My Dad came to SoCal to visit my brother and I and being the family o’ nerd that we are, we decided to go to the Discovery Science Center’s Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibit in Santa Ana. I’ve always wanted to visit the giant black cube that looks suspiciously Borg-like so this was the perfect opportunity.
I honestly don't know which of us is more excited….probably me.
The museum itself is mostly a kid science wonderland so if you don’t like small children running full speed into your legs all day (that’s gonna leave a bruise) then I would suggest going on a weekday. The Star Wars exhibit was a lot like Star Trek: The Experience (or Star Trek: The Tour….or Star Trek: The Exhibition….) in that it was costumes, props and models used in the movies.
One cool thing about having it at a science center was the interactive games they brought in, like this Moisture Farm that my sister-in-law (whose name is Troi btw…no really, it is and it’s pretty awesome) and I couldn’t figure out…probably because we’re over the age of 10.
Quick! Get a small child over here to figure this thing out!
My 3-year-old nephew is finally getting to the age where he can really appreciate science fiction and if I have anything to say about it he will be savant-like in his knowledge of all things nerdy. This is how my sister-in-law woke him up this morning:
The costumes kind of freaked him out (and cost me what would have been an awesome picture of him standing next to a Jawa) but he LOVED anything mechanical.
I can haz AT-AT?
Apparantly it runs in the family.
Three generations of machine buffs
Here are some close ups of the Millenium Falcon. The detail was unbelievable. Thanks to the lighting I had to take all of these pictures with my phone. They turned out way better than the pics I took with my point and click camera.
Here’s a few pictures of me with my patented double thumbs up pose.
Stormtrooper? Double thumbs up!
Han and Chewie? Definitely double thumbs up!
Darth Vader? Worthy of two chicks doing a double thumbs up!
Speaking of Darth Vader…they had his helmet displayed in three pieces allowing us to see the complex breathing apparatus that serves as the main portion of his life support system.
Here are some costumes from the prequels. I desperately wanted to put that Anakin costume on my nephew cause he totally looks like a Skywalker.
And here are some costumes (and puppets) from the three Star Wars movies that didn’t suck.
Just another day of hanging out with Leia, R2 and Threepio.
I may have molested a Wookiee or two. Ahem.
I attempted to ride in the hovercraft but I think I was too heavy for it because it was really slow.
The Discovery Science Center has an impressive space section but I’ll keep the picture show Star Wars-related and just show you one last video of my sister-in-law and I in a wind tunnel. Mostly because I think it’s really funny. And if you’re wondering what I’m handing her at the end, it’s strategically timed eyedrops.
These are some of my kick ass friends. No, you can't have them.
If there is one thing I love it’s badass chicks beating the crap out of people, or, in this case, people and Lycans. My friends told me to be honest (most of them thought it was the worst of the four Underworld movies) and it’s true that there was virtually no plot line in Underworld: Awakening but honestly, I didn’t really care.
Give me hot chicks in rubber (or leather, or latex, or whatever the hell that awesome shiny black material is that they squeeze her into) give them a few semiautomatic weapons, and I’m a happy camper.
I have no idea what this outfit is made of but I like it.
Plus, even though they thought it was the weakest link, we all agreed that it was super fun to watch. As per usual I spoil the shit out of things. So tread carefully if you don’t want to be, uh, spoiled.
I didn’t see Rise of the Lycans…which is really weird because I pretty much never miss a chance to watch vampires onscreen, but I was assured by my friend Hannah that this was ok since #3 was a prequel. Luckily, I HAVE seen Underworld and Evolution so I’m good with the whole Selene/Michael R&J-esque romance storyline.
Awakening starts off by describing The Purge, a time when the human race decides that genocide is a fantastic idea (cause it’s worked out so well in the past) and attempts to eradicate all non-human people…maybe I missed it but how did the humans find out about the Vamps and the Lycans? And how pitiful are 99.9% of these supernaturals?! They just sit around and let themselves be killed by humans instead of being all super human strengthy and opening up a can of woop ass on those soldiers like every other movie monster would have done. I mean come on guys, grow a pair for God’s sake.
