What I Want for Life Day

(Originally Written for Jedi News)

"Meanwhile, on Druidia..."

Life Day is almost upon us! But before you grab your red ceremonial robes and enter the…umm…weird vortex thingee (seriously, what WAS that?), I have my wish list of the Eight things I want most this Life Day and for the year to follow:

I'm Not Dead

Things are busier than ever, so I don't write here as often as I'd like to. But rest assured that I will still update. If nothing else, I'll have the Jedi News articles every two weeks, and there are other things I'd like to talk about here. It's just my free time is shortening, and what I have is dedicated to turning my brain OFF for a change. So if you can please bear with me as my life goes into major upheavals, I promise I'll be able to give you...things. Don't know what things, but definitely things!

By way of a for instance, if any of my readers happen to live in the Rhode Island area and simultaneously be on the Asperger's end of the Autism spectrum, please let me know. I am working on things very relevant to your interests.

Never Trust a Trailer

(Originally Written for Jedi News)

Boy, I picked the right week to return from my sabbatical, didn’t I?

"I'm awake! I'm up!"

In lieu of my own articles...

...here's one that's better than I could ever be. I didn't think it possible anymore, but it blew even MY mind.

*drops mike, walks away*

Nilbog Watches The Second Doctor

Two is finished

Geekdom Madness 2014 Victor

We are ready to announce the Victor for Geekdom Madness 2014. Unlike the other Victor postings which are right on the front page, I'm going to add a page break because A) There's a lot more information, and B) to drive you all bonkers with suspense.

FYI JSYK

1. Geekdom Madness results are still being calculated, but the victor will be crowned later this evening.

2. There are a lot of things going on at work; we're nearing the end of a session, and we're preparing to propose radical changes. I can't give details but it's stressful and eating up my time and energy.

3. Because of this, I will only be posting sporadically if at all during the month of November.

4. As part of this I have taken a sabbatical from Jedi News. A new article should be available the first week of December and continuing bi-weekly until such time as I hit burnout again.

5. Halloween pictures, as someone requested, WILL be put up between now and then. I didn't get a whole lot of good ones though, so it's a matter of finding what I have and picking the best.

6. Lists are fun.

7. "Episode VII: The Force Awakens" sounds like pretentious fan-fiction at first listen, but I can't deny I'm very intrigued by the implications the title brings.

Geekdom Madness: The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny

Only one will survive. I wonder who it will be?

Geekdom Madness: Semi-Final Right Victor

This was a close, close, CLOSE race. Closer than I imagined.


However, then deciding vote has been cast. The Victor for the second semi-final and the second competitor going into the final is...
































(Are)...

Calvin and Hobbes

"Surely you concede I deserve it!"




It was a 15-vote match that Calvin and Hobbes won 53%/47%. They aced Ariel. They have what it takes.

 

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow for THE FINAL!!!!

God this has been going since April. It's about bloody time.

 

Closing Early

Tomorrow's poll is closing at 12:00 p.m. in order to have things set up for Halloween, so get your vote in before it's too late!

Geekdom Madness: Semi-Final Right

All right now, just one more to go before the final showdown. But who's it gonna be?!?!?!

Geekdom Madness: Semi-Final Left Victor

I was not able to get on the computer last night, so sorry the poll was up longer than it should have been.

The Victor for the first Semi-Final, and the first competitor going to the final is....

Jar Jar Binks

"Mesa accept dis with muy muy humility!"

It was a 10 vote match that Jar Jar won 60%/40%. He licked Luigi. He has what it takes.

Here's the breakdown. Check Back Tomorrow!

Left Side Full!

My Troubled Relationship with Empire

(Originally Written for Jedi News)

When I submitted my first May the 4^th Saga reviews a year and a half ago, I maintained that Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back was my personal second favorite film of the Saga.

About a month later, it was my fifth favorite.

A few months after that, it was third.

Geekdom Madness: Semi-Final Left

Here it is folks, the Semi-Final! Just two short weeks until the deciding vote, but you all have to choose who gets there. This is crunch time! Only four remain, and only two can move on.

