Firstly, RIP Leonard Nimoy. You will be missed.
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With Disney announcing a reboot of this classic 90's cartoon coming to Disney XD in 2017....
Let's Throwback To: Ducktales! (Woohoo!) Ducktales is cartoon that ran from 1987-1990 that followed the adventures of billionaire duck Scrooge McDuck (Donald Duck's uncle) and his three great-nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie. According to Forbes Magazine's Fictional 15, Scrooge McDuck is worth $8.2 billion dollars (only fourth place behind Santa Claus, Richie Rich, and Daddy Warbucks). At approximately 105 years old (80 at the time the show aired), the mining mogul resides in Duckberg where he keeps all his riches in cash and coins in a giant vault. He has never been married and never gives his money to charity. Why it means something to us: As children of the 90's, we can't help but think of classic shows that we love when we're brainstorming for Throwback Thursday. This is not only a throwback, but a current event as Disney is rebooting the show for it's channel Disney XD in 2017. I remember watching this show along with other Disney classics like Under the Umbrella Tree, Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers, Talespin, The Adventures of the Gummi Bears, Darkwing Duck, and Fraggle Rock. My favorite thing about Ducktales was that Scrooge McDuck swam in his giant vault of gold coins and, hey, who doesn't wish they could do that? Where can you find it now? Since it doesn't hit television again for another few years, enjoy episodes on YouTube or watch the classic opening sequence again and again right here! The Artist: Christina Perri
The Song: The Words The YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9tc9R_Y3FY Where you heard it first: This is the third single off of Christina Perri's second studio album. You might have heard it on the radio, but I myself first heard it live at The Fillmore on her Head or Heart tour. She's a fun show live. Her music is more suited for smaller venues. Why it’s been stuck in your head: It isn't an earworm, but it perfectly suits the eerie quality to her voice that's made her a success. Why you recommend it to our listeners: It's got the bonus nerd factor of featuring Captain Hook himself (Colin O'Donoghue) as the lead in the music video. Check it out! Best Picture “American Sniper” Clint Eastwood, Robert Lorenz, Andrew Lazar, Bradley Cooper and Peter Morgan, Producers “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher and James W. Skotchdopole, Producers “Boyhood” Richard Linklater and Cathleen Sutherland, Producers “The Grand Budapest Hotel” Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales and Jeremy Dawson, Producers “The Imitation Game” Nora Grossman, Ido Ostrowsky and Teddy Schwarzman, Producers “Selma” Christian Colson, Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Producers “The Theory of Everything” Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce and Anthony McCarten, Producers “Whiplash” Jason Blum, Helen Estabrook and David Lancaster, Producers Kelly: I think this could go to The Theory of Everything, Boyhood, or Birdman, but I think Boyhood is going to take it. Christina: None of these movies seem to particularly blow everyone away (I haven’t even seen any of them), but my gut tells me Birdman is going to take it. Its buzz just keeps growing as the Oscars loom. Please for the love of everything don’t be American Sniper. Best Actor
Steve Carell in “Foxcatcher” Bradley Cooper in “American Sniper” Benedict Cumberbatch in “The Imitation Game” Michael Keaton in “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Eddie Redmayne in “The Theory of Everything” Kelly: EDDIE REDMAYNE!! That's all I've to say about that. Christina: I’ll be shocked if anyone besides Eddie Redmayne takes it. I think the only person with an outside shot would be Michael Keaton. Best Supporting Actor Robert Duvall in “The Judge” Ethan Hawke in “Boyhood” Edward Norton in “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Mark Ruffalo in “Foxcatcher” J.K. Simmons in “Whiplash” Kelly: I know that we’re probably basing these predictions on who won the Golden Globe, but between the two of them, I think JK Simmons is going to win this. Christina: JK Simmons. No doubt. I want to see that Oscar on his desk in the State Farm commercials. Kelly: Hahaha! I would love that touch! Best Actress Marion Cotillard in “Two Days, One Night” Felicity Jones in “The Theory of Everything” Julianne Moore in “Still Alice” Rosamund Pike in “Gone Girl” Reese Witherspoon in “Wild” Kelly: Even though I have a general dislike for Julianne Moore, I think she's going to take this one home. Christina: Julianne Moore. To make this even more fun for Kelly, did you know in this movie her kids are Kate Bosworth and Kristen Stewart? Kelly: Dude. Seriously. Why do you do this to me? Best Supporting Actress Patricia Arquette in “Boyhood” Laura Dern in “Wild” Keira Knightley in “The Imitation Game” Emma Stone in “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Meryl Streep in “Into the Woods” Kelly: I love that Meryl is getting recognition for her portrayal of The Witch in Into the Woods, but we can be pretty sure that Patricia Arquette is going to win this one. Christina: Patricia Arquette seems to be a pretty sure bet in this group. The potential spoiler could be Emma Stone. Best Animated Feature “Big Hero 6” Don Hall, Chris Williams and Roy Conli “The Boxtrolls” Anthony Stacchi, Graham Annable and Travis Knight “How to Train Your Dragon 2” Dean DeBlois and Bonnie Arnold “Song of the Sea” Tomm Moore and Paul Young “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya” Isao Takahata and Yoshiaki Nishimura Kelly: It’s rare that I haven’t seen any of the films in the animated feature category and of course, it’s the year that we’re hosting an entertainment podcast that I don’t see any movies. That being said, I think How to Train Your Dragon 2 should win. Christina: How to Train Your Dragon 2. This franchise is brilliant, and it’s nice to see Disney having to take a back seat. Best Adapted Screenplay “American Sniper” Written by Jason Hall “The Imitation Game” Written by Graham Moore “Inherent Vice” Written for the screen by Paul Thomas Anderson “The Theory of Everything” Screenplay by Anthony McCarten “Whiplash” Written by Damien Chazelle Kelly: I know that it’s had a lot of backlash surrounding it, but I think that American Sniper is going to take this category. If not that one, then The Imitation Game could be a contender. Christina: I’m actually going to pick The Imitation Game on this one. Partially because I refuse to pick American Sniper for anything, but also because I think the Academy may choose to avoid the hubbub that would come with a Sniper win in even a relatively minor category. Best Original Screenplay “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando Bo “Boyhood” Written by Richard Linklater “Foxcatcher” Written by E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman “The Grand Budapest Hotel” Screenplay by Wes Anderson; Story by Wes Anderson & Hugo Guinness “Nightcrawler” Written by Dan Gilroy Kelly: This is a toss-up between Birdman and Boyhood, but if you're going to devote 12 years of your life to one movie, you deserve an Oscar. Boyhood should get this. Christina: I’m apparently going with a wide range of winners this year. My money’s on The Grand Budapest Hotel. Boyhood was definitely a great cinematic feat, but I’m not sure how much of that comes from the screenplay. The Grand Budapest Hotel’s strength and uniqueness is something that comes straight from the script, it seems to me. Best Cinematography “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Emmanuel Lubezki “The Grand Budapest Hotel” Robert Yeoman “Ida” Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski “Mr. Turner” Dick Pope “Unbroken” Roger Deakins Kelly: I know next to nothing about cinematography and because of that, I’m just going to randomly pick one. Birdman. Christina: Birdman seems to be a pretty easy choice here for me. Any movie that has the appearance of being made in a single shot has my vote here. Best Costume Design “The Grand Budapest Hotel” Milena Canonero “Inherent Vice” Mark Bridges “Into the Woods” Colleen Atwood “Maleficent” Anna B. Sheppard and Jane Clive “Mr. Turner” Jacqueline Durran Kelly: As a general rule, I like Colleen Atwood’s costumes and I think that all the thought and detail she brought to each character’s costume in Into the Woods should get recognition. In case you didn’t see the film, you should know that she based each costume off the person’s story line and aspects of different time periods’ fashions and yet they all still seemed to mesh together well. Because of that, she should get this award. Christina: I’d love to give Colleen Atwood my pick here, but Milena Canonero’s work on The Grand Budapest Hotel felt the most visually grabbing here. She gets my vote. Best Director “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Alejandro G. Iñárritu “Boyhood” Richard Linklater “Foxcatcher” Bennett Miller “The Grand Budapest Hotel” Wes Anderson “The Imitation Game” Morten Tyldum Kelly: As I said before, if you’re going to devote 12 years to a movie, you deserve recognition. Four for you, Richard Linklater! And none for Gretchen Weiners. Bye. Christina: Alejandro Iñárritu could very well take this. But I agree with Kelly. Without Richard Linklater’s work for over a decade, Boyhood is a good idea in the back of a notebook. He should win. Best Documentary Feature “CitizenFour” Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky “Finding Vivian Maier” John Maloof and Charlie Siskel “Last Days in Vietnam” Rory Kennedy and Keven McAlester “The Salt of the Earth” Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and David Rosier “Virunga” Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara Kelly: Maybe I’m not as cultured or up to speed with current events as Christina, so I’m going to follow her lead and say CitizenFour. Christina: CitizenFour is relevant and has garnered buzz outside of the documentary community. Plus I’ve heard of it. So there. Best Documentary Short Subject “Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1” Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry “Joanna” Aneta Kopacz “Our Curse” Tomasz Sliwinski and Maciej Slesicki “The Reaper (La Parka)” Gabriel Serra Arguello “White Earth” J. Christian Jensen Kelly: Should I just pick a random one? Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 Christina: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1. Best Film Editing “American Sniper” Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach “Boyhood” Sandra Adair “The Grand Budapest Hotel” Barney Pilling “The Imitation Game” William Goldenberg “Whiplash” Tom Cross Kelly: Boyhood. Even if they didn’t use technology to age the characters, they still had to make it look like it wasn’t shot so far apart. Christina: Boyhood. Just think about how many different techniques and editing software programs came and went during the making of this film. Best Foreign Language Film “Ida” Poland “Leviathan” Russia “Tangerines” Estonia “Timbuktu” Mauritania “Wild Tales” Argentina Kelly: Wild Tales? Christina: Ida. That’s my choice and I don’t know why. Best Makeup and Hairstyling “Foxcatcher” Bill Corso and Dennis Liddiard “The Grand Budapest Hotel” Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier “Guardians of the Galaxy” Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White Kelly: Let’s all take a long hard look at Karen Gillan in Guardians of the Galaxy and then you let me know who you think should win this…. Christina: I really really WANT to give this to Guardians of the Galaxy. I really really do. It DESERVES it. But The Grand Budapest Hotel seems to be a movie much more geared towards the average Academy vote. But I’ll still go with Guardians because I want to. Best Original Score “The Grand Budapest Hotel” Alexandre Desplat “The Imitation Game” Alexandre Desplat “Interstellar” Hans Zimmer “Mr. Turner” Gary Yershon “The Theory of Everything” Jóhann Jóhannsson Kelly: Johann Johannson will most likely get this since he got the Golden Globe, even if I want it to be Hans Zimmer. Christina: Jóhann Jóhannsson. It’s beautiful score. Best Original Song Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois, Nick Lashley and Nick Southwood, "Lost Stars" — "Begin Again" John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn, "Glory" — "Selma" Shawn Patterson, Joshua Bartholomew, Lisa Harriton, and The Lonely Island, "Everything Is Awesome" — "The Lego Movie" Diane Warren, "Grateful" — "Beyond the Lights" Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond, "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" — "Glen Campbell ... I'll Be Me" Kelly: I would absolutely LOVE if The Lonely Island won an Oscar, but I think it's going to John Legend and Common for Glory. Christina: Glory. How weird is it to see their real names there? Kelly: I didn’t even NOTICE it was their real names! That’s awesome! Dang it, my friend was right. Legend as a last name WASN’T just a fortuitous coincidence. Achievement in Production Design “The Grand Budapest Hotel” Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock “The Imitation Game” Production Design: Maria Djurkovic; Set Decoration: Tatiana Macdonald “Interstellar” Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Gary Fettis “Into the Woods” Production Design: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock “Mr. Turner” Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Charlotte Watts Kelly: I just want Into the Woods to win something! Plus, it should speak to their awesome production design that the actors actually got lost in the “woods” pretty frequently while filming. Christina: The Grand Budapest Hotel. It’s so visually striking. Best Animated Short Film “The Bigger Picture” Daisy Jacobs and Christopher Hees “The Dam Keeper” Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi “Feast” Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed “Me and My Moulton” Torill Kove “A Single Life” Joris Oprins Kelly: I’m going to pick The Dam Keeper. Christina: I don’t think I’ve ever accurately predicted this category ever. But I’m still going with Feast. Best Live Action Short Film “Aya” Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis “Boogaloo and Graham” Michael Lennox and Ronan Blaney “Butter Lamp (La Lampe Au Beurre De Yak)” Hu Wei and Julien Féret “Parvaneh” Talkhon Hamzavi and Stefan Eichenberger “The Phone Call” Mat Kirkby and James Lucas Kelly: Aya...because that’s what we Chinese people say when we’re exasperated with someone. Like Christina usually is with me…. Christina: The Phone Call. Because this is our podcast/blog