Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1991

STAR WARS: PHASMA Novel Covers Introduce 3 New Characters

Force Friday isn’t only about new Star Wars toys. The special release day is also about new Star Wars stories. The Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi publishing program includes myriad titles, including Phasma. As you may guess from the name, the book by Delilah S. Dawson is centered on the mysterious Captain. She appeared for mere moments in The Force Awakens, and before she returns to the screen in The Last Jedi, this book will tell us about the First Order soldier’s history.

I’m already hooked, because I need to learn more about Phasma. I don’t need or want every detail, but I’d like to gain more insight into who she is. Where is she from? How does her shiny chrome armor stay so clean? How did she get that armor? I have questions. And thanks to the reveal of character posters that will be included in special editions of Phasma, I have even more questions.

Del Rey showcased three editions of Phasma with a double-sided character poster on Twitter; Phasma is on one side of the poster and the other features a brand new character. So, THREE new characters, all designed by James Zapata.

First up, this First Order trooper in red armor will be part of the Barnes and Noble edition of Phasma.

His armor. His cape. Is he the adversary the book synopsis mentions? Maybe he’s a superior of Phasma’s and is looking to stop her rise to the top (man, the woman is non-stop).

Then there’s this mysterious gent; he’ll be included in the Wal-Mart edition of the book.

He has some sort of connection to Phasma. He’s not wearing any military gear, so I wonder if it’s someone she knew growing up? I have a hunch he’s connected to her past more than her present. Also, I can’t wait until fans write steamy fanfic about whoever this guy is.

Board a speeder to the galaxy below to see the Captain Phasma side of the character posters, and the Resistance soldier poster. Then, head to the comments to tell us if you have any thoughts about how this group will play into Phasma’s story. Will one of them be the one responsible for trying to discover the truth of Phasma’s past? Insert dramatic music here.

Images: Del Rey, art by James Zapata

Watch THE DEFENDERS Geek Out About Their Long Awaited Team-Up

Doesn’t it feel like it was just yesterday that Netflix announced it would be bringing a band of Marvel Comics heroes together to protect the streets of New York City in The Defenders? Because it was actually four years ago in 2013 when that announcement was first made. Since then, fans have gotten to know Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist as if they were our own neighbors — and if you live in New York, they kind of are. Case in point! Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter and Finn Jones all visited the city (trust me, that’s what the cool locals call it) as part of their press tour for the show, and told Nerdist all about how awesome it was to finally team up.

Of course, not everybody on the Defenders is meeting for the first time — Luke Cage actually debuted on Jessica Jones, where he served as a potential love interest for the titular antiheroine. But at least in the first four episodes of this premiere season, Jessica actually spends more time with Matt Murdock than she does with her former partner.

“I think Jessica feels like Matt Murdock is on equal footing with her, and she doesn’t always feel that way about people,” Krysten Ritter told Nerdist. “So she’s interested. She kind wants to know what she’s about, does a little digging, does her P.I. thing on him, and sort lets him into her life in a way.”

Meanwhile, despite their decades-long comic book friendship, Luke Cage and Danny Rand do not start out on equal footing; right out of the gate, Luke calls Danny out on his privilege, which will surely delight a lot of fans. “It’s such an iconic relationship in the comics, and it’s starting off in such a grounding and compelling way,” Finn Jones noted about their first conversation.

Check out the video above to see the stars of The Defenders talk more about how fun it was to “fanboy” out about each other — and about Sigourney Weaver, who plays the show’s villain. Once you’re done watching, tell us all about which of the Defenders you’re most excited to revisit in the comments below!

Image: Netflix

Loving GAME OF THRONES Isn’t a Good Enough Reason to Adopt a Husky

By now, Game of Thrones’ impact on our culture at large has made itself as clear as top-grade dragonglass. In the six years since the series premiered on HBO, we’ve seen genre television programs come and go, a religion born of the business of fan theorizing, and even like “Khaleesi” and (I bet you’re all regretting this one right about now) “Theon.” But there is another way in which Thrones has made its mark on American viewers: the increased adoption of direwolves. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t end there.

Over the moon for the impeccably loyal, fierce, and beautiful pooches that complement the Stark family, prospective dog owners have been adopting huskies, malamutes, and similar breeds in disproportionately high rates. (With the exception of Jon Snow’s pal Ghost, who is a bona fide Arctic Wolf, all of the Stark children’s direwolves are portrayed by Northern Inuit dogs—the breed itself a mix of Siberian Husky, Alaskan Malamute, and German Shepherd.)