Wow. Just…wow.
Kate Beckinsale is in fine form as Selene. I mean, really, I would kill for that girl’s legs. I just plain love watching girls kick ass but I know that some people get their panties all up in a bunch when they see scrawny little starlets in fight scenes. But she’s a vampire so even the naysayers must admit that she gets a pass. Personally, I think Miss Kate is one of the most gorgeous women on the planet. The girl’s got that icy cold vampire stare down pat and is the real reason to watch any of these films (Bill Nighy was previously a close second). She even gets naked! Well, I think she does…my friend Meghan thinks it was CGI’d and my friend Nick backed her up by pointing out that her skin looked a heck of a lot like Hermione’s did in Ron’s horcrux vision in HP7p1.
He obviously runs with Klingons
I don’t know what is keeping Scott Speedman so busy that he could only be in the movie for 2 minutes via old footage and body doubles. It certainly isn’t because of a Felicity reunion (which I would totally watch btw). So what gives Scott?? They are obviously hoping that he’ll return for #5 since the movie ends with them determined to find him. Michael’s absence opens up the door for “random vampire hottie with a crazy knife” David (Theo James from UK’s Bedlam). He’s really only there to fill the pretty boy void and to look wistfully at Selene who is totally hung up on the boyfriend she was with only YESTERDAY from her point of view. It will be interesting to see where that relationship goes in the next installment.
This time Selene’s got a daughter (India Eisley)…now, this is where they really lose me. I vaguely remember something about Viktor killing his daughter because she got knocked up by a Lycan (right?) and they don’t really explain how Eve (seriously, could they have given her a more cliché name?) came about so while watching the movie I just assumed that she was a test tube baby because the last time I checked vampire women couldn’t have babies (Edward and Bella don’t count, she’s human). I can see how a Lycan would have viable sperm but aren’t vampires supposed to be all, I dunno, undead and frozen in time and stuff? Wouldn’t all of her little eggies be undead too? And if she were pregnant during The Purge wouldn’t she have said something while she was talking about her and Michael escaping? Mentioning an unborn child that needs saving seems like it would have been pertinent information.
Anyhooters, so Eve’s a hybrid like her Daddy but thanks to Selene she’s a triple threat vamcanortal (I should really copyright that) and I have to admit, she looks freaking badass when she in fighting form. Like Abby from Let Me In but even better. BTW, have any of the movies explained why the Hybrids are blue? I kept thinking that Nightcrawler was going to show up at some point.
Please tell me I'm not the only person who sees the similarities here
Stephen Rea (I’m sorry, he’ll always be Santiago to me and I just can’t picture him as a werewolf) is the papa wolf Dr. Jacob Lane aka the bad guy. He’s the scientist everyone turns to during The Purge but his motivation behind finding a cure for vampirism and werewolfism is nefarious. His son Quint (Kris Holden-Ried from The Tudors) is the big bad wolf. A giant Jekyll & Hyde-type monstrosity who is immune to silver thanks to Daddy’s injections of Eau de Eve. Not gonna lie, he’s pretty awesome to look at in either form.
Oh! And check that out, I managed to squeeze in some of Selene's butt. You're welcome.
I totally thought that Detective Sebastian (Michael Ealy) was going to end up being a vampire since he could sense Selene and his eyes are blue. But alas, it turns out his wife was a vampire and he just has really cool eyes. Personally, I think it would have been way cooler to have had a vampire cop hiding in plain sight for the past 12 years but these movie producers don’t want to listen to me so meh.
Charles Dance (Game of Thrones) plays Thomas, David’s Dad and resident Vampire Elder post-Purge. He doesn’t like Selene, not one bit, and makes sure she knows it. That’s pretty much all he’s good for in this movie but I hope we see more of him in #5 cause I really like Charles Dance.
