The INTERN-net Show #8: How NOT to Audition for ‘Star Wars’

WELCOME TO EPISODE 8 OF THE INTERN-NET SHOW, WITH YOUR HOST CHRIS HARRISON!

THERE IS A VAST POOL OF EXCITING NEWS EVERY WEEK, AND IN OUR EFFORT TO BRING YOU BRAND NEW, ENGAGING CONTENT JOIN ME IN A DISCUSSION ABOUT FILM, TV, COMIC BOOKS AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT GETS US TALKING. GOT SOMETHING TO SAY? THIS IS THE PLACE TO DO IT!

THIS WEEK, A CLASSIC DOCTOR RETURNS TO DOCTOR WHO, THE SIMPSONS GO ON DEMAND AND CHRIS TAKES A HARD LOOK AT JUSTIN BIEBER AND THE STAR WARS AUDITIONS.

 

MOST IMPORTANTLY, THIS SHOW IS ALL ABOUT YOU. GET INVOLVED IN THE DISCUSSION, TELL US WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THESE STORIES AND IF THERE’S A STORY YOU WANT TO CREATE CONVERSATION ABOUT THEN THROW A QUESTION MY WAY EITHER ON TWITTER OR RIGHT HERE EACH WEEK. WE’RE WORKING ON MAKING THE SHOW EVEN BETTER SO DO MAKE ANY SUGGESTIONS YOU HAVE BELOW!

IF YOU HAVE A SUGGESTION FOR NEXT WEEKS IN DEFENCE OF, DO COMMENT BELOW ALSO!

TELL YOUR FRIENDS TO JOIN THE INTERN-NET!

 

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National Theatre celebrates 50 Years

At the beginning of this month, the Royal National Theatre celebrated 50 years on stage. The theatre presents a varied Theatre programme, including Shakespeare and other international classic drama; and new plays by contemporary playwrights.

To celebrate, BBC 2 aired a special live program featuring archive footage, live performances and insightful interviews with the cast and crew. The official program description reads;

From Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead to The History Boys, from The Mysteries to Angels in America, from Guys and Dolls to London Road – join us for a thrilling evening of live performance and rare glimpses from the archive, featuring many of the most celebrated actors who have performed on our stages over the past five decades and directed by Nicholas Hytner.

A cast of 100 will perform live on stage, including Roger Allam, Simon Russell Beale, James Corden, Dominic Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, Frances de la Tour, Judi Dench, Christopher Eccleston, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Derek Jacobi, Alex Jennings, Rory Kinnear, Adrian Lester, Anna Maxwell Martin, Helen Mirren, Andrew Scott, Maggie Smith and Penelope Wilton.

The National Theatre has given birth, or a home to some of not only Britain’s biggest stars, but the worlds and it is always a genuine pleasure to see them on stage, perhaps more so than in cinema. As part of the celebration, NT also has extensive interviews and Q+A’s with a variety of Theatre creators and participants. Here’s one example, featuring David Bradley but you can catch the whole roster over here. If you’ve ever been interested in Theatre, they are a great entry point into that world and I highly recommend it. The celebration special can also be found on iplayer in certain regions.

 

 

Also, In June 2009, the theatre began National Theatre Live (NT Live), a program of simulcasts of live productions to cinemas, first in the United Kingdom and then internationally – a fantastic way to open Theatre up to the country for people who either can’t afford or can’t travel to the performances. I myself have seen a number of performances this way including Helen Mirren’s reprisal playing the Queen in The Audience and Kenneth Branagh and Alex Kingston’s Macbeth. Definitely look at your local and surrounding cinemas to see if they participate.

Source: National Theatre

Did you check out the Program? Check out some of the extensive Q+A sessions on youtube? Comment below.

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‘Breaking Bad’ Alternative Ending

Many joked about. Some even created fan videos on the internet. But now, as part of the Breaking Bad season 5 DVD, Vince Gilligan and the team have created something very special. The breaking Bad alternative ending.

