Best pop culture moments of 2011

2011 was a great year for pop culture.

There were plenty of great TV moments, great movies and a wave of excellent comics.

Stephanie and I were lucky enough to witness a lot of them firsthand.

So here are some of my favorite moments from 2011 that I saw with my own eyes in person:

Just like the electric moment at Comic-Con 2010 I was able, once again, to see "Avengers" madness firsthand.

And Disney made us work for it. I literally had to sit through hours of stuff to get maybe 5 minutes of "Avengers" stuff. Some of it was great (first look at "The Muppets"), some alright ("Brave") and then a painful, what seemed like four hour long look at "John Carter."

But, I was one of only a couple thousand people to see "Avengers" footage that, to this day, has still not been shown anywhere else. Bragging rights alone were awesome enough.

Another great moment was seeing "Weird Al" Yankovic perform literally a mile away from my house.

It was a two hour plus long show that had all of the hits performed. I got chills when he started playing "Eat It."

He really can put on a show. The audience was filled with everyone from kids to older people. Talk about a varied audience. And not just a good show, but he sounded great. Like CD quality good.

Here's a quick clip of his performance at my show.

It was also beyond exciting to see him at the "Nerdist" taping Stephanie and I went to. As he was walking in (without an entourage) I smiled and nodded to him and not a nerdy nod back. Then I sat behind him for one segment.

I polietly asked him if there was any chance he would play the Coachella Music Festival this year and he replied with a big smile "If they ask me!"

Because he was so amazing I went nuts with my acting ability when they announced him as The Nerdist of the Year.

Seriously, look out for the crazy guy behind Al at the seven second mark:



But, my No. 1 favorite pop culture moment of 2011 was actually at Coachella this year. When it was announced that Duran Duran would perform, I got a little excited.

Then as the show loomed closer, I got even more excited.

Then as Duran Duran took to the stage I started geeking out. They first played "Planet Earth" and woke everyone up.

And then this happened:



It was glorious and amazing. I called Stephanie just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. I actually turned into a crazy man, dancing around and singing along.

Merry Geekmas!

If there was any doubt before that I was a geek, my Christmas gifts came along to remind me "oh, yeah geek!"

The Green Lantern snuggie type thing in the earlier post? A Christmas gift from my equally nerdy friend Kim (I got her a Penguin stuffed animal... the Batman villain, not a penguin penguin.)

I also got this massive Batman book from Stephanie. I'm going to do an entire separate entry on this bad boy. Not only is it huge, but very heavy. It's basically a scrapbook of Bruce Wayne's life. And includes Batcave blueprints.

My niece knows how nerdy I am, so she made me this:

And the inside (I was so proud when I opened it up):

Funny when, in life, you hope people really know you. Like personally know what you love and what makes you tick. And for a kid to realize this?

I also got an Iron Man vinyl bobblehead, loads of "Thundercats" stuff and a giant Wolverine book (I think my mom stole the idea from Stephanie.)

Tim's Christmas gifts (to himself)

In what has become a yearly tradition for me, I was once again braving the crowds at Target the day after Christmas.

No, I wasn't looking for half off decorations or discounted lights. Target seems to only want to put this one item I want on sale at this time.

Each year I plan a little better and learn more tricks to get in, grab it and get out as quickly as possible.

Oh, the item?

Yes, I own every season of "Psych" on DVD and I've purchased each one at Target during the holidays. I've never spent more than $14.99 for a set.

One year, I got a season for $12.99.

With a usual price of $39-$44, it's almost a steal for $14.99.

And this is a show where if I need cheering up, I can just grab a disc and start laughing. I think my disc with "American Duos" on it might need to be replaced I've played it so much.

I did grab another excellent deal on Super Monday (the day after Christmas).

Best Buy had season two of "Community" for $14.99, with a usual price of $39.99. Add to that the $5 Reward Zone certificate I got (and free shipping), I got the set for less than $11. 

Merry Christmas!

Stephanie's best TV of 2011 part 2

As promised here is part two of my best TV of 2011 list. Unlike the bottom half of the list, there aren't a lot of surprises here as many of these choices made the list last year. As a matter of fact No. 1 hasn't changed.

1. "Doctor Who" - After his fantastic debut in season six Matt Smith really hit his stride as The Doctor, in the process redefining a 50 year old character. Executive producer/head writer Steven Moffat started the season off with the most stunning scene ever, The Doctor's death, and used it to build a season long story arc that was a masterclass in story development. The action never let up and built to an amazing cliffhanger and an even better finale. Long story short, it's the best show of the year hands down. Highlight episodes: "The Impossible Astronaut," "The Doctor's Wife," "The Girl Who Waited," "The Wedding of River Song."

2. "Game of Thrones" - The scope and size of George R.R. Martin's novels makes them almost un-adaptable. However, HBO did the impossible and brought Westeros to life in remarkable fashion. Every aspect of the stunning production from cinematography, to set design to costuming was a perfect rendition of what fans had been imagining for years. What really made the show work however was the casting. Peter Dinklage as Tyrion, Sean Bean as Ned Stark, Lena Heady as Cersei Lannister; there were absolutely no bad casting decisions made. Highlight episodes: "Winter is Coming," "A Golden Crown," "Baelor," "Fire and Blood."

3. "Castle" - It's no secret how much we love "Castle." Every year the show just gets better and better, with seasons three and four providing some of the series' best episodes yet. The stunning revelations about the death of Beckett's mother, the jaw-dropping cliffhanger and heart-wrenching premiere provided moments for the entire cast to shine. While it's the relationship between Castle and Beckett that keeps fans tuning in each week, it's the small moments, looks and lines that catapults the show to greatness each season. Highlight episodes: "Setup/Countdown" "Knockout," "Rise," "Cops & Robbers," "Kill Shot."

