Arts & Culture – Page 27

J!NX: Get it in time with Free 2-Day Shipping

from J!NX:

Free 2-Day Shipping
Been putting off your holiday shopping? You can still order and receive it in time for Christmas with FREE 2-Day shipping. Just use code NOT2LATE during checkout when you spend $55 or more.

EVE Design Contest
Think you can design the next wave of EVE Online shirts? You have one week left to submit your entry, so don’t wait!

Free 2-Day Shipping with orders $55+
Use Promotion Code: NOT2LATE
This offer expires Wednesday, December 22, 2010 at 11:59AM PDT, so don’t wait!
*can’t be combined with any other offers, sale prices, or discounts

Now Accepting Submissions for Contest #78:
J!NXCEPTION
This contest is about movies. And endings. A bad ending can ruin an otherwise brilliant film. A good ending can save a mediocre film from cinematic obscurity. We’re very passionate about our movies, and often wish we could be in charge of how they end. Your assignment is to use the photos provided (or any other photos of the J!NX Crew) to create an alternate ending to a well-known movie. For example: what would have happened at the end of Inception if Nooch had been around to knock that top over? See? Completely different. So let’s see your alternate endings! Submit Yours!

VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump Magazine Evolves for 2011

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, announces the relaunch of its popular Shonen Jump monthly manga (graphic novel) magazine, and also grows the publication’s online presence. Beginning with the January 2011 issue, available now from retailers, Shonen Jump magazine welcomes the new decade with a fresh, contemporary look, and expanded print and web content.

As part of this upgrade, the magazine also launches several new subscriber-only initiatives on the Shonen Jump website at: ShonenJump.com. Among these features will be digital subscriber-only premiums and content, as well as the debut of a brand new manga series, Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan (rated “T” for Teens) that will be serialized online. This will be Shonen Jump’s first title to be serialized digitally on ShonenJump.com.

For its print counterpart, Shonen Jump, which continues to be the best-selling manga anthology in North America, debuts 2 new series — the science fiction thriller, Psyren, and fan favorite Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s. As a special treat to both current and new readers, the January 2011 issue will also include a free Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card, The Winged Dragon of Ra, printed with the autograph of original Yu-Gi-Oh! creator Kazuki Takahashi. These titles join other current monthly Shonen Jump series, Bleach, Naruto and One Piece.

Manga previews are a cornerstone of Shonen Jump coverage and this will continue with newly expanded sneak peeks, both online and in print, starting with massive online manga previews of popular series Toriko and Bakuman. VIZ Media also plans to deliver plenty of fan appreciation throughout 2011 with a variety of contests, sweepstakes and inside information about the exciting and ever-changing world of manga and anime.

“Paying careful attention to all the input from our loyal fans, the Shonen Jump team has revamped the magazine, keeping what devotees already know and love and adding in more awesome stuff than before!” says Christopher Boily, Editor-in-Chief. “The world of media and comics is changing and we’re excited to explore the opportunities that now exist for the magazine and our manga. New series like Nura and Psyren will fit in right alongside Naruto and Bleach to create the best manga mix we’ve ever had, both in print and online. And the new look and feel of the magazine is exactly what our fans have been asking us for!”

For more information on Shonen Jump Magazine and other Shonen Jump titles, please visit ShonenJump.com.

VIZ Media Animates the Holidays with a Special iTunes Promotion

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media celebrates the season with a special Download-to-Own promotion on the iTunes Store in the U.S. (iTunes.com), perfect to round out digital holiday gift lists to delight audiences young & old.

Just in time for the holidays, from now until February 1st, download for FREE the full first episodes for Vampire Knight, Bleach, Kekkaishi, and Naruto: Shippuden. All subsequent episodes are available to rent for only $0.99 each, or to own for only $1.99 each.

Please visit itunes.com/anime for complete details.

Bleach (rated TV-14) follows the adventures of Ichigo, a 15-year old student with the ability to see ghosts. When his family is attacked by a Hollow — a malevolent lost soul — Ichigo encounters Rukia, a Soul Reaper, and inadvertently absorbs her powers. Now, he’s dedicating his life to protecting the innocent and helping tortured souls find peace.

