A glorious evening to you all, noble warriors in the Snark army! It is time once again for your Secretary of Geek affairs to fill you in on some of the awesome news of the last week. My apologies for the lateness of the post, but I was feeling a bit under the weather today and [...]]]>

A glorious evening to you all, noble warriors in the Snark army! It is time once again for your Secretary of Geek affairs to fill you in on some of the awesome news of the last week. My apologies for the lateness of the post, but I was feeling a bit under the weather today and so, unfortunately, has Mama McGreevy. Never worry, though! I did manage to gather a few tidbits to quench your thirst for geek knowledge, and you’ll find them behind the cut.

• Smiling Stan Lee has chimed in with his opinion of Marc Webb, the man who has been charged with the responsibility of taking the helm on the Spider-Man film franchise in the footsteps of Sam Raimi. Stan gave a fairly detailed summation of the meeting over on his Twitter account, and I’ve cobbled together all of them into one statement for you here. “Had a great time today. Lunched with Marc Webb who’s gonna direct Spider-Man 4. First time I’ve met him. Lemme give you my impression – After meeting Marc. I was certain Marvel had made a great choice to direct Spidey 4– and not just because of his table manners! The mighty Mr. Webb is smart and hip– and he cares about being true to Spidey as much as I do. And remember, he’s also a great director. I could tell by the dynamite ideas he proposed that Marc’s gonna bring new excitement and a new sense of wonder to ol’ Spidey! And remember–Marc wants a great Spider-Man movie that’ll bring new luster and glory to our web-swinger as much as we do! So let Marvel’s True Believers unite with my brave Brigadiers and get behind Mighty Marc, because hey, the best is yet to come! Excelsior!” I hope Stan is right. I do love Sam Raimi, but Spider-Man 3 was a complete train wreck of a film. Whether or not Sam is responsible for that really depends on who you believe, but the fact of the matter is that at this point a re-boot is probably the only thing that is going to help the franchise out. [Source]
• There have been countless revenge movies made in the relatively short history of modern cinema. The story is generally pretty much the same in all of them. You start the film and establish your happy, well-adjusted hero. You then proceed to slaughter his entire family and have him mutilated and left for dead. You then watch as he extracts bloody vengeance on all of those who wronged him. It’s a pretty tried-and-true trope, but it works. This time, however, the hero? Is a tire. A tire with the power to kill people with its mind. For reals. [Source]
• Star Wars fans rejoice! If you’re a TomTom owner you can now download the voice of Darth Vader to guide you to your destinations! My question is whether or not he’s constantly going to try and divert you to the Dark Side. If you watch the video associated with the this news release it’s pretty clear that the person voicing the Dark Lord isn’t James Earl Jones. In fact, if I had to guess, I’d say it was Chad Vader. Still, it’s a pretty awesome download option and I’m seriously thinking of grabbing it myself. [Source]
• And speaking of Star Wars (there, Grimm…I’ve fulfilled my “speaking of” quota for this post)…A couple recently cobbled together what is, in my mind, the greatest birth announcement ever using clips from A New Hope. [Source]
• Hugo Weaving is going to play Red Skull in the upcoming Captain America : The First Avenger film. The utter awesomeness of the sentence I just wrote stands on its own and needs no further elaboration. [Source]
• Remember Stephen Baldwin? No, you probably don’t because he’s pretty much the Fredo of the Baldwin family. There are some who believe that his lack of popularity in Hollywood has nothing to do with his lack of talent and everything to do with the fact that he is an outspoken Christian. These people are so convinced this is the case that they have actually set up a charity to raise money for him. Once news got out about this, though, some enterprising internet folks decided the appropriate response was to set up a site to restore someone much more worthy of our praise. Joss Whedon. [Source]
• I like Batman. I also like porn. Regardless of the fact that I enjoy both of these things I have never actively sought to combine the two for my own enjoyment (despite the fact that Rule 34 dictates I could easily find material to do so should the desire strike me). Some folks, however, clearly think there is a market for such a combination and they have thrown together a porno parody of the old Adam West Batman television series. Someone has to ask Adam about this one if he comes to Dragon*Con again (someone who isn’t me). [Source]
• In my opinion one of the best parts of the Quentin Tarantino Grindhouse film was the fake trailer for a film called Machete starring ultimate bad-ass Danny Trejo. Apparently a lot of folks agreed with me, because they have turned Machete into a feature length film. Check out the trailer and a few words from Machete himself about the recent immigration legislation that was passed in Arizona. [Source]
• Yeah, ok. I might be getting a little trailer heavy today, but I can’t not post this one. The latest Discworld novel turned television movie is Going Postal, and the trailer just looks awesome. So far all of the Discworld movies have been great, and if this trailer is any indicator Going Postal is going to continue the tradition. [Source]
• Back in my day video games were hard. You didn’t have these fancy tutorials or access to websites with lots of cheat codes. If you wanted any kind of help playing the game you had to go out and buy a book, and every time you died it put you one step closer to dumping another quarter into the machine before you could continue. Want to see proof of what I’m talking about? Check out the video in the link that follows to see what it would look like if Super Mario Brothers was made today [Source]