Vince recently confirmed that the ending to Breaking Bad was not in any way a dream and I assume in part this was a way to play on that and play on those widespread jokes. I think the fact that, they took the time to film this and that Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek both featured is simply great. Check out the video below.

Watching this it reminded me how cool Malcolm in the Middle was and specifically how great their dynamic was. I’d happily watch a spin off show featuring just the two of those characters.

Source: The Guardian

Did you enjoy this fun alternative ending? Comment below.

 

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Big Finishing Move: ‘Doctor Who: The Spectre of Lanyon Moor’

Well hello folks, and welcome back to Big Finishing Move, where I take a look at audio dramas from the people at Big Finish and tell you if they suck or not. Today we’ll be looking at one of the earliest Sixth Doctor stories. From the year 2000, I give you The Spectre of Lanyon Moor.

TARDIS Team:

Sixth Doctor and Dr. Evelyn Smythe, with Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart

Most everybody who knows Who is well aware who the Brigadier is so I can skip a detailed introduction here. However, a good many of you may be unfamiliar with Evelyn Smythe, so allow me to give you the basics. Dr. Evelyn Smythe (portrayed by Maggie Stables), is a professor of history and a bit of a chocoholic that began traveling with the Sixth Doctor in the previous story, The Marian Conspiracy. Eveyln is an older lady, so while she is still very much full of drive and vigor, her age and the knowledge she is past her physical prime are not lost on her. Having the wisdom of age and the experience of years of teaching have made Dr. Smythe a very nurturing and patient person, which makes her a great counterpoint for the Sixth Doctor’s special mix of brashness and bravado. She also holds the distinction of being the first companion for the Doctor created by Big Finish.

With that out of the way, let us return to the story at hand.

Let’s get this out of the way, The Spectre of Lanyon Moor is a slow burn. Set in Cornwall, the story takes the opportunity to inject a good deal of real life history and color into what essentially is a mystery plot.  Any and all looking for a fast paced action plot need not apply here. The mystery side of the story has a strong Agatha Christie flair, casting loosely the Doctor as Poirot, Eveyln as Miss Marple, and the Brigadier as Poirot’s friend, Captain Hastings. Much like any Agatha Christie tale, almost all the supporting characters have nefarious secrets of their own that are uncovered as the story progresses. Still, much like many Doctor Who tales, all those secrets and lies lead up to an evil alien out to destroy the Earth.

I chose this story not only because I felt it was time for me to cover the Sixth Doctor, but because it is one of only two appearances by the Brigadier in Big Finish’s main Doctor Who range.  The Brigadier’s unflappable Brit demeanor, despite all the sideways bonkers crazy stuff being a member of UNIT and a close friend to the Doctor has brought into his life, has always been an endearing trait to me. Nicholas Courtney doesn’t have as much to do as I would like, but he does get a point at the end to show despite being retired, the Brigadier is a badass. Without spoiling anything let me say this, without the Brig on this one, the world would be ash.

Maggie Stables is solid as usual. The story gives her plenty to do and some great one-liners to throw out at the bad guys. Evelyn spends whole sections away from the Doctor and I’m happy to report that the story never drags because of it. My favorite Evelyn parts are her dealings with young backpacker Nikki and the conversation she has with the Doctor after his verbal undressing of Professor Morgan. Both moments are excellent for character development and show off Stables’ acting chops.

Colin Baker’s performance however, is much more muted then I’ve ever seen or heard him do. The Sixth Doctor’s more overblown and harsh side pops up more than once, but for the majority of it he seems much calmer and cooler than normal. It isn’t anything that breaks the story, it just feels peculiar to have the noted egotist Sixth Doctor standing in for another noted egotist, Poirot, and not have him act as egocentric as normal.

If you’re the type of person who can take a slower pace and long sections of people going over research and comparing notes with each other, you’ll find an enjoyable treat of a story. If you are looking for something a little different and have $2.99 to spare, you might want to give this one a go. Anyone that needs excitement should stay away. There are riveting moments here, but they are few and far between and most likely won’t hold your interest. This one isn’t a shot of rotgut whiskey to be slammed, this is a glass of good scotch to be sipped and savored.

