Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2126

This CRYING UNICORN CANDLE Will Make You Shed Tears of Joy (Or Fear)

You know those horror movies when you see a person bleeding profusely from the eyes? Normally, that’s when the you-know-what is about to hit the fan (Well, either that or the doctors on House have once again ruled out Lupus).

Well, what if I told you that you could buy a product where RAINBOWS would be streaming out of a UNICORN’S eyes in that same way? Yeah, I am not sure if I should respond “Awwww” or “AHHHHHH!” either.

Over on Martha Stewart’s website, of all places, they are showcasing such a product with Firebox’s “Crying Unicorn Candle.” It’s a ceramic unicorn ornament with a wax horn. When lit, the wax rolls down into the head of the ornament and out the eyes.

Okay. We’ve all taken a moment to let this sink in. Now let’s figure out how we are supposed to feel about it. Is this adorable? I mean, when it gets happy, it cries not only tears of joy, but those tears are made of rainbows! But what if it’s sad? Do we switch out the horns for regular colored ones? How do we know how to console a crying unicorn when its tears are actual rainbows? Am I reading too much into what is obviously a cute and silly candle made for enjoyment? Possibly.

You will be able to decide for yourself by heading over to Firebox’s website here and getting a Crying Unicorn Candle of your very own.

So what do you think? Is this ornament cute? Or is it too scary for anyone to own, and must be destroyed at all costs? Let me know on Twitter or sound off in the comments below.

Images: Firebox

New BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 360 Video Takes You Inside “Be Our Guest” Rehearsal

This weekend, Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast remake once again dominated the box office, and we don’t expect that to change any time soon! The original animated version has been dancing in our collective hearts since 1991, and this new version may also pass the test of time. While certain aspects of the film may have worked better in animation, the live-action movie has given Disney the chance to bring fans into the story like never before.

Entertainment Weekly has posted a video of Lumiere’s dress rehearsal for Beauty and the Beast‘s “Be Our Guest.” While you can simply listen to Ewan McGregor belt out the classic song by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, the video also allows you to take a 360 degree view of the dining hall while Lumiere performs. Note that this is not the full production number, and it’s missing the big finish from the end of the song. But it really does a good job of placing you in the room as it unfolds, and you can see other objects on the sides or even gaze up at the painted roof.

Click the image below to get started:

It’s also not too far-fetched to believe that Lumiere and the dishes went through a few rehearsals before unleashing the song during Belle’s first meal in the castle. It’s an elaborate number, and it’s not like they didn’t have time to practice! But more than anything else, this video suggests that a VR version of the live-action film is not out of the realm of possibility.

What do you think about Lumiere’s “Be Our Guest” rehearsal? Share your thoughts in song, down in the comment section below!

Image: Disney

The JUSTICE LEAGUE Trailer Plays Like a Sitcom When You Add the Right Theme Song

Earlier this weekend, the newest trailer for Zack Snyder‘s Justice League movie made its debut, and it added a considerable amount of humor to the previously bleak world of the DC Extended Universe. And while it remains to be seen whether Synder will fully reinvent the tone he brought to Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, one fan has taken it upon themselves to add a little more comedy to the latest trailer.

On YouTube, one fan has reposted the Justice League trailer after adding Bill Medley’s “Doin’ it the Best I Can,” the theme song from the classic ABC sitcom, Just the Ten of Us. We’ll understand if you don’t remember that show, because it’s from the late ’80s and it’s not exactly a contender for the sitcom hall of fame. But the theme song is catchy, and it is fitting that the Justice League would get the music from a series that focused on a large and sometimes unruly family. If we’re taking the connections even further, does this mean that Batman’s the cool dad who is trying to keep everyone together?

Like many of the ABC sitcoms from that era, this theme song seems to make almost anything funnier. To prove that point, the Just the Ten of Us YouTube channel has posted several other videos that add the song to different trailers. We especially liked the James Bond video.

What did you think about the Justice League and  Just the Ten of Us mashup? Let us know in the comment section below!

Image: Warner Bros. Pictures/DC Entertainment

Will it be just the six of them?