4. "Smallville" - Though this show had a roller coaster run of up and down seasons, it finished strong with a final season that was a love letter to fans who had stuck with it. Lois and Clark finally got together, the Justice Society was a real team, Lex and Clark had a showdown about their future and Clark finally became Superman. It was everything fans wanted and allowed the long running series to go out on a high. Highlight episodes: "Beacon," "Booster," "Finale."

5. "Community" - There is not a single show on television more creative than "Community." It constantly pull off the unexpected and makes every episode feel like a 30 minute movie. The characters are absurd, the setting is over the top ridiculous and the situations are completely fantastical. However, it all comes together to create this genius little show that keeps gaining momentum despite NBC's many attempts to sink it. Highlight episodes: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons," "A Fist Full of Paintballs/For a Few Paintballs More," "Remedial Chaos Theory," "Regional Holiday Music."

6. "Justified" - The trials of U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens just wouldn't work with anyone other than Timothy Olyphant as the lead. While Walton Goggins and Margo Martindale received plenty of well deserved praise for their work in the series' second season, it's Olyphant that carries the show. His simultaneous frustration and deeply hidden comfort at being stationed at home in Kentucky is brilliant. Plus his every scene he and Goggins have together is just perfect. Highlight episodes: "The Moonshine war," "The Life Inside," "Brother's Keeper," "Bloody Harlan."

7. "How I Met Your Mother" - In its seventh season, this show seems to no longer have anything to do with its title, however, it's so consistently funny who cares. This year it has blended humor and poignancy to deliver some of the show's strongest episodes, while the continuing will they/won't they aspect of Barney and Robin's relationship has given Neil Patrick Harris and Cobie Smulders some of their best material. Highlight episodes: "Bad News," "Last Words," "Disaster Averted," "Tick, Tick, Tick..."

8. "Person of Interest" - This high concept drama works almost solely on the basis of its fantastic two leads Michael Emerson and Jim Caviezel. Finch gets the social security numbers of a person of interest from the machine, while Reese is the former CIA agent who figures out of they are a victim or perpetrator. Emerson is of course brilliant, but it's Caviezel's tortured yet healing spy that is a constant source of interest. Best new show of the year. Highlight episodes: "Pilot," "Ghosts," "Witness."

9. "The Good Wife" -It is the rare show doesn't deliver a bad episode ever. This year that show has been "The Good Wife." While Julianna Margulies has really carried the first two seasons, this year the rest of the cast has really stepped up its game making every episode can't miss. Season three had Will and Alicia finally giving into their feelings, Eli joining the firm full time and the Will/Peter showdown fans have been waiting three years for. The only drawback is that producers need to get Alicia and Kalinda back together because their friendship was one of the series' best relationships. Highlight episodes: "A New day," "The Death Zone," "Marthas and Caitlins," "Executive Order 13224."

10. "Sons of Anarchy" - When a show has a season as brilliant as "SOA's" third, it's difficult to follow up with that same level of quality (I'm looking at you "Dexter"). However, "Sons" fourth season picked up where the previous one left off, with Jax pulling away from his club and closer to his family, while Clay pulled away from everything and painted himself into an irredeemable corner. Everything culminated with Jax and Tara becoming the new heads of SAMCRO and Gemma wondering how her plan had gone wrong. By the way, where the hell is Katey Sagal's Emmy? Highlight episodes: "Out," "With an X," "Hands," "To Be Act1/2."

So there it is my best TV of 2011. "Doctor Who" pulls off the repeat, while "Person of Interest" and "Game of Thrones make first time appearances.

Hit the comments and let me know what you think of my choices, what shows I left off and what shows you think shouldn't have made it. I look forward to your disdain.

Stephanie's best TV of 2011 part 1

With the 2011 coming to an end. It's time for Tim and I to take a look at our best TV of the year. Part one starts today with 11-21. That's right 21, because I just couldn't narrow it down to 20.

11. "Leverage" - Put simply it's one of the most fun shows on TV. The way the team interacts and the cleverness of the capers they pull off makes this TNT drama one of the shows that I can't miss and genuine appointment viewing. Highlight episodes: "The Long Way Down Job," "The Van Gogh Job," "The Experimental Job."

12. "Downton Abbey" - What more can I say about how good this PBS British import was? It was perfectly cast, with every episode building on the previous one. From Matthew and Mary star-crossed romance to Thomas and O'Brien's manipulations to Maggie Smith's endlessly entertaining Dowager Countess, there was not a single bad moment in the entire series.

13. "The Glades" - This A&E procedural really hit its stride in season two, fleshing out the main characters and making the cases less cookie cutter and more localized. The real draw however is the charm of lead Matt Passmore, who toned down detective Jim Longworth's a-hole exterior and turned him into a true hero. Highlight episodes: "Moonlighting," "Iron Pipeline," "Breakout."

14. "NCIS" - After nine seasons on the air most shows start to feel stale and phone it in, but "NCIS" is the rare show that seems to get better and more popular every year. While constant airings of reruns help it continually gain new viewers, it's the appeal of the team chemistry that makes the show rise above other procedurals. At this point Gibbs, Tony, Abby, McGee, Ziva and Ducky are like old friends that you meet up with every Tuesday night. Plus Mark Harmon still has that "Summer School" charm. Highlight episodes: "Recruitment," "Baltimore," "Engaged."

15. "Modern Family" - It's hard to find a show on television as consistently laugh out loud funny as "Modern Family." What makes it work so well is the absurd reality of the situations the Pritchett/Dunphy clan often finds themselves in. It's also nice to see a family that obviously loves each other despite the hilarious dysfunction of their relationships. Plus who is funnier than Eric Stonestreet, Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen? Highlight episodes: "Caught in the Act," (made me do and actual spit take) "When Good Kids Go Bad," "Phil on Wire," "Express Christmas."

