Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1821

Sit Like an Emperor in This STAR WARS Palpatine Chair

Emperor Palpatine is one of the most iconic villains in the Star Wars canon. Played to perfection by veteran actor Ian McDiarmid, Palpatine is known for this menacing laugh, lightning fingers, and general theatrics. You, maybe not so much, but now you can at least sit proud like the Emperor in this incredible desk chair from Regal Robot.

NOW AVAILABLE! Inspired by the #emperor‘s throne – #starwars style into your living room, office or fan cave w/our incredible new upholstered chair. Save 20% for a limited time w/code NEWFORCE20. (Tom not included) https://t.co/cICIwZTedy#furniture #chair #Returnofthejedi pic.twitter.com/DPMldkvyub

— Regal Robot (@RegalRobot) March 1, 2018

Inspired by Palpatine’s black and purple throne seat – which is featured prominently in Return of the Jedi – this upholstered desk chair is the perfect office accent for any superfan. The chair sits on a black chrome base that swivels so you can spin to face any steadfast ally or rebellious enemy. The chair is made in the United States and ships in about 8 to 10 weeks. It runs $1,499 – a steep price but totally worth it considering how truly menacing and perfectly crafted it is.

The chair is one Regal Robot’s newest Custom Studio products. The company specializes in furniture, art, and decor; specifically Star Wars, but also nostalgia and space-themed objects and designs. (They even accept commissions!) If you like the Palpatine chair, be sure to check out other Star Wars decor on their site, including a Han in Carbonite desk and a replica of the Millennium Falcon in the asteroid field in coffee table form.

What do you think about this Emperor desk chair? Would you add it to your home Death Star? Let us know in the comments!

Image: Lucasfilm

C’mon in, and pull yourself up a chair…

A balloon-powered flying chair, maybe?
A Snorlax beanbag chair?
Or maybe a LEGO wheelchair for leeeeettle hedgehogs?

A Nintendo Fan Made His Own Extra-Large Switch

By any standard, the Switch is a gamble that has paid off beautifully for Nintendo and reversed the company’s fortunes. Although it’s only been out just over a year, the Switch has already had a few instant classics. However, it takes more than just great games to sell a system, and the ability to instantly take titles on the go has been a major selling point. And if you don’t like the size of the portable screen, then you do have some DIY options. The host of the My Mate Vince YouTube channel has unveiled his own Nintendo Switch XL, and it is very enticing!



Via ComicBook.com, Vince walked his viewers through the design choices he made for his Switch DXL, including the power supply and his monitor. While Vince was able to successfully attach the JoyCon controllers to each side, the lack of a kickstand and the bulky components on the back were drawbacks. A few days later, Vince revealed a second prototype for his Switch XL which turned it into a PlayStation hybrid and solved several of the issues that he had with the first model.



Given Nintendo’s history, the company will probably produce its own Switch DXL at some point in the future. But if there’s a groundswell of demand for it now, then perhaps it won’t take years to materialize.

What do you think about the two prototypes for the DIY Nintendo Switch DXL? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: My Mate Vince

 

More video game news!

Nintendo Labo faces down a paper competitor.
Play a long-lost Donkey Kong game!
Live-action Link cannot escape his destiny.

LEGO’s Going to Start Making Plant-Shaped Pieces out of Plants

If you were worried that your LEGO addiction was in any way depleting the world’s oil reserves in the creation of all that plastic, be assured…so was LEGO. Via The Verge, in a pretty (literally) sweet development, LEGO are now going to be using plastic that’s plant-based, made from sugar cane. For now, it won’t be every brick — just the specific pieces based on botanical elements like trees and shrubs. The Knights Who Say Ni would surely approve.

LEGO calls the bricks “sustainably sourced” while acknowledging that there is no one agreed-upon definition for that term, so they define it for themselves as, “to a high degree determined by its source, chemical composition, its use (in a product) and management (at end-of-life), and the impact it can have in both environmental and social areas. The LEGO Group believes a new sustainable material must have an ever-lighter footprint than the material it replaces across key environmental and social impact areas such as fossil resource use, human rights and climate change.”

