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IZOMBIE: Liv Becomes a Hot Freaking Mess

Warning: This recap contains spoilers, undead and otherwise, for the iZombie episode “Some Like It Hot Mess.” Go find some brains to eat if you haven’t watched yet.

We all know someone who seems to be constantly embroiled in drama. It can latch onto a person and follow him or her and the problems said drama causes have a ripple effect. Drama brings more drama. I’ve definitely been caught in those spirals before, and now Liv gets to live in the haze of a dramatic party girl in the latest iZombie, “Some Like It Hot Mess.”

Before we talk about Liv’s latest personality influences, we must discuss what happened to Major. He took the cure; as predicted, his memory faded until it was all but gone. The loss happened at a pace so rapid it was disturbing. Then, the tide changed. His memories returned. We didn’t know the cure was actually successful because Blaine lied about his memory loss. Dammit, Blaine.

I’m overjoyed about Major and the possibility of Liv being cured, but part of me realizes a show called iZombie likely can’t continue without zombies. So, I’ll put that on hold for now and focus on Blaine. I can’t believe he truly thought Peyton wouldn’t care about him lying to her about his memories. Dude. Have you met Peyton?

On the other hand, I think Blaine does genuinely care for Peyton and saw an opportunity to make a new life and start for himself. His previous existence was in large part guided by trying to impress his father, and now that he’s free of those shackles, he’s becoming the person he always wanted to be. However, the road to a fresh beginning shouldn’t start with a lie. It’s setting yourself up for failure. And now, Blaine’s in desperate mode, which isn’t a positive for anyone.

The Meal

Knowing you’re going to become infused with obnoxious personality traits you don’t want makes a serving of brains less appetizing, but Liv dressed up Yvonne’s cerebral matter as best as she could. She combined chunks of brain with noodles, sauteed vegetables, and hot sauce. The brain pieces look a lot like shrimp to me, so I just thought of it as a lovely seafood pasta. You could replicate it at home without worrying about taking on drama queen qualities.

One other food scene of note: once Major turned back into a human, he committed to eating some of his favorite snacks. He had an intense exchange with ice cream. Seriously, Major and the ice cream should have been left alone for their moment.

Liv

Yvonne’s roommate called her a hot mess. When you think of those two words, what traits come to your mind? I imagine a drama queen, someone who’s disorganized, scatterbrained and never seems to have it “together.” Usually it comes with the person literally being messy, too. Yvonne could put a check beside every item on that list, plus she was a party girl–her habits sort of exacerbated all those personality quirks. Everything came through in a strong, unpleasant way once Liv ate Yvonne’s brains.

Liv became an obnoxious flake. We saw Yvonne absolving herself of any responsibility for her mistakes and issues, and Liv followed suit. When she repeatedly spaced about picking up important items for Ravi, she blamed Clive for being needy about the case. Of course, it wasn’t Clive’s fault Liv was focused on only herself. Because geesh, Liv was incredibly selfish. Yvonne was in the same boat; she needed a break, she needed money, she needed more time to pay rent… she made everyone around her continually focus on her. By making others spend their time and energy on her, it made them easier to single out for her failures. She trapped herself and those around her in a cycle.

We saw Liv act impulsively and without consequences while she was in the club with Clive; she didn’t care that what she did could have landed Clive in trouble–Yvonne wouldn’t have cared either. Liv tried to manipulate her friends and was altogether a pain in the ass. Major going missing (after Liv flaked on babysitting him) seemed to snap Liv out of being affected by Yvonne’s brain. Thank goodness.

Oh, and Liv was right with her observation about Joe. Nice guys are the worst. If a dude self identifying as a nice guy, it’s a red flag.

What do you think will happen with the cure? Head to the comments and tell me your theories about what’s next.

Images: The CW

This Hip-Hop Influenced Studio Ghibli Remix Album is Going to be Awesome

So the music in Studio Ghibli films is kind of the best. Revisit these beautiful hour-long mixes if you’re not convinced. The reason we bring it up is because this remix of the music from Spirited Away is a fascinating and entertaining interpretation, and it turns out that it’s just the start of an entire album in this style, which is sort of like the jazzy, lo-fi hip-hop beat tapes that populate Bandcamp (via NPR).

