Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2369

How FUTURAMA Nailed the Science of Comedy

Good news, everyone! YouTube’s kaptainkristian, who has been making richly detailed and exceptionally thoughtful videos about everything from the real reason Superman can fly to the problem with X-Men movie costumes, has turned his analytical eye toward the show that’s been making nerddom shut up and take its attention since 1999. Yes, he’s talking about Futurama and how it magically—nay, scientifically!—nailed comedy.

In the video, kaptainkristian discusses how Futurama took a “grand sci-fi adventure concept and weaved it into a heartwarming character-driven sitcom” and ultimately established itself as “a master of hiding brilliance in plain sight.”

This feat was achieved, as kaptainkristian points out, largely due to the fact that the Futurama writers’ room had more big brains in it than a brain spawn party inside an Infosphere. Stacked with three PhDs and seven master’s degrees, the Futurama writers’ room had “over 50 collective years at Harvard University,” and in the video, David X. Cohen (who developed the show along with Matt Groening) says that the show “had several actual scientists on [the] writing staff.”

Because of these writer/scientists, we Futurama fans have been treated to episodes that both tickle our funny bones and bend our brains. Kaptainkristian notes one episode in particular, “The Prisoner of Benda,” in which writer Ken Keeler literally proved a mathematical theorem in order to solve a brain-switching problem that was at the core of the episode’s plot.

Kaptainkristian highlights the fact that because it took science and science-fiction seriously, Futurama was able to play around in—and make fun of—the genre so effectively. Or as Cohen puts it, “I think what ultimately happened is the more seriously we took the math and the science and the science-fiction element, the better the comedy worked too, ’cause we had… this serious set-up side and then the characters’ petty concerns [played] very well as comedy against the fate of the universe…”

But forget about the fate of the universe, what about the fate of Futurama? It’s been cancelled four times, but could it come back from the dead again like the Planet Express ship’s crew from a birth machine full of stem cells? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! (The Hypnotoad commands you to comment.)

Image: 20th Century Fox via kaptainkristian

22 Terrible Places to Play POKEMON GO, According to Rooster Teeth

We’ve all been obsessed with Pokemon Go, and the game has brought some unique challenges to our everyday lives. Apart from the startlingly brief lives of our cell phone batteries while playing—and the startlingly high data bills we’ve all received—the total immersion demanded from Pokemon Go in order to be successful has also started introducing other unique societal and safety problems for the modern Pokemon trainer. From people stumbling across actual dead bodies, literally walking off cliffs, playing while driving, or playing in disrespectful locations like the Holocaust memorial museum (c’mon guys…), Pokemon Go is really transforming modern society.

Like anything, it’s just going to take some time for us to slip back into a normal rhythm of life with this game, so we won’t be dealing with socially unaware Pokemon trainers for the rest of eternity. Proof that we’re getting past that awkward phase of a new, immersive, revolutionary game like this is that we’re starting to see ways that you can use Pokemon Go to do good in the world. However, as we adapt to life with this game, it’s good to point out those places that aspiring trainers should avoid. Thankfully the team at Rooster Teeth has provided us with a helpful video highlighting several places you should definitely avoid catching ’em all like dark alleys, your own proposal, the shower, and in the middle of a bank robbery (although you probably shouldn’t be robbing banks to begin with, but you know, whatever).

The video is hilarious and right on the money. It’s even funnier because if we’re all honest, we’ve all got a story of a stupid place we’ve all played Pokemon Go–even though we all know better. So be careful out there, trainers. Get out there and hunt for Pokemon, but be safe!

What do you think of Rooster Teeth’s video? Where is the weirdest place you’ve played Pokemon Go? Let’s hear your craziest story in the comments!

Image: Rooster Teeth

Two Teens Illegally Cross the Border While Playing POKÉMON GO

Adding to the litany of ridiculous, Pokémon GO-related mishaps, two Canadian teenagers have illegally crossed the Canadian/American border. Yes, two teens were so distracted by the mobile game that they looked up from their phones and found themselves in a completely different country.

The teens were walking and hunting Pokémon in Coutts, Alberta and, as Newser reports, suddenly found themselves around Sweet Grass, Montana (that’s about an hour’s walk, give or take). Of course, it didn’t take long for U.S. Border Patrol to realize what happened—a situation that was probably met with a bit of eye rolling, I’m sure. The authorities brought the teens home and released them to their parents.

