Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2064
May 27, 2017
GAL GADOT Attempts to Train Conan O’Brien, WONDER WOMAN Style
Wonder Woman will be released in theaters next week, and in what is arguably the most anticipated movie of the summer, Gal Gadot plays the Amazonian princess and founding member of the Justice League. Gadot went through over six months of training to prepare to become the star of the first female-driven superhero movie in the modern era. In this video posted on Batman-News.Com, she takes on an even greater challenge: teaching Conan O’Brien how to train for the role.
The video shows Gadot and her trainer Ruda Vrba attempting to cram all six months of Gal’s training into the 35 minutes Conan had to spare. Unsurprisingly, the results were hilarious.
After practicing sword fighting, Conan decided to rely on his post-production team to make sure he looked great deflecting a flurry of “bullets.”
He even went so far as to put on his “Super-Conan” costume from last year’s Comic-Con in one last ditch effort to make an impression.
Even though it was obvious he had no shot at becoming the next big-time superhero, that didn’t stop Conan from attempting to ride a mechanical bull–since they couldn’t get a horse into the studio. I am not sure exactly what that was going to prove, but it made me laugh. Not so much for how Conan looked on it, but because the result when I ride one is pretty much the exact same.
Wonder Woman, also starring Robin Wright and Connie Neilsen, and directed by Patty Jenkins, opens everywhere Friday, June 2nd.
You can check out other hilarious videos from Conan on his YouTube channel here.
So what do you think? Does Conan have what it takes to be a member of the Justice League? Who do you want to see as guests during “Conan-Con” this summer? Let me know on Twitter or sound off in the comments below.
Images: Team Coco/YouTube
FINAL FANTASY VII Remake and KINGDOM HEARTS 3 Get Pushed Back Again
With E3 right around the corner, gamers were understandably curious to know if Square Enix would use the spotlight to announce any news about their most highly anticipated upcoming titles: Final Fantasy VII Remake and Kingdom Hearts 3. The word has arrived early, and it’s not good news. Apparently, neither game has a firm release date and Square Enix is only willing to say that they will be released “within the next three years.”
Via Gematsu, Square Enix president and CEO Yosuke Matsuda made the announcement in an official financial report that included an outline of the company’s release plans. Those plans include an unspecified Marvel game, but there are currently no other details for that title.
To say that this is disappointing would be an understatement. Kingdom Hearts fans have waited over a decade for a full-fledged sequel, and Disney has undergone some major changes in that time. Now, Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm all fall under the Disney banner, and gamers have been eager to see if that meant an even more amazing lineup of characters for Kingdom Hearts 3. But more than anything else, we just want to get their hands on it!
As for Final Fantasy VII, the original title is one of the most beloved RPGs of all-time, and a perennial fan favorite. A remake was heavily requested for years before Square Enix announced that it was in development two years ago. There’s still a chance that new trailers for each title will debut at E3, but fans are gonna have to wait even longer to play these games.
How do you feel about the latest delays for these games? Let us know in the comment section below!
Images: Square Enix
Homer Simpson Has Been “Inducted” Into the Baseball Hall of Fame
Today baseball honored one of the game’s greats, a man whose contributions both on and off the field have long transcended sports. That’s right, 25 years after his heroic pinch hit/hit-by-pitch performance led the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant to the 1992 softball championship, the Hall of Fame has “inducted” Homer Simpson. Woohoo!
A legendary reunion to celebrate Homer's "induction" into the Hall of Fame. #HOFHomer #HOFClassic pic.twitter.com/JcVGPJNlBB
— Baseball Hall ⚾ (@baseballhall) May 27, 2017
The festivities focused on the iconic Simpsons‘ episode “Homer at the Bat,” which premiered over 25 years ago on Fox on February 20th, 1992 (which I love so much I spent months researching if Smithers could have put together an even better team), with Homer being joined by his softball teammates and fellow Hall of Famers Ozzie Smith and Wade Boggs. The two took part in a round-table discussion, which also included the episode’s director Jim Reardon, executive producers Al Jean and Mike Reiss, story editor Jeff Martin, and casting director Bonnie Pietila. They also opened a new Simpsons exhibit in the museum portion of Cooperstown.
Homer Simpson, welcome to "immortality." #FirstLook #HOFHomer #HOFClassic @TheSimpsons pic.twitter.com/PFapQbfruz
— Baseball Hall ⚾ (@baseballhall) May 27, 2017
However, as any die-hard Simpsons fan will tell you, Homer’s history with baseball goes all the way back to 1990, when he was the mascot Dancin’ Homer. He first started with the minor league Springfield Isotopes, followed by a brief stint with the major’s Capital City Capitals, which his plaque also pays tribute to.
