The Film Club - Canadian television personality David Gilmour's memoir about allowing his teenage son to drop out of high school and watch three movies a week. Part film analysis, part parenting experiment, the book details the highs and lows of their unique father-son relationship.
These awesome brightly colored movie ending bookends! (The "Fin" and "The End" are my favorites.)
Phoebe in Wonderland - a lovely independent film about a bright but troubled girl who seeks refuge in her school's production of Alice in Wonderland. Patricia Clarkson is fabulous as the eccentric drama teacher Mrs. Dodger and Elle Fanning makes a perfect Phoebe.
An enamel charm with the Cheshire Cat's most famous line.
This book (combining my love of Alice and zombies), which I am holding in my hot little hands right this second. (Thanks, Quinn!)
If you're an Alice fan, an American McGee fan, or just love gorgeous, cinematic, fantasy-driven third person shooter games, go buy Alice: Madness Returns today!
Batman Money Clip - A mini folding batarang with a magnetized grip to keep Dad's cash (and your allowance) safe from super villains.
Star Trek Cufflinks - Beautiful silver plated cufflinks for Dad's geeky formal wear.
Night Sky Monopoly Edition - A space-themed Monopoly game that will both educate and entertain the whole family.
Case of Bawls - The gamer's energy drink of choice, it comes in 4 flavors: regular, cherry, sugar-free, and root beer.
$100 and under:
Neverlate Executive Alarm Clock - The perfect alarm clock for busy dads. It has up to 42 alarm settings and is completely customizable. There are 20 available radio presets and an MP3 player input.
Stainless Steel Wallet - Made from tightly woven stainless steel fibers, this wallet is both durable and comfortable. Perfect for the dad who is hard on wallets.
The CDC acknowledges the inevitability of the zombie apocalypse. (Or it's a fun marketing ploy - either way, it's awesome.) It attracted so much attention that the site still hasn't recovered. ThinkGeek has provided a supplement, complete with a supply list.
Artist Rahzzah's mashup of X-Men and the Muppets, entitled "X-Muppets".
ThinkGeek's new superhero tees for women. I'm a big fan of the hockey stripes and the 3/4 sleeves. Choose from Batman, Green Lantern (my fav), Superman, and The Flash.
This adorable short/potential Meetup ad from Eric B. Shanks. (Robots need friends, too!)
Han in carbonite ice trays - I love a good silicone ice tray (I have Space Invaders, brains, and Pi shaped trays, and I'm planning to get the robot tray very soon.), so I was super excited to see these amazing ice trays coming soon to the Star Wars Shop.
Don't worry about coming up with the best proposal ever, because this guy's already got it covered. (Bonus: Taking the time to get popcorn on the way. I would totally do that.):
Meghan Draws Weird - Meghan Murphy's Tumblr blog of pencil sketches. She takes requests from followers - my favorite is this sketch of the "IT Crowd" guys and gal). Be sure to check out her hilarious cartoon site Kawaii Not as well.
Wizards & Warriors Camp - A summer camp in Burlington, MA for 7-12 year old fantasy fans. Similar to LARP play, the camp also introduces kids to history, literature, chemistry, biology, environmental sciences, and archeology - all taught in the context of the fantasy world of Sidleterra. Professional actors interact with the campers to enhance the ongoing story. (Who else wishes they were 12 right about now?)
"Tales From the Darkside" mini-marathon - It's happening today, right now on Sci-Fi Channel! Go watch it!
Chris O'Dowd (Roy from "The IT Crowd") will be on "Conan" on Wednesday, May 18th!
Star Wars Art Show - a blog that features amazing fan art, especially this Cinco De Mayo contribution
Free Comic Book Day Wedding - I'm a big fan of casual and very personal weddings (probably because I had one myself!). How cute is this couple who got married at their local comic shop on Free Comic Book Day?
Dear Girls Above Me - Charlie McDowell's (son of actor and icon Malcom McDowell and actress Mary Steenburgen) blog/Twitter archive of his responses to the two inane and incredibly loud girls who live above him. It's hilarious and completely relevant to anyone who has lived in an apartment with loud neighbors. Follow McDowell on Twitter (@Charliemcdowell)
Icons of the Twilight Zone Bobblehead - If you're lucky enough to be going to Comic-Con, you can pick this amazing thing up directly at the Bif Bang Pow! booth. If not, you can still buy yours from Entertainment Earth - if you can stand the wait until November, that is. (It's available to pre-order now!)
The Dark Crystal graphic novel series - This highly anticipated adaptation will be art directed by Brian Froud (the original designer). The series details the origins of the crystal and is slated to be published at the end of this year.