Do they make vampire viagra? Maybe then he'd like her more.
All in all the plot (what there was of one) had more holes than Swiss cheese but it had an insane amount of gratuitous violence and totally bad ass shots of Selene jumping, fighting, shooting, scowling, putting on a jacket, etc. etc. so it was worth the price of the movie ticket.
I’m not gonna lie, I’m more of a pie girl than a cake girl…Mmmmmm…rhubarb….but one thing that cake has going for it that pie doesn’t is it’s artistic possibilities. Seriously, you can do ANYTHING with cake. As a Food Network afficianado I know this for a fact.
A friend recently sent me a photo of a Clone Trooper cake made by her friend Loriann at Ah, How Sweet bakery and it got me thinking about what other awesomely nerdy cakes might be out there. The following cakes were made by Loriann: Pink Laptop, Steve Jobs Apple, Pac-Man, Starry Night, Clone Trooper, and Jack Skellington. All of the rest I found via Google so if it’s your cake and you want credit for it, hit me up and I’ll be happy to oblige. In an attempt to save some space (there were just too many that I loved!) I clumped some of them together.
So grab your R2D2 eggs and your whisk and get ready to see some kick ass cakes!
Let’s start with my favorite franchise, shall we? That would be Star Trek for any first time visitors. Here are a couple of nice insignia cakes:
Oh no! The Klingons and the Borg!
Phew! Our heroes are here to save the day.
And then, of course, there’s this:
Not creepy at all Data, not creepy at all…
On to Star Wars. We’ve got these familiar faces:
And these:
You want to see some Doctor Who? Ok fine:
If you’re as big a fan as I am of the “Vincent and the Doctor” episode, this one is for you (add a little “For Amy” text on the cake for some extra credit):
Nothing says “I do” like a nice Aliens wedding cake:
This would be the ultimate birthday cake for my friend (and uber Ghostbusters fan) Hayden:
How about we switch gears and look at some fantasy cakes. Here’s one for the Lord of the Rings fans:
And one for the Harry Potter crowd:
And an epic tribute to Dungeons and Dragons:
Are you a gamer? Here you go:
Or if you’re really old school:
Or if you’re really REALLY old school:
If you’re just into math and technology in general:
But what about us comic book fans? It’s ok, I got you covered. Here’s all your favorite heroes in one delectable creation:
And my personal favorite:
I really missed the giant alien squid in the movie version of Watchmen but they definitely nailed this guy:
Whether you’re a Walking Dead fan or just like zombies (that would NOT be me) this wedding cake is for you:
Nightmare Before Christmas is ridiculously awesome and also full of undead dead characters:
If you’re a child of the 80’s like me then you’ll love these. This Bumblebee cake is from the Michael bay movies but I couldn’t find a great Bumblebee cake from the cartoon and this one is pretty awesome so I’m rolling with it (hee hee, get it?):
Heroes in a half shell! Turtle power!
And so ends are cake odyssey. I hope that you’ve enjoyed the trip as much as I have. I’d like to end it on this classy note:
Nothing says “party” like a large punch bowl full of fresh blood wine.
Blood Wine is the favorite alcoholic beverage of the Klingons, a race of warrior aliens from the planet Qo’noS. Originally an enemy of the Federation, the Klingons have been allies for quite some time. Just don’t ask them about how their foreheads went from being smooth to wrinkled…they don’t like to discuss it with outsiders. Traditionally Klingon Blood Wine is about twice as potent as whiskey and can’t be tolerated by most humans. Don’t worry, this recipe (from the Star Trek Cookbook) is pretty tame. The base recipe is without alcohol but you just feel free to add as much vodka as you want. I added some and it was delish.
You could go out a buy a bottle of Blood Wine (I got mine at the now defunct Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas) but why do that when you can make your own?
