The Doctor is in… America – 1st BBC Xmas Simulcast!

from GeekChicDaily:

Geeks find many ways to honor Christmas night. Some watch Christmas Vacation for the umpeen zillionth time. (Why does that movie never get old?) Some swipe action figures originally gifted to younger relatives. The rest just blissfully ignore their loved ones while playing the holiday-themed Angry Birds Seasons. (Actually, let’s be honest, playing Angry Birds Seasons is how most of us spent the entire month of December.)

But this year, American geeks get a special holiday treat. For the first time ever, BBC America will broadcast the latest Doctor Who Christmas Special on the same night it airs in the UK. Not familiar with The Doctor? It’s okay. Dr. Who is a sci-fi staple of British television. The show was revived in 2005 by the BBC after a 16 year hiatus; before that, its origins go all the way back to 1963. The main thrust of the story is about time travel, so it sort of doesn’t matter where you start. You can jump in now, then go back and watch what has come before with little confusion. Just treat it as a massive origin story. (We recommend starting with “Rose” and working your way forward, then maybe going back and checking out some of the classic shows.)

This Saturday’s episode is titled “A Christmas Carol” and features a Time Lord-y take on Charles Dickens’ classic holiday story. In this version, the Doctor must save his companions from a crashing spaceship. His only way of accomplishing the feat is by warming the soul of a Scrooge-ish old man played by the former Headmaster of Hogwarts himself, Michael Gambon. The episode was written by series head Steven Moffat, who described it thus: “It’s all your favorite Christmas movies at once, in an hour, with monsters.” Sounds amazing. We can’t wait to see how they got the Griswolds to relate to inter-dimensional time travel.

A Christmas Carol airs Saturday, December 25th, 2010 at 9pm/8c on BBC America.

The Art of How to Train Your Dragon

The Art of How to Train Your Dragon

How to Train Your Dragon was recently released on DVD and Blu-ray, but if you’ve already worn your disc out and need a new Dragon fix, then pick up a copy of the film’s companion book, The Art of How to Train Your Dragon by Tracey Miller-Zarneke. Published at the beginning of this year to coincide with the film’s premiere, publisher Newmarket Press has posted an announcement on their website that the title is now back in stock.

The Art of How to Train Your Dragon is a gorgeous hardcover, divided up into five easily accessible sections:

  • The Dragons: The next best thing to having a Dragon Manual — the dragon field guide that Hiccup consults on-screen (and needs to be replicated in real book form) — this chapter details each of the dragons that appear in the film, from preliminary design sketches through to finished CG animation stills. Stats on the different species, some that aren’t revealed in the film, accompany the illustrations, and thumbnails of several dragons that didn’t make it to the screen are included, as well. Budding fantasy artists will find the material in this section invaluable, not only as a tutorial on how to draw credible dragon anatomy, but as a creative reminder that dragons come in more shapes and sizes than the traditional green dragon seen in storybooks. Not surprisingly, Toothless, as the main dragon and the character who underwent the most changes as he winged from book page to silver screen, dominates The Dragons, with considerable coverage also given to his nemesis, the monstrous Red Death, who received a number of progressively scarier make-overs.
  • The Vikings: Early sketches, character studies, CG models, and biographies of the film’s human characters add background and depth to the main cast: Hiccup, Astrid and the other dragon trainees, Chief Stoick the Vast, and blacksmith/dragon trainer Gobber. As an added bonus, original drawings by the author of the How to Train Your Dragon books are reprinted alongside the film drawings. A two-page spread is devoted to the design of Berk’s Viking “extras”, and Hiccup’s mother, Valhallarama, who didn’t survive the journey from book to screen, is memorialized.
  • The Dragon World: Dragon Island’s forbidding environment is showcased, with a focus on the immense Dragon Cave. A maze of shadowy dragon dens, pits, and winding passageways, the intricate Dragon Cave proved to be quite a challenge to build in 3D, leading to it being dubbed “the Swiss Cheese set”.
  • The Viking World: In an exploration of Berk’s varied landscapes, from the sea to the highest mountain peak, digital paintings take readers on a breathtaking tour of the Viking village, houses, Meade Hall, harbour, and training grounds. In addition, visits are made to Toothless’ secret cove and some intriguing locations that were unfortunately dropped during script revisions. A wealth of sketches and illustrations delve into Viking culture, examining the Vikings’ props, iconography, boats, weapons, statues, and the fascinating Meade Hall carvings and tapestries.
  • Bringing the Worlds Together… and Bringing It All to the Screen: The final chapter offers a run-down of the tasks assigned to individual units of the film team: story, layout, cinematography, 3D rendering, animation, character effects, general effects, lighting, and editorial. Filmmaker comments take viewers even further behind the scenes of creating a full-length animated film, and the job descriptions may help those who aspire to work in feature animation decide where their skills lie, much like Hiccup finding the place he fits best in Viking society.

