Awards 2011: Independent Spirit Award Nominations

That's right, it's awards season already. This year, things are kicked off with the Independent Spirit Award Nominations.

There are quite a few Oscar contenders on the list, which should make for an interesting show, since the Spirit Awards are the night before the Oscars.

Here are a few of the top categories:

Best Feature Film:

• "127 Hours"
• "Black Swan"
• "Greenberg"
• "The Kids Are All Right"
• "Winter's Bone"

Best Female Lead:

• Annette Bening-"The Kids Are All Right"
• Greta Gerwig-"Greenberg"
• Nicole Kidman-"Rabbit Hole"
• Jennifer Lawrence-"Winter's Bone"
• Natalie Portman-"Black Swan"
• Michelle Williams-"Blue Valentine"

Best Male Lead:

• Ronald Bronstein-"Daddy Longlegs"
• Aaron Eckhart-"Rabbit Hole"
• James Franco-"127 Hours"
• John C. Reilly-"Cyrus"
• Ben Stiller-"Greenberg"

Best Director:

• Darren Aronofsky-"Black Swan"
• Danny Boyle-"127 Hours"
• Lisa Cholodenko-"The Kids Are All Right"
• Debra Granik-"Winter's Bone"
• John Cameron Mitchell-"Rabbit Hole"

There's been a lot of early buzz around "Black Swan" so it's no surprise to see it on the list, but it's a little surprising that Mila Kunis didn't receive a nomination for supporting female.

Speaking of the supporting categories, there are a lot of big names nominated for films that I have honestly never heard of so I guess I've got some research to do before awards season gets in full swing.

As more critics associations announce their choices and some of the smaller releases are expanded into more theaters, look for us to go into full awards mode with predictions, spreadsheets and diagrams.

Black Friday purchases

So, I waited to post this because Amazon had a great deal for the first season of "Dollhouse" for $9.99 on Blu-ray. Too bad I woke up early this morning to find a bunch on nonsense regarding buying the set. There were two things I wanted, each released hours after each other.

But, these Amazon deals needed to be purchased within 15 minutes of clicking on it. Meaning I would need to buy them both separately and pay shipping for both.

No thanks.

I did, however, get some good movie deals on Black Friday.

And kept a tradition alive.

For the past few years I have gotten a great deal on a season set of "Psych."

This year I thought Borders had a great deal for season four for $14.99, but my store was sold out.

Enter Target's amazing TWO day sale.

They had the unadvertised "Psych" season four for only $12.99! In fact, they had all the seasons for that price.

I also picked up "The Best of The Greatest American Hero" (four episodes) for only $1.99!

Big fan of that show and especially cool because I had just shown my niece the opening of the show on YouTube the day before.

And lastly I got "Elf" for $3.99. What makes this deal great is that the DVD is not a bare bones release. This is the full on special, two-disc edition with loads of extras.

My family loves that film and now we don't have to wait for the USA Network to air it.

And no commericals!

The Oscars throw a curveball

Of all the names being thrown around to host the 2011 Oscars, no one expected that Anne Hathaway and James Franco would end up as hosts.

Based on her recent performance on "Saturday Night Live," Hathaway I can understand. I'm a little more fuzzy on Franco. His turn on "SNL" wasn't quite as entertaining as Hathaway and I don't think his stoner comedy will play well with traditional academy members.

I'm also wondering why the academy chose to go with these two together. It just doesn't sound like it will work. However, The Oscars do need to find a way to make the show less stuffy and draw a younger demographic.

I appreciate them for trying something different, but I was hoping for Ricky Gervais or Neil Patrick Harris.

Newest episode up...

My Chemical Romance 'Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys'

I know I wasn't the only one that was completely all over herself when she picked up MCR's new album in stores last week and blasted it when their windows down, even though it was freaking cold outside.

Like the rest of the fan base, I have been waiting for their next album for the last four years and was greeted with what I believe to be the best work they have ever done.

As a long time fan ever since their break out hit "Helena", which helped me through the grieving process of a very good friend of mine, I am still overjoyed at the concept and message of this new story.

For many years, especially after the dark road that the listener makes through "The Black Parade", My Chemical Romance has been accused time and time again by outsiders that their music not only drives out the darkness of their fans, but makes them driven by it. I myself have been singled out by being a big fan, apparently not seeming the type to enjoy their music. But any outsider wouldn't understand that "The Black Parade" wasn't only a journey through a dark road, but it was a journey through suffering into the light...which only continues to get brighter in "Danger Days."