So let’s go ahead and add “illegally crossing into neighboring countries” into an ever growing list of unique hazards threatening Pokémon GO trainers, which already includes walking off a cliff, walking into traffic, discovering a dead body, getting robbed, minor injuries, and the occasional case of breaking and entering. Pokémon GO is a really fun game, you guys, and it’s great that so many of us are finding reasons to get up and go outside. Just pay attention to what’s happening around you. You know, be sure you’re aware when you’re about to exit your own country and illegally enter another. I kinda feel like I shouldn’t have to say this.

Thankfully, the Canadian teens weren’t hurt, and were released to their parents pretty quickly after their unplanned American vacation. This time, it seems like the latest instance of Pokémon problems were pretty harmless. But still! Be mindful.

Of course, if you already do have a crazy Pokémon GO story, tell us about it in the comments!

Featured Image: The Pokémon Company

Melissa McCarthy and Others Fail Epically in Their (Fake) STAR WARS Auditions

For a while, it was up in the air who was going to get to play Young Han Solo in the upcoming Star Wars spin-off film, and while several names were attached to the role, it ultimately went to Hail Caesar‘s Alden Ehrenreich. Now, according to a totally real*** sketch on Conan, it turns out a bunch of famous and familiar Hollywood faces gave their best shot to get the role but ultimately came up empty-handed.

Conan O’Brien managed to get his hands on the audition tapes, and it’s actually pretty clear to see why Melissa McCarthy, Bill Hader, and others didn’t get the part. (Check it out in the video above.)

Hader’s approach was perhaps a bit too juvenile, as he played the role like a whiny teenager arguing with his mom. He did make a strong case to play a few other roles, though—like a skateboarding tauntaun, young Jabba The Hutt, and a prepubescent Chewbacca.

Melissa McCarthy may have gotten the part if she didn’t confuse parsecs with parsnips and insist on the change… or if she had seen more than “a good portion of one of [the Star Wars movies]” that featured a “small wizard boy… in the school”… or if she didn’t insist that Solo used a “lightsaver.” Alright, so there are plenty of solid reasons why she didn’t get the part, but that doesn’t make her audition any less entertaining.

Meanwhile, Adam Sandler basically did Jimmy Fallon’s Adam Sandler impression for his audition, while Jeff Goldblum turned on his signature rambling charm to absolutely nail his attempt, which was somehow both halfhearted and perfect. Check out the other auditions above, which also include readings from 50 Cent, Thomas Middleditch, and “Jodie Fucking Foster.”

What totally real*** lost Star Wars audition tape would you like to see? Let us know in the comments.

Featured image: Team Coco

***: by real we mean fake. Obviously very, very fake.

Sia Will Star in MY LITTLE PONY: THE MUSICAL (Music Dispatch)

Sia can do it all—even transforming into a cute cartoon pony. The pop star has just been cast as a character (and singer!) in the new film My Little Pony: The Movie. If you’re itching for other news, stick around to hear about the White Stripes song in the new Justice League trailer, the Insane Clown Posse march to D.C., Thom Yorke’s bedtime sleepy mix, and Chance the Rapper’s amazing new music festival.

By now, Sia‘s move to world domination isn’t much of a surprise. The pop star contributed original songs and a cover to films like The Hunger Games, Finding Dory, and The Neon Demon. Now, the songstress will contribute songs and a cartoon cameo in the upcoming film My Little Pony: The Movie. She will appear as Songbird Serenade, a pony with the power of pop, who is cast alongside other big names like Liev Schreiber, Taye Diggs, Emily Blunt, Kristin Chenoweth, Uzo Aduba, and Michael Peña. The film follows the usual six ponies on a new adventure, with the writer and producer of the animated series, Meghan McCarthy, writing this screenplay as well. Its due out October 6th via Lionsgate, so we’ll have to wait a bit longer if we want some teaser footage of Sia and the pony gang doing their magical thing. [Consequnece of Sound]

Did you see the teaser trailer for the new Justice League movie? Let’s hope your ears were sharp. When the footage was unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con this past weekend, fans were quick to note that the film’s trailer includes The White Stripes‘ “Icky Thump.” It’s an epic look at the film (due out in November 2017) made all the more epic by the heart-pumping song. Color us excited. Very, very excited. [Pitchfork]

Image Credit: Insane Clown Posse/Facebook

Insane Clown Posse have a giant following, and they plan on leading those fans all the way down to Washington, D.C. in an epic march. The clown rap duo announced over the weekend that they will march to the capitol to protest the FBI’s decision that Juggalos should be listed as gang members. Is storming the city of our president the best way to prove you’re not a giant cult? Hmmm, maybe not be the best idea. That said, they could easily keep the whole thing peaceful and change some minds. “They call the Juggalo World a movement, right?” Violent J said to an audience at Gathering of the Juggalos. “Well, let’s move!” [Rolling Stone]