The book’s preface is written by Cressida Cowell, whose children’s book of the same name (the first in a series) inspired the How to Train Your Dragon film, which The Art of How to Train Your Dragon classifies as a prequel of sorts to Cowell’s stories. In her introduction, the author engagingly relates the story of her family’s annual camping trips to a remote Scottish island, a tiny, rugged spot that sparked the idea for How to Train Your Dragon and served as a model for the Isle of Berk, the place that her imaginary tribe of Vikings inhabits. Comedian and late-night television host Craig Ferguson, the voice of Gobber, provides a humorous yet heartfelt foreword that reveals how he conquered his fear of flying, singling out a favourite scene from the movie that expresses his newfound passion for flight.

Expertly penned by Walt Disney Feature Animation alum Tracey Miller-Zarneke, The Art of How to Train Your Dragon benefits from the knowledge of an animation insider, coming to life as Miller-Zarneke deftly pulls quotes from the production crew, sprinkling them throughout the book to enhance her narrative. Compared to other “The Art of…” books, the The Art of How to Train Your Dragon does seem to have less of a text-to-pictures ratio, but is still as enjoyable and informative a read as Miller-Zarneke’s prior film animation book, The Art of Kung Fu Panda, and Dragon’s 350-plus images really do speak for themselves. Beautifully printed in full colour on large, glossy pages, the development art, sketches, pencil and marker drawings, storyboards, digital paint renditions, and finished artwork collected in The Art of How to Train Your Dragon makes reading the book feel like a stroll through a fantasy show at an art gallery. The volume’s binding is stitched, rather than glued, so the book lies perfectly flat, which is particularly handy for artists using it as a reference work.

Fans of Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, the previous film helmed by How to Train Your Dragon writer-directors Chris Sanders (whose unique visual style is evident in the look of both films) and Dean DeBlois, will obviously be drawn to this book, but, as Newmarket Press points out, The Art of How to Train Your Dragon is actually “a book for anyone who loves moviemaking, animation, art, Vikings, and, of course, dragons.”

Order now at Amazon.com:
The Art of How to Train Your Dragon
How to Train Your Dragon Book 1
How to Train Your Dragon (Single Disc Edition)
How to Train Your Dragon (Double DVD Pack)
How to Train Your Dragon (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)
How to Train Your Dragon (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Dragon Double Pack)

The Art of How to Train Your Dragon is distributed by Newmarket Press. Follow Newmarket Press on Twitter. For more information about How to Train Your Dragon, please visit DreamWorks Animation’s official How to Train Your Dragon website.

The Future is Back! – Doc and Marty return… in a game!

from GeekChicDaily:

Who could forget the first Back to the Future videogame? You remember, it came out in 1989 for the NES. It was the one where Marty walked down a street while dodging swarms of bees and hula-hooping girls who shot darts. The one where he rolled bowling balls at his enemies. You know, the one that had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MOVIE?!!?

It’s high time someone pulled a McFly and fixed the mistakes of our videogame past.

Enter Back to the Future: The Game, a new adventure prepared to make up for the earlier incarnation’s biffs. Now available for Mac and PC (and at some point in 2011 for PS3 and iPad), the new game picks up six months after the conclusion of the third BTTF movie. Set to unroll in multiple episodes over the coming months, the game finds Marty rescuing Doc Brown in the past… with the help of Doc’s teenage self. And don’t worry, this time the storyline was created in consultation with BTTF’s co-creator Bob Gale. Plus the producers found an amazing Michael J. Fox soundalike to voice Marty and, most awesomely, Christopher Lloyd returns as Doc Brown. Great Scott!