16. "True Blood" - Season four of "True Blood" went deeper into the witch world with vampires fighting against a powerful vengeful witch named Marnie. However, the season belonged to Alexander Skarsgard who gave us yet another reason to fall in love with Eric when he developed amnesia and embarked on the long-awaited love affair with Sookie. Stephen Moyer must also be commended for giving Bill some teeth as the newly crowned King of Louisiana. "True Blood" continues to work because despite its large cast, at some point during the season everyone gets a chance to take center stage. Highlight episodes: "You Smell Like Dinner," "Spellbound," "Soul of Fire," "And When I Die."

17. "Supernatural" - Though season seven has not started out as strong as fans would hope. The end of season six featured some of the cult hit's funniest and most heartbreaking episodes. It also continued the series' trend of poking fun at itself in the most meta ways possible. Highlight episodes: "Like a Virgin," "The French Mistake," "My Heart Will Go On."

18. "Parks and Recreation" - This show is so ridiculously fun that I wish I lived in Pawnee. What "Parks and Rec" does so well is the little in between moments. Sure the big jokes are hilarious, but it's the throwaway lines and moments that will have you still laughing a few days later. Highlight episodes: "Road Trip," "Pawnee Rangers," "Meet 'n' Greet."

19. "Necessary Roughness" - USA continued its hit streak with this drama about a therapist who ends up working with pro football player Terrance "TK" King, which leads her to a client list full of sports stars and celebrities. At first the only thing holding this show up was the performance of lead Callie Thorne, However, it quickly became one of USA's patented character driven shows that thrives on the chemistry between the cast. Highlight episodes: "Pilot," "Habit Forming," "Baggage Claim."

20. "2 Broke Girls" - Though its new, this show has a quirky voice that makes it my new favorite comedy. Most of that is due to star Kat Dennings, who is impossible not to laugh at. She has the ability to make the most mundane task, such as lighting a pilot light, hilarious. Highlight episodes: "And the Rich People Problems," "And the Really Petty Cash."

21. "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena" - When Andy Whitfield was diagnosed with lymphoma and needed time for treatment, Steven S. DeKnight filled out the story with a prequel season. As it turned out the prequel was just as fascinating as the original, even helping to explain some characters motivations. Fans were introduced to new gladiators and early incarnations of established favorites. The series also provided a chance for Lucy Lawless and John Hannah to further explore the depths of the bond between Lucretia and Quintus. And of course there were plenty more kickass fights in the gladiator arena. Highlight episodes: "Beneath the Mask," "Reckoning," "The Bitter End."

So there it is, 11-21. Feel free to hit the comments and let me know what you think of part 1 of my best of TV list. Look for part 2 tomorrow.

'Terra Nova:' It's the end of the world...or is it the beginning?

Last night's spectacular two hour "Terra Nova" season finale (series finale?) had the producers throwing in every plot cliche but the kitchen sink. There was a civil war, an occupation, a rebellion, a bomb stopped at one second, a daring escape, a heartbreaking death of a main character, and the hero outrunning explosions.

We jumped right in with Taylor and the crew getting ready for an invasion from the evil empire. They've got almost every gun aimed at the Stargate waiting for the 11th pigrimage. Things run smoothly at first with normal colonists showing up, even Shannon son Josh's girlfriend Kara is among them.

Unfortunately for Kara the next person through is a suicide bomber, and just like that shit got real.

Actual hilarious texts between Tim and I during the show:

• Tim: So all season, every episode, they've gone on and on about bringing the son's girlfriend to Terra Nova. 5 minutes into the finale she arrives and is promptly killed.


• Steph: She showed up for like 10 seconds.


• Tim: All that time and effort wasted on plot.

So now without us getting to see the big war they've been teasing all season, the Phoenix Group has taken over Terra Nova. Their big masterplan is to strip mine the planet for its natural resources and send them back to 2149. Because starting over and doing things right is too much of a hassle?

More hilarious texts:

• Steph: Why don't they just go ahead and call the meteor unobtanium?


• Tim: They're going to burn everything down. Like they don't need plants in the future.


• Steph: Who needs oxygen?


• Tim: Yeah that totally wasn't the problem in the pilot.

Taylor's insane son Lucas is now running the colony, while Taylor and his men have disappeared into the jungle. Though he started off as the crazy scientist in the corner, it's worth noting that Lucas was a really great creepy villain.

For those of you wondering about Mira, she was sent on an errand to the Badlands and never showed up again for the rest of the finale. This made no sense since she had been running things this whole time and could have used her knowledge of the jungle to thwart Taylor's attacks.

But this is "Terra Nova," making sense is for TV shows without dinosaurs.

After some help from Jim on the inside, Taylor uses guerilla warfare and a montage to up his attacks against the Phoenix Group. Ultimately it's time for the Shannon family to get out of dodge. Unfortunately, Washington has to sacrifice herself to help them escape, in the process delivering a message to Taylor about how to defeat the evil empire.

Washington's death, while not surprising, was one of the few cliched scenes that still worked. She went out defiant, defending her people from tyrants as Taylor watched from the distance, finally seeing the man his son had become.

Her message was for Taylor to blow up the Stargate in 2149, thereby cutting themselves and the enemy off from the terrible future and finally getting a truly fresh start.

Even more hilarious texts:

• Steph: So they're gonna blow up the portal in the future and cut themselves off.


• Tim: The futuristic stuff was the best part, now it will be "Land of the Lost."

While Jim is in 2149 trying to blow up the portal (with a little help from a dinosaur), Taylor finally has a showdown with his crazy son. He beats the crap out of him saying he's glad his mother couldn't see what he became. Turns out all Lucas' issues are just manifestations of survivor's guilt over his mother's death.

Another round of hilarious texts:

• Tim: God, with these kind of daddy issues, you'd think this was "Lost."


• Steph: It's "Lost" with dinosaurs and lasers.
  

