Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1850

Disneyland Animatronics Literally Lose Their Heads, Keep Singing Anyway

The Walt Disney theme parks are kind of like 24 hour, non stop theatrical productions. There’s a reason that Disneyland employees are called “cast members” after all. So it’s a little disconcerting when any kind of flaw in the show, so to speak, ever happens.

And recently, a pretty grisly flaw happened during Disneyland business hours not once, but twice in one day. And it’s one that Alice in Wonderland’s infamous Queen of Hearts would no doubt have loved, as the heads of two animatronics in popular rides came right off.

This happened today which caught me off guard because Disney is usually so critical over things like this

All of the Tiny Details We Love in the ANT-MAN AND THE WASP Trailer

Between Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel’s already got a pretty loaded lineup this year. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for the tiniest of heroes! The first trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp has arrived, and it’s given us a glorious sneak peak at what’s coming up in and outside of the Quantum Realm. Today’s Nerdist News is breaking down everything we love about the new footage!

Join host, and renowned ant-whisperer, Jessica Chobot, as she puts a microscope over the key Ant-Man and the Wasp moments, big and small. As you may recall, Scott Lang was outed as the new Ant-Man when he was captured during Captain America: Civil War before he was eventually rescued. Judging from the way the FBI is all over Scott and Hank Pym in these clips, it looks like he’s still paying the price for that. Evangeline Lilly‘s Hope van Dyne can even be heard saying that it’s Scott’s fault that they had to go on the run.

Oh yeah, Scott’s getting big again. And this time, his Giant-Man transformation is even more impressive. But he may not be the only Goliath around. Laurence Fishburne makes his MCU debut in this trailer as Bill Foster, a former partner of Hank Pym who is probably glad he sat out the Civil War movie. Seriously, the Civil War comic book was not kind to Bill Foster, and he deserves a lot better than that. The trailer also gives us a brief look at Ghost, who may be one of the film’s primary villains.

The lighter tone of the first film appears to be intact and we’re loving the dynamic between Scott and Hope as superhero partners. That said, we are wondering why Michelle Pfeiffer‘s Janet van Dyne didn’t appear in this trailer. Perhaps Marvel is saving the reveal of the original Wasp for a later date. However, we may have caught a glimpse of the fantastic voyage to save Jan from the Quantum Realm. We saw a tiny ship surrounded by giant bacteria and viruses which could be the way that Scott and Hope go on their rescue mission.

We’ll learn more when Ant-Man and the Wasp arrives at movie theaters on July 6.

What did you think about the first trailer for this film? Shrink down to a microscopic size and share your thoughts below!

Images: Marvel Studios

More Nerdist News for your eyes, brain, and heart!

Are The Walking Dead shows going to merge ?
We explore Captain America’s post-Civil War activities
Our first look at Captain Marvel’s suit was not what people expected

Fan-Made LEGO LORD OF THE RINGS Pinball Machine Deserves the One Ring

The LEGO custom builders community never ceases to impress us with their creativity. We’ve previously seen fan-created LEGO builds like the Tower of Orthanc from Lord of the Rings, but the following creation is a first for us: a fully playable LEGO Lord of the Rings pinball machine. And while the pictures are amazing, you really have to see the video below to fully appreciate the fact that the pinball really works.

Via io9 and The Brothers Brick, the LEGO Lord of the Rings pinball machine is the work of Vladimir van Hoek, a Dutch builder who told Nerdist that he’s been a LEGO fan since he was three-years old; he recalled his very first LEGO set was “the Mail truck (set 6651).” Van Hoek poured serious time into this build: he put it together over the course of 100 hours, which were spread out over two years. He used approximately 15,000 LEGO bricks to create the machine, and the final board is 40 inches long and 20 inches wide. All told, it weighs about 44 pounds. The scoreboard isn’t functional, but everything else is.

He explained he had to figure out how to make the flippers work properly before he was finally able to tackle the machine itself. “The Lord of the Rings theme probably came from the upcoming Middle-Earth LEGO Olympics on MOC-pages,” van Hoek said. “But the Lord of the Rings [trilogy] has been a favorite book, and later movies, and later still LEGO sets.”

