Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2357

The SCOOBY DOO Theme Song Gets an EDM Remix

To each their own, right? Some people like running around abandoned amusement parks chasing down old men dressed like ghosts, other people like watching classic cartoons, and some like hitting the club and getting their dance on. If only there were some way to combine all of those past times though, you know?

Zoinks! There is, with this EDM cover of the Scooby Doo theme.

We came across this version of the classic CBS cartoon song at Comic Book Resources, and while it might not be the type of music an earthy hippie like Shaggy would enjoy, we are pretty sure Fred and Daphne would be getting down to this at the most happening joint in town.

This was made by DJ Josh Gard, better known by his music name Figure, an electronic and dance producer who lists his genre as “bass heavy music.” He says he has played this song in his “sets for awhile now,” but not only did he finally upload it for all of us to enjoy (and the truth is, we really do enjoy it, way more than we might have guessed—it’s just really fun and catchy), he even made it available for a free download.

When we first heard “EDM” and “Scooby Doo theme song” we thought “ruh roh.” We didn’t think anyone would be able to get away with it. But he did, and now those meddling kids have something better to do than mess up all of our evil plans.

What other classic cartoon theme song would you like to see get the EDM treatment? Take the Mystery Machine to our comments to let us know.

Images: CBS

Miss HOMESTAR RUNNER? TWO MORE EGGS Season 2 is Here!

Attention Homestar Runner fans: do you miss the Brothers Chaps as much as we do? If so, we’ve got some good news for you that you may not have known! Michael and Matt Chapman have created a whole new season of animated shorts for Disney XD’s YouTube channel, and we’ve got some of ’em right here, right now.

Somehow we missed the news the second season of the Chapmans’ Disney XD series, Two More Eggs, has been posting new shorts throughout the summer. Last year, we wrote about the first season of Two More Eggs, which ended up featuring 40 animated shorts with a recurring cast of unconnected characters and situations. And now, many of those characters are back for more. One of our favorites was Hot Dip, the anthropomorphic mascot for a cool dip that may or may not be fit for human consumption. At this point, we’d probably lean towards the latter, as Hot Dip’s return finds him in the post-apocalyptic world that was created when the mother of his hapless teenage sidekick, Hayden, ate some of the aforementioned Hot Dip. The short is just under two minutes but it still manages to amusingly skewer most of the post-apocalypse tropes.

Another short you may like finds the two dancing eggs, Poach and Scramble, attempting to escape the eventual fate of all chicken eggs prepared for human consumption. They can roll and they can run, but they can’t hide forever!

You can find the rest of the Two More Eggs shorts on this playlist (or just keep watching the video above!).

What did you think about this year’s batch of Two More Eggs? And what would you give for more Homestar Runner? Let us know in the comment section below!

Image: Disney XD

Watch the Joker Evolve Onscreen Through the Decades

What does every version of the Joker have in common? Watching this montage featuring all of the iterations of Batman‘s arch nemesis in film and television through the years shows that no matter what personal twist you bring to the mad man you will always need some white makeup, green hair, a purple suit, and a great, maniacal laugh.

This is the latest installment in Burger Fiction‘s great “Evolution” series, where they show all of the different depictions of characters, installments in franchises, and creators works over the decades, and this time they tackled the Crown Prince of Crime, inarguably one of the greatest, most iconic, most-reviled/loved super villains in history.

Starting with Cesar Romero’s mustachioed, fun-loving Joker from the original Batman television series in 1966, and going all the way up through today with Jared Leto’s twisted, grill-wearing variant from Suicide Squad (not to mention the briefest of looks at the next Joker, the Zack Galifianakis-voiced baddie from the upcoming LEGO Batman movie), this video shows that although there are many ways to play the Caped Crusader’s number one foe, you can’t mess with the basic elements. All in all, he can’t help but enjoy what he’s doing, no matter how light or dark he is portrayed.

The only thing that really stands out as “wrong” is when he suddenly speaks with a totally normal voice. Losing that edge of madness when he speaks definitely takes away from him, which is probably why Mark Hamill’s version of the Joker is still considered the best by so many.

Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning turn also stands out as the first major deviation of the character, but in a way that made The Joker scarier than ever before.

But with so many versions, which Joker is your Joker? Tell us who you think is the definitive Joker in our comments below.

Images: Warner Bros.

See Scenes from HARRY POTTER, STAR WARS, and More Painted on Eyelids

Imagine a perfect painting of Star Wars‘ own BB-8, or the Weasley’s Flying Car floating towards Hogwarts. Believe it or not, you can find these delightful portraits, but not on canvas or hanging in a museum. Instead they are meticulously composed onto eyelids.