After two years of "The Black Parade" Tour, and two more years of rest and creating this new album, the band has been among many break up rumors and that this might in fact be their last album. Since it's release, many of the members have made it clear that is NOT at all true and that they will keep creating as long as it keeps coming.

Back at Comic Con 2009 when I attended Gerard's panel for "The Umbrella Academy" (a fantastic graphic novel), he explained that this new album would be like a love letter to rock 'n' roll. I have to definitely agree with that statement.

Not only does "Danger Days" remind us what is great about rock, and at times, take us back to the greats like Zepplin, AC/DC, and the Stones, the story of this album is more about the listeners than the artists. A story that takes place in the near future of 2019, and is a rebellion against conformity and criticism. About having your own voice and fighting for it. It is definitely as Gerard has said in many interviews, "This is definitely the loudest and brightest album" they have ever released.

It's the only CD that I have been listening to in the last week and am already singing along with each song. Here are a few of my favorites:

Na Na Na
Bulletproof Heart
Sing (will inspire a whole new wave of MCR tattoos)
Plantery GO! (especially can't wait to see this one performed live)
The Only Hope for Me is You
The Kids From Yesterday

It may not be until May, but I already bought my pre-sale tickets for their next show in Los Angeles, and am already planning my Killjoys uniform.

And make sure you check out their new and fantastically rebellious music video for the new hit "Sing":

Killjoys, MAKE SOME NOISE!

New episode up...

The best Thanksgiving episodes ever

A lot is made about great Christmas episodes and we'll undoubtedly have a list of those in the coming weeks, however, there are also plenty of great Thanksgiving episodes, so here is my list of some the best.

1. "WKRP in Cincinnati"-"Turkeys Away"

I know this isn't a show you hear us talk about very much, but it is a hilariously underrated sitcom and this is one of the best episodes of the entire series. Mr. Carlson (Gordon Jump) decides to do a Thanksgiving promotion and hilarity ensues.

I won't spoil the ending, but you have to watch until the very end, it's worth it.

2. "The Cosby Show"-"Cliff's Wet Adventure"

"The Cosby Show" is of course one of the greatest shows of all time, so it's no surprise to find it on this list. In this episode, everyone has come to the Huxtables for Thanksgiving and Cliff has to keep going out to the only open store for eggs, nutmeg, tomatoes, etc.

The catch is, it's terrible outside. It's pouring rain and crazy windy, so everytime he opens the door to head out Bill Cosby gets this look on his face that is just hilarious. The whole thing culminates with everyone sitting down to dinner and him opening the door to blue skies and chirping birds. It's Cosby at his subtle best.




3. "Mad About You"-"Giblets for Murray"

"Mad About You" is one of my all time favorite shows. While Helen Hunt won several Emmys for Lead Actress in a Comedy, I always felt this show was underrated compared to "Seinfeld" and "Friends."

In this episode, Paul and Jamie host Thanksgiving for their friends and family and hilarity ensues. There are several trips to the store for multiple turkeys and crazy shenanigans.



4. "Friends"-"The One With the Rumor"

Two words: Brad Pitt. This classic season eight episode features Pitt as an old friend of Ross and Monica who hates Rachel. This was a clever twist by the writers since Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were married at the time. There were also plenty of jokes about Pitt's looks because his character used to be Monica's fat friend.

"Friends" was famous for its Thanksgiving episodes, so honestly the choices for this list were endless, but this one had Brad Pitt in it, so really there were no other choices.

5. "King of the Hill"-"Happy Hank's Giving"

I know this may seem like an odd choice but this episode perfectly depicts the insanity of traveling during the holidays. Everyone ends up trapped by a snowstorm at the airport and it becomes an all out war to get a possible flight or hotel room.

Anyone who's been stuck at the airport during the holidays will laugh at the situations the characters end up in.

'Real World' meets World Champion

A couple of weeks ago Stephanie wrote a blog about the most successful "Real World" cast members.

Mike "The Miz" was ranked No. 1 on her list. Not far behind was Sean Duffy, who just became a US Congressman.

Well, last night The Miz solidified his ranking by winning the WWE World Championship.