Lady Gaga Cosplayed as Herself on RuPaul’s Drag Race

Although RuPaul’s Drag Race might get a fraction of the ratings of reality competition shows like Top Chef or The Amazing Race, for nine seasons now, the drag queen competition has been a centerpiece of LGBT culture. For many of us LGBT folk, we welcome a season of Drag Race the way the hetero world awaits the NBA playoffs or the Superbowl. It may also be the only reality competition series that has its own yearly convention (RuPaul’s Drag Con)–basically, the show is a big deal for us. And for the season 9 premiere episode, which aired last week, it became an even bigger deal, as the series finally welcomed arguably the biggest icon for the gay community of the 21st century as a guest judge. I’m speaking, of course, of Lady Gaga herself.

On the first episode of any season of Drag Race, each queen makes her big entrance into the work room, strutting their stuff and (usually) shouting out what (they hope) might end up being their catch phrase. After this year’s 13 contestants made their entrance, Lady Gaga made hers, covered from head to toe in what essentially amounted to Lady Gaga cosplay. At first, the other queens had no idea this wasn’t another drag queen, and one of them even thought it was probably an incredible Lady Gaga impersonator from Las Vegas (home of all the best celebrity impersonation queens, ya know). You can watch Gaga’s big entrance into the unsuspecting Drag Race workroom in the video above.

Of course, the minute Gaga started to speak, the queens knew something was off; a female voice is the hardest thing to mimic, and that is one of the most famous voices in the world, after all. When Gaga dropped the act and revealed herself as the guest judge on the first episode, the queens’ collective jaws all hit the floor. And you can understand why — not only had they found themselves on the most important LGBT show in the world, they were in the presence of the biggest icon for the LGBT community of our time. One of the contestants, Eureka, got super emotional meeting her, and told her how she’d even saved her life. You can watch the emotional moment down below:

Of course, Gaga still had to help judge each of the girls individually, as the final runway challenge was for each of the contestants to do their own Gaga inspired look. When Gaga saw what the ladies had come up with, it was her turn to get all emotional. She even went backstage later to not only thank the queens, but also to give each of the girls pointers and advice on their looks. You can watch the entire RuPaul’s Drag Race Untucked video with Gaga by clicking here.

RuPaul‘s Drag Race now airs Fridays at 8 P.M. on VH1, switching over from Logo, which will continue to air encore viewings.

What did you think of Gaga’s big entrance? Would you have been fooled too? Let us know your thoughts down below in the comments.

Images: World of Wonder

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 International Posters Get Really Close With Yondu and Star-Lord

In less than two months, Marvel’s unlikely band of cosmic misfits will return to movie theaters for the highly anticipated sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. And this time, it’s going to be a little crowded on the Milano, with three additions to the team including two former adversaries. One of those former enemies is Yondu, who also happens to be the closest thing that Peter Quill/Star-Lord had to a father/mentor while growing up in space. Now, that duo is getting an unusually detailed close up in a pair of new posters.

Comic Book Movie has debuted three new international posters for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, including this striking image of Yondu that seems to bring out every vein on the side of Michael Rooker‘s head.

Yondu is unique among the characters in this movie as he is the only link to the original Guardians of the Galaxy from Marvel’s comic book universe. However, the Yondu on that team was very spiritual and heroic, while Rooker’s incarnation of the character is basically a space pirate with a soft spot for Quill. At the end of the first movie, Yondu implied that he had double-crossed Quill’s father by not turning the son over, as he was contracted to do. Considering that Kurt Russell’s Ego the Living Planet will be Star-Lord’s dad in the new film, we think that Yondu might be in a bit of trouble.

The second poster features Star-Lord without his signature mask, so fans can get a good look at Chris Pratt‘s face as he makes a familiar gesture.

And finally, the last poster brings the most of the team together. Note that Baby Groot is riding on Yondu’s shoulder in this image, and Mantis has been excluded for some reason.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will be released on May 5.

What do you think about the new posters for this film? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: Marvel Studios

Can we get a Stallone poster?

This BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Claymation Short Tells Gaston and Le Fou’s Backstory

There’s a lot of talk lately about Gaston and Le Fou, the antagonist duo from the live action Beauty and the Beast. Whether or not you believe their relationship is anything more than platonic, there’s no denying there’s a chemistry between the two that’s worth a second look. For instance, just how did these two very different people come to be so close? One 12-year-old explored this backstory in a short film he co-created with Disney (via The Hollywood Reporter).

