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HOMESTAR RUNNER Returns with “Haunted Photo Booth” Halloween ‘Toon

The two best October traditions: trick-or-treating and a new Halloween ‘toon from Homestar Runner. Granted, this year’s installment is less about the spookiest day of the year and more about one of mankind’s most twisted experiments. Still, we’re overjoyed that it’s that time of year again. Welcome to the “Haunted Photo Booth.”

Unlike last year’s Halloween episode, which just went straight to the ending segment where the characters all discuss their costumes, this year’s holiday cartoon is more traditional. It’s all about a photo booth ghost who keeps appearing in the group’s pictures. But don’t worry, it still ends with the normal costume roundup.

Here’s the rundown of all the characters’ costumes this year, which seem to be more obscure than usual.

Homestar: Former Major League Baseball player Dale Murphy

Coach Z: PaRappa the Rapper

Bubs: Grunkle Stan from Disney’s Gravity Falls

Strong Mad: Powdered Toast man from Ren & Stimpy

Pom Pom: Violet Beauregarde from Willy Wonka

Poopsmith: Instant Martian(s) from Marvin the Martian

King of Town: Alice from Tom Petty’s “Don’t Come Around Here No More” video

The Cheat: Maxwell from Scribblenauts

Marzipan: Jennifer Aniston from Office Space

Strong Sad: Agatha Christie’s Detective Hercule Poirot

Homsar: Greg from Over the Garden Wall

Strong Bad: Killer BOB from Twin Peaks

I’m a big supporter of costumes that don’t need to be explained, so I’m giving Marzipan the win for the best one this year, though Strong Mad’s is also fantastic. And lest you forget, I’m the lunatic who once ranked the best costumes from every single Homestar Runner Halloween ‘toon. Enjoy.

Which costume was your favorite? Tell us in the comments below.

Images: Homestar Runner

Amazon’s GOOD OMENS Casts Three Horsemen and Beelzebub

Oh my my…now this is a treat as far as the End Times are concerned. Three of the four Horsemen of the apocalypse have joined the fray on Amazon’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett‘s Good Omens—as well as a demon—and, true to form, the series has continued to cast the most pitch-perfect actors for the roles. (Seriously: at this point we’re half-expecting an announcement that Tilda Swinton will join the cast as Death.)

Joining the previously announced cast of David Tennant, Michael Sheen, Jon Hamm, Michael McKean, Adria Arjona, and more are Mireille Enos as War, Yusuf Gatewood as Famine, and Lourdes Faberes as Pollution (since Pestilence is not really a worry anymore—thanks penicillin!). Faberes’ casting as Pollution is a particular departure from the novel, where Pollution was depicted as a sickly man with long white hair and milky-white skin. In the book, War is depicted as a female war correspondent and Famine as a dietician/fast-food tycoon. (According to EW, Enos will be riding a motorcycle, increasing her cool by a billion, give or take.)

They are amazing. This is them in the opening scenes, 11 years ago, in St James’s Park. David and Michael, demon & angel. #GoodOmens pic.twitter.com/ceK4XYY881

— Nails GHOULman (@neilhimself) September 18, 2017

Continuing the trend of bucking gender expectations is also Beezlebub, who’ll be portrayed by the impressive and commanding Anna Maxwell Martin, whom you may remember from Bleak House or Death Comes to Pemberley and The Frankenstein Chronicles. 

Not that it’s totally out of the blue. In the book itself, Good Omens makes a point to explicitly state that angels and demons are sexless and though Beez tends to be referred to as a “he,” the text often refers to it as an “it.” So we’re wholly thrilled to see Martin join the fray and mix things up a bit.

Though there’s no word on who will play Death, we’re still, clearly, pulling for the aforementioned Swinton. Because I mean like, why not?

Who would you cast as the final Horseman? Let us know in the comments below!

Image: BBC/Sean Phillips

Need More Good Omens?

Here’s everything we know about the series so far!
Wanna see some photos Gaiman shared from set? They’re here!
And finally, see how a letter from beyond the grave got the show started.