Yes, wrestling is fake. But they just don't hand someone the belt unless they have total faith in that person. The champion has to be able to sell shirts, get viewers to watch and buy the pay-per-views.

So this is a big deal for him because that means Vince McMahon thinks he's going to be successful.

And this is a moment where Stephanie is probably happy she was right, but also not happy she was right.

Thoughts on 'Green Lantern' movie

Stephanie and I both talked a bit in this week's show regarding the new trailer for the "Green Lantern" movie.

Taking Blake Lively's "acting" out of the equation there was one single problem we both had: iffy special effects.

That is where Tony Rizo comes in.

Tony is a good friend of the show, who also designed our nifty logo. He also has extensive experience in the world of visual effects.

He also gave some unique insight during our Oscar special last year.

So, the logical thing to do was seek his guidance on this issue we are having with the trailer.

Here is what Tony had to say regarding the issue:

"Well just saw the GL trailer, nothing phenomenal about it at all.



The interior cockpit jets look so clean!

The suit is hyper-realistic and makes Reynolds physique look abnormal and odd for a man. Even skinny male models don’t look like that, they really gave him a v-shape that is uncharacteristic of a real man, which is why it is so off putting.

Will they change the suit?


Not if they are approaching their hard dead line, like with most movies, it is some executive producer that wanted the suit to be that way probably not the VFX supervisor or any of the other artists that wanted to remain true to the original GL design.

How much would it cost for them to change the suit and replace it? A butt load of dough and they probably wouldn’t be able to finish it in time if they wanted to, the whole thing looks very clichéd as well. They should have taken some notes from the last Batman movie, or from Watchman. The costumes in both of those movies were very good, more natural to what we perceive."
 
Can't argue with that.

Welcome back 'Human Target'

One of the most underrated shows on TV, "Human Target" returned to FOX's schedule last night.

The show follows bodyguard Christopher Chance (Mark Valley) as he protects desperate clients with the help of his partners Winston (Chi McBride) and Guerrero (Jackie Earle Haley).

The second season began with Chance and Guerrero rescuing a kidnapped Winston, then the team was brought back together to protect billionaire widow Ilsa Pucci (Indira Varma).

This is a fun old school action show, that has a cast with great chemistry and exciting stories. Some of the best scenes involve Guerrero coming up with interesting ways of interrogating people or Winston's constant exasperation at Chance's seeming spontaneity.

For season two, Varma has joined the team as its new benefactor and Janet Montgomery is Ames, a young thief who will occasionally help out. These additions are meant to help out with female viewers, however, Valley pretty much has that under control.


The season premiere garnered 6.5 million viewers, putting it behind "Survivor," "Dateline" and ABC's comedy block. FOX should promote this show more and give it a better timeslot. It's fun show that can find som success with a little push.

How to fix the WWE

It's no secret that I'm a huge wrestling fan. I've been watching my whole life and really enjoy the athleticism of the wrestlers along with the entertainment of the storylines.

Unfortunately, the WWE has been in a creative slump lately and it's become more of a chore to continue watching.

I understand that Vince McMahon was busy with his wife Linda's senate campaign. However, now that the election is over and she was "taken out to the woodshed" as Jim Ross would say, he can triumphantly return and fix things.

Step one, get rid of The Nexus. They can't wrestle, have no personality and drag the show to a screeching halt everytime they show up. I've also never appreciated it when the company tries to force a particular wrestler or group down my throat.

I always think about the scene in "Mean Girls" when Rachel McAdams tells her minion to quit trying to make fetch happen. Hey Vince quit trying to make The Nexus happen, cause it's not working.

I mean really, who the heck is Wade Barrett that he all of a sudden gets a title shot. Also everytime you make a good wrestler lose to one of these guys through some extraordinary circumstance, it ruins the company's credibility. Wrestling fans are already stretching reality far enough, am I really supposed to believe that Edge wouldn't beat David Otunga in like five seconds.

Step two, get rid of the ridiculous anonymous general manager on "Raw." We all know it's Michael Cole, no one is buying it. And while we're on the subject can Cole go back to calling matches and stop playing this stupid character, it's seriously annoying.

Finally, and most importantly, bring back the fun. The Nov. 15 edition of "Monday Night Raw" was billed as "Old School Night," and while there were a few ridiculous moments, it was the most fun "Raw" had been in months.

