Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2196

Mike Judge Returns to Animation with TALES FROM THE TOUR BUS

There is nothing quite like a Mike Judge comedy. Most of us can point to things like Office Space, Idiocracy, Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill as things that informed our comedic sensibilities in some way over the years. We can now collectively rejoice because according to a recent post on SlashFilm, Mike Judge is returning to animation for a new show coming to Cinemax in 2017.

Although his last animated work The Goode Family didn’t do so well, we’re excited for Mike Judge Presents: Tales From the Tour Bus for a number of reasons. Firstly, we’re curious how Cinemax will handle that medium. Since animation is new to the channel, we’re hoping they allow Judge to make the show he wants alongside co-creator (and co-writer of The Last Ride) Dub Cornett. Additionally, according to Deadline, the show “chronicles the tales of some of country music’s most eccentric characters” which will undoubtedly make for some interesting comedic stories.

Not much else is known about the series at this time including which musicians will be featured on the show, but the series will premiere sometime in 2017. However the show takes shape, we’re confident that with Judge at the helm and the freedom he’ll have with a network like Cinemax that we’re in for something good. If not, we can always fall back on the things that worked:

Excited for the new Mike Judge show? Know any country music stories you hope will be included? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

Image:Fox

STAR WARS Fans to Honor Carrie Fisher at Benefit Gala at Celebration Orlando

Never underestimate the power of Star Wars fandom. They can organize, coordinate, and plan better than the Rebel Alliance. After the passing of Carrie Fisher, a committee of passionate fans came together on social media and decided they wanted to honor Fisher at the upcoming Celebration Orlando. The convention is focused all things Star Wars, and the loss of Fisher will be felt acutely at the event. So, Drowning in Moonlight, a memorial gala in honor of Carrie Fisher was born.

The name of the event is pulled from Fisher’s book Wishful Drinking. She wrote:, “I tell my younger friends that no matter how I go, I want it reported that I drowned in moonlight, strangled by my own bra.” The memorial benefit won’t feature any strangling from any undergarments but will instead honor Fisher’s life and work–and no, it’s not limited to her role as Princess Leia Organa. The shindig is a black tie optional dress-up gala, and cosplay is encouraged.

Tickets to the completely fan-run memorial include music and dancing, door prizes, a Carrie-themed drink menu with alcoholic and non-alcoholic offerings, event specific merchandise, and a live on-stage unified podcast celebrating Fisher and featuring Star Wars podcasters from a host of networks. All proceeds and profits from the event will go to The Midnight Mission, a cause Fisher worked with. The fans behind Drowning in Moonlight chose this charity because it hasn’t received as much public acknowledgement as Fisher’s other causes after her passing.

Drowning in Moonlight will take place on the first day of Celebration Orlando, April 13, at 7:30p.m. at the Rosen Centre Hotel (it’s right by the convention center). Get all the details and purchase tickets at Eventbrite.

Will you be attending Celebration? Drop to the comments and tell me if you’ll be picking up tickets for Drowning in Moonlight. Go ahead and share any Carrie Fisher stories you may have in the comments, too.

Images: Lucasfilm, Drowning in Moonlight

Slow Motion Reveals the Delicately Violent Pop of Popcorn

We know all the ways technology has made it possible for us to appreciate the hidden beauties in our world, but yet it’s still surprising where we find it. Like in this strangely serene, quietly beautiful slow-motion footage of popcorn being popped.

The video, posted by the YouTube channel Warped Perception, shows individual kernels popping at 30,000 frames per second. They filmed this with a Phantom v2512 Ultra High Speed Camera in ultra slow motion macro (filming in macro lets you capture much more detail than normal slow-mo lenses), and the popcorn looks like it is being birthed from an alien egg, exploding out in a fluffy cloud-like burst of white tasty goodness.

I think slow-motion videos like this captivate us because they clearly show that human perception is limited. You’ve seen/eaten popcorn your entire life, but because of the brain’s “frame rate,” you’ve never really seen popcorn pop. In slow motion you can almost see the chemical reactions taking place. The pulsing starches, the evaporating oils. So much of the world is hidden from view. Technology — a slow motion camera in particular — is like a non-meat software update for your internal frame rate.