and I do what I want. Achievement in Sound Editing “American Sniper” Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Martín Hernández and Aaron Glascock “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” Brent Burge and Jason Canovas “Interstellar” Richard King “Unbroken” Becky Sullivan and Andrew DeCristofaro Kelly: Because you always win this stuff, Christina, I’m going to say American Sniper just to be contrary. Christina: I’m hearing American Sniper could take this. So I’ll go with Interstellar. Ha. Achievement in Sound Mixing “American Sniper” John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño and Thomas Varga “Interstellar” Gary A. Rizzo, Gregg Landaker and Mark Weingarten “Unbroken” Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño and David Lee “Whiplash” Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas Curley Kelly: Interstellar? What the heck is sound mixing? Christina: Whiplash. See reasoning above. Best Visual Effects “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Bryan Grill and Dan Sudick “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett and Erik Winquist “Guardians of the Galaxy” Stephane Ceretti, Nicolas Aithadi, Jonathan Fawkner and Paul Corbould “Interstellar” Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher “X-Men: Days of Future Past” Richard Stammers, Lou Pecora, Tim Crosbie and Cameron Waldbauer Kelly: This is the only category where fandoms are represented and because of that, there are a lot that I would like to win this. However, I think Interstellar or Guardians of the Galaxy is going to win this one. Christina: It’s going to be Interstellar, but oh how do I wish Captain America: TWS would take home an Oscar. TV News
Let’s go back to: Legends of the Hidden Temple.
Why it means something to you or to our podcast: You guys didn't get the chance to hear this, but we had a long off tangent conversation in the midst of recording our last episode about the greatness that was Legends of the Hidden Temple. It was a half hour game show that aired on Nickelodeon from 1993 to 1995. And it was awesome. Contestants were between the ages of 11 and 14, and each episode was focused on a different artifact (some historical and some fictional). The show itself was inspired by the Indiana Jones film series. Few things pull members of our generation together like reminiscing over yelling at other kids doing the original Temple Run to end each episode. Where can you find it now?: Check it out on YouTube by clicking the link above! -C Welcome everyone to Music Mondays! This is a brand new weekly post from your hosts here at A Little Nerd Music. Every Monday, we will be sharing with you some of our favorite music. Whether it’s what we’re jamming to right now or new music down the pipeline from our favorite bands, we want to share what we love with you. So we hope you’ll listen to what we’re listening to and even send us in suggestions for music you’re liking right now too! Maybe you’ll see it featured on a future installment of Music Mondays!
The Band: The Maine The Song: ”English Girls” The YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8HA_xAdGtA Where I heard it first: This is the newest song from my favorite band The Maine and because I follow them on Twitter, I heard about this song being released a couple days before they actually released it. Obviously when it came out, I listened to it on repeat all day at work. Why it’s been stuck in my head: In their last few albums, I feel like The Maine has been changing their sound in order to find what’s right and perfect for them. What makes them the most successful? What makes the fans happy? This song has been stuck in my head since it came out last week because it has the original sound of the band that I fell in love with. I love that they have returned to their old sound from their first album Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop. This is what The Maine should sound like and I feel so happy listening to this song. Why I recommend it to you, our listeners: As I have said before, The Maine is my favorite band. They never disappoint and while I love their music and their sound, I have always felt that they are even better live. This song actually gives off the same feel as if they were playing it live right in front of you and that’s what makes it so exciting. I recommend this song because you won’t be sick of listening to it on repeat until their new album American Candy is released at the end of March. -K What Is It: The film adaptation of Jason Robert Brown’s Off-Broadway music The Last Five Years. The musical follows the five year relationship of Anna Kendrick’s aspiring actress Cathy and Jeremy Jordan’s young novelist Jamie. Cathy’s story is told from the end of the marriage moving backwards while Jamie’s moves in the traditionally chronological format. In the stage version, the two do not interact until the wedding duet where the timelines meet.