Teaming up with Tongal — a global creative network of over 120,000 writers, directors and animators — and Young Storytellers, an arts education nonprofit, Disney tasked a group of kids to come up with stories based on the new Beauty and the Beast film. After watching the movie, the youngsters, along with an older mentor, worked on a script that would be turned into a short film by Tongal creatives.

Today, we get to watch one of the products of this process: a claymation short film titled Le Fouston, which is based on a story by 12-year-old Robert Nelson.

In the video, Le Fou is thrown in a prison cart after stealing a pie. It is here that he meets Gaston, who is also heading to jail after shooting the mayor’s prized ducks. This is all explained through hubristic song, at the end of which the two break out of the cart. Le Fou feels he owes a debt to his hero, so he becomes his sidekick and joins him on the next adventure: “I’m off to woo a woman,” Gaston says as they ride away on horseback.

Le Fouston may not be canon, but it’s definitely a super fun watch, and definitely better than just about anything we made when we were 12. Do you think this backstory holds up? Let us know!

Featured image: Disney/Tongal/Young Storytellers

Will the BATMAN AND HARLEY QUINN Animated Movie Return to the Classic DC Animated Universe?

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the landmark Batman: The Animated Series, created by animator Bruce Timm. Way back in 1992, Batman would debut on Fox Kids, and completely change the face of animated superhero programming forever, bringing a level of sophistication and maturity never seen before to weekday afternoon cartoons. Timm’s Batman series would go through several incarnations over the years, and eventually spawn the DC Animated Universe, which would include Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, and Justice League Unlimited.

Batman: The Animated Series would contribute a lot of things to the overall Batman mythos, but its largest contribution by far has to be the creation of iconic anti-hero Harley Quinn. Initially created by writer Paul Dini to be a one-off “Jokers girlfriend/sidekick” character, she proved so popular that she continued making appearances on the show over the years. She quickly outgrew her status as just the Joker’s girl, and became one of DC’s most popular characters once introduced into the comics. The box office performance of last year’s Suicide Squad can be greatly attributed to the overwhelming popularity of Harleen Quinzel.

Now an avid fan over at the ToonZone message boards (via Comic Book) has discovered that we could very soon be seeing a return to the original version of Harley Quinn, as well as the classic Batman: The Animated Series versions of Batman and Nightwing in the upcoming Batman and Harley Quinn animated film. The film was announced as a “Bruce Timm Original” last year at San Diego Comic-Con, and now a screencap for the upcoming behind the scenes preview from the special features of the new Teen Titans: The Judas Contract animated film gives us an idea of what to expect. You can see the screencap in question below, which shows Harley riding along in the Batmobile with Batman and Nightwing, who clearly stopped for some drive-thru somewhere.

The designs of the Batman, Harley and Nightwing definitely harkens back to the New Batman Adventures designs from Bruce Timm, marking a return to the DC Animated Universe for the first time since Justice League Unlimited ended back in 2006. Nightwing looks slightly more modernized, as he’s lost that late ’90s mullet. If this is indeed a return to the DCAU, hopefully we’ll get a return from voice actors Kevin Conroy as Batman, Loren Lester as Nightwing, and Mark Hamill as the Joker (where Harley usually is, her so-called puddin’ Mr. J is often not far behind). But could we also see a return of original voice actress Arleen Sorkin as Harley? She retired from the role years ago, usually being replaced by Tara Strong. But could a special 25th anniversary movie be enough to coax her back to the role?

Aside from the above image, we don’t much about the upcoming movie, although it will likely come out in the summer, and probably make its debut at the San Diego Comic-Con. More info will no doubt be released once Teen Titans: The Judas Contract hits, but judging from this one image, I don’t think its too early for Batman: The Animated Series fans to celebrate – it appears at least one more return to that very beloved version of Gotham City may be imminent. Teen Titans: The Judas Contract will be released via Digital HD on April 4, 2017, and on April 18 on Blu-ray.

Are you excited about the returns of the classic animated versions of these beloved characters? Let us know down below in the comments.