Now we just need a follow-up slow-motion video of someone applying way too much butter (or whatever that yellow substance at the movie theater is) and we’ll truly be able to appreciate popcorn the way it was meant to be eaten. Though copious amounts of butter isn’t exactly a hidden beauty. It’s more in your face. Literally.

What other cooking process would you like to see in slow motion? Quickly pop into our comments section below to tell us your best ideas.

Images: Warped Perception

Did the SHERLOCK Finale Fail to Live Up to Expectations?

After four seasons in the last seven years, BBC’s Sherlock may have finally solved its final case. Through 13 episodes, Benedict Cumberbatch‘s Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman‘s John Watson won over a new generation of fans and helped the show become an international sensation. However, the final episode of Sherlock series 4 was met with a surprisingly divisive response and the lowest ratings it’s ever received in the United Kingdom. How could this have happened? Today’s Nerdist News is on the case!

Join science editor and the man who disproved the Hound of the Baskervilles, Kyle Hill, as he takes a hard look at some of the most pointed reviews of the Sherlock finale. Even our associate editor, Kyle Anderson, said that “The Final Problem might be the most apt title of all” in his review. The Guardian‘s review went even further and said that the series has become “an annoying self-parody.” That’s not the way that anyone wants to see this show come to a conclusion.

But is this really the end of the road for this iteration of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Great Detective? Cumberbatch and Freeman’s movie schedules make it extremely difficult to line them up for a fresh set of episodes, and there’s currently no firm time table for Sherlock to return. That said, it’s not like Sherlock Holmes hasn’t cheated death before! Even if it takes a few years, we’d be surprised if Sherlock creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss don’t eventually reunite their stellar cast for more adventures together.

What did you think about the Sherlock series four finale? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

Why Did Mike Tyson Make This Diss Track About Rapper Soulja Boy?

At 17 days old, 2017 is still a very young year, so it’s really hard to say that anything is the “best X of 2017” just yet. I See You by The xx is probably the best album of 2017 as it stands now, and A Series of Unfortunate Events may be the finest TV series of the year so far, but we have barely more than a fortnight of material to work with.

That said, the greatest hip-hop feud of 2017 may have already begun, and as we’re sure very few of you were expecting, it involves Soulja Boy and… Mike Tyson.

Let us explain: About a week ago, Tyson announced that he is training Chris Brown for an upcoming boxing match with Soulja Boy, saying in an Instagram video, “So it’s confirmed: I’m training Chris, he chose me as his trainer to take on Soulja Boy. And Soulja Boy, what the f-ck you talking about? I’m gonna teach him how to bite somebody’s ear. Yeah, that’s right. I’m gonna teach him every dirty trick in the book to knock you out. I’m not going to teach him how to run.”

Yesterday, Soulja Boy released a diss track aimed at Tyson and Brown, titled “Stop Playing With Me,” and today, Tyson dropped a music video for his diss track (which he actually began recording last week), titled “If You Show Up” (via HotNewHipHop).

The track, which seems to borrow its hook from Jay Z’s “Tom Ford,” is as outrageous as you’d expect and opens its first verse with this fire: “Soulja Boy been talking shit, on Instagram / but social media don’t make a f-ckin’ man / Everybody talk shit, behind the keys / Imma sting like a venereal disease.”

There’s not much more we can say about this. Just watch it, above. It’s a trip, and the greatest diss track of 2017.

Featured image: Steve Lott/Wikimedia Commons

The Writers Panel #308: Throwing Shade

Erin Gibson and Bryan Safi talk about translating their Maximum Fun podcast into a TV Land late-night style series, their performance backgrounds, and more.

Follow @BenBlacker and Like the show on Facebook!

GAME OF THRONES’ The Mountain Throws a Washing Machine to Try for a Guinness World Record

One would think that being cast in one of the world’s most popular shows would be enough for some people, but not if you are Game of Thrones star Hafþór Björnsson. The man we know as “The Mountain” is also out to prove he is one of the planet’s strongest living humans.