The dark reality of the situation, however, is that people aren’t holding onto their dogs for very long. A recent article by The Dodo reports that over the past six years, shelters across the country have observed an upswing in abandoned and surrendered huskies.

The thought of abandoning a pet may feel abhorrent, but the give reasons for abandonment are apparently plentiful. According to canine behaviorist Brooke Bretschger, who works as Admissions Counselor at the Bronx-based branch of Animal Care Centers of NYC, people have many motivating factors when surrendering their dogs to the shelter, chief among them money, behavioral issues, and threats of eviction. That aside, Bretschger thinks that it more often than not boils down to people not thinking through their decision to adopt in the first place.

“I don’t think they realize the extent of what it is to have a dog until they get a dog,” Bretschger tells Nerdist. “Most of the time, when we ask, ‘When did you get the dog?’ they’ll say, ‘Two months old,’ or ‘seven weeks old,’ or ‘three months old.’ And usually when they give up the dog, it’s two and up or three and up.” It’s hard not do be enchanted by the idea of an adorable direwolf pup, but not everyone is prepared to commit to caring for a dog.

“Just shoving him outside in your little quarter-of-an-acre backyard isn’t going to … get their energy out.”

“They get this cute little young puppy,” Bretschger continues. “They like to show it off. And then when it’s not a cute young puppy anymore and they [haven’t done] any training, they’re like, ‘I have another animal I have to feed, I have to take to the vet, I have to walk.’”

Raising a dog is a lot of hard work, and Bretschger, who deals with the surrendering of animals on a daily basis, is the first to remind pet owners of all the resources at their disposal. “They’ll say, ‘I can’t afford the vet bills,’ and we’ll [direct them to] a low cost vet,” she says. “Or they’ll say, ‘He’s just too much. He chews up the house.’ Then we offer training resources. Or supplies. Or dog food. ‘It’s just too much money.’ We can give you a bag of dog food a month. We can give you these toys.”

“It’s not an object to show off. It’s a living creature.”

Additional challenges come with huskies and similar breeds specifically, especially in urban and suburban areas. “They’re expected to run 10 or 15 miles a day, it’s their genetics,” she says, citing huskies’ roots as sled dogs. “Their specific metabolism, which other dogs don’t have makes it harder for them to burn energy because they’re meant to run so long.”

She continues, “Other dogs can eat a meal, run around for an hour, then they’ll go to sleep and be tired. But huskies were purposely bred to not do that, so they can go extensive [distances] while pulling a lot of weight.” As such, this makes it tough to keep a husky in many parts of the country. “Just shoving him outside in your little quarter-of-an-acre backyard isn’t going to … get their energy out.”

Rearing a husky doesn’t just boil down to dealing with their boundless energy; canine psychology is important as well. A genealogy traced from sled dogs means the Game of Thrones-like breeds are in constant need of a task to complete. In fact, Bretschger says that huskies “are not meant to be domesticated,” adding, “I trained a husky and it was probably the most stubborn dog I’ve ever met in my life.” She says, “They’re working dogs. They’re supposed to have a purpose. So if they don’t fulfill that purpose, they’re gonna get out that energy in other ways.”

Raising a dog takes patience, hard work, and, in truth, a bit of money.

Still, raising a husky properly is hardly a lost cause. Bretschger recommends “as many walks as possible and as many puzzle toys as possible.”

“The puzzle toys will stimulate their activity level. So when they’re stressed out ad trying to get out energy in so many other ways, they need their mind molded and focused on something else. That’s why they always look so serious and focused.”

The responsibility of adoption is a serious one. Ownership of any breed comes with challenges, huskies more than most. “You have to remember,” Bretschger says. “It’s not an object to show off. It’s a living creature. Whether it be a cat or a dog, anything—even a turtle, a reptile. You still have to pay for it if it gets sick…If it was your kid, you wouldn’t be like, ‘They have a cold, let’s put them down.’”

If keeping a dog does prove itself absolutely impossible, there are better options than your local shelter. “The shelter should be the last possible [option], but people always think it’s the first,” Bretschger says. “There are rehoming resources—websites like Adopt a Pet or Get Your Pet, or even something like Craigslist.” Though it may take a bit of extra research, transferring a dog into another loving home will ultimately be better for its mental and physical health than relocation into a shelter will.