The impressive trailer gives a feel for the game’s looks and only leaves one concern left to address. Like the original game, does this one include a jump button even though there’s nothing you can actually jump? Get the game and find out, slackers!

ThinkGeek + Printer = Last-Minute Gift Cards

from ThinkGeek:

Gift Certificate Update
If you have a printer, you’re not procrastinating! Forget someone on your list? Too busy to deal with shopping shenanigans? Timmy to the rescue! Snag a gift certificate and print a free geeky PDF card and you’re done. Allons-y!

Printable Gift Cards & Gift Certificates

Vork One-Shot Comic & Vote for “The Guild”

from The Guild:

Today sees the release of the one-shot comic Vork from Dark Horse Comics, the continuation of the comic book series set in the time period before the events of Season One of The Guild. From Dark Horse:

As leader of the Knights of Good, Vork rules with an iron spreadsheet. Having devoted his life to gaming and the pursuit of Goodness, he’s earned the nickname “Goody–Two–Greaves” within the game world, but there’s more to Vork than his guild knows. Written by Felicia Day and Vork himself — actor Jeff Lewis — this hilarious one-shot delves into the man behind the rule book!

As previously announced by Dark Horse, The Guild comics will continue with a one-shot for each of the remaining Guild characters. The Vork comic can be found in your local comic shop, find a shop at ComicShopLocator.com or by calling 1-888-ComicBook, and is available online from Things from Another World and other online retailers. Coming a day after the release of Season 4 to DVD and iTunes (see yesterday’s blog entry) and recent release of The Guild trade paperback/graphic novel, it’s a very Guildie Holiday for us as for the first time, we have some great brand new merchandise out for the holidays.

In other, holiday/end-of-year news, we’d love it if you voted for The Guild for Clicker’s Best of 2010, the show is in the category Best Web Comedy (Serial). There’s no registration required, and please take a look at the many other web series listed there — we’re betting you’ll discover some new ones that would love for you to check them out.

The Guild graphic novel has been nominated by fans for a Goodreads Choice Award in the graphic novel category, and we’d love your votes for the book there (NOTE: you need to sign in to Goodreads to vote, but creating an account doesn’t take too long). If you don’t know Goodreads, it’s a social networking site built around books and reading. You can vote for The Guild here, and be sure to friend and follow Felicia, who’s a very active Goodreads member.

Split Reason: Last chance, save 20%

from Split Reason:

We managed to sneak in some last minute re-stocks of our most popular shirts, so if you missed the boat over the last few weeks the final sailing is set to depart! We’ll be offering 20% OFF all fares until January 5th, 2011. Enter the promo code LASTMINUTE during the check-out process to knock 20% off the block of your order total. (With a Tiger Uppercut, no doubt.) You can also send gift certificates via email, an excellent “Plan B” if you missed a special geek during the holiday shopping madness!

We’d like to send a special thanks to all of our customers, Facebook fans, and Twitter followers for a great year and look forward to cooking up more great products, contests, and geeked-out adventures in 2011. It’s also awesome to say “2011” for the first time, which means we’re nearly one year away from the end of the world. It’s cool, if we’ve learned anything from Minecraft it’s how to build a shelter.

Have fun, be safe, and frag as many noobs as possible in the allotted timeframe. We’ll be running Win Wednesday and Facebook Friday during the holidays so if you need a break from WoW, COD, or your obsession of choice, stop by and try to win some stuff!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Let the games begin…

An Epic Adventure Reaches Its Climax in “Shaman King” Manga Finale, New from VIZ Media in January

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media unleashes the final volume of Hiroyuki Takei’s Shaman King as the long-running manga (graphic novel) series reaches a grand climax. The concluding installment, Volume 32, (rated “T” for Teens; MSRP: U.S. $9.99 / $12.99 CAN) hits nationwide on January 4th, 2011.