And really that's what wrestling is supposed to be about. The Rock, Stone Cold, Shawn Michaels, Triple H were all really fun to watch, even when they were beating the crap out of someone, it was still fun.

John Cena used to be fun before he was saddled to The Nexus and Randy Orton was at his best as the guy you loved to hate.

"Survivor Series" is this Sunday and while it's been one of my favorite pay-per-views in the past, I have absolutely no interest in seeing Wade Barrett crowned WWE Champion only to lose two minutes later when The Miz cashes in Money in the Bank.

That's the problem in a nutshell, things are too predictable.

It's a sad day for the WWE when Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov having a traditional English tea party with Sheamus is the highlight of the week.

'Rock Band' Tuesday

It's time to open the shirt, let the chest hair flow and sing in your highest voice possible.

Oh, yeah that can only be one thing.

Bee Gees.

The brotherly trio has six of their greatest hits released today as downloadable content:

"Jive Talkin'"


"Night Fever"

"Stayin' Alive"

"Nights on Broadway"

"Tragedy"

"You Should Be Dancing"

I normally would skip a week like this, but I've had "Tragedy" stuck in my head all day long.

Great...

Jeff Goldblum is awesome

So in all the hoopla over Conan, Jay and Dave; Jimmy Fallon has gotten lost in the conversation. He has slowly been building a very funny show over at "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon."

His regular bits like "Slow Jamming the News," "Thank You Notes" and "Cell Phone Shootout" are hilarious. He also has a knack for getting guests to do the most outrageous bits.

Well last night he took it to another level when Jeff Goldblum with Biz Markie and The Roots did the most fantastic version of "Just a Friend."

I dare you to watch this clip and not fall out laughing.

Christopher Nolan: You can stop looking

Deadline is reporting that Nolan is meeting with actresses for two roles in "The Dark Knight Rises;" a love interest and a villain.

This news leads one to believe that Catwoman is the villain.

But, as we have talked about here at Inscaped numerous times (at the 21:20 mark), I don't think so.

Wrapping up the Nolan trilogy, I truly believe that Talia al Ghul is going to be in this next movie.

So let's look at Deadline's reported actresses, wait... let's not.

Because there's only one choice.

And she wants the part.

Stana Katic from "Castle."

At Comic-Con this year (see above) she talked about wanting the role. She's already perfect for the role after doing the voice for Talia in the next "Batman" game.

As Stephanie has pointed out, Katic can pull off the action perfectly.

And if you want to see some amazing acting, check out the "Castle" episode "Sucker Punch."

Forget Natalie Portman and Keira Knightley.

Katic is the only real choice.

Vampire Diaries: Moonstone and the Originals predictions

Now, there has been plenty of theories on what exactly the moonstone is for, or being used for. In last week's episode, "Rose", some exciting and surprising information was revealed, and gives us obsessed viewers, a chance to reform our theories.

For those of us that read the books, I'm sure I wasn't the only one that was jumping up and down when Klaus' name was mentioned. I honestly was not expecting him to come into the story until at least the end of this season. But now that Elena and the Salvatores know what they are up against, it changes everything.

For those of us up to speed, this episode filled in a few holes that we didn't know before, or at least were not sure of:

1. Katherine is about 500 years old.
2. The moonstone binds the sun and the moon curse.
3. Trevor was commanded by the Originals to watch over Katherine Petrova, but he messed up.
4. The Originals wanted Katherine Pierce, now want Elena.
5. Elena is not the first Petrova doppleganger.
6. The sacrifice of the doppleganger will break the curse.
7. The Originals want to sacrifice Elena FOR Klaus.
8. The Originals can not be killed by a simple stake.

With this new information, I have been trying to fill in the holes of my own theory. So far, this is what I've got:

The Originals are the first vampires. Klaus, the oldest vampire in history, the first, had a companion. A Petrova, who is the first one he turned. As the years went by, the vampire race grew, something happened. Some of us have been speculating whether Klaus and this Petrova Original were together, and she did something to betray him. Or perhaps, the other Originals did something to betray her. I haven't decided which one I think it right quite yet, but it has to be one or the other. However, I am leaning towards the theory that the Petrova Original did something to betray the other Originals with the help of a Lockwood and Bennett.