Let's begin!

Geekdom Madness: Quarter-Final - Childhood Dreams Victor

Well, let's skip the preamble.

The Victor for the final round of the Quarter-Final is.....
























(Victors Are...)

Calvin and Hobbes

"Surely you concede I deserve it!"

Out of 10 votes, C&H got 70% to Jack's 30%.

So starting tomorrow, we have our Semi-Finals. Let's reintroduce our Elite Four!

JAR JAR BINKS

ARIEL

LUIGI

CALVIN AND HOBBES

In the next two weeks, this Final Four will be whittled down to the Final Two, and after that, There Can Be Only One! 

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

Whew!

 

Geekdom Madness: Quarter-Final - Childhood Dreams

Welcome to the last Quarter-Final. After this week, we'll have our "Elite Four" for the Semi-Final, but this one will be a toughie.

Geekdom Madness: Quarter-Final - Foils Victor

Another unexpected turn!

The Victor for the third round of the Quarter-Final is:

Luigi

"Here we go!"

Out of 14 votes, Luigi received 64% of the vote, while Indy only got 36%. This competition is constantly surprising me even in the late game, which is awesome.

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

Was it the death glare?

Rebels: A First Watch

(Originally Written for Jedi News)

No doubt many have seen much of the pre-release material for Disney’s “Star Wars: Rebels” over the last year – including sneak previews. Not to mention the ever-churning rumor mill.

Naturally, I have not, for reasons similar to what I wrote some weeks back regarding my attitude for the new films. I’ve seen nothing but some promotional artwork. When I fired up my DVR the other day after it had recorded the Rebels “movie” (really just an hour-long pilot), I was going in blind.

I was also going in with a little trepidation. I knew Dave Filoni would do well, but the grief of “Clone Wars”’ untimely end was still too near. Greg Wiseman had already created two shows that are amongst my favorites of all time, and yet he (supposedly unwittingly) retweeted anti-prequel sentiments. But I’m here constantly preaching that one should not judge without giving it a chance, so I had to put my money where my mouth was. I took a deep breath, and pushed play.

Potential spoilers from this point forward, so consider yourselves warned.

Geekdom Madness: Quarter-Final - Foils

Yeah, I was looking forward to this the least.

Geekdom Madness: Quarter-Final - Tall Tales Victor

Forget what the last round was called, THIS is the real game!

The Victor for the second round of the Quarter-Finals is.....

Ariel

"I don't know when, I don't know how, but I know something's starting right now!"



Out of 13 votes, Ariel got 62% to Gandalf's 38%. Maybe he'll return as the White next time?

 

 

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

Just full of surprises



Tale as Old as Space

(Originall Written for Jedi News)

 

 

 

It’s storytime! Today, I want to tell you one of the greatest fantasy tales I’ve ever heard. It’s a long one, and you have to make the pictures up in your head, so please bear with me.

 

Geekdom Madness: Quarter-Final - Tall Tales

Next in the Quarter-Finals is another odd match-up you guys chose.

Another Week?!

Yes, my editor over at Jedi News got swamped and couldn't get my article out on time. He told me that it'll go up next week, but to send on my usual schedule anyway. So...two week in a row next time!

Geekdom Madness: Quarter-Final - Cat and Frog Victor

Somehow, I'm always surprised.

The Victor for the first round of the Quarter-Finals is....

Jar Jar Binks

"Mesa accept dis with muy muy humility!"

Out of 14 votes, Jar Jar received 64% to Catwoman's 36%. What really blew me away was not only the number of votes (We've had higher, but not really since the beginning), but that the majority of them came on Sunday.

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

How exciting!

 

Geekdom Madness: Quarter-Final - Cat and Frog

Welcome to the Quarter-Finals of Geekdom Madness! We've had a lot of surprises so far, and the competition is getting tense! We're closing in on the end, but we've still a ways to go.

So let's get to it!

Geekdom Madness: TRG - Madmen with Boxes Victor

No contest, really.

