Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1857

It’s So Cold Frozen Iguanas Are Falling Out of Trees in Florida

Most of America is currently experiencing a depth of cold climate scientists describe as god damn ridiculous. Seriously, it’s like the White Walkers crossed the border from Canada armed with Mr. Freeze’s ice guns, but colder. And to give you an idea of just how nightmarish and widespread this chill is, iguanas are currently falling out of trees in Florida like frozen reptile ice cubes. But don’t worry, they’re probably not dead.

We first came across this story at The New York Times, and this weird phenomenon could be seen when Palm Beach Post columnist Frank Cerabino found a frozen iguana near his pool in Boca Raton in Florida, where the temperature has been been hitting the 30s and 40s. This iguana definitely looks like it frozen to death.

The scene at my backyard swimming pool this 40-degree South Florida morning: A frozen iguana. pic.twitter.com/SufdQI0QBx

— Frank Cerabino (@FranklyFlorida) January 4, 2018

Apparently what happens is the iguanas, which are not native to the southern part of the state, climb the trees at night, but when it gets so cold their bodies shut down. They then “freeze” and lose their grip on the tree, falling to the ground like green-tailed icicles. But don’t be too sad, because once they warm up they spring back to life.

The frozen iguana petrified next to my South Florida swimming pool yesterday, reanimated himself in the afternoon sun. Here he is walking it off … After another cold night, though, he's probably a green popsicle again this morning. pic.twitter.com/nOept7ksJT

— Frank Cerabino (@FranklyFlorida) January 5, 2018

That’s why some folks have been trying to move the cold creatures to warmer spots. (And if that doesn’t sound very heroic, look at the size of this one and ask if you’d be willing to be there when it suddenly wakes up in a strange place to find you’re carrying it by the tail.)

STUNNED IGUANA: It was cold enough in Florida to temporarily 'freeze' iguanas in West Palm Beach. This one was being moved from a parking lot so it could warm up out of harm's way.

Watch the Amazons Train in This WONDER WOMAN Set Video

Wonder Woman was one of the biggest films of 2017. It was a solid superhero film, it was fun to watch, and it was incredibly empowering for the women in the audience to see a huge group of women portrayed as strong and capable without concern for being eye candy for men.

During an early scene where all of the Amazons are riding together on horses, Gal Gadot even tells director Patty Jenkins that she can’t believe they’re filming a movie like this.  We really haven’t seen women portrayed as they are in Wonder Woman before, and it left an impact on moviegoers.

Of course, the actors had to put in some work to show off the unbridled strength that we see in Wonder Woman. In order to get the Amazons to perform at their best, the best was hired to get the actors into Themysciran shape. In a new featurette released on the DC Fans United Facebook page, we get a glimpse into the training regimen the actors were put through by Mark Twight (the same guy who trained the Spartans in 300).

Understandably, most of the women chosen to play Amazons came into the film with a certain amount of physical ability and strength. Martial artists, Olympic athletes, Cross Fitters, and even a police officer were among the women chosen to be the warriors in Wonder Woman, along with actors. It makes the Amazons that much more amazing to see how they were played by women who exercise this strength in their everyday lives, too.

In their four months of Themysciran boot camp, the women didn’t just become stronger, they also bonded together as a team. In the featurette above and just about any interview you can find with any of the cast or crew of Wonder Woman, you’ll hear about how the women on the film supported one another and how the set became a bit of a little community while they were filming. That camaraderie is evident onscreen, and made Themyscira almost feel like it was a real place.

We can’t wait to see what Diana and the Amazons bring us in Wonder Woman 2! Until then, we’ll just be re-watching the badass Amazons do their thing in the first Wonder Woman!

What do you think of the Amazons’ training regimen? What are some of your favorite exercises and activities that make you feel like an Amazon? Tell us in the comments!

Feature Image: Warner Bros. 

More nerdery for your eyes and brain!

Writer Gail Simone returns to Marvel with a brand new Domino series!
Patty Jenkins hints at a “totally different” take for Wonder Woman 2!
A first look at Black Lightning‘s Thunder !