Kekkaishi (rated TV-PG) is the story of mystical forces powerful in the region known as Karasumori. For over 400 years, it has been the duty of a clan of “kekkaishi” — barrier masters — to guard this land and exterminate the supernatural creatures that are drawn to it night after night. Yoshimori Sumimura is a junior high school student at Karasumori Academy. Following in the tradition that’s been passed down through generations, he is the twenty-second “kekkaishi” of the Sumimura clan. But by day, Yoshimori’s got other demons to battle: an addiction to sweets and a seriously crotchety grandfather! Yoshimori’s pretty neighbor, childhood friend and rival, Tokine Yukimura, is also a “kekkaishi,” but their families are feuding over who is the true practitioner of the art. Protecting people from danger while growing stronger himself, Yoshimori will battle the forces of evil again tonight!

In Naruto: Shippuden (rated TV-14), Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja in training, wants to be the best ninja in the land. He’s done well so far, but Naruto knows he must train harder than ever and leaves his village for intense exercises that will push him to his limits. Naruto: Shippuden begins two and a half years later, when Naruto returns to find that everyone has been promoted up the ninja ranks — except him. Sakura’s a medic ninja, Gaara’s advanced to Kazekage, and Kakashi… well, he remains the same. But pride isn’t necessarily about becoming a ninja, especially when Naruto realizes that Sasuke never returned from his search for Orochimaru. Plus, the mysterious Akatsuki organization is still an ever-present danger. As Naruto finds out more about the Akatsuki’s goals, he realizes that nothing in his universe is as it seems. Naruto is finding that he’s older, but will he also prove wiser and stronger?

In Vampire Knight (rated TV-14), Cross Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorms, they cross paths with the mysterious Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy’s dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires! Yuki Cross has no memory of her past prior to the moment she was saved from a vampire attack ten years ago. She was adopted by the headmaster of Cross Academy, and now works alongside Zero to guard the Academy’s secret. Yuki believes that vampires and humans can coexist peacefully, but her partner has different ideas…

ThinkGeek finally joins the Dark Side

from ThinkGeek:

We’re holly dazed (save ends).

Someone pass us a d20 — we gotta roll to save before we get run over by a reindeer (5d8+12 trampling damage). It seems just yesterday we were donning our costumes for Halloween, and now we’re a dozen days from Christmas. Timmy has some big plans for Monkey Day tomorrow (frankly, we’re a bit worried) and we’re all excited about TRON opening on Friday.

Somewhere in between all that fun, we’ll remember someone we left off our shopping list. Oops. Good thing for gift certificates and express delivery!

Star Wars Vader’s Dark Side Roast Coffee
Sample the Dark Lord’s Brew. Get a taste of the Dark Side with this rich hand-roasted coffee. Three diverse coffees and two different roasts create a full-bodied, sharp cup with spicy undertones and smoky, dark-roasted complexity. Vader’s Dark Roast Coffee is commonly enjoyed by Dark Lords of the Sith while planning new Death Star construction, but give into your anger — sample a steaming cup and you will be rewarded with power beyond your imagination.

Darth Vader Bread Imprinting Toaster!
Enjoy your toast on the Dark Side. If there’s something every Sith Lord knows how to do, it’s how to make a balanced breakfast! While the Jedi have to live off of Jawa juice and fried nerfsteak, the Dark Lord of the Sith prefers to have a reminder of his fiery Mustafar defeat at his breakfast table. Every morning he burns that moment into a slice of bread with the Darth Vader Toaster. This black, ominous kitchen appliance easily leaves the mark of Vader’s helmet in every yummy piece of toast. Slather some Bantha butter on top, or make two pieces for an extra-Sithy BLT. Force power not required to operate toaster!

Free shipping on $40+ orders — 12 days until Christmas!
You’ve got twelve Plush Microbes, eleven sets of Chop Sabers, ten cans of unicorn, nine Monkey Slingshots, eight Whiskey Stones, seven Sun Jars, six Kitty Coin Banks, FIVE GOLDEN POOS, four Guitar Shirts, three Titanium Sporks, and two FX Lightsabers. Now you just need a partridge in a USB Christmas Tree! Use code SHIP2010 for free economy shipping on $40+ orders until 11:59pm ET tonight, 12/13/2010.

Shipping Deadlines Coming Up — Unless you’re a time traveler
Got a TARDIS or a DeLorean? Then skip over this paragraph. If you’re stuck in this timeline and need Christmas gifts to arrive in time, here’s what you need to know. For international deliveries (everywhere but Canada), order by 12/13 11:59pm ET; for Canada (eh?) ground shipping, order by 12/15 11:59pm ET; for West Coast ground shipping, order by 12/17 11:59pm ET. For more shipping deadlines, gift ideas, and downloadable PDF greeting cards, hit up our Holiday Gift Center.