Yup, I've also got a bottle of Romulan Ale
So, without further ado, here is how you make Klingon Blood Wine according to Neelix:
Here’s the recipe excerpt from page 126 of the Star Trek Cookbook (sorry, they don’t use exact amounts for this recipe so just do it to taste):
“Klingon Bloodwine is exactly what it says it is: fermented blood and sugar. To make an excellent re-creation of Klingon Bloodwine, you can use straight up “Just Cranberry” from Knudsen sweetened to your own taste with Welch’s pure dark grape juice. If you want to lighten the color of the cranberry juice just a bit, use Welch’s white grape juice. Want it to have some nice floating red corpuscles? Run fresh or frozen cranberries or red raspberries through your blender (or chop them if you’re like me and you don’t want to have to clean your blender) and add them to your juice. That makes it fresh and sweet, the way Worf drinks it.”
This is what happens when you drink too much of it
Previous installments of Cooking with Hot Nerd Girl:
Please excuse me while I give a shout out to my bros in Sto'Vo'Kor
It’s that time of year again. The time when we pay homage to those who passed away in 2011.
Last year I wrote an In Memoriam post that turned out to be very therapeutic for me because I wrote about the loss of my step-dad. It’s been over a year now and I still can’t believe that he’s gone. His passing changed my life drastically, not the least of which was my move from Los Angeles to San Diego so that I could be close to my Mom. There’s a universal truth that you can plan all you want but life will find a way to throw a wrench in it. I am living proof of that.
The post also gave me a chance to showcase those in the world of science fiction, fantasy and horror who probably didn’t get much attention when they were alive but who contributed greatly to their genres. Their pictures might turn up in an awards show or they might not and yet, without them the movies, TV shows, books, and comic books that we know and love wouldn’t be the same or wouldn’t exist at all. We owe them so much and yet, most people don’t even know their names.
This is my way of recognizing all that they did for the nerd lexicon.
Last year I picked 9 people and this year I picked 9 people. Despite the fact that 9 is my favorite number, that was not intentional. I chock it up to fate.
1. Bob Anderson – Swordmaster, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings
An Olympic fencer, Bob Anderson spent more than 50 years choreographing fight scenes in some of the greatest science fiction and fantasy films ever made including Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Highlander, The Princess Bride, The Three Musketeers, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Mask of Zorro and several James Bond films. He coached everyone from Errol Flynn to Viggo Mortenson and even took the reins during Darth Vader’s fight scenes. His last credit is the upcoming and highly anticipated film version of The Hobbit. Anderson died just after the strike of midnight on New Year’s Day.
2. Roberts Blossom – Actor, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Deranged
Most people know Roberts Blossom as old man Marley in Home Alone but I knew him first as the farmer in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (“I saw bigfoot once!”) Years later I saw him in Deranged as Ezra Cobb, a horror film about a man with mama issues and an interesting take on interior design. Highly intelligent, Blossom took a break from Harvard to serve in the Army in World War II before becoming an actor. He left acting in 1995 to write plays and poetry and received many awards for his efforts. Blossom passed away of natural causes in July.
3. Michael Gough – Actor, Batman
Born in Kuala Lampur to parents named Frances and Francis, Michael Gough has appeared in over 150 films. Most people know him as Alfred Pennyworth from four of the Batman films but he also starred in several horror films throughout the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s including Dracula and The Phantom of the Opera. On television he played Doctor Who nemesis The Toymaker (First Doctor) and, 17 years later, Councilor Hedin (Fifth Doctor). He even married Doctor Who companion Polly (Anneke Wills). He would also appear in one of the most well known and best loved episodes of The Avengers as Dr. Armstrong.He passed away in March after a short illness.
