Geekie Awards To Honor Stan Lee, Indie Artists and Creators

Originally published on TheFlickcast.com.  27 June 2013.

The First Annual Geekie Awards is coming to Hollywood, CA and a computer near you. Celebrating independent creators, artists and filmmakers, the awards show is set for August 18, 2013 at The Avalon Hollywood and will also be broadcasted live online.

Geekie categories include best in indie-created graphic novels, short films, web series, podcasts, and comic books. Other categories include Crowdfunded Geek, Art & Craft, Retail Stores & Websites, and Toys & Games. The live streaming online broadcast is set to reach an international audience of millions.

Explaining the purpose of The Geekie Awards, Executive Producer and concept creator, Kristen Nedopak said, “There are far too many talented creators out there who don’t have the means to get the exposure they need [in order] to promote their incredible work. The Geekie Awards gives them exposure to an international audience, both through our panel of expert judges to our website to the show itself and all the press surrounding it.”

Some of the nominees for the 2013 Geekie Awards include:

- Artist Karen Hallion’s Princess Leia piece, La Dauphine Aux Alderaan
- Jane Espenson & Brad Bell’s graphic novelization of their web series, Husbands
- Stan Lee Parkour
- I Fight Dragons’ Crazie$ music video
- Zachary Levi’s “all things nerd” website, The Nerd Machine, designed by WebMovement
- A Podcast of Fire and Ice and many more

The legendary Stan Lee will also be presented with the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award at the show.

Tickets are available at www.thegeekieawards.com/tickets for a range of prices and seating/entrance. Just $25 will get you in to see the show and $75 will earn you a balcony seat. At the $200 level, attendees are entered to win a movie poster signed by Stan Lee. Pre-sale discounts end on Sunday, June 30th.

Learn more about The Geekie Awards are www.thegeekieawards.com.

Get Thee to a Theater! Five Reasons to See ‘Much Ado About Nothing’

Originally published on TheFlickcast.com.  20 June 2013.

After opening in select theaters in LA, NY, and San Francisco, director Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing will open nationwide on Friday, June 21. We have already reviewed the film but just in case that wasn’t enough to convince you to seek out this delightful adaptation, here are five reasons Much Ado is worth your time and money.

1. You’ll understand Shakespeare (finally). If you are hesitating about Much Ado because you are concerned you will not keep up with the Bard’s prose, you are not alone. Dogberry himself (Nathan Fillion) at first refused the project and then tried to back out of it for this very reason. But then Fillion, like all of the other players, immersed himself in the language, the setting, and the character.

The cast did the hard work of studying the text and translating it so you don’t have to. They do an excellent job of adding movement and clarity to Shakespeare’s prose so even if you don’t know what someone is saying, you know what they mean.

2. It’s sexy. This is kind of a given. I mean, have you seen the cast?

Beyond the lineup of beautiful faces, the film features a fantastic sexual tension. Whedon, who is known for killing off beloved characters, found himself a bit bereft in this play so he decided to add some heat instead. “I don’t have any death," he joked. “I’ll add sex!” It is well placed in a play whose very title is an Elizabethan double entendre. There’s also a deep sensuality and romance that resonates particularly between Beatrice (Amy Acker) and Benedick (Alexis Denisof). Lingering looks and stolen kisses are just as sexy as private trysts.

Team Starkid, Tom Lenk, Amber Benson and More Set for LeakyCon 2013

Originally published on TheFlickcast.com.  18 June 2013.

This year’s LeakyCon is shaping up to be the most geeky and exciting yet with special guests including Harry Potter film actors, New York Times bestselling authors, and plenty of web video stars. Quickly become a catch all of fans’ favorite things, like Harry Potter, Doctor Who, the Whedonverse, The Hunger Games, and more, the four-day convention will run from June 27 – 30 in the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, OR.

The 4,000 expected attendees will enjoy both formal and informal programming such as live rock shows, panels, workshops, guest signings, talent and costume competitions and the Esther Earl Rocking Charity Ball. This event will be held on the final night of the convention in honor of Esther, an avid Harry Potter fan who lost her battle with cancer in August 2010. Performers for LeakyRock include Hank Green, Alex Carpenter, The Whomping Willows, and Harry and the Potters.