Reported by Vulture, the above video shows Björnsson on the Italian version of the Guinness World Records TV show, where he attempts to throw a 46kg (approximately 101.5lbs) washing machine farther than fellow competitors, strongman Zydrunas Savickas.

Each man had two attempts, and when all as said and done, Björnsson had to settle for second place. Even though Björnsson didn’t pull out the victory, let’s ask Savickas how many fights to the death he has won, or how many times he’s come back from the dead. (Note: I have just been informed that those things happened to Björnsson’s character on the show, not Björnsson himself. You know what? It’s still cool.)

It is still surreal to me to see Björnsson with a smile on his face–you don’t get to see it that much on Game of Thrones. Well, unless he is crushing a favorite character’s skull with his bare hands. He seems pretty happy then.

Many actors have passions outside of their jobs, but Björnsson’s helps him stay in prime shape for terrorizing his enemies throughout Westeros. Imagine how much HBO saves on personal trainers. You can check out more world record breaking attempts on Guinness’ YouTube channel here.

So what do you think? Now that we know he didn’t break the world record, can you take Björnsson in a fight? Let me know how much the answer is “no” on Twitter or down in the comments below.

Image: Guinness World Records/YouTube

Tokyo Metro Station Celebrates KINGDOM HEARTS’ Anniversary in Style

Before you get too excited, no, the Japanese metro station in question didn’t host an exclusive Kingdom Hearts 3 announcement or trailer deal; sadly we’ll just have to keep waiting for that fateful day. But that doesn’t mean this news isn’t still cool. With the iconic franchise’s 15 year anniversary coming up in March, the Tokyo Metro Marunochisen Shinjuku Station Promenade is currently hosting a Memorial Stained Glass Clock display from January 9-15 — and that’s not all!

During the dates mentioned above, Square Enix and the station are hosting a contest to determine which of the 13 stained glass clocks on display is to be the main clock face that will then be surrounded by the other twelve as clock dials. Here’s a peek at my personal favorite:

To enter the contest, all you’ll need to do is follow the @_KingdomHearts Twitter account and tweet them a picture of your favorite stained glass piece from the website. Those who are local in Japan will be able to take a photo of the actual exhibit and tweet using the #キングダムハーツ15周年 hashtag. Following the conclusion of the contest, Square Enix will be giving away all 13 display pieces with a Twitter contest. So if you want one of those bad boys (because who wouldn’t?) get to tweeting! 

In addition to the clock, there will be a KH flashback video on display, counting down to the release of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue on January 12.  The publisher also has a mural exhibition coming down the pipeline.

Now all we need is more Kingdom Hearts 3 news and we’ll be golden.

Which clock face do you like best? Let us know in the comments below!

A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS Recap: A “Miserable” Season-Ender

It gives me no pleasure to tell you, sir or madam or the honorific of your choice, that this recap of the A Series of Unfortunate Events  episode “The Miserable Mill: Part Two,” has spoilers in the beginning, spoilers at the end, and very few moments of non-spoilage in between. Should you prefer to be surprised, it is suggested that you depart–which in this case means “go to a different web page”–and look at something happier and less-spoiling, like this bunny playing Jenga.

We have come to the end of season one, but it doesn’t feel like any kind of ending. This show’s idea of closure on that score is a forced musical number sung by different members of the primary cast in different locations. Yes, we get it, Neil Patrick Harris likes to sing. But this didn’t feel as organic as the other numbers; more like somebody went, “Look, we have to do something that feels like a wrap-up, even though there is nothing within the story which works to that effect.” Episode seven’s big twist might have been a good season-ending cliffhanger, but the show tried to leave us with another, even though it only confirmed something we all should have known at this point.

Fortunately, if I may use such a word to describe this particular show, author Daniel Handler is apparently hard at work on season two already, which will be 10 episodes and cover books five through nine. Then, if a third season happens, it need only be eight again to get 10 through 13 in.

