Monday, November 29, 2010

Giant Star Wars Plush


Oh my geekness! I didn't even know that these exsisted until a few minutes ago while visiting GWS!
Not only are these super cute, but right now they're on SALE too! I love ThinkGeek!

Inside each of us are a lot of structural goodies, like muscles and bone. But there is also one more structural piece. It flows around us and through us. You know it; we're talking about The Force. Well, what if you crammed a skeleton and The Force into a plush? Well, then you'd have these Giant Star Wars Collector Plush.


Each Giant Star Wars Collector Plush is loaded with exquisite details - from Vader's open front skirt to Artoo's removable third leg (there's a joke in there somewhere). And they are giant - the big ones measure in at almost 2 feet tall! Add each is very poseable, thanks to the internal armature. They look great on your shelf, they look awesome in your office, but most of all the place your Giant Star Wars Collector Plush will feel most home is in your arms. Awwww.


I want Vader sooo bad! 


And Chewie... And R2... And Yoda...

Oh I just want them all! Which would you pick?

Leslie Nielsen and Irvin Kershner - R.I.P.

Today we mourn the passing of two great men, who through their art have affected many lives.
Leslie Nielson 1926-2010
Irvin Kershner 1923-2010

Leslie Nielsen, a Canadian-born actor who went from drama to inspired bumbling as a hapless doctor in "Airplane!" and the accident-prone detective Frank Drebin in the "The Naked Gun" comedies, died on Sunday in Florida. He was 84.
His agent, John S. Kelly, said Nielsen died at a hospital near his home in Ft. Lauderdale where he was being treated for pneumonia.
Nielsen's nephew Doug Nielsen, who lives in Richmond, B.C., said his uncle had been hospitalized for the past 12 days and died in his sleep with wife Barbaree by his side.
- Winnipeg Free Press (read the entire article here)



I grew up watching Leslie Nielsen's movies with my Dad. Often we would go to the local movie store and pick up The Naked Gun series, Police Squad, Airplane or Dracula Dead and Loving It, and spend the weekend laughing. To this day we still make jokes about these movies over the phone when we talk.
Last year, had the pleasure of sitting in on his meet and greet for the new movie, Stan Helsing that he was in. Watching him at the panel was amazing. He just sat there and joked the entire time. I didn't get to meet him after, which was a shame because I wanted him to sign the naked gun birthday card that I had made for my Dad. I also made a great shirt that said I <3 Frank Drebin on it.

I will miss his crazy antics and his deep, perfect voice. Rest in Peace Leslie.


Director Irvin Kershner, best known for helming The Empire Strikes Back, died today at his home in Los Angeles. He was 87 years old.
Kershner’s goddaughter Adriana Santini, who resides in France, told French news agency AFP that Kershner died after a long illness. No other details about his death were given.
- Geeks Of Doom (read the entire article here)


Irvin Kershner, who brought us not only James Bond's Never Say Never Again, Robocop 2, but best of all The Empire Strikes Back. Without him, Star Wars would never have been the same. He brought conflict and depth to our favorite heroes and brought us a sequel like no other has ever managed, making Empire one of the all time favorite Star Wars films. Had he been able to direct Jedi, Han would've died for the cause and Luke would've ridden off into the sunset in the end. There would've been no ewoks!


I truly believe that Irvin Kershner made Star Wars into what it is now for so many people. Rest in peace, Irvin.


Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Cookie Monster Wants To Host Saturday Night Live!


That's right kids, Cookie Monster wants to host Saturday Night Live!
And you can help him by joining his facebook page!


Seriously, how awesome would that be?


Monday, November 22, 2010

R2-D2 Dress


As if the R2-D2 Bathing Suit and the Star Wars Crawl Dress weren't enough to make you happy as a sarlacc, comes this adorable R2-D2 Dress! I want to make my own!

As of right now, I don't have any information on this dress, other than I found it on Fashionably Geeky and that the girls name is Alice. I'll see what else I can dig up.

So, if you could have any Star Wars character made into a dress, who would you chose?
Me? Either Boba Fett or Han in Carbonite :)


For The Love Of Star Wars - Update

 
It's not often that I include updates on things here, but I thought this was too good to pass up. You all remember Katie from my last post, who was being bullied for liking Star Wars. Well, here is a great video and follow up article about how much support that this has gathered from geeks and non-geeks alike.
There has even been an event created asking everyone to wear Star Wars related clothes on Friday, December 10th and to donate a Star Wars toy to a local shelter or hospital with clear markings that the toy is for boys OR girls.