Please remember that Big Finish aren’t the only ones who do audio dramas. We have our own audio show Infinite Variations that you should be checking out!

Purchase Doctor Who: The Spectre of Lanyon Moor here:

Announcements:

As I stated in my last review, here are my plans for taking this series into the new year and beyond:

1. I was already planing on doing some Eighth Doctor stuff next, but with all the excitement  and revelations surrounding The Night of the Doctor I’ve decided from now until the end of the 2013 I’ll be covering Eighth Doctor stories. I really lucked out here as some of these stories are perfect for the holiday season! So join me next time as we kick things off with:

2. January 2014 will be the launch of the third series of Fourth Doctor Adventures and I will be covering them as they are released. I’ll still be doing other reviews in between things, but expect at least one Fourth Doctor entry every month up until August where I’ll cover the final story from series three and Philip Hinchcliffe Presents box set!

I do hope you’ll join me as I try to make this thing I’m lucky enough to do bigger and better. Until then, happy listening!

 

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Batkid: The Hero San Francisco Needed

You’ll commend him. You’ll turn San Francisco in to Gotham City, because that’s what needs to happen. Because sometimes… life isn’t good enough. Sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their perseverance rewarded.

On Friday November 15th, the people of San Francisco banded together to fulfill the wishes of a brave 5-year old boy by the name of Miles Scott. When Miles a mere 18 months old, he was diagnosed with leukemia, and has been battling it for literally his entire life. Even in the face of a dire situation, young Miles still found a way to keep smiling and keep fighting through his passion for superheroes. This makes sense, because the essence of a superhero is to persevere through even the darkest and coldest of times and to become a symbol of hope not only to the people around you, but to yourself as well.

This was the desire of the brave little soul. He dreamed of embodying this symbol of hope, and to fight crime alongside his favorite super hero Batman. The Make-A-Wish foundation heard this plea, and with the help of an estimated 7,000 volunteers, they were able to bring Miles’ dream to life.  This heart warming video goes more in depth about the events that took place:

 

Batkid from San Francisco Chronicle on Vimeo.

 

From stopping the Riddler from robbing a bank, to saving the SF Giants’ mascot from the Penguin, this fun sized caped crusader was truly an unstoppable force. Batkid had a number of fans nationwide, including President Obama (via a White House Vine post) and the Dark Knights of the past, present, and future. Michael Keaton and Christian Bale lauded Batkid’s triumphs in the press, while Ben Affleck was more succinct with his praise, tweeting simply, “Batkid. Best Batman ever.”

As a person who has suffered the loss of a family member to leukemia, I can understand the pain that his family and friends went through. With all honesty, this boy is much braver than me, and even the Dark Knight himself. His diagnosis would strike fear in the hearts of Batman and any of his adversaries in the Rogues Gallery. It is a scar that runs deeper than the Joker’s smile. So when it was mentioned that after extensive chemotherapy, Miles’ Leukemia is now in remission, I could not be happier for the guy. We here at One of Us have nothing but pure admiration for the Dark Knight mini. He reminds us why we have such strong passions for all things nerdy and geeky. In these times of cynicism and pessimism, this story serves as a reminder that passion and hope can still exists. So in the case of our hero Miles Scott, I have to respectfully disagree with Harvey Dent’s famous quote and instead choose to modify it:

You either die a hero… Or live long enough to see yourself kick leukemia in the ass!

So OOUies, what do you think? Did this restore your faith in humanity? Of course it did! Whatever your thoughts, comment below and let One of Us know!

Via San Francisco Chronicle, Metro UK, Vimeo, and USA Today

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Robert Patrick joins ‘From Dusk Till Dawn’ TV Cast

The number of film franchises being turned into TV franchises alludes me. I get that TV is incredibly rich, powerful and diverse at the moment but that is down to one thing – it’s not film! Stories and characters are able to develop and grow over time rather than trying to fit it into 90 minutes or follow the summer trend to be financially viable up against big hitters like Avengers.