The Victor for the eighth and final round of The Real Game is....












(Are)...

Calvin and Hobbes

"Surely you concede I deserve it!"

Out of 13 votes, Calvin and Hobbes received 69% (9 votes), while the combined regenerations of The Doctor only received 30% (4 votes)

Here's the Breakdown. The Real Game is over. Tomorrow, we start the Quarter-Finals! 

Not far now...

Victor Update

Pollsnack got fixed, and Indy did indeed win 70%-30%.

The Blogger poll looks like it's going well so far, though. Here's what I feel...

Blogger: Less lead-up time needed; can set an end date so I don't have to rush home at 5:00 to end the poll; tells how many votes each one got.
Pollsnack: More dependable; Better aesthetically for the blog; More accurate percentages

So I put it to you guys to tell me in the comments which poll you prefer, and I'll go with whichever seems to you guys to work the best.

Geekdom Madness: TRG - Madmen with Boxes

In the final round of The Real Game, wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey goes "Boink!"

Geekdom Madness: TRG - ...*Blank Strare*... Victor?

Well, we keep having poll problems, but I've been working on a solution. I've been on Pollsnack's tech support chat, and they're looking into the issue. But they won't be able to do anything until Monday, and this competition has gone on long enough without things further delaying it. The Quarter-Finals are just around the corner, and I know we're all eager to keep on going.

I'm keeping the poll up on the Pollsnack site so that we have something to test when their IT team comes in. In the meantime, the last time the poll was working one candidate had enough of a lead that I can say that the "Projected Victor" is:

Indiana Jones

"That depends on how reasonable we're all willing to be."

Now, again, Jones is only the Projected Victor. I'm not adding him to the Breakdown until the issues with Pollsnack are resolved one way or the other, and if it counted votes from the "wheel of death" days, the vote may shift back. However, the last time the results were loading, Jones was leading by almost two-thirds of the vote and Raggedy Ann was in hot water.

Naturally, since the Pollsnack people aren't getting back to me until Monday, that means I will have to find another way to bring you tomorrow's poll. BUT IT WILL BE HERE TOMORROW! That I can certainly guarantee, so check back!

The official results of this match with the full breakdown will come during the week after I've resolved issues with Pollsnack.

UPDATE: Well well well, Blogger's poll appears to be somewhat fixed, even though nobody updated that particular tech support thread. I'm leaving my test poll up all day, see how it fares for everyone. If it lasts until tomorrow without eating votes again, I'll use it for next week's match. Though I will watch the results VERY VERY CLOSELY!!!!

Anatomy of a Scene: Dooku Tempts Kenobi

(Originally Written for Jedi News)

One of my favorite scenes in the entire Saga actually comes from Attack of the Clones, in a scene labelled on the DVD as “Obi-Wan Captive”, but I always think of as “Dooku Tempts Kenobi.” For a while now, I’ve been meaning to put my (admittedly amateur) analysis skills to the test and really pick apart this sequence.

Guess What!

MORE ##%&+ING POLL PROBLEMS!!!!!

Going to give it an extra day, but if it's not fixed by tomorrow I'm calling the vote based on who was in the lead the last time I saw the thing.

I really hope I don't have to go find ANOTHER poll program.

Geekdom Madness: TRG - ...*Blank Stare*....

Ummm......bwuh?

Geekdom Madness: TRG - Tall and Small Victor

Low vote count this week, but the winner was clear.

The Victor for the sixth round of The Real Game is...

Jack Skellington

"There are few who deny: at what I do, I am the best!"

Out of a paltry 9 votes, Jack received 78% to Stewie's 22%. He IS the Pumpkin King.

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

Take him home first. And apologize again!

Quadruple-Feature: Never Let the Monster Out

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Spoilers Ahead

Quadruple-Feature: Released to Elsewhere

The Giver

Spoilers ahead

Quadruple-Feature: YOU'RE. MAKING. ME. BEAT. UP. GRASS!