Harris sang the last verse of the opening theme in character as his newest guise, Shirley the receptionist (I’d love to think this is a riff on “Shirley you cannot be serious!” and it probably is, seeing how Handler loves wordplay and grammar).

Poe began the episode with an amazing mix of crying and coughing that somehow did not choke him, as his pristine office was revealed to be becoming more and more like Lemony’s old apartment, with newspaper clips all over the walls. Poe being Poe, he was less sad for the poor Baudelaire children than he was that having lost them might affect his promotion, and more specifically, that it might get him downgraded to handing out cannolis to incontinent adults on the new accounts staff. An oddly specific punishment, to say the least. As Poe fainted uselessly, his wife assured him she would get back to her journalistic roots and find the children for him.

Of course, we know full well that they’re at the Lucky Smells mill, and after a brief digression on the subject of newspapers with Lemony, who’s seemingly back in the old apartment across from the theater that he previously ducked out on, we got back to the Baudelaires, with Klaus still hypnotized after Olaf-in-drag/Shirley said the keyword.

Ooh, I was close with the Shirley pun. Per Violet, “You mean Shirley Count Olaf?” The full fake name is Shirley St. Ives, which does not immediately seem like an anagram of anything else. And here comes Don Johnson in a pedicab, eating dessert and extolling the benefits of free health care. I approve this casting choice so much.

Still hypnotized, Klaus began to operate heavy machinery without reading the instructions first, which was most definitely out of character. Sure enough, the giant stamping machine went haywire and crushed Phil’s leg. Being an optimist, he promptly extolled the benefits of half-priced pedicures.

Better movie idea: Zombies in the Snow, or Hypnotists in the Forest? Phil saw the latter, and said he didn’t really get it, but liked that it was in black and white. It does seem that every movie in this world is directed by Ed Wood.

Sir had no sympathy, complaining that the accident–which also broke the tree de-barker dispenser–would cost him an inordinate amount of money…and with the utterance of the word “inordinate,” Klaus snapped out of it. And Charles seemed to be developing a backbone, promising to give the Baudelaires some key information about their parents. This, of course, is the equivalent of saying “I’ll be right back” in a horror movie.

In keeping with the black and white theme, Lemony sent us into a flashback, showing that Sir had made a deal with Orwell and Shirley/Olaf, but had no idea his workers were so compliant because the evil doctor hypnotizes them. We got treated to the sight of Neil Patrick Harris flirting with Don Johnson (“Oops! Dropped another pen!” is my favorite Harris line delivery in this one), and the latter ogling Harris’ fake boobs–this is why we watch, is it not? Olaf/Shirley explained she wanted to adopt the orphans, Sir said he wouldn’t part with them because child labor is just too convenient, and Shirley managed to get out of him that he would get rid of them if they became costly, e.g. by causing an accident. Hence, the leg-crunching we saw previously.

Determined to get un-hypnotized, Klaus went back to Dr. Orwell’s, with Violet and Sunny in tow, just in time to see Charles being hypnotized into wanting the Baudelaires gone. The Baudelaires ran to a nearby closet to hide, in which they found actual skeletons, which of course led to a diversionary scene in which Lemony explained what the phrase “skeletons in the closet” means. He really is starting to become a bit like the annoying friend who points out all the obvious plot points while you’re both watching a movie, but at least he’s Patrick Warburton, and thus funny. Also, maybe kids watching will learn stuff.

Lemony did let drop the real reason he’s so depressive, though–his love Beatrice literally wrote a 200-page book about why she could not be with him, and he has it still. That’s an epic dis track.

Reckoning the entire mill staff must be hypnotized, Klaus needed to find the word that would snap them out of it, and his first impulse was just to read the dictionary aloud, but soon it became clear that would take too long. But before he could find another way, the foreman–whose rubbery hands are a giveaway that he was actually the hook-handed henchman–said Klaus’ code word again, and re-hypnotized him.