That’s all I’ve got this week, folks! Happy Monday to ya!

Ahhh, Lazy Sunday. A day to rest and recharge for the week. Unless, that is, you happen to be on the Dragon*Con MMORPG track staff. If you are and your name just happens to be Michael C. McGreevy (which mine is), Sunday is a day for digging up a bunch of [...]]]>

Image via bark on flickr

Ahhh, Lazy Sunday. A day to rest and recharge for the week. Unless, that is, you happen to be on the Dragon*Con MMORPG track staff. If you are and your name just happens to be Michael C. McGreevy (which mine is), Sunday is a day for digging up a bunch of links about geek stuff and making a post with snarky comments about them.

Which, I suppose, isn’t all that bad in the grand scheme of things. He could have asked me to comb his back hair or something. Yeech.

Anyway, here’s your Monday Geek Roundup you lucky dogs! I tried to collect news throughout the entire week instead of just gathering stuff that popped up over the weekend this time, so you may have already caught some of this.

• I’ve always had a bit of a crush on Seattle, but a recent news item out of the state really cemented in my adoration for the city. The Make-A-Wish Foundation teamed up with the city to grant the wish of a young man who always wanted to be a super hero. Fair warning on this one, folks. If you’re the least bit sentimental it’s going to bring a tear to your eye. [Source]
• Rumor has it that yet another super hero franchise is getting ready to undergo the re-boot treatment. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles appear to be poised to take on the big screen again, this time with a slightly more serious tone. Anyone who read the original comics knows that the series really wasn’t started as a kids book (at the end of the first story arc Raphael ran Shredder through with his katana and then they blew his ass up). The mask in the link that follows is supposedly going to be in the new film, and it’s definitely a less “goofy” look for the heroes. [Source]
• In light of rapidly declining sales, Sony announced last week that as of next year they will no longer be making floppy disks. This really isn’t much of a surprise, considering that I’m one of the few people I know that still has a floppy drive in his computer. Really, they only thing they are good for these days is flashing the BIOS anyway, and most (if not all) motherboards will allow you to do that with a flash drive now. Still, I have to admit that this news fills me with a wee bit of sadness. Yet another computer staple from my youth is just so much landfill now. YOU KIDS GET OFF OF MY LAWN!! [Source]
• File this under “why the hell haven’t we done this at Dragon*Con?!?!” G4TV got a group of ladies together dressed up as Slave Leia and held a charity car wash. I realize that for some folks the whole Slave Leia obsession is probably tired, but as someone who was going through puberty when Return of the Jedi came out I, for one, welcome our new metal bikini clad overlords. [Source]
• Oh, you internet. You are so full of clever people. Like the guy who made a really awesome trailer for all of the big movies due out this summer. [Source]
• Looks like the new (and improved?) version of Clash of the Titans is going to get a sequel. I haven’t seen it yet myself, but most reports I’ve heard so far have been pretty solidly in the “meh” category. I suppose it has done well enough, though. Me, personally? I can’t get behind a Perseus that despised his clockwork owl. I’m 100% Team Bubo, ya’ll. [Source]
• Comicsalliance.com has a great little series of “comics that never happened.” While the original was great in and of itself, the recent addition of Aliens vs. Predators vs. Ted Nugent is a move I’d give up some precious anatomy to see. [Source]
• Turns out that Gene Roddenberry’s son is not, in fact, a Trekkie. I guess that makes sense. Children tend to rebel against the things their parents love in order to find their own identity. Hell, I once scolded my son for not playing World of Warcraft enough (no, I’m not kidding…I got over it). In an effort to try and understand why, exactly, so many people loved his Father young Master Roddenberry has put together a documentary called Final Frontier. While Trek documentaries are nothing new, if the trailer is any indicator this could turn out to be a very touching tribute to Gene. [Source]