Here’s an example of the more subtle aspects of the machine: there’s a scene visible beneath the game board that recreates Aragorn’s encounter with the army of the dead.

And of course, Aragorn isn’t the only familiar face.

While this is an amazing build, van Hoek expressed his desire to dismantle it and reuse the brinks on a different project. “Seriously, I want to take it apart as fast as I can and have the ten percent of my brick collection available again,” said van Hoek. “I’m dying to start something new.”

You can find more photos of this LEGO LOTR pinball machine at van Hoek’s Flickr page, which also includes shots of his previous LEGO builds. For the future, van Hoek told us that he’s planning some smaller builds, and said that he “will build something for the birth card of my daughter” before eventually tackling “a colossal Ninjago City” with his friend.

What do you think about the LEGO Lord of the Rings pinball machine? You shall not pass until you leave a comment below!

Images: Vladimir van Hoek

Stay in Middle-earth with these stories!

New Lord of the Rings Funko toys.
A Lord of the Rings prequel series is coming to Amazon Prime.
Burn it down with a Lord of the Rings fire pit.

A BLACK PANTHER Cosplay Worthy of a King

The world premiere of Black Panther was on Monday night, and the initial reactions are overwhelmingly positive. T’Challa commands attention. The character certainly inspired Andrien Gbinigie. He put together his first ever costume in October 2017 because of Black Panther. He told Nerdist, “I chose Black Panther because he has long been my favorite superhero. Black Panther is inspiring because he not only is a certified genius in the Marvel universe, he is also a king and protector of Wakanda, a nation that houses the only known deposit of the precious metal vibranium. Seeing a black hero in that position of strength, front and center, really drives home the importance of representation.”

Gbinigie worked with Vic, a.k.a. Lucid Visual Photography, to show off his Black Panther costume in an amazing setting.

Since this was his first ever costume, Gbinigie reached out to cosplayer friends to get tips and then he commissioned a suit. “I then contacted The RPC Studio and they helped me put together a custom made suit, directly to my measurements. At the same time, I was working out four times a week with a personal trainer to ensure that I could at least look like T’Challa in the suit,” he explained.

His hard work clearly paid off. The photos practically look like stills from the Marvel film.

View more photos of the incredible costume in the gallery below. Keep up with Gbinigie’s work by following him on Twitter and Instagram. See more of Lucid Visual Photography’s pictures on Facebook and/or Instagram.

Anyone else out there cosplaying Black Panther or any of the warriors from Wakanda? Tell us in the comments and show us your pictures on Twitter.

Images: Lucid Visual Photography, courtesy of Andie Gbinigie

Read more about Black Panther!

The first reactions to Black Panther are glowing.
8 things we learned on the Black Panther set.
Marvel’s giving away a Black Panther starter comic.

Peter Dinklage and Morgan Freeman Face-off in Super Bowl Rap Battle

Whether the Patriots or Eagles emerge victorious this weekend we already know who the big winners of Super Bowl Sunday will be–all of us. Because the NFL’s championship will feature a series of Doritos and Mountain Dew commercials with Peter Dinklage and Morgan Freeman facing off in a rap battle.

We came across these commercials/fever dreams come to life at The A.V. Club, and they’re everything we’d hope for and more. In the first one Dinklage, representing Doritos Blaze, and Freeman, backing Mountain Dew Ice, come face to face, with Freeman landing the first non-verbal blow.

That would have been enough to get us to try either product, but it gets so much better. Because in the next commercial the two of them sit in front of a mirror warming up and getting hyped for the fight when Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliott show up to help train each of them.



After that it’s time for the big showdown, in a literal song of ice and fire, with the team of Dinklage and Busta Rhymes performing Busta’s part from “Look at Me Now,” and Freeman and Elliott countering with Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On.”



These videos are now Game of Thrones canon. This officially confirms the theory that Tyrion is really a secret Targaryen who can spit fire like a dragon, and Morgan Freeman is a White Walker.

And the fact we get to now treat Morgan Freeman as a White Walker proves all of us have already won this year’s Super Bowl.

Who do you think won this rap battle? Spit hot fire with your answer in our comments section below.

Featured Image: Doritos

Images: HBO

More on Game of Thrones!

