Death Star Canteen: The Lego Dramatization
Jun 05Probably some of you have seen this already. I’ve watched and treasured the Izzard bit by itself, but it is somehow made even more brilliant by this amazing Lego dramatization. (EDIT: The user who posted this, Thorn2200, has a bunch more Lego/Izzard vids. Check ’em out!)
The Cranes Take No Responsibility for Jar Jar, However
May 30For those seeking to clothe themselves in the ultimate insider-y Star Wars reference, here is an awesome t-shirt.
I happened upon this baby on my recent trip to the Bay Area. It was being modeled by a cardboard cut-out Stephen Colbert in Pendragon and I had to have it immediately. I used to see these cranes every day on my commute. They sort of announce your return to the East Bay, all cool and crazy and beast-like. Anyway, I always loved them because they reminded me of the AT-AT Imperial Walkers. Then someone told me (upon seeing my shirt) that the cranes were actually one of the big AT-AT inspirations, as Bay Arean Lucas used to drive past them all the dang time. I don’t know if this is true or urban geek legend, but it certainly is plausible.
So anyway, here we have a tee that shows off my Oakland allegiance whilst also possibly making a sly geekian reference. Not too shabby.
Everyone Say Awwwww
May 29Clicking around, getting caught up on all my blogs after a busy-ass week, I found the cutest thing on Feminist SF — The Blog!
It’s awesome author Tamora Pierce posing with a young fan at WisCon. So adorable and sweet in a way that I can’t even quite articulate. He just looks so thrilled. Click through for the Flickr caption, it’s worth it.
I have a similar photo of me with Ursula K. Le Guin. Only I was in high school and I look like Sally O’ Scaryfan instead of the Cutest Fan Ever and I’m wearing a flouncy white shirt instead of an ingenious costume and Ursula looks kind of like, “Oh, um, hello CRAZY.”
But other than that, it’s exactly the same.
Geek CV: Johanna Draper Carlson
May 21It’s sort of weird to call someone a “veteran of the internet,” like what does that even mean? That they’ve somehow managed to maintain their damn blog for at least a year? But Johanna Draper Carlson is totally (here it comes, deep breath!) a veteran of the internet. She started her site, Comics Worth Reading, back in ’99 and was hanging out online way before that.
CWR features an array of reviews, commentary and other tidbits, all delivered in Johanna’s distinctive voice — there’s a thoughtfulness to her writing that I greatly admire, a willingness to dig thoroughly into the work she’s discussing. Take, for instance, her review of the Amanda Bynes flick Sydney White. I think a lot of the Snarky O’Bloggertons out there would be pretty quick to couch their liking of this film with all kinds of hipper-than-thou qualifers or merely dismiss it all together because of its teen-y sheen. Johanna looks at it like she’d look at any other review subject and finds that it’s pretty dang charming (and she’s right, you guys! I loved every geek girl minute!).
Anyway, in order to learn more about lovely Johanna, we asked her a few burning nerdly questions…
Go Girl, Please Destroy Go Girl
May 20There’s a radio commercial running right now that makes my brain and guts wilt every single time it airs. It features a focus group-y type gathering of ladies sitting around and discussing the sheer awesomeness of a new energy drink “for women” called Go Girl, which apparently boasts the following desirable attributes:
1) It’s sugar free
2) It only has a few calories
3) It comes in a bright pink can!
No, really. At the end, they make a point of saying “look for it in the BRIGHT PINK CAN!” The whole thing sounds dated and dumb and like someone put together a simplified-to-the-point-of-mental-impairment matrix for “how to sell stuff to girls.”
Anyway, after my brain and guts have somehow righted themselves a tiny bit, I always wonder what Trina Robbins would think. Because, if you’ll recall, she penned a comic that bears the same name. I never completely fell in love with this series (I did fall a little in love with Go Girl’s kicky mod outfit, but that’s probably a discussion we should have some other time), but it seemed like something that might appeal to younger readers, particularly girl readers, and I’m all grossed out that this dumb-ass product decided to name itself that as well. (And by the way? There might not be any sugar, but there’s apparently as much caffeine as there is in a cup of coffee, so I guess the goal is to hype you the fuck up without, you know, making you fat. Yay?)
I would like to request that Go Girl — the real Go Girl, not the pink drink — maybe team up with U-Go Girl and take this shit DOWN. Or at least make them stop airing the commercials.