The song is by Ghosting, who is really Melbourne producer Andrei Eremin, and he said the idea for the song just happened to pop in his head one day. When he realized how great the song turned out, he knew he had to create an entire album based on this idea.

“The mixtape started as a lightbulb moment to sample Spirited Away, one of my all-time favourite films,” he wrote on Bandcamp. “I took out my keyboard on a whim, cut up the intro to the film and within 4 hours I’d finished the best track I’d ever made. It was a sign. From there the decision made itself – I had to sample every other Miyazaki film.

The mixtape is called Reimagining Miyazaki, and we won’t have to wait that long to hear the rest of it, since it’s set to be released on May 12. Are you going to give this project a listen, or are you going to give it a thousand million listens? Let us know what you think about the first song in the comments below.

Featured image: Studio Ghibli

Is Totoro secretly a demon from Hell?

R.I.P. Stanley Weston, Inventor of the Action Figure

There’s a reasonably clear line in toy collectors’ minds between “dolls” and “action figures.” The former feature removable fabric/cloth outfits and sometimes have rooted hair, while the latter are primarily sculpted, and sometimes include some sort of “action” like a firing missile or spring-action punch. But it was not always so. In 1963, Korean War veteran Stanley Weston, of Weston Merchandising, sold Hasbro a concept that was essentially Barbie, but male and military. Knowing boys wouldn’t buy dolls, he coined the term “action figure” to describe them, and all these years later, G.I. Joe is still a thing. The line would eventually evolve action features of its own, from the famous kung fu grip to “eagle eyes” that could look from side to side.

Weston’s Leisure Concepts, known today as 4Licensing, also pitched Ted Wolf’s original ThunderCats concept to Rankin-Bass, creating a cartoon that would then license toys to LJN for one of the most memorable action figure lines of the ’80s. Swinging arms, light-up eyes, and even bubble-blowing appeared as features in some of these toys, which utilized the sci-fi/fantasy hybrid theme that had made Masters of the Universe so successful. Leisure Concepts eventually became 4Kids Entertainment, which brought Pokemon to the U.S.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, “In 1989, he was among the inaugural class for the Licensing Industry Hall of Fame, which includes notables Walt Disney, George Lucas and Jim Henson.” His name was never as well known, but if you ever played with figures, his impact on your life was probably just as substantial.

Weston died this week at the age of 84, leaving behind a brother, three children, five grandchildren…and an entire generation of “children” whose playthings came from him. If you hadn’t heard of him until today…now you know. And knowing is half the battle.

Image: Flickr/davidd

Denis Villeneuve Tells Us About BLADE RUNNER 2049’s Visual Identity

Thirty five years ago, Ridley Scott‘s Blade Runner set the tone for Hollywood’s vision of the future and it has proven to be one of the most influential sci-fi movies of all time. Later this year, director Denis Villeneuve‘s Blade Runner 2049 will take us back into that world with Ryan Gosling‘s new lead character, LAPD Officer K and Harrison Ford reprising as Rick Deckard from the original film. We recently caught up with Villeneuve and he was eager to share his thoughts on the sequel and its relationship with the first movie.

As seen in the recently released trailer, Blade Runner 2049 seems to take the look of the original and expand upon it. It’s clearly based on the same aesthetic while also carving out its own unique visual signatures. Villeneuve told us that was a very deliberate choice on his part, and he also told us about his desire to hide the entire film until its premiere. In other words, he’s not a big fan of movie trailers spoiling the best surprises. Hopefully that means he’s got a few shocking moments in store for us in the film!

Villeneuve was an inspired choice to fill the director’s chair for Blade Runner 2049. Villeneuve’s work on Arrival demonstrated that he can handle mature sci-fi themes without resorting to spectacle or big explosions throughout the film. But what really has excited about this movie are  Villeneuve’s earlier films like Prisoners and Sicario, which had wonderfully drawn characters and incredible tension. He clearly knows how to make a thriller, and that is the perfect approach to take with the long-awaited Blade Runner sequel. It looks like everything we’ve ever wanted from a sequel and more.