“Baseball is recognized as our National Pastime due to its wide intersection with American culture over the last two centuries, evident in literature, theater, language, art, music, film and television,” said National Baseball Hall of Fame Jeff Idelson, “The Simpsons is a perfect example of that connection to Americana.” Yes it is.
Of course, Darryl Strawberry, who stole Homer’s spot in right field for the championship game, before Homer heroically pinch hit for him in the 9th, is not a member of baseball’s Hall of Fame.
Maybe if he had shown a little more hustle, skip.
What other fictional characters deserve their spot in the Hall of Fame? Step up to the bat in our comments section below and swing away with your best candidates.
Images: Fox
LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES 2 Trailer Introduces Kang and a Crazy Lineup of Heroes
Given the continued popularity of the Guardians of the Galaxy, it probably shouldn’t surprise anyone that they have an expanded role in the upcoming LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2. But the Guardians are far from the only heroes in the game, and they’re all gonna have their hands full with the arrival of Kang the Conqueror.
The first trailer for LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 hit this week, and followed Rocket and Baby Groot as they attempted to survive Chronopolis, Kang’s citadel that combines multiple timelines and realities into a single location. Fortunately, Rocket and Groot have a lot of help, including the rest of the Guardians, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man 2099, Ant-Man, and Spider-Gwen!
Although there are a lot of Spider-Man villains in the trailer, there’s no sign yet of Peter Parker or Miles Morales. But Spider-Man Noir is there, and so is the fan-favorite, Ms. Marvel. More intriguingly, Hulk is wearing his Planet Hulk gladiator gear, and part of the game will actually take place in Sakaar. We’re also quite pleased with the debut of LEGO Ego the Living Planet.
Included with the trailer was the announcement that former Avengers scribe, Kurt Busiek, wrote the story for LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2. Busiek wrote a few Kang epics during his time with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and his new tale will send this oddball lineup all over the place, from the Old West and Ancient Egypt all the way to 2099 and beyond.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 will be released for Playstation 4 and Xbox One on November 14. A port for the Nintendo Switch doesn’t currently have a release date, but it is expected to land in the holiday season.
What did you think about the first trailer for LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2? Assemble your thoughts in the comment section below!
Images: Warner Bros. Interactive
Watch JOHN WILLIAMS Get an A Capella Tribute at Harvard University
It’s the end of the school year, and for seniors, that means it’s time for graduation. Harvard University’s class of 2017 had the distinct privilege of presenting legendary composer John Williams with an honorary doctorate for music. To make the moment even more special, the student group Din and Tonics performed a montage of his most famous themes a capella.
The enthusiastic looks on all of Din and Tonics’ faces show that they were having the time of their lives. It’s not every day that you get to perform your interpretation of such iconic music to the person that created it. From the look on John’s face throughout the performance, he was both impressed and touched by what these gentlemen were able to achieve.
This is an example of how the music of a film is just as important any else in a film. Listen to the crowd reaction when the group started to perform the Harry Potter theme. That got the biggest reaction. Considering these graduates were the perfect age when the movies were first released, something resonated when the music began. Whether it was Star Wars or Superman, each person in that crowd has a special memory about at least one of these famous pieces of music.
So what do you think? Should John Williams remove instruments from his future scores? Which of the themes resonated with you the most? What other famous Willams music would you have like to have heard? Let me know on Twitter or sound off in the comments below.
Image: Harvard University/YouTube
MIT’s Shape-Shifting Noodles Are the Mystiques of the Pasta World
Although pasta is pasta, the shape of the noodle, like the type of mug you drink your coffee out of, somehow affects the taste. Maybe your Fettuccine and Cavatappi are made out of the same ingredients, but sometimes one type of noodle looks perfect for an Alfredo while the other seems like an unholy crime against the Soprano family and your taste buds. That problem may be remedied by MIT’s latest invention, however: the shape-shifting noodle. Like Mystique from X-Men, these pasta particles can take on an uncountable number of forms, and one day soon you may only need one box of pasta to suit any occasion.
Popular Science picked up on MIT’s latest culinary breakthrough, which comes out of the school’s Tangible Media Group. The Tangible Media Group aims to “seamlessly couple the dual worlds of bits and atoms,” and it’s done so in the past with mind-blowing inventions like “living” shape-shifting clothes and a morphing “Snakebot” that wants to replace all of your current personal gadgets.
This time around, the mega-tech brain trust turned its sights on pasta, although this happened somewhat by accident. Lining Yao, who lead the shape-shifting noodle team—Adult Swim, please make that show—told Popular Science that she was working with “adaptive materials for a long time” and decided to go with the idea of a self-folding dumpling in order to please both her professors, and her mother. From there, apparently, it was one small step to shape-shifting noodles, and one giant leap for pasta-kind. (Pasta-kind being made up of people like Dev from Master of None.)