I'm attending, are you?

Friday, November 19, 2010

For The Love Of Star Wars

As a geek girl, I understand what it's like to be teased. A lot of people just don't understand my love of Star Wars or comics or Disney, but I'm old enough and wise enough now not to care what other people think of me. I'm a strong enough woman now, not to take bullying and am willing to stand up for myself. But what of those little girls who aren't quite there yet?

Meet Katie


Adorable, isn't she? And she loves Star Wars to boot!
Unfortunately, Katie has been subjected to bullying at school for her love of Star Wars.
Bonnie Burton was kind enough to help bring this to attention on The Star Wars Blog. Here's what she has to say:

Recently, columnist and mom Carrie Goldman wrote an essay in Chicago Now about bullying in schools and why parents should start teaching their children as soon as 1st grade how to deal with being bullied. She spoke from the heart, not just because it’s an issue all parents must grapple with, but because her own young daughter Katie was being bullied FOR LIKING STAR WARS!?!

Here’s the excerpt from her article Anti-Bullying Starts in First Grade:
 She wailed, “The first grade boys are teasing me at lunch because I have a Star Wars water bottle. They say it’s only for boys. Every day they make fun of me for drinking out of it. I want them to stop, so I’ll just bring a pink water bottle.”


I hugged her hard and felt my heart sink. Such a tender young age, and already she is embarrassed about the water bottle that brought her so much excitement and joy a few months ago.


Is this how it starts? Do kids find someone who does something differently and start to beat it out of her, first with words and sneers? Must my daughter conform to be accepted?


As any Star Wars fan worth his or her weight in midichlorians can tell you, there is no one single “type” of Star Wars fan. Star Wars fans are both genders, all ages, all races and all nationalities.
And not only are there millions of women who love Star Wars, there famous, talented women who love Star Wars like pop star Lady Gaga, country/pop singer Taylor Swift, actress Megan Fox, actress/producer Drew Barrymore, actress/producer/writer Tina Fey, actress Michelle Ryan, comedian/actress Margaret Cho, award-winning actress Helen Mirren, MTV’s own Liz Lee, 90210 actress AnnaLynne McCord, supermodel & reality TV star Adrianne Curry, actress & gamer goddess Felicia Day, Jane Wiedlin from The Go-Go’s, singer Tanya Donelly, Jenny Conlee from The Decemberists, MSNBC news host Rachel Maddow, not to mention all the cool gamer gals in Team Unicorn! And that’s just to name only a few!Let’s not forget our awesome female actresses in our films & The Clone Wars animated TV series who also love the franchise such as Ahsoka Tano actress Ashley Eckstein (who loved Star Wars so much she started her own sci-fi themed fashion line Her Universe), Aurra Sing actress Jaime King, Padmé Amidala actress Catherine Taber, Barriss Offee actress Meredith Salenger, Asajj Ventress actress Nika Futterman, Shaak Ti actress Tasia Valenza, Duchess Satine actress Anna Graves… just to name a few.


My point is, ladies love Star Wars too, and we should all support their right to geek out just like the guys. Little girls need to know they have every right to pick up a lightsaber as the rest of us.


Star Wars itself is full of strong, independent female characters who wouldn’t have taken any guff from 1st grade boys who clearly don’t know their Star Wars characters.

It’s these female characters like Ahsoka Tano, Princess Leia, Senator Amidala, Aurra Sing, Asajj Ventress, Mon Mothma, Aayla Secura, Barriss Offee, Luminara Unduli, Mara Jade, Darth Talon, Sy Snootles, Zam Wesell, Jocasta Nu, Ackmena, Jaina Solo — and many MANY more — who little girls (and us big girls) can learn a lot from when it comes to being ourselves and fighting for what we believe in.


Kids can be cruel. They’re just trying to figure who they are and the friends they want to hang with. They want to be themselves, but they don’t want to be made fun of for being different. Sometimes standing up for what you love isn’t as easy as it looks when you have a gang of little girls snickering at you or a bunch of boys calling you names for liking something they think is just for them.