BUFFY’s Tom Lenk and TEEN WITCH’s Robyn Lively Recreate “Top That”

I have a confession to make. I only saw the 1989 flick Teen Witch for the first time earlier this year. The tale of Louise Miller, a teen played by Robyn Lively who learns she’s a reincarnated witch who’s about to have the powers to influence the world around her, is a classic coming of age story plus a whole lot of romance, high school shenanigans, and magic. And oh yeah, a group of teenage dudes who like to rap. It’s that part of the story that’s relevant, well, all the time, but especially key to the video I’m about to share.

The rap song “Top That” is the most memorable part of the film. Hands down. It’s a wordsmith’s showdown between the aforementioned random rapping dudes and Louise’s best friend Polly. But as a special Halloween treat, Robyn Lively stepped into the role of Polly and recreated it–wardrobe, dramatic choreography, and all–with Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s Tom Lenk.

A post shared by Tom Lenk (@tommylenk) on Oct 31, 2017 at 10:56am PDT

How. Utterly. Glorious. They both commit to the roles completely. The fact that it’s a low budget shoot makes it all the better.

And in case you aren’t familiar with the original sequence, I implore you to set two minutes of your day aside and take it in. My life is sadder for only discovering it in recent months. Don’t be like me.

It’s time to show off: do you know all the words to “Top That?” If so, you should be proud. Let your Teen Witch flag fly in the comments.

Image: Trans World Entertainment

Amy Ratcliffe is an Associate Editor for Nerdist. Follow her on Twitter and keep up with her Disney food adventures on Instagram.

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Wayne Brady Sings “Thriller” Like a 1930s Jazz Song

This time of year just doesn’t feel right without hearing season-appropriate songs like “Monster Mash” and “This is Halloween” from The Nightmare Before Christmas (a film our own Dan Casey has strong opinions about). And no Halloween playlist is complete without the ultimate creepy pop song by someone with a high-pitched vocal range, “Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell. Just kidding, we’re talking about Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” And while the original can’t be beat, the folks at Postmodern Jukebox came about as close as you can with this new 1930’s jazz version.

Joining the PMJ crew to dress up the 80s classic in a 30s costume is none other than comedic tour de force, Wayne Brady. As we’ve pointed out with other PMJ covers, there’s a certain magic when they pick a song that’s written well and, really, you can’t do better than Michael Jackson. The horror classic could likely fit well in any genre but we’re pretty darn glad they chose ’30s style jazz. The bass lines and horn in the original translate really well into a more vintage style of music.

The video starts with a nod to Cab Calloway and jumps right into the upbeat cover and ’cause this is “Thiller” (Thriller night!), PMJ even brought on a few tap dancers in order to pay homage to the iconic dance moves from the original video. They even worked in some Charleston moves for good measure. Is it weird that we’d want to see all the dancing in the original video with this era-specific spin?

The original is already perfect, but we’re glad to have this jazzy version by PMJ (available to download here) to add to our Halloween playlists.

What are your Halloween music staples? Did this version of “Thriller” make the cut? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

Image: Postmodern Jukebox

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Hear a synth cover of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”
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Cracking Open Every STRANGER THINGS 2 Easter Egg

Warning: there are massive spoilers ahead for Stranger Things 2! You should probably wait until you’ve finished the season before continuing. Or you can check out our recaps of every episode from season 2.

Stranger Things is still on the forefront of our minds as we process the second season of Netflix’s breakout hit. The Duffer brothers once again packed in a decade’s worth of nostalgia while furthering the story of Eleven and the rest of the kids threatened by the Mind Flayer and his Demo-dog army from an alternate dimension. Since it’s nearly impossible to catch every ’80s reference the first time through, today’s Nerdist News is looking back at almost all of Stranger Things 2‘s Easter Eggs!

Join host and the seventh sister from MKUltra, Jessica Chobot, as she runs down some of our favorite references from the second season.

One of the most frequently asked questions was regarding the costumes worn by Steve and Nancy during the Halloween party scene. To catch that one, you would have had to have seen Risky Business, the 1983 comedy starring Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay. In fact, that entire scene was full of shout-outs to ’80s movies, including Rocky, Karate Kid, Animal House, and Flashdance.

