Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2349

Secret Science Nerd: Wu-Tang Clan’s GZA is a True Genius

You might not known the name Gary Grice, but there’s a good chance you’ve heard of his stage name, GZA, and a better chance you know the seminal hip-hop group he helped to found, the Wu-Tang Clan. But while GZA, also nicknamed “The Genius,” is renowned for his lyrical styling, massive rapping vocabulary, and pop culture references, you might not know that his lifelong interest in all things science has heavily influenced his past, present, and future musical productions.

In addition to the TEDx talk seen above, GZA has also lectured at Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and New York University. Most of these talks center on his experiences with the Wu-Tang Clan, the globalization of hip-hop, and how he approaches his lyrics, but GZA has never been one to shy away from his interest in how things work or his curiosity about the world, solar system, and universe at large. In fact, GZA has been developing these interests as the subject material for his upcoming album, Dark Matter. As he told Rolling Stone:

So this is about astronomy and physics?

Yes. And not necessarily so in that sense. It’s just a beautiful story – planets, black holes, comets.

How did you get interested in this subject?

I’ve been interested in it for years. I mean, if you think about it, if you go back to Legend of the Liquid Sword – I put that out in 2002. I had a song on there, a verse where I say:

Why U-N-I-verse run like clock works forever?

Words pulled together, sudden change in the weather

The nature and the scale of events don’t make sense

A story with no warnin’ you’re drawn in, environments…

So I’ve been rhyming about this stuff – it’s not anything new to me.

GZA has already collaborated a couple of times with contemporary science advocate Neil deGrasse Tyson, rapping and rhyming on the astrophysicist’s radio show Star Talk, and consulting with him for Dark Matter. He’s also met up with MIT marine biologist Penny Chisholm, and Harvard quantum physicist David Kaiser. Everything he learns from experts in the field then gets filtered through his unique method of interpretation before it’s expressed musically in the way that only GZA can do it.

The intersection of music and science has clicked so well for GZA that he wants to bring that level of enlightenment to others. The lectures certainly helped to bridge divides between scientific and hip-hop cultures, but GZA’s collaboration with Dr. Chris Emdin seeks to go much farther. An Associate Professor in Columbia University’s Teacher’s College Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology–among many other accolades–Emdin is the perfect teammate for GZA and Rap Genius for Science Genius B.A.T.T.L.E.S. This outreach program, which GZA talks about in the video above, “is focused on utilizing the power of hip-hop music and culture to introduce youth to the wonder and beauty of science … [aiming to] display the interests of science enthusiasts who have a passion for hip-hop, and introduce both hip-hop and science to a wider audience.”

For GZA, who left school in the 10th grade, his lifelong interest in science has come back around and combined with his successful musical career to bring the benefits of both pursuits to a whole new generation of musically minded science enthusiasts.

Is there a Secret Science Nerd you’d like us to cover? Let us know in the comments!

Image: TEDx

 

The SHAZAM Movie Will Exist in the DC Universe on its Own Terms

For the better part of a decade, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been eagerly talking up his desire to star in a Shazam movie, and it’s going to be at least three years before we see Johnson suit up as Shazam’s nemesis, Black Adam on the big screen. Given the somewhat dour nature of the first few movies in DC’s Extended Universe, however, many fans have questioned how the more light-hearted Shazam could fit into that world. Now, Johnson’s production partner Dany Garcia has offered an explanation about the way that Shazam stands on its own.

While speaking to Newsweek, Garcia said that she and Johnson are heavily involved in all aspects of the Shazam movie, which is set up at New Line instead of Warner Bros. That has apparently allowed this project to have a certain level of creative freedom while still keeping it in the larger DC world.

“Shazam is to live in the same world [as the other films] but we have incredible autonomy over this brand and franchise,” said Garcia. “We are working with a different team, different producers, directors… it’s a different set-up.” She added that “we don’t feel fettered by, or constrained by, the successes or failures and challenges of the other projects. That was a key component to our participation—that we be able to control the tone and the voice, and do it the way we want to.”

The Shazam comic books (which prior to 2011, still called its leading hero “Captain Marvel“) have almost always been more humorous than the adventures of Superman, Batman, and the rest of the DC Universe. More recent takes on the franchise have transformed Black Adam from a one-note villain into a sympathetic anti-hero who has powers that rival both Shazam and Superman. That’s probably one of the reasons that Johnson was attracted to the role in the first place.