I should know. Not only was I bullied all through school for loving Star Wars, Doctor Who and anything else with an awesome robot in it; I decided to write a book about it for other girls who have to deal with bullying called Girls Against Girls: Why We Are Mean to Each Other and How We Can Change.
 But here’s how WE as Star Wars fans can help RIGHT NOW:


» Support your kids/nieces/nephews when they say they love Star Wars and The Clone Wars — even if it’s a character you don’t happen to like — *cough*Jar Jar*cough*


» Pay attention to younglings when they look depressed. They might be suffering from bullying at school and could use a Yoda-like ear to talk to.


» Make sure your younglings understand that Star Wars is for guys AND gals.


» Finally, show your support of young Katie who was bullied for having a Star Wars water bottle at school by leaving comments here on the article that started it all and here on this blog entry calling for more geek girl support. Katie’s mom is reading all these supportive comments to her, and I bet she’d love to hear your Jedi-like words of wisdom.


» If you’re on Twitter, show your support of Katie liking Star Wars with the hashtag #MayTheForceBeWithKatie


May the Force be with guys AND girls…. always

This article brought me hope. It's so nice to see people like Bonnie Burton and Jenn from Epbot/Cake Wrecks stepping up and supporting this great cause. We need more people, especially women, to step up and say that it's not right for any child to be bullied. We need to show young girls that they can be smart and strong like Princess Leia, Padme Amidala, Aayla Secura, or Mara Jade.
I fully hope that you take the time to support this great cause and let our children know that it's ok to be different and to love Star Wars, or whatever else they might be into.


Thursday, November 18, 2010

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

World's Biggest Harry Potter Fan?


Now I understand Fandom. Being the kind of girl that I am, I do try to get my hands onto as many geeky things as I can. But I do have a limit. I don't think some people truely understand limits.


This guy might be one of them. Don't get me wrong, he's got a great collection of stuff, but if he were the really Harry Potter, he would be much less self-absorbed. I mean, even though Harry was famouse in the wizarding world, he didn't go around and try to collect his own stuff. That would've made a very different story....
Found here on GWS

Hanging Out With Lord Vader


Well, I guess like everyone, Vader just likes to hang out with his friends in his spare time. Nice to see you getting out there Vader, now come hang out with me next.


Thanks to GWS for introducing us, I'm sure now that we will be life long friends.

The Strangest Star Wars Pin-Ups You Ever Did See

I've seen a lot of weird Star Wars art in my times, but every once in a while I come across something that makes me stop in my tracks. This was one of those times.


YayzusGraphics brings us great and strange Star Wars Pin-ups, from sexy Mon Calamari Ladies to Rodianian Babes



Sexy Sand People and Darth Misses,



Vader Vixens and Boob Troopers



Tie Floozies and Bimbo Fetts


And Twi'leks. Nothing really surprising about Twi'leks


These make me laugh so hard, but also make me want to get creative and make some of these costumes for next Halloween.
You can buy these as prints or iPhone cases, and there's lots of other great and crazy art here.

UPDATE: You can now buy these sexy ladies on t-shirts!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Awesome Geeky T-shirts

Much to most of my friends and family's dismay, I love graphic t-shirts. I don't usually get to wear them during the week, due to work, but as soon as the weekend hits, I'm all about showing my geek.
I'm always on the look out for great t-shirts but have had a lot of trouble in the past finding ones. Well, since I have started shopping online, I've found many great shirts that I would just love to add to my collection.

This is the shirt that I just got in the mail as of yesterday.


Statler and Waldorf are two of my favorite Muppets, so when I found them on a shirt, I just couldn't resist ordering it. You can get your own here at BustedTees

While perusing this morning, I came across a great site called Fashionably Geek. It's an entire site dedicated to awesomely geeky clothes and accessories. Already I've found some really great links to t-shirts that I totally want.
Like this Star Wars/Calvin & Hobbs shirt from Red Bubble


It comes in a variety of colours as well. I can't decide which colour I want, so maybe I'll have to get it in numerous colours ;)

I love the t-shirts that show up on TeeFury, but I hate that I never have money when the ones that I like show up, or I find out about them after they're already done. Like this beauty that proves that sci-fi geeks like me can have the best of both worlds.


To Boldly Go Where No Star Wars Nerd Has Gone Before!

This last one I just find hilarious! I really love melding my geekery and this is no exception.


