First Ninja Turtles Poster Leaks to Web

Fresh off the heels of yesterday's leak, which showed off the on-set maquettes of our beloved Turtles, we now have our first look at a leaked version of the films movie poster.

The image to the left was first spotted on Instagram, but a member of the Technodrome forum managed to get a clearer view.  As you can see, the Turtles very much look like the images that popped up online yesterday and sports the name and logo that first appeared online last year.  I guess at this point we can confirm that the film's name will simply be Ninja Turtles.

While this definitely gives us our first good look of the four (hopefully) main characters of the film, I still don't like them.  Yes, they look slightly better than I thought based on yesterday's leaked images, but I still don't like their designs.  There's something about turtles with lips that just bother me and I really don't know why Raphael is the size of The Rock...

Anyway, what do you think of the poster/look of the Turtles/movie title?  Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Via: Ninja Pizza

UPDATE: First Look at Michael Bay's Ninja Turtles & Shredder

I should preface this by saying, what you're about to see can't be unseen.

Movie site, ComicBookMovie.com,  has gotten what appears to be pictures of the on-set maquettes for the Michael Bay produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Ninja Turtles or whatever the hell it's going to be called.  According to the site, these pictures come from someone "close to the production", but they definitely match toy descriptions that hit the web a couple weeks ago.

We're also getting our first look at what appears to be The Shredder from the upcoming film as well via Technodrome forum user RaphTMNT, who has posted an image of what is supposedly concept art for what old Shredhead will end up looking like.

In all honesty, and I try not to be one of those irate fanboys, but I absolutely HATE these designs.  They look more like monsters than turtles and definitely don't look like teenagers.  As for Shredder, it doesn't matter; if you can't get the turtles right, who cares?  I've officially given up on this train wreck.

UPDATE:  The images have been removed at the request of Paramount Pictures.

What do you think of the turtles' new look?  Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Stay nerdy my friends.

Via: Ninja Pizza

Source: ComicBookMovie.com

Not the One We Need, Nor the One We Deserve: Ben Affleck is Our New Batman...

Well, in case you live in a household without internet (which wouldn't make sense given you're reading this right now), but last night Warner Brothers officially announced that Ben Affleck will be starring opposite Henry Cavill in the yet to be titled Superman/Batman sequel to Man of Steel,  as none-other than Batman aka Bruce Wayne.........yes, that Ben Affleck.

Now I know I'm behind on posting some of the following, but I just wanted to give a little bit of background on the situation in case there is at least one person out there scratching their heads wondering what the heck is going on.  

So last month at San Diego Comic Con, Warner Brothers announced that they were indeed moving forward with a sequel to Man of Steel and that it would team up/pit against Superman and Batman.  Obviously, for the most part, nerdgasms all around.  

Naturally speculation began on who would be stepping into the cape and cowl.  Reports starting flooding the interwebs that Warner Brothers was looking for an older, more grizzled and experienced Batman...think early-to-mid 40s.  Soon names began to circulate, with the likes of Josh Brolin, Jim Caviezel, Jon Hamm, Gerard Bulter and even Ryan Gosling.  Rumors even started that WB was willing to pay Christian Bale $50 - $60 million to come back.  Well you can throw all of that out the window, because it appears we're stuck with Ben Affleck.

I'll admit, when I first heard that a Batman vs Superman movie was becoming a reality, I was pretty excited.  But the more I think about it, the more it feels rushed by WB.  Whether you loved or hated Man of Steel, it ultimately left us with a half completed Superman.  He hasn't become that beacon of hope he's meant to be yet and there's so much of Clark's story left to tell, that I feel a stand alone MoS sequel is really what the next step should be.  If you want to continue to establish a shared universe, ala Marvel, have a Bruce Wayne cameo.  But no, greedy WB will allow their biggest movie property to completely hijack a newly rebooted Superman franchise...and quite frankly, I don't think that's right.  If I was Henry Cavill, I'd be pissed.  But I digress.