The character trailers for X-Men: First Class (I am SO excited about this flick!):
Portal 2 advises how not to be a D-bag during co-play:
This geek girl's awesome Etsy store takes computer parts and makes them into amazing jewelry. Follow her @CloneHardware - she gives updates about new merchandise. Roger Hargreaves - The man who wrote the popular Mr. Men and Little Miss series would have been 76 yesterday. Hargreaves died in 1988 due to stroke complications. His son, Adam, took over writing the series after his death.
Restropect Dry Goods in Monument, CO - This awesome store has everything from classic monster movie collectibles to gorgeous Bettie Page clothing. If you live in Colorado and love retro, this shop is definitely worth the trip! Follow them on Twitter (@RetrospectDG) and/or "like" them on Facebook to get news about new merch and deals.
Neil Gaiman's response to Minnesota Representative Matt Dean's name-calling - If you follow Gaiman on Twitter (@neilhimself) or read his blog, you know about the surprising controversy he has caused in Minnesota's legislature. When interviewed about cutting "legacy" funds that go to promote arts and culture in the state, Dean lashed out at Gaiman for being paid a $40,000 speaker's fee. He said he "hate[d]" the author, called him a "pencil-necked weasel", and accused him of stealing the money from Minnesota tax payers. Gaiman took the diatribe in stride and, way back in May of 2010, had even taken the extra step of explaining the fee and what was done with it. Dean gamely apologized for calling the author a "pencil-necked weasel", but said nothing of the theft accusation. I applaud Mr. Gaiman for his mature, level-headed response. You, sir, are a better person than I. #TeamGaiman
Mothers' Day is coming - May the last-minute scrambling for presents commence. May I suggest this awesome shirt?
YouTube channel YourFavoriteMartian - Their videos for "Zombie Love Song" and "Club Villain" are especially good. (Thanks to Sarah for finding these!)
Remember when I talked about "Jem"? The Hub just announced that the truly, truly, truly outrageous singer will be added to their retrotastic lineup (joining fellow '80s alum "Doogie Howser, M.D.") on May 31st, with a sneak preview on May 28th.
Adorable video game-based proposals - the only thing better than a geek is a romantic geek!
Susan Beal's World of Geekcraft - A book of crafts that will appeal to geeks of all ages. It includes things like Super Mario cross-stitch and cosplay sewing instructions. Star Wars fans should also check out Bonnie Burton's The Star Wars Craft Book.
World of Geekcraft Harry Potter and solar system projects (found here)
Apparently, it was sock monkey weekend for Kris and me. We gave our friends' little girls pink baby sock monkeys for Easter and then ended up receiving a baby sock monkey of our own, as well as a sock monkey jack-in-the-box and yo-yo!
In the wake of New York Times reviewer Ginia Bellafante's incendiary and sexist review of HBO's "Game of Thrones", I give you girl geekery at its finest . . .
HuffPo book reviewer Ilana Teitelbaum's thoughtful rebuttal. Teitelbaum is a fan of George R. R. Martin's fantasy series and does an excellent job of pointing out the numerous flaws in Bellafante's flippant and insulting "review".
My favorite geek mom and baby girl geek get featured in ThinkGeek's Customer
Action Shots!
Sexy female superhero PJs from Spencers - is anyone else impressed that they got a few lesser known superheroines in the mix? (I particularly love the Emma Frost ones!)
Team Unicorn's music video celebrating being girl geeks, while parodying Katie Perry's "Californa Gurls". The vid features Clare Grant, Michele Boyd, Rileah Vanderbilt, and Milynn Sarley, as well as cameos by Seth Green and "Battlestar Galactica's" Katee Sackhoff. While Team Unicorn gets a lot of flak for being "too mainstream pretty" (whatever that means) as well as being overly sexy in the video, I think it's awesome.
Team Unicorn discusses their video with www.girlgamer.com Editor-in-Chief Crix Lee:
This ElfQuest fan trailer, which premiered at WonderCon at the beginning of the month. It was created, produced, and directed by two female ElfQuest fans, Stephanie Thorpe and Paula Rhodes, who conceived the idea on Twitter and presented it to IndieGoGo.
And, finally, a short list of awesome geek girl blogs and Twitter feeds*:
Zombie Fluxx - The zombie version of a very fun card game that has an almost infinite number of combinations.
A new take on Plants vs. Zombies - Phil Jones's Zombie Plant
The cast and crew of "The Walking Dead" talk about what to expect for season two. (On a side note, I am completely impressed with AMC's original programming. I started watching "The Killing" recently and it looks very promising.)
I've mentioned that I'm not much of a gamer, but I am completely captivated by the trailer for the upcoming game Dead Island. It seems very reminiscent of Silent Hill I and II, with the added bonus of zombies.
I'm bummed that I missed out on this T-shirt from woot, but you can still see the adorable design. Do you think it's a PB&B sandwich? (That's peanut butter and brains.)