Once Jim blows up the portal and heroic outruns the explosion and the dinosaur back to Terra Nova, the Phoenix Group hightails it to the Badlands and the colonists return home.

They also figure out that there may be another portal in the Badlands, which is why the evil empire headed out there.

Though this show was stunningly ridiculous and contrived at times, there were flashes of greatness throughtout the first season. Amd the finale was actually entertaining and fun. I think FOX should pull a "Dollhouse" and order a surprise second season and give producers a chance to see where they can take it.

'Dark Knight Rises' reactions and spoilers

Now that we've given everyone the weekend to see either the prologue or trailer for "The Dark Knight Rises" let's spoil the crap out of them.

First up the prologue which ran before IMAX screenings of "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol." The clip encompasses the first six minutes of the film and features a professor being rescued by the CIA. However, there's a surprise when soldiers who worked for the famed assassin Bane have been captured as well.

Once on the plane, the lead agent tries interrogating the prisoners, but it turns out it was all part of the plan and Bane is actually among the captured men. He needed to make sure the professor didn't say anything.

Bane then proceeds to take over the plane when his much larger plane descends in and hooks up the small CIA plane. This was a fantastic bit of filming that played extremely well in IMAX. The way everyone fell back on the plane as Bane remained in control reminded me of the fight in "Inception." You keep wondering how did they do that?

Finally Bane hooks the professor up to a dead soldier and gives him a blood transfer, presumably giving the professor an injection of Venom.

Bane and the professor are then lifted out of the plane as it crashes.

The prologue ends with a sizzle reel of shots from the movie including the big fight between Batman and Bane. All in all an OK preview, but really nothing new or unexpected.

With all the hype surrounding the IMAX prologue, no one had any idea that a awesome trailer was being released with "Sherlok Holmes."



As you can see the trailer provides more insight into plot and shows more of the cast, though unless I'm mistaken there was no Morgan Freeman. However, the one thing both clips have in common is neither has very much Batman in them. This makes me wonder what surprises Christopher Nolan is trying to keep under wraps.

I guess we'll all have to wait until "The Dark Knight Rises" hits theaters July 20.

Trailer roundup

This week a bunch of new trailers were released so we decided to do a quick recap of our first impressions.

"G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation"



I'm trying to figure out what any of this has to do with G.I. Joe. This looks like a generic action movie that they're slapping a familiar name on in order to boost its profile. Channing Tatum and Bruce Willis return from the first one but other than that it does look completely different, which is its one saving grace.

"Men In Black 3"



Stop me if you've heard this one. Will Smith works for a secret government agency, he tracks aliens living in New York and cracks wise with his partner Tommy Lee Jones. What's that you say? You've seen this movie twice already and have no need for a third one. Well no matter cause Will Smith needs a giant payday and another big soundtrack hit.

"Expendables 2"



Jean Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris join the team for the sequel. Enough said.

"Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance"



This is one of those movies where story doesn't matter much. While this one looks marginally better than the first one, that's not saying much. Also once again I have no desire to see Nicholas Cage urinate fire. However, no one does eccentric hero like Cage and that's always worth the price of admission.

"Jack the Giant Killer"



Though this movie hasn't been garnering a lot of buzz, look for that to pick up in 2012. It has a top notch director in Bryan Singer, talented co-writer Christopher McQuarrie and an all-star cast including Ewen McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Ian McShane, Bill Nighy and young standout Nicholas Hoult. Updated fairy tales are very popular right now so that will help it get a lot of attention.

"Rock of Ages"



This is the long awaited movie aaptation of the popular Broadway musical. The story centers around the 1980s Sunset Strip music scene and stars everyone from Alec Baldwin to Mary J. Blige to Catherine Zeta-Jones. Of course the real draw is Tom Cruise as rock God Stacee Jaxx. Unfortunately the trailer goes out of its way to not show Cruise. I suppose the producers are trying to build suspense but if you had the world's biggest movie star singing Bon Jovi wouldn't you put that out there as much as possible?

So what does everyone think of the latest batch of trailers? What are you most excited about? Hit the comments and let us know.

Inscaped for Dec. 15

SAG nominations: TV reactions

While there were a few surprises in the motion picture categories the Screen Actors Guild TV nominations were as expected with "Modern Family" received five nominations including outstanding cast in a comedy, Sofia Vergara and Julie Bowen for comedy actress and Ty Burrell and Eric Stonestreet for comedy actor.


"30 Rock" continued its award domination with three nominations for Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin and cast, while America's sweetheart Betty White received two nominations for comedy actress in "Hot in Cleveland" and TV movie or miniseries actress for "The Lost Valentine."

In the drama categories, the lead actress nominees reads more like an Oscar list with Kyra Sedgwick for "The Closer," Julianna Margulies in "The Good Wife," Jessica Lange in "American Horror Story," and Kathy Bates and Glenn Close getting their second nods, as they were both nominated in movie categories.

Nerds can rejoice since "Game of Thrones" was nominated for outstanding cast in a drama series, though it has stiff competition against "The Good Wife," "Boardwalk Empire," "Breaking Bad" and "Dexter."

Unfortunately, neither Sean Bean nor Peter Dinklage were singled out for their fantastic work this year.

The guild's one true surprise came in its nomination of newcomer Patrick J. Adams for "Suits." This nod doesn't make any sense when you consider all the other strong performances that weren't recognized like Nathan Fillion, Josh Charles, Charlie Hunnam, Timothy Olyphant, Walton Goggins and on and on.

A few other nominations of note: Kate Winslet for "Mildred Pierce," Maggie Smith for "Downton Abbey," and Kyle Chandler and Steve Carell for their final performances on "Friday Night Lights" and "The Office."

The SAG Awards air Jan. 29 on TNT and TBS at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

SAG nominations: Movie reactions

With award season in full swing, the Screen Actors Guild announced its nominations this morning. "The Help" led the way with four nominations including cast, Viola Davis for lead actress, Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer for supporting actress.