Over on Phil Taggart’s Sunday night BBC Radio 1 program, Thom Yorke debuted a new radio mix full of cozy gems. His minimalist “Bedtime Mix” is filled with songs meant to, well, make you fall asleep. Everything from Radiohead cuts to Holden hits are included, as well as an alternate version of “Bloom.” It runs for 30 minutes total, because Yorke wants you to fall asleep fast. “If you’re still awake by the end of it, I’ve done something wrong,” he says during the intro. “Night night. Lights out.” [Consequence of Sound]

Image Credit: Chance the Rapper

Chi-town locals may have noticed that when we reported on Chance the Rapper‘s upcoming tour behind Coloring Book—his incredible new mixtape from earlier this year—a performance in Chicago wasn’t listed. Given how much hometown pride he has, it seemed suspicious to say the least. Well, it turns out Chance had quite the show in store: On September 24th, Chance the Rapper will host a one-day Magnificent Coloring Day music festival at U.S. Cellular Field. The festival sees him headlining (of course) alongside giants like Lil Wayne, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Skrillex, Tyler, the Creator, and more. Yeah, it’s going to be pretty colorful, to say the least. [Consequence of Sound]

See you back here on Wednesday for another Music Dispatch!

Image: My Little Pony: The Movie/Lionsgate

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS’ Tom Kenny and Bill Fagerbakke Explain Why Crying Fans Make Them Happy

SpongeBob SquarePants has been around for nine seasons and 17 years. Since its debuted in 1999, the show has produced 201 episodes and two movies, keeping people interested all the while. That kind of longevity means that not only have new fans been coming in, but that a lot of the audience has grown up with Bikini Bottom their entire lives.

“People come up and say, ‘Thanks for my childhood. You were the voice of my childhood,'” said Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob. “Tears are often involved.” Kenny was at this year’s Comic-Con along with Bill Fagerbakke, the voice of Patrick, to discuss the show’s newest episodes. The two talked about what it’s like to have lived with these characters for so long, as well as what it’s like to deal with fans that range from very young to all grown up.

“When you do a character that long you’re in the DNA of the character,” said Fagerbakke, “There’s a wonderful completeness to the experience.” It also helps that the Spongebob cast records the shows together, with Kenny now in the role of session producer, where they try to make each other laugh.

That experience, which both said is anything but a slog, especially since the show is still producing great stories, goes well beyond just the making of the show. It extends to those fans, and even their parents.

Kenny shared a story about recently running into a family member of the first Make-A-Wish child he ever spent the day with, requested due to her love of SpongeBob. She told him, through sobs and tears, that the family still talks about that day.

“There’s a sense of delight,” said Fagerbakke, who said his and Kenny’s love of kids keeps the experience positive. Strangely, the only real crap they ever get is from their youngest fans. “If I do Patrick for a five-year-old, he’s more than likely going to look at me like I’m a big jerk, like I’m an idiot,” he said. “‘Shut up, you’re not Patrick!'” They’ve both found tricks around these cases, like when Kenny has them close their eyes first, or Fagerbakke tells the kids he knows Patrick personally.

Adult fans are also fond of asking them to record messages for them on their phone “every day,” with the most common request being for SpongeBob to swear. Kenny said he likes his job so he’ll record a message, just without cursing, lest he breaks some deep hidden morality cause in his contract. If those people want to hear him curse they can always check out Mr. Show anyway, which Kenny said gives him some “hipness” among teenagers that stumble upon it.

Talking to them both it was obvious just how much they love working on the show (“It’s a better gig than I deserve,” said Kenny), and getting to see the impact it has had on so many lives means a lot to them.

Which might explain why, even after all these years, all these episodes, and a ninth season, they aren’t stopping anytime soon.

“I’m with Bill. If they let me, I’ll do it ’til I die,” said Kenny.

That’s good, because no more SpongeBob would probably result in lots of crying fans… and not the good kind they have now.

What’s your favorite episode of SpongeBob? Tell us in the comments below.