Tim Brooks, Vice President, Environmental Responsibility at the LEGO Group, says that the new plastic will have the same properties as the old, and that neither kids nor parents should notice the difference…aside from the fact that they’ll know in advance which is which, because you told them it was plant pieces, of course. The LEGO group is targeting 2030 to be a zero-waste operation, which sounds optimistic, but since LEGO can do pretty much anything, we’re not going to be too skeptical.

Everything except not be painful when you step on it, natch. Does this make you more likely to buy LEGO? Tell us in comments what you think.

Images: LEGO, Warner Bros.

Don’t step away from these other LEGO tales:

Infinity War spoilers in LEGO sets?
The Addams Family set that needs to happen.
A LEGO Lord of the Rings pinball machine.

On SNL, Charles Barkley Has Questions About STAR WARS Languages

Have you ever wondered how many languages the Star Wars heroes have to speak in their daily lives? They mostly speak in Galactic Basic Standard (which we hear as English), but many of the alien inhabitants don’t bother to translate their responses. It made for some awkward moments in this skit that was cut from Charles Barkley‘s latest episode of Saturday Night Live. Director J.J. Abrams made a cameo appearance as himself, in which he introduced the next spinoff anthology story: The Mos Eisley Five. Barkley played one of the five smugglers who helped the Rebels find a new base on Hoth. But he could barely follow the conversation when his allies kept excluding him by using strange languages.



We’re going to go out on a limb and suggest Barkley’s character isn’t a Jedi Knight, despite the Jedi-like outfit he’s wearing. Kate McKinnon played the smuggler who was dressed like Rey, while Mikey Day did his best Han Solo. Kenan Thompson was the Jabba-like creature, Goba, and Pete Davidson portrayed the Rebel pilot.

Looking back on the Star Wars films, it was very rare for a character to express confusion about the various languages. We’ve always assumed Han was fluent in Wookiee, but what about everyone else around them? Were Luke and Leia secretly taking Rosetta Stone courses just to keep up with their new friends? And when exactly did Luke become fluent in R2-D2’s beeps? Was everyone expected to understand Salacious Crumb too? Barkley’s non-Jedi was right. That is just way to much work to put in to get by in a galaxy far, far away.

What do you think about the lost SNL Star Wars sketch? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: NBC 

Star Wars satire: always fun.



Grand Moff Tarkin as played by Cinderella.
The return of Jaxxon!
And it’s all about that Rebel base.

Gal Gadot’s JUSTICE LEAGUE Stunt Rehearsal Looks Cooler Than the Final Version

CORRECTION: It appears this is Gadot’s stuntwoman. An earlier version of this story said it was Gadot.

Due to its two different directors and Superman CG-erased mustache and everything else, Justice League didn’t always work as a coherent whole, but it contained many individual moments that worked great by themselves. Jaded Aquaman, smart-aleck Flash, and Frankensteined Cyborg all had memorable scenes, and of course Gal Gadot‘s Wonder Woman had a ton of goodwill going in that sustained over her first big rescue scene.

But in an effects-heavy movie, it’s sometimes easy to lose sight of just how much real work goes into creating an action sequence. A newly released behind-the-scenes clip from the upcoming Blu-ray, via Heroic Hollywood, gives us a taste of that scene as it looked on a greenscreen stage rehearsal, with Gadot’s stuntwoman in gray sweats and the bad guys, fittingly, in red shirts.

Granted, anything can look cool when edited in Zack Snyder’s signature “slow-down, speed-up” style; he could probably film Gadot eating breakfast and make a knife stabbing an egg yolk into the most dynamic evisceration ever. But there’s something about seeing a real person, rather than an iconic superhero, pulling all the stunt moves off; it can be easy at times to forget when watching the movies that Wonder Woman isn’t a real Amazon, but a character played by a person who trained like crazy.

It also makes us want to see Gadot do more action movies in different guises. Maybe, for the sake of ghosts of ironic fan-casting past, we could have her face a villain played by Gina Carano one day. Can we get an amen? Let us know in comments.

Image: Warner Bros.