Most of the major roles in Shazam have yet to be cast, and it may be quite a while before we learn who will play the title character or his younger alter ego, Billy Batson. Shazam is currently slated to be released on April 5, 2019.

Are you glad to hear that the Shazam movie will have its own tone and voice? Sound out in the comment section below!

Image: DC Comics

Hardwatch: Week of August 15th, 2016

It feels like most of the country is battling a heatwave at the moment, and thus I make the very important suggestion that you stay inside tonight and probably for a bunch this week where the air conditioning is. While you’re cooling off, you can catch our fearless leader, Chris Hardwick, in all of these fine places on your television set or your preferred podcast listening device.

Tonight sees the return of Talking Dead as AMC gears up to come back next week, August 21st, with new episodes of both Fear the Walking Dead and our favorite after show. Tonight, you can see Chris sit down with super-fan Yvette Nicole Brown and Dwight himself, Austin Amelio. This episode is being billed as a season 7 preview for The Walking Dead so if you have any questions that you’re just dying to have asked, go over to AMC’s website and submit them. Chris may just ask them on air.

This week will bring you three new episodes of @midnight starting tomorrow night. Flula Borg, Yakov Smirnoff, and Maeve Higgins will be competing Monday night. Jon Dore, Maz Jobrani, and Gina Yashere will be behind the podiums on Tuesday night. And the week will wrap up with laughs from Jimmy O. Yang, Milana Vayntrub, and Francisco Ramos on Wednesday.

Fans of comedy and voice work are definitely going to want to tune into the Nerdist Podcast this week. Billy West is set to return to the show so you can expect a whole slew of your favorite voices to be on the docket as well as stories from one of our greatest working voice actors. He will talk about everything from his work, to battle depression on the show.

As always make sure that you’re following Chris on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram in the meantime. There’s always something fun and exciting happening and it’s the best place to catch any up to the moment changes to his schedule.

McG Discusses His Plans for the New MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE Movie

It’s okay to be skeptical. Jon M. Chu and Jeff Wadlow were among the many names attached to a revamped motion picture about He-Man and friends over the years, only to eventually move along to other things. But assuming currently attached director McG is here to stay, he is at least saying the right things. IGN’s Jim Vejvoda managed to pry some information out of him about it at the recent TCAs, and perhaps the money quote is this:

Obviously, we’re all cognizant of what’s going on with Game of Thrones. It’s incredible. We’re cognizant of what’s going on in Guardians of the Galaxy. James Gunn’s doing a great job. We’re going to try to answer the call and take it higher.

While both of those properties feature NSFE (Not Safe For Eternia) dirty jokes and content that ranges from mildly inappropriate to thoroughly problematic, the director is absolutely correct to note that both have elements you’d need to get right for Masters. From GoT, the epic world-building, dynasties and dragons; from Guardians, the notion you can have characters as absurd as Rocket and Groot side by side with very real stakes for the fate of the universe.

McG also compares Skeletor to Hans Gruber and Darth Vader, which makes it sound like he’ll hew closer to the Frank Langella/burned Keldor take on the character than Alan Oppenheimer’s comically nasal complainer. To learn more about his plans, including whether or not Kellan Lutz’s pitch to play He-Man met with any success, check out the full interview at IGN.

Has McG given you any more faith in his vision of Grayskull? YOU HAVE THE POWERRRRR…to comment below with your opinion.

Featured image: Super7

The Warriors Three Look to Be Back for THOR: RAGNAROK

When the cast list for Thor: Ragnarok was released a few months ago, there were some notable names missing including Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, and Tadanobu Asano, who portray Thor‘s loyal companions, the Warriors Three. It just wouldn’t be a Thor movie without them! Now it appears that at least two of the three men have confirmed their presence in the upcoming sequel.

ComicBookMovie was the first to report that Asano and Stevenson have been spotted in Australia’s Gold Coast, where Thor: Ragnarok is currently being filmed. Without directly saying he was in the sequel, Asano posted the following image on his Instagram account.

Hello Australia

‘Magic Word’ Movie Dialogue Happens a Lot More Than We Realized

If were to search for the supercuts created by Burger Fiction on our site, it’d be safe to say they hold a special place in our nerdy hearts. They’ve been compiling super cuts of epic proportions for quite some time, ranging from character evolutions through the years to otherwise abstract concepts like actors acting with themselves. And of course we can’t forget the gosh darn fudging best non cursing video ever uploaded to gat dang mother fathering YouTube. Well, they’re at it again, this time exploring the phrase “magic words” throughout cinema with a super cut using 40+ films.

