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SAILOR MOON’S 25th Anniversary Celebrated By Stunning Orchestra Concert

Believe it or not, it’s been 25 years this year that classic anime series Sailor Moon made its debut in Japan (the series wouldn’t hit North America until 1995). 25 years since it arrived on the scene, the show continues to be a beloved pop culture phenomenon, especially to the young women and LGBTQ youth that were inspired by it back in the day. Back then, there weren’t a ton of female led action cartoons, much less anything that could be coded as LGBTQ on kid’s television. Because of this, the series has a special place in the hearts of many fans.

Now, thanks to the folks at Crunchyroll, we’ve learned that the official website for the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon franchise’s 25th anniversary project has posted a four-minute digest video from the recent “Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Classic Concert,” which was held at Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre back on August 2 and 3. You can check out the video above.

The event was the first ever classic concert featuring any of the songs and soundtrack score from the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon anime series. The show was performed by Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, and was part of a promotion for the upcoming two-disc Sailor Moon album which will contain over 21 themes from the show, and is set to come out on December 6th.

Among the performers at the concert were Akiko Kosaka (Sailor Moon musical music director) and Yoko Ishida (Sailor Moon RED song “Otome no Policy”), while Kotono Mitsuishi, who provided the voice of Sailor Moon in all the various anime series, also played the narrator. Several guest artists were part of the proceedings as well.

What do you think of Sailor Moon getting such classy treatment for her big anniversary? Let us know down below in the comments.

Want More Sailor Stuff?

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And here are the 12 manga moments we want to see in Sailor Moon Crystal sequel.

Images: Toei Animation

Nerdist Podcast: Laurence Fishburne

Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix, Blackish) talks to Chris about doing comedic and dramatic acting, his time on Pee-Wee’s Playhouse and his love of sci-fi movies. They also talk about the state of America today, the importance of education and his new movie Last Flag Flying!

Image: Emma McIntyre / Getty

Szechuan Sauce is Coming to THE SIMPSONS in a Mini RICK AND MORTY Tribute

When Rick and Morty made Szechuan Sauce—McDonald’s long forgotten Mulan promotional condiment–a major part of its season three premiere, it set off an unexpected frenzy that led to thousands of furious fast food goers (seriously). And now another beloved animated series is dipping its toe into that dangerous sauce. But don’t expect any kind of mass hysteria this time around, because it’s only showing up as a little homage from The Simpsons to their cartoon brethren.

Show runner Al Jean gave a little sneak peek on Twitter from the opening credits of this Sunday’s upcoming new Simpsons episode, and it shows Maggie holding a certain bottle in the checkout lane.

.@TheSimpsons delicious new episode Sunday at 8 pic.twitter.com/eA1aUBOq07

— Al Jean (@AlJean) November 2, 2017

While the label might be a little blurry, that clearly looks like the bottles of Szechaun Sauce McDonald’s gave away to Justin Roiland and a few lucky fans earlier this year (before the disastrous in-store release).

Holy shit. pic.twitter.com/vNEIfHTmNU

— Justin Roiland (@JustinRoiland) July 30, 2017

And if there was any doubt about exactly what it is Maggie is holding, Jean already confirmed it is Szechuan Sauce and why it made it on to the show.

yes a little shout out to R&M

— Al Jean (@AlJean) November 2, 2017

This is not the first time The Simpsons and Rick and Morty have come together.

Does Marge realize what Maggie is holding and how valuable it is? Considering how often the Simpsons family struggles financially, they should seriously consider putting that bottle on eBay. Although knowing how tasty the stuff really is, we doubt Homer will be able to part with it once he gets a taste of that sweet, salty Szechuan Sauce. Hmmm…condiments from the ’90s.

And please, when you watch The Simpsons this weekend remember that McDonald’s is bringing it back in a much wider release this winter. So please don’t let this end the way it did after it was on Rick and Morty.

Are you tired of Szechuan Sauce, or do you need more of it? Take a dip in our comments section below and let us know.

 Featured Image: Fox, Adult Swim

Check out more of the latest nerd news!

An OG Pokemon villain returns in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon!
We get to the bottom of Thor: Ragnarok‘s mid-credit sequence !
How Stranger Things could turn into an X-Men-type show!

An OG POKÉMON Villain is Back for ULTRA SUN AND ULTRA MOON

Two weeks from now, Pokémon fans will be making a return trip to the Alola region, when Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon hit the 3DS. New ultra beasts are on the horizon, and so are new forms and new features for some of our favorite pocket monsters. The newest trailer for Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon has also revealed the surprising return of several classic Pokémon villains, which may set the stage for an epic showdown in Alola. Today’s Nerdist News is bringin’ on the bad guys of Team Rainbow Rocket!