Gal Gadot in action is always worth a story:

Behind the scenes of Wonder Woman.
Training Conan O’Brien to be super.
Sometimes, Wonder Woman’s greatest weapon is charades.

Artist Brings BACK TO THE FUTURE’s Doc Brown to Life With Mini-Sculpture

I’m not positive but I think there’s a law that says anytime you write about Doc Brown from Back to the Future you have to work in the phrase “great Scott!” But I think I’m going to have to slightly modify it when talking about this mini-sculpture, because while the final product looks great, there’s only one thing that comes to mind while watching it come to life: “Oh dear god Scott!”

This figure of Christopher Lloyd‘s iconic time-traveling scientist, which we first saw at Tastefully Offensive, is the work of artist Juliana LePine, whose sculpture of Queen‘s Freddie Mercury we told you about before. With a store bought skeleton as a base, she uses multiple kinds of clay to mold, paint, and cloth a very lifelike, detailed rendering of Doc Brown. Almost too lifelike actually, because if you watch this in reverse it seems like the real Christopher Lloyd is being tortured in the ninth gate of Hell.



We’re always enamored by watching talented artists at work, but sometimes it’s best not to see how the sausage gets made, because at multiple points in the process this figurine is absolutely terrifying. Like when she carved open its eyes and mouth.

Or when Doc looked like a pool of piranhas had chewed up his body.

The final figure is obviously outstanding, especially with the added touch of Doc’s modified toy car remote control, but when it comes to watching how it was made let’s just say it’s only slightly less appealing than crashing into a manure truck. Even Scott would agree with us.

What other figures would you love to see this artist craft next? Mold our comments section with your best suggestions.

Images: Juliana LePine Sculptures

Muppet Creators’ Documentary Gets New Trailer and Release Date

At South by Southwest last year, a new documentary called Muppet Guys Talking premiered to rave reviews from most who saw it, but unless you were one of the lucky ones who got to see this reunion of legendary puppeteers, you were out of luck, as no release date was seemingly on the horizon. Now we’ve learned, via i09, that you’ll finally be able to watch the film at home in the next few weeks, as it is set to arrive on March 16, available only via direct download. There’s also a new trailer to give you an idea of just the kind of “sensational, inspirational, celebrational, muppetational” fun you’re in for with this new film, which you can view below.



For most of us, Jim Henson’s beloved creations the Muppets have always been a part of our lives in some way, and thanks to Henson’s other puppet creations on Sesame Street, most of us can also claim that our first glimmers of education came from the likes of Big Bird and the Count. But rarely do we get a glimpse into the men and women who helped bring Kermit, Piggy, Cookie Monster and the rest of these iconic characters to life.

But now Muppet Guys Talking has arrived, it has done precisely that, and it’s directed by none other than Fozzie Bear and Grover himself — not to mention Yoda — the legendary Frank Oz. This documentary brings you into an intimate conversation with the men and women who helped shape many of our childhoods, and who continue to shape childhoods even today. It’s high time that these creators who were there with the incredible Jim Henson back at the beginning also got to share their stories.

What do you think of the folks behind the Muppets we love finally getting the chance to tell their stories? Let us know down below in the comments.

Images: The Jim Henson Company

More movie news!

Check out 2018 Oscar movie posters as parodied by Zootopia.
A Friday the 13th statue awaits unsuspecting divers.
Guillermo del Toro gets his own Funko Pop!

ZOOTOPIA Oscar Parody Posters Are Back

Have you herd? If you want to get in one last Oscar-related joke before tomorrow, you’d better hoof it! Pack your supplies and hop to it, before you get outfoxed, and…

Look, in the spirit of Zootopia, we’d hate to beat a dead horse. Or any horse. But the general gist here is that Oh My Disney has unleashed a new round of movie posters as they would exist in Zootopia’s all-animal universe. You might remember last year’s Hell or High Otter (what was that otter smoking?) and La La Lamb; this year, they’re cheating a little bit by including some decidedly non-contenders, like Zoomanji…

“Moowayne Johnshorn” is what we’re going to call the Rock from now on, at least until we’re anywhere within his earshot. He still gets off easier than Mark Wahlrus…

The favorite to win in the animal universe, we hear, is Lady Herd. Ever since the triumph of officer Judy Hopps, female protagonists have been in.