 

And no, you weren’t imagining The Warriors‘ influence on Eleven’s standalone adventure with her “sister” Eight/Kali and her friends. But they also reminded us of the Morlocks, the underground community of Mutants that were introduced in the pages of Uncanny X-Men in 1983.  Dustin’s new pal, Dart, was practically a walking reference that transformed from a cute Gremlins analog to straight-on Xenomorph terror from Aliens. And how wild was it to see Paul Reiser in another Aliens like situation when the Demo-Dogs overran the lab?

One of the standout moments early in the season was Lucas’ refusal to be the Winston of the group’s Ghostbusters. But it was all too easy to miss the moment late in the season when Lucas actually quoted Winston by mentioning “judgment day.” And even though we’ve seen the kids’ Ghostbusters costumes since the Super Bowl, they were still some of our favorite ’80s shout outs this season.

Which Stranger Things 2 Easter Eggs were your favorites? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

Need More Stranger Things?

A spoiler-filled breakdown of Stranger Things 2.
Where does the Stranger Things 2 finale leave its characters?
The internet’s best reactions to Stranger Things 2.

Images: Netflix

STRANGER THINGS’ Demogorgon is Far More Playful as a McFarlane Toy

If Stranger Things had actually been around during the ’80s, it probably would have gotten some kind of action figures or toy tie-ins. Thanks to show’s blockbuster success, it’s going to get all of those things and more…just a little bit behind schedule. While the second season hit Netflix last week, McFarlane Toys won’t get around to Stranger Things‘ first major monster until early 2018. But if the early pictures are any indication, it will be worth the wait.

McFarlane Toys has released the first look at their new 10-inch Demogorgon figure. The Demogorgon will have over 12 points of articulation and a display base. Unfortunately, the head doesn’t appear to open and close, but perhaps now we can actually discover just how many teeth the Demogorgon really has.

 

The Demogorgon figure won’t be out until February 2018, but it is already available for pre-order at BigBad Toy Store for $34.99. The first two figures in McFarlane Toys’ Stranger Things line are Sheriff Hopper and Eleven in their season one outfits, both of which will be released in November. Lucas and Dustin will receive their own action figures in April 2018. But at that rate, it may take McFarlane Toys quite a while to wrap up the major characters from the first season and move on to the second season. Even so, we’d still really love to see how the Demo-dogs look next to their older brother!

What do you think about McFarlane Toys’ take on the Demogorgon? Let us know what you’re thinking in the comment section below.

Need More Stranger Things?

A spoiler-filled breakdown of Stranger Things 2.
Where does the Stranger Things 2 finale leave its characters?
The internet’s best reactions to Stranger Things 2.

Images: McFarlane Toys

Geof Darrow talks Action, Mayhem, and SHAOLIN COWBOY: WHO’ll STOP THE REIGN

“The action is the story,” Geof Darrow told me, putting an emphasis on the is. We were discussing his violent and bizarre series Shaolin Cowboy, which just saw the release of its latest volume, the utterly spectacular Shaolin Cowboy: Who’ll Stop the Reign? 

If you’ve read a Geof Darrow comic book, you know the man embraces a sort of manic energy. Every page and panel is overloaded, filled with seemingly impossible levels of detail. There’s something kinetic about his work, an overall sense of life and movement that few artists ever manage to capture. Despite this attention to detail, Darrow is often accused of producing books that are light on story and heavy on action. With Shaolin Cowboy, this is a deliberate choice.

Shaolin Cowboy: Who’ll Stop the Reign? #1 from Dark Horse Comics

“There’s a lot of backstory that never comes up,” Darrow said. Darrow has always found stories where the history is hinted at but not explained more exciting. “It’s more interesting not knowing everything. I don’t need to know every little piece of Batman’s past to know he does the right thing.” Darrow also pointed out how the early days of the Star Wars franchise captured this feeling before its massive expansion. “Obi-Wan would talk about things and we didn’t know what they were and that was fine! It was cooler that way.”

With this in mind, it’s not surprising that Shaolin Cowboy: Who’ll Stop the Reign? hardly delves into the title character’s history. Throughout the series, knowing that there is a bounty on the Shaolin Cowboy’s head has been enough for a reader to jump into any given volume, and that holds true here. There’s an endless array of action and brutality, just page after page of blood-soaked insanity, and sometimes that’s all you need.