• The upcoming Jonah Hex movie has a trailer, and while I have to admit that I’ve never read the comic myself this one looks to be pretty interesting. Even with Megan Fox in it. Yeah, yeah. I get it. She’s a hottie and she does geek movies and a lot of you love her. Sorry, my fellow nerds. While I admit she’s decent eye candy I prefer my “geek chicks” to actually have a brain and, I don’t know, some acting talent. I’m sure you have no idea who I could possibly be referring to. [Source]
• Speaking of my favorite red head – Felicia Day is going to be appearing in a SyFy original movie called Red. It’s a modern-day retelling of “Little Red Riding Hood” in which the namesake of the story is a werewolf hunter. The movie is scheduled to premier sometime in 2011. [Source]
• Batman 3 has a release date! Christopher Nolan is going to be bringing the Dark Knight back to the silver screen in July of 2012. From what I’ve heard, Nolan had a three movie story arc in mind when he took on the original project, so this film should be the end of the hero cycle that he set up for the character. It will definitely be interesting to see whether or not The Joker makes an appearance in the next film. Heath Ledger pretty well changed the definition of the character and stepping in to the role after he did so would be intimidating (to say the least). That said, The Joker is, well, insane. Many of his personality shifts (from goofy clown to homicidal maniac) have been explained away as different manifestations of his demented mind. Perhaps the best way to take over the role would be to make him completely different? Details about the film are scant at this point, but we’ll definitely keep in on our radar. [Source]
• Ron Howard (“Opie Cunningham! Opie Cunningham!”) is getting his hands on Stephen King. Well, Stephen King’s work, anyway. Howard’s production company has just gotten the rights to the Dark Tower series, and apparently they are planning a big screen film that will be followed up with a television series to end the story. [Source]
• Marvel has released the first image of Chris Hemsworth as Thor from the upcoming Kenneth Branagh film. I have two words for you, true believers. Odin’s Beard! [Source]
• Apparently someone has optioned the rights to make a movie based on the Magic 8 Ball. You know, that thing you would whisper a question to and then turn over for an enigmatic answer like “Reply hazy. Try again later”? Yeah, that Magic 8 Ball. You know what Magic 8 Ball has to say about this new film idea? “Outlook Not So Good.” [Source]
• Remember the Diva song from The Fifth Element? Apparently if you listen to the commentary the director mentions that he created it by mixing together a whole bunch of different clips from various opera singers and then performing some computer wizardry on it. He goes on to make the claim that it was impossible for someone to sing. Welllll, turns out “impossible” isn’t a word that disneydiva7 is familiar with. She posted a video of herself singing the last part of the song, and she completely nails it (admittedly, the faces she has to make to do so aren’t exactly…normal). [Source]

That’s it for this week, gang! If you see anything newsworthy you think I should include in the Geek Roundup please feel free to shoot me an email!

Suddenly I'm not hating Monday so much.

Happy Monday, Dragon*Con MMORPGerers! Grimmy has put me on the “Geek News” task force, and I figure that since most of you probably spent a good chunk of your weekend arse deep in raids and other such tomfoolery I’d go ahead and post a list of cool [...]]]>

Suddenly I'm not hating Monday so much.

Happy Monday, Dragon*Con MMORPGerers! Grimmy has put me on the “Geek News” task force, and I figure that since most of you probably spent a good chunk of your weekend arse deep in raids and other such tomfoolery I’d go ahead and post a list of cool things I stumbled across this weekend that exist outside the MMORPG world.

Hey! Hey! Calm down there, sparky! I didn’t actually mean OUTSIDE. I wouldn’t expect you to face the evil day star!

