Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1925

Was THE WALKING DEAD’s Old Man Rick Real Or a Dream?

For months, AMC’s The Walking Dead promos have teased viewers with brief glimpses of Rick Grimes as a noticeably older man. Naturally, fans assumed that the show was providing us with a flash forward look at Rick’s life beyond the “All Out War” storyline with Negan and the Saviors. However, the seventh season premiere added a touch of ambiguity that has forced us to question whether we’ve been given a vision of the future or if Rick’s having an extended daydream. Today’s Nerdist News is peering past Rick’s bloodshot eyes for some answers!

There are potential spoilers ahead for The Walking Dead, particularly if you missed the season premiere. But we’ll keep spoilers from the Walking Dead comic book series to a minimum.

On the surface, those flash forwards seemed to give Rick and his family a much happier status quo than we’ve ever seen before on the show. That said, Rick’s beard really made him appear much older than we expected—especially when compared to Michonne, who barely showed any signs of aging at all. Plus, Rick’s daughter, Judith, seems to be on the verge of her teen years in that future scene. The way those sequences were filmed, however, gave them a dreamlike quality that makes it easier to dismiss them as a fantasy.

But in another puzzling touch, the show teased us with a close up look at Rick’s bloodshot eyes, presumably from another point in the future. It’s almost as if this Rick is in distress; maybe that means he’s thinking about the future that he believes he’ll never have? Either way, the inclusion of that moment has successfully managed to cast some doubt on the other flash forward scenes.

On the more humorous side, Judith’s growth spurt in both the flash forward and in the present timeline have already given us some very funny memes to enjoy. But TV shows and comics have always played fast and loose with children aging in front of our eyes. As for whether “Old Man Rick” is real, our best guess is that we really are looking at a flash forward. The Walking Dead comic book jumped ahead two years after “All Out War” came to a conclusion, and we fully expect a similar time jump when the show finally gets around to that point. It may even be a much larger leap forward than just two years. We believe that the show’s creative team is heading in that direction while attempting to make us doubt it at the same time. That’s very sneaky, but we like it.

What do you think about the Old Man Rick flash forwards? Share your Walking Dead theories in the comment section below!

Images: AMC

Pennywise Crashes a Couple’s Engagement Photos

Pennywise the clown is having what we like to call a “cultural moment.” Thanks to the ridiculously successful cinematic adaptation of Stephen King‘s It, Pennywise is now an even bigger icon than ever before. And while we’re eagerly awaiting It: Chapter 2, Pennywise has already returned in a series of engagement photos that went viral.

Buzzfeed writer Jesse McLaren was asked to photograph his sister’s engagement pics, which is a favor that he happily accepted. However, McLaren neglected to mention to his sister that he planned to add Pennywise into the background of every single picture.

My sister asked me to shoot her engagement pics so I hid Pennywise the Clown in every photo. Countdown until she notices. pic.twitter.com/Z7QZPsq2ym

— Jesse McLaren (@McJesse) October 22, 2017

Our favorite image is easily the one where Pennywise appears in the lower right hand corner, with only his face and eyes visible as he intrudes upon the couple’s lovely moment together. The fact that Pennywise appears to look directly into the camera only makes it funnier.

After several hours, McLaren posted his sister’s response on his Instagram account. Fortunately for everyone, she took it in good humor.

She found him

A post shared by McJesse (@larenmcjesse) on Oct 23, 2017 at 11:17am PDT

After seeing the buzz that Pennywise’s cameos created for these pics, we have to wonder how McLaren would top them if his sister decides to let him shoot her wedding as well. Accept the challenge, Jesse!

What do you think about the Pennywise engagement photos? Scare up some thoughts and share them in the comment section below!

Image: New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. Pictures

Get your scares on this Nerdoween!

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Mondo’s NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET Vinyl Box Set is the Release of Your Screams

During the ’80s and ’90s, Robert Englund‘s Freddy Krueger was one of the most popular horror icons even while he chased hapless teenagers in their dreams. Director Wes Craven created such a perfect villain that Freddy’s legend lives on three decades later. Now, Mondo and Death Waltz Recording Co. are celebrating the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise with an 8XLP release of the soundtracks from the first seven movies.

Mondo has released an advance look at Box of Souls – A Nightmare on Elm Street Collection, which comes in a package that resembles Freddy’s victims, as their souls cry out in anguish from within his scarred flesh. Additionally, the individual scores also feature artwork that captures a few of the unforgettable moments from their respective films.