When I heard that the El Ray network, an English speaking network launched by Robert Rodriguez targeting Latino audiences is developing a “From Dusk Till Dawn” series which would exclusively follow the plot line of the first film whilst creating a new history and lore I was slightly confused. “From Dusk Till Dawn” worked because the plot was a surprise. It wasn’t building up to a vampire stakeout, it was genuinely something that got in the way of a very brutal gangster story.

Robert Patrick, star of the so-so (at best) sequel is set to return to vampire concept playing the role Jacob Fuller (played by Harvey Keitel in the movie). He joins Madison Davenport (“Shameless”) as Kate Fuller, Brandon Soo Hoo (“Tropic Thunder”) as Scott Fuller, and Eiza Gonzalez (“Lola: Erase Una Vez”) as Santanico Pandemonium.

Here is the full, rather lenghty press release below;

New York and Austin, TX – November 15, 2013 – On the heels of last week’s start of production in Austin, El Rey Network today announced the newest cast members of the highly-anticipated, “From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series,” premiering in Q1 2014 on the new English-language cable network. Created in association with FactoryMade Ventures and created and executive produced by network founder and filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, the supernatural crime saga (based on the cult classic film of the same name) will feature Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The X-Files) as Jacob Fuller, Madison Davenport (Save Me, Shameless) as Kate Fuller, Brandon Soo Hoo (Tropic Thunder, Ender’s Game, Incredible Crew) as Scott Fuller and Eiza González (Lola: Érase Una Vez) as Santánico Pandemonium. The 10-episode serialized drama will serve as the first original scripted series to air on the new genre-busting cable network. El Rey Network will debut nationally in December 2013.

Eiza González recreates the role of Santánico Pandemonium, credited for launching Salma Hayek’s film career. Robert Patrick portrays Jacob Fuller, father to Kate Fuller (Davenport) and Scott Fuller (Soo Hoo), who are held hostage by main characters, Seth and Richie Gecko and find themselves along for the ride of their life. They join previously announced D.J. Cotrona (Dear John, G.I. Joe: Retaliation) who plays Seth Gecko, Zane Holtz (Holes, The Perks of Being a Wallflower) as Richie Gecko; Jesse Garcia (Quinceañera, Sons of Anarchy) who plays Texas Ranger Freddie Gonzalez, a new character created for the series, and Don Johnson (Django Unchained, Nash Bridges) who joins in a recurring role as Sheriff Earl McGraw.

Based on the thrill-ride film, “From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series” is a supernatural crime saga centered around bank robber, Seth Gecko (Cotrona) and his violent, unpredictable brother, Richard “Richie” Gecko (Holtz), who are wanted by the FBI and Texas Rangers Earl McGraw (Johnson) and Freddie Gonzalez (Garcia) after a bank heist left several people dead. While on the run to Mexico, Seth and Richie encounter former minister Jacob Fuller (Patrick) and his family, whom they take hostage. Using the family RV to cross the border, chaos ensues when the group detours to a strip club that is populated by vampires. They are forced to fight until dawn in order to get out alive. The series deepens the tone of the film, adds new characters and backstories and expands the Mesoamerican mythology behind the creatures inside the club.

Robert Patrick has worked with some of the top actors and directors in his field for the last 20 years. His breakthrough role came as the legendary T-1000 in Terminator 2 and since then, he has worked on iconic films and television shows including Die Hard 2, Wayne’s World, Last Action Hero, Fire in the Sky, Cop Land, The Faculty, Walk the Line, Bridge to Terabithia, Spy Kids, Flags of Our Fathers and on the television hits Sons of Anarchy, The Sopranos, The Outer Limits, Elvis, The Unit and The X-Files. He was seen this past season as a series regular on HBO’s True Blood and this past summer in the Radius/Weinstein feature Lovelace opposite Sharon Stone and Amanda Seyfried. Recent films include Universal Picture’s Identity Thief with Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman, Warner Bros.’ Gangster Squad and Trouble With the Curve opposite Clint Eastwood. Patrick also recently wrapped filming on the feature films Endless Love and The Road Within. In October 2012, Robert once again participated in the 29th Annual Love Ride-serving as Honorary Grand Marshal alongside Peter Fonda in the longest running motorcycle charity event in the world. This year’s event benefited the USO. He is also the Charter Holder of Chapter 101 of the Boozefighters Motorcycle Club-Chapter 101 a non-profit group of motorcycle enthusiasts who raise money for Veterans and disabled Vets. Boozefighters Motorcycle Club is one of the oldest active and prestigious motorcycle clubs in the World and the only recognized by the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee with a permanent display. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife Barbara and their two children.