“When you’re putting a dog from a home into a shelter, it’s going inside a kennel and it’s going to be around numerous other dogs,” Bretschger says. “Not only is it potentially going to get sick, with kennel cough or something like that, it also is psychologically deteriorating the dog. It has no idea what’s going on. It’s [stuck] in this box the whole time. Maybe it has a few walks a day from volunteers, but that’s about it. It’s like putting somebody in a psych ward and they don’t know what’s going on.” And this, of course, is in addition to the possibility of humane euthanasia, a practice upheld by many American shelters.

It should go without saying that if you’re considering options of rehoming before even adopting a husky, or any animal for that matter, then you’re likely not ready for a pet. Though you may be in love with Game of Thrones‘ direwolves or smile at the sight of every adorable puppy, it takes much more than that to give a dog a warm, healthy, lifelong home. (There are plenty of easier ways to show off your Thrones fandom, anyway.)

Raising a dog takes patience, hard work, and, in truth, a bit of money. But more important than any other quality in a dog owner is the willingness to devote yourself wholly to caring for, sticking with, and loving your pooch from beginning to end. It’s not always going to be a picnic, but none of the best relationships are.

Images: HBO

@micarbeiter.

Our Panel of Experts Discusses Which X-MEN They Would Smooch

The X-Men are too sexy for this office, and we’re not going to let you leave until we convince you. Join Host Jessica Chobot, Science Editor Kyle Hill, Nerdist Producer Jason Nguyen, and Nerdist Editor Matt Caron as they talk about why they love Rick and Morty and which X-Men they would bang.

Before we get to the main event—which for once isn’t Game of Thrones—we need to talk about Rick and Morty. Specifically, Pickle Rick. The Pickle Rick episode trolled the entire audience by making us believe it would be a silly, irreverent episode, but instead the episode dealt with the Smith’s divorce and how it affected the entire family. Rick and Morty is one of the best shows on television when it comes to melding complex, emotional storylines with hilariously stupid antics. Few shows can leave the audience crying tears of joy one minute and tears of sympathy the next.

Rick and Morty‘s great, but we’ve also got some mutants to fantasize about smoochin’. X-Men‘s Storm, Halle Berry has opened up about the character’s previous relationship with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, which happened before the events of the film and was never previously mentioned. We’re not sure whether or not an actor’s self-created backstory is considered canon, but we’re okay with it. The video above has a brief moment of discussing which superheroes are having a secret romance before they go on to play F***, Marry, Kill with Storm, Wolverine, and Jean Grey. You can play, too! But don’t actually do any of those things, just imagine.

 

For more Rick and Morty and X-Men, check out this Rick and Morty meme generator and the best/worst X-Men villains of all time.

You can watch and interact live with Nerdist News Talks Back every weekday at 1:00pm PST on YouTube and Alpha, and catch up with the archives just after the show!

Image: Adult Swim, 20th Century Fox

Lisa Frank Debit Cards are Here to Turn Your Wallet into a Technicolor Dreamscape

If you’re all about living that unicorn life but don’t know how to pay for it, forget about cash—it’s simply not sparkly and special enough—you need a rainbow prepaid debit card. Because everything, frankly, should be a multicolor visual assault on your eyeballs, which is probably the exact reason Lisa Frank is now making prepaid debit cards.

You certainly can’t miss them, emblazoned with peak Lisa Frank images these cards will definitely stand out inside your wallet. Brightly colored—heavy on the pink and sparkles—these cards are begging to be pulled out and shown off.

Imagine your favorite Lisa Frank images from childhood and they’re likely available as images for your card. Puppies, elephants, bears, and pegai are there, of course. Dual dolphins out for a morning swim are also a good choice. What about multiple animals in spinning teacups living their best life, eating snow cones and cotton candy with an intense fireworks display as a backdrop? You got it, it’s there too!

These prepaid cards have no extra fees and require no minimum balance. Which means you can put as much or as little money as you want to help feed your rainbow addiction. If you sign up for direct deposit you get a $15 bonus and can take money out two days in advance, this is ideal if you run across that must-have pair of Lisa Frank leggings.

I know all this info makes you want to run out and buy a Trapper Keeper full of these cards, but if you had to get just one—how could you possibly choose? Simply say to yourself, if there’s a design with dogs wearing a tiara or glasses, then it’s meant to be. I’m happy to report there’s a debit card that features both, so go forth and spend to your glittered unicorn heart’s content.