Charles Bernstein’s score for the first film really set the tone for the franchise and introduced fans to Freddy’s haunting theme, which was reused many times in the sequels. Christopher Young scored the underrated A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, while Angelo Badalamenti provided the soundtrack for the fan favorite sequel A Nightmare on Elm Street: Dream Warriors.

Craig Safan, Jay Ferguson, and Brian May contributed to Freddy’s musical legacy with their scores for The Dream Master, The Dream Child, and Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, respectively.  J. Peter Robinson closed out the original franchise with his music for Wes Craven’s New Nightmare.

The asking price for this beautifully designed box set is $250, and it will go on sale this Wednesday, October 25 on Mondo’s music site.

Are you excited about Box of Souls – A Nightmare on Elm Street Collection? Share your thoughts and your screams in the comment section below!

Images: New Line Cinema/Mondo/Death Waltz

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13 Original Xbox Games Are Coming to Xbox One

For years, fans have clamored for a remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, which made its debut for the very first Xbox in 2003. While there aren’t currently any plans for that remake to happen, fans will soon have the next best thing, because KOTOR is coming to the Xbox One alongside 12 other original Xbox titles.

Via IGN, KOTOR, Ninja Gaiden Black, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, Fuzion Frenzy, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Psychonauts, Dead to Rights, Black, Grabbed by the Ghoulies, Sid Meier’s Pirates!, Red Faction II, BloodRayne 2, and The King of Fighters Neowave will be available to play on Tuesday, October 24, if fans have the original discs or the digital versions available from the Xbox store. The most noticeable special feature is that each game will now run at 1080p resolution.

As you can see in IGN’s accompanying video, the visual upgrades to KOTOR are pretty impressive. It’s not the same as getting a current generation remake, but this may be the best way to experience KOTOR in all of its glory.

There are additional Xbox games coming to Xbox One’s expanded backwards capabilities, and that means we could soon see many of our classic favorites in a new light.

Are you excited to play KOTOR and the other old school games on Xbox One? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: LucasArts/IGN

Will JUSTICE LEAGUE Benefit from a Much Shorter Runtime?

Turns out Justice League‘s runtime will only be two hours, making it the shortest movie in the DCEU. Will less be more for the film? We broke it down on today’s Nerdist News Talks Back, along with the early reviews for Stranger Things 2, and what holiday treats you can expect this week from our Nerdoween celebration.

Host Jessica Chobot was joined today by the Nerdist Editor League, as Rachel Heine, Kyle Anderson, and Alicia Lutes sat in to talk about Justice League‘s official 121-minute runtime. This is dramatically shorter than that 170-minute long cut we heard about, so where did the missing 50 minutes go? What got left behind? Is a much shorter film a positive development? Or would we have preferred a much longer film like we got with Blade Runner: 2049.

We’ve also started getting early reviews for Stranger Things 2, and they sound good, with praise for character development and the subversion of normal sequel tropes. So now what are we looking forward to? And since some critics have said the season takes longer to get going, do we prefer a slow burn, or would we rather the show hit the Upside Down running? Also, since the season takes place in 1984, are there any specific references from that year we hope to see?

Finally the Queen of ‘Ween, Rachel Heine, gave a taste of what to expect this week from Nerdoween, our celebration of all things Halloween, and we discussed our favorite October traditions, the merits of candy corn, and our favorite holiday treats and horror movies.

Just like it is every weekday, Nerdist News Talks Back was live at 1:00 p.m. PST on our YouTube and Alpha channels, so you can join in on the discussion with us when you tune in. And don’t forget to vote in today’s Monster Madness poll!

Today's #MonsterMadness match-up is here! Which of these creatures will prevail? #KingKong or #Maleficent?

— Nerdist (@nerdist) October 23, 2017

Tune in tomorrow to talk back with us. Maybe together we’ll find those missing 50 minutes from Justice League.

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

Featured Image: Warner Bros

Halloween Parades for Dogs Are Proof the World Can Be a Wonderful Place

The internet has dark and scary corners. It’s easy to fall down rabbit holes of negativity. However, every now and then, the internet throws us a lifeline so perfect that it reminds us just how awesome the world can be. We present to you: New York City’s Halloween parade for dogs. To understand how excellent this event was, all you have to do is look at this Pennywise pup, a.k.a. Puppywise.

