Larry McKenzie

Archive for the ‘Entertainment’ Category

New Anchorman Film Promises Fans of the Cult Comedy More Hijinks 

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is one of the most often quoted cult classic comedies of all time. Although the movie came out nearly a decade though the characters made famous in the movie are still quoted in conversations daily and still appear on the list of most popular Halloween costumes. Finally a sequel to the film called The Legend Continues is in production. The film is slated to be released in the late winter of 2013 and fans couldn’t be more excited.

The cast list for Anchorman: The Legend Continues reads like a who’s who of comedy gods. Will Ferrell is back as Ron Burgundy. Also coming back for the sequel are Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Kristin Wiig and Greg Kinnear. Some of the stars who are scheduled to make guest appearances in the film include famously funny actors like Jim Carrey, Sacha Baron Cohen, Amy Poehler, John C. Reilly and Tina Fey. While the studio and stars have been close mouthed about the story and the script everyone agrees that the sequel to Anchorman will not disappoint fans who are expecting it to be funnier than the original. With a cast like that there’s almost no way that fans could be disappointed.

In the sequel Ron Burgundy will be going to New York City to pursue further fame and fortune. His signature style and his friends are sure to cause all kinds of mayhem and hijinks in The Big Apple. While not too many plot details have been released it has been leaked that the new film will definitely include bowling in some capacity.  That should keep fans of the original film happy while enticing new fans to explore the legend of Ron Burgundy.

In an era when 24 hour news is becoming more and more of a joke due to real time gaffes, perceptions of insensitivity and other flaws the satire in Anchorman is timely and dead on. But it’s not the social commentary that will keep fans coming back. It’s the way that Will Ferrell and the collected ensemble cast play off each other to create humor that just doesn’t stop. You can expect the Anchorman sequel to be one of the most popular films of the year.

2013 marks the 50^th anniversary of the iconic British hit Doctor Who and there is an entire year of specials and events lined up to celebrate. Doctor Who and his blue police box time machine the TARDIS are an intrinsic part of modern culture. As one of the first science fiction TV shows Doctor Who influenced modern science fiction in a way that few other shows have done. Doctor Who is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running science fiction show of all time and generations of fans have grown up watching the 11 incarnations of The Doctor travel through time and space.  The show first aired in 1963, but went on hiatus in 1990. A made for TV movie followed in 1996. The show did not return to air as a full series until 2005, when Doctor Who returned and was almost immediately a smashing success.

One of the reasons why Doctor Who continues to be so successful is The Doctor’s ability to regenerate. As new actors come to take over the role The Doctor regenerates which allows for the continuity of the character while also allowing each actor to put his unique spin on the character. In the second series of the revamped Doctor Who David Tennant took over the role from Christopher Eccleston and become the most beloved Doctor of all time. Previous to David Tennant’s portrayal of the Doctor the most popular Doctor was played by Tom Baker. David Tennant continued as The Doctor until 2011 when Matt Smith successfully took over the role.

The Doctor’s companions also have changed through the years. In the modern series several of the companions from the early series made guest appearances including the much loved Sarah Jane Smith and the robot dog K-9. Sarah Jane Smith rejoined The Doctor for several episodes and then was given her own spin off aimed at children called The Sarah Jane Chronicles.

So far the writers and producers of the show have been very tight lipped about whether or not all of the 11 actors who played The Doctor will appear in a very special television movie set to air in November 2013. Several of the early Doctors who have since passed away will be represented in flashbacks.  Fans are hopeful that the special will feature all of The Doctors. Other special events are being held as well. Each month of 2013 one of the early series of Doctor Who is being aired. Special Doctor Who commemorative postage stamps have been issued. There are many public appearances, costume contests, and meet and greets planned at comic cons and other events to let fans tell the writers and actors how much Doctor Who has meant to them throughout the years. There will also be books, podcasts and other media for fans to enjoy. For the first time the entire series of Doctor Who including the TV movie and a wide range of extras will be available on DVD also.

I tried not to watch it, but I watched King Of The Nerds.  It’s taken many years but the reality TV genre is finally noticing geeks. Shows like Syfy’s “Face Off” and the new TBS show “King of the Nerds” are made to appeal to nerds and geeks all over the world. High ratings for both shows have proven to TV execs that the nerd market is a strong one. Face Off is now entering its fifth season and is a strong ratings generator for Syfy. While Face Off is focused specifically on special effects makeup and design TBS’s show King of the Nerds takes a broader look at the many facets of geek culture. King of the Nerds, which first aired in January of 2013, is the first reality competition produced by the network.

TBS originally ordered the show based on the ratings that reruns of the popular nerd hit The Big Bang Theory. The show is hosted by Robert Carradine and Curtis Armstrong who are famous for playing the infamous nerds in the Revenge of the Nerds movie. The show had celebrity geek judges for each challenge like George Takei, Kevin Smith, and Cosplay queen Yaya Han. The contestants were divided into two teams and competed in weekly challenges that tested their knowledge of academics as well as geek culture. The team that won the challenge was safe from elimination, while two members of the losing team were sent to a Nerd Off where they competed to see who would be eliminated from the show. Season 1 was won by Celeste Anderson, a professional gamer. The show was a hit, bringing TBS high ratings and a lot of interest. The show was renewed for a second season.

