Month: January 2011

  • Ghostbusters: my date with Peck and Slimer

    Who ya gonna call? Hot Nerd Girl!!

    So my friend Hayden is slightly (and when I say slightly I mean majorly) obsessed with Ghostbusters

    Ecto-1 ftw!

    We once drove all the way downtown to a tech convention just to see Ecto-1 parked outside.  We stayed just long enough to take pictures and chat with the owner and then left. 

    Then we got up early and headed to Costco to meet Dan Aykroyd and buy bottles of his Crystal Head vodka a while back.

    So when Hayden found out that there would be a special showing of the film at Arclight Theatre with Ernie Hudson and William Atherton showing up for a Q&A session, it was pretty much mandatory that we attend.  Events like this are one of the few perks of living in Los Angeles.  You’d think there would be more perks, but nope, this town pretty much sucks.

    It also happens to be Hayden’s birthday so it was a total score for me since it’s quite possibly the easiest birthday present ever.   

    Hayden and HNG at it again

    I showed up before Hayden did and just happened to run into William Atherton in the Arclight gift shop.  This was not my first time meeting Bill (we’re on a first name basis now).  I had met him once before in 2005 at the Whole Foods Market in Woodland Hills.  We were both grocery shopping and our eyes met.  We introduced ourselves, chatted for minute and then parted ways.  It was a moment, surrounded by organic, cage-free brown eggs, that I will never forget.  Hayden showed up a minute later and we took pictures with him and scored autographs.  I had Bill sign my crystal skull which he found highly amusing.  Amusing enough to write his note to Dan Aykroyd instead of to me.  A note that Danny (we’re on a first name basis now) will probably never, ever see.  But whatever.  Bill’s an awesome guy and not nearly as dickless as Venkman would have you think.

    A girl and two pecks

    Watching the movie on the big screen was epic.  Let’s just say that I was not old enough to watch it when it was originally on the big screen *ahem* so this was a real, if slightly fuzzy, treat.

    Then came the moment we were all waiting for: the Q&A with Ernie Hudson (Winston), William Atherton (Peck), Joe Medjuck (Producer), Steve Johnson (Slimer, Visual Effects Artist), and Billy Bryan (Stay Puft Marshmallow Man).  Oh, but wait, Ernie Hudson decided not to show.  Or even call to say that he wasn’t going to show.

    WTF ERNIE HUDSON???  

    Ernie, you are dead to me

    I know you’re so busy with your thriving acting career and all but really?  You didn’t even have the manners to call and say that you were so sorry that you couldn’t grace us with your presence?

    Ugh.  Whatever.  My crystal skull didn’t want your signature on it anyways. 

    The Q&A sans Ernie went smashingly with one exception: the host decided that his questions were far more important than fan questions and only left enough time for TWO questions from the audience.  Douche.  As my friend Kate would say “That’s soooooooooooo LA…”

    All in all it was a great night. And although the kid next to me made a strange clicking noise when he yawned EVERY 30 SECONDS, I had a great time hanging out with the people behind the magic.  If they ever do one of these for Star Trek I might just have a joygasm.  

    I'm a nerd…in case you didn't know

     Some fun facts learned:

    • Exploded Stay Puft was actually shaving cream.  Bill found out they were planning on dumping 100 lbs of the stuff on him and insisted they do a test run.  The test run knocked the stunt guy flat.  Oh, and they accidentally used mentholated shaving cream instead of regular.  Ouch.  Needless to say, all was rectified for Bill’s shot.
    • They filmed at all hours of the night and really pissed off the New Yorkers living in the neighborhood.  At one point Isaac Asimov came running out.  Dan Aykroyd got all excited and ran up to him and started telling him how huge a fan he was.  Asimov just stared and him and yelled “Are you the one responsible for all this???”
    • Francis Ford Coppola was filming The Cotton Club around the same time so when people got upset about the lights and noise the Ghostbusters crew started blaming it on Coppola.
    • They sometimes filmed without permits.  In the montage where they are running around New York catching ghosts, they are, at one point, really running away from a pissed off security guard.
    • The part of Venkman was originally written for John Belushi.  When John Belushi Graduated they brought in Bill Murray to replace him.  They had already created Slimer but completely revamped him as an homage to Belushi in Animal House.
    • Stay Puft is missing his tie in the scene where he explodes. Billy Bryan realized this in the middle of the night after shooting and woke up in a panic.  Since no one in the screenings ever noticed, they left it as is.
    • Stay Puft is the only aspect of the original script that survived.
    No iron-on is a match for the 34DD's
  • 5 reasons why I heart Stephen King

     

    To scale…no seriously

     

    5. Hollywood can’t get enough of him, but he’s not a snob about it

    As I mentioned in my previous post Top 10 Campy Horror Films, there have been over 80 film adaptations of King Stephen’s work.  That doesn’t just include literal adaptations like Carrie or The Shining, but less obvious ones like Stand By Me and Shawshank Redeption (a personal favorite) both based on short stories.  He pops up in pop culture when he feels like it and on his own terms and isn’t afraid to criticize or make fun of himself.  He relishes in cameos and guest appearances that have significance for him like The Simpsons and Fever Pitch (he’s a die hard Red Sox fan – I’m looking at you Troi) while rooting for the up and comers in his “Pop of King” column in Entertainment Weekly. And it’s not just film and television that has a hard on for Stephen, Marvel Comics took The Dark Tower and ran with it.