Join host and Pokémon whisperer, Jessica Chobot, as she welcomes back the OG villain from Pokémon Red and Blue: Giovanni! And he’s not alone. Giovanni’s got Mewtwo, one of the rarest and most powerful Pokémon, by his side, and they’ve been joined by their new associates in Team Rainbow Rocket. Don’t let their cutesy name fool you, this is basically the Injustice League of the Pokémon universe. Gamers wanted a challenge, and they’re gonna get it.

As you can see in the new artwork, Giovanni, has been joined by many previous Big Bads: Aqua, Faba, Cyrus, Lysandre, Maxie, Archie, and Ghetsis—

That’s quite an all-star collection of villainy, and we’re naturally curious as to how and why they’ve assembled into a supergroup. Normally, heroes can count on the villains to stab each other in the back. Players may not be that lucky this time, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Are you excited about the returning villains coming to Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

Images: The Pokémon Company

More of the latest and greatest Nerdist News!

Explaining Thor: Ragnarok‘s mid-credit sequence !
The latest The Last Jedi trailer might change what we know about Luke Skywalker!
How Stranger Things could turn into X-Men!

Watch the STRANGER THINGS Kids’ Upside Get Down Dance-Off

During the seemingly never-ending press tour for the first season of Stranger Things, Noah Schnapp was ostensibly given the Will Byers treatment, and left on the sidelines. But after his great performance in Stranger Things 2, Schnapp made his first appearance on The Tonight Show alongside his co-stars Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, and Caleb McLaughlin. To celebrate the occasion, Jimmy Fallon challenged the cast to perform a Stranger Things-inspired dance battle.

Wolfhard kicked things off with “Toastin’ Waffles,” a Macarena-like dance in which he pantomimed eating Eleven’s favorite food. Matarazzo followed that with his hilarious rendition of “Flashlight With a Mind of its Own,” while Schnapp somehow turned “Trying To Fix an ’80s TV” into his own dance number. McLaughlin closed out the dance battle with “Breaking Through the Goo,” which was surprisingly smooth.

Some of the other potential routines created by dance move generator were “The Slug,” “The Floating Van,” “The Barb Ballet,” “The Electric Slide,” “The Untangling Christmas Lights,” “The Flickering Lightbulb,” and “The Psychokinesis Freakout.” While we would have loved to have seen someone do “The Demogorgon Shuffle,” Fallon closed out the segment by joining the kids to perform “The Upside Get Down.”

During their group interview, the kids revealed their surprising fandom for High School Musical, which led Wolfhard to demonstrate his impression of Zac Efron‘s Troy Bolton. Perhaps that TV movie franchise inspired a few of their dance moves as well.

What did you think about the Stranger Things kids dance battle? Let us know what you’re thinking in the comment section below!

Enjoy more things that are strange!

Stranger Things 3 will contain a lot more Erica , Lucas’ little sister!
Mille Bobby Brown raps season 1 recap !
9 horror tropes we spotted in Stranger Things 2!

Image: NBC

Explaining THOR: RAGNAROK’s Mid-Credit Sequence

The following contains major SPOILERS for Thor: Ragnarok‘s ending. Please be cautious going forward. We advise you see the movie first before proceeding, or if you’re just a glutton for spoiling.

For reals, we’re gonna spoil this thing.

Are you ready?

Okay. So Thor: Ragnarok, despite being a joyous action adventure romp from beginning to end creates a new status quo for Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Heimdall (Idris Elba), and the rest of the Asgardians; after allowing Surtur to destroy Asgard, thus fulfilling the prophesied Ragnarok and stopping Hela (Cate Blanchett) from keeping it for herself, they all set out on a massive spaceship to bring Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) back to Earth, and then find themselves a new home. A very Battlestar Galactica kind of hopeful yet sad ending. (The movie DID kill off all of the Warriors Three and presumably most of the Asgardian army, too, so they aren’t as superpowered as they once were.)

Then during the mid-credits sequence, we see Thor and Loki on the bridge of the ship talking about where they might go, and Thor assures Loki that everything will be fine. Unfortunately, they that instant encounter a massive ship and they (and the audience) go “Ohhh…who’s this now?”

Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige was asked what in the universe this ship could be and, as reported by The Wrap, he told them “We call it the Sanctuary II.” Okay, cool, so what? It’s called the Sanctuary II. BUT, wouldn’t you know it, that’s the name of a ship belonging to one Mr. Glove-Loving Thanos (Josh Brolin), the long-awaited main antagonist of the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War.

We’ve seen the original Sanctuary a couple of times in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as it happens; it’s that rocky oasis we saw in both The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, the planetoid where Thanos kept his big ol’ throne and held court with Ronan the Accuser, flanked by Nebula and Gamora.