Here’s What Really Happened to Ben Solo’s Lightsaber in THE LAST JEDI

What happened to Ben Solo’s lightsaber? Before he was Kylo Ren, powerful warrior of the dark side, scourge of computer consoles, and the First Order’s low-key thicc murdergoth, he was Ben Solo, Jedi-in-training and of Luke Skywalker. Ben Solo’s lightsaber may not have the iconic crossguard design of the lightsaber which Kylo Ren wields, but we have reason to believe that these two weapons are, in fact, one and the same.

via Giphy

Editor’s note: This video and post contain spoilers for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, so if you haven’t seen it yet, welp, good luck being online.

In The Last Jedi, if you look closely at the hilt of Ben Solo’s lightsaber during the flashback sequences when the Ben has to fend off his creepy uncle Luke Skywalker from, you know, straight-up murdering him in his sleep, you will notice that it looks nearly identical to the hilt of the crossguard lightsaber Kylo Ren uses later. To confirm our suspicions, we reached out to real-world lightsaber smiths Erling del Castillo and Ben Hobbies, who have released designs for a 3D-printed version of Ben Solo’s Jedi saber hilt.

While the experts agree with us, there is canonical evidence to explain how Ben Solo’s lightsaber turned into Kylo Ren’s jury-rigged weapon. In E.K. Johnsont’s novel Ahsoka, it is revealed that a lightsaber’s kyber crystal–its power source–can bleed red when bent to its owner’s will through the dark side of the Force. This “bleeding” quality seems like it would almost certainly apply to the raw, rough-and-tumble nature of Kylo Ren’s lightsaber. Our theory is that Ben Solo began this process with his Jedi lightsaber and cracked the kyber crystal during his descent into the dark side. With the crystal cracked, it generated too much heat for a standard lightsaber hilt, thus necessitating the need for the crossguard vents. As for its spooky black color, well, Kylo simply could have painted it black to match his gothtacular wardrobe.

via Giphy

Or, perhaps, Kylo simply copied the design of his old lightsaber hilt when crafting a weapon to use as an agent of the First Order. There’s a precedent for that, too. Obi-Wan Kenobi recreated the design of his first lightsaber after his old one was kicked down a seemingly bottomless pit. Darth Vader’s lightsaber is a dark side version of Anakin Skywalker’s Attack of the Clones lightsaber design, as well. This would, of course, fly directly in the face of Kylo’s whole “Let the past die” philosophy that he adopted in The Last Jedi, but then again, as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.”

We reached out to Lucasfilm Story Group member Pablo Hidalgo as well for confirmation, but he couldn’t comment on the matter, which I can only assume means it’s a secret guarded as closely as the true location of Darth Plagueis the Wise’s body.

But what do you think? Is Kylo Ren’s lightsaber just Ben Solo’s old weapon with a dark side paint job? Is it possible that he broke his old lightsaber? Let us know in the comments below.

Images: Lucasfilm

Additional reporting and theorycrafting by Jesse Gill.

Want more Nerdist News Edition?

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The real reason why stormtroopers always miss in Star Wars

Star Wars has a massive villain problem

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Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of books about Star Wars and the Avengers. Follow him on Twitter (@DanCasey).

 

DC Fans to Picket WB for a Snyder Cut of JUSTICE LEAGUE

DC fans are planning to rally/protest/take a nice photo outside the Warner Brothers lot in hopes of getting a Zack Snyder cut of Justice League released, but is there any chance of this working–or of the movie even existing? We discussed it on today’s Nerdist News Talks Back, along with the return of Animaniacs, and the latest Star Wars news.

Host Jessica Chobot was joined today by producer Jason Nguyen, editor Kyle Anderson, and Mothership writer Amy Vorpahl, and they kicked things off by talking about whether or not the DC fan rally set for this weekend is a publicity stunt or an earnest attempt to get a Zack Snyder version Justice League. Do we think this could actually work? Does an alternate cut even exist? Aren’t there better things to be up in arms against these days? And is there anything in pop culture we care enough to rally for?

We also got word this week that Animaniacs will return with a two-season order at Hulu. Are we excited by this reboot? What other classic cartoons should also be brought back? And speaking of coming back, do we care Rick and Morty might not be back until late 2019? Or have the show’s super intense fans turned us off the series?