    Pop quiz, bitches: Who is Stephen King’s favorite Superhero?

     

     
    For my sister-in-law Troi, also a die hard

     

    4. He takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’

    Everyone knows that Stephen got hit by a car while walking down a rural road near his house back in 1999.  I’m sure we all had a vision or daydream (or 10) of his wife Tabitha going all Misery on him.  It’s pretty much miraculous that he can walk.  While recovering, he wrote my favorite of his novels, Dreamcatcher.  He also felt thankful that he was rich and wouldn’t have to worry about his medical bills.  Then he realized that a lot of other writers aren’t rich so he created the Haven Foundation, an organization that helps freelancers who can’t pay for their medical bills.  I’m always happy to see nerds helping people so I gladly tip my hat to Mr. King for that one.

    Pop quiz, bitches: What kind of accident did Stephen King witness as a child that many believe served as inspiration for his novels?

     

    3. Fuck yeah he’ll write a 1500 page, 19 lbs. book and I dare you to tell him he can’t

    He has an ability to make grown ups want to sleep with the lights on (if they can even sleep at all) and worry about their pets going all Cujo on them.  I can understand why people would think twice about crossing him.  Remember that guy that hit him with his van?  Yeah, he died on Stephen King’s birthday.  So when a book publisher gets word that an author is writing a behemoth of a book, he’s probably going to freak out a little.  Unless that author is Stephen King and people have a tendency to DIE ON HIS BIRTHDAY.  Following in the footsteps of War and Peace and Sacajawea, Sir Stephen wrote a book of epic proportions with Under the Dome.  Oh the tangled webs we weave but none weaveth like the Kingeth.  For a complicated web of characters and plots, Under the Dome was surprisingly easy to read and a TV mini-series produced by Steven Spielberg is already in the works.

    Pop quiz, bitches: Where did Stephen King get the name for the character Jim Rennie in Under the Dome?

     

    2. He says what’s on his mind and all others be damned

    Stephen King just doesn’t give a damn about what other people think of him.  He does what he wants and he makes no apologies for it.  He has never been secretive about his past with addiction and even admitted basing the character of Jack Torrance in The Shining on himself at his alcoholic worst.

    His view on people is such:  “I think that we’re all mentally ill. Those of us outside the asylums only hide it a little better – and maybe not all that much better after all.”

    He has insulted the writing ability of Stephenie Meyer, questioned the literacy of the US Army and been very outspoken against the war in Iraq, all without fear of those who would challenge him.  He has a quick wit and a mass of minions who are ready and willing to heed his command to tell opponents to shut up.  I might not always agree with him but he’s got balls and that I respect.

    Pop quiz, bitches: What was the name of Stephen King’s student newspaper column at the University of Maine?

     

    No. You can't have him. He's mine.

     

    1. He writes for people with a sense of humor, not for snobby elitists

    He once called himself “the literary equivalent of a Big Mac and fries.”  An author who focuses on emotion rather than intellect even though his writing is very, very smart.  He started out as a high school teacher and it is my belief that he writes for them as opposed to the book critics.  He uses profanity with sophisticated relish, a talent that brings great joy to me and my love for a well placed f-bomb.  He delights his most loyal readers by connecting people and places throughout his novels.  Richard Tozier, for example, appears in Dreamcatcher, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, Duma Key, and It.  His loyalty lies with his fans and his fans are extremely loyal in return.  I heart you Stephen King.  I even heart your cell phone zombies.

    Pop quiz, bitches: Who is the author that most influenced Stephen King?

    ***

    “I recognize terror as the finest emotion and so I will try to terrorize the reader. But if I find that I cannot terrify, I will try to horrify, and if I find that I cannot horrify, I’ll go for the gross-out. I’m not proud.”

    – Stephen King

    ***

    Answers to Pop Quiz…. bitches….

  • The Linda Hamilton Chronicles

    So, it turns out that a lot of people dig Linda Hamilton.  Either that or they just search for her a lot.  Ms. Hamilton has consistently been one of the top searched for people on the Hot Nerd Girl Blog.