And now…a scene of the parents who aren’t the Baudelaire parents? It would appear from all available evidence (though unmentioned as yet on the show) that this couple are in fact the Quagmires, who in the books also died in a fire and left their kids a great fortune; this should come into play more next season. Indeed, it looks like we just saw the start of that fire, as a mysterious figure outside the house used a spyglass to refract light and start a blaze. This will come into play more next season.

Back at the mill, a whistling and blissed-out Charles was tied to a log, as Olaf ordered the hypnotized and willing Klaus to send the log straight into a large buzz saw.

NETFLIX JOKE! “Haven’t you learned anything this year…week…season?”

Thanks to the henchman messing up and saying “fire,” Violet deduced that was the word to snap the employees out of it….and can I just point out that “Fire!” might be said a lot at a lumber mill, so this was a really stupid part of Orwell’s plan? And is anyone surprised that Lemony just had to interject and talk about yelling “fire!” in crowded places? Once again, the author’s room was compromised, so he yelled “Fire!” as a diversion to get away; meanwhile, back in the Baudelaire timeline, Violet yelled it over the PA system, and everyone snapped out of their gum-loving trance. Except Klaus, whose word was different, but Violet realized she could order him just as easily as Olaf could.

Charles took an incredibly long time to get near the saw blade. Definitely some narrative time-cheating here, but enough of it for Sunny to chew through the ropes. (Seriously, kids, just unleash Sunny’s teeth sooner in every episode, and you’ll save a ton of time. Not that time is measured in tons.)

Dr. Orwell showed up just in time to command Klaus not to listen to his sister, but then got in an argument with Olaf, who found her plot too high-concept (this is of course dramatic irony, as Lemony will soon butt in and remind us…or maybe not! Not this time). Anyway, their argument revealed that “inordinate” was Klaus’ word, and he came to. In a really, really awkward bit of choreography, the mill workers broke down the door, and Orwell backed into the furnace by mistake. Seriously, that could have been handled better, but other than that my fears of Bo Welch as a director were misplaced.

Faced with a full-on labor dispute, Sir ran away, and Poe’s wife led her hubby to the mill, which she found after hearing there’d been an accident. Good old Poe, now the “Vice President of Orphan Affairs,” refused to believe any of what the kids told him, as per usual. But before Charles left to search for his partner, he gave the children an unmarked page from the history of the mill book, revealing that their parents were not responsible for the town fire after all, but had put it out instead.

No more new guardians for the Baudelaires; instead, they are going to boarding school, namely Prufrock Preparatory, built by a depressed architect who made all the buildings look like tombstones, because of course. Before Poe left them there, he gave Klaus a package, containing the spyglass filter Jacqueline stole back from Count Olaf.

And then the final revelation: in the school’s trophy case, an old photo of young Lemony and young Olaf, arm in arm, both smiling. We know they were connected, but now we know how.

It also turns out Warburton can sing pretty well.

Are you ready for season two to just show up already? Let us know in comments!

Images: Netflix

GOTHAM Recap: The Riddler Begins His Revenge In “Mad City: Ghosts”

Warning: the following recap contains major spoilers from the winter premiere of Gotham, “Mad City: Ghosts.” Don’t say we didn’t warn you…

It’s commonplace for an episode of any hourlong TV drama to engage in multiple storylines at the same time. But Gotham did what few shows have accomplished and juggled five–read it: five!–different storylines in its winter premiere. “Mad City: Ghosts” picked up where the fall finale left off, but instead of delaying certain storylines for later episodes, Gotham went balls to the wall and just included all of them.

It was a risky endeavor, and certainly made recapping this show a little more difficult this week, but man do I love a challenge. Clearly, so do the Gotham writers. And it paid off! This week’s episode was packed with action, emotion and exciting developments that promise good things to come in this short winter run. So let’s stop wasting time on an intro and just get right into this recap, shall we?