And, even though it hasn’t been released officially yet, the Comic-Con 2017 teaser piece for Infinity War began with Thor floating in deep space and picked up by the Guardians after what seemed like something pretty bad happened to him. We can assume, then, that Loki took the Tesseract (you know, one of the Infinity Stones) when he was getting Surtur’s helmet from the Asgardian relic room—since he shared a longing gaze with it as he passed—and Thanos has tracked it to the Asgardian’s ship. It seems fairly likely Thanos will take it by force and leave Thor for dead in deep space, which will lead to his and the Guardians’ heading to Earth.

This is all just extrapolation based on context clues, of course, but it seems like a pretty dynamic way to start the story, and one that will once again put the MCU’s cosmic characters at the forefront of the action.

Thor: Ragnarok didn’t just set up Avengers: Infinity War, it seems like it’s going to lead immediately into it.

Images: Marvel

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

More Thor for your to enjor…or enjoy!

Be sure to check out our full review of Thor: Ragnarok!
How Chris Hemsworth makes Thor the true hero of the MCU!
Thor: Ragnarok‘s cast surprised an audience at a movie screening!

Did the Latest THE LAST JEDI Teaser Give Away Too Much?

The two big winners from last night’s Game 7 were the World Series champion Houston Astros and Star Wars fans, because a surprise teaser for The Last Jedi  aired during the game. But did the new footage give away too much? We broke it down (the teaser, not the game) on today’s Nerdist News Talks Back, along with lots more from the galaxy far, far away, the live-action Lion King, and Super Mario Odyssey.

Host Jessica Chobot was joined by Nerdist editor Kyle Anderson, Geek and Sundry‘s Amy Vorpahl, and producer Jesse Gill, and they started with last night’s Last Jedi promo showing Luke inside the Millennium freakin’ Falcon! We’ll have a lot more on what that could mean on today’s Nerdist News, but what did our panel make of it? Did they think it was too spoilery?

They also discussed Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy’s comments about planning out the next 10 years of Star Wars films. Could this be a case of “too much of a good thing?” If they’ll be making so many, what stories would we like to see them tell? And will baby porgs prove to be too much cuteness for us to handle?

While we’re all anxious to see The Last Jedi, it turns out Lucasfilm is putting some pretty strict parameters on theaters who show it, including a bigger cut for the studio than normal.

Is Disney being greedy, or is this just good business? How many times do we plan on seeing it compared to The Force Awakens?

Speaking of Disney, the cast for their live-action Lion King was released, and it is stacked. Beyoncé! Donald Glover! James Earl Jones! John Oliver! Is this the most exciting live-action Disney film yet? Who is our favorite member of the cast? And what should be the next animated film—famous or obscure—they adapt into a live-action movie?

Finally, a Super Mario Odyssey superfan recently released a hypnotic video showing him finding 470 moons–in one level. Does this make us want to play it more? Are we completionists who must do everything we can in a game, or is just finishing it enough?

Remember you can discuss the biggest pop culture topics of the day with us every weekday when Nerdist News Talks Back airs live at 1:00 p.m. PT on our YouTube and Alpha channels.

It’s the place to be when Star Wars drops a surprise new teaser on us during the World Series, but don’t expect much baseball talk. We like to stay in our hyperdrive lane.

You can still talk back to us about today’s show in the comments below.

Need More NNTB?

Will Infinity War work as a heist film?
Did you watch our insane murder mystery episode?!
And finally, here’s everything we thought about  Stranger Things 2 !

Images: Disney

Super Shifty Octopus Uses ‘Shoulder Tap’ Technique to Catch Its Prey

It’s no secret that octopuses are some of the smartest creatures in the sea. They’ve been spotted fleeing from aquariums down into drainpipes, transforming themselves in ways no other sea life can, and are generally considered to be magnificent problem solvers. So when you watch the larger Pacific striped octopus use the ol’ “tap you on the shoulder” technique to catch its prey, the one thing you can’t be is surprised. Although the prey definitely is.

The video of the larger Pacific striped octopus pulling its deadly trick was posted by the Berkeley News along with some background information outlining the oddity of the behavior. In the article, Roy Caldwell, a professor of integrative biology at UC Berkeley, says that he’s never seen anything quite like this. “Octopuses typically pounce on their prey or poke around in holes until they find something,” Caldwell told the Berkeley News, “[but when] this octopus sees a shrimp at a distance, it compresses itself and creeps up, extends an arm up and over the shrimp, touches it on the far side and either catches it or scares it into its other arms.”

In the clip, we see the exact behavior Caldwell describes, with a specimen of the larger Pacific striped octopus very slowly extending out a tentacle toward an unsuspecting shrimp, and then tapping it in order to drive it right into its own deadly grasp.