While Davis and Spencer weren't surprises, Chastain was, as many thought her recognition would be for "The Debt" though she was great in "The Help."

The other big winner was "Bridesmaids" which received surprise nominations for cast and supporting actress Melissa McCarthy.

Rounding out the best performance by a cast category was "The Artist," "Midnight in Paris" and "The Descendants."

In a surprise to no one George Clooney was also nominated for lead actor against Demian Bichir for "A Better Life," Jean Dujardin in "The Artist," Leonardo DiCaprio for "J. Edgar" and his good friend Brad Pitt in "Moneyball" which should make for a fun ceremony if one of them wins.


Davis will be up against a very strong lead actress field with Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady," Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs," Tilda Swinton in "We Need to Talk About Kevin" and Michelle Williams for "My Week With Marilyn."

A few other nominees of note include Jonah Hill, Kenneth Branagh and Armie Hammer in the supporting actor category and France's First Lady Carla Bruni as a member of the "Midnight in Paris" ensemble.

The SAG Awards air Jan. 29 on TNT and TBS at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

'Doctor Who' is the best present

My favorite thing about Christmas is hands down new "Doctor Who" specials every year. This year marks Matt Smith's second outing and promises to be even more fun than last year's "A Christmas Carol."

These videos from BBC America offer a look at what Whovians can expect from "Doctor Who: The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe" which premieres on BBC America Christmas Day at 9 p.m.

Check out the alien tree which looks like the creepiest thing since "Blink" where we met the Weeping Angels.

Name that G.I. Joe!

The first trailer for the sequel "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" is out now and has people around the world scratching their heads.

Seriously.

I might have been a "Transformers" kid growing up, but my brother was a die-hard "G.I. Joe" fan and we had thousands of inter-promotional playing.

To be honest I did skip the first movie, only because it didn't look like what anyone would consider "G.I. Joe."

And this new movie? Even worse.



I dare anyone who is a "G.I. Joe" fan to tell me who these people are outside of Duke and Snake Eyes.

I guess on the plus side, the trailer says everyone else is dead. Sorry Marlon Wayans.

'Game of Thrones' teaser trailer. 'Winter is coming' in April 2012!

"Game of Thrones" fans rejoice as HBO as released the season two teaser trailer. Tis will have to keep them satisfied until a more detailed trailer is released ahead of the April 2012 premiere.

Tease - Cold Winds Are Rising

Inscaped for Dec. 8

#sixseasonsandamovie

So we all know by now, because we've been complaining about it, that "Community" is going on a hiatus of sorts.

A lot of people are looking at that as a sign the show is going to get canceled. While that would suck, there might be hope.

The awesome people over at TVBythenumbers.com have a great analysis of how the show will actually get renewed.

God bless you syndication!

I was just reading something about "Community" that really is true. Funny or not, the show swings for the fences every single time. If it's not hilarious then it is exceptionally nerdy and borderline crazy.

#SaveGreendale

The awesomeness of Christmas in 'Eureka'

There really aren't words to describe how brilliantly put together "Eureka's" Christmas episode was.

Like most things in Eureka, things started off quietly until a seemingly unrelated sequence of events came together to make the town animated.

It turned out Kevin, Zoe and Jenna were controlling everything with a cool holographic storybook that I totally want now. As the kids continued further into the story, the adults had to deal with increasingly crazy obstacles.

But let's start back at the beginning.

After being hit by the mysterious beam, everything shifted to computer animation. This style was fun but didn't offer the comedic effect of some of the others. However, it served as a great jumping off point for the zaniness of the episode.


The action then shifted to a classic cartoon style that reminded me of the "Yogi Bear Christmas Special." Suddenly Jack was an old school Ranger Smith and Andy his robot sidekick.

In a truly hilarious twist, Jack's much destroyed Jeep came to life with the voice of Jim Parsons, finally complained about all the crazy situations it gets dragged into and drove off abandoning Jack and Andy in the forest.

I swear with every animation switch the show just got funnier and funnier.

Meanwhile back at Global Dynamics Henry had become a pull string doll while Fargo was turned into a bobblehead and Allison was a Christmas bombshell.

Back in the forest, Jack and Andy were forced to fight snowman ninjas (or "sninjas") when the kids decided the story needed a bad guy. Fortunately they were saved by the Disney princess style Jo, who came complete with loyal bluebirds.


Making things even more hilarious was the switch to claymation straight out of a classic Christmas special.

This led to a humorous encounter with Taggart in the form of a polar bear and some fun bonding between Fargo and Henry.

Once the kids finally figured out what was going on they decided to give everyone a fighting chance against a now giant sized "sninja" by switching to anime.

The sequence included all the best hallmarks of anime; fantastical multi-colored backgrounds, extreme close-ups and gravity defying martial arts.

When things went back to normal, everyone gathered at the smart house for a heart warming celebration.

This was one of "Eureka's" best episodes ever, an instant classic and now my official all time favorite.

Inscaped for Dec. 1

Editor's Note: Thanks to "The Amazing Race" we now know that Tintin was created in Belgium not France.

Up close at 'The Nerdist' taping

Tim and I were among the lucky few who got into the taping of "The Nerdist" end of the year special.

In addition to the always fun Chris Hardwick, Jonah Ray and Matt Mira, the guest list also included Wil Wheaton and Nathan Fillion.

As you would expect from a lineup that good, we had a spectacular time. It's always great to see actors like Wheaton and Fillion truly embrace and honor their nerd roots.

The crowd stayed amazingly enthusiastic throughout the taping and got particularly excited when the surprise special guest showed up.

While not giving away too many spoilers we can tell you there was some hilarious talk of how transporters work, the sentencing requirements for Arkham City and how Wil Wheaton invented non-linear editing.