Hear the Game of Thrones theme played on calculators
So here’s when Game of Thrones is coming back
The 10 most essential episodes of Game Of Thrones

 

Eating Tide Pods Can Kill You, As Explained By Horrifying Science

“Don’t eat poison” is one of the first lessons we learn in life. Every little kid is told repeatedly not to consume anything they might find under the kitchen sink, because it’s very dangerous. That’s why the recent Tide Pod Challenge phenomenon has been so inexplicable and easy to make fun of. How can teenagers be stupid enough to eat laundry detergent? But this fantastic–yet frightening–new video exploring the horrifying science behind the damage those detergent packets can do to your body is no laughing matter, because consuming them can lead to a quick and terrible death.

This is the latest medical video from the YouTube channel Chubbyemu, and it explores the awful story of what happened to a young teenager earlier this month after he ate three laundry pods. We all know–or should–detergent is bad for us, but the real science of what it does to our esophagus and lungs is something out of a horror film. Because seeing the damage of caustic esophageal injury and liquefactive necrosis are scary than any monster, especially when they can lead to imminent respiratory failure and cardiac arrest.

They should show this video in every science class in America. Not only would it serve as the best kind of warning about why eating a laundry pod–which is far more concentrated than normal detergent–can cause major injury and death, it’s also a great anatomy lesson of how our body works to defend itself, and how the poison works to destroy it.

So yeah, it’s been easy to laugh at how stupid these kids have been, but the Tide Pod Challenge isn’t funny. The punishment for being dumb shouldn’t be death.

Did you know just how horrible the effects of eating laundry pods is on your body? What in this video surprised you? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Need More Science News?

LEGO wants YOU! to come up with a cool space set.
This 9,000 year old teen looks a lot like Danzig.
And finally, did you hear? Because Science is its own YouTube channel now!

Featured Image: Chubbyemu

BLACK PANTHER Premiere Fashion Celebrates African Royalty

It’s been a long time coming–52 years to be exact–but Marvel’s Black Panther has finally hit the big screen. Jack Kirby and Stan Lee‘s creation was the first Black superhero in mainstream comics and has long been one of the most beloved thanks to incredible contemporary comics from creators like Christopher Priest, Reginald Hudlin, and Ta-Nehisi Coates. After ten years and 17 films, the MCU finally has brought its first leading Black superhero to the screen, too, with Chadwick Boseman‘s T’Challa. The film premiered on Monday night, and the stars of the film were out in force to celebrate the world premiere of Black Panther. The invite to the premiere specifed a dress code: “Royal attire requested.” The nation of Wakanda did not disappoint on the purple carpet. Here are some of our favorite looks from the cast of the much anticipated new Marvel movie and premiere attendees.

Letitia Wright killed it in this dramatic Bibhu Mohapatra dress, perfect for the Princess of Wakanda herself, Shuri. Her dynamic teen hero, however, is far more likely to be wearing badass gauntlets and creating high tech gadgetry for her brother than walking the runway.

Oh look! It’s everyone’s favorite thespian and Best Actor nominee (for Get Out), Daniel Kaluuya! He rocked a traditional East African kanzu under a burgundy blazer, looking every bit like the second in command of the most technologically advanced nation on Earth just like his character W’Kabi.

On screen and off screen queen, Angela Bassett looked divine as she walked the purple carpet at the El Capitan in this vintage fringed jumpsuit. Bassett plays Ramonda, T’Challa’s step-mother and the Queen of Wakanda, a close ally and confidante of T’Challa.

Lupita Nyong’o looks like royalty everywhere she goes, and the Black Panther premiere was no different. She owned the purple carpet in this unreal custom Versace gown which channeled the warrior spirit of her character, Nakia. She’s part of the Dora Milaje, Wakanda’s elite team of female bodyguards who dedicate their life to protecting the kingdom and the king.

The Walking Dead‘s Danai Gurira wore a lush pink and black gown as she celebrated the world premiere of her newest movie. In Black Panther, Gurira takes the role of Okoye, one of the most loyal and skilled of the Dora Milaje who often fights at T’Challa’s side.