Then we had another Star Wars including the now-deleted tweetsroundup, from story head Pablo Hidalgo  the new trilogy isn’t all that different from the original plans George Lucas had for the movies. Should this douse the anger of some fans over the direction of the franchise? And should we be worried about Solo‘s release being a few weeks after another huge Disney release, Infinity War? Why would they have the movies compete for the same box office dollars?

Make sure you tune in every weekday at 1:00 p.m. PT when Nerdist News Talks Back airs live on our YouTube and Alpha channels. We love when you join in the conversation with us, but don’t try protesting to get another cut of the show. We promise there’s only one.

We still want to hear your thoughts on today’s topics though, so talk back to us in the comments below.

Images: Warner Bros., Lucasfilm

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Atlanta‘s next season will be called Robbin’ Season , and Donald Glover explains why!
Mad Men‘s Kiernan Shipka is the new Sabrina the Teenage Witch !
Gillian Anderson and possibly Kristin Chenoweth exits American Gods !

Donald Glover Explains ATLANTA’s Season 2 Title, ROBBIN’ SEASON

When FX announced the return date for Donald Glover‘s critically-acclaimed FX comedy Atlanta, the news came with an interesting angle. The network kept referring to the television series as Atlanta Robbin’ Season, not Atlanta. When did that change? And what did the new title mean? It’s best to let the creators take that one, as the minds of Donald and Stephen Glover, the brains behind the operation, work like no one else’s.

The very first question asked of them during a panel at the 2018 Winter Television Critics Association press tour, was what the new title of the series means for the 11-episode second season.

“‘Robbin’ season’ for most people who don’t know is a time in Atlanta before Christmas time and New Years where a bunch of crime happens in that time because people have to get Christmas gifts and people need money so it’s a time when robberies go up all the time,” Stephen said. “You might get your package stolen off your front porch. When we were there shooting my neighbor got her car stolen off her driveway. It’s a very tense and desperate time so we wanted to make that a backdrop to our season and our characters are going through that same type of transition their whole lives to where they’re headed now. Robbin’ Season is kind of like a metaphor for all of our characters.”

The new title just applies to the second season, according to Donald. But that doesn’t mean there will be new titles for every season moving forward, either.

“I don’t know if the other seasons are going to have other titles,” Donald says. “What we liked about the first season is that we just looked at it as 30 minutes on television. We weren’t trying to think about it in terms of sitcoms or tropes or what has come before it. We really tried to just devolve what television was. We just had 30 minutes to do whatever we wanted. We just went into this why are we going to do seasons? Everybody does seasons. The theme we wanted to go for was this.”

The highly experimental and stylized show was an instant hit with both viewers and critics, as Atlanta earned award after award. But Donald didn’t want the success to change the series or force them to do the same thing in season two. He wants to keep pushing Atlanta to try new things since that’s what it was envisioned as from the start. And it’s safe to say that Atlanta Robbin’ Season will be unlike anything that’s come before, since Donald and Stephen literally used the “How I Spent My Vacation” episodes of Tiny Toon Adventures as the inspiration for the new season.

“It’s a really good show,” Donald says as the room of critics erupts in laughter at his revelation. “You laugh but that was a really good mini group that they did. It was our favorite as kids.” According to Donald, that run of episodes of the animated series can be watched all together as a movie, but you can also watch them as individual episodes. “You enjoy them more when they’re together but you also enjoy them in bits,” Donald says.

Director Hiro Murai adds that they decided to use that format to “set up the audience to approach the show differently.”

“We approached this season wanting to do something a little more cohesive,” he explains. “We picked a lane a little bit more. That said, part of our game is making ourselves uncomfortable. We thrive the most when we slightly don’t know what we’re doing. We got to try a lot of weird experimental stuff.”

Images: FX

Atlanta Robbin’ Season premieres Thursday, March 1 at 10 p.m. on FX.

Nerdist Podcast: Michael Rosenbaum

Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville, Guardians of the Galaxy II) chats with Chris about how he got into acting, where he and Chris met and recently starting a podcast. They also talk about being comfortable with who you are, Michael tells a story about auditioning and shaving his head for the role of Lex Luther!