Since you’re probably already wondering, here’s the list of films in order of appearance:

The Fly (1986)

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013)

Now You See Me (2013)

The Fly II (1989)

Now You See Me (2013)

Half Baked (1998)

Talladega Nights (2006)

Ghostbusters (1984)

Jurassic Park (1993)

Deadpool (2016)

The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001)

Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban (2004)

Shoot Out (1971)

Army Of Darkness (1992)

Green Lantern (2011)

Monty Python And The Holy Grail (1975)

Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (2002)

Are We There Yet? (2005)

Frozen (2013)

The Cable Guy (1996)

Donnie Brasco (1997)

Batman Forever (1995)

Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

Ernest Goes To Jail (1990)

National Lampoon’s Senior Trip (1995)

Aladdin (1992)

Bedazzled (2000)

Bedazzled (1967)

Cobra (1986)

Mad City (1997)

Cinderella (1950)

Bio-Dome (1996)

Little Monsters (1989)

Viva Las Vegas (1964)

Ted (2012)

Mary Poppins (1964)

Mary Poppins Quits with Kristen Bell (2014)

Cinderella (1950)

Simply Irresistible (1999)

Drop Dead Fred (1991)

Spider-Man (2002)

The Score (2001)

Bedknobs And Broomsticks (1971)

Cheech And Chong’s Next Movie (1980)

The Mummy (1999)

Kick-Ass 2 (2013)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

What comes as no surprise to us is the eclectic mix of films that Burger Fiction pulls from. The range of movies they use is already a sure sign that they’re die-hard movie fans, but devoting so much time to pulling the different variations of “say the magic words” is some next level stuff. What’s great is that the video is able to actually link more than a few of them together in some humorous ways. The first to catch our eye was the transition from Morena Baccarin’s Vanessa (Deadpool) demanding “Fat Gandalf” say the magic words to the scene from The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring where Gandalf actually says some. And credit where credit is due for the bait and switch from some of the most callous magic words from Ted to quite possibly some of the most famous from Mary Poppins.

What are your favorite instances of “magic words” in film? Did Burger Fiction miss any important ones? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

Image:  Universal Pictures

Be Some Kind of SUICIDE SQUAD With These Hot Toys Figures

Since its release, people have taken two sides to Suicide Squad. You either love it, or you hate it. There seems to be no middle ground. While Hot Toys hasn’t quite found any middle ground, they did create some common ground, as all can agree that these Suicide Squad figures look GREAT.

Here is Harley Quinn, as portrayed by Margot Robbie. She comes with her gun, baseball bat, and her Joker jacket. She also has four sets of interchangeable hands, the purse she steals, and her old school mallet (which she should have brought instead of the baseball bat. I know it’s rather big for ANYONE to carry around, but I am willing to suspend my disbelief).

Here is the Joker, played by Jared Leto, in his boxing outfit. I’ll be honest, I didn’t even notice he was wearing boxing shorts until I looked at this figure. I KNOW I didn’t see the Batman leggings. Joker also comes with his cane, his Joker-Phone, and a ball-peen hammer. Also included are a razor blade, gun, and four sets of hands. Both Joker and Harley only come with one head mold. When your theme revolves smiling all the time, there’s not much else you can do.

Rounding out the trio is Deadshot, played by Will Smith. This character made me realize how much I miss Will Smith summer action movies. He comes with his rifle and wrist guns, two head molds, both masked and unmasked. He also has three separate handguns and his patented Deadshot Sight.

All three figures come with customized stands and are available for pre-order from Sideshow Collectibles here.

You can check out more pictures of these figures in the gallery below, and more of what Hot Toys has to offer on their website here.

So what do you think? Will you be adding the Suicide Squad to your Hot Toys collection? Let me know on Twitter or tell me your favorite Will Smith summer movie in the comments below.

Images: Hot Toys

This Seam-Healing Fabric Liquid Won’t Have You in Stitches

“Squid is a limited resource.”

“Discarded clothing is a major global problem.”

Raise your hand if you think you know where this is going. BZZZT! Sorry, no, not wearable squids. You’ll have to wait for the rise of Cthulhu to get your hands on those. Rather, the two quotes above, from Penn State professor Melik Demirel to CNN Money, are in reference to a new liquid that can repair torn clothes simply by applying it, some pressure, and warm water. It’s made of bacteria and yeast, and “has similar properties and structure to protein found in human hair, nails and squid tentacles.”