My Experience: I first discovered this musical when I was beginning college and I downloaded it from iTunes. It was a bit of a surprise to me when I found out it was getting the Hollywood treatment, but I’ve been waiting for it anxiously. Being able to watch it via Comcast On Demand was great. I was happy to avoid the Fifty Shades crowd that was sure to be at the movie theater. I’m wary whenever my local theater has to put up requests to leave the leather and whips at home. The music was as lovely and engaging as I remembered it to be. Anna Kendrick was in her element and has proven herself to be perhaps her generation’s greatest musical actress. She can sing, she can act, and most importantly she can do both at the same time. Her charisma radiates off screen and is perfect for portraying a heartbroken Cathy who doesn’t understand where her marriage went wrong. Jeremy Jordan’s voice is, as always, perfect. There are moments where the chemistry is slightly lacking between the two, but it suits the story as Jamie realizes perhaps the two moved too quickly through their relationship despite their love for each other. If I were to point out one flaw in the film it would likely be in the direction/camera work. There are moments where it seems almost as if the camera ran into a piece of furniture and had to fight for the intended shot. The film overall is remarkably pleasant to watch. The real draw is the sheer talent of the two young actors. Why You Should See It: Fans of the original musical will definitely not be disappointed. Fans of musicals in general should also see it, not just for the enjoyable experience but also to support the musical genre in general. Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan are part of the future of musicals in on the big screen, so take the opportunity to see them both in their element in a production that puts them both front and center. Take a listen to the soundtrack while you’re at it too. They’ve made a few updates to the music to make it more relevant (ie. switching out the names of stores that are now out of business, throwing in a little dig at Russell Crowe in Les Mis), but it’s just as good as the original 2002 soundtrack. The Future: Anna Kendrick will be appearing in five films this year, including the much anticipated Pitch Perfect 2. Her star will only continue to rise. Don’t be surprised if both she and Jordan’s names show up in the conversation when casting for the Wicked film adaptation. Dropbox download link
Google Drive download link iTunes Episode 024 - “A Year of Nerd Music” Episode Length: 1:51:35 Episode Summary: Happy birthday, ALNM! It’s been one year since we came up with this podcast and we celebrate it with you in our twenty-fourth episode! We start out with a few personal congratulations and talk about fandom news, too. We cover everything from the sequel to Harper Lee’s classic book To Kill A Mockingbird to Emma Watson being cast as Belle in the new live-action version of Beauty and the Beast. We talk about two new trailers that have hit the web: Fantastic Four and Magic Mike XXL and we discuss Disney’s first Latina princess. We share our current obsessions before we get into our main discussion: Teen Wolf! Since we started our first podcast with a lengthy discussion about Teen Wolf, we thought it appropriate to talk about all our favorite things about the show in our birthday episode. Favorite moments, lines, characters, and bromances, and of course, we talk about the phenomenon that is Sterek. In our secondary discussion, we switch gears to talk to you all about the very important campus assault episode of ABC Family’s drama Switched at Birth and all that it could teach us and future generations about this terrible occurrence. As always, we share our Ship Moments and our Episode MVP: you guys! Our listeners! And we remind you all the vote in our Fandom Academy Awards where you could potentially win a prize! Tune in next episode to find out the winners of our Fandom Academy Awards and we discuss the Oscars too! This week’s featured music: “Teen Wolf Theme (Alpha Remix)” by The Bloody Beetroots “Still Hurting” by Anna Kendrick, The Last Five Years Motion Picture Soundtrack Dropbox download link
Google Drive download link iTunes Episode 023 - “And The Fandom Goes To…” Episode Length: 2:05:47 Episode Summary: In our twenty third episode, we start off, as always, with Fandom News! There was a lot to get through this episode between casting news for both film and television, as well as some updates concerning films in the pipeline and television shows set to make their premieres. We also have all the premiere dates you need for February. We briefly discuss the how we did with our predictions for the Golden Globes, the new Age of Ultron trailer, Agent Carter, Grimm, and Glee. Our main discussion concerns why the Oscars don’t ever recognize films that are popular in fandom (or at the box office). We introduce our first ever Fandom Academy Awards! Go vote now! This all leads up to our secondary discussion about the role race plays at the Oscars. We conclude with our episode MVP, ship moments, and reminders of how to reach us across social media. Be sure to check out our next episode, where we’ll be discussing all things Teen Wolf for our one year podcast anniversary! This week’s featured music: “Come What May” from the Moulin Rouge Soundtrack “Bella’s Lullaby” from the Twilight Soundtrack |
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