Eiza González is a Mexican singer, songwriter and actress. The 23-year-old actress will co-star in the upcoming Adrian Cervantes-directed comedy, All Hail the Squash Blossom Queen and can next be seen in Casi Treinta (Almost Thirty), directed by Alejandro Sugich. She has starred in numerous television series, including the hit Lola: Érase Una Vez (Lola: Once Upon a Time) and Nickelodeon’s Suena Conmigo (Dream with Me). Eiza recorded five albums for these two series, as well as two other albums as a solo artist. She is signed with Universal Music. Most recently, she starred in Amores Verdaderos (True Loves), drawing 7.6 million viewers to the finale, on Univision. Her voiceover credits include DreamWorks’ The Croods and Twentieth Century Fox’s Alvin and the Chipmunks and Horton Hears a Who! She has appeared on hundreds of magazine covers, including last month’s Glamour Mexico, this month’s GQ Mexico, and next January’s Cosmopolitan Mexico. Eiza is managed by Glenda Reyna of GR & EG Artist Management. She is represented by CAA.

At the young age of sixteen, Madison Davenport is already an industry veteran, having acted professionally since the age of seven. She just wrapped production on Darren Aronofsky’s biblical epic Noah, where she shares the screen with Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson and Anthony Hopkins. Paramount will release the film in 2014. On television, Madison was recently seen on NBC’s Save Me and is also known for her role on the hit Showtime series Shameless in which she delivered a memorable performance as an abused child-bride, the fan favorite character of ‘Ethel.’ She has guest starred on Numb3rs, Bones, ER, CSI, House, the pilot Close to Home, and the TV movie Amish Grace. Her breakout performance as ‘Ruthie’ in the HBO films release Kit Kittridge, the first feature film in the American Girl franchise, garnered her the Young Artist Award for Best Performance in 2009. She was also seen in Lionsgate’s supernatural horror flick The Possession (opposite Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick) which hit #1 at the box office two weekends in a row. Born in Texas, Madison currently resides in LA with her family.

A five time Young Artist Award winner and nominee, 18-year-old Brandon Soo Hoo began his career at the age of 10 when he was featured in TV ads for Toys “R” Us, Land Rover and ExxonMobil. The following year, Brandon was featured in Sesame Street and Disney Channel’s What’s the Word. He made his film debut in Ben Stiller’s Tropic Thunder as Tran, earning him a Young Artist Award. In 2009, Brandon played Young Storm Shadow in G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra, earning him another nomination for a Young Artist Award. That year, he also co-starred in Ellen Gittelsohn’s Chico’s Kidz. Brandon is currently featured in the film Ender’s Game, working alongside Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Viola Davis, Asa Butterfield, Abigail Breslin and Hailee Steinfeld. In addition, he has been featured in numerous TV series including My Name is Earl, ‘Til Death, Family Guy, Community and Workaholics. Brandon also had a recurring role in Nickelodeon’s Supah Ninjas and starred in Nick Cannon’s sketch comedy series for Cartoon Network, Incredible Crew. Most recently, Brandon co-starred in the Nickelodeon series, Instant Mom and the feature film, Terry the Tomboy, based on Nickelodeon’s popular sketch comedy series, AwesomenessTV. A Tae Kwon Do black belt since the age of 10, Brandon also toured with the martial arts troupe Sideswipe Live in 2009 and 2010. He lives in Los Angeles with his parents and his sister.