Images: Warner Brothers Animation / DC Comics

Here’s a li’l more on Harley:

ATTACK ON TITAN Season 2’s Second Trailer Reveals Yet Another Surprise

It won’t be a surprise to anyone who’s read the Attack on Titan manga, of course. But if you’re only following the animated series, and want to remain completely unspoiled, be forewarned: this new trailer has a big reveal.

On the heels of our first trailer, which dropped the nugget that Titans have been protecting humans from other Titans all this time, we learn that the wall which protects humanity actually contains Titans inside it. And the massive new sasquatch-like Beast Titan has yet another secret up his sleeve: unlike so many of the other giants, he can talk, intelligently–and he wants to know all about the 3D maneuver gear.

Those who’ve read ahead know there’s a lot more coming, and this is just a taste. The mythology is about to get thicker. Via CBR.com, we also have a new official synopsis for season 2:

Eren Jaeger swore to wipe out every last Titan, but in a battle for his life he wound up becoming the thing he hates most. With his new powers, he fights for humanity’s freedom facing the monsters that threaten his home. After a bittersweet victory against the Female Titan, Eren finds no time to rest—a horde of Titans is approaching Wall Rose and the battle for humanity continues!

The poor horse in this trailer is getting it a lot worse than Eren, however.

Season 2 begins April 1st in Japan and North America concurrently. Are you ready for the wait to finally be over? Will you be walling yourself in the TV room to protect against titanic spoilers entering your domain? Attack the comments section below and tell us.

Image: Kodansha/FUNimation

But is it realistic?

Discover “How to Be Confident” in This Quirky Animated Short

Have you ever had a time in your life where you wished that you had more confidence? There are very few who haven’t had socially awkward moments or times when they couldn’t act on their impulses or wishes because they were simply too afraid about how it would make them appear. It’s an unfortunate fact of life that many people have to live with on a daily basis. But there are ways to overcome come that.

Lazy Chief has directed, animated, and posted a video on Vimeo called How To Be Confident. As written and narrated by Alain de Botton, the video argues that the core reason behind our collective lack of confidence is rooted in fear. Or more specifically, the fear of being ridiculed by others. Because people are so afraid of being looked down upon by their peers, they often pass up opportunities that could potentially work out in their favor. And in a life without risk, hardly anything ever changes.

How To Be Confident from Lazy Chief on Vimeo.

According to the video, the solution isn’t to find a way to avoid looking foolish. Instead, the narrator invites people to embrace their inner fool and realize that we are all foolish in our own way. Avoiding the risks won’t change that. But accepting that side of ourselves can be freeing. If there is no fear of being mocked or rejected, then perhaps we can all find the courage to act instead of shying away from our desires. It’s a lovely thought, even if it’s not something that everyone will be willing to adapt in their own lives. No one is perfect, but perhaps we can all be imperfect together.

What did you think about this video? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Image: Lazy Chief

Figures and Speech: Revell Goes Rogue One With STAR WARS SnapTite Kits

Welcome to Figures & Speech, Nerdist’s regular column by, for, and about grown-ups who still play with their toys but might want to know more before they buy. From product reviews to informed editorials, these are most definitely the articles that’ll make you want to strike a pose. Click on all images to enlarge for detail.

After the last time I reviewed model kits, I never imagined anybody would choose to send me some again. Not because I trashed them—I didn’t—but because I think my general impatience with and incompetence at building kits, even ones designed for the average casual consumer, came through loud and clear.

But then I looked at Revell‘s press release closely. Their SnapTite Star Wars Rogue One model kits are designed for eight year-olds to make within an hour and play with afterwards. I am not offended in the least to state that this is the perfect skill level for me.

First, however, I had to liberate the boxes from an oppressed area.

Next, I figured I’d start easy with the AT-ACT, or, as my wife Julia definitively told her mother, “That’s called an Ant-Man.”

There are no frames to pop the parts out of—they come in baggies and plastic trays. And as you can see, there aren’t a whole lot of parts.

The instructions are hilariously casual. “Ehhh, just repeat several times, whatever.”

Though these kits are billed as pre-painted, in the case of the AT-ACT there is no paint involved. Just orange cargo doors and gray everything else.

Hidden detail! This is a part of the vehicle you’ll never see once it’s displayed, but shows you a scale replica of the inside cockpit. Note the two tiny driver seats up front.