Was a great day and great turn out for the 27TH annual #TompkinsSquarePark #Dog Parade #EastVillage #NYC @NYPDPaws @RubiesCostumeCo @Beggin pic.twitter.com/L3z5qVhr8m

— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) October 21, 2017

Twitter has been awash with some of the best dang costumes from the 27th annual Halloween Dog Parade at Tompkins Square Park in New York City. Pet owners dressed their pups to the nines in all manner of Halloween costumes for the event and we collectively get to “aww” for hours on end about them. This is what we call a win-win situation.

Multiple owners went for styles inspired by The Handmaid’s Tale.

My name is Ofdog. #halloweendogparade #tompkinssquarepark #handmaidstale #hulu IG/FB @winstonthewhitecorgi pic.twitter.com/HUC3kTCArw

— winstonthewhitecorgi (@winstonthewhite) October 21, 2017

Even the doggies are #UnderHisEye. #TompkinsSquarePark pic.twitter.com/v6JPKVkwWQ

— Rosalind Tordesillas (@rtordy) October 21, 2017

Look at all these doggos. I especially like the LEGO brick.

You guys… it's #HalloweenDogParade Day!!! Greetings from #TompkinsSquarePark! Clockwise from upper left: Rusty, Frank, Elliot, and Ruby. pic.twitter.com/R9x2jwis90

— Maddie Orton (@MaddieOrton) October 21, 2017

These dogs are a sightseeing tour.

One photo from #TompkinsSquarePark #Halloween #DogParade in NYC today. More to come in a few minutes! pic.twitter.com/1O2hLm5bz8

— Bryan Kremkau (@skapunkphotos) October 21, 2017

Then there’s Daenerys and her dragon from Game of Thrones.

…and a few of my other faves #halloweendogparade #tompkinssq pic.twitter.com/zz6GtMCDUh

— Eve (@bydaysbreak) October 21, 2017

Plus, a whole Jurassic Park group.

You missed ours #jurassicpark #halloweendogparade pic.twitter.com/DhS8OKh7Gj

— Travel Tessa ✈️ (@tessa_juliette) October 21, 2017

Okay. I’ll stop now. The hashtag #HalloweenDogParade is sincerely eating into our productivity today. Seriously, why spend time working when you can just stare at this picture of a “Pommes Frites Pup”?!

Pommes Frites Pup! #HalloweenDogParade #howloween pic.twitter.com/ucbkrFmS3L

— Francisco Ramirez (@FranciscoNYC) October 24, 2015

Yes, that’s one from 2015, but it’s still great.

What’s your favorite Halloween pup costume? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

Image: Can Kamiloğlu|Wikimedia Commons

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FALLOUT Tiki Mugs Are Perfect for a Post-Apocalyptic Bar Crawl

If there’s a tragedy in Bethesda’s Fallout video games, it’s not the crushing blow to humanity or the near total destruction of our collective history. No, it’s the fact that it can be really hard to get our drink on in the post-apocalyptic setting. None of our favorite bars are open in the Wasteland! Fortunately, that doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy the new Fallout Geeki Tikis. Via Geekologie, ThinkGeek has unveiled its latest Fallout inspired merchandise, and they look perfect for cocktails or even just a can of Nuka-Cola.

From left to right, the mugs depict the Power Armor, Vault Boy, and everyone’s beloved companion, Dogmeat. Although we have to agree with Geekologie: Tiki Dogmeat looks more like Scooby-Doo than anything else. In fact, he’s so Scooby-Doo that we half expect him to go down to the Institute and unmask the director as Old Man Shaun. The remaining Fallout inspired tiki is Deathclaw.

We have to give credit to ThinkGeek for the clever product description, which postulates that Hawaii is still a vacation destination in this ravaged world.

“Hawaii residents – sign up today and secure your family’s future. Vault-Tec is proud to announce the creation of our first secure location on the big island. With our new financing model, non-residents can opt to timeshare a vault in paradise (in case you’re on the vacation of a lifetime when the inevitable happens). But just like Hawaii, we have limited space. Sign up at your local Vault shelter today!”

The Fallout Geeki Tikis are currently available for pre-order at ThinkGeek, and they are expected to begin shipping in November. The set of four goes for $59.99, and we think they’re worthy inclusions to any geek-themed tiki collection.

What do you think about the Fallout inspired tikis? Let us know what you’re thinking in the comment section below!

Images: ThinkGeek

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Sanrio’s Lazy Egg Gudetama Is on the Menu at the Curry House

Lazy fans rejoice (with as little effort as you can muster), the world’s laziest egg, Gudetama, is collaborating on an all-egg meal with the Curry House restaurant chain and it’s as adorable as you can imagine.