Find more What’s New items at ThinkGeek!

Action-Packed “Gantz” Hits Big Screens Nationwide in One-Night World Premiere

from VIZ Media:

Gantz, a live-action Japanese feature event, is making its world premiere in 325 movie theaters in an exclusive one-night Fathom event on Thursday, January 20th, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CT / 6:00 p.m. MT / 8:30 p.m. PT (tape delayed). Following the feature, Gantz’s two leading actors, Kazunari Ninomiya (Letters from Iwo Jima) and Kenichi Matsuyama (Death Note, Detroit Metal City) will participate in an exclusive live interview that can only be seen at this event.

Tickets are available at participating theater box offices and online at FathomEvents.com. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, please visit the web site (theaters and participants are subject to change).

Presented by NCM Fathom and NEW PEOPLE, in association with Dark Horse Comics, Gantz (English dubbed) tells the story of childhood friends Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato who are accidentally killed while trying to save another man’s life. Rather than find themselves in the hereafter, however, they awaken in a strange apartment in which they find a mysterious black orb they come to know as “Gantz.” Along with similar abductees, they are provided with equipment and weaponry and manipulated into playing a kind of game in which they are sent back out to the greater world to do battle with alien beings, all while never quite knowing whether this game is an illusion or their new reality.

Ninomiya and Matsuyama are two of Japan’s biggest stars. Ninomiya, best known in America for his role in Clint Eastwood’s 2006 blockbuster, Letters from Iwo Jima, is both an actor and a singer. He is world-renowned as a member of the Japanese boy band “Arashi,” which topped Japan’s music charts in 2009 with the three best-selling singles. Matsuyama has been one of the most sought-after actors in Japanese film and has won several awards including Japanese Academy Awards Best New Actor (2007) and Most Popular Actor (2009). Matsuyama is recognized for his part as L in Death Note (2006), Death Note II: the Last Name (2006) and Death Note: L, change the WorLd (2008).

“Gantz is the kind of kinetic action film that pushes the boundaries of the sci-fi genre,” said Seiji Horibuchi, founder of NEW PEOPLE. “We’re very excited to work with NCM Fathom and Dark Horse Comics to organize this special event and look forward to the property’s domestic popularity growing even more following this new release.”

Gantz will appear in 325 theaters, including AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark USA Inc., Clearview Cinemas, Cobb Theatres, Goodrich Quality Theatres, Hollywood Theaters, Marcus Theatres, National Amusements, Rave Motion Pictures, R/C Theatres and Regal Entertainment Group movie theaters, as well as The Beacon Cinema (Pittsfield, MA), The Carolina Theatre (Asheville, NC) and Palace Cinema 9 (South Burlington, VT), through NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network — North America’s largest cinema broadcast network.

“Gantz offers a thrilling world that nobody has ever seen in live-action,” said Dan Diamond, vice president of NCM Fathom. “Incredibly popular in Japan as well as among American manga and anime enthusiasts, this new Gantz rendition is sure to thrill audiences in local movie theaters around the country.”

J!NX: 20% off, New EVE Tees + Design Arcade Contest

from J!NX:

New EVE Online Tees
Just in time for your holiday shopping, we’ve come together with our friends over at CCP Games to bring you awesome new EVE Online tees! These are perfect for all you space-faring pilots. To celebrate their release, we’re also giving you a chance to design the next wave of EVE tees. Think you have the creative mojo to take on an EVE Design Arcade contest? Oh, did we mention there’s Titanloads of prizes to be had?

20% off orders $50+
Use Promotion Code: EVEARCADE
This offer expires Monday, December 13, 2010 at 11:59PM PDT, so don’t wait!
*can’t be combined with any other offers, sale prices, or discounts

“Star Wars Visions” Artists Speak

from StarWars.com:

Thumbing through the pages of the recently released Star Wars Art: Visions from Abrams, one is confronted with an image on page 80 that both amuses and captivates — Will Wilson’s “Dawn of Maul”, which re-imagines the tattoo-faced Sith Lord as an enfant terrible in a Byzantine-era portrait. It appears to seethe with symbolism, from the two-headed serpent gripped in Maul’s left hand to the eclipsing Death Star at sunrise. It’s an image that immediately commands our attention — and provokes our imagination.