I missed one of the most important ThinkGeek April Fool's joke products - the chocolate zombie Easter bunny. You can show your interest in any of the April Fool's products by clicking "Buy Now", selecting the products you want to see added to the permanent catalog, and submitting your email. If they choose to make what you've selected, you'll get an email letting you know it's in stock. (Vote for the zombie Easter bunny and I will love you forever!)
UPDATE: Somebody out there must love me, because I got the new ThinkGeek newsletter in my inbox today and the chocolate zombie Easter bunny is a reality!
The Oatmeal - If you like Hyperbole and a Half, you'll love The Oatmeal. Matthew Inman, a former web designer and programmer, is the artist and writer behind this humor blog. It's a combination of comics, quizzes, and hilarious stories from Inman's life and work experiences. He frequently updates the site, so there's a consistent flow of newness to brighten up your day. My personal favorite at the moment are the "Bobcat" comics, a series of panels about two cats who work in an office.
The gameplay demos for Alice: Madness Returns - They're way more awesome than I was expecting. Unlike some games (*cough* Duke Nukem *cough*), the game's release date has actually been pushed up to June 14th. You can pre-order the game through the official website for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC, and PC download.
Spending the afternoon watching "The Mighty Boosh" - Whenever I'm bored and need a little bit of surreality, I watch this British comedy. I first saw it on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, but after a little investigating, I discovered that large parts of the show were cut out for commercials. I remedied that disappointment quickly by buying the DVDs and now I can watch Vince Noir (Noel Fielding) and Howard Moon (Julian Barratt) whenever I please.
The March issue of Fangoria - I love reading Fango, but at $8.99 a piece, it can get pretty pricey. Even so, I had to pick up this month's issue when I saw the cover. A six page interview with the amazing Richard Matheson? Yes, please.
This adorable Hello Kitty pouch - I have the "nerd glasses" version, but how cute are those old-school 3-D glasses?
And finally, in "No freakin' way" news . . . there may be a third Bill and Ted in the works. Is it my birthday? Did Christmas come early? Can you tell how excited I am about this?
A short "I Heart" to tide you over until next week . . .
My new netbook, which I'm lovingly calling The Nanobot. (You can read more about it on Saturday.) I'll be reviewing it, as well as doing a mini review on Ubuntu Netbook Edition.
My current favorite Twitter feeds @DepressedDarth and @DeathStarPR - hilarious and snarky comments with a Star Wars/Darth Vader spin.
Netflix Instant - I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Netflix Instant is awesome. Daytime and off-season TV is hit-or-miss (mostly miss) and Netflix Instant is chock full of popular TV shows, B-movies, and surprisingly fascinating documentaries. At $7.99 a month (Instant only) for unlimited movies, it's an awesome deal.
The Internet - Where else could you watch the cast of "Invader Zim" read unproduced episodes to a live audience? (Although, sometimes it can be a bad thing. How can I possibly unsee Crispin Glover's "Clowny Clown Clown"?)
My Ghoulia Yelps doll - I discovered Monster High dolls last year, and since then, I've been searching for the elusive Ghoulia Yelps doll. Last week, I happened to be at Target and thought I'd check the doll aisle just in case . . . and there she was. Behold her cat eye spectacled zombie glory:
Monster High doll Ghoulia Yelps
Lenore - Believe it or not, my mom got me into Roman Dirge's Lenore comics. Touted as "the cute little dead girl", Lenore is the slightly twisted, undead, but very cute little girl who loves her friends: a serial killer-possessed rag doll (Ragamuffin), a reanimated carcass named Taxidermy, and her dead cat, Kitty, who she carries around like a beloved stuffed animal. Dirge's website features Lenore comics, as well as animated shorts.
Lenore, the cute little dead girl
"Growing Up Creepie" - A mega-cute cartoon about a little girl who was raised by insects. She's gothy/alternative and has to deal with the mainstream mean girls at her school.
Funko's adorable plush Universal monsters - Big heads and shiny black button eyes make these adorable monsters the perfect gift for geeky kids (with open-minded parents). The monsters include Frankenstein, Wolfman, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and the Mummy. (Funko also has slasher movie villain plushes, including this Freddy Krueger plush)
Watching "Eeire, Indiana" on Netflix Instant - A kids' version of "The Outer Limits" with a dash of "The X-Files", this tragically short-lived show was one of my many favorites. With the help of creative consultant (and famed horror flick director) Joe Dante, the show included references to several sci-fi and monster classics.
Jewelry from Made With Molecules, especially this "Serotonin" necklace. An awesomely geeky alternative to the "Happiness", "Love", etc. jewelry that you see everywhere lately.
The "Bewitched" Barbie - Even though I wasn't named for the little girl on this classic '60s show, it's usually what people think of when they learn my name. "Bewitched" stuff is pretty hard to find, especially something as beautiful as this doll.