Guardians of the Galaxy

Spoilers Ahead

Quadruple-Feature: Turtle Power!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2014.

Spoilers Ahead

Quadruple-Feature/The RULES

This post is two-fold. The first is to announce that I've seen four movies in the last two weeks and I now have the time to review them, so those'll be coming once a day for the next week.

The second, after the break, is to remind everyone what we're doing here

Geekdom Madness - TRG: Tall and Small

Let's play some....umm....stick football? It's getting harder to do these intros...

Geekdom Madness: TRG - Console Wars Victor

You guys were all Nintendo children, weren't you?

The Victor for the fifth round of The Real Game is....

Luigi

"Here we go!"

 

I had to end the poll early (sorry about that), but at the end out of 12 votes Luigi had 58% to Sonic's 42%. Afraid of the Death Glare, guys?

 

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

 

1up!



LOTR is the New Star Wars

(Originally Written for Jedi News)

I love Star Wars. I talk about Star Wars all the time. It’s my most favorite of favorite things in the world.

But it’s not my only favorite thing.

Geekdom Madness: TRG - Console Wars

Sorry for the lateness, it's now time to revisit an old rivalry...kind of.

Geekdom Madness: TRG - Animate Me Victor

Sufferin' Succotash, what an upset!

The Victor for the fourth round of The Real Game is.....

Ariel

"I don't know when, I don't know how, but I know something's starting right now!"

 

 

 

I was seriously not expecting this! Out of 13 votes, Ariel got 54% while Daffy got blasted with 46%. I figured it would be close, but I'm pleasantly surprised that we now have not one but two women going into the quarter-finals. I guess nothing can beat a Mermaid in the water.

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

FYI, it might be a little late tomorrow. Don't worry!

 

Geekdom Madness: TRG - Animate Me

It is time to work for toons!

Chewie Chewie

(Originally Written for Jedi News)

Kashyyk, home of the Wookiees. It was featured in the Star Wars Holiday Special, and slated to make an appearance in Return of the Jedi before it was replaced with the Forest Moon of Endor. Fans had been dying to see it for years. They finally got their wish in 2005, where the planet features heavily in Revenge of the Sith.

"Come see our majestic fjords."

Geekdom Madness: TRG - Secret Crises on Infinate Wars Victor

This was really really close. It was actually the first in a while that was tied at one-point. But even with the early poll closing, some last-minute votes squeaked by, and there can be only one.

The Victor for the third round of The Real Game is...

Catwoman

"Meow"



 

Thought they were often neck and neck, our feisty feline kept pulling ahead, and at the end of the day out of the 10 votes total she recieved 60% of the vote to Deadpool's 40%.

 

 

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

 

Can you think of a sonnet? Or a...dirty limerick?



Some Stuff

Got some stuff to discuss.

1. The Geekdom Madness poll closed early today. I won't have time to do it later today because I'm working more hours. Results will come as always. Please understand.

2. My Jedi News article did not go up on that site. I want to find out what's going on before I post it here. Please understand.

3. I've finally gotten all of my birthday gifts from people, and I will show them off for your eternal envy. But not now, because time. Soon. Please understand.

4. Lots of stuff has been happening with me and WoW lately, and even though nobody else here has ever really shown any interest whatsoever when I've spoken about it in the past, I still want to write about it in a post (or several) in the very near future because it's my blog, so shut up,. Please understand.

5. I am considering possibly turning Adsense on for this blog once I've done more research on it, so I can start making a little extra moneywithout burning myself out at work. If you think this is THE WORST IDEA IN THE LONG SAD HISTORY OF BAD IDEAS and have a legitimate reason for thinking so, let me know so I can have all the information and make you guys happy about coming to this site. Please understand.

Nanu Nanu

You were the Bat that got me to start quoting movies.

You were the Genie that showed me I could love, and laugh, with Disney.

You were the dad who posed as the nanny to see his kids, at a time when I was caught in the middle of my own parents.

You were the comic who, when you did stand-up, made me nearly pass out in laughter every time without fail.

