Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1720

Now HARRY POTTER Fans Can Get Magical Scoops of Butterbeer Ice Cream

As unique as your sorted Hogwarts house, every Harry Potter fan is different in what they’d like to see come to life from the Wizarding World. For some it’s casting spells, others would like to play a rollicking match of Quidditch, but for me it has always been butterbeer.

The “less-sickly butterscotch” with a foamy top was something that sounded intriguing and delicious, and at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Florida, eating as much butterbeer-flavored items in one day as possible was a fun-filled experiment that was full of excitement and slight regret. But that never stopped me from wishing that the West Coast would get their own version of the magical ice cream.

Dreams do come true, because butterbeer ice cream has finally arrived just in time for summer at the The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Universal Studios Hollywood. Reminiscent of the sweet beverage favored by Hogwarts students, this ice cream interpretation is different from its soft-serve counterpart in Florida; this version is a hard pack ice cream that evokes the sumptuous flavors of butterscotch and shortbread. This new frozen treat joins other butterbeer-inspired dessert offerings in the park like Butterbeer Potted Cream and Butterbeer Fudge.

Is it too much to envision a scoop of this new marvelous ice cream dropped into a mug of frothy butterbeer? Accio butterbeer floats! My wizarding dessert obsession is insatiable. The new cool, creamy, treat will be served at various carts located within Hogsmeade and at Three Broomsticks, and is sure to be the best thing to beat this heat while wearing your Hogwarts robes in the height of summer. Scooped Butterbeer Ice Cream is currently available at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood.

How does a tall cone of Butterbeer Ice Cream sound to you? Let us know in the comments and tag @nerdist and @justjenn on twitter to show us your House colors!

Carolina Reaper ice cream.

Turn a Tin Can Into a Mini Grill That Actually Cooks

Off the top of my head, I don’t have an intimate familiarity with the history of the culinary arts, but I can imagine how cooking came about: Shortly after mankind discovered fire, we also realized that if you leave meat near that fire for at least a few minutes, it ends up tasting a heck of a lot better than it did raw. The point is that even though cooking can seem like this big complicated procedure, there isn’t actually a ton to it, especially when it comes to the basics. This means that you don’t need much to get started. If you want to cook a couple of hot dogs, for example, you can do it with a soup can (via Laughing Squid).

The folks behind the Mr Useful channel on YouTube decided to see if they’d be able to make a functioning barbecue grill from a tin can, and it turns out it’s actually not that complicated and only takes some ready accessible components. It’s pretty simple: Cut a can in half, use some long screws for legs and secure them in place with nuts, re-attach the halves with a small hinge, bend some wire for the rack, and boom, you have yourself a small grill. The video shows this thing successfully heating up some hot dogs, so in theory, depending on the size can you use, you could probably cook pretty much anything.

What do you think of this DIY grill? Could it be a fun camping accessory? Let us know what you think down in the comments!

Featured image: Mr Useful/YouTube

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Funko Unveils GAME OF THRONES and STRANGER THINGS Comic-Con Exclusives

It just wouldn’t be Comic-Con without a new round of exclusives from Funko. Earlier this month, Funko revealed its SDCC exclusive figures for Rick and Morty, as well as an even wider assortment of fan favorites, including Star Wars, Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, Teen Titans, Hellboy, and even director James Wan. But now, the big guns are coming out to play, and Funko has dropped its latest Comic-Con exclusives for Game of Thrones and Stranger Things.

Via the official Funko blog, Game of Thrones will have two exclusives in San Diego. The first will be a Pop figure for Diana Rigg’s Olenna Tyrell. The Queen of Thorns doesn’t go anywhere without her beverage of choice; she’s got a chalice of wine firmly in her grasp.

Rounding out the GoT contingent is a Dorbz Game of Thrones – Dragons 4-pack. But how can there be four when Rhaegal, Drogon, and Viserion are the last dragons? That’s easy: Viserion is represented twice, first in his unaltered form and then as his “icy” variant.