"The Nerdist" end of the year special premieres Dec. 24 at 9 p.m. on BBC America following the "Doctor Who" Christmas special.

'I Hate' Fox's new 'comedy'

You may notice that the headline for this story features the word comedy in quotations. That's because while Fox's new show "I Hate My Teenage Daughter" is a comedy, it is almost comically unfunny.

The premise involves two former high school outcasts who've spoiled their daughters so much, they have turned into the girls who used to make their lives miserable.

Stars Jamie Pressly and Katie Finneran play the moms who are just realizing how far gone their daughters are. Chad L. Coleman and Eric Sheffer Stevens are the clueless ex-husbands/dads and Kevin Rahm is Stevens brother and the only adult who sees through these girls antics.

The main problem with this show is that none of these characters are remotely likable, meaning there's no one to root and therefore no reason to watch.

The pilot was seriously unfunny. The silence was deafening as I never laughed once.

Even more unsettling is the fact that this is such a strong cast with Pressly appearing on "My Name is Earl," Finneran in "You've Got Mail" and "Company," Stevens had an acclaimed run on "As the World Turns" and Rahm has starred in "Judging Amy" and "Desperate Housewives."

With all that talent, you'd think they could muster up a few laughs, and yet they don't. I found this particularly disappointing as I enjoy Pressly and Rahm, and loved Stevens on "As the World Turns."

Fortunately for Fox the ratings were OK with the show garnering 6.8 million viewers. (TV By the Numbers)

However, that number will almost certainly go down when "Happy Endings" returns to new episodes and "The X Factor" is no longer providing a cushy lead in.

Despite the not terrible ratings, this show is just to awful to remain on the air for long. Frankly it's embarrassing that it even made it past the pilot stage.

A DC New 52 title almost snuck through

Sunday night. I was bored out of my mind.

I went onto 4 Color Fantasies Internet storefront just to browse around. I had already purchased the "Fringe" comics written by Joshua Jackson (review to come!) but I was looking for a cheap, one-and-done comic to kill the boredom.

I had heard many good things about "I, Vampire" so I thought I'd give it a shot. Hey, it was only $1.99.

Holy crap! The book is pretty good.

I am a total newbie to the characters of this book, which apparently go back to 1981.

The plot has vampire Andrew trying to talk down another vampire, Mary, from doing something really horrible. You see, he sired her and it all went downhill from there. While he can keep his sanity and vampire condition in check, she cannot and wants total power.

Her plan is to basically take over the world and kill everyone. But, since this is in the DC Universe there is a hitch.

One of the best lines is Andrew telling Mary "And you think you and your army stands a chance against Superman and a half-dozen Green Lanterns and Wonder Woman and--"

She cuts him off with "Shhh. I'm hunting wabbits."

That one single panel shows off what's right about the book. There are huge stakes. Tons of vampires against the DC heroes, wow. And the book has some humor to it, helps counteract all the blood and killing. Writer Joshua Hale Fialkov does an amazing job to balance the two and push the book to the max.

Especially with the ending. I didn't see it coming. It's like an epic "Lost" style cliffhanger that makes you wonder where the book is going next.

I'm not a huge fan of the art by Andrea Sorrentino. Not to say I hate it, but it's a very unique style that really fits the gothic tone of the book, just not my thing.

And this book and the time when I purchased it shows off another great feature of the New 52 system, especially with online books. I kind of fell in love with this one, now I can immediatly buy the next issues without having to wait for a comic store to open and drive down there.

The future looks bright for the book, especially with Batman showing up in the fifth issue.

Response to negative 'Muppets' reviews

"The Muppets" was released last week and took the world by storm.
In a move that surprised even us, the film ended up with a 98 percent at Rotten Tomatoes. That is 129 fresh reviews and only three "negative" reviews as of Nov. 28 at 7 p.m.

That's a darn good percentage not just for any movie, but a family movie and a silly one at that.
Now, I won't get into my thoughts on the film (that is saved for the show), but I was reading those three lone reviews and something stuck out to me in each.

If people don't like the film, that's fine with me. Just say "I didn't get it" or "Not my kind of movie."
But in this case some big generalizations were made that kind of made me wonder. More than "heh, yeah right" but "did we see the same movie?"

Take the Chicago Reader's review (which, by the way is less than 150 words). Writer J.R. Jones makes a statement in there that says "except for a few good zingers from balcony dwellers Statler and Waldorf, there isn't much here for mom and dad."

I saw the film Wednesday and right after thought that my 6-year-old niece might not like it because a lot of the stuff might go over her head. And I was in a theater full of adults that were laughing like crazy. You think kids would "get" the '80s robot? That whole gag is totally made for adults.

How many kids would get the gag about Miss Piggy's assistant?

The Village Voice's review throws out a unique statement: "Terrified of alienating those who were raised on the originals, The Muppets panders to them instead, constantly blasting or restaging Top 40 hits from the past three-plus decades, continuing the cheap strategy that worked well on YouTube two years ago with the Muppets’ cover of 'Bohemian Rhapsody.'"

I don't get how playing a Cee-Lo Green song is trying to not alienate people raised on the originals. Maybe if it just played in the background I would think it would be used to grab kids, but the song is re-done to make it fun... for everyone. And to use the words "constantly" is a gross overreach.
Finally, the Globe and Mail makes a hilarious statement: "Several tunes, umpteen cameo appearances, scores of lame jokes and much up-beat sentimentalizing later... (deleted for spoilers sake)...but this old man in the gallery remains unconvinced."

Um, maybe I'm out of touch but, isn't that what the Muppets have always been about? Tunes, cameos, lame jokes and up-beat sentimentalizing? That's what gives it the charm it's always had. Yes Fozzie's fart-shoes are lame, but he's always been a horrible stand-up comic.

And people are supposed to leave the theater happy. It's a feel good movie.

It's not like it's supposed to be some kid friendly version of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."