Shaolin Cowboy: Who’ll Stop the Reign? #3 from Dark Horse Comics

While the story may seem scant, Darrow’s art creates a vivid and lush world. Talking animals, bizarre mutants, and monsters; the world Shaolin Cowboy walks through definitely has a history to it. ” I learned that from my friend Jean Giraud (better known as the artist Mœbius). He taught me how to create a world through little details.” It’s easy to see the influence of Mœbius on the pages of Shaolin Cowboy: Who’ll Stop the Reign? and other Darrow books.

Darrow loves the insanity of comic books, that much is obvious. He loves that anything goes. “People say you can’t do this and you can’t do that. Why not?” he said in reference to the previous volume of Shaolin Cowboy, which essentially featured nothing more than the title character fighting a hoard of mindless zombies. “I thought it was fun and something interesting to try. I know it made some people mad, they said there was no story. They wanted it to be all build up to a big fight like Galactus shows up and is defeated in one page when they throw a radioactive fish at him or something. That’s just not what I do.” Darrow laughed. While he admits to having a certain affinity for the inherent silliness of superhero comic books, he’s more drawn to the action of Japanese titles. “The last volume of Lone Wolf and Cub has a fight that lasts forever. It just keeps going and going and I thought that was so cool.”

Shaolin Cowboy: Who’ll Stop the Reign? #1 from Dark Horse Comics

Shaolin Cowboy: Who’ll Stop the Reign?  is definitely a testament to the awesomeness of Darrow’s art and writing, but it’s also a great showcase for his frequent collaborator, colorist Dave Stewart. “He makes me look way better than I deserve to look,” Darrow said. He noted part of their process involved Darrow sending over palettes and color samples, many from Japanese woodblock prints. “I’m always expecting him to quit, but he always delivers something great.”

When you talk to Darrow, he seems surprised that anybody reads his comics. He’ll make entirely false statements like “nobody wants to read me doing a superhero comic book or a Conan comic book.” He’ll talk about reading reviews and comments under Shaolin Cowboy: Who’ll Stop the Reign? Amazon page. He can, and does, laugh off any negativity about his special brand of insanity and violence. “I don’t think there’s anything else like [Shaolin Cowboy] out there, which is what I like. I always come back to it, for better or worse.”

In the case of Shaolin Cowboy: Who’ll Stop the Reign?, it’s clearly for the better.

Image: Dark Horse Comics

Read the complete first issue in our gallery below!

The Writers Panel #358: Stan Against Evil

Live from Id10tfest, creator Dana Gould (The Simpsons) and stars John C. McGinley (Scrubs) and Janet Varney (Legend of Korra) look back on the show’s first season and look forward to the second which premieres November 1 on IFC!

Moderated by Nerdist’s Jessica Chobot.

Stan Against Evil theme is by Eban Schletter.

Follow @BenBlacker and Like the show on Facebook!

A Spoiler-Filled Breakdown of STRANGER THINGS Season 2

There’s only one way to deal with Stranger Things withdrawal after spending the whole weekend in Hawkins fighting demodogs: break down everything from the entire season. Which is exactly what we did today on a supersized (super spoiler-filled) edition of Nerdist News Talks Back.

Host Jessica Chobot was joined by Nerdist editors Dan Casey and Alicia Lutes, along with Nerdist News writers Aliza Pearl and Joan Ford for today’s return trip to the Upside Down, to discuss everything about Stranger Things 2. What did everyone think? What did we like? What did we dislike? What valuable lessons did we learn about hair care?

What about the season’s biggest (literally) villain, the Shadow Monster/Mind Flyer? Was he a worthy successor to season one’s Demogorgon? What about Will’s role in his attack (which we totally predicted—just sayin’)? With the Shadow Monster still lurking, what do we expect from season three’s Big Bad? Were we happy that Paul Reiser’s Dr. Owens turned out to be a good guy? And did the show invert enough ’80s and horror movies tropes, or did it lean too heavily on homage this season?

There was a much smaller monster this year too, with Dustin’s “Dart” turning out to be a baby Demogorgon. Did we see that coming or did the adorable little slug catch us off guard? Was going from a single Demogorgon to a whole pack of them too big a jump, or did the show make the right call by upping the monster ante that much? And what did we think about season one’s voice-of-reason Dustin turning into the group’s rule breaker? Did we like the change as much as we did his new hair style?