Now, when I read the casting announcement last night, I was pissed.  I still am actually.  I have nothing against Affleck.  In fact, I actually really like him from movies like Hollywoodland, The Town and Argo.  However, he is no Batman/Bruce Wayne.  I've never seen him completely vanish into a character.  Any film I seen with him in it, all I see is Ben Affleck...usually doing a hokey Bostonian accent...and that's what I'm now expecting to see in this Batman vs Superman movie (minus the accent, I hope).  The whole time, I'll just be looking at screen thinking, "yup, that's Ben Affleck dressed as Batman...*facepalm*"  I can't help to think this is total stunt casting to get people to continue to talk/debate this film.  I mean, come on, hasn't anyone at WB seen Daredevil?

Anyway, regardless of my personal feelings, Ben Affleck is our new Batman and we'll all have to find a way to live with that.  Who knows, maybe he'll pull a Heath Ledger and completely blow us away.  Here's hoping at least...

If interested, you can check out the official press release after the break.

What do you think of the casting announcement?  Love it?  Hate it?  Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Xenomorph on a Rocky Horse...Because Reasons

Via: Geeks Are Sexy

FOX Sending Cease & Desist Orders to Makers of Jayne Cobb Hats

As if fellow Browncoats didn't already have enough hatred towards FOX, this news hits the net.

Over the last few weeks, FOX has been sending out cease and desist orders to purveyors of homemade Jayne Cobb Hats on sites like Etsy.  While it is true that the studio still owns the rights to Firefly, and with it Jayne's hat, why they're going after fans more than a decade later is a little odd.

Many are pointing to Ripple Junction who, not to long ago, obtained the rights to mass produce and sell the hat through popular nerd sites like ThinkGeek.  However, both companies have stated that they have had no involvement with the C&D notices.  ThinkGeek even went so far as posting the following statement on their site:

Our dear Browncoats, 

We've heard the news that FOX, the licensors of Firefly merch, is sending out cease and desist notices to Etsy sellers who carry their own cunning hats. 

We just wanted you to know that ThinkGeek has nothing to do with the C&D notices. The hat is licensed by a vendor with whom we have a relationship and while the hat is not an exclusive to ThinkGeek, we did have a hand in its development and answered the difficult questions like, "Are the earflaps long enough?" and "Is that man afraid of anything?" (Yes and no, respectively.) 

Would the C&D have happened if we did not carry the hat on our site?  We're not sure; we'll leave that question to sharper legal minds than ours. We're here to carry the shiniest of goods from 'round the 'verse, even maybe makin' them ourselves. We just want y'all to know that while we might not always aim to misbehave, we'll always be sure to get you the best stuff this side of the Eavesdown Docks.

The way we see it, if people want to make their own, shiny. For those out there who can't knit to save their gorram lives, we can help.

While FOX is within their legal rights to put the kibosh on maker/sellers of the hat and other Firefly merchandise, it's extremely confusing and frustrating as to why they are suddenly showing interest in the property -- especially given the fact that they are the main contributor to the show's dimise.

One thing's for sure though: if you want a homemade hat, just like Jayne's mom made for him, you better hurry before it's too late.

Source: Blastr via The Mary Sue

Emperor Palpatine Appears in Ultrasound

deviantARTist Hearte42 will apparently father the Emperor from Star Wars this year.  Look for the Death Star to be fully operational in the next 60 years.

Via: Geeks Are Sexy

Well I'm Out: Michael Bay Casts Megan Fox for Ninja Turtles

Well I hate to be one of "those fans", but what little hope Michael Bay's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot had, just went out the frickin' window.

If Bay's comment on his official site is anything to be taken at face value, then it looks as if Megan Fox has officially joined Ninja Turtles.

TMNT: we are bringing Megan Fox back into the family!

While the comment doesn't shed any light onto who she'll be portraying, there's a limited number of female characters she could ultimately play.  So more than likely it will be the Turtle's human ally, April O'Neil...which is just horrible casting in my opinion.