You were the best parts of what you did.

I don't do these a lot, because too many good people leave us every day to even keep up. But I had to say something today, because of how much your work has touched and influenced me. Part of me is still hoping that in a few hours it'll turn out to be a hoax. But I know after the chaos of your life, you deserve a peaceful rest.

The Genie has been freed.

Farewell, Mr. Williams.

Geekdom Madness: The Real Game - Secret Crisis on Infinite Wars

Hi, I'm a Marvel and I'm a DC.

Geekdom Madness: The Real Game - Wizard's Duel Redux Victor

That was pretty wizard...

....get it? cuz...nevermind....

The Victor for the second round of The Real Game is...

Gandalf the Grey

"Not even the very wise can see all ends"

Gandalf is once again sent back until his task is done, as out of 10 votes he received 60% to Lupin's 40%. 

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

This is starting to look familiar...

 

Geekdom Madness: The Real Game - Wizard's Duel Redux

This match promises to be magical!

Geekdom Madness: The Real Game - Battle Amongst the Stars Victor

I should have known better.

The Victor for the first round of The Real Game is...

Jar Jar Binks

"Mesa accept dis with muy muy humility!"

 

I should not have doubted that my readerbase would lean more Star Wars, as out of 12 votes Jar Jar stumbled away with 67% to Spock's 33%. Will Jar Jar's luck continue, however?

 

 

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

 

 

The font gets bigger the closer we get to the center...



Merch Ado About Nothing

(Originally Written for Jedi News)

I think I’ve pinpointed one reason why Disney’s handling of the Star Wars property has left a bad taste in my mouth, and why I can’t help but feel worried about the fate of Episodes I-III.

Merchandising. Where the real money from the movie is made.

Geekdom Madness: The Real Game - Battle Amongst the Stars

Welcome to Geekdom Madness: The Real Game! The preliminaries were certainly exciting, but here's where it really gets serious! And boy, do we have a doozy to start with: The eternal battle of Trek v. Wars!

Geekdom Madness: Miscellaneous Right Victor

The odds were certainly in someone's favor...

The Victor for the sixteenth and final round of the preliminaries is....












("Victors Are").....

Calvin and Hobbes

"Surely you concede I deserve it!"

In a not-so-stunning upset, out of 8 votes, Calvin and Hobbes received 63% of the vote, while Katniss only got 37%. 

Here's the breakdown. Tomorrow, the Real Game begins!

These are filling out quite nicely

Sorry guys

But after receiving 31 spam comments while I was at work in addition to the ten I just got, I'm adding a Captcha to the comments. I know it's annoying, and I hate it, but I hate the spam comments even more.

Geekdom Madness: Miscellaneous Right

This week's match-up: The last of the preliminaries featuring the Girl on Fire vs the Boy...of DESTINYYY (and his Tiger)

Geekdom Madness: Miscellaneous Left Victor

Well, that was unexpected.

The Victor for the fifteenth round of the preliminaries is:

Raggedy Ann

"Times get bad, but I don't worry...'Cause I know you'll see me through."

Even though I voted for her myself, and even though I made that little half-joke about substitutions, I am still shocked that out of 9 votes, Raggedy Ann scored 67% to Count Dracula's 33%. Let's see how much farther she gets in the competition.

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

I did NOT see that coming

At the Sound of the Tone

(Originally Written for Jedi News)

There are many reasons why The Phantom Menace is my favorite Star Wars film, but it boils down to the fact that every single thing about the film gives me the warm fuzzies and butterflies. Even the marketing.

Mandatory Fun

Hey, Weird Al's new ALbum "Mandatory Fun is out now! I can't afford it yet, but Al's posting music videos from the record all week at his official site and elsewhere. They're awesome, check them out!

Nilbog Watches The First Doctor

So I've made it through the abridged First Doctor of the Original Doctor Who.

Geekdom Madness: Miscellaneous Left

It's the penultimate preliminary.