For more of the stylish images check out the gallery below and see card.com for all the card designs.

Which Lisa Frank themed card is calling your name? Let us know in the comments and tag @nerdist and @justjenn on twitter!

Images: Lisa Frank/Card.com

A RICK AND MORTY Fan Sold a Bottle of McDonald’s Szechuan Sauce for SO Much Money

Holy squanching squanch!

Sorry to get so vulgar, but that’s all we can think about after seeing how much a bottle of McDonald’s elusive Szechuan sauce—which Rick and Morty made famous in their season three premiere back in April—just went for on eBay after 111 bids. Curious to know the amount?

$15,350.00

…

…

Are you squanching kidding me?

SOS 073017 2130EST TWTR 3x.5GAL pic.twitter.com/pHvDzKVYMv

— McDonald's (@McDonalds) July 30, 2017

This 64 ounce bottle, which came in its own super fancy, foam-lined case, was one of the four that McDonald’s recently gave away to fans (Rick and Morty co-creator and the voice of the two title characters Justin Roiland got one of his own). This lucky fan, journalist Robert Workman, decided that instead of using this amazing prize for enjoying 9,000 McNuggets, it would be put to much better use paying off bills. Uh, at that price we bet they’ll be some cash leftover after clearing up any debts.

Holy shit. pic.twitter.com/vNEIfHTmNU

— Justin Roiland (@JustinRoiland) July 30, 2017

There’s certainly nothing wrong with that, but what makes this even better though is the sellers promises “at least” 20% of the proceeds from this sale are going to charity, with Extra Life and AbleGamers listed as two recipients so far.

All of this over a dipping sauce that came out almost two decades ago as a tie-in with the movie Mulan, which nobody ever would have remembered unless the best cartoon on television used it for an amazing joke that only took place in Rick’s mind.

Rick and Morty can sure be weird, but in this case reality is far stranger than fiction.

How much would you have wanted to sell your own bottle of szechuan sauce? Use your portal gun and head into our comments below to tell us what price you would have named.

Images: Adult Swim

TIM AND ERIC AWESOME SHOW, GREAT JOB! Returns for Absurd 10th Anniversary Special

Although the iconic Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! hasn’t been on the air since 2010, we’ve still seen a lot of our favorite absurdist duo over the past few years, whether they’re telling us bedtime stories, selling light bulbs with Jeff Goldblum, or guesting on the Nerdist Podcast. Now, since their flagship show began in 2007, we’re getting a tenth anniversary special episode, appropriately titled Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! Awesome 10 Year Anniversary Version, Great Job?

They announced the special, which airs on August 27th at midnight on Adult Swim, with a short clip of a new song, and it makes about as much sense as anything they do. They sing about and drive tiny Lamborghinis that look like go-karts as they wear braces, plenty of lip gloss, purple suits with matching circular hats, and leather driving gloves. It’s very stupid, and as we’ve learned in the ten years since the show launched, that’s very much when Tim and Eric are at their best.

The special promises new sketches, familiar faces, and the same old Awesome Show. It’s set to include appearances from Ray Wise, Rhea Perlman, Jorge Garcia, Andre Royo, Fred Willard, and others. We can’t imagine they’d do a reunion without David Liebe Hart, and if we’re lucky, Zach Galifianakis will be around too.

What do you think of the reunion so far? Let us know in the comments below, then check out other weirdness happening on Adult Swim, like the sensation that is Pickle Rick and his sudden, incredible fandom.

Featured image: Adult Swim

What the Praetorian Guards Tell us About Snoke in THE LAST JEDI

All the way back in 1983, Return of the Jedi introduced fans to the Emperor’s Royal Guard, an elite force within the Empire that did absolutely nothing on screen except to turn and walk out of the Emperor’s chamber. We had to rely on the Extended Universe to see the Royal Guard in action. Fortunately, it looks like Supreme Leader Snoke’s Praetorian Guards will have a much bigger role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Today’s Nerdist News is examining the recently released photos from the film for clues about the Praetorians and Snoke himself.

There are potential spoilers ahead for The Last Jedi! It’s all theory and conjecture…until it isn’t. Either way, you’ve been warned!

