are so focused on our quasi-immortal lifespan, how we don’t age and, barring a specific (and short) list of conditions, we do not die, they seldom note another critical aspect of our existence: Vampires don’t get sick.”

Like many other media and entertainment professionals, HBO has also embraced Twitter. However, their approach is a little different. The twitter, BonTempsGossip, is named after the small town, Bon Temp, Louisiana, where the show is set. It provides small town gossip as well as leaks teasers for upcoming episodes, again from a first person perspective. Example- BonTempsGossip: Rumor is, Sookie’s in danger. Don’t think she counted on havin’ to get out of a mess without Bill’s help – word is he’s nowhere to be found.

Most recently, at Comic Con 2009, series creator Alan Ball announced that there will be a Tru Blood beverage on the market in September. Although Ball said it would be a mixture of “Vicodin, Viagra, Ecstasy, Vodka, Cabernet and other ingredients,” the drink will actually be a blood orange soda, packaged in the same bottles as used on the show. So like I said earlier, well done HBO! I’m sure there will be more for us to sink our teeth into as the series progresses.