If that is what happened, then Klaus and the rest of the Originals bound the sun and the moon curse to the moonstone as a punishment. So where does the dopplegangers and the powers of the Bennett witches fit in? I'm not quite sure yet, but I do believe that they are both connected to the curse of the moonstone. Perhaps they were side effects of the curse somehow? Or a little magic that the first Bennett witch worked up? And if the fact that the Originals can only be killed by a certain type of wood, like in the books, remains the same in the series, that too could be part of the magic the Bennett cooked up.

The only aspect that I really don't understand, is why the Originals want to sacrifice Elena and break the curse? It really makes me think that the only thing that can kill them, was a side effect of the moonstone's magic, so they really can be invincible. When they realized their mistake, they waited for the first doppleganger to be born, which was Katherine. Trevor was commanded to watch over her, but she was turned, and no longer able to use at the sacrifice. And we know from Elijah, that the other Originals that Katherine was the last of her family line, which obviously is not true.

Also, as a side note, I still stand by the theory that the moonstone needs werewolf blood too, or else Katherine wouldn't have gone through the trouble of turning Tyler.

There is one other little tidbit that I want to mention because of the suggestive way Elijah talks about Mystic Falls...

Myself and TVD pal Tasha (@IHeartTVD) have discussed the possibility of Mystic Falls not being the first town in this area. In the books, there is the idea of ley lines and how their energy draws supernatural creatures. Mystic Falls happens to be exactly where several ley lines cross. It acts as a beacon to other creatures, and could explain all the vampire, witch, and werewolf activity in the area. Well, what if before Mystic Falls, there was a community of vampires, and other creatures? What if it was the home of the Originals, and something major happened, the Founding Families showed up, push the vampires out, and creating their own town of Mystic Falls?

If that is true, I imagine they would be pretty pissed. I guess we have to wait and see what happens.

Oh my...

To take a line from the M&M's commerical "It does it exist."

In the hilarious "Due Date" Zach Galifianakis' character runs a "Two and a Half Men" fansite.

"Haha" I thought.

Until this:

http://www.itsrainingtwoandahalfmen.com/

Yes, we here at Inscaped loathe the show, but come on this is comedy gold.

Especially the title alone.

Great 'Rock Band' song week

Each week new songs are put out to be downloaded into the "Rock Band" games.
Usually I'm not so gung-ho about downloading a ton of songs.

At last count I have 27 downloaded songs. Three of those were free and a handful more were only $1.

Say in the past couple of months I have "purchased" two songs ("Poker Face" and "It's the End of the World As We Know It" by R.E.M. *had a free coupon*).

This week might just change that.

Not only are the pre-sale songs being released ("Blue Monday" by New Order, "Burning Down the House" by Talking Heads and "My Own Summer" by The Deftones) but also a collection of Bon Jovi's "Greatest Hits."

"Bad Medicine"
"Blaze of Glory"
"Have a Nice Day"
"I'll Be There For You"
"Lay Your Hands on Me"
"It's My Life"
"Livin' on a Prayer"
"Runaway"
"Wanted Dead or Alive"
"We Weren't Born to Follow"
"Who Says You Can't Go Home"
"You Give Love a Bad Name"

Yes, some of those songs are already in previous games. They are actually re-releasing them with vocal harmonies and keyboard parts. You want to play the keys in "Livin' on a Prayer?" An extra $2.

Not that I'm complaining.

I am looking to pick up "Blue Monday," "It's My Life," "Livin' on a Prayer," "Runaway" and "We Weren't to Follow."

"It's My Life" is a great song, even though there is no Talk Box attachment for "Rock Band..." yet.

The entire Bon Jovi pack is 12 songs going for $19.99, which is almost $4 in savings. I just don't love the rest of the songs enough to spend the money.

Besides, dropping $10 in one sitting is enough.

'Conan:' First impressions

Last night was the first episode of Conan O'Brien's new show "Conan." What I liked about it was it felt like he was himself again.

Say what you want about all the controversy, but let's face it, Conan never really felt comfortable on "The Tonight Show."

This show signaled a return to his old "Late Night" laid back comedy, which made it a much funnier show.

Everything is pretty much the same, minus Max Weinberg. He came out and did the string dance, had a pre-taped bit that featured the masturbating bear and repeatedly made fun of his hair and pale complexion.

It was vintage Conan.

His first guest was Seth Rogen, who sort of promoted "Green Hornet," but really just hung out and told embarrassing stories.