The meal consists of a dish of keema curry, salad, Curry House’s famous corn soup, a drink, and dessert custard-all for a prix fixe of $29. Ideal for Instagram, each dish features Gudetama’s signature bored expression staring back at you, making you question whether the meal is even worth it. (It is.)

For vegetarians who also want to get their lazy on, there’s a meatless curry option that comes topped with tofu katsu. Like most Japanese collab meals, this set includes a gift—a commemorative beanie—in case you’re too lazy to even dress yourself.

Gudetama has risen in the ranks to become the second most popular Sanrio character after the queen cat herself, Hello Kitty. With over 914,000 Twitter followers, the lazy egg has the most followers by far of all the Sanrio characters, due in part to its social media photo friendly face. Who doesn’t want to fill their feed with pics of a frowning, jiggly yolk? It’s the most charming way to embrace your laziness.

Check out more photos from the pop up event in the gallery below. The Gudetama x Curry House collab will be available at all nine of the Curry House restaurant locations in California and runs from now through January 20, 2018, so you have plenty of time to catch this lackadaisical meal—just don’t be too passive about it.

Are you ready to eat lazy eggs with your curry? Let us know in the comments and tag @nerdist and @justjennrecipes on Instagram to show us your meal!

Images: Jenn Fujikawa

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DOCTOR WHO Gets New Cast Members to Accompany Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor

When Matt Smith took over the role of The Doctor from David Tennant, the series was given a complete overhaul, with a new TARDIS and a new supporting cast. History has repeated itself as BBC America has announced three new cast members that will be joining the Jodie Whittaker‘s Thirteenth Doctor when season 11 of Doctor Who premieres in fall of 2018.

From left to right are Mandip Gill as Yasmin, Bradley Walsh as Graham, Whittaker as the Doctor, and Tosin Cole as Ryan. Actress Sharon D. Clarke will also be joining the series in a recurring role. BBC’s announcement carefully steps around using the word companion, but rumors have been swirling that Walsh’s Graham will be in the companion role. But, as Gill, Graham, and Cole are all joining in series regulars roles, maybe this Doctor will travel with a small entourage.

These are not the only big changes in store for the new season. It will have just 10 installments instead of the usual 12, but each episode will have a longer run time of 50 minutes, with the season premiere being a full hour.

New showrunner Chris Chibnall is definitely doing his best to make this version of Doctor Who his own, succeeding Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat. From the first female Doctor to a diverse cast of friends, Chibnall seems to be making sure the Doctor is accessible to anyone who may be watching. So, with a new Doctor and new friends, what other new things can we expect? Will we get the debut of a new iconic villain like the Weeping Angels? Or will we see Whittaker face off against old favorites like the Daleks? We shall find out in about a year’s time.

Are you excited for the new adventures of Doctor Who? Will you be tearing up this Christmas when Peter Capaldi hands the reins over to Whittaker? Let me know on Twitter @donnielederer or make your voice heard in the comments below.

Images: BBC/BBC America

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SESAME STREET Takes on THE WALKING DEAD in New Parody

The Walking Dead is returning Sunday night for its eighth season on AMC. It’s a TV event that has not gone unnoticed, even as far away as Sesame Street. The long-running children’s show has turned its eye towards the zombie apocalypse for a new parody, which reimagines the Cookie Monster as a Rick Grimes-like hero, Sheriff Graham. The Walking Gingerbread comes complete with its own versions of Daryl and Michonne. But in this world, the Cookie Monster’s insatiable appetite for cookies is still his greatest weakness.

Amazingly, the Cookie Monster didn’t seem to realize he could turn his hunger against the Crumbies until after he had redeemed them with the power of dance. Perhaps it would have been too much for the kids if the Cookie Monster ate cookies that were alive…or formerly alive. As Sheriff Graham, he also made a couple of selfish and short-sighted decisions that endangered his new friends. It’s like Cookie Monster really did take some of his cues from Rick Grimes.

In an amusing touch, The Walking Gingerbread sketch also introduced its version of the Governor, who  could only hint at his untrustworthy side. Although the Governor’s appearance makes us wonder what Negan would have looked like in this sketch. And what’s the Sesame Street appropriate version of Negan’s barbwire bat, Lucille?

This is far from the first time that Sesame Street‘s parodies have tackled properties way outside of their target audience. Some of our favorites include their takes on Game of Thrones, The Avengers, and Jurassic Park.

What did you think about The Walking Gingerbread? Sing “C is for Cookie” before leaving a comment below!

Images: Sesame Workshop

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