One thing that is a bit interesting from Bay's comment , which SuperHeroHype pointed out, is his use of "TMNT" (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the uninitiated).  Before the project was ultimately shelved due to script issues, Bay himself had indicated that the film would simply be titled Ninja Turtles.

With all the information that's come out about the film over the last year or so, I really hope it ends up falling apart.  It seems as if Bay really is going to completely alienate all Turtle fans, literally.  At least Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show is good.

What do you guys think?  Are you excited or horrified by the news?  Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Source: SuperHeroHype

Pic via: GeekMode

Walt Disney Company Buys LucasFilm; Plans New Star Wars Films

In a shocking turn of events earlier today, The Walt Disney Company has purchased LucasFilm Ltd. for $4.05 billion in cash and stocks.  The deal transfers the rights from sole owner, George Lucas, to Disney and includes the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound.

Disney also announced plans to release another new Star Wars trilogy in 2015, starting with Star Wars: Episode VII, and will look to release a new film every other year and then "go from there".

While a pretty big shocker to be sure, I'm actually not all that surprised (I know I know) given Disney's close ties to the Star Wars franchise, given it's presence at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida and Disney's Disneyland Park in California.

You can watch a video of the announcement below after the break, as well as read today's press release.

What do you think this surprising news?  Are you excited about a new trilogy or dreading another Jar Jar Binks fiasco?

Sound off in the comments below.

Apple Granted Mobile Software Patent That Could Seriously Hinder Device Market

If you've been following the ongoing patent war between Apple and pretty much every OEM out there, well I've only got news for you:  things are going to get even uglier.

Apple was recently awarded ownership of US patent #8223134, which covers "Portable electronic device, method, and graphical user interface for displaying electronic lists and documents" and about 30 other separate claims.  The extremely broad terminology encompasses most UI features on a majority of today's smartphones, including "the displaying of documents on a screen, UI modules for a telephone, video player, camera, and browser, and even scrolling and a multitouch interface feature".  This is pretty much bad new for any company currently producing smartphones, that isn't Apple.

Now I am admittedly an Android fan, favoring Google's OS over Apple's iOS, so I am a little biased when it comes to stuff like this.  But, it seems that Apple isn't doing much innovating these days and instead, is attacking anyone that threatens their crowned jewels - the iPhone and iPad.  The fact that they keep being granted these very broad software patents, is somewhat of a joke, and is just allowing them to stifle   any direct competition.  In Apple's eyes, companies like Samsung, HTC, Motorola and Google have "stolen" from them...which is pretty laughable when you think about it given Steve Jobs own comments on "stealing".  While they see it as protecting their intellectual property, many would argue that all Apple really did was copy existing ideas and just make them "prettier".

While I do favor Google's offering, I will give Apple credit where credit is due.  They did single handedly change the face of the cell phone market with the introduction of the first generation iPhone.  I also have a MacBook Pro, which I love dearly.  However, stories like these really make me hate them to a degree that may seem unhealthy.

Ultimately, this is a big fat loss for us consumers, as OEMs may need to start "dumbing" down their own smartphone offerings in order to avoid getting hit with an oncoming storm of lawsuits, thus limiting your choice of smartphone.  While no lawsuits regarding this patent have been filed yet, you know Apple is just waiting to unleash their fury.

What do you think of this "victory" for Apple?  Are you for them "protecting their intellectual property"?  Or are you like me and think the US patent system is ridiculous for granting them this patent?

Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Via: TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog 

Say Hello to Apple's Clothing Line from 1986

Yup, you read right.  Apparently Apple tried it's hand at creating a clothing line back in the mid-80s.  Fortunately for the rest of humanity, Apple's knack for design lies with gadgetry and not fashion.

"The Apple Collection", which is what it was called, was a sports-casual clothing line focused on polos, sweatshirts, belts and old school "snapback" baseball hats - all of which were adorned with the original multicolored Apple logo.

I have no clue if how popular this line was, but you can probably put money on the fact that if Apple made a foray into fashion again (iApparel?), Apple fanboys would be all over it.

Be sure to check out more from the collection after the break.