'Leverage' is back! Thank God

Last night one of cable's best shows, "Leverage," returned with a batch of eight new episodes.

With apologies to "White Collar" the crew from "Leverage" are the best con artists on TV. In "The Experimental Job" the team took on a college's secret society to help homeless veterans who were being tortured and exploited.

Hardison infiltrated the fraternity while Eliot went in as a vet and as usual Christian Kane stole the episode.

His face off with an interrogator provided more insight into Eliot's shady past and gave him a chance to showcase his badassness. When the interrogator questioned him about the people he's killed, Eliot replied "Names? Dates? Locations? What food was on their breath? What color their eyes were? Want to know the last words they spoke? Want to know which ones deserved it? Or better yet, the ones that didn’t? Want to know which ones begged? Want to know why I know these things…Because I can’t forget. So there’s nothing you can do, no punishment you can hand out that I live with every day. So to answer your question, no, I don’t have a count. I don’t need to.”

Wow Christian Kane. Just wow.

It's no secret that Eliot Spencer is a dangerous man, but his good looks, charm and heroic nature make it easy to forget that he has this mysterious past. Not since season three's "The Big Bang Job" have we gotten such an inside view of who Eliot really is.

Of course Eliot was never broken, however when Hardison was kidnapped it only took him four minutes to break the interrogator. Proving torture does work if Eliot Spencer is the one dispensing it.

The reason "Leverage" continues to work so well is the constantly growing chemistry between the team. Nate and Sophie are dating, Eliot and Hardison are a great odd couple and Parker and Hardison slowly heading toward romance. All these entanglements and their commitment to each week's case make the team a perfect blend.

It also doesn't hurt that the show is genuinely fun to watch. A quality that's in rare supply these days.

Next week's take down at a big corporation is also an "Office" homage. Let's hope they do "The Office" when it was funny.

'WKRP:' Best Thanksgiving TV ever

Like everyone else we have our own Thanksgiving traditions here at Inscaped. Besides enjoying maple glazed turkey with cornbread stuffing and homemade macaroni and cheese, we also love watching classic Thanksgiving TV.

While "Friends," "How I Met Your Mother" and "The Cosby Show" all offer great episodes, there is no Thanksgiving TV better than "WKRP in Cincinnati" classic "Turkeys Away."

This is the classic episode where Mr. Carlson decides to give away free turkeys, except he misses one important fact about turkeys. Head to Hulu and enjoy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Inscaped for Nov. 22

Ranking the New 52: Part two

Just finished reading all the second issues that I wanted to in the DC Comics New 52.

And I'm happy to say there has been some movement in the rankings. I was happy that some issues actually got better. Usually the sophomore slump kills that.

So, without further ado here are the new rankings. I've added the previous rankings next to them to see movement:

1. "Batgirl" (No. 1)
1. "Aquaman" (No. 2)
2. "Nightwing" (No. 3)
3. "Justice League" (No. 5)
4. "Red Lanterns" (No. 4)
5. "Animal Man" (No. 5)
6. "Green Lantern Corps" (No. 9)
7. "Batman" (No. 10)
8. "Demon Knights" (No. 8)
9. "Detective Comics" (No. 7)
10. "Flash" (No. 11)
11. "Mister Terrific" (NA)
12. "Batwoman" (No. 12)
13. "JLI" (No. 13)
14. "Wonder Woman" (No. 15)
15. "Static Shock" (No. 17)
16. "Resurrection Man" (No. 14)
17. "New Guardians"(No. 20)
18. "Green Arrow" (No. 22)
19. "Green Lantern" (No. 29)
20. "Action Comics" (No. 32)

Also decided to drop "Suicide Squad" and "Red Hood and the Outlaws" after the second issues, so they are off the list.

A sneak peek of third issue rankings will find "Batman" moving up along with "Green Lantern Corps." "Batman" may turn out to be one of the best books if it keeps going how it is.

'Gnomeo and Juliet:' Ridiculous and great

Earlier this year "Gnomeo and Juliet," an adorable little movie about feuding garden gnomes came and went from theaters very quickly and quietly.

Well it turns out the film, which is based on Shakespeare's classic play, is hilariously surreal and deserves a lot more attention than its received.

James McAvoy and Emily Blunt provide the voices of the star-crossed lovers with Michael Caine, Dame Maggie Smith, Stephen Merchant, Ashley Jensen and Jason Statham also doing voice work.

What made the movie so great, was even though it didn't shy away from some of the more tragic twists of "Romeo and Juliet" it stayed firmly within the fun, animated world it created.

One of the funnier running gags was how in the middle of all the fighting and craziness the gnomes would return to being statues whenever people would appear.

The film was also helped by an upbeat soundtrack of music by its executive producer Elton John.

It wasn't the masterpiece that Pixar produces or the polished product of Dreamworks, but "Gnomeo and Juliet" was an irreverent, enjoyable movie that was definitely one of the best animated films of the year.

Here's hoping it gets a push during Oscar season.

New 'Avengers' images

In our continuing obsession with all things "Avengers," here are the new ad banners. The top one features the four main heroes, while the bottom one focuses on the supporting S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

My one complaint: the absence of the badass agent Coulson. Marvel get on this and give Coulson his own poster.

Inscaped for Nov. 17

Battle of the 'Snow White' movies

Last week we were treated to the first trailer for "Snow White and the Huntsman," otherwise known as the Kristen Stewart version.



My first reaction was "wha?"

Why is Snow White in battle armor? My brain hurts.

I put a lot of faith in the other Snow White movie "Mirror Mirror," because Julia Roberts is the Evil Queen in that one and Tarsem is directing it. Good enough combo for me.

But, then I saw the trailer tonight...



What... the... hell...

I don't even know what I'm supposed to say about that. Visually it looks great, then the characters open their mouths.