Creative collaborators and blatant BFFs Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler looked exceptionally dapper. Jordan has, if early reports are to be believed, given the performance of a lifetime as T’Challa’s adversary Killmonger.

ALL HAIL THE KING! Chadwick Boseman arrived looking regal AF in a gorgeous gold and black blazer. The Black Panther himself, Boseman is at the center of Ryan Coogler’s afro-futurist epic as he tries to balance the responsibilities of being King of Wakanda as well as a superhero embroiled in saving the wider world of the MCU.

See more stunning looks below.

What were your fave Black Panther premiere ensembles? Who are you most excited seeing on screen? Just can’t wait til February 16? Let us know in the comments!

Images: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

Extend your visit to Wakanda!

6 things we learned about Black Panther‘s Wakanda.
Meet the warriors of Wakanda.
The first Black Panther toy commercial.

Janeshia Adams-Ginyard

Sydelle Noel

Nabiyah Be

Donald Glover

Miles Brown

Everything You Need To Know About ALTERED CARBON

On February 2, 2018, Netflix will release their latest sci-fi saga in the form of Altered Carbon. Based on the novel of the same name by Richard K. Morgan, the show will seek to harness the complex world created by Morgan back in 2002. A world that won Morgan the Philip K. Dick Award in 2003, quite the feat for a debut novelist. A lore dense piece of fiction, Altered Carbon has about as many layers are the reader (or watcher) is willing to dig for. Below I’ve collected a spoiler-free primer for anyone who wants to know more about the world of Altered Carbon before diving in headfirst to a place where nothing — and no one — is what they seem.

Let’s Talk Sub-Genre

Altered Carbon is a “cyberpunk” story, through and through. Merriam-Webster defines cyberpunk as “science fiction dealing with future urban societies dominated by computer technology.” Specifically, Altered Carbon heavily borrows visuals and narration shorthand from Philip K. Dick’s classic Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, better known by its film adaptation, Blade Runner. However, where Altered Carbon differentiates itself is in the technology itself. While Blade Runner has flying cars and moral quandary of realistic androids, the technology feels gritty and lived-in. The tech of Altered Carbon’s cyberpunk future is the sterile and medical by comparison, and takes the ethical quandary of “What is a soul?” to new and interesting places.

The World Of The Story

Set in the far-future of the 26th century, death is practically a thing of the past. Breakthroughs in medical technology mean that, at birth, every single human is fitted with a “cortical stack” — colloquially know as the “stack” — which immediately begins recording your memories, your skills, your intelligence, and the general state of your neural impulses which make up “you.” Should death befall your body, your stack is simply removed and placed into a new “sleeve.” The process is known as “re-sleeving.”

However, not all sleeves are created equal. The wealthy can afford seemingly infinite clones of themselves, spread across highly-secure locked vaults around the galaxy. The majority of people though do not pick their new sleeve but are merely assigned what is available. Which means you can have a child placed in an elderly person’s body or end up as a different race or gender. And where do these sleeves come from? The extremely poor. Re-sleeving costs money and if you can’t afford it (or go to jail), upon death, your stack is placed into sleep mode. Or, if your family can scrounge together the money, you’ll wake up in a Virtual Reality which friends and family can plug into in order to spend time with you. Either way, once your stack is removed from your body, the empty sleeve is no longer your property and is cycled into the re-sleeving system.

So why not just put stacks into synthetic bodies or androids? You can always opt for that, but the side effects are weird. Imagine if you woke up in a Barbie doll. Every movement would feel slightly off, so hardly anyone opts for synthetic sleeves. With such a burst in population, it’s unsurprising that humanity has reached for the stars, with colonies spread out across the galaxy. Humanity has even found a way to “cast” a stack via radio waves from one planet to another. Which means you can go on vacation to another world…in another person’s body.

The only way to permanently die is if your stack is destroyed and you don’t have a back-up. Or if you’re Catholic, as they refused to be fitted with cortical stacks at birth as it’s against their religion.

So What’s The Story?