Lea Michele from "Glee" was charming and the only man paler than Conan, Jack White, was the musical guest, playing a rockabilly number with Conan and the band.

According to tvbythenumbers.com, the early ratings are good with 4.1 million viewers total and 2.4 million in the coveted 18-34 demographic.

Of course, those numbers are bloated because it's the first show. It will be interesting to see how things turn out once the new talk show smell wears off.

New episode up...

What happens after 'The Real World'

In the aftermath of last week's midterm elections, an interesting story came out that "The Real World: Boston" cast member Sean Duffy had been elected to Congress.

This sparked a conversation between Tim and myself about who was the most successful "Real World" cast member.

So, in response here are the top five "Real World" success stories.

1. Mike "The Miz" Mizanin-season 10 (Back to New York)-is now a very successful professional wrestler with WWE. He has held titles including the Tag Team Championship and the United States Championship.
2. Judd Winick-season 3 (San Francisco)-is an award winning comic book writer/artist for DC who has written for Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Batman and Teen Titans.
3. Sean Duffy-season 6 (Boston)-the recently elected representative from Wisconsin's seventh congressional district.
4. Jamie Chung-season 14 (San Diego)-is a successful actress who has appeared in "Dragonball: Evolution," "Grown Ups" and the upcoming "Sucker Punch" and "The Hangover 2."
5. Jacinda Barrett-season 4 (London)-is also a successful actress whose resume includes "Ladder 49," "The Last Kiss" and "Poseidon."

Originally, I had planned for a top 10, but it turns out there aren't that many "Real World" success stories.

In my research I noticed that after season 10, the show shifted from a diverse group of young people, to casting types. This clearly hurt the show as it became a caricature of itself that is no longer watchable.

New episode up...

AMC's "The Walking Dead"

With an astounding series premiere, "The Walking Dead" received the highest ratings for any series in AMC history. Competing with 3 time Emmy Award winning series for Best Drama, "Mad Men", that is quite an accomplishment, especially for Halloween night.

I have never been much for zombies. It's not that they scare me, it's that they don't. More often than naught, I find zombie films to be dull and boring. Very rarely do I find them to have a story and characters that are compelling and fun to watch. Sadly, it's one of those genre's that are so overdone, creators feel that they only need to make it look cool, throw in a lot of blood and they have a hit on their hands. Some people fall for that, and some don't. As the intelligence of a movie audience continues to get smarter, less and less viewing members will fall for that, and I am definitely one of them.

Satisfyingly, "The Walking Dead", based on the graphic novel of the same name, does not fall into that category. After hearing about this series at Comic Con this summer, I wasn't too excited. However, in the last few months as AMC has really been pushing it's promotion with all the press, promos, and buzz on Twitter, the series premiere finally won me over. And I was beyond happy that I decided to watch it.

AMC's motto "Story Matters Here" definitely proves to be right in this case. Right from the beginning, it's not the zombies that pushed to hook the audience, it's the story of the main character, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), a Sheriff's Deputy in a small town in the Midwest. It's his story of survival, and his search for his wife and son, that keep our attention. Without this story, it would just be another dull and boring zombie story.

Although the story of the supporting characters is just as compelling, especially that of Rick's partner Shane (Jon Bernthal), it's Rick's story that will keep me coming back every week. After getting shot on the job, he is taken to the hospital for what seems to be a long stay. After an unknown period of time measured only by the death of the flowers beside his bed, he wakes up to a nearly deserted city, to humans at least. The Undead aimlessly walk the streets day and night. After finding that his wife and son are gone, Rick is apprehended by what seems to be the only humans left in the area, a father and son who are still struggling over losing their wife and mother to the infection.

They fill Rick in on the time he lost while in hospital, and he decides to head to Atlanta, which has apparently been turned in to a refugee sanctuary. Rick heads out in a squad car, broadcasting on his radio for any other survivors. The transmission is picked up briefly by a small group of survivors camped in the woods outside Atlanta and try to warn him not to enter the city. Within this group of survivors we find not only Rick's partner Shane, but also his wife, Lori, and son, Carl. Immediately, the audience is made aware of a secret relationship between Shane and Lori, which makes me wonder if they left Rick in the hospital on purpose. Or perhaps Shane told Lori that Rick was already dead?