What do you think of the line?  Would you wear Apple branded clothing if the company produced it today??  Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Angry Customer Literally Tears Apart T-Mobile Store

I'm sure we've all been really angry with our cell carrier's at one point or another, but to the degree of actually walking into a store and tearing up the place?  Apparently this UK T-Mobile customer felt he had reason enough to...

Whatever the reason, this man felt the need to run rapid on a local Manchester T-Mobile store, tearing displays from the walls and spraying everything down with fire extinguishers while employees watched and quickly called the police.

Maybe he's made that he doesn't have Ice Cream Sandwich on his Android phone yet??

Have you ever been mad enough to do something like this?  Let me know in the comments below.

Via: Phandroid

WANT: Parakeet That Can Mimic R2-D2

Just a video of a Budgie (small Australian parrot) that sounds like R2-D2...yup.

Also, I'd like to apologize for the lack of updates the last week and a half or so.  I was out on vacation and couldn't post anything thing.

Thanks for sticking with me.

Stay nerdy my friends.

Via: Geekologie

AT&T's CEO Regrets Offering Unlimited Data; Proves He's a Greedy Douche

AT&T's CEO, Randall Stephenson, recently spoke at a conference this week regarding the state of the wireless industry, in which he made some pretty outrageous comments regarding the iPhone.  Quite frankly, they make him sound like a total douche:

"My only regret was how we introduced pricing in the beginning, because how did we introduce pricing? Thirty dollars and you get all you can eat,” he said in the on-stage interview at the Milken Institute’s Global Conference on Wednesday. “And it’s a variable cost model. Every additional megabyte you use in this network, I have to invest capital."

AT&T discontinued their unlimited data in 2010, moving to a tiered plan offering for new customers.  Last quarter, AT&T reported $6.1 billion in mobile data revenue alone...70% of which came from users on their higher-end plans.

He also went on to mention how he worries that services like Apple's iMessage are cutting into the company's text messaging revenues:

“You lie awake at night worrying about what is that which will disrupt your business model,” he said. “Apple iMessage is a classic example. If you’re using iMessage, you’re not using one of our messaging services, right? That’s disruptive to our messaging revenue stream.”

I don't know about you, but Mr. Stephenson seems like a greedy prick.  I'm pretty sure you didn't lose any sleep coming in at #34 on Forbes list of highest paid executives in 2012.  Maybe instead of crying about how you didn't think to screw over consumers right away, you should actually put some work into improving your network.

I can't really imagine anyone actually agreeing with Stephenson (outside of AT&T's executive board), but I want to know what you think.

As always, let me know what you think in the comments below.

Source: The New York Times

UPDATE: Michael Bay Hints at Alien Origins for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Film

Last week, Platinum Dunes announced that their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot would be released on Christmas Day, 2013.  It now appears that, while speaking at Nickelodeon's Upfront 2012 in New York, producer Michael Bay hinted at a possible alien original for the Turtles:

When you see this movie, kids are going to believe, one day, that these turtles actually do exist when we are done with this movie. These turtles are from an alien race and they are going to be tough, edgy, funny and completely lovable.

The film, which is expected to be directed by Jonathan Liebesman, is rumored to bring the Turtles back to their darker, grittier roots that was presented in the original Eastman and Laird's comic series.  If this change to their origin is made, they can't really be called mutant ninja turtles anymore now can they?

Now, I've never really had a problem with Michael Bay. I know there's a lot of animosity towards him over the Transformers franchise, but to-date, I've relatively enjoyed those films. However, if he pushes this change through, he will be in for a world of hurt from many fans that grew up in the 80s and 90s. My hope is that Bay doesn't really know what he's talking about and just isn't familiar with the actual original of the heroes in a half shell...but, to be honest, I'm not really sure that is any better considering he's producing.

UPDATE:  Michael Bay has responded to the fan outrage on his official site:

Fans need to take a breath, and chill. They have not read the script. Our team is working closely with one of the original creators of Ninja Turtles to help expand and give a more complex back story. Relax, we are including everything that made you become fans in the first place. We are just building a richer world.