In terms of how the noodles actually change shape, that boils down to the ingredient makeup of the noodles and how those ingredients are affected by water respectively. Essentially, the noodles, which begin as flat sheets, are made up of one layer of gelatin (the water-soluble protein that’s used to make food items like JELL-O) and one layer of cellulose, which is used as, among other things, a dietary fiber. Because the gelatin and cellulose absorb differing amounts of water—the cellulose far less than the gelatin—the more absorbent layer folds around the less absorbent layer. Depending on the densities of the layers, the ultimate shape the noodle forms can be adjusted.
Aside from providing a sweet pasta party trick to have up your sleeve, the authors of the pasta research (which was presented at this year’s Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems) say that this new technology could allow huge savings on packaging and delivery costs, as flat noodles take up far less space than pre-folded noodles. This is great news for a company like, say, Target, which, incidentally, helped to fund this research.
What do you think about these shape-shifting noodles? Let your thoughts unfold in the comments below!
Images: MIT / Tangible Media Group
These Sushi Shoes Are a Sneakerhead’s Dream Lunch
Food and fashion are more of a natural fit than you’d imagine. Both require a unique design sense, and with the perfect blend of ingredients—or fabrics—you can create a product that is totally unique. So it’s no wonder that the two should finally come together in the form of sushi sneakers.
Yujia Hu is a sushi chef in Milan, Italy and the owner of the Japanese restaurant Sakana Sushi Milano. A lifelong NBA fan, Hu took his love of sports and incorporated it into his work. His very first creation was the iconic Jordan—an ode to his favorite player—Michael Jordan.
A post shared by Yujia Hu (@theonigiriart) on Apr 5, 2017 at 3:05pm PDT
Anyone who’s spent time with a sneakerhead can tell you that collectors are always on the hunt for the most exclusive shoes. I first saw these feats of edible footwear on Food & Wine, where Hu’s creations ranged from Nikes to Supremes; even Vans.
I talked with Hu, who told me that his current obsession is with Anti Social Social Club wear. It’s clear that he’s a streetwear fan and it helps that Hu’s girlfriend is a freelance fashion stylist who keeps him up to date, and helps provide inspiration for his creations.
A post shared by Yujia Hu (@theonigiriart) on May 20, 2017 at 3:06am PDT
A post shared by Yujia Hu (@theonigiriart) on May 13, 2017 at 1:12pm PDT
Common sushi ingredients are used to created these savory shoes. Sushi rice, seaweed, and fish are all easily manipulated into edible footwear. Hu starts by giving shape to the shoes using the rice as a base, then using images from his phone he tries to replicate all the small details using a knife, scissors, or even thin bamboo to keep everything in place.
Patience is on his side as these tiny shoes can take up to thirty minutes to create. The payoff is a gorgeous ode to fashionable footwear that any sneaker fan would love to have for lunch.
In keeping on theme with his love of basketball, Hu has taken his art a step further by creating accompanying onigiri (rice balls) of his favorite NBA players.
Check out more of Hu’s edible shoe art on his instagram @theonigiriart.
A post shared by Yujia Hu (@theonigiriart) on May 15, 2017 at 12:17pm PDT
Are these fish ready to augment your feet? Or do you wanna carp about it? Let us know in comments!
Image: Flickr/Rudy Eng
Why Wonder Woman Has Already Made History
All eyes are on princess Diana of Themyscira, the world’s premier Amazonian warrior, as fans and critics brace themselves for what could be the biggest moment for superhero franchises in the last 15 years. Positive reception and reviews might lead to a huge shift in the way women are treated in the business, so everyone is on edge about how well the film will do. But regardless of what could be, Wonder Woman has already made history.
On June 2, 2017 Wonder Woman and Patty Jenkins, the woman behind Wonder Woman, will be making one of the biggest and most necessary changes to the Hollywood movie industry, critical reception be damned. Jenkins, is now the first female director of a major superhero film and this is an achievement that should not be overlooked. Until news like this is so commonplace that it is no longer newsworthy, we have to celebrate these victories.
According to recent research by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, only 7% of directors, 13% of writers, and 20% of producers are women. Men outnumber women in key production roles by nearly 5 to 1. That’s insane. Though some places like Canada and the United Kingdom have taken steps to fix this problem, Hollywood has only become worse with consistently rising Equal Employment Opportunity lawsuits. The current likelihood of any woman helming any movie is abysmal, and the track record for superhero films makes it even worse.
Superheroes in film and comics have always had a bad reputation for being a boys club. Most superheroes are male and similar stats represent the amount of men creating comics. So–surprise–men dominate the superhero genre in film as well, but the material number is staggering. The first superhero movie in the history of American cinema was The Mark of Zorro in 1920 by Fred Niblo and Theodore Reed. So for literally 97 years, no superhero film has ever been directed by a woman. Almost 100 years without a female director. And onscreen representation with female characters isn’t much better.