After running out of gas, Rick is forced to continue his journey to Atlanta on horseback. At first, the city seems to be deserted, except for a zombie here and there. However, once he tries to pursue a helicopter, Rick is surrounded by mobs of the undead from every side. As they close in, he is forced beneath a tank, and nearly shoots himself, before finding refuge inside the tank just in time. Once locked in, the radio activates and hears the voice of another survivor who just watched his escape into his hiding place.

I have never heard of Britain native actor Andrew Lincoln, but after only episode of this series, I am beyond willing to search out other films and TV series he has starred in just because of him. I also love Rick. From what I have seen so far, he is one of the best characters that I have seen on a cable series since the ending of "Battlestar Galactica". Within the first few minutes, we are willing to follow his journey. We understand him, and sympathize with his position. He is a man that is dedicated to his work, loves his son, and struggling with his wife. An everyday man, not a superhero with any extraordinary gifts, that must learn to survive in this new strange world. It is this story that the audience grabs hold of, and wants to follow. That is exactly what will make me willing to tune in every week.

This is definitely the zombie story that every zombie-hater will love.

100k+ nerds cause an overload on the Comic Con registration site!

Honestly, I know this is a huge hassle, and the registration website should have prepared for this...but I can't help but feel a little proud.

For the first time ever, fans have caused a major overload on the website, and registration has officially been canceled until a later date. On the Comic Con website there is a new message: "Please check back on the 8th of November for information on the new registration date."

And minutes after that, the home page was updated with this following message:


As a long time Comic Con veteran, I have seen plenty of crazy things when it comes to registration and hotel bookings. But I have never witnessed this before.

As for us Comic Con nerds on Twitter, while we were waiting for that dreadful message, we somehow found a way to not only entertain ourselves, but gave the world a new reason to call us nerds...and that's with hilarious tweets:

@Crazy4Comic Con: Buying Comic Con tickets today: "It's as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced..." #SDCC

@SuperMomRobyn: If I can get up at 4am to get in line at Hall H, I can't wait a few hours for tickets to #SDCC

@jpooch21: I just keep telling myself that waiting for #sdcc ticket website to load is preparing me 8.5 months early for the horror that is Hall H line

@ana_br: Frustration is an understatment! RT @kirstiemdon: Seriously, I could've found Narnia by now. #SDCC

@TVWithoutPity: Leave it to #SDCC to hire the only nerds who aren't tech-savvy. RT @colliderfrosty: whoever does tech for Comic-Con needs to get fired.

@Crazy4ComicCon: Hour 1 of waiting in line ends. Hour 2 begins.Anyone have any food or water (maybe a sleeping bag)? Good luck all! #SDCC

@Crazy4ComicCon: At this rate, we will be getting tickets hopefully by Christmas time- well it will be a perfect X-mas gift :) #SDCC

@redsonja1313: I am an angry mob of one armed with a pen ready to storm hall H #SDCC

@Silentbeeker: Perhaps this is all some twisted experiment to see how much comic-con fans will take before snapping? #Theticketsarealie #SDCC

@Locdonan: #SDCC Knock Knock...Who's There?/// Comic Con.... Comic Con Who?.......Hello?...Hello!?... Service Unavailable....

@tehAlz: The Matrix has us. There is no step 2... #SDCC

@saintocamus: otakus, nerds, geeks, trekies, ewoks, freakies, steam punks, ghostbuster, zombies.....This is WAR I want my tickets!!! @#SDCC

@candacetwilson: greatest costume at #sdcc 2011??? A service unavailable screen...except he got mobbed right inside the door....

@RandomPenguin: @DamonLindelof I feel like getting tix to #SDCC is like the people on Lost getting off the island: most of us will die before that happens

@Jeska_Day: Maybe if A-M agreed to press reload only on even minutes, and N-Z on odd, we'd all get our tickets for ComicCon #sdcc

@Crazy4ComicCon: #SDCC fans, we did it!!! We broke Comic Con! I know this is sad but it's pretty impressive at the same time. (check back Nov 8th)

@plannedaccident: LOOKS LIKE EPIC HAS A CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE YA'LL +1(704)943-1003. HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE 100,000 NERDS SCORNED #SDCC

...nothing like an epic and hilarious #SDCC Twitter spam to go down with the worst day in Nerd History. But hey, that's what we're here for.