The Evil Queen is supposed to be EVIL, not a funny, "Devil Wears Prada"-esque, "let's throw a bunch of crap in a blender" character.

And the dialogue... "Snow-way!" "You can rub my tummy!"

I may have to let this digest over the next few days.

Tim's show of the week: 'Community'

All it took was getting a song stuck in my head for almost a week!

"Community" took an otherwise boring Thursday night and hit the comedic equivalent of a home run with "Studies in Modern Movement."

But, it almost wasn't the best of the week.

This last week was a toughy.

"CSI" was a really good episode that actually made me start liking the Ted Danson character. That has to count for something.

And "A Gifted Man" was so good (as it usually is) that I actually had to pick my jaw up off the floor at certain parts.

But, laughing until I was in tears won out. As it should.

The episode was all about Annie moving in with Troy and Abed, but Jeff pretending to be sick so he didn't have to help.

Of course, he was caught. By the Dean, which made it funnier because he was essentially blackmailed into this (note what the Dean is wearing):



I must have watched that clip a dozen times since Thursday and I'm still laughing. I love the cheesiness of it and the karaoke camerawork is amazing.

Everyone had great moments in the show, which always makes for a great episode. Well, expect Ken Jeong who was missing from the episode.
But, bonus gold stars go to Jim Rash who was the MVP of the episode. Sometimes the Dean character can be a bit too much, but that last episode was the perfect amount.

It's just too bad that NBC is leaving "Community" off it's midseason schedule.
BOO!

My hope is that the USA Network can pick the show up. Wouldn't it be perfect paired with "Psych?"

A 'Doctor Who' movie without The Doctor

Today "Harry Potter" director David Yates announced that he was working with BBC Worldwide on a "Doctor Who" movie.

At first glance that sounds like the most exciting news ever. Imagine seeing Matt Smith or possibly David Tennant having an action-packed romp through time and space in the TARDIS joined by Amy, Rose, Martha or Capt. Jack.

Unfortunately, none of that will come true because Yates wants to reboot the story and start over.

Wait, what? Start over?

Why would you start over when you have access to 50 years of mythology and character development, along with actors who already understand the complex nature of bring The Doctor and his companions to life?

Yates said that everything would need to be redone from the ground up, meaning none of the current television timeline would be used.

So just so we're clear, you're going to take one of the most popular television franchises of all time, transfer to the big screen, but not use any of the story that made it so popular in the first place?

Wow that's sound decision making.

While it's nice that BBC is involved, it's extremely disingenuous of them to make this movie (a clear money grab) and not treat it like love letter to the fans that have made "Doctor Who" its most valuable property.

Yates says the film is three to four years away, since he has so much work and planning to do.

In the meantime, "Doctor Who" faithful can enjoy Steven Moffat and Matt Smith's fantastic work and hope that someone comes to their senses before this abomination hits theaters.

Inscaped for Nov. 10

Heavy D: 1967-2011

For anyone who grew up during the hip-hop/dance music days of the '90s, Heavy D and the Boyz were the architects of some of the best club jams ever.

Dwight "Heavy D" Myers passed away Nov. 8 after being found unconscious in his home and the rushed to the hospital.

Though his signature hit was "Now That We Found Love," he was also known for "The Overweight Lover's In the House" and "Is It Good To You." He also recorded the theme song for "In Living Color."

Though he doesn't get as much credit as his contemporaries Will Smith and LL Cool J, he was just as responsible for rap's increasing mainstream appeal. His cool lyrics and infinitely danceable beats caused suburban teenagers to request his music on pop stations and had his videos in high rotation on MTV.

When his rap career began to fade he turned to acting with recurring parts on "Living Single," "Bones" and "Boston Public" and roles in "The Cider House Rules," "Step Up" and the recently released "Tower Heist."

He recently made a stage comeback at the Michael Jackson Tribute Concert and the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards, which makes this news all the more sad.

"In Living Color" is scheduled to return to TV in the spring, so here's hoping they keep the theme song as a nice tribute to Heavy D.

My DC New 52 drop list pt. 1

As Stephanie and I continue to cover DC Comics New 52 initiative, there are bound to be comics that either of us end up not liking.

And since we're not made of money, there are books that we're bound to drop; or just stop reading.
So far I've read 32 of the 52. I think I'm really at the point where I might be done with trying new ones out. I think I may try "Superboy," perhaps "Mister Terrific," but that's it.

Out of those 32, I've decided to drop seven books: "Justice League Dark," "Red Hood," "Teen Titans," "Suicide Squad," "Hawkman," "Firestorm" and "Stormwatch."

In this post I'm going to talk about the four books I like to call "one and done." These are comics that I gave one issue to catch my interest and did not.

"Stormwatch" probably has the easiest excuse: it was not reader friendly at all. To be fair, I've never read a "Stormwatch" comic previous to this. What interested me what the addition of Martian Manhunter and writer Paul Cornell.

Cornell's "Action Comics" run with Lex Luthor as the lead character was amazing stuff. It was like the crack of comics to me, I would have paid a lot more for each issue than I did.
The problem was that outside of Martian Manhunter I had no clue who these characters were and it read like I should. The dialogue was good, but I was just confused. And when I'm paying $2.99 a month, I don't want to be confused.
I also read "Fury of Firestorm" because of writers Gail Simone and Ethan Van Sciver. Also, to be fair, I've never really been a huge fan of Firestorm. But, with these guys behind the book I thought I'd give it a try.
Now I've read that "Blackest Night" did happen in the New 52 universe, so I thought "OK, cool." What I didn't think of was that overall "Blackest Night" happened, but that doesn't mean every single thing during "Blackest Night" happened.
Like everything to do with the character of Firestorm.
This book is not only a total reboot of the character, but just not my cup of tea. I get that the two characters don't like each other, but then the race card gets thrown in and I'm just out. Like with "Stormwatch," I liked most of the dialogue just fine.