• io9 has a trailer up for a new movie coming out of Japan that’s either called Strippers5 vs. Zombies or Big Tits Zombie in 3D. I haven’t quite figured out which it is, yet, but really…does it matter? Needless to say the trailer is pretty much NSFW. [source]
• For you Doctor Who fans out there, io9 also has some concept art out there showing some re-designed Daleks that will be appearing in the current season. [source]
• Yeah, but do they sparkle?? Comicsalliance.com has some images up showing two versions of a new X-Men series that starts off with our favorite mutant heroes doing battle against…vampires. Yay. I mean, seriously guys. You’re not going to convince tween girls and their kinda creepy mothers to read comic books just by slapping some fangs on Wolverine. [source]
• Hercules is reporting over at Ain’t It Cool News that LucasArts is talking about a new animated Star Wars series that will take place after the events of Return of the Jedi and feature the characters from the original trilogy. This isn’t necessarily as scary as it sounds. The Clone Wars animated series has, on the whole, been pretty damned good and in many ways is a heck of a lot better than Episodes I through III. In the right hands this could be pretty awesome. My hope is that they use Timothy Zahn’s excellent Heir to the Empire series as source material. Especially considering that it has long been considered the “third trilogy” by many in the Star Wars fan community. [source]
• Betty White In A Metal Bikini Wielding A Flaming Chainsaw While Riding A John Ritter Centaur. ’nuff said. [source]
• And if that wasn’t awesome enough, I leave you with a catch song about The Bacon Man. [source]

O yes, he did. And though this rendition of Vader is not from this video, it definitely reminds me of it (whiny ass Anakin, [...]]]>

O yes, he did. And though this rendition of Vader is not from this video, it definitely reminds me of it (whiny ass Anakin, I swear!)…

So, with no further ado, here’s where we stand.

We will definitely be back in the Sheraton this [...]]]> Welcome to the first weekly installment of the DC-MMO Update.  Now that we’re about 5 months away from Dragon*Con, and preparations are underway in earnest, it makes sense for us to keep everyone up to date on where we are.

So, with no further ado, here’s where we stand.

We will definitely be back in the Sheraton this year, specifically in the Athens and Augusta rooms.

The following companies have already confirmed that they will be participating in Dragon*Con this year:
Sony (EQ, EQ2, Star Wars Galaxies, DC Universe Online, Free Realms, The Agency)
Funcom (Age of Conan, Secret World, Anarchy Online)
CCP (EVE Online)
Adventure Quest (AQ Worlds)
Gaia Interactive (Gaia Online)
Wardog Studios (Force of Arms)
Cartoon Network (FusionFall)

We are still in talks with the following companies:
NCSoft (City of Heroes, Guild Wars)
EA/Mythic (Warhammer Online)
Cryptic Studios (Star Trek Online, Champions Online)
Bioware (Star Wars: The Old Republic)
Blizzard (DUHHHHHH)
38 Studios (Copernicus)
Frogster Interactive (Runes of Magic)

We are planning additional panels on topics such as
Guild Management
Dead MMO’s
Free MMO’s
WoW Lore (with authors Richard A. Knaak and Keith R.A. DeCandido)
The state of MMO gaming (with representatives from several MMO companies)
The Guild, starring Felicia Day (not nailed down yet, but we’re working on it)

Of course, we are also planning a series of parties/events for our night time sessions…
Quest Givers (yes, we’re doing the weekend-long live action quests again!)
Kickoff Party on Friday Night
World of Warcraft Trivia Contest
Hardcore MMO Trivia Contest (all games)
WoW Olympics (Gnome Tossing, Dodgeball, Dance Contest, Emote Contest, etc)
Kingdom of Loathing Party
Sony Party (EQ, EQ2, SWG, etc)

We are also working on getting all of the MMO games that we will be discussing included in the computer gaming lab in the Hilton so that you guys can try out some of these games on your own time.  As with all convention preparations, things can (and often do) change at the last minute, but this is a snapshot of where we are as of right now.  We have our 12th, and final, staff member on board for this year and we plan on moving very quickly to finalize our plans for this year so that you guys will have plenty of opportunity to get ready for an outstanding Dragon*Con this year.

If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback, please contact us and let us know about it.  If you’d like to buy a shirt to help us out, that would be great too!.