If you thought the phlegm filled syllables of the Klingon language couldn't make ordinary human music sound as sweet as the innocent cheeps of a nest of newborn birds, then you'd be right.
Klenginem, a member of the Klingon tribe (I don't know what the politically correct term for Klingon is these days, Romulan-Americans?), has turned Eminem's self-serving ditty "Without Me" into a self-serving Klingon ditty.
Don't try and sing along if you aren't fluent in the words of the warrior, or it will turn your esophagus inside out.
[via Neatorama]
Get down to the bumping bass of 'SuvwI'pu' qan tu'lu'be'
George W. Bush canceled Reading Rainbow
Did you watch Reading Rainbow yesterday? If you missed it, that's too bad, because PBS' third-longest running show (behind only Sesame Street and Mr. Roger's Neighborhood) ended its 26 year run on Friday.
According to NPR, the children's program is being cut from the PBS stable of educational programming because of ... wait for it ... the Bush administration.
Continue reading George W. Bush canceled Reading Rainbow
Set phasers to 'intoxicating' with new Star Trek cologne
The merchandise opportunities for classic shows like Star Trek has been outlandish, to say the very least. You can show your financial love for Star Trek by buying Star Trek toys, Star Trek apparel, Star Trek cell phones, Star Trek Pez dispensers, Star Trek burial coffins, Star Trek living room furniture
and even Star Trek erotic theme art. Don't click that last link if you're at work, school or don't really want to know what James Doohan would look like spread eagle on a Tribble skin rug.
Now the folks at Genki Wear, a geek themed jewelry manufacturer, have helped the Enterprise explore a strange new world of merchandising and seek out new lifeline accounts and financial liquidations with a line of Star Trek-inspired cologne and perfumes.
Continue reading Set phasers to 'intoxicating' with new Star Trek cologne
Another Star Trek actor joins TNT's Leverage
Being a nerd, I'm very familiar with Jeri Ryan's career. She helped make Star Trek: Voyager watchable for a while as a self-aware Borg and recently starred in CBS' Shark alongside James Woods. But it was her work on the David Kelley shows Boston Public and Boston Legal that has me thinking she'll be a good fit for Leverage.The actress handled Kelley's sharp dialogue like a pro, and I'm guessing she'll bring the same confidence to her role as a "smart-ass, street-wise con woman" on the second season of Leverage. Ryan has signed on for a recurring role on the TNT heist drama. Her character will be a friend of Sophie's (Gina Bellman), Leverage's sexy grifter with a bag full of tricks and foreign accents.
Continue reading Another Star Trek actor joins TNT's Leverage
Star Trek merchandising gone wild
Okay, I understand the mock phasers and the shirts and the action figures. But when someone releases a Star Trek casket and/or urn for when you die, I have to scratch my head a little.Admittedly, I've heard of Star Trek weddings and even known people who have attended them. I guess since Star Trek fans are getting up there in age, caskets and urns are the next step. Hell, they probably still run Star Trek-themed weddings at Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas.
The truth is that most of the original cast is getting up there in age. I cannot help but wonder if someone is going to buy one of them a casket or urn from Eternal Image.
Besides all that, the real Star Trek fans would want a Klingon funeral. That's where they scream on top of the recently deceased body then let anybody else dispose of it however they wish.
GoAnimate brings Star Trek characters to fan animations
With J.J. Abrams' Star Trek topping the box office charts, fans can now shape their Trekker energies into fresh, free cartoons with new characters added to the GoAnimate.com line-up.The do-it-yourself cartoon site wrapped a licensing agreement with Paramount and CBS early in 2009, allowing fans to use stylized versions of classic Trek characters, sets and props in original short animations. Setting up an account is free - unless you count the time you're going to burn making your cartoon.
In addition to Kirk, Spock and other familar faces, the site just upped the supporting player factor with usable avatars of the Gorn, alien female Mara, Klingons and Nurse Chapel.
Continue reading GoAnimate brings Star Trek characters to fan animations
Buffy's Willow tops list of pop culture's greatest nerds
OK, so she turned evil and veiny and almost destroyed the world after someone murdered her hot lesbian lover. But at heart, Willow Rosenberg was always a computer-hacking, research-loving nerd. The Buffy the Vampire Slayer character landed at number one on Topless Robot's list of "Pop Culture's 10 Greatest Nerds." I was surprised by the pick at first, but I can't think of a better choice to top the list. Willow was a great character, and will probably always be actor Alyson Hannigan's best role (sorry, HIMYM fans, but it's true).
Continue reading Buffy's Willow tops list of pop culture's greatest nerds
Yet even more David Tennant news (and Patrick Stewart too)
I may be getting a little obsessed. Most of the posts I've written recently have been about the soon-to-be-departing Doctor Who lead David Tennant. I'm also quite disappointed that a lack of time and funds did not permit me to take a trip to England to see Tennant in the RSC production of Hamlet. Thankfully, the BBC has come to the rescue.For those like me, the BBC is reassembling the cast and filming that production of Hamlet for broadcast in late 2009, with American and Japanese broadcasts to occur in 2010 (I wonder which channel would show it in the States? BBC America? PBS?). To sweeten the deal for us nerds, former Star Trek: The Next Generation captain Patrick Stewart plays Claudius.