Artist Will Wilson was tapped by Lucasfilm Executive Editor J.W. Rinzler for the Visions project after discovering his work at the John Pence Gallery in San Francisco, a gallery which actually provided a handful of artists for the project. “Dawn of Maul”, Wilson’s stunning contribution to Visions, speaks to both the classic nature of the Star Wars saga and the mythic underpinnings of its storyline. It’s an image that begs intimate exploration — a journey we begin with a few questions for the artist:

I understand your painting was inspired by a dream?

You know I get a lot of ideas for my work from that lucid state when you’re waking up in the morning — when you’re kind of dreaming and you’re half-awake. For some reason I can solve problems when I’m stuck on a painting… it’s kind of a netherworld I can get a lot of ideas from and solve a lot of problems in. The very first night I was trying to think of something, I had this image, this dream of a red baby writhing around in a cradle of eels. And I woke up kind of excited because I immediately made the connection to Darth Maul, who was one of my favorite characters — albeit his appearance was brief in the movies.

I immediately thought I could paint Darth Maul as a baby. One of my best friends who’s also a painter has a one-year-old girl, so I went over that day to take photographs and started the painting — which is almost unheard of for me.

So you were pretty much given carte blanche in terms of direction?

It was the best kind of illustration job where they let you do whatever you want. I didn’t feel there were any guidelines at all as long as you were inspired by the Star Wars movies in some way.

Read the rest of the Will Wilson interview here, and read the second Star Wars Art: Visions artist interview with William Stout here.

Simon’s Cat: Beyond the Fence

Geeks sure do love their online kittehs, the reigning feline of the moment being the star of Simon’s Cat, an award-winning series of short animated films that launched in 2008 and instantly became a YouTube phenomenon. Simon’s Cat made the leap to print last year with the publication of the bestselling Simon’s Cat book, and this season sees the release of its much-anticipated sequel, Simon’s Cat: Beyond the Fence.

The first Simon’s Cat book focused on the homelife of Simon’s Cat, giving readers a peek into his daily routine: exasperating his owner Simon with mischievous antics, hatching plans with his garden gnome friend, playing with a family of hedgehogs that live in the yard, and trying (mostly without success) to get one over on the birds who invade his territory. Simon’s Cat: Beyond the Fence offers up another, bigger helping of Simon’s Cat’s charming, signature style of black-and-white line drawings, but instead of being a fairly random collection of sketches, this book’s illustrations string together to form a loose story. After an encounter with the vacuum cleaner, and being subjected to the indignity of a bath, Simon’s Cat decides to hit the road in search of greener pastures. Along the way, he makes new friends and experiences things that he never imagined as a sheltered housecat, but ultimately realizes, as he eventually tires of his wild adventures, that he had it pretty good back home with the doting Simon. On his return trek — during which he reveals how cats are connected to crop circles! — he’s followed by everyone that he’s met on his journey, resulting in quite a reunion with his old friends… and an even bigger surprise for the poor, unsuspecting Simon.

Publisher Canongate Books says on their website — referring to volume one of Simon’s Cat — that “Simon Tofield’s beautiful drawings and warm humour come alive on the page in the first of a series of irresistible stocking-filler humour books”, hinting that readers can look forward to several more books to paw through between film releases. To that tease, fans of the ever-hungry Simon’s Cat can only respond with a demanding “Meow!”, while pointing expectantly to their mouths.

Order now at Amazon.com:
Simon’s Cat (Canada)
Simon’s Cat (US)
Simon’s Cat: Beyond the Fence (Canada)
Simon’s Cat: Beyond the Fence (US)

In addition to the books, a line of Simon’s Cat merchandise, such as mugs, calendars, and plush, is available at the Simon’s Cat Official Web Shop. The brand manager of the Simon’s Cat online store promises that “T-shirts will come eventually. We’re working on getting them into the web-shop.”

Simon’s Cat and Simon’s Cat: Beyond the Fence are distributed by Canongate Books and its international affiliates, including Penguin Group (Canada) and Grand Central Publishing, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. For more information about Simon’s Cat, please visit The Official Simon’s Cat Website. Simon’s Cat may also be followed on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

“When I Grow Up” by “Weird Al” Yankovic

Billy’s classmates may have never considered careers in snail training or sumo wrestling before, but by the time the exuberant eight-year-old is done cataloging his dream jobs, they just might share his belief in unlimited potential!