There’s more over at Oh My Disney, including a Shape of Water one that takes interspecies love in a different direction (and no, it’s not fox and bunny). If tradition holds, they may break out a few more before the show begins, but they’d better be faster than Flash about it to beat the clock. Dunstork, anyone? Pull Me by Your Mane? Three Bullboards?

Let us know your beastly Oscar suggestions in comments.

Images: Disney

We’ve got more Disney.


A Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur cartoon!
New Disney park Marvel rides in the works.
Live-action Kim Possible is probable.

THE SHAPE OF WATER Characters (and Director) Emerge as Funko Pops

How much proof do we need that we are currently living in a geek golden age? Here’s all the proof you need — Director Guillermo del Toro’s latest film, The Shape of Water, a movie about an underwater, humanoid monster who falls in love with a mute young woman, is currently up for a whopping 13 nominations at this year’s Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. There was a time when the Academy would have shied away from a film that was such a throwback to sci-fi monster movies of the past, but now, they are embracing it. Better late than never!

If you’re one of the millions of fans around the world who has embraced The Shape of Water as one of our best ever modern cinematic fairy tales, then you’ll definitely want to grab these new Funko Pop! vinyls based on the film. The first wave will have three vinyl figures in total — the Amphibian Man, played by the great Doug Jones in the film, and his rescuer and romantic love Elisa, played by Best Actress nominee Sally Hawkins. Also included in the first wave is a vinyl figure of the man himself, director Guillermo del Toro, and all of these Pop! toys are worthy of a hallowed place in his collectible-filled home, Bleak House.

Hopefully, fans will get a second wave of the Pop! figures from The Shape of Water before too long, because I am pretty sure we all need a glow-in-the-dark version of the Amphibian Man, and maybe a toy of other characters in the film, like the horrible Colonel Richard Strickland, the Amphibian Man’s keeper and tormentor, played by the great Michael Shannon; and Elisa’s best friend Zelda, played by Octavia Spencer. The first wave of The Shape of Water Pop! vinyls are set to hit stores this summer.

What do you think of these latest Pop!s coming from Funko? And which characters from the film would you like to see next? Let us know down below in the comments.

Images: Funko /Fox Searchlight Pictures

Pop! go the toy stories.

Oooh, ahhh…it’s sexy Ian Malcolm.
Rick and Morty and Mad Max and Funko.
Minecraft Pops go low-res.

This Nintendo Labo Parody Is a Stop-Motion Tribute to Gaming Glory Days

Earlier this year, Nintendo revealed its plans to let gamers use cardboard to make DIY creations on the Switch. The Nintendo Labo is heading to stores next month, and it should be interesting to see how fans respond to it. But first, comedian Ryan Higa has envisioned the next logical progression: Nintendoe (with an e) Paper! In this video, Higa portrays himself as a company spokesman who passionately makes the case for rolling back the clock on gaming technology until reaches it reaches its most primitive form. But thanks to some impressive stop-motion animation, this parody is also a loving tribute to the 8-bit and 16-bit games that captured our collective imaginations decades ago.



At the 3:25 mark, the video completely shifts gears. The Nintendoe Paper, up to this point just the subject of a parody commercial, proceeds to live up to its own hype by transforming into gaming icons like Mario, Kirby, Link, Samus Aran, Ryu, and more while recreating several classic experiences. Then Higa takes things even further by staging a battle between the shape-changing paper and the Nintendo Labo itself, which transforms into a piano-faced mecha of destruction.

Additionally, Higa released a video that offered a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the Nintendoe Paper parody. There are a few bloopers involved, but it’s also quite intriguing to see the paper creations outside of their original context. As explained in the video, Higa and his team overcame several technical challenges to complete their parody. And it was all worth it in the end.



For more videos by Higa, check out his official YouTube channel.

What did you think about these videos? Let us know in the comment section below!

Image: Ryan Higa

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