Perhaps they'll even let Tennant improvise the role a bit. I would love it if he could throw a little script that Neil Gaiman wrote for him upon hearing of his participation in the role.
Everything you didn't want to know about the Star Trek movie
Over at ComicMix, Alan Kistler has written annotations for the new Star Trek movie and how well it fits into the overall continuity of the show. It's a pretty impressive list and does prove that despite the blatant contradiction of the show's history as a result of time travel, they were actually pretty good with getting the details of the characters correct.Spoilers follow this paragraph. You have been warned.
Continue reading Everything you didn't want to know about the Star Trek movie
Was anybody else disappointed in the Star Trek/Family Guy episode?
I made it my business to catch the episode of Family Guy which guest-voiced the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and I have to say I was somewhat disappointed.Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed some parts of the episode. The "shut up Wil" line by Patrick Stewart had me in stitches, as well as the sudden death of Denise Crosby (obviously, the writers are ST:TNG fans). Hell, Patrick Stewart is a recurring guest on Seth McFarlane's other series American Dad.
It just seemed to me that after the brilliant Star Wars parody from last year, they would do something more with such a line-up of talent than simply "Stewie gets to hang out and go bowling with the cast." It was even relegated to the "B" plot, with the "A" plot being Meg's sudden faith in God as a result of watching Kirk Cameron on TV.
I was hoping for something more akin to an episode of The Next Generation done Family Guy-style. Or would that have been redundant of the Star Wars episode? What do you think? Was the episode decent or could it have used improvement?
Stewie kidnaps the cast of Star Trek: TNG this Sunday
If this clip is any indication, this could be one of the funniest Family Guy episodes ever (at least for Star Trek fans).The entire cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation lend their voices to the episode, which features Stewie going to a Trekkie (er, sorry, Trekker I guess they like to be called) convention and not being able to ask the group a question. So he does a very Stewie-like thing and kidnaps the entire cast.
Continue reading Stewie kidnaps the cast of Star Trek: TNG this Sunday
Jonathan Frakes: The TV Squad Interview - VIDEO
There is life after Star Trek. Jonathan Frakes, Star Trek: The Next Generation's former "Number One," has moved on from sci-fi stardom to a successful career as a TV and film director. He's helmed four feature films, countless hours of Star Trek and Roswell, plus the two latest entries in TNT's Librarian telemovie franchise. Now, he's joining one of TV's most critically acclaimed new shows. Frakes directed tonight's episode of Leverage, TNT's hit heist drama starring Timothy Hutton. The episode is a Star Trek reunion of sorts with Frakes behind the camera and his former Star Trek co-stars Brent Spiner (Data from TNG) and Armin Shimerman (Quark from Deep Space Nine) guest starring.
I spoke to Frakes by phone for a few minutes this week and, somehow, I was able to hold back from asking him a million geeky Star Trek questions. (Now I'll never know if "Tom" Riker ever escaped from the Cardassians!) We discussed his love for Leverage, his friendships with his former cast mates, and the possible return of "Number One" Will Riker.
Continue reading Jonathan Frakes: The TV Squad Interview - VIDEO
Why do we need a Doomsday TV movie?
Reason #1: Because the Sci Fi Channel wouldn't be the Sci Fi Channel without those craptastic movies-of-the-week.Reason #2: Because it might star Marina Sirtis (Star Trek: TNG's Counselor Troi) and Luke Goss (the pastey prince from Hellboy II).
Reason #3: Because TV could use more evil mohawk-sporting, Fine Young Cannibal-rockin' punks and medieval mad scientists.
Am I wrong?
Continue reading Why do we need a Doomsday TV movie?
TV Squad Ten: TV celebs worth following on Twitter
Yep, I got a Twitter. It's part of my plan to plaster the Internet with links to my must-read blog posts about '90s indie rock and that handsome bastard Neil Patrick Harris (don't ask). Fortunately for you, some clever TV stars also use Twitter for fun and shameless self-promotion.
Here are ten fan-friendly TV celebs worth stalking on Twitter. Unlike that fake Stephen Colbert, these guys are all one-hundred percent, real-life paparazzo magnets.
Continue reading TV Squad Ten: TV celebs worth following on Twitter
Star Trek creator's widow to voice J.J. Abrams' Enterprise computer
It's almost as if J.J. Abrams is patting nervous Star Trek fans on the back and cooing, "It's OK. Everything's gonna be alright."Variety reported this week that Majel Barrett-Roddenberry will reprise her role as the voice of the Enterprise computer for Abrams' upcoming Star Trek flick. Barret-Roddenberry, the widow of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, voiced the computer for all six Trek series and many of the movies. She also played Christine Chapel in the original series and two of the films as well as "Number One" in Star Trek's original pilot. And who could forget her as Lwaxana Troi, the randy Betazoid from The Next Genertation?
Continue reading Star Trek creator's widow to voice J.J. Abrams' Enterprise computer
Six Mad Men characters who are in limbo after the finale
Fact or Fiction: Big Bang, Brothers & Sisters and CSI
The TV Squad Podcast: Linda Purl talks about The Office, we talk spoilers, and more