Yoh Asakura has spent years training for the Shaman Fight, an epic tournament to determine who will become the Shaman King and shape humanity’s future. Unfortunately for Yoh, every shaman in the world is also vying for the same prize.

To most people, ghosts are the stuff of horror stories and nightmares. But to Yoh Asakura, a transfer student at Shinra Private Junior High, they’re his friends! Yoh Asakura is a shaman, one of the gifted few who can speak to spirits by channeling ghosts into his body — like the long-dead samurai Amidamaru. He can also allow them to possess him and use their powers. But a modern-day shaman faces great responsibilities, because spirits — and the people who work with them — can be very dangerous indeed. In the series’ grand finale, A Song Someday, Yoh and his gang finally reach the end of the line after all these years and all the hard work. Who will be crowned the next Shaman King, and who will go home in defeat?

Unconventional author/artist Hiroyuki Takei began his career by winning the Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize. After working as an assistant to famed artist Nobuhiro Watsuki (Rurouni Kenshin, published by VIZ Media), Takei debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1997 with Butsu Zone, an action series based on Buddhist mythology. His multicultural adventure manga Shaman King, which debuted in 1998, became a hit and was adapted into an anime TV series. His new series Ultimo (also published by VIZ Media), a historic collaboration with comics legend Stan Lee (co-creator of many iconic superheroes including Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men), is currently being serialized in the U.S. in Shonen Jump. Takei lists Osamu Tezuka, American comics and robot anime among his many key influences.

Last Chance for overnight MIMOBOT delivery is 12/23 noon!

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VIZ Media Announces the Season Finale of the Online Adventure “Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan”, and the Manga Debut in February

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media has announced that the season one finale of the online streaming anime hit series Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan will conclude on VIZAnime.com, the company’s premier website for anime, on December 27, 2010. Also announced is the manga (graphic novel) version of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, which the anime is based upon. Created by Hiroshi Shiibashi, Vol. 1 will have its North American debut under the Shonen Jump imprint on February 1st 2011, is rated “T” for Teens and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.

While the day belongs to humans, the night belongs to yokai, supernatural creatures that thrive on human fear. Caught between these worlds is Rikuo Nura. He’s three-quarters human, but his grandfather is none other than Nurarihyon, the supreme commander of the Nura clan, a powerful yokai consortium. So, Rikuo is an ordinary teenager three quarters of the time, until his yokai blood awakens. Then he transforms into the future leader of the Nura clan, leading a hundred demons.

Hiroshi Shiibashi debuted in Japan in Business Jump magazine with the series, Aratama. Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan is his breakout hit. He also worked as an assistant to manga artist, Hirohiko Araki, the creator of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (also published in North America by VIZ Media).

VIZAnime.com is a free-to-use web destination that is now the permanent home to some of the company’s best-loved animated series. Over 1,100 episodes are currently available, and new content is added on a weekly basis. Series currently featured on VIZAnime.com include Bleach, Buso Renkin, Death Note, Honey and Clover, Hikaru no Go, InuYasha, InuYasha: The Final Act, Kekkaishi, Nana, Naruto, Naruto: Shippuden, One Piece and The Prince of Tennis.

To view subtitled Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan animated episodes (rated “T” for Teens) and other VIZ Media animated titles, please visit VIZAnime.com.

For more information on Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan and other Shonen Jump manga titles, please visit ShonenJump.com.

“The Guild” Season 4 on DVD and iTunes

from The Guild:

The Guild is pleased to announce that as of today, Season 4 is out on DVD and iTunes. The DVD is out now exclusively via Amazon.com (with a retail store release coming February 22, 2011).

The DVD is packed with tons of bonus features, including many DVD-only extras. Bonus features on the DVD include the “Game On” Music Video, The Making of the “Game On” Music Video, Back to Cheesybeards featurette, Oh Mommy! featurette focusing on Avinashi (Zaboo’s Mom), the Cheesybeards commercial, Season 1 and 2 recaps, Season 3 recap by Auto-Tune the News, Table read by the cast, Audio Commentary with the Cast, Audio Commentary with the Creator, Director and Producer, Axis of Anarchy Interviews, Gag Reel, PDF of Script, Play All Feature and English Subtitles. The Amazon.com DVD release comes on two DVD-R discs by Amazon’s Create Space, and is NTSC format, region-free. Buy Season 4 of The Guild on Amazon.com now.