Featured Image: Nickelodeon

Everything You Missed in the WONDER WOMAN Trailer

This year’s Comic-Con had so much to do, so much to see, and so many awesome new trailers to freak out about and analyze in excruciating detail, so what’s better time to break down the brand spankin’ new Wonder Woman trailer?! Hold on to your armored, Themysciran horses, DC Cinematic Universe doubters because the Wonder Woman trailer is here and it’s so freaking great! We’re breaking down everything you may have missed frame-by-frame on today’s Nerdist News!

First up, we see pilot Steve Trevor, washed up on the beach wearing a German/Prussian medal, specifically the Pour Le Merite. His whole uniform actually looks pretty German, so our money’s on DC Comics tweaking his Golden Age origin, which saw him as an intelligence officer working undercover. Next up, we see a tender moment between Diana and her mother, Queen Hippolyta, possibly making Wonder Woman the most emotionally-available superhero movie of all time!

We’re guessing they’re in Germany, as the ballroom scene features a whole bunch of German uniforms, including the movie’s villains! Is Danny Huston the rumored Ares, the Greek god of war who has come on Earth to fan the flames of World War I? And who’s the already intriguing lady-Scarface rocking period-appropriate facial prosthetics? Could it be Paula Von Gunther, the Nazi spy who became Wonder Woman’s first recurring enemy?

Now the question arises: which origin story are we seeing? It feels like a hodgepodge of Golden Age, Post-Crisis, and New 52, considering that Diana doesn’t consider Zeus to technically be her father, but claims to have been created by him. Time will tell if she was molded from clay or if Mama Hippolyta told a little white lie.

We get a ton of battle scenes in the trailer, including Wonder Woman confidently stepping out of a trench, in armored heels, deflecting bullets and grenades alike with her shield. While she does look phenomenal, now is a good time to mention that audiences would still be able to tell that she’s a woman in a movie even if she didn’t have those heels or that perfectly-coiffed hair in every scene. But I digress, because then we see the extremely badass Lasso of Truth! Bright and shiny against gray, war-torn Europe, it looks like an upgraded Indiana Jones whip! Channeling even more Indy, Diana’s line to Trevor of “It’s not up to you what I do” solidifies again that this movie is gonna rule super hard! Also, we see Diana shatter a freaking rifle with her back! WHAT?!

But what do you guys think? Is this the Wonder Woman movie we deserve? How many men do we have to get through before we see all the other badass women in this film? What happens to her shield between now and Batman v Superman? Let’s discuss!

Soon, You’ll Control Swarms of Drones With Your Mind

Thanks to research from Arizona State University, you might soon be able to send in a whole cloud of drones to…well, let’s be honest, probably capture Pokémon. But that’s your right.

There’s just several catches. Right now, “swarm” means “four,” and you have to wear a totally unfashionable swim cap covered in electrodes attached to a computer that translates your thoughts and sends them to the drones via Bluetooth. Turns out your brain has a natural affinity for swarming, much more so than your hands:

A controller wears a skull cap outfitted with 128 electrodes wired to a computer. The device records electrical brain activity. If the controller moves a hand or thinks of something, certain areas light up.

“I can see that activity from outside,” said Panagiotis Artemiadis, director of the Human-Oriented Robotics and Control Lab and an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. “Our goal is to decode that activity to control variables for the robots.”

If the user is thinking about decreasing cohesion between the drones — spreading them out, in other words — “we know what part of the brain controls that thought,” Artemiadis said.

Here’s a video to demonstrate, via Science News Journal:

Air Force pilots working with Artemiadis had one big question, though: what happens if the mind wanders and thinks of, uh, something else? He says that if you’re hungry and think about pizza, it’s not going to work.

Unless, perhaps, you’re thinking about your drones swarming a pizza place. Hey, if Donatello had built them, that’s where his head would be at.

Are you ready to welcome, or become, our drone-controlling overlords? Speak below, and perhaps you will have a place in the new bio-mechanical empire to come.

Featured image: Arizona State University

Hardwatch: Week of July 25th, 2016

Well, it happened. We’ve survived another San Diego Comic-Con, and I’m sure the stories will feed the internet (and our souls) for the coming months as we wait for all our shows to come back and our movies to premiere. Chris Hardwick was absolutely everywhere at the convention this weekend, and you should, without a doubt, head to his social feeds to see all the selfies he got to take with your favorite stars. Once you’re con-ed out, here is where you can find him this week.

There will be four new episodes of @midnight this week, and again we’re starting on Tuesday and finishing on Friday night. Tuesday night, Chris Cubas, Sarah Tiana, and Tony Hinchcliffe will face off in the first post-convention episode. Wednesday night will bring Kathryn Hahn and Georgia King to the stage with a surprise guest. There will also be surprise guests on Thursday and Friday night with Mike Birbiglia and Gillian Jacobs the first night, and Brendon Walsh and Jesse Joyce as guests on the final night of the week.