Larger Pacific striped Octopus looking like it’s thinking about what it wants to eat next. Image: Flickr / Dave Maass

The larger Pacific striped octopus doesn’t only have strange hunting habits, either. This odd little cephalopod is also unique in its social and sexual behaviors. While most species of octopus are generally solitary, the larger Pacific striped octopus has been seen moving around in groups of 40 or more. Most species of octopus also have extraordinary violent mating behaviors — where the male has to keep himself at a distance from the female for fear of being killed and/or eaten — but these little tricksters prefer to get up close and personal during mating, and will even “kiss” their beaks together.

Two larger Pacific octopuses mating. Source: YouTube / ScienceVio

Caldwell also told the Berkeley News that “Only by observing the context in which these behaviors occur in the wild can we begin to piece together how this octopus has evolved behaviors so radically different from what occurs in most other species of octopus.” Which is probably easier said than done when you’re dealing with a creature that’s evolved to utilize the oldest tricks in the book.

What do you think about this tricky octopus? Give us your thoughts in the comments below!

Need More Weird Science in Your Noggin?

Read about the secret bunker they found in the pyramids!
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And finally, SAND CATS!

Images: YouTube / UC Berkeley

New Line of RICK AND MORTY Pint Size Heroes from Funko

It seems we cover new vinyl Pop! figures on a nearly daily basis and every new show, movie, or video game just leads to more things we have to find shelf space for. Thankfully, it seems Funko is being mindful that we don’t own a warehouse and giving us some Rick and Morty collectibles that won’t take up too much space. 

Changing gears from their usual Pop! version of everything, Funko announced a new batch of Pint Size Heroes on a recent blog post that feature a lot of familiar faces from Adult Swim‘s massively popular show, Rick and Morty. For those unfamiliar, these tiny collectibles come in sealed bags so there’s a little adventure in finding out which ones you get in each pack. It’s a refreshing change of pace to how we’ve all gotten used to collecting things.

Nowadays we point, click, purchase, and ship the thing we want which is undeniably convenient but it lacks the excitement we once felt going to a comic shop to open a pack of collectible cards hoping for a rare special edition foil or hologram card. 

These tiny figures have their usual retailers (Toys ‘R Us, Target, Hot Topic) for certain exclusives, which we kind of appreciate since it forces us to go out and really prove our fandom if we want that special golfing Mr. Meeseeks. Though, having a Meeseeks box to help collect these sure would come in handy.

If the idea of buying something sight unseen is too much for you to bear, the blog post also included Funko’s latest “Vnyl” figures of the show’s titular characters.

You’ll have to wait till January for the duo in Vynl but the Pint Size heroes hit stores in December. Think of them as a little mystery treat for yourself while you’re out and about shopping for the holidays!

Which one is your favorite? Do you like the mystique of mystery packs? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

Images: Funko

More for the toy lover in your life (you)!

This amazing Hot Toys Justice League Flash figures comes with his own batarang!
It’s amazing how perfect these Cuphead Funko POP! figures are!
Also grab yourself some Funko POP! Fraggle Rock toys !

Rob Huebel Scared Some Malibu Nudists and Cops with a Fake Dead Body

Never leave a fake dead body unattended—you simply never know who may happen upon it, rendering the rest of their day inescapable from the trauma of seeing a former life simply tossed aside. Or, if you’re Rob Huebel, you could end up in the middle of a cop-on-cop prank surrounded by nudists.

As ya do!

Discussing the incident during the latest episode of Sidekick with Matt Mira, Huebel told guest host Rhea Butcher (and, of course, sidekick Matt Mira), all about the kerfuffle he created while filming Do You Want to See a Dead Body?, his new show for YouTube Red. The show—which centers around Rob taking his celebrity friends on madcap adventures to see fake dead bodies—has a focus so particular and odd that it’s bound to cause a bit of a stir wherever it’s shooting (mostly because of, y’know, the aforementioned corpses). And while shooting with Justin Long on a nude beach, the crew kinda-sorta forgot about the fairly horrifically lifelike fake dead body they’d tossed over by a couple of rocks. So, naturally, a bunch of cops showed up and started taking pictures.

Only, it didn’t go how you probably expect it might’ve!

Though Huebel and the crew were horrified and worried the cops (who were taking photos and measuring the fauxdaver) thought it was a real person, it turns out quite the opposite was true. The cops, not accustomed to picking up dead bodies at the nude beach on the regs?, were merely photographing it to mess with one of their fellow blue brethren. Because you know what’s funnier than a fake dead body? Pranking your fellow cops with a fake dead body.

Sidekick with Matt Mira is a video/podcast series that airs weekly on Alpha. Subscribe to Alpha to watch Sidekick with Matt Mira and get a free 30 day trial!

Images: Alpha

Want More Sidekick?

Here he is with Emily V. Gordon and Eliot Glazer!
And here he is with Kevin Pollack and Greg Cromer!
And finally, Kate Micucci and Jon Gabrus!