After a long holiday hiatus, Jim Gordon hasn’t really learned much. Like, don’t you know the first rule of funeral etiquette? You don’t attend the funeral of the man you murdered! Bullock knew that and intercepted Gordon at Mario’s funeral before he could bother Carmine Falcone, who was burying his son, or Lee, who was burying her husband. He did exchange some words with Falcone’s hired gun Victor Zsasz, who promised Gordon that when Falcone inevitably gives him the green light, Gordon will never see the hit coming. He also didn’t see Lee coming into the GCPD to accuse him of murder, and she had some pretty nasty, biting things to say about her ex for all of the precinct to hear before giving Falcone her blessing to put a hit out on Gordon. I think it’s finally safe to assume this love story won’t have a happy ending, right?

But clearly I spoke too soon! Never underestimate the power of an on-again-off-again couple. After Lee met with Barnes in prison, she saw the extent of what the Mad Hatter’s virus does to a good man, and discovered from the GCPD morgue that Mario did have the virus in his system. She realized she was wrong about everything and told Falcone to call off his hit on Gordon. Falcone realized that was because she was still in love with Gordon, which, duh. He called off Zsasz in the nick of time, but simply calling off the hit isn’t going to magically fix all of Lee and Gordon’s relationship issues, so there’s no telling where this love story will go next. I can’t tell if I’m excited at the prospect of them potentially having a future or just tired of all this back-and-forth. We know they both love each other. They know they both love each other. But Gordon literally just murdered Lee’s husband. That seems like quite an obstacle to overcome. But we’ll see.

However, Gordon had other things on his plate that take higher priority than his ex trying to have him killed, because the dead were literally getting up and walking right out of the GCPD morgue. That’s really not a good thing since Gordon is constantly putting people in the morgue. He doesn’t really have time to kill people twice, does he? Gordon and Bullock’s investigation into the morgue attendant led them to discover none other than an underground cult of Joker worshippers dressed like Jerome and chanting his words. But Zsasz’s attack distracted Gordon and Bullock so the attendant escaped with plans to reanimate Jerome’s actual body. If you’re not excited about the potential return of the first real Joker Gotham has had, then you’re lying. Cameron Monaghan’s portrayal in the first season was compelling, maniacal and downright chilling, but what is he about to bring to Jerome 2.0?! We are so not ready for this in the best possible way.

And in a bizarre twist of fate that can truly only happen in fiction, Penguin has actually been a … dare we say, competent mayor? It’s shocking and yet so true. During his time in office, jobs are up, markets are up, and crime is way, way down for the first time ever in Gotham. But his winning streak is about to end as the future Riddler Nygma began his plans of revenge on Penguin for having his girlfriend murdered. He manipulated Penguin into thinking he was seeing his father’s ghost, leading him to freak out and insult all of Gotham on live TV. But this potentially career-ending humiliation is only just the beginning, the first in a thousand cuts that Nygma has planned with Babs and Tabitha. Penguin doesn’t even know what’s coming his way. I’d feel bad for the guy, but he is a serial murderer so … yeah. My sympathy for him is running a little low at the moment.

Meanwhile, Selina got to enjoy the most surprising family reunion when her mother returned after 11 years. Maria left Selina when she was only five years old because she was on the lam from the law and couldn’t run with a toddler in tow, but she claimed that she was back now to tell Selina that she loved her and that she was sorry. Of course, Selina wasn’t having any of it at first, but after some intervention from Bruce, the two estranged women finally had a tearful, happy moment. They even hugged! But it turns out that Maria’s return and reunion might all just be a con to steal money from Bruce, because the man with a gun from her “past” that showed up at the end of the episode to get the money she “owes” him seems a little too coincidental in his timing. Hopefully Selina doesn’t get too blinded to see a con right under her own nose.

And Bruce and Alfred were still extremely confused (just like we all are) as to why the Court of Owls was so protective over a glass figurine of an owl, but that’s because they didn’t see the map it projected when the light hit it just right. What does the map lead to, and who will be the first one to discover it?

What did you think of the Gotham winter premiere? Were five storylines too much to follow, or did you like how fast-paced and action-packed the hour was? Which storyline was your favorite? Tweet me your thoughts and opinions at @SydneyBucksbaum!

Images: Fox