The Stiffneck Run

Just a Reminder...

2010-04-01T01:48:00.001-04:00

Iron Man 2 opens nationwide May 7.

And of course, the latest trailer that kicks more ass.

All those in favor of Tony taking up drinking (or other substances) again, please raise your hand.

Yeah, I though so...

Wrakster: Uniting the American Geek Front

2010-02-18T14:06:00.010-05:00

Okay. So we have folks who like Star Wars. Then we have folks who like Star Trek. If you believe the movie Fanboys, the two most prominent geek factions in America absolutely. Fucking. HATE each other. When I sat there and watched that heated argument between the protagonists and a legion of Trekkers, I felt a slow cringe coming on.

Stop it guys. Just stop it. I'm not willing to listen to anyone that says that you can like one, but not the other. Bullshit. I happen to like both. Nobody's gonna tell me what to like. So why not blend the two fandoms into a fun little someting I call Wrakster.

What is Wrakster, you ask? You've got Star Wars and Star Trek. Leave out "Star" and just scramble the two remaining words. Mash 'em up. Wrakster. It sounds good in a Southern accent, British accent, Midwestern accent. It just sounds good. Kid-friendly, too. Okay, you say. Now what? So what? How about...

this still from A Clockwork Orange?

Never mind the chap in the wheelchair. Check out the big guy who's cradling Malcolm McDowell. Look familiar?

No?

How about now?

Yup. That is none other than David Prowse who wore the Darth Vader suit in Episodes IV-VI. Trekkies also know McDowell as Dr. Tolian Soran. You know, that lunatic from Star Trek: Generations? The guy who killed Captain Kirk?

This pleasant fellow

So, we have a guy in a Star Wars movie along with a guy in a Star Trek movie in the same room. And that my friends, is what the Wrakster is all about. Look up a TV show, or movie, in which you find people, one who worked on either Trek and another who was on Wars. There is no need for these individuals to be in the same room, or even the same scene. It could be two ships passing in the night. All that's required is that you receive a paycheck from wherever you're working at. I mean I never expected to see the Joker (Mark Hamill) sharing a drink with Red Claw (Kate Mulgrew). But the Batman Animated Series does feature a lot of people who were on a Trek project. Hamill is the pivot that holds the Wrakster Hub together. Such pairings are rare. Every filmed genre is accepted. to qualify as a Wrakster. Guest stars count. The prequels count. The Clone Wars count. Stunt persons count. Enterprise, too. AND J.J. Abrams new movie is also included. By the way, Abrams is a Star Wars fan. Awesome.

Think of it. The ultimate in Geek Appreciation. And as for Fanboys, which kinda started it all, it's just full of Wrakster goodness.

Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian in Star Wars: Episodes V-VI)
Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia Organa in Star Wars: Episodes IV-VI)
Ray Park (Darth Maul, Star Wars: Episode I)
William Shatner (Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek '66-'69; The Motionless Picture, The Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock, The Voyage Home, The Final Frontier, The Undiscovered Country & Generations) *whew!*
Christopher McDonald (Lt. Richard Castillo in Star Trek TNG: Yesterday's Enterprise)
Jamie King (Aurra Sing in Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Lost and Hostage Crisis )
Zak Knutson (Placid Commander in Deep Space Nine)
Chuck Borden (stunt coordinator in a few episodes of Star Trek: TNG)

And there you have it. Now people who love both Trek & Wars can celebrate their dual fandom. No need to hide huddled in the shadows anymore. Come on out! Get in touch with your inner Wrakster.

Live long and prosper and may the Force be with you.

Wall-to-Wall Ass-Kicking: New God of War 3 Trailer

2010-02-17T14:21:00.002-05:00

Holy shit. That's all I can say after watching this video. The anticipation for the release of Sony's God of War 3 is so high, that gaming hands across the globe are positively itching. Why the hell am I still typing?

Wow. Just wow. It's like Xena and 300 and Spartacus Blood and Sand all wrapped into one. And the awesome soundtrack just adds to the excitement. Oh, and now there's an upcoming show on SpikeTV that wants rabid fans of the franchise to...well...play out the game in the real world? Seriously? Um, okay, this may not end well. Trying to recreate the stunts pulled by Kratos in the games can only end in tears. I can say this because it took at least 50 tries before I finally rescued that oracle. Why? Because of that last damn rope waaaaaay over there. And does anyone expect to actually execute the double-jump? No, it would make more sense to show actual gameplay. You've seen the speed runs on YouTube. These guys are awesome!!! Wouldn't you rather see THAT, or show off your own skills? Thought so.

Art Thou Whovian?

2010-02-01T23:16:00.004-05:00

I saw this video and simply had to post this. Who knew the Doctor had that much pent-up energy. No wonder he went mad for Rose...

And how about another version? Just because.

American Torchwood, Stay Away From Me...

2010-01-25T01:57:00.001-05:00

An American Torchwood? You're kidding, right?