As you can see in the video above, the process isn’t seamless–you can still see where the tear used to be. But that could lead to a whole new fashion statement, with shirts torn and repaired over and over for deliberate repaired-seam patterns.

Seriously, though, the main idea here is to quickly seal things like biohazard suits if they rip. “If you need to use enzymes for biological or chemical effects, you can have an encapsulated enzyme with self-healing properties degrade the toxin before it reaches the skin,” said Demirel, in a statement quoted by Gizmodo

It sounds like in the future, your only excuse for wearing torn jeans will be your own self-belief that you’re in a late-’80s music video. But we’d never want to disabuse you of that notion.

Are you ready to throw away the sewing kit? Tell us your thoughts in comments.

Featured image: Penn State Research Communications/YouTube

Incredible One-Of-Kind Rings, Each With Their Own Tiny Little World

There is an extraordinary beauty in creating something you know is unique and unrepeatable. Whatever it is, you know that the thing you create is the only one that will ever be. Things are made special because of the small variations, flaws, and idiosyncrasies that–in some small way–may remind us of our own individuality. And in a world where everything, especially on the internet, eventually may get reproduced and re-manufactured, it’s a breath of fresh air to see something completely unique. Today, that bit of fresh air comes from these one-of-a-kind rings made by MySecretWood.com. 

These otherworldly pieces of jewelry perfection were brought to our attention from a recent post on BoredPanda and are made from different types of wood and a combination of jewelry resins to create tiny stunning scenes that vary ring to ring. When you order a certain design, the jewelers get to work creating each one from scratch and can take, on average, five to six weeks to finish each one. Some seem like small vistas of alien worlds with towering (relatively) forests and structures from civilizations we’ll never know while others, like the ones with flowers, seem to be a frozen forever in the perfect moment of bloom. 

While each ring will set you back anywhere from $90 to $180 (and a few months’ wait) we can’t really see anything wrong with that considering the end result is a glimpse of another world that you can stare into for hours on end.

Take a look at the gallery below for more pictures and be sure to visit MySecretWood.com when you finally can’t take it anymore and must have one for your very own.

Which ones are your favorite? Is that ringing in my ears an aneurysm brought on by fighting every urge to make a snide remark about the words “My Secret Wood”? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

Images: MySecretWood

Watch a Stunning Breakdown of the Future of Genetic Engineering

Although the idea of altering genes has inspired some of the coolest comic books and sci-fi stories of all time, intentional and precise adjustment of humans’ DNA has still, for the most part, failed to become a ubiquitous reality. This may change soon, however, as the field of genetic engineering is poised for a major breakthrough: a breakthrough that’s likely coming thanks to a technique called CRISPR, which YouTuber Kurzgesagt outlines brilliantly in the above video.

For those who haven’t heard of CRISPR, it stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, and as Kurzgesagt—who’s made tons of other enthralling videos on scientific and philosophical concepts—points out, “It’s hard to get across how big a technical revolution CRISPR is; it literally has the potential to change humanity forever.”

CRISPR, a complex bioengineering process, essentially utilizes the same method that bacteria use when defending themselves against viruses. Kurzgesagt breaks down how this defense takes place (starting at around 3:54), by showing how bacteria can save copies of a virus’s DNA, and then use a protein called CAS9 to compare those copies to new virus’s DNA, and then cut out any 100% matches it finds. “The revolution began [however],” as Kurzgesagt says, “when scientists figured out that the CRISPR system is programmable… [and] also offers the opportunity to alter live cells; to switch genes on and off, and study particular DNA sequences.”

Kurzgesagt makes the potential of CRISPR clear many times over, noting that it has the ability to make treatments for everything from AIDS to cancer more effective, and is likely to change the way humans reproduce. Imagine something along the lines of Gattaca, where genetic engineering from before birth becomes a fact of life.

We may even get a little bit of that Wolverine-y goodness going, as Kurzgesagt points out that CRISPR could have the ability to significantly hinder the aging process and increase our lifespans. Or maybe we could give all future humans the ability to maximize their physiological potential like Steve Rogers (even just the biceps would be nice).

But that kind of genetic engineering is still likely a long way off, so until then, we’ll have to make due with our fictional heroes, and our thoughts on where this field is headed…which you can share in the comments below!

Images: Kurzgesagt