Not since 2005 has a woman led a superhero franchise; meanwhile, male superheroes flood the market. Marvel had its shot with Black Widow from the Avengers movies, but despite the fan demand and the lead actress stating she would absolutely do it, they opted not to move forward. When Marvel’s Elektra and DC’s Catwoman flopped at the box office, many were quick to point fingers, ignoring that these were simply terribly written/directed films that were overly sexualized for male audiences. Simply: because two movies (three if you count Supergirl in the 80’s) didn’t sell, big studios supposedly couldn’t afford the risk of investing in a lady superhero movie because people didn’t
seem to want to see them, despite how untrue that was and is. Wonder Woman, with it’s confident $100 million budget is changing those tropes by marketing to both men and women without the usual comic book sexualization geared specifically toward the male gaze. Select women-only showings of the film amplify this message.
Patty Jenkins directing Wonder Woman is the best thing to happen to the superhero genre and to the movie industry in a while. It says that not only can women direct superhero flicks about women for a wider audience; it also says that great directors are being trusted with compelling stories, backgrounds notwithstanding. Early reviews for Wonder Woman are positive, and that bodes well for its impact on the industry as we hopefully move toward a world where a “female director” is no longer a novelty. An important milestone has been reached, and there is no looking back.
The Wonder Woman Cast Discusses The Film’s Unprecedented Importance
Alex Tisdale is a writer and illustrator who runs on coffee and pop culture. You can find him covered in ink and rambling on his website or on Twitter.
May 26, 2017
Physics Explains Why Fidget Spinners Are So Fun
Love them or hate them, so-called fidget spinners are hitting a critical mass in pop culture — the millennial’s yo-yo. The fad’s meteoric rise is likely bolstered by social media, internet culture’s propensity towards distraction, and our love of niche gadgets, but once you get your hands on one, there’s something else. When you spin the toy, it feels like it comes alive, like it fights any motion to try to give it. The reason is physics.
Apply a force to any object with mass, and that object will gain some momentum. To change that object’s momentum again, like slowing down your car, you need to apply some force, as the friction between the brakes and the car’s wheels does. A fidget spinner isn’t moving like a car moves, but it does spin mass around an axis. That gives the toy angular momentum.
The angular momentum of a fidget spinner happens to point outwards from the spinner’s center. And so to change the direction of the momentum — rotating the spinner with your fingers — you must apply a force. You push on the spinner, and the spinner pushes back on you. That’s why a fidget spinner feels like it fights you, like it’s alive.
And how does a fidget spinner spin so satisfyingly long? The ball bearing at the center of the toy is a way to change the kind of friction it produces. By having small metal balls roll with the spinner as it moves, sliding friction is changed to rolling friction, which is necessarily much smaller in value. It’s like the difference in friction between your a car with skis and a car with wheels — the skis are going to bring the car to a stop much faster.
Even though there is no scientific evidence that fidget spinners are a true treatment for those with depression, ADHD, or on the autism spectrum (as many toys in a rudimentary search irresponsibly claim), they are certainly fun little distractions. Part of that has to be the physics.
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Need more geeky science experiments? How about xenomorph blood!
How Will Marvel Resolve the Hydra Captain America Story?
For over a year, Marvel’s Hydra Cap storyline has enraged many fans of the original Captain America, Steve Rogers. As depicted in the build up to Secret Empire, Cap’s past was cosmically rewritten so that he was always a Hydra secret agent. Along the way, the fan-favorite Marvel hero has gotten a lot of blood on his hands, including one of his beloved sidekicks and the entire city of Las Vegas. Is there any way for Cap to be redeemed? Why, yes there is! And today’s Nerdist News is providing a potential answer…
Join Nerdist Science Editor and Chris Hemsworth’s alternate Earth doppelganger, Kyle Hill, as he joins forces with Senior editor and Muskwatch co-host, Ultimate Dan Casey, to share one of the wildest Secret Empire theories to date. There are spoilers ahead for Secret Empire through the current issues. You’ve been warned!
The first thing to remember is that the Marvel multiverse as we knew it was destroyed in Secret Wars. Some of the alternate worlds have returned or been restored by Reed and Susan Richards, but not the Ultimate Universe. You may have noticed that there have been a lot of refugees from the Ultimate Universe in the new MCU, like Miles Morales, Jimmy Hudson, and the creepy/evil Reed Richards known as the Maker. But what if the biggest refugee was in front of us all along?
That’s right, we think that Hydra Cap is none other than Ultimate Captain America. He may even believe that he is our Captain America, but he’s really not our Steve Rogers. Considering that there’s a second Steve Rogers running around in the MCU, that’s not very far fetched at all. It could even be an elegant way of getting the real Cap absolved of the atrocities committed in his name by Hydra Cap. It would also set up an epic Cap vs. Cap fight to close out the event.
What do you think about our Secret Empire theory? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!
Images: Marvel
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