Image: Nicholas Hunt / Getty

MAD MEN’s Kiernan Shipka is SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH

Ever since it was announced that a Riverdale spin-off focused on Sabrina the teenage witch was in pre-production, fans have been waiting with baited breath for any and all news. Up until this point, all we knew was that the show has jumped networks, moving from The CW to Netflix and based on Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s Archie Horror comic that reimagined the character as an occult-heavy horror story (complete with cannibalism and human sacrifice). But today in a press release, Netflix revealed their first big casting announcement, and luckily for us it’s Sabrina Spellman herself, Kiernan Shipka.

Most well known for her seven season long stint as Sally Draper on Mad Men, Shipka recently starred in Ryan Murphy’s Feud, but she also has some serious horror chops. Her years of character work—alongside her performance in 2015’s gorgeously atmospheric indie chiller The Blackcoat’s Daughter—make her a perfect lead for this new addition to the Archieverse. Netflix describes Sabrina as “an empowered young woman, half-human, half-witch … just beginning her dark education as a sorceress, even as she tries to maintain a normal life as a sophomore at Baxter High. Intelligent, compassionate and brave to the point of recklessness, Sabrina is all that stands between us and the forces of darkness that threaten our world.”

The big question now is whether we’ll be introduced to Shipka’s Sabrina in the already familiar world of Riverdale. This is pretty likely as in Aguirre-Sacasa’s comics Betty, Veronica, and other members of the Archieverse play a large role in Sabrina’s journey.

Fans seem to be pretty excited about the casting with Twitter already exploding at the announcement. The creative team is also clearly passionate about Shipka’s casting. “We’re all such huge fans of Kiernan’s work that when we started talking about who this new incarnation of Sabrina could be, her name was on everyone’s wish list. This is a darker, more macabre version of Sabrina, and we’re incredibly excited for people to see Kiernan make this iconic character her own,” Chilling Adventures of Sabrina creator and Executive Producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa stated. “I am thrilled that Kiernan is playing Sabrina and have no doubt that she will embody the strength, courage and boldness that has made the character a fan favorite,” Archie Comics CEO Jon Goldwater added.

The as-yet-untitled show, “Imagines the origin and adventures of Sabrina the Teenage Witch as a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror, the occult and, of course, witchcraft. Tonally in the vein of Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, this adaptation finds Sabrina wrestling to reconcile her dual nature — half-witch, half-mortal — while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family and the daylight world humans inhabit.”

We can’t wait to see what Kiernan does with the role, and we’ll be keeping our eyes open for upcoming announcements. Are you excited to see the world of Riverdale expand? Just love Sabrina and can’t wait to see a wholly new incarnation? Let us know in the comments!

Need More Sabrina Talk?

Read about the 2-season order Netflix put in.
We also have some script pages you can read right here!
And finally, here’s why you need to read the comic!

Images: Archie Comics, Netflix, A24

What the Millennium Falcon’s New Look Means for STAR WARS!

Way back in the original Star Wars trilogy, Han Solo indicated that he gave his beloved Millennium Falcon a few modifications. However, an early glimpse of the ship from Solo: A Star Wars Story may indicate that Han really undersold the extent of the changes. A possible LEGO leak appears to have given us the first look at the pre-Han Millennium Falcon. Today’s Nerdist News is making the jump to hyperspace as we unpack its implications.

Join host and Corellian diplomat, Jessica Chobot, as she examines the pic of the “the Kessel Run Millennium Falcon.” Han’s boast about making “the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs” has been a part of the Falcon’s lore from the very beginning, and it seems that we’ll actually see that happen in this film. However, it looks like the Falcon is missing a few of its most identifiable features, including the mandibles that gave the ship its unique shape.

It also appears that Han added more firepower when he took possession of the ship from Lando. In fact, the blue colors on the ship suggest that Han didn’t immediately repaint the hull after winning the ship from his friend. Because if anyone is going to color coordinate his ship with his cape, it’s going to be Lando Calrissian. As far as we’re concerned, that’s canon!