Instagram user Kiki Makeup showcases her amazing talent that is painting pop-culture references onto her own face. It’s hard to believe that something so small could be painted with such precision, but these scenes are so real. They’d be impressive even if she weren’t working with a space only about two inches wide.

No post on Sunday, not one single bloody letter!

FARGO’s Jeffrey Donovan Previews New Con Man Psychic Show, SHUT EYE

Get ready to see Jeffrey Donovan like you’ve never seen him before.

The Burn Notice and Fargo alum is about to star in Hulu’s original series Shut Eye, a darkly comedic look at the world of Los Angeles storefront psychics and the 2,000-year-old history of belief and fraud behind them. Donovan stars as Charlie Haverford, a con man psychic whose worldview is rocked when he begins to have real visions. But according to Donovan, who just finished a critically-loved run on Noah Hawley’s Fargo, he didn’t pick his next project based on the character of Charlie.

“I get attracted to story more than character,” Donovan said at the 2016 Summer TCA press tour. “You could have a bad character in a really good script and you want to be in that script. I just look for story.”

And that’s how he got involved in Fargo. “We all know how great Noah Hawley was in creating this world based on the Coen Brothers, so I knew if I didn’t f–k it up, I’d be a part of something great,” Donovan said. “It was a very easy decision. It was something very different from who I was. Noah was very sweet to allow me to create that guy, gain the 35 pounds, put on that accent, be this new guy.”

v ia tumblr

The same goes for Shut Eye. Donovan revealed he started to have conversations with Shut Eye creator/executive producer Les Bohem around Christmas.

“We just talked and skyped and the premise was really fascinating to me,” Donovan said. “It’s a world I haven’t seen on television or on platforms, or whatever you want to call it these days. The challenge with Charlie, he’s not a character that I’ve ever played before. He’s not the alpha in the room.”

According to Donovan, all the roles he’s ever played, from TV to movies, have been alpha male roles. “[Fargo‘s] Dod was the alpha in the room. [Burn Notice‘s] Michael Weston was the alpha in the room,” Donovan said. “When I was doing movies, they were all alphas. It’s been a very big challenge for me to play this type of character and I wanted that.”

And if the premise for the series sounds extremely unique, that’s because it is. Bohem knew there had never been a series set in this world before, and he was dying to get into it.

“What if a fake psychic became a real psychic? I loved the idea but I had no idea where to set it,” Bohem said of creating the show in its early stages. “I walked into a parlor in my neighborhood and had my palm read. Then I noticed there was one on every block, even in Beverly Hills where you can’t be making rent on a $40 tarot reading. When I started doing the research, the culture was just so rich and exciting.”

Donovan was eager to learn more about this world of psychics as well.

“You have really smart, educated people getting frauded,” he said. “It makes sense, because poor, uneducated people don’t have money to steal from. So who can tap into that weakness? I wanted to investigate that role. It’s a very strange world that these people live in and that’s what attracted me to the show. We’re all collaborating on how does a con artist con a con artist? It’s a very detailed, very pragmatic process. It is a very sophisticated way of planning how people are conned.”

Image: Getty Images

Shut Eye premieres Wednesday, Dec. 7 on Hulu.

Jimmy Smits Confirms His STAR WARS Character’s Return in ROGUE ONE

Last month, fans all over the world dissected the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story sizzle reel from Star Wars Celebration Europe for additional details and they seemed to uncover a previously unannounced appearance by Jimmy Smits as Bail Organa, the role he played in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Now, Smits has confirmed that Bail is back at least one more time!

While appearing as a guest on The Talk, Smits seemed bemused by the level of scrutiny that the sizzle reel had received, before admitting that he did make a cameo appearance in Rogue One. However, Smits characterized it as a “small part” in the film, which may mean that he’ll only be around for a scene or two.

It’s been just over a decade since Smits last played Princess Leia‘s adopted father in live-action. Bail Organa has been established as one of the early leaders of the Rebel Alliance and he has even appeared in Star Wars Rebels in that capacity. However, the time frame for Rogue One suggests that it will take place near the end of his life. Bail Organa was on Alderaan when it was destroyed by the Death Star in A New Hope. We’re pretty sure that Rogue One won’t end with Bail getting atomized with the rest of his planet, because that would be one hell of a downer!

That said, Bail’s return could set up an appearance by Princess Leia herself. We know from the first Star Wars movie that Leia and the crew of the Rebel blockade runner intercepted the stolen Death Star plans and they were on the run from the Empire when the story began. That seems like a natural place for Rogue One to end, even though it doesn’t guarantee the survival of Felicity Jones‘ Jyn Erso and the rest of her allies.

Rogue One will be released on December 16.

Are you excited to see Smits return to the Star Wars universe? Let us know in the comment section below!