    I’m not gonna lie, this perplexes me just a little.

    Not because I don’t think she’s awesome, obviously I do as previously stated in my 10 Hottest Babes of Sci-Fi post.  It’s just that it’s been a little while since she was a headlining actress in a major motion picture.

    Our relationship is fine! We swear!

    Maybe it’s because her ex-husband, James “Jimbo” Cameron has been in the news thanks to Avatar?  He was competing with ex-wife #2, Kathryn Bigalow, during all of the awards ceremonies….so why shouldn’t ex-wife #3 Linda Hamilton come up?

    However, I lean towards the notion that it’s because there’s more to this tough girl than meets the eye.

    For example, did you know that Linda Hamilton auditioned for the role of Kathryn Janeway?  Genevieve Bujold got the role and then infamously quit after one day of filming, handing over the part to Kate Mulgrew.  Hamilton was also considered for the role of Dr. Chase Meridian in Batman Forever, a role that ended up going to a not-quite-uber-famous-yet Nicole Kidman.

    Linda is somewhat of a sci-fi goddess and has been since the start of her acting career.  In quick succession she went from Children of the Corn to The Terminator.  James Cameron loved her so much that he changed Sarah Connor’s scripted age from 19 to 27 just for Linda.  Her most famous TV role was opposite Ron Perlman (Can I just say how much I LOVE him??) in Beauty and the Beast.  I totally remember watching that show as a kid and thinking she was the prettiest lady alive.

     

    Mmmmmm…..codpieces…..

    Of course, she then became the most bad ass lady alive when she went crazy training for Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the movie she is most famous for and arguably one of the greatest movies of all time.

    So what is Linda up to these days?  Besides lamenting her marriage to Cameron and discussing her bipolar disorder, that is.

    She’s back in action as the mother of Chuck. A neglectful mother and CIA agent who is still kicking ass and taking names.

    Typical Linda Hamilton.

  • 7 of 9 – In Memoriam 2010

    I know she's not dead. Just go with me on the theme, ok?

    ‘Tis the time of year for In Memoriams and there will be plenty of them.  All of the awards shows and news organizations will have them.  Heck, I even saw one last night on Turner Classic Movies (after watching the original 1968 version of Night of the Living Dead, of course).

    My 95-year-old Danish Grandmother says that people don’t die, they Graduate.  I don’t know what that has to do with her being Danish but I’ve always liked it and it’s a common saying in our family.

    I know what you’re thinking…7 of 9 is a strange name for an In Memoriam post…but there’s a method to my madness.  Out of all the folks who Graduated this year, I wanted to focus on the ones that are relevant to nerd culture.  There were 7 that really stood out to me.  I also lost several loved ones in the past year, 2 of which were huge nerds…7+2=9…7 of 9…get it?  Well, it sounded cool to me 😉

    So, here’s a post remembering 7 influential people in the Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror genres who Graduated this past year.

    1. Corey Allen – Director, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

    One of the latest surviving cast members of Rebel Without A Cause, Corey Allen got his start as an actor in the mid-1950’s.  He switched to directing television in the 1960’s, eventually becoming a regular director on Star Trek: The Next Generation (including the first episode “Encounter at Farpoint”) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.  He Graduated from complications of Parkinson’s disease.

    2. Peter Graves – Actor, Mission: Impossible

    Best known for portraying Jim Phelps, leader of the IMF on Mission: Impossible, Peter Graves was in so many B science fiction films, like Killers From Space, that he ended up being an accidental regular on Mystery Science Theater 3000.  Even though he was less than thrilled about the attention, it became such a running joke that he parodied himself in Men in Black: II.  He Graduated from a heart attack after having brunch with his family.

    3. Irvin Kershner – Director, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

    "This shot was shortly before the evening turned into a hot mess. I don't want to talk about it."

    Irvin Kershner was a prolific musician and photographer when he joined the world of Cinema at USC.  He was a quirky, independent film director when George Lucas approached him about directing the second installment of his epic trilogy.  The exchange went something like this… Kershner: “Of all the younger guys around, all the hot-shots, why me?” Lucas: “Because you know everything a Hollywood director is supposed to know, but you’re not Hollywood.” He went on to direct Robocop 2 and several episodes of seaQuest DSV, but nothing has come close to matching the success he achieved with Empire.  After a 3.5 year battle, lung cancer finally claimed him.

    4. Grant McCune – Special Effects Designer, Star Wars, Star Trek: The Motion Picture

    Trained in biology, Grant McCune was picked by Steven Spielberg to create the giant white shark for Jaws.  He went on to win an Academy Award for Star Wars: A New Hope. His second Oscar nomination was for Star Trek: The Motion Picture.  He created many aliens and creatures during his career, the most beloved of which has got to be the lovable robot R2D2.  More recently he worked on Batman Forever, Red Planet and Spider-Man.  He Graduated from pancreatic cancer.