There will also be more than one new Nerdist Podcast to look forward to this week. First up, we will have the podcast from the first Nerdist Podcast Live at Comic-Con with Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany. Fans of the podcast and the show who were in the audience that night are the only ones who can really tell you what exactly happened on stage, but after this week, you’ll be able to say you heard it all. The second podcast of the week will be the second live Nerdist Podcast from the convention which featured Walton Goggins, Danny McBride, and Jody Hill from Vice Principals. Again, all I can really tell you is that Nerdist Podcast Live shows are always the most fun, and you are going to want to tune in and listen to all the shenanigans from the evening.

As a final reminder, make sure you are following, and probably scrolling back through, Chris Hardwick’s social media feeds this week. Comic Con is always the be all and end all of fun things in the nerd world. You can find him on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.

PREACHER Review: Should the Singer “Finish the Song”?

Editor’s note: This post contains spoilers for the latest episode of Preacher! Proceed with caution. For reals, if you haven’t yet watched “Finish the Song,” we highly suggest you do so before proceeding. Okay? We good? Then let’s go.

They say things happen in threes. And this week’s episode of Preacher goes a long way towards making me believe it. Almost everyone in this show has long held some sort of stain on his or her conscience, but “Finish the Song” puts visible blood on the hands of three characters we haven’t seen kill onscreen before.

The first: the Saint of Killers has been poised to explode ever since his daughter paid the ultimate price for his compassion and humanity’s cruelty. So it’s no surprise when we watch him finally take out his wrath on the town that screwed him over, especially its local holy man, who knows of his dark past. Few shows on TV have teaser scenes as good as Preacher, and “Finish the Song” gives us another gem, with the Saint shooting down a barroom full of people while instructing one saloon singer to croon a tune… before he, too, gets offed, albeit with a sword that slices through his neck like it was made of warm cheese.

The second of tonight’s killers is the show’s most innocent character, Emily. She’s tasked with feeding a still recovering Cassidy, and ultimately takes advantage of the situation to rid herself of an unwanted boyfriend. There’s some great black comedy in this horror movie subplot, which pays homage to its inspiration when she watches Psycho on TV. Even the episode’s soundtrack gets into the act, featuring strings straight out of Bernard Hermann’s score for the Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece. Like Norman Bates, she too plays caregiver to a deadly invalid. Granted, hers isn’t imaginary.

On a side note, it’s good to see Cass back, even if he looks like crap since Jesse let him fry outside his church. While he didn’t let him fry too long, and as the vampire carefully explains to Preacher Custer, that’s enough for him. Ah, would that we all had such forgiving friends…

As for the third of tonight’s onscreen blood baptisms, it’s one that’s no less creepy for being a mercy killing. We finally learn what angels Jesse and Cassidy did to stop the deadly seraphim who was targeting Genesis several episode ago: They disarmed her… literally. They also cut off her legs so she couldn’t run after them. Sheriff Root finds their handiwork lying in their hotel room’s bathroom, and strangles her to death, prompting her to regenerate in the adjoining room.

Despite the gruesomeness of their holy war, “Finish the Song” takes several steps towards further humanizing the angels. They’re most likely gay, they squabble over little things like a comic book collection, and when they want to go somewhere they call a travel agent. But the episode yanks the rug out from under us when it ends their story by dovetailing it with that of the Saint of Killers, whom they pull out of his personal Hell to assassinate an unsuspecting Jesse. Will their latest plan to extract Genesis succeed? We have one episode left to find out this season!

Preaching to the Choir

— “I love my horse, I love my wife, and I love my little girl. And as for Jesus, he can join us all in hell.”

— “Occupation?” “Serial killer.” “Architect.”

— Now just what was that travel agent going to do to “the big one” in the back for 20 minutes?

— Emily is so desperate to convince Tulip she’s not in love with Jesse that she comes clean on her relationship with the mayor! Of course, she may have been planning to feed him to Cassidy before the words left her mouth.

— “No problem, Padre. I can get you angels’ hands.” Good ol’ Cass is basically a kinder, gentler version of The Big Lebowski‘s Walter Sobchak.

— Will Jesse’s declaration of love for Tulip be enough to stop her from killing Carlos? Let’s start placing those bets!

What did you think of this week’s episode? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter (@JMaCabre).

Images: AMC