Apparently, FOX isn't kidding. Most Torchwood fans aren't exactly pleased about it, and understandably so. If that's not enough, there's also talk of and American version of Doctor Who. *groan*

An American version of Torchwood ain't gonna fly, period. It would be too much like The X-Files and shy away from the sexuality just enough to keep the ratings afloat. Let the carnage begin...

Sigh oh, Sony, Sony, Sony....

2010-01-19T01:36:00.000-05:00

According to this article, Sony Pictures has decided not to make Spider-Man 4 in favor for a reboot. That means no more Sam Raimi, no more Tobey Maguire. With a new script by James Vanderbilt and Avid Avad producing, Sony Pictures is apparently jumping on the Dark Knight bandwagon. I'm pretty sure that Sam Raimi's feeling pretty disgruntled now. Can you blame him, though?

Also there were rumours of James Cameron was going to direct the next film. Not so. The King of the World is still riding high from the success of Avatar, especially after winning two Golden Globes. Still, calling the Spider-Man franchise "sloppy seconds" is sure to incur the wrath of the fansmats.

Also, it appears that Joseph Gordon-Levitt may become the next cinematic web-slinger. Try not to hold your breath, please.

Fan(smat) terms made up just for the Stiffneck Run

2010-01-14T02:18:00.000-05:00

This post is exactly what the title says. These are the terms I came up with for specific types of fictional characters, classified by medium. I though it would make for a decent cross-fandom site. As one will note, some fictional characters fall into overlapping categories. To make things organized, the primary designation reflects the medium in which the character debuts. For example, Superman first appeared in comics, then in movies, television, live-action, animated, even novels. So let's get started.

AniChar: A character that appears in animated format. This category includes motion pictures, web video and broadcast television. Examples: Bugs Bunny, Mighty Mouse, Harvey Birdman, Jonny Quest, Mickey Mouse, Scooby-Doo, Blue Falcon, Yogi Bear, etc.

BroadChar: A character that appears in live-action broadcast television. Examples include the Doctor, Captain Kirk, Captain Picard, Captain Janeway, Captain Archer (did I miss anybody? No? Moving right along), Roland Hand, Paris, Magnum P.I., Starsky & Hutch, Xena, Starbuck (either), the Fonz, etc.

CineChar: A character appearing in a live-action motion picture. That covers Luke Skywalker & the rest (interestingly, Boba Fett was an Ani/BroadChar before appearing in Episode V), Indiana Jones, Ripley, Napoleon Dynamite, etc.

ComiChar: Self-explanatory. Good old comic book characters. Do I really need to list them here?

PrintChar: A character appearing in the format of written or printed pages or books, scrolls, pamplets, clay tablets, walls or some kind of markings made by hand. We have James Bond, Spenser, Sherlock Holmes, Holden Caulfield, The Three Musketeers, Moby Dick, Captain Ahab, Gilgamesh, Beowulf and the rest.

Fansmat: An all-encompassing term meaning fanboy, fangirl, geek, or whatever. The word was grown from transmat, which is a term commonly used in Doctor Who.

That's all the terms for now. I do have a unique term I came up with that will hopefully reflect a a cross-fandom platform. That will require another post at another time.

Art Thou Whovian?

2010-01-09T18:59:00.026-05:00

I certainly am. The term Whovian, used to describe fans of Doctor Who is not new, by all means. But it sounds a lot better than Who-ligan. I mean who thought that term up? Certainly not the Doctor, I hope. Personally, I'd to include Torchwood & Sarah Jane Adventures fans with the term Children of Time. Come on, Davros was onto something...

But I digress. David Tennant's swan song The End of Time was a gut-punch and also had a nostalgic feel to it. Would you like to see a trailer? Yes? Certainly.

And a wee spoiler; don't look at me it's already aired on BBC America...

If you pay attention to the finale, which I know you've seen already, there are little tributes to the classic series (and other familiar sci-fi treats too.) peppered all over, if you know where to look. So in that nostalgic spirit here is a video remixing every theme of the TV programmes, even the movie.

Have tissues handy...

Querl Dox Ponders:

2010-01-09T18:27:00.004-05:00

Is it just me, or does Invisible Kid's costume

...look...awfully...

Kryptonian?

WebMaster's Note: We apologise for the confusion. We have no idea how the pre-Crisis version of Brainiac 5 ended up here, in our timeline. Since it wasn't that serious of a temporal incursion we might let him hang around.

The Stiffneck Run

Just a Reminder...

Wrakster: Uniting the American Geek Front

Wall-to-Wall Ass-Kicking: New God of War 3 Trailer

Art Thou Whovian?

American Torchwood, Stay Away From Me...

*Sigh* oh, Sony, Sony, Sony....

Fan(smat) terms made up just for the Stiffneck Run

Art Thou Whovian?

Querl Dox Ponders:

Sigh oh, Sony, Sony, Sony....