Blade Runner 2049 will hit theaters on October 6th of this year.

What did you think of the early look at this film? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Images: Warner Bros. Pictures

THE GIFTED Teaser Takes Us Inside Fox’s X-MEN TV Series

Earlier this year, Legion expanded the X-Men‘s reach into the realm of live-action television. Fox and Marvel are planning pushing the Mutants even further in The Gifted, a new X-Men universe series created by Matt Nix, with X-Men helmer Bryan Singer directing the pilot episode. Now, the first footage from The Gifted has debuted, and a few familiar faces have been seen.

The main focus of this teaser are Lauren (Natalie Alyn) and her brother, Andy (Percy Hynes), as she demonstrates her powers of telekinesis and offers to teach him how to use his abilities as well. But if you watch closely, you’ll see that their powers have some explosive consequences. That may be the reason that the government appears to be coming for them in the later parts of the trailer.

The teaser also features a quick glimpse of Jamie Chung’s Blink as she opens a portal, as well as the leading characters played by Stephen Moyer and Amy Acker. In fact, Acker’s character provides the name for the series when she tells her children that their powers are both a curse and a gift.

Variety has dropped a few additional details about the series. The biggest reveal is that the family at the center of this drama are the Struckers, which is a name that evokes Baron von Strucker from Marvel’s comic book universe. Von Strucker had mutant children in the Marvel universe named Andrea and Andreas, who could only use their powers while physically touching each other. Lauren and Andy don’t appear to have that limitation in this clip.

Moyer and Acker are playing Reed and Caitlin Strucker, and it’s been revealed that they will be going on the run with their children after their powers manifest. There are a few X-Men slated to appear in the series besides Blink. Emma Dumont is costarring as Polaris, while Blair Redford will portray Thunderbird.

The teaser notes that full trailer for The Gifted will debut on May 15. Fox is expected to place the series on its 2017-2018 TV schedule, which will be announced later this month.

What did you think about this first look at The Gifted? Use your mutant powers to leave a comment below!

Images: Fox

NIGHTWING Becomes a Fascist Enforcer in THE NEW ORDER Series

In recent months, Marvel Comics has run into a fair bit of controversy and backlash with the reveal that Captain America is in fact a secret agent of the fascistic organization HYDRA. This turn of events forms the backbone of the current event series, Secret Empire, and to say some fans are not pleased with the development is an understatement. This is especially true given that the Marvel Cinematic Universe ties the HYDRA organization to Nazi Germany (something not true in the comics). Some fans have even taken to burning their copies of Secret Empire #1.

In any event, it’s now DC Comics‘ turn to do the whole “fascist superhero” story, and it’s coming with the release Nightwing: The New Order, a brand-new miniseries coming from DC this August. The creative team behind this take on Nightwing is The New York Times best-selling Batman: Gates of Gotham duo of writer Kyle Higgins and artist Trevor McCarthy.

According to the official description from DC, in this story “Dick Grayson leads a terrifying new regime against superheroes. This series introduces an authoritarian future in an alternate universe in which superpowers have been eliminated and outlawed. The man responsible? None other than Grayson, the former vigilante Nightwing. But what happens when the system he has created targets his family as the next threat?”

“Now leader of a government task force called the Crusaders, Grayson’s priorities are to hunt the remaining Supers and repress anyone who works outside the law. But when events transpire that turn the Crusaders’ aim toward Grayson’s own family, he must turn against the very system he created, with aid from the very people he’s been hunting for years—the last metahumans of the DC Universe.”

“My all-time favorite DC books throw characters we know and love into future worlds that are equal parts familiar and terrifying, laced with moral issues that aren’t black and white or easily solved,” says Higgins. “Ultimately, these stories say something about our world. And that’s what we are aiming to do with this Nightwing series, through the lens of a future generation of heroes.”