Season 4 also hits iTunes today, available in HD and in standard definition. As with previous iTunes releases, The Guild episodes are bundled into two episodes per iTunes download — so even though it looks like there are only 6 episodes, that’s just an iTunes thing, you’re getting the full season. This season there is an iTunes exclusive 9-minute bonus feature “The Making of the Team Cawkes Painting” included when you buy the entire season. Each two-episode iTunes bundle is $2.99 for HD or $1.99 for standard definition, while the entire season is $9.99 for HD or $5.99 for standard definition. Buy Season 4 of The Guild on iTunes now.

Thanks so much for your continued support of The Guild! We couldn’t do it without such dedicated fans. Many of you have asked “What about Season 5?” and we have nothing to announce at this time but we’ll update you as soon as we know something. Microsoft and Sprint have been wonderful partners and sponsors, funding seasons 2 through 4 and helping bring the show to many new fans, and we hope this great relationship continues for Season 5 (and there’s no indication that it wouldn’t — no campaigns need to be launched, loyal Guildies!). Fans always ask what they can do to help support the show, and purchasing Guild merchandise including the DVDs and iTunes downloads are one great way. Introducing the show to new fans is another powerful force that has helped us so much — so thank you for doing that for 4 seasons! And best of all, that doesn’t cost a penny!

Discuss the Season 4 DVD and iTunes release on our forums, and talk to us on Facebook, Twitter or by leaving a comment here!

Thanks so much for your support, and happy holidays!
The Guild Management

Jokes of the Jedi – Family Guy Star Wars III

from GeekChicDaily:

Catching the final installment of a popular sci-fi trilogy is usually such a chore. First you’ve got to pre-buy the tickets. Then you’ve got to camp out in front of the theater. Then you’ve got to hold back tears while Triumph the Insult Comic Dog stops by to make fun of how you’re obviously still a virgin.

Thankfully, Family Guy has made the whole process easier. You can watch the final installment of their Star Wars spoof trilogy from the safety of your own home on DVD. Today marks the debut of the show’s Return of the Jedi parody: Family Guy: It’s a Trap! Just like their previous two Star Wars spoofs — Family Guy: Blue Harvest and Family Guy: Something Something Something Dark Side — this outing features Peter as Han Solo, Chris as Luke, Lois as Leia and Stewie as Darth Vader. Cameo alert: one of the trailers shows Meg as the Sarlacc, and Klaus (the fish from American Dad!) as Admiral Ackbar. Meanwhile, celebrity guest voices include Carrie Fisher, Adam West, Patrick Stewart and Rush Limbaugh… who voices the Rancor. Talk about typecasting.

For anyone who prefers all their spoofs in a single box, you can also get Laugh It Up Fuzzball: The Family Guy Trilogy, which collects all three Star Wars parodies into one set. Grab these flicks while you still can. If history is any guide, the creators may decide to go back in a few years and ruin them with unnecessary CGI effects. When that happens, throw us into the Sarlacc.

ThinkGeek’s Rocket Reindeer Are Standing By

from ThinkGeek:

Last minute gift-ers, we salute you!
We’re sure you have dozens of good reasons why you waited this long. Thank goodness we have you covered with 2 day shipping (order by Tuesday at 11:59 pm ET) and Express Shipping (order by Thursday at noon ET). But really, you’re kind of a dork for having waited this long. Admit it and use code IMADORK for $10 off $30+ orders from now until 12pm ET 12/23.

Clearance: A reindeer’s favorite game
A little known fact about reindeer: they enjoy slashing prices with their antlers. And since reindeer antlers aren’t terribly pointy, it’s more like bludgeoning prices. But hey, they’re lower! Our Sale & Clearance section has tons of last-minute gifts from all departments. From electronic gadgets to 1337 tees, you can snag ’em for as much as 75% cheaper.

Find more What’s New items at ThinkGeek!