    5. Harvey Pekar – Underground Comic Book Writer, American Splendor

    Harvey Pekar is most famous for his autobiographical graphic novel American Splendor which was eventually made into a hit feature film.  His comics were not filled with Superheroes, but with everyday heroes and he took it upon himself to broaden the horizons of the comic book genre believing that they could do anything motion pictures could do.  Often filled with pain and the trials of everyday life, his graphic novels were wax-poetic in their brutal honesty.  He was often compared to Chekhov and Dostoevski by literary critics who don’t normally pay attention to the comic book genre.  Having been diagnosed with cancer for the third time, he Graduated from an accidental overdose of medications.

    6. Ingrid Pitt – Actress, The Vampire Lovers, Countess Dracula, The House That Dripped Blood, The Wicker Man

    To my knowledge, Ingrid Pitt (aka Ingoushka Petrov) is the only person on this list who is a holocaust survivor.  She married an American soldier and moved to America in the 1950’s.  After a small role in Doctor Zhivago, she embarked on a career that would earn her the cult title of the Queen of Horror for her participation in several horror genre films in the 1960’s and 70’s.  She Graduated two days after her 73rd birthday after collapsing in London.

    7. Zelda Rubinstein – Actress, Poltergeist

    At the age of 45 Zelda Rubinstein the medical lab technician decided that it was high time she started her acting career.  She went on to portray many psychics, most notably in the Poltergeist series of films. She was also a passionate AIDS and human right activist, to the detriment of her acting career.  She succumbed to kidney and lung failure in January.

    ***

    Then there are the regular Joes.  The nerds and geeks we know and love who aren’t famous or involved in the entertainment industry.  They don’t get recognized during awards shows or in magazines but their loss is just as devastating and much more personal for us.  The nerd world lost 2 wonderful souls this past year who deserve to be recognized for the incredible people they were.

    8. Randall PetersonCS Lewis & classic science fiction enthusiast, Step-dad extraordinaire

    My step-dad, Randall, collected many books in his 60 years and we shared a mutual love of Robert Service and CS Lewis.  I’m pretty sure he owned every book Lewis ever wrote and every book ever written about Lewis.  He was also a huge fan of Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke and other classic science fiction authors. He introduced me to Clarke and gave me my first Clarke novel, Against The Fall of Night.  He was very supportive of my nerdiness, and would brave the screaming teenagers to go see the Twilight movies on opening night with me when no one else would.  He even pretended that he liked them.  Randall was a unique and wonderful human being and I miss him terribly.  He Graduated from cancer this past October 3rd.

    9. Kevin WorkmanSuper Trekkie, faithful friend

    Every so often a person comes along who is a genuine joy and an inspiration to be around. Kevin was that person to his family, friends and colleagues.  A die-hard Trekkie and computer genius, Kevin’s loved ones created an entire facebook page “get well card” after he fell ill inexplicably.  A lot of people considered Kevin a good friend and there was a reason for that: he was a good man to the core and thought of others before he ever thought of himself.  He Graduated just a few days ago at the much-too-young age of 40.

    ***

    Do you know a nerd who Graduated in 2010 who deserves to be recognized? Please leave a comment and let us know or post a picture and comment on the Hot Nerd Girl facebook page.

    Other notable Graduates that didn’t make the full fledge 7 of 9:

    Lisa Blount – Actress, Prince of Darkness, Starman

    David Brown – Producer, Jaws

    Art Clokey – Creator, Gumby

    Robert Culp – Actor, I Spy

    Tony Curtis – Actor, Houdini, Lobster Man from Mars, The Mummy Lives, Alien X Factor, Stargames

    Dino De Laurentiis – Producer, King Kong

    John Forsythe – Actor, Charlie’s Angels

    James Gammon – Actor, The Iron Giant

    Corey Haim – Actor, The Lost Boys

    Dennis Hopper – Actor, Super Mario Brothers, Waterworld, Land of the Dead, The Twilight Zone

    Andrew Koenig – Actor, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Batman: Dead End

    Kevin McCarthy – Actor, Invasion of the Body Snatchers

    Leslie Nielsen – Forbidden Planet, 2001: A Space Travesty, Dracula: Dead and Loving It, Superhero Movie

    Fess Parker – Actor, Davy Crockett

    Meinhardt Raabe – Actor, The Wizard of Oz

    Glenn Shadix –Actor, Beetlejuice, Nightmare Before Christmas

    ***

    Every life comes to an end when time demands it. Loss of life is to be mourned, but only if the life was wasted.

    Spock (TAS: “Yesteryear“)