What do you think about the first glimpse of the LEGO Millennium Falcon from Solo: A Star Wars Story? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

Images: Lucasfilm

Gail Simone Returns to Marvel with DOMINO Series

She’s been a member of the mutant cast of characters in the X-Men titles for over 25 years now at Marvel, but thanks to a new live-action incarnation in the upcoming Deadpool 2 movie, Domino is going to become more high profile than ever.

In light of the character’s big screen debut with actress Zazie Beetz, she’s going to be getting an all-new series this year, coming from none other than writer Gail Simone, making her long awaited return to Marvel Comics. An interior artist has yet to be announced. You can see the cover for issue #1 down below:

Announced over on Marvel.com, on April 11, Gail Simone’s Domino #1 will hit comic book shops, and will feature a cover by Greg Land and Frank D’Armata. In a statement from Gail Simone, she said “My favorite characters are always the unpredictable ones, and with Domino, you literally never know which way the dice are going to roll. I love her, and I can’t wait to show her best bad side!” Below is the official description of the series:

“When Domino finds herself on the wrong side of the mercenary community, the favorite femme fatale has to fight back and, somehow, stay alive. Hunted by her enemies, a danger to her friends, and chased by the man who hates her more than anything, Domino will be up against the odds—but that’s never stopped her before.”

One of Simone’s first high profile writing jobs back in the early 2000s was a celebrated run on Deadpool, so writing his X-Force comrade Domino is a bit of a homecoming for her. You can tell how excited Simone is at returning to the Marvel Universe by checking out her tweets since the big announcement.

Can I say how much I love this cover? See that thing she is doing?

She is SMILING, y’all.

Gillian Anderson Exits AMERICAN GODS, Kristin Chenoweth May Not Return

I didn’t think 2018 was going to devastate me like this. Sure, we were all already mourning the loss of visionary American Gods showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green last year, but losing Gillian Anderson, a.k.a. Media, a.k.a. one of the best parts of the show? And maybe even Kristin Chenoweth, a.k.a. Easter, to boot? We weren’t prepared for it, but that’s where we’re reportedly at, according to new stories from the Los Angeles Times and Variety.

Is there a God of Random Miracles? Because we’re gonna need one to keep the acclaimed series alive at this point, as both women have indicated its Green and Fuller’s departure that ultimately aided in their decision-making. No surprise there, as the men were central in creating the series’ vision. And such public statements could pose a sea change for all the other actors involved—if the big names start dropping, so too may the faith of the faithful, actors and fans alike.

According to Anderson—who was mostly speaking about her role in The X-Files and decision to also not return to that series—the LA Times reports that she “will not be appearing again as the new god Media in the second season of American Gods on Starz. Anderson says the departure of showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green means she will not return to the show.”

And it was a similar tune sung by Chenoweth, who portrayed Easter on the series, as we learned from io9. “When Bryan was the showrunner, I was coming back for several episodes, but I don’t know now,” Chenoweth explained to Variety. “It depends on who it is and if they think I add value or not.”

Now, Chenoweth’s value to the series is fairly undeniable: at the end of the season one finale, Old God Easter showed her true powers by destroying nature and life in retaliation to New Gods Media and Mr. World’s plan to run the whole Gods show. Fuller and Green ostensibly set up a battle between both God factions, spearheaded by Easter on the Old Gods side and Bilquis (Yetide Badaki) on team Old Gods. To recast her or remove her completely from the story would seriously damage the story in progress

Of course, given Media’s ever-changing face, it would be much easier to recast her under the guise of Media needing to change her face to keep ahead of the Old Gods. But it would still mean a major loss for the show’s creative talents.

What do you think of the news? Let us know in the comments below!

Alicia Lutes is the Managing Editor, creator/host of Fangirling, and resident Khaleesi of House Nerdist. Find her on Twitter!

NEED MORE FROM THE GOD SQUAD?

Read our interview with Fuller and Green about what they had planned for season 2!
Here’s Neil Gaiman explaining what it was like to expand his story.
And this VFX reel beautifully explains how the world of the dead comes to life.

Images: Starz