“From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series” is an El Rey Network production in association with FactoryMade Ventures. Executive producers are Robert Rodriguez, Carlos Coto (who is also showrunner) and FactoryMade Ventures and El Rey Network co-founders John Fogelman and Cristina Patwa. Diego Gutierrez is writer and co-executive producer. Robert Rodriguez will direct the first two installments. Miramax, producing studio and distributor of the original film, is distributing the series internationally in all territories with the exception of Canada, China, India and UK.

Source: El Ray Network

Are you excited for Robert to take another stab at the From Dusk Till Dawn mythos? Or should it remain dead and buried? Comment below.

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You Too Could Be Cast In ‘Star Wars Episode VII’ …Maybe

You’d be hard pressed to find a large collection of people that are not looking forward to J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode VII. Similarly in my opinion, you’d be hard pressed to find a geek that wouldn’t want to be directly associated with the project especially in an acting role. Well today might indeed be every geek’s lucky day as Disney is now accepting video submissions for two roles in what is rumored to be Star Wars Episode VII.

It is important to note that it is not yet known in any indisputable way that it is for the new Star Wars, but the feeling leans toward it being the case. The roles are for Rachel, a girl 17 to 18 years of age and described as smart, beautiful and athletic. The other, Thomas, a young man between the ages of 19 and 23 described as handsome and athletic. These video submissions run hand in hand with open in person auditions being held in the U.K., Chicago, Nashville, Austin, TX and Troy, MI.

Nerds all over the world will likely be firing up their webcams, busting out their homemade lightsabers and practicing ‘The Force’ in efforts of earning a spot in the highly anticipated new addition to a beloved geek franchise. If it turns out that this is indeed for the new Star Wars I think it’s very cool to give your everyday geeks the hope at appearing in something they love so dearly. If it’s not for the new film, let’s just hope that no one ends up being a new internet meme like Star Wars Kid.

Will you be submitting yourself for one of these roles? Do you think it is actually for the new Star Wars? Sound off in the comments below!

Via: Variety

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5 Other Franchises That Deserve Their Own Theme Parks

Theme parks are such an interesting phenomenon. It’s a place to celebrate culture and technology, as well as, you know, cashing in on the the novelty value of properties. But hey, that doesn’t mean business can’t be fun right? Well that’s the idea behind Lionsgate Studio’s pushing a Hunger Games theme park.

“What’s that? The Hunger Games made what kind of money?! Well shit! Let’s turn that in to a theme park! That’s the next logical step to take right?”

Alas, this idea doesn’t sound too great on paper. There’s nothing about The Hunger Games that screams the happiest place on earth. Although, if they were going to take this route, we have made a list of demands that you could see here if you haven’t read it already.

Despite that list, we’re still confused as to why this Hungry Theme Park would even be a thing. Then we got to thinking… What other franchises would make BAD-ASS theme parks? So as a sequel to our previous article, we shall call this one Theme Parks 2: The Theme Parkening!

 

Nintendo World

This one is so obvious, that we’re almost embarrassed to even mention this on the list. I mean come on! There is such a vast universe here that is BEGGING to be made in to a theme park. You could have the Donkey Kong Konga River Ride, and sit in a barrel that goes through the rapids and madness of the Donkey Kong Country. Instead of the Disney signature castle, they could have the Hyrule Castle, and at the top, have Ganondorf at the top holding the princes like King Kong. What about having a Mario-Kart ride?! And go through the psychedelic ‘Rainbow Road’ race track! Of course, you could just take massive amounts of LSD and go-karting…

Joker’s Funland

I don’t know about you, but we here at One of Us sometimes like to ride the crazy train. Whether it’s long hours of recording and editing, or sitting at our keyboards staring in to the void of the abyss that is an empty shot glass, sometimes we begin twitch and laugh. Sure, Joker’s Funland would be probably a bit creepy, but sometimes creepy and crazy can be fun! All the staff members could dress up like the Joker’s goons, and in each ride, it would be set up as the Joker trying to kill you with demented carnival games. At the end of each ride, we hear him say some snarky remark of how disappointed he is that you’re still alive.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