So is this new take on Nightwing a good thing or a bad thing? First off, before fans get into righteous indignation mode and start screaming bloody murder on social media, they should read the fine print. Clearly, Nightwing: The New Order is an alternate universe story, what DC used to call an “Elseworlds” back in the day. This is not the mainstream DCU or mainstream Dick Grayson. This mini-series no more makes the Nightwing we know and love a fascist than Superman: Red Son made Clark Kent a Russian communist.

Secondly, just based on the description given by DC, this seems to be a story about how someone can full under the spell of what fascism promises, only to realize it’s the wrong path to go down. Considering our current political climate, maybe this is a story that needs to be told right now. There should definitely not be any book burnings here. Actually, there never should be — if you’re against fascism and are burning books you don’t like, well…I really don’t know what to tell you.

Yes, on occasion, some Elseworlds/alternate future stories have become so popular, that aspects of those stories have bled into the mainstream versions of these heroes. After Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, the mainstream Batman became more of a hard ass. And when Mark Waid and Alex Ross’ Kingdom Come became a sensation, the mainstream Wonder Woman started carrying a sword all the time, much like her Elseworlds counterpart. But those examples aside, it’s highly unlikely that DC is going to turn one of their oldest and most beloved characters into a fascist jerk full time. Not going to happen folks.

“If you’re against fascism and are burning books you don’t like, well…I really don’t know what to tell you.”

Also, as a Nightwing fan, it’s nice to see DC realizing the character’s potential. Dick Grayson is an iconic hero, going back nearly 80 years, and he deserves as many interpretations as Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman have had over the years. Between this news, together with the announcement of a Nightwing movie and a Nightwing-led Titans TV series, it’s a good time to be a fan of the former Boy Wonder.

Nightwing: The New Order arrives in comic shops on August 23rd. You can check out three preview pages down below in our gallery.

Are you intrigued or offended by the prospect of a fascist Nightwing? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.

Images: DC Comics

What we expect from a Nightwing movie!

What Does Kylo Ren’s New Starfighter Means for THE LAST JEDI?

The Force is strong with the Skywalker family, and so is the pull of the dark side of the Force. It may have skipped a generation with Luke and Leia, but Kylo Ren’s heel turn means that the dark side will forever dominate his path…or will it? The latest scoop from Star Wars: The Last Jedi suggests that Kylo Ren’s new starfighter may hold some additional insight into his mindset after his lightsaber fight with Rey. We’re not expecting a hero turn from the man formerly known as Ben Solo, but perhaps the battle for his soul isn’t over yet. We’re feeling the call of the light on today’s Nerdist News!

Warning: there are potential spoilers ahead for Star Wars: The Last Jedi! If you’d rather not know what’s coming, then this is the perfect time to stop reading this post. We mean it!

Join Nerdist’s resident science boy, and the man with an unusually high midichlorian count, Kyle Hill, as he walks us through the first pictures of Kylo Ren’s new ride, courtesy of those mischievous rumor mavens over at Making Star Wars. Naturally, the initial leak came from a Star Wars toy; which gives this rumor a lot more credibility. And the most striking thing about the new starfighter is that it appears to be co-opting technology that has been favored by the Rebel Alliance and the Resistance. The redesigned cockpit and the shape of the wings remind us of X-Wings, and this custom ship even has thrusters that seem to evoke the Millennium Falcon.

Given that Kylo Ren had the ship specifically designed to take on the Resistance, it makes sense that he’d be willing to use their own weapons and tactics against them. In an odd way, he’s tapping into the part of himself that he’s long denied, even if he’s still being an evil dick about it. But if Kylo Ren is still feeling seduced by the light after murdering his father, then a ship combining elements from the First Order and the Resistance could be an outward manifestation of that struggle. Remember, the O.G. Star Wars trilogy was all about redemption at the end, and it’s not entirely impossible for Ben Solo to have a change of heart. That said, we’d rather he stay a villain to the end.