Season two’s most heartwarming duo turned out to be the secret family of Chief Hopper and Eleven. What did we think about that relationship? What about the rest of Eleven’s family? Did the show rush through the story with her mother, or is there more there? What about her “lost sister” Kali (a.k.a. Eight)? Are there even more Hawkins lab kids out there who we’ll meet in the future? Do we want to see more of that vigilante group of punks? (I’m a big “no” vote.) What other secrets does Hopper have in those boxes Eleven found? And with poor Bob gone, could a Hopper and Joyce relationship finally happen?

Jonathan and Nancy also ended up spending a lot of time together this season (yeah they did). Was their journey through the world of journalism worth the time it took? Did Barb finally get the justice she deserved considering it was based on a lie? Does that end her story for good? And were we glad to see Nancy end up with Jonathan, or are we #TeamSteve?

Speaking of Steve, whilereplaced by Billy as the biggest jerk at Hawkins High, he did end up coming out on top as everyone’s new favorite babysitter. What did we make of his transition to Mr. Wonderful? And which high school king had the cooler look: Steve with his glasses or Billy smoking while working out? And what did we make of Billy’s role on the show? Could we see him redeemed in the future too?

Max and Lucas were the other hot new couple of the season. What did we think of Mad Max? What did she bring to the pack? Did we like how much the show leaned into the D&D lore this year? And where do her and Lucas rank among our favorite pairs this year?

And what about Sean Astin’s Bob? (Poor Bob.) Who was the season’s MVP? What parts of the story should have been left out? And, naturally, what do we hope to see in Stranger Things 3? (Boy that’s a lot of questions!)

Nerdist News Talks Back aired live today just like it does every weekday at 1:00 p.m. PT on our YouTube and Alpha channels. When you tune in live you can get in on the conversation with us, so be there with us every day eand share your thoughts with us during the show.

But you can still vote in today’s Monster Madness poll! No big deal, it’s just the Finals! The championship pits Godzilla against Cthulhu! Help decide the baddest, biggest pop culture monster ever.

The time has come: our #MonsterMadness final is here! Who would win in a fight, #Godzilla or #Cthulhu? Vote in the ultimate monster battle:

— Nerdist (@nerdist) October 30, 2017

But even though you weren’t live with us today, you can still talk back to us in our comments below about everything and anything from Stranger Things 2. There’s still plenty more to discuss too, like what should we the buddy cop movie starring Steve and Dustin we’re writing?

Images: Netflix

Want More From the Upside Down?

The internet’s best reactions to the season.
All of our Stranger Things season two episode breakdowns.
Why Stranger Things deserves better than a binge watch.
Stranger Things creators The Duffer Brothers on The Nerdist Podcast.

Boom Baby! Funko Is Releasing Adorable EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE Pops!

The Emperor’s New Groove is undoubtedly a modern cartoon classic. Hilarious, meme-able (is that a word?), and outrageously quotable, it’s hard not to love the adventures of Kuzco and Pacha as they fight to return Kuzco to his rightful place on the throne (and also deal with the pesky little issue of being turned into a llama).

Happily, Funko has gotten in on the Emperor’s New Groove love with a new line of Funko Pop figurines. You can grab one for yourself starting in February. You can create your own Kuzco-topia with a figure of him as a human or you can pick up the Hot Topic exclusive of Llama-Kuzco.

But if neither of those are your jam, you can also pick up a Pop of Pacha, Kronk, or Yzma holding a vile of poison (or extract of llama, it’s unclear). Even better, some of the the Yzma dolls have a glow-in-the-dark chase piece with a 1-in-6 rarity. The dolls are absolutely adorable, and perfectly capture the essence of all the characters.

Funko has done a great job of creating figures based on well-loved Disney characters, and it’s really fun to see the Emperor’s New Groove gang join in on the fun. So mark your calendars for February, and get ready to scoop these guys up for yourself! Just be sure you know for sure whether Yzma is holding poison or extract of llama before you get her help in making any nefarious plans.

What do you think of the new Emperor’s New Groove Pops? What other characters from the film or character variants would you like to see in future collections? Tell us in the comments!

Images: Funko

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