The assembled ankles have articulation, and a pinion that moves with the joint.

And then there’s this: light and sound! The batteries come pre-installed, and you just have to pull out a plastic tab to activate. In all these kits there are two sounds: a longer one of taking off (or in the AT-ACT’s case, lumbering into motion) and then firing, or a shorter “pew-pew-pew!” firing sound. In each case the sound is movie-authentic.

The kits are apparently made using Lucasfilm‘s digital scans, and they definitely look on-model.

Articulation is good: there are basic cut joints at the “hips,” “knees,” and “ankles,” as well as the pinions on the ankle interior. The guns rotate up and down, and the “neck” is a ball joint. For $19.99, this is a reasonable AT-ACT if you just want a little one on your desk to play with. It reminds me of the old mini-vehicles that came carded like figures in the vintage line.

And since I built it in under 30 minutes, I am officially smarter than an eight-year-old. Hooray!

Next, the U-Wing. I’m not a big fan of this vehicle—it feels like a knock-off of the starfighters from the Buck Rogers TV show, and the long, skinny wings are stupid. That’s no knock on Revell; they work with what they got. And this one has a decent amount of pre-painting on it.

Those do not look like Cassian Andor and K-2SO, though. I’m just saying. It must be another U-Wing. In fact, I’ll call it the Junior Rogue, or JR, so when it draws fire and crashes, I can ask the inevitable question…

“Who shot J.R. U-Wing?”

YEAAHHHHHHHHH!

The model parts don’s snap together as “permanently” as promised, but that’s a good thing, because after finishing the ship’s body I realized I’d left out the piece above, and had to take it out again. I used to make a lot of similar errors with G.I. Joe toys, causing my dad to compare me to a crack addict one time when I misassembled the Defiant space shuttle, and disassembling that one wrong part was really hard. Anyway, cockpit, with hidden details…

You can put landing gear on, or not, but be warned that the front and rear ones are different pieces, and may snap if you force them in the wrong holes. Since there’s no flight stand, you’ll probably want to put them on.

Light and sound!

And yes, the wings do move into flight position. We’ll see that a bit later.

Now it’s time for the Big Kahuna, the Star Destroyer. It’s ten bucks more and worth it.

I’m told that most UFO conspiracy folk report that triangle shapes are the new saucers. Rather than flippantly assume that’s because triangular stealth planes are more common these days, let’s imagine they’re seeing Star Destroyers.

Most impressive lights on this one.

Those panels on the bottom are to help the thing stand on a level surface. I’d much prefer a clear stand, and maybe a terrain base like some of the Bandai kits have, but I’m also not eight.

A testament to the appeal of the kit as a toy is that it’s the first one I’ve ever written about that my Star TREK partisan wife grabbed off the table and started running around the house with, going “BRRRRRRRRR! Pew! Pew! Pew!”

It was a gateway drug.

“Spider AT-ACT, Spider AT-ACT. Does whatever a Spider AT-ACT does.” Note: this song only works if you say it “attact” rather than the Dan Casey-mandated “aytee ayseetee.” It also makes you realize that when the Empire says one of their cargo walkers is being “attacked,” nobody knows if it’s an actual emergency or just a statement of fact.

And yes, you can put the walker in its “downed” pose.

Or you can make it go full King Kong.

It’s weird to think that in my entire collecting life, I’ve never owned a Star Destroyer toy, unless you count the vintage bridge playset from The Empire Strikes Back that was totally inaccurate but still cool. I’m happy to finally have one.

If you have the Bandai kits, these will fit in reasonably well. The Bandais have more detail if you’re patient enough to apply the stickers, but if you want to paint them for full effect, you’d be as well off painting these.

Revell calculated wisely. They figured I’d like these, and they were right. Would love for them to do a couple of figures in this style—maybe a Vader or Threepio?

You can find these at regular toy stores and at more model-based retailers.

“Dude, get off my back! You’re like the final straw!”

Images: David Caruso via CBS, toy photos by Luke and Julia Thompson for Nerdist

Luke Y. Thompson is Nerdist’s weekend editor, and his inner eight-year-old is very pleased by that fact. Tweet @LYTrules