Could a Live Action Star Wars Television Show Be On The Way?

Image: Lucasfilm

The Original Godzilla Is Considerably Less Menacing in Modern Toyko

When the King of Monsters first emerged from the ocean back in 1954, his head towered above the Tokyo skyline. At 50 meters (164 feet), Godzilla was able to easily kick his way through buildings, push over towers, and carry around train cars in his mouth. Godzilla was bigger than us and our world, the symbol of power grown beyond our control. Tokyo was a mere stomping ground under the giant monster’s feet, a toy to be crushed and consumed.

Times have changed, however, and modern Tokyo is a much, much bigger place. Sure, Godzilla officially lives there, but that’s only because the big fella seems considerably less gigantic amongst modern skyscrapers and dense cities. How much smaller does 1954 Godzilla look, you ask? Good question and here’s some pictures—courtesy of @Fukublog, over on Twitter—to answer.

 

もし初代ゴジラ(身長50m)が2016年の東京に現れたら #shingodzilla #godzilla pic.twitter.com/6F3SD2NQMd

— 吉野 忍 (@FUKUBLOG) August 1, 2016

 

See those big, huge skyscrapers that seem to touch the sky and the thickly packed together downtown area? That’s big ol’ Tokyo. Now see that little red monster? That’s 1954 Godzilla. Not as menacing, right? I mean, look, if you see a 164-foot-tall atomic lizard walking towards you, you should probably run. Even if you are walking the city streets of modern Tokyo, you run. Actually, let’s just say an atomic lizard of pretty much any height would warrant you running away, okay? Be safe out there, guys.

What these pictures really showcase, though, is why Godzilla has grown so much over the years. In the just released (in Japan! Where’s our US release?!) Godzilla Resurgence, he has grown to the ultra menacing height of 118.5 meters, or 388.8 feet. Godzilla is more than a monster, he’s an image of destruction. There is nothing we can build that Godzilla can’t destroy; that’s the point of the character. Any version of Godzilla should be gigantic, and our world should be dust under his feet.

When you look at Godzilla like this, it’s easy to see why Toho has made the monster taller and taller. If Tokyo gets taller, so does Godzilla. Everything the monster stands for is lost if he’s a dot on a massive urban landscape. Unless he’s playing one on one with Charles Barkley, in which case Godzilla has to just big enough to take an elbow to the chin from Barkley.

Image: Toho

STRANGER THINGS Fan Art Will Turn You Upside Down

Unless you’ve been spending your free time in the Upside Down, you’ve likely heard of Stranger Things. Chances are good you’ve binged it and are obsessed with it–we certainly are. The Netflix original series created by the Duffer Brothers debuted in July, and its blend of conspiracy, horror, comedy expertly performed by a cadre of excellent actors has made an imprint upon pop culture. Set in the ’80s, the story centers on the search for the missing youth Will Byers… but it’s not your average missing persons case. A rather terrifying monster known as the Demogorgon is involved and so is the government. None of this keeps Will’s mother Joyce or his band of loyal buddies from searching for him.

The nuanced characters of Stranger Things have inspired so much fan art. Eleven, Chief Hopper, Joyce, Nancy–I’ve seen illustrations depicting everyone. So, let’s show them off in this week’s Fan Art Friday, shall we? You don’t have to love them because like Jonathan Byers says, “You shouldn’t like things because people tell you you’re supposed to,” but I think you’ll enjoy them. Let’s begin with this piece by Adams Pinto:

by Adams Pinto

And the stoic and brave Chief Hopper:

by Kaylee Davis (There’s a Hopper mug in her shop.)

How about a handy guide that explains what to pack when you need to hunt a faceless monster?

by Paulo Marcio

Don’t worry, that’s not all. The gallery below has more pieces inspired by Stranger Things. Eleven is a popular subject–there’s even a sculpted version of her with little Eggo waffles! It’s the cutest. And I included a portrait of one of my favorites, Dustin. Be sure to check out the captions for artist information and websites.

Which Stranger Things character did you relate to the most? Talk to me in the comments.

Everything We Know About Stranger Things Season 2 So Far:

Check Out This Awesome STRANGER THINGS Concept Art

By now, you have hopefully accepted that the Netflix series Stranger Things is the best thing to come into our lives in recent memory. It’s an all-consuming rabbit hole of a show—the sort of story that you think about for days or weeks. Months, maybe? The internet has been lit ablaze by all things Stranger Things, so there’s plenty of cool stuff to dig through to keep you satisfied while you wait for news about season two.