Virtuoso wordplay, irresistible rhythm, and laugh-out-loud humor abound in the first picture book by the one and only “Weird Al” Yankovic. This unbridled celebration of creativity and possibility invites readers of all ages to consider afresh what they want to be when they grow up.

Browse and buy the book.

OMG, ThinkGeek is full of stars!

from ThinkGeek:

Greetings, zombie-loving snowbots,

Now that The Walking Dead season is over, we’re feeling an ache in our hearts. It might be that “special” eggnog we’ve been drinking nonstop, but we’re pretty sure it’s the lack of zombies. It just doesn’t feel like the holidays without some post-apocalyptic action. After all, it shows the true nature of humanity, much like dinner at our in-laws’ house.

We’ll distract ourselves with happy things! Wear your rebel scum finest on December 10 in honor of Katie, a Star Wars water bottle-toting geekling, who stood up to school bullies when they said girls couldn’t like Star Wars.

Space Monolith Action Figure!
2010… The year toys make contact. The Monolith Action Figures were left by some ancient, extra-galactic, action figure intelligence. We believe, based on our tests (including pH, electromagnetic, and taste) these Monolith Action Figures will eventually cause other action figures to evolve. We’re not sure if that means gaining better accessories and articulation, or becoming sentient. Either one is cool in our book. The Monolith Action Figure looks great on your desk, wall, or shelf, and will definitely be the most talked about toy in your collection.

Last call for Economy Shipping rates!
The first shipping deadline is fast approaching. Want your gifts to arrive by Christmas using economy shipping? Place your order before 11:59pm ET on 12/10/10. For more shipping deadlines, gift ideas, and printable PDF greeting cards, hit up our Holiday Gift Center. (Pro tip: click the little rocket at the bottom of the page. It’s worth the scroll.)

Find more What’s New items at ThinkGeek!

J!NX: $10 off $50+, Over 100 New $10 Tees, & 2 New Design Arcade Winners

from J!NX:

Two new T-Shirts from the Design Arcade: The Forum Menace & Mordrax Battles The Cutesies
The world is full of nasties. They come in all shapes and sizes; some are large berzerker-types, but some prefer stealth and anonymity rather than brute force. This week, we honor both sides of this spectrum. The Forum Menace is a digital pesilence that only the internet could create, while Mordrax Battles the Cutesies takes a more straightforward approach. We don’t know what those cutesies did to poor Mordrax, but it must have been really bad.

Over 100 New $10 Tees: Get ‘Em While They’re Hot!
We’re cleaning house, and that means retiring some of our older designs to make room for all the new and exciting products that are coming up in 2011. Check out our $10 Tees Section to snap up some of the newly discounted tees. Hurry, our stock is limited!

$10 off $50 or more
Use Promotion Code: HOLIDAZE
This offer expires Friday, December 10, 2010 at 11:59PM PDT, so don’t wait!
*can’t be combined with any other offers or discounts

The Yellow Book Road: “Simpsons World”

from GeekChicDaily:

Think of the avalanche of factoids contained in two decades of Simpsons seasons.

What’s Comic Book Guy’s real name? How many doughnuts has Homer consumed? Who bent Martin’s Wookie? Simpsons World has all the marvelous minutia, laid out in gorgeous geeky detail. (Enter to win your copy here!) How much detail? 8.8 pounds of it. In Matt Groening’s own words, it’s “the biggest, thickest, most-lethal-if-it-were-dropped-on-your-head companion to the show yet.”

Sure, you think you’re an expert. You’ve been there since those early, squiggly days on The Tracy Ullman Show. We admire the sealed box of Frosted Krusty O’s on your shelf. We’re even sort of impressed that you lost an eyebrow in college trying to recreate the Flaming Moe.

But can you: recall every “D’oh!” And “Mmm…” Homer has ever uttered? Recite Itchy and Scratchy’s complete filmography? Sing, verbatim, The Stonecutters’ Anthem? Win this book, and you’ll be able to out-nerd even the nerdiest of Simpsons connoisseurs.

That’s right, GeekChicDaily is giving away a copy of Simpsons World to one lucky fan for the very Homer-friendly price of… nothing! Woohoo! Enter now.