Etsy seller sandsink offers a great many fun t-shirts, so be sure to check them out here.

Do you have any fun t-shirts? Which is your favorite?

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Terminator Slave Leia


It just goes to show you that even a Terminator can win a Halloween/Robot costume contest by dressing up as Slave Leia.
You can check out the runners up on here on Gizmodo

Star Wars Memorial Series

Being the geeky girl that I am, I spend a lot of time on the computer looking for geeky things; some to blog about and some just for me to look at over an over again. When I came across these the other day, I realized that they were worth doing both. These are a series of paintings done by Tsuneo Sanda called the Memorial Series.
Take a click through them and really appreciate all the detail that went into each of these!







Awesome, right? I know.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Wheel Of Time Ebook Covers

I've mentioned before that I'm quite the avid reader. Well, one of my all time favorite series is The Wheel Of Time by Robert Jordon/Brandon Sanderson. Book 13, Towers Of Midnight came out last week and I'm finding I just don't have enough time to read as much as I want. My nights are spent immersed in the book and my days at work consist of me thinking about what I've already read, emailing my best friend to see how far he is in it and looking up fan art to use as my facebook profile picture.
Doing that today lead me to find some really wicked fan art covers, which I discovered were being used as the ebook covers, each by a different artist!

As announced, Tor is releasing the Wheel of Time ebooks—one a month, starting today. Each book will feature new cover art by a different artist while utilizing a continuing design template to unify the series. Why? Mainly because we thought it would be fun. I suppose there should have been a better corporate reason to start-out with but, really, it just came about as a conversation over coffee about cool stuff we could do on the site. The original idea was to simply commission twelve Wheel of Time paintings as a kind of “WoT of the Month Club.” As the ebook program evolved it became a natural fit to slide the idea over there.

Right away the idea was to hire different artists, with very different styles, and have them address the source material in their own voice. I wanted to pick illustrators that were known to fantasy fans and others we do not typically think of as genre artists—giving us fourteen new interpretations of Robert Jordan’s world. - Tor website

I would've much rather these been the covers for all of them, then the originals (Not to mention all the really terrible inconsistencies with them). So what I'm going to do is show you the real cover and then the ebook cover. Prepare to be shocked. Also, prepare your self for spoilers if you haven't read the book yet.


The Eye Of The World

I never actually minded this cover. It was probably the nicest out of all of them. It shows the gang leaving the Two Rivers and heading to Tarren Ferry.


The new cover, by David Grove, is probably my least favorite of them. It shows Rand sitting on Bayle Domon's ship. It's not a very excited moment in the book, although the art is still lovely.



The Great Hunt


I was quite surprised that Kekai Kotaki chose to use the same scene from the original cover as the choice for the new cover. Sure, Rand getting the horn back is a big deal, but I would've done the battle in the sky at the end, if it were me and I could, you know, draw.




The Dragon Reborn

The original cover depicts the main goal for this book, Rand taking Callendor. I always found this cover to be a bit of an eye sore, but it was a great scene so I guess I can let it slide.


The new one, by Donato Giancola, I guess depicts Rand's choices about wanting to stay the young sheep-herder or taking on the mantle of the Dragon Reborn. It's a much nicer picture, but still not very exciting.


The Shadow Rising

How boring of a cover can you get? I don't even think I can pinpoint in the book where this is, but who cares, they're making breakfast! Of all great things that happen in this book, they chose them making breakfast for the cover.


Now this is what I like to see! I think that Sam Weber did a fantastic job.Here's what he had to say about his choice of scenes:

Mat is not just the glib and irreverent scoundrel he would like us to believe him to be. Destined to lead an army of dead heroes at the last battle with the memories of history’s greatest generals entwined with his own, Jordan’s homage to Odin, complete with Ravens and spear, is deadly and capable, as much a warrior as he is rogue. I wanted to portray this Mat, freshly cut from the tree of life, with his Ashandarei balanced over one shoulder, formidable despite his wounds.

It sends shivers down my spine just looking at it.



The Fires Of Heaven 

 This cover is suppose to show Rand's invasion of Caemlyn, but really, it just looks like they're out for a Sunday stroll. This was suppose to be the climax of the book, but after what had just happened, this scene always gets forgotten in my mind.