Altered Carbon is the story of Takeshi Kovacs, a former special forces soldier who was part of the Enjoy project. Think of them as the Black Widow Program of their day. After a mission gone wrong, Kovacs went “down” into digital prison for over 200 years. He’s pulled from infinite sleep by Isaac Bancroft, a .00001% member of the elite. Effectively immortal, Bancroft is perplexed because he was murdered in his own home. Not that it mattered since Bancroft’s back up their stacks daily. The only problem? Isaac doesn’t know who the killer was. Whoever did it knew there was a gap time in the memory uploads and killed him in the blackout period to avoid detection. Only a former Enjoy would have the special skills to find such a dastardly fiend. Kovacs also has a deadline to solve the crime, all while dealing with working the cops, the shady business dealings of the underworld, sassy A.I., and someone who has a grudge against his sleeve.

Why It’s Tricky To Pull Off

The novel takes place completely inside the mind of Takeshi Kovacs. Born on Harlan’s World, Kovacs is half-Hungarian and half-Japanese. But once in the employ (or should I say possession) of the Bancrofts, Kovacs is placed into a white man’s body. There is at least one other instance in the novel where Kovacs is placed into the body of a woman. Neither of those is easy to play in a visual medium such as television. Casting Joel Kinnaman as Kovacs is a delicate balancing act as Kinnaman is a white man playing a Japanese man in a white man’s body. In an era of #OscarsSoWhite and #RepresentationMatters, getting the tone right is crucial. (Something Ghost in the Shell couldn’t do.)

Books With Similar Themes

The main theme of Altered Carbon is the exploration of where the mind/soul ends and the body begins. Put your stack into three different bodies and you’ll have three different pheromone reactions to an attractive person, three different subconscious ticks, three different physical addictions. If you want to explore similar ideas, there’s always the classic Neuromancer by William Gibson. Another great, if far less known, take on this subject comes from Tanith Lee in the form of two novellas which combined are called Biting The Sun. If you’re looking for something more current, author Alastair Reynolds wrote Chasm City in 2001, a year before Altered Carbon was released. Or you could try Richard K. Morgan’s other science-fiction universe with TH1RTE3N.

The first season of Altered Carbon hits Netflix Friday, February 2

Images: Netflix

Further reading!

The incomplete history of Cyberpunk movies
Explore more of the future with the newest Altered Carbon trailer
Speaking of sci-fi mysteries, check out the viral website for Annihilation!

RICK AND MORTY’S Tiny Rick Visits Other Cartoons in 3D-Printed Short

To love Rick and Morty means waiting for a very long time for more episodes, which is why we love fan videos that help fill the long void the show always leaves us with. And considering how much we also love custom figures, they don’t get much better than this animated short featuring a 3D-printed version of one of our favorite characters from the series, Tiny Rick!

This video, which we came across at io9, is the latest from the 3D Print Guy, whom you may remember from his custom Mr. Meeseeks figures. The clip opens with a brief tutorial on how he designed his own version of Tiny Rick—his own unique adaptation of the character look from the show. From there he sends Tiny Rick on his own drunken adventure, as Rick brings his brand of destruction to a number of other cartoon worlds. We don’t want to spoil which shows he portals into, but be prepared for some Justin Roiland character inception.

This wouldn’t apply to anyone other than Rick, but one way to deal with the crushing depression brought on by transforming your mind into a younger clone of yourself is to murder a bunch of other cartoons.

If you want to make your own 3D-printed Tiny Rick for free, the 3D Print Guy has made them available at his website. And as if your own Mr. Meeseeks or Tiny Rick wasn’t enough, he also has instructions to make your own Mr. Poopy Butthole.

Ooooh weeee, now that’s one fantastic way to pass the time until Rick and Morty comes back.

What other character from the show do you want him to 3D print next? Tell us in the comments below.

More From the Rickstaverse?

Rick and Morty performed at a Deadmau5 show.
Here’s why the new season probably won’t arrive til 2019.
And finally, check out this horrifying plumbus commercial.

Featured Image: 3D Print Guy

The Writers Panel #369: Liz Hara Part 2

New writer Liz Hara returns! When last we left Liz, she’d moved to LA from New York to work on Life In Pieces. She’s still on staff on the CBS sit-com and shares stories about growing more comfortable in the writers’ room, discovering how the show works and ticks, and more.

Follow @BenBlacker and Like the show on Facebook!