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.