 

What do you think about the latest Star Wars rumors? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

We Can Now Turn Anything Into a Touch Screen with Spray Paint

Due to its ubiquity, the touchscreen is a piece of technology we seem to really take for granted nowadays. They’re everywhere, but how do they work? The simple explanation is that the touch surface carries a small electrical charge, and by disrupting that charge with the touch of your finger upon that surface, a computer can figure out where you’ve touched by checking where charge has been lost.

This technology is evolving and getting more precise everyday, and now we’re nearing the point where we can turn just about anything into a touch-sensitive device. Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University have figured out how to turn virtually any object into a touchscreen using conductive spray paint (via Gizmodo).

The new technology, called Electrick, works very much like the type of touchscreen you’re used to does. All you have to do is coat an object with the conductive spray paint, allow those surfaces to conduct a small amount of electricity (via a process called electric field tomography), and electrodes placed around the surface’s edges will be able to detect when and were your finger has disrupted the charge. This method isn’t quite as accurate as your phone’s touchscreen, but scientists have tested the technique on a guitar and a brain made of Jell-O and found that it can locate a finger accurate to within a centimeter.

This technology is still very new, but it seems like the possibilities are endless. What sort of applications can you think of using Elecktrick for? Let us speculate about our new sci-fi future in the comments below.

Featured Image: Future Interfaces Group/YouTube

Rocket Raccoon Hacks Disneyland to Save the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

“Where a walk down Main Street, blah blah blah.”

Rocket Raccoon isn’t hating on Disneyland with that statement, he just has a more important message to send. In a video posted to Twitter, the feisty trash panda has hacked a schmoopy commercial for the happiest place on Earth to ask for help. He and the other Guardians have been trapped by The Collector, and guests of the Disneyland Resort are tasked with saving the day by busting Rocket and his pals out in the upcoming attraction, Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!

Watch Rocket’s plea:

Oh my stars, what I would pay to see a real-life Rocket Raccoon running around the parks and giving guests a hard time. Disney would get so many angry complaints.

Anyway. Serious trouble’s brewing at Taneleer Tivan’s museum-like fortress. If you’re up for venturing forth and rescuing the Guardians, mark your calendars for May 27. The Collector’s doors will open that day at Disney’s California Adventure. Nerdist took a tour of the joint in April and noticed fans will be able to hunt for Easter eggs in the queue before they try to hunt for the heroes in one of six possible scenarios on the ride.

I’m looking forward to seeing how the uh, irreverent attitude of Star-Lord and co. meshes with the saccharine sweetness of Disney Parks—this ad is certainly helping. Given this ride’s likely stomach-turning mechanics, I’ll have to ingest motion sickness medicine before I check it out, but hey, it’s the least I can do for the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Will you be making a beeline to Disneyland Resort to get in another line for Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!? Leap to the comments and let me know what you’re most looking forward to about the attraction.

Featured Image: Marvel

The Banana Phone is a Real Thing You Can Buy Now

What a weird and wonderful thing the banana phone is. Popularized by a kids’ song by Raffi in the 90s, holding a banana to your ear and fictitiously making calls with it has stuck around as a gag in one way or another since then. Now the joke has become real, since it’s 2017 and we can finally make real phone calls with a (plastic) banana.

The Banana Phone was created by Brian Brunsing, Charlie Katrycz, and Max Brown, and you can get one for yourself via the product’s Indiegogo campaign (which we heard about via LaughingSquid). Full disclosure: The banana isn’t actually a phone itself, but it is a banana-shaped Bluetooth headset that’ll pair with your existing device and allow you to make and receive calls. You can answer calls with the touch of a button, and you can make a call using voice commands with Siri or Google Assistant, depending on your platform.

It’s a fun novelty that actually works, yes, but most importantly, buying the Banana Phone is a great way to help a great cause. Banana Phone will be giving one percent of its sales to Gearing Up For Gorillas, which works towards assisting the conservation of the mountain gorilla in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The foundation provides funding and equipment to the rangers who protect the gorillas,

Are you going to get a Banana Phone of your own, or is it not apeeling enough for you? Pardon our groan-worthy puns and let us know in the comments what you think!

Featured Image: Banana Phone/YouTube