Welcome to today’s edition ofNerd Alert, where we have all the off-beat, nerdy news for you in one convenient spot. What do we have in store for you on this tantalizing Thursday?Conan O’Brientakes Fury Road to San Diego,Mad Maxstyle, a man dressed as a Stormtrooper walks over 500 miles toComic-Conin honor of his late wife, andMagic Mike XXLgets an unwanted NSFW spinoff. Plus,Terminator 2: Judgment Daygets the 8-Bit Cinema treatment and theSeinfeld"death by envelope licking" theory is put to the test. So, sit back, relax, and check out all that today’sNerd Alerthas to offer.
Stormtrooper Walks Over 600 Miles toComic-Con
Fans at Comic-Con will likely see several Stormtroopers this week, but one particularStar Warsfan’s journey is much more incredible than the destination he’ll reach today at SDCC. Illustrator/photographerKevin Doyle, a member of the 501st Legion, aStar Warscostume fan group, spent just over one month walking 645 miles from San Francisco to San Diego, while wearing a full Stormtrooper costume, all in honor of his late wife, who passed away in 2012 from pancreatic cancer. He is also trying to raise funds for a charity he created in his wife’s honor, Eileen’s Angels, which provides coloring books, toys, blankets and other items with original artwork to kids going through chemotherapy. You can follow his whole journey on Twitter@501MileWalk, and contribute to this wonderful cause atCrowdRise.com/501MileWalk.
As you may know,Conanwill be broadcasting live fromComic-Conthis week, and to kick things off,Conan O’Brienput together a wonderful five-minute segment that shows how he made the trek from L.A. to San Diego, by taking the “Fury Road.” With Jimmy Vivino and The Basic Cable Band providing percussion, andAndy Richterbehind the wheel,Conan O’Brienwent to SDCC in style, doing his best impression of Coma the Doof Warrior, the flamethrowing guitarist fromMad Max: Fury Road.
Magic Mike XXLGets a ‘Super Hot NSFW Mashup’ (Warning: Male Nudity Below)
The bizarre bastards atFunny or Diehave taken theMagic Mike XXLtrailer and added some celebrity male dancers you might not want to see, such asNapoleon Dynamite, Pee-Wee Herman,Louis C.K.and Billy Elliot along with a number of infamous male nude scenes. Hilariously, they even refer to the flasher at the end ofObserve and Reportas documentary filmmakerMichael Moore.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day8-Bit Cinema
WithTerminator Genisyscurrently in theaters, the 8-Bit Cinema crew atCinefixhas transformed the 1991 classicTerminator 2: Judgment Dayinto a retro video game. I have actually played the 16-bitTerminatorgame for the Sega Genesis, and every time I see one of these videos, I always wish there was some sort of playable version, somewhere. Get on that, retro video game designers!
Seinfeld’s “Death By Envelope” Theory Tested
You may recall a few months ago thatSeinfeldstarJason Alexanderrevealed that actress Heidi Swedberg, who played George’s fiancee Susan on the show, was killed off because he couldn’t “figure out how to play off her.” This resulted in one of the most bizarre TV deaths, where Susan died from licking the adhesive from discontinued envelopes. The folks over atFilm Theoryhave decided to examine this further,MythBustersstyle, to see if anyone could actually die from licking envelope glue.
The Lord of the RingsandThe HobbitTribute Video
CLS Videoshas put together a lovely tribute toPeter Jackson’sThe Lord of the RingsandThe Hobbitfranchises. The seven-minute video is presented in split-screen, with memorable moments from both franchises playing simultaneously. For those looking for a quick Middle Earth fix, this will most certainly do the trick.
Will ArnettPerforms “Everything Is Awesome” onLip Sync Battle
If you needed another reason to think thatWill Arnettis awesome, then you can check out the actor lip-syncing the hit song “Everything is Awesome” fromThe Lego Movieon a preview for tonight’s episode of Spike TV’sLip Sync Battle. Sporting a bright orange jumpsuit, just likeChris Pratt’s Emmet,Will Arnettputs on one hell of a show, even if he isn’t actually singing. I’d hate to see who has to go up against this later tonight.
Johnny DeppVisits Australian Children’s Hospital as Captain Jack Sparrow
With production onPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Talesstill under way in Australia,Johnny Depptook some time out of his busy schedule on Tuesday to visit Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital in Brisbane along with his co-starStephen Graham. The actors are both in full costume while paying these children a visit, asJohnny Deppgives a shout-out to Juiced TV, a show put together by children in the hospital, staying in character the whole time, as he pretends not to know what a camera and microphone are.
That wraps it up for today’sNerd Alert. Do you have any suggestions for futureNerd Alertcolumns? Hit us up on Twitter@MovieWeband send us your suggestions, and it may even make it in the next edition. Check back on Monday for the next installment ofNerd Alert.