4. Kenneth Mars – Actor, Young Frankenstein
The fact that his last name is a planet is just the beginning. Kenneth Mars is best known for his role as Inspector Kemp in Young Frankenstein but this versatile character actor spent most of his time providing voices for the most beloved cartoons of the 80’s and 90’s including but not limited to: The Little Mermaid, The Land Before Time, Captain Planet, Darkwing Duck, Tale Spin, and Duck Tales. I remember him best from the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “Shadowplay.” Mars passed away from pancreatic cancer this past February.
5. Pete Postlethwaite – Actor, The Omen, Inception, Clash of the Titans, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Alien3, DragonHeart
Pete Postlethwaite is one of those actors that you always recognize but never know his name (unless you’re like me and you’re favorite actor of all time is someone no one has ever heard of, but I digress). Dubbed “the best actor in the world” by none other than Steven Spielberg, Postlethwaite was extremely respected in his craft. He started out as a drama teacher before giving it a go himself. A smoker from the age of ten, he died of pancreatic cancer last January.
6. Jerry Robinson – Comic Book Artist, Batman
Although it’s disputed by the creators of Batman, it’s generally accepted that Jerry Robinson created the character of the Joker. He also played a part in the creation and development of Robin, Alfred Pennyworth and Two-Face. In addition to his work with DC Comics, he started his own studio and later became a prolific political cartoonist. He was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2004. Robinson died in his sleep in December.
7. Joe Simon – Comic Creator, Captain America
Somehow Joe Simon had a vision of the future back in 1941. Along with Jack Kirby he created Captain America and had him punching Hitler in the face on the cover of the first issue a full year before Pearl Harbor and America’s entry into World War II. He was the first editor of Timely Comics, the studio that would later become Marvel and was an early pioneer of the horror comic genre. He was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1999. He passed away in December after a brief illness.
8. Elisabeth Sladen – Actress, Doctor Who, The Sarah Jane Adventures
Talis Kimberely said it best in her song “Goodnight Sarah-Jane.” Elisabeth Sladen was such an enormous hit on Doctor Who that she was given her own spin off The Sarah Jane Adventures. She was brought back into the Doctor’s life in a series of episodes culminating in the rescue of the Doctor and the saving of the galaxy. Not even the Doctor could save her from cancer; however, and she passed away in April after a long battle with it.
9. Yvette Vickers – Actress, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, Attack of the Giant Leeches, Evil Spirits
Originally an aspiring journalist, Yvette Vickers stumbled into acting at UCLA. She went on to make several horror films and was a Playboy centerfold in July 1959, a move that was probably detrimental to her career. This queen of horror had a rather grisly end. In April her mummified remains were discovered in her home more than a year after her death from heart failure. The exact date of her death is unknown.
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Do you know a nerd who Graduated in 2011 who deserves to be recognized? Please leave a comment and let me know or post a picture and comment on the Hot Nerd Girl facebook page.
Honorable mentions:
Jackie Cooper – Actor, Superman
Peter Falk – Actor, The Princess Bride
Dolores Fuller – Actress/Ed Wood muse
Lilian Jackson Braun – Writer, “The Cat Who” series
Steve Jobs – Inventor, Entrepreneur
Bil Keane – Comic Strip Writer/Artist, The Family Circus
Anne McCaffrey – Writer
John McCarthy – Artificial Intelligence Pioneer
Dwayne McDuffie – Comic Book Writer, Spider-Man, Dark Knight, The Tick
Perry Moore – Producer, The Chronicles of Narnia
John Neville – Actor, The X-Files
Cliff Robertson – Actor, Spider-Man, The Outer Limits, Escape From LA, Twilight Zone, Batman (TV)
Andy Rooney – Journalist
Sol Saks – Creator, Bewitched
Karl Slover – Actor, The Wizard of Oz
Cory Smoot – Musician, GWAR
Andy Whitfield – Actor, Spartacus
Dana Wynter – Actress, Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Laura Ziskin – Producer, Spider-Man
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“Every life comes to an end when time demands it. Loss of life is to be mourned, but only if the life was wasted.”