If you watched any of the Cloudy films, you would know how wildly creative they are. Not just on a story level, but especially on a visual level. Spaghetti tornadoes, pizza jets, and ice cream winter wonderlands, there is no shortage of material to work with. There is so much potential here to do parodies of other franchises using food also. Like Jurassic Park where we could ride Steakosauruses or flying carrotdactyls! We could also travel to outer space via spaaaaaaaace chiiiiips! If you need to get there fast, you can ride the coffee espresso train! And you know those spinning swing rides? Yeah, the top of the carousel could be a giant meatball, and the swings could be noodles. Of course, these are just our pastalation, as to what a park like this would be like. 

Brutal Legend

This one is a bit tricky, only because this game is very under appreciated. Those of you who don’t know, Brutal Legends is a game that stars Jack Black as our tenacious guitar wielding character, that serves as a hellish love letter to everything righteous and freakin’ metal! Granted, this one would be a bit niche, but you know what? We want a theme park geared towards adults, and the universe created in Brutal Legends would be pretty sick. Stumbling drunkenly through the desolate plains of Beerhenge, or riding a highspeed death trap entitled the ‘Thunderhorn’, this place would be filled with hellish twisted metal architecture. Icing on the cake would be Ozzy Osbourne as the park’s announcer. That would seriously melt some face.

Ghibli Studios

This is the number one thing that baffles us the most, as to how this isn’t even a thing already. Sure, there is a Studio Ghibli museum, but there isn’t a full on THEME PARK dedicated to this body of work. Hayao Miyazaki has been hailed as the Walt Disney of Japan, so why isn’t there a Miyazaki Land? The characters he has created has become so iconic in both American and Japanese culture, and the novelty they have acquired is just as much as anything Disney has created. I mean come on! A Howl’s Moving Caslte ride is a given. Or have a spa and buffet place like in Spirited Away. Perhaps we could have a Cat Bus Rollercoaster? Or a Ponyo deep sea thrill ride! Or a Kiki’s Delivery Service big flight adventure done in the same vein as Star Tours, in that motion simulator ride style. Somebody stop us! Or else we’ll keep going!

 

So now we’ll leave it up to you fellow OOUies. What are your theme park ideas? Whatever they are, comment below and let One of Us know! Also, if you haven’t already (which if you haven’t WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?!) check out our Audio drama by clicking the picture below… in spaaaaaaaaace!

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The Pre-Weekend Recap: November 15, 2013

Behold, The Pre-Weekend Recap rises from the mist once again! It’s starting to get cold outside, the sun’s going down incredibly fast, and jumping in the leaves loses its novelty after a few minutes. Instead of going outside, why not stay in and sit down with some fantastic One of Us content over the weekend?

Tell you what, I’ll even give you a few suggestions of which of this week’s features to start with, free of charge. I’m too nice for my own good sometimes.

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Write A Movie With Us: Week 3

write

 

Write A Movie With Us, our collaborative script-writing project is in its third week! You and your fellow scribes will be making a huge decision this week because it is time to choose the plot of your crowd-sourced horror film. Your friendly neighborhood Scotsman and leader of the WAMWU project, Mr. Chris Harrison, has distilled the past two weeks of conversation into three different pitches. Take a look at each one, talk about the finer points of the three, and finally, give your vote and endorse your preferred option. Your voice has a great deal of influence here, so don’t let the opportunity slip past you. Get into the writers’ room now!

 

The INTERN-Net Show: Episode 6

 

You have to hand it to Chris Harrison, the dude is always busy producing top-quality material for all you kids out there. Not only is he running WAMWU like a pro, he also is the mad genius behind The INTERN-Net Show, a weekly discussion of the geeky news out there all over the world. This week’s edition is all about Doctor Who, the Saw franchise, Batman’s main man Nightwing, and a new segment called “In Defense Of…,” where Chris presents some unpopular endorsements of much-reviled media. This episode is definitely one of the books!

 

Introducing Our Newest Blog: Meet Ash & Fern!