Join host and Resistance codebreaker, Jessica Chobot, as she walks us through each aspect of the photos. Earlier this year, it was rumored that each Praetorian Guard would have their own individual weapon, and these pics appear to confirm that. Director Rian Johnson has openly acknowledge the influence of samurai films on The Last Jedi, and he noted that the Praetorian Guards have to be able to move and “they have to seem dangerous.”

Remember the behind-the-scenes footage of The Last Jedi that dropped at D23 Expo? Daisy Ridley was seen training against multiple opponents for the film. We believe that Rey may be fighting the Praetorian Guards, especially if Luke Skywalker and Rey are taking the fight directly to Snoke, which is one of the biggest rumors about the film. Additionally, the red in the Praetorian Guard outfits may also function as camouflage, which would allow them to hide in Snoke’s lair until they need to reveal themselves.

The biggest takeaway here is that we will see Snoke in the flesh…sort of. The Entertainment Weekly story confirms that Andy Serkis’ portrayal of Snoke will be entirely through CGI motion capture. That once again makes us question whether Snoke is much larger than a standard humanoid, or much smaller. In The Force Awakens, Snoke portrayed himself as a giant through the use of holograms. That suggests he either has a hugely inflated ego or a pronounced inferiority complex. Why else would he distort his image like that? Unless Snoke turns out to actually be a giant, those are the two most likely explanations. Either way, we think that The Last Jedi will finally pull back the curtain on Star Wars‘ latest big bad.

Are you excited about Snoke and the Praetorian Guards’ roles in The Last Jedi? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

BARRY & JOE is the Time Traveling Obama/Biden Adventure We Never Knew We Needed

Barack Obama and Joe Biden may no longer be at the White House, but their bromance may live on in the realm of animation. Barry & Joe: The Animated Series is on Kickstarter, with the goal of turning meme legend into reality.

As envisioned by Adam Reid, Barry & Joe: The Animated Series follows former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden after they are sent back in time to save the future, taking over the bodies of their younger selves. Neil deGrasse Tyson will be their only guide, when he appears in “the form of an augmented reality that only they can see and hear.” It sounds a lot like Quantum Leap, but that’s not a coincidence. Even the opening narration seems to directly quote that sci-fi classic.

On the Kickstarter page, Reid is open about the fact that this is a sci-fi fantasy geared more towards the left of the political spectrum than the right. Reid is also paying homage to the “brilliantly cheesy 80’s television and science fiction.” Within this series, President Donald Trump is going to be presented as an antagonist, but he won’t be seen directly. “In this way, he is like our Doctor Claw from the original Inspector Gadget cartoon. A villain to be heard and felt but not seen. Except for his tiny hands, we’ll see those.”

The goal for the campaign is to produce an animated prologue and a mini-episode pilot as proof of concept for the series. Reid also hopes to entice Neil deGrasse Tyson to play himself, but he doesn’t currently have any part in this project. The first illustration from the series by Lance Laspina does make the show look like a lot of fun.

For more information about this project, you can visit the official Kickstarter page. The campaign will run through August 31.

What do you think about the bro-tastic potential of this project? Share your thoughts below!

Images: Adam Reid

Queens Of The Stone Age’s “The Evil Has Landed” Is a Vintage Rocker

Queens of the Stone Age started their new album roll out back in June with a mysterious website that revealed either everything or nothing, depending on how much stock you put into the cryptic messages therein. Since then, we’ve learned a lot.

We now know that the album is called Villains, and it’s coming out on August 25. We also got to hear “The Way You Used To Do,” a positively rocking new track from the album that’s a promising sign of what’s to come. Today, the band has provided another look at the upcoming album and shared the track “The Evil Has Landed.” Check it out:

The vintage-sounding track, stylistically, could feel right at home on a Led Zeppelin compilation. It has that open and propulsive classic sound and a lovely solo smack dab in the middle of the song, and it boasts production from Mark Ronson. The song premiered this morning on Zane Lowe’s Apple Music Beats 1 radio show, and Homme said of the song:

“There’s a bit of my early influence and it’s just got a desert style. I always go back to the desert all the time. When I moved here [Los Angeles], I moved to the Valley because I was used to having a yard, and I thought, ‘Well, if it goes down here, at least I know all of the back roads to get to home.’ So I moved here basically as a doomsday prepper.”

Check out the track above, and let us know in the comments below how pumped you are now for this exciting new record.

Featured image: Matador Records