Not sure how to exactly take this and it's weird that he didn't mention Eastman or Laird by name.

What do you think?  Are you completely against the idea of changing such an integral part of the Turtles story?

Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Via: SuperHeroHype

Real Life Batman Helps Fight Crime in Brazilian City

Former soldier, Andre Luiz Pinheiro, has been hired to patrol the streets of Taubate, Brazil...dressed as the Batman.

Local officials have agreed to let the 50 year-old Pinheiro "help" combat the Brazilian city's crime.  While details of the arrangement are still being ironed out of his cape, it's unlikely Pinheiro will assist in the taking down of murderers and drug traffickers.  Instead, the Brazilian Bat will most likely play a more indirect role in a social and educational crime prevention project which is planned to target children of the city.

I am eager to know how we can work together. If I can help bring the story to even one child, that would be very nice.

My only concern is escalation.  Escalation you ask?  Well, what if Brazilian police start carrying semi automatics, criminals buy automatics;  the police start wearing Kevlar, criminals buy armor piercing rounds.  Now Pinheiro is wearing a mask and jumping off rooftops...

Before you know it, we have a Brazilian Joker on our hands... :)

Via: Oddity Central

Playboy and Virgin Galactic Want a Playboy Club in Space

According to Fox "News" *cough cough*, Playboy and Virgin Galactic would like to open a futuristic men's club in...wait for it, wait for it...SPACE.

With Virgin Galactic's commercial space program launching later this year, Playboy is apparently very interested in opening an orbiting Playboy Club.

"As Virgin Galactic gets closer to becoming the world's first commercial space line, Playboy is eagerly pondering the creation of the ultimate intergalactic entertainment destination," Playboy editorial director Jimmy Jellinek said in a statement. "This heaven-in-the-heavens will exceed starry-eyed travelers' wildest dreams, and guests will truly experience a party that's out of this world."

Conceptual art by Thomas Tenery, which appears in Playboy's March issue, depicts a wheel-shaped space station complete with zero gravity dance floor, casino with "human roulette", five-star restaurant, and game room.  Oh and what Playboy club in space would be complete without genuine bunnies flying on jet packs serving you drinks?  There would also be private "orbital pleasure domes" allowing patrons to view Earth during their romantic bang sessions.

"The entire Kama Sutra will have to be reimagined according to the rules of zero-gravity physics," Playboy writers A.J. Baime and Jason Harper wrote.

Don't look to book a trip to Playboy Club Space anytime soon, as Virgin Galactic's ticket prices are a little on the steep side...$200,000 steep; oh and the fact that a space station of this magnitude and opulence would most likely cost over $500 billion dollars...yeah...

What do you think?  Awesome idea or completely ridiculous?  Let me know what you think in the comments below.

In the meantime, you can check out some of the conceptual paintings after the break.

1980s Korean Fried Chicken Commercial, Featuring RobCop

I have no clue what they are saying and have no clue what is going on.  All I know is that it solidifies the fact that I'm a nerd because the one thing I questioned was "Why is RoboCop so shiny?".

Osombie - The Osama Bin Laden Zombie Film...

Yup...you read right.  Director John Lyde has made a zombie movie for Arrowstorm Entertainment, which features Osama Bin Laden coming back from the grave.

You can check out the above trailer after the break.

HULK Taking a Dump

So someone decided to make this...

Not surprising, it's found in the middle of a mall in Seoul, Korea.

Via: GeekTyrant

Macho Man Dragon Mod for Skyrim

So I'm a little unsure who this is made for, but it looks like someone has developed a Skyrim mod that will turn all of the game's dragons into the Macho Man Randy Savage.  

Assuming of course you have the PC version of the game, and would rather vanquish some Macho Men over slaying dragons, you can find the mod download at SkyrimNexus here.

For a look at the mod in action, be sure to check out the video after the jump.  CAN YA DIG IT!?!?  OH YEEEEAAAAH!!!!