Case in point: this amazing early concept art, which we discovered via IndieWire. Courtesy of artist Nuttavut Baiphowongse’s Facebook page, we have a glimpse at some different designs for the Demogorgon. It’s all horrifying stuff, all nightmare inducing. It’s always cool to see the evolution of designs like these, to see the direction the artist pulls and pushes a concept before it’s finalized. The actual Demogorgon ended up with more of a humanlike body—the faceless man and all that jazz—while some of these have bird like features that steer a little too close to a demonic turkey. Thanksgiving will never be the same.

Aaron Sims Creative also shared some concept art on their Facebook page, but this stuff is for the Upside Down. These images look almost identical to what we eventually saw in the show; they’re all barren, smokey wastelands of dead dreams and growing dread. It’s ugly, sinister stuff, and we freaking love it. One of the elements of the Upside Down that was so cool was how simple it was, in a way. It was our world, but decayed and infected. There was a constant rain of ash, a grayness to it all, which is certainly captured in these images.

Creatively, Stranger Things is a clear home run. It’s a vision of the past brought to life for the present, and it’s our new obsession. While we refresh our browsers and wait for those season two tidbits, we can keep looking at awesome stuff like this. It’s cool to see how the sausage was made, so to speak, and Stranger Things is the Sausage King of Chicago, the Abe Froman of television shows. Hell, we’d buy a whole book of concept art like this. Somebody get on that, right away.

Image: Netflix

OUTCAST Hit Too “Close to Home” for Us This Week (Review)

Last week’s episode of Outcast, which gave us Sidney’s backstory, was the show’s best yet… which means it was surely going to be a difficult entry to follow. For the first 95% of this week’s installment, “Close to Home,” it appeared they weren’t going to even try, abandoning big, shocking moments in favor of an intimate look at where the characters find themselves now, and moving their stories along. For almost the entire hour, this was the type of quieter episode you need in order to make those big moments that come later on in the season more meaningful.

But then we got to the end and got one of those moments anyway. Possibly the most stunning moment yet.

We have mostly avoided discussing the show in comparison to the comic book it is based on, because the show has been so good on its own. But for readers of Robert Kirkman’s series, Megan’s possession has been one of the moments we have most looked forward to, and with good reason. In the comic book, it is a shocking, awful, tense instance that results in something horrible and sad.

What none of us could have known is that the show’s take on it would produce a much worse result. Show Mark has been much more developed than comic book Mark (sans his great mustache), and therefore our connection with him has been greater. So while many of us were anticipating this scene with a weird mixture of dread and excitement, we didn’t know it would end with Mark dead in a pool of blood. The saddest and most stunning moment on a show that offers those scenes every week.

It’s the first loss of a major character we’ve experienced on this show. If we thought Outcast were capable of anything before, we know now just how true that is. Mark was a good man who loved his family, and his wife loved him. Seeing him care for Kyle and knowing that he had a second child on the way made it even worse. Sidney may have tried to convince Kyle that being possessed isn’t that bad, but we see what it results in Just how “Close to Home” it hits. The afflicted thus far have been strangers, or only shown in flashbacks, giving us some distance between those being harmed by it and ourselves. No longer. This one hurts.

Even how they got there was shocking. The opening scene, where Megan squeezed the piece of broken glass (in some great foreshadowing), was a hint that this would be the hour when we got to her possession. That inclination seemed to grow stronger with her being ill;  when it turned out that was just pregnancy morning sickness it seemed less likely, making the final sequence all the more surprising. The writing on this show and its ability to manipulate and surprise the audience, even comic book readers, is a big part of what makes it so good.

Wrenn Schmidt‘s performance is another. When she turned, she turned, becoming something entirely nonhuman. Though it sounds strange to credit the show with making demonic possession come across as “real,” when she looked in that mirror through the demon’s eyes, it was genuinely frightening. Seeing her then examine the blood while Mark sadly begged for help was even worse. On a show full of great acting it can be easy not to recognize all of the performances as often as you want, but Wrenn Schmidt has been tasked with a difficult role, that of a woman being pulled in a million different directions by the forces of evil, and she deserves as much credit as anyone else on Outcast for making the show what it is.

Just as important, the episode featured lots of ominous talk about “what’s coming,” and everybody’s inability to stop it at this point. The supposed-to-be-leaving Ogdens stuck around to take part in something strange that will involve mannequins, Reverend Anderson fell (again) for Sidney’s plan to isolate him further (though he did get to punch the devil in the face), and Kyle proved unable to save Allison from herself. Still it’s Mark’s death that will stay with us.

What is happening to the people in Rome is not okay, and it is not going to end well. Kyle may have though that last week, but now, after seeing another member of his family afflicted and yet another dead, it will be hard for him to ignore the reality of what is happening any longer.

Because “Close to Home” hit too close, and none of us saw it coming.

What did you think of this week’s episode? Talk about it with us in the comments below.

Images: Cinemax