One of the most interesting things about the show is that it brings together a mix of different type of nerds and showcases the many different types of geek culture. Some of the contestants were academic nerds like a neuroscience PhD student, an engineer who works at NASA, a mathematician and a geologist. Others had backgrounds in more cultural nerd pursuits like the two professional gamers, a hacker, and a fantasy writer. Other contestants included a super comic book fan and a video game designer. The challenges that they participated in were designed to test a wide range of knowledge and academic skills. Interestingly the more academically skilled nerds were among the first to be eliminated while one of the professional gamers was the eventual winner.

Reviews of the show among nerds were mixed. Some people felt that the show was great because it raised awareness of the variety of pursuits that fall under the nerd umbrella. Others felt that the show played to the stereotypes of geeks and nerds and wasn’t really that entertaining. Like any first season show there are some kinks to be worked out but any show that makes it cool and profitable to be a nerd will ultimately help nerds and geeks everywhere.

Telltale has recently come up with an awesome Walking Dead video game and it feels exactly like you’re in the show itself. You start off playing the game without really knowing where things are going and wondering whether you want to keep playing or not. And then you find yourself wondering whether you are making the right decisions along the way and whether you are saying all of the right things or not. You find yourself wondering about the consequences of your actions, especially if you might have done things wrong. Soon after that, though, you will realize that there is no right or wrong in the Walking Dead video game.

In a nutshell, you play a condemned man named Lee who wants to make amends and you don’t have a say in the companions that you are left with. After all, you need them by your side just as much as they need you. Sometimes, you will need to make stupid compromises to keep the balance going in the group and at other times, you will need to make huge decisions for everybody. You will have to decide what is worth fighting about, as well, and decide whether it is important to tell somebody off or whether it would just be best to keep everybody happy.

Overall, this game makes a great attempt at leaving the traditional notion of video games. Where video games make players do exactly what they want them to in order to end up in the same place as other players, this game lets players make their own judgements, follow their own beliefs, and control their own destinies. Because of this, there isn’t any set ending to the game, but there is definitely an unforgettable journey along the way. In the end, you will get the answer that you deserve, depending on your personal morals and reasoning, and depending on how you approach and see things.

Of course, it goes without saying that some parts of the video game are still uncontrollable, but they are still set to make you feel like you are in complete control anyway.

Lee is generally a well-developed and solid character overall. However, he really isn’t anything more than the host body for your own actions and thoughts as you play the game. So, if you ever decide that you want to kill someone off for any reason whatsoever, you can do so. However, while you might do all of the thinking and the doing in the game, Telltale has created a good cast of different characters that are both decisive and driven – exactly the way that they are in The Walking Dead itself.

It also becomes quite obvious fairly soon that the zombies in The Walking Dead video game aren’t incidental. They all create the different circumstances that make you cow together with different people and fight things out in order to survive. They basically create the pressure that you need to play the game to begin with. So, if you hate zombies, then don’t be put off just yet. This zombie game has to do with a lot more than just zombies – that’s for sure!

The Big Bang Theory surprised me.  I did not watch this until recently.  I can’t believe that I waited so long to give it a shot.   This sitcom on CBS that broke new ground when it debuted in 2007 by showcasing smart people as main characters instead of punch lines. There are a lot of jokes and inside references made for nerds and other smart people to pick up on sprinkled through the dialog which instantly drew a large fan base among the smart set. The Big Bang Theory is centered on two physicists, Leonard and Sheldon, who are both professors and researchers at CalTech. They are geeky, socially awkward, and shy but they are still portrayed with a humanity that is lacking in portrayals of similar characters in other shows. The character of Sheldon is a lovable caricature of a man who advanced through school quickly because of his IQ but socially is still far behind where he should be. However he is happy, confident, and not at all uncomfortable with his life the way smart characters are often shown to be. Leonard, his roommate, has a slightly better grasp of socialization and while he is still a nerd he does manage to function well in the non-nerd world. He even had a relationship with Penny, their neighbor across the hall who is blonde and pretty and wants to be an actress. When Penny first enters the show she is not sure what to make of Leonard and Sheldon but over time they all become good friends. Penny helps the pair of scientists stay rooted in the world outside their classrooms, labs, and their living room.

Leonard and Sheldon have friends who are also nerdy and socially awkward and intellectually gifted. Howard and Raj are often used in the storylines as comic relief but they are used effectively and really round out the cast. The Big Bang Theory has won several major awards, including People’s Choice awards, Emmy awards, and American Film Institute awards for excellence in television. Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon, has won a slew of awards for his comedic acting and has made Dr. Sheldon Cooper one of the most beloved characters in a sitcom currently on TV. The Big Bang Theory debuted in September of 2007 and has been renewed through the 2012-2013 TV season. Audiences love The Big Bang Theory and so do critics.

The science community also loves the Big Bang Theory for introducing a huge audience to the joys of science. Even though it may not have been the intent of the show to quietly teach science to audiences who otherwise would not be exposed to scientific theory and principles but audiences are learning science and are becoming more interested in science as a result of the success of the show. The scientific community has had several prominent scientists guest star on the series and is pleased to see audiences embracing science as a result of the show. The Big Bang Theory is proof that good television can be smart television and that audiences can understand more than some TV producers give them credit for.

Over the past few months there has been many issues with satellite and cable companies having disputes with content providers about cost of programming.   While I think everyone should certainly earn what they deserve, they also must realize that this is a changing world and there is