For Stranger Things, the Dustin at Snow Ball Dance Pop figure gives its titular character his “Steve” styled hair, with just the right amount of Farrah Fawcett spray to give it shape.

Speaking of Steve, he’s getting a Dorbz figure that features him wearing goggles and a bandana. 

The final exclusive recreates one of the most bizarrely hilarious scenes from Stranger Things 2: Billy’s semi-seduction of Karen Wheeler. Yes, this exists now.

Funko is expected to announce more SDCC exclusives before the convention begins on July 19.

What do you think about Funko’s latest Game of Thrones and Stranger Things exclusives? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: Funko

More toy stories to play with…

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Is STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION Returning?

Over 15 years ago, Star Trek: The Next Generation fans witnessed the final voyage of its crew in Star Trek: Nemesis, and most of those beloved characters have yet to make their return to the franchise. With the advent of the Star Trek reboot films, it seemed more likely that we’d see a Kelvin timeline Next Generation reboot before we’d ever see the original cast together again. But the recent reports about four Star Trek TV series in development have sparked rumors that the TNG crew may be getting a comeback. Today’s Nerdist News is beaming down to examine a potential return for Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Join host and possible Borg infiltrator, Jessica Chobot, as she uses our primitive tricorders to sort through the various reports. All we know for certain is that Patrick Stewart has been in talks to headline at least one of the new Star Trek shows. There’s no deal in place, at least officially. But it has been suggested that Stewart could lend his voice to a new Star Trek animated series.

An animated Star Trek: The Next Generation series would solve a lot of problems like the fact that Brent Spiner has aged out of playing Data. Almost the entire original TNG cast has experience with voice acting, and it could allow fans to follow the crew’s previously unknown adventures from their time on the Enterprise D or E.

That said, we are pulling for a true TNG sequel series. The original time period for the series has been largely abandoned since the end of Nemesis. The Star Trek reboot film showed us that Romulus was destroyed, but we don’t know what happened after that. We really enjoy Star Trek: Discovery, but the series was always meant to go forward rather than backwards. We think the time has come to finally chart out the next stage of the future.

What do you want to see from a potential TNG comeback series? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: CBS TV

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Disney’s Autonomous Stunt Double Robots Could Play STAR WARS and Marvel Characters

Disney’s animatronics have a long and storied past. They’ve made it possible for hundreds of children from around the globe to sing in harmony about how small the world is, allowed every president to personally teach us about America’s past, and shown Caribbean pirates harassing women (well, they haven’t all been great!). However, a new age full of new characters calls for a new type of robot, which is why the Mouse House is developing advanced technology to help them keep up with their ever-growing film library, with autonomous stunt double robots who will redefine what Disney animatronics can do.

TechCrunch reports Disney Imagineers are working on robots that will allow the company’s parks to keep up with their high-flying film franchises like Star Wars and Marvel. Their “Stuntronics” could one day allow them to have live shows and attractions based on characters like Iron Man or jet pack-wearing Boba Fett, all without risking the safety of their human performers. Using “on-board accelerometer and gyroscope arrays supported by laser range finding,” the advanced humanoid machines can pull off difficult maneuvers in mid-air, all while posing in superhero fashion.



Compared to looking at normal, static animatronics who are confined to the limits of their attractions, watching these gymnast-like machines twirl through air is like seeing an actual Iron Man come to life. We half expect Tony Stark to call them into battle.

Without a set date for when visitors might see these Stuntronics in action, they are still just the future of the park, not the present. But that’s okay, because Disney should take plenty of time to make sure they avoid a worst case scenario. As cool as these new animatronics are, a franchise they might soon own has shown us there are worst robots than inappropriate pirates.

Which fictional Disney character would you love to see these “stunt doubles” fill in for? Fly into our comments and let us know.

Featured Image: TechCrunch

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STREET FIGHTER Cosplayers Get Transported into the Actual Game!