 This is more like it! Dan Dos Santos shows us what we really want to see, the fight between Moiraine
and Lanfear. What an epic chapter! I love the agelessness that he managed to give her face and her gown is amazing!



Lord Of Chaos

I laugh ever time I see this cover. Instead of depicting the Aes Sedai swearing an oath of fealty to Rand, it looks like a really cheesy romance novel. Because of this, it makes it hard to take it on the bus with you. I've gotten some weird looks over it before.


Although this cover, by Greg Manchess, is the same battle of Dumai’s Wells this one depicts the slaughter of the Aiel by the Asha’man in their first real display of power.


This is only a fraction of the picture though. click on it to get the full view. It's worth it.



A Crown Of Swords

This book has always been pretty forgettable to me. I never remember what happens and I find that I don't really care. Ok, so Rand follows Sammael to Shadar Logoth where they chase each other around before Sammael gets eaten by Mashadar.




Now, this on the other hand, is one of my favorite moments from this book. Mélanie Delon chose to use Lan rescuing Nynaeve, thus reuniting them finally after so long. Sigh... I'm such a girl sometimes.





The Path of Daggers

This is probably my least favorite book in the series. Like A Crown of Swords, I always forget what happens in it. I look at the cover to remind myself, but the scene on the cover is so boring. They're just marching off to battle, a battle that goes on for way too long, as far as I'm concerned.


Then I actually remember what the book was about. Julie Bell remembers. How could I forget about the Bowl of Winds? Despite that whole thing going on way too long as well, the chapter where they actually use the bowl is pretty cool. Plus, I love the way that Elayne, Aviendha, and Nynaeve look in this piciture.





Winter's Heart

This is one of my favorite books and covers. This was the first WOT book that I actually owned and in hard cover no less! The picture isn't very exciting, just Perrin hunting for Faile, but it was a nice change to see someone other than Rand on the cover, since Eye Of The World.


It's funny that I would then like the cover with Rand on it better! Scott M. Fischer understands that this moment is a pinnacle in WOT history;

The cleansing of saidin is one of the most iconic moments in The Wheel of Time. For 3,000 years nothing has been more feared than a man 
who can channel. The taint upon saidin led not only to the devastation of an entire Age, but very nearly at times to the extinction of humankind itself. To say that Rand’s action here is significant is a gross understatement. By removing the taint, he is allowing an entire 
future generation of male channelers an opportunity to exist. He's giving the world some hope. Perhaps he's even giving himself a fighting chance to survive long enough to make it to the Last Battle, where, if he fails, it may not matter one way or the other in the end.

The only thing I would've added to this picture was Nynaeve sitting behind him. I do love the depiction of the Choedan Kal though.
 


Crossroads of Twilight

I waited a long time for this book and it really wasn't that good, which was a shame. Basically it's an entire book about what was happening elsewhere while Rand and Nynaeve cleaned the source. This picture is from when Matt and the Band of the Red Hand break off from Van Luca's circus.


This is a great picture by Greg Ruth of Perrin throwing away his axe and thus fulfilling the prophecy that the Wolf King would carry a hammer. I love how cold and still this picture looks. You can really feel Perrin's inner torment as he leave the axe that he's become so accustom to using behind him.





Knife Of Dreams

When I first get a new WOT book, I can't wait to discover the point in the book that explains the cover art. In Knife of Dream, that came in the prologue. It wasn't very exciting either. Perrin's army manges to sneak Galina out of the Shaido camp and question her; she, of course, is not very helpful.


This picture, by Michael Komarck, is nearer to the end of the book and is one of my all time favorite scenes. Rand steps in to protect Min from Semirhage and thus loses his hand!





The Gathering Storm

The Gathering Storm marked the first book after Robert Jordan's death. Besides the profound sadness that I felt at his passing, I was also worried about what would become of my favorite book series. I remember feeling apprehension when I picked it up, not know if Brandon Sanderson could carry on. Luckily, the book was amazing and brought a new light to all the characters. I never found that this cover did the book any justice. I mean, Rand is just randomly cursing the Dark One for a bubble of Evil. Not a very pinnacle point.


Now Todd Lockwood did a much better job of capturing the tone and pace of this book. Ewgene fighting the Seanchen in the White Tower was a thrilling and pinnacle point to the book.


Since I don't have an ebook, I'll have to make due with the old covers, but I'll always think fondly of these new ones.