 

We added two new members to the family this week, the aforementioned Ash and Fern! These self-described buddy cops of geekdom have an wide range of interests, some among them include the U.S. Men’s Soccer Team, Battlestar Galactica, geometry puns, Lord of the Rings,  and of course, blogging! Get to know Ash and Fern by clicking on the image above and get hyped for the chronicles of their various adventures, featured right here on One of Us!

 

Mind Crafts: How to Make a Gus, a.k.a. “Sweet Tooth,” Costume

 

Mind Crafts, our premiere geek-influenced hobby show, is back with its second episode! This time, the talented and creative Ashley Moreno is here to show you how to replicate her Halloween costume from this year: Gus from Jeff Lemire’s acclaimed comic series, Sweet Tooth.  Look, everyone’s wanted to dress up as a deer-boy hybrid freak living in a post-apocalyptic wasteland at least once. Now, you’ll finally learn how to make your latent dream a reality! In addition, Ashley’s opening up the Mind Crafts Mail Bag, so be sure to send her a ton of great questions and comments!

 

For Veterans Day: Our 5 Favorite Cinematic Soldiers

 

On Monday, the United States celebrated Veterans Day, a solemn occasion dedicated to those who have fought in the conflicts our nation has faced throughout its history. A few members of the One of Us team marked the holiday by talking about the cinematic soldiers we admire and how their onscreen deeds made us appreciate the veterans of the real world. Check out our selections, feel free to add one of your own in the comments, and be sure to thank a veteran for volunteering to defend and protect this land and its citizens.

 

Art Contest: You Decide the Winner! Vote Now! 

The art contest submission process was a resounding success. A great number of fantastic works came into the contest inbox. In fact, there were so many incredible submissions, we were simply unable to pick a winner. Thus, through the power of delegation, the responsibility to make the call comes to you! Click the image above to see the six finalists for the art contest and vote for your pick by leaving the number in the comment section. We’ll be counting the votes next week, so don’t delay on the democratic process!

 

That ought to do it for this week! Don’t forget, the first two episodes of One of Us’ exclusive audio drama, Infinite Variations, is available to you, completely free of charge! All you have to do is click the image below and enjoy the adventure, so get to it! Have a stellar weekend! 

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’50 Shades of Grey’ Author Terrified About the Film Adaptation…But Wait There’s More!

On the off chance there are any Fifty Shades of Grey fans out there jonesin’ for their fix of the upcoming S&M fest that the film will be, I’ve found three nuggets of info to tweak your naughty bits. I’m willing to bet this will be on the more painful than pleasurable side of news for fans whose blood is rushing in anticipation for the adaptation, but first off is that the production has been delayed and the release date for the film is now set for Valentine’s Day 2015 instead of August 1, 2014.

The departure of Charlie Hunnam and recasting seems to be the likely cause of the production delay, but other factors played into the decision on the release date- not the least of which being that it would be competing with Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Secondly, the series’ author E L James gave a brief interview with Entertainment Weekly in which she divulged that she was “terrified” about the upcoming production of the film. Her fears about the production based on the interview seem to be based entirely on how fans will react to the film and if it’s anything less than satisfactory, she believes they will hold her responsible.

Lastly, a slew of the first character photos have been released by EW showing the newly cast Jamie Doman as Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele. Now, I have never read the books nor do I have any vested interest in this film, but the photos as previously mentioned…yawn. Everything about this film so far is boring to me even when Charlie Hunnam was cast to play the male lead. Doman does look to have the smoldering good looks the ladies will enjoy, but Johnson looks as though she has been cast in some inexplicable Twilight remake. I suppose given the book series started out as Twilight fan fiction that maybe that was the point from the beginning.

I can’t quite get tap into the mindset of a fan of the series to give a helpful opinion about rather or not these two fit the description of the character. I will say this those, in the photos of them together I already don’t quite see the chemistry- granted these are very earlier shots of them in character.

Have you read the Fifty Shades of Grey books? Are you looking forward to the movie? What do you think of the first character photos? Let us know on the comments!

Via: Variety

 

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