This week's match-up: The Candy-Hearted Rag Dolly vs the Bloodthirsty Count

Geekdom Madness: British Invasion Victor

What a close race! Well...one of them had a bit of a lead. Well...I think the other one only got one vote...

The Victor for the fourteenth round of the preliminaries is:

The Doctor

"Just this once, everybody lives!"

Out of 12 votes, The Doctor got 92% to the Black Knight's 8%. Now, I'm not the best at math, but that sounds to me like the Knight only scored a single vote. Or, as he'd put it, "We'll call it a draw."

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

So that's like, one vote per Doctor?

A Saga Fan's Approach to Episode VII

(Originally Written for Jedi News)

Even though this column is primarily dedicated to I-III advocacy, some of you may notice I’ve made little or no mention of the goings on with the developing Episode VII and beyond. As I’ve been hinting, there’s a reason for that, and this article will finally tell you.

Geekdom Madness: British Invasion

This week's match-up: Their names are titles, so I won't make some up for them.

Geekdom Madness: Adventure, Ho! Victor

Don't forget your hat....

The victor for the thirteenth round of the preliminaries is:

Indiana Jones

"That depends on how reasonable we're all willing to be."

Jones dominated the 13-vote total with 77% to Captain Jack's 23%. Kind of expected, though I was hoping for the opposite.

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

Brackets. Why did it have to be brackets?

New Article

I submitted a new article for this week. It's not up yet. They have until tomorrow or else I'm posting it here anyway. You've all waited too long already.

Geekdom Madness: Adventure, Ho!

This week's match-up: Dr. Jones vs Cap'n Jack!

Geekdom Madness: Wild Child Victor

Sniped at the last second!

The Victor for the twelfth round of the preliminaries is:

Stewie Griffin

"When the world is mine, your death shall be quick and painless."

Out of 11 votes, Stewie got 55% to Kenny's 45%. Kenny had been in the lead up to this morning, when some last minute votes allowed Stewie to just squeak by.

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

As the first lady of the American stage Helen Hayes once said: I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!

Geekdom Madness: Wild Child

This week's match-up is between the Tot of Terror and the Parka'd Perpetual Redshirt

Geekdom Madness: Game Night Victor

Well that went by fast, didn't it?

The Victor for the eleventh round of the preliminaries is:

Sonic the Hedgehog

"Live fast, think fast, act fast!"

Out of a piddling 8 votes, Sonic sped by with 75% of the vote while Axel (or is it Lea again now?) teleported away with 25%.

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

Who's up for Chili Dogs?

Without Computers Redux

(Originally Written for Jedi News)

I haven’t spoken much about the developing details of Episode VII, and I will discuss the very real reasons for this in an upcoming article. With that being said, one thing that Star Wars communities keep talking about for the last month or so is the glut of photos of practical effects, sets, and creature puppets that J.J. Abrams and his team are showing to get the fans excited. The clear meme here being: “We’re using good old-fashioned elbow grease with this film, not like those OTHER movies that were mainly CGI.”

Surprisingly, many sections of the fanbase have actually wizened up. First of all correctly saying how laughable the idea is that a big-budget director in this day and age will avoid using CGI entirely (especially J.J. “Cloverfield/Star Trek” Abrams). But more to the point, there have now been several incredible editorials, even from people who don’t like Episodes I-III, that are showing photo galleries of the myriad of practical effects used in those films in spite of hater party line we’ve been hearing since 1999.

EXCEPT I TOTALLY DID IT FIRST, YOU GUYS!

Geekdom Madness: Game Night

This week's match-up features the Fastest Thing Alive vs The Flurry of Dancing Flames

Geekdom Madness: Burtonesque Victor

What's this?

The Victor for the tenth round of the preliminaries is none other than:

Jack Skellington

"There are few who deny: at what I do, I am the best!"

Out of 10 votes, Jack got 60% while Edward got 40%.

Edward had an early lead, but Jack slowly overtook him. Not much else to say, except that I hope everyone is still having a good time with these.

Here's the breakdown. Check back tomorrow!

I can't make decisions by myself!