Florence + The Machine - Florence Welch has an amazing voice, an inventive style, and an impressive ability to straddle musical genres. It's been a while since I've found a current band or singer that I really liked and I was surprised how much I liked Florence + The Machine, considering that my tastes usually run more toward the classic rock genre.
"Atomic Betty" reruns on The Hub - I just discovered this cartoon while flipping channels. A Canadian toon, it was on Cartoon Network for a year before being axed. It's a sweet girl-centric show in the vein of "Powerpuff Girls" about a teenage girl who sings in a band, likes sci-fi movies . . . and happens to be the galactic savior of the universe.
Grammar Girl - Uber-helpful books and website that solve your grammar problems in a user-friendly and relatable way. You can also follow Grammar Girl on Twitter (@GrammarGirl) or listen to her podcast on the Quick and Dirty Tips website.
Grace Kelly in Rear Window - Hitchcock was famous for his use of cool blondes in leading female roles, but Kelly is my favorite because unlike some of the others (Kim Novak in Vertigo, Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest, Tippi Hedren in Marnie), she seems approachable in addition to being beautiful. (The gorgeous clothes don't hurt either!)
Doris Day movies - I spent several days last week watching light, breezy films from the '60s starring Doris Day. Back when AMC used to actually play old movies, my mom and I would watch their Doris Day movie marathons. They are the perfect fun and girly flicks to watch on a girls' night in. (Top Five Doris Day films: The Pajama Game, Lover Come Back, That Touch of Mink, The Thrill of it All!, and Pillow Talk)
My new logo - I'm using the "funny one" right now, but I also have a serious version.
The Zen of Zombie by Scott Kenemore. It probably looks like another trend-capitalizing, bandwagon-hopping novelty book - and it totally is - but, it's also pretty hilarious and accurately spoofs the business self-help genre. I particularly like this passage:
"When a human says: 'Can I do that?' He usually means something like: 'Is this legal? Will I get into trouble? Is it permitted?'
A zombie who wonders if something is possible is concerned only with the physical logistics. A zombie might wonder: 'Can I break down this military barrier? Can that fat kid outrun me? Can I get through that doorway with this spear sticking through my chest?'
But never: 'Will I get in trouble if I break down this door? Will eating that fat kid be in bad taste? Is it a social faux pas to go indoors with a spear?'"
Zombie jerky - it's teriyaki-flavored and made to look like zombie flesh. What more could you want?
Awesome horror blogs Totally Jinxed and Carfax Abbey. You NEED to read these if you are a horror fan - it's not optional.
Allie Brosh's newest update - mostly because I was exactly like her little sister when I was young!
Silly Rhymes for Belligerent Children by Trace Beaulieu (Illustrations by Len Peralta) - Roald Dahl-esque poems with awesome illustrations. It's very reminiscent of Strewwelpeter, the German children's book of cautionary tales by Heinrich Hoffman or Edward Gorey's The Gashlycrumb Tinies (one of my personal favorites).
My favorite of the "Tinies" - Who doesn't want to die of ennui?
Image found here
These awesome eyeball earrings from Kreepsville, an online exclusive on the Hot Topic website
These lovely bow hair clips that my darling husband bought for me:
Blood Spattered (Left) and Covered in Brains (Right)
The League of Tana Tea Drinkers' round table discussion about "What Cute Versions of Monsters Tell Us About Horror" - interesting insights from several bloggers (including The Drunken Severed Head) about the transformation and commercialization of monsters into harmless adorables.
Unexpected gifts - We got to hang out with some friends we hadn't seen in a while and they totally surprised and delighted me with a belated Christmas gift! I now own Season 1 of "The Twilight Zone": The Definitive Edition!
IFC (Independent Film Channel) - IFC is awesome for several reasons (ie: They occasionally run episodes of "The IT Crowd", they don't edit their movies for time or content, etc.), but the main reason to watch is that they play awesome, rarely broadcast movies in their entirety. Add to that fact that they're killing it right now with the horror movies and you have my new favorite channel. IFC currently has Carrie, The Vanishing (1988), and The Changeling (1980) in their regular rotation.
Sucker Punch, Zack Snyder's new fantasy flick hitting IMAX and theaters on March 25th
*Inspired by Gala Darling who features TILT (Things I Love Thursdays) on her blog.
"Phineas and Ferb" (Especially this musical number that references several Broadway musicals!)
Waking up at noon and spending the day in pajamas
Eating chocolate chip cookie dough
Missed Connections, a blog of artwork based on the "Missed Connections" section of Craigslist New York.
"Bar Karma" - Current TV's new television show, entirely created by the online community. It's like "Quantum Leap" meets "Twin Peaks" and stars the amazing William Sanderson.
What's knocking your socks off this week?
*Inspired by Gala Darling who features TILT (Things I Love Thursdays) on her blog.