Among the Harry Potter celebrity guests are Devon Murray (Seamus Finnigan), Scarlett Byrne (Pansy Parkinson), and Ellie Darcy-Alden (Young Lily). Of course theatre troupe Team Starkid will be bringing their unique musical productions to the stage again at LeakyCon. This year they will be performing their entire catalogue of music from all three of their wildly popular Harry Potter spoofs. Confirmed performers include Brian Holden, Joe Walker, Joey Richter, and many more.

Movie Review: Joss Whedon's 'Much Ado About Nothing'

Originally published on TheFlickcast.com.  6 June 2013.

Much Ado About Nothing is Joss Whedon and William Shakespeare at their finest, and is certainly one of the most delightful films I have seen this year. Evoking the very best of a 40s screwball comedy, the entirely black-and-white picture has a superb mix of elegance and entertainment that will please all moviegoers, not just Elizabethan (and Whedon) fans. The film crackles with a palpable energy that draws you in to its hijinks and effortlessly makes you feel a part of the romance and drama.

From the start it is clear that this is not a typical modernization of Shakespeare. Whedon uses silence and body language to great effect so that we know the disappointing and hurtful past that lingers over the sharp-tongued Beatrice (Amy Acker) and smug Benedict (Alexis Denisof) before either even speaks. In truth the pair is too stubborn and snarky to admit any fondness for each other and so their friends conspire to bring them into “a mountain of affection.”

This witty, simmering love is contrasted by the young, innocent love shared by Hero (Jillian Morgese) and Claudio (Fran Kranz). Their impending nuptials are threatened by the villainous Don John (Sean Maher), who is played with the perfect blend of treachery and sexiness by Maher. Don John wants to wound the lovers but also destroy Hero’s father Leonato (Clark Gregg), who is hosting everyone at his manor home.

VidCon’s Ten Thousand Attendees Show Growing Impact of Online Video

Originally published on TheFlickcast.com.  5 June 2013.

More than 10,000 people will attend the fourth annual VidCon, August 1-3, at the Anaheim Convention Center to learn about the online video community and meet with some of its celebrities. Confirmed attendees include Hannah Hart (MyHarto/My Drunk Kitchen), Felicia Day (geekandsundry) Charlie McDonnell (charlieissocoolike), Jenna Marbles (JennaMarbles) and VidCon co-founders, Hank and John Green (vlogbrothers).

"Even when VidCon was just 1,000 people in a hotel, it was our goal for the conference to reflect the growth and culture of the online video industry," said Hank Green. "VidCon's exponential growth over the last four years is indicative of online video's impact on the entertainment industry and on our everyday lives."

Digital research firm comScore’s confirms Green’s asseration about online videos becoming one of the fastest-growing entertainment mediums in the country. The firm stated that 182.5 million people in the U.S. alone watched a combined total of 39.3 billion online videos in just March 2013. VidCon is a celebration of online video as well as an opportunity for industry professionals to learn more about the business of online video.

Matt Smith Leaving 'Doctor Who' In Christmas Special 2013

Originally published on TheFlickcast.com.  2 June 2013.

The end of Eleven is coming this year. In an official release, the BBC has announced that Matt Smith will be leaving Doctor Who in this year’s Christmas special.

In a statement released by the BBC, Smith says:

"Doctor Who has been the most brilliant experience for me as an actor and a bloke, and that largely is down to the cast, crew and fans of the show.  I'm incredibly grateful to all the cast and crew who work tirelessly every day, to realize all the elements of the show and deliver Doctor Who to the audience.  Many of them have become good friends and I'm incredibly proud of what we have achieved over the last four years.

Having Steven Moffat as showrunner write such varied, funny, mind-bending and brilliant scripts has been one of the greatest and most rewarding challenges of my career.  It's been a privilege and a treat to work with Steven, he's a good friend and will continue to shape a brilliant world for the Doctor.

The fans of Doctor Who around the world are unlike any other; they dress up, shout louder, know more about the history of the show (and speculate more about the future of the show) in a way that I've never seen before, your dedication is truly remarkable.  Thank you so very much for supporting my incarnation of  the Time Lord, number Eleven, who I might add is not done yet, I'm back for the 50th anniversary and the Christmas special!

It's been an honor to play this part, to follow the legacy of brilliant actors, and helm the TARDIS for a spell with 'the ginger, the nose and the impossible one'. But when ya gotta go, ya gotta go and Trenzalore calls. Thank you guys.  Matt."