When you think of the phrase “fighting game,” a few images should pop into your head. Some of you might see Scorpion or Sub-Zero. Others might even see Batman or Superman. But one image that pops into almost all gamers’ heads when the phrase is uttered is Ryu. It makes sense since Street Fighter is the standard bearer for the genre. It’s a mainstream phenomenon, spawning anime and (less great) live-action movies, and even crossover games with the likes of Marvel.

As such, Street Fighter has inspired many the cosplayer. Back in May, a video was published of two fans dressed as Ryu and E. Honda engaging in a battle as if Street Fighter was real.

This video is great by itself (although someone really needs to teach the person taking the video the dangers of vertical videography), but Reddit user Scaulbylausis found something that makes it even better.

Guy turns a Street Fighter cosplay performance into an actual game battle from r/gaming

Some awesome person decided to take the footage of the epic cosplay and insert it into the actual game. The results are nothing short of amazing. After battling each other, Ryu and E. Honda must pool their resources against the might of M. Bison. With the live-action footage mixed into the animation, this gives us a better idea what an old school Street Fighter vs. Mortal Kombat game might have looked like. Whether this is good or bad has yet to be decided.

So what do you think? Are there other Street Fighter characters deserving of this treatment? Let us know on Facebook or in the comments below!

Image: Capcom

Legendary Author Harlan Ellison Has Died, Age 84

If you look up the word “cantankerous” in the dictionary, you should, by rights, find a large, book-jacket-style photo of Harlan Ellison, the legendary author of over 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, comic book scripts, teleplays, essays, and criticism on literature, film, television, and print media. You should find his picture, that is, but he very likely would have sued Webster’s Dictionary for using his image without paying him. Few authors have done more for speculative fiction and for the rights of artists to get paid for their work than Harlan Ellison, a firecracker with a typewriter. He has passed away at the age of 84.

The news came via a tweet from his lawyer:

Susan Ellison has asked me to announce the passing of writer Harlan Ellison, in his sleep, earlier today. “For a brief time I was here, and for a brief time, I mattered.”—HE, 1934-2018. Arrangements for a celebration of his life are pending.

— Christine Valada (@mcvalada) June 28, 2018

Ellison, born in Cleveland, OH on May 27, 1934, was expelled from college after 18 months for hitting a professor who denigrated his writing ability. For the next 20 or so years, Ellison would send that professor a copy of each and every story he published. This is the kind of person Ellison was; incredibly hard to get along with but an unprecedented and brilliant mind in the world of the written word.

Among Ellison’s greatest works of literature are the short stories “‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman,” “The Beast that Shouted Love at the Heart of the World,” “The Deathbird,” “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream,” and “A Boy and His Dog,” all of which have become utter classics in the world of weird fiction, as well as acclaimed collections such as Love Ain’t Nothing But Sex Misspelled, Approaching Oblivion, and perhaps the best title of anything ever, Ellison Wonderland, a moniker he also gave to his Sherman Oaks, CA home.

And let’s talk about television! Ellison wrote some of the most lauded episodes of dozens of sci-fi, horror, and fantasy series. He won a Hugo for his episode of Star Trek, “The City on the Edge of Forever,” in 1967, and wrote two of the best episodes of the original The Outer Limits, “Soldier” and “Demon with a Glass Hand.” He also wrote several episodes of the 1980s reboot of The Twilight Zone and was a writer and consultant on the cult space opera Babylon 5. He created only one television show in his career, The Starlost, which ran for 16 episodes in 1973-1974. Ellison was so famously unhappy with network changes to his concept that he had his credit changed to his pseudonym, Cordwainer Bird.

“Ellison was famously unhappy” is a phrase that can be applied to just about everything in his long career, and he often went to court over copyright claims. He sued James Cameron over using elements of his Outer Limits episodes for The Terminator; he attempted to sue the makers of the 2011 movie In Time for ripping off “‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman,” but withdrew it after actually viewing the movie. He got into tiffs with studio execs, universities, magazines, and was accused of physical assault on several occasions.

He was also doggedly committed to making sure writers–and himself especially–got paid for every bit of work they did. “I don’t take a piss without gettin’ paid for it,” he frothed in this now-famous clip from the 2008 documentary about him, Dreams with Sharp Teeth.

Harlan Ellison was a prick, but he was a talented prick, and one who should be read by each and every person out there looking to write fiction, or essays, or criticism, or anything where a word is on a page. He was a staunch and vocal atheist, but I hope he’s wrong just so I can picture him yelling at God, or the Devil, or whomever he meets on the other side.

Images: Pip R. Lagenta/ABC

Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Twitter!

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This Artist Makes Disney Magic with Stunning Paper Art

Artist Ryan Riller knows a lot about Disney magic. Not only does he describe himself as a “former Disney Store Ambassador,” his artwork showcases some of his favorite Disney characters from beloved animated classics and current blockbusters. We think Ryan might have gotten his hands on an actual magic wand, because he transforms colorful pieces of paper into stunning portraits packed with personality.

Well, I’ve officially cut Moana out in all 3 ages

The HALO TV Series is Finally Happening At Showtime

Since it debuted in 2001, Halo has become one of the most popular video game franchises of all-time. However, Microsoft has had an extremely difficult time bringing Halo to Hollywood. A Halo feature film to be produced by Peter Jackson and directed by Neill Blomkamp fell apart in pre-production, and several subsequent attempts to revive it stalled. In 2013, Showtime lined up the rights for a Halo TV series, but the project was stuck in development for almost half a decade…until now.

Via Entertainment Weekly, Showtime has finally given Halo a series order, with a first season of ten episodes. Kyle Killen (Awake) has been signed as the showrunner, while Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt has come on board to executive produce and helm several episodes of the series. In a statement, Showtime’s David Nevins said “Halo is our most ambitious series ever, and we expect audiences who have been anticipating it for years to be thoroughly rewarded.”

So far, there’s no indication that Master Chief, the primary protagonist of the games, will appear in the Halo TV series. But according to EW, the show will maintain its 26th century setting as humanity faces the alien Covenant in an ongoing conflict that will determine the future of both species. Halo‘s universe has a very rich backstory that could be explored on the show. But we suspect it will probably carve out its own corner of the mythos rather than simply adapting one of the previously released games.

The Halo TV series may begin filming as soon as this year, which means a 2019 debut on Showtime could be in the cards.

Are you excited to finally see Halo make the jump to TV? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: Microsoft

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Horror Piñatas Finally Let You Bash Pennywise’s Face In

I’m not afraid to admit that It scared the living hell out of me. Pennywise is a horrible, horrible clown who deserves nothing but the worst for all the awful things he did to the little kiddos in Derry. As such, one of my favorite scenes from the movie is seeing Richie Tozier (Finn Wolfhard from Stranger Things) bash Pennywise’s face in with a bat. It’s a shining example of retributive justice, one in which I wish I could’ve partaken myself. Luckily for me, and anyone else seeking revenge for the two-plus hours of pure terror they had to endure, there are now Pennywise the Clown piñatas which you too can pummel with a baseball bat.

Thanks to the Etsy shop (yeah, you read that right), you can now light up any formal gathering with a fun-filled smackdown of a Pennywise the Clown piñata. Not just for Halloween, these piñatas can be enjoyed all year round. They’re perfect for events like birthday parties, board meetings, Boxing Day celebrations or even just for a late-night bash to make you feel better/safer before bed. Is beating a clown with a baseball bat for candy a bit macabre for a birthday party? Perhaps. Is it cathartic as hell? Definitely. And if Pennywise isn’t quite your taste, the Etsy seller including but not limited to Child’s Play’s Chucky, Leatherface, and Gene Simmons. The piñatas are all handmade, 8X19 inches tall and are sure to end all those dancing Pennywise nightmares you keep having. And if they don’t, well, then buy more piñatas and hit harder.

Featured Image: Warner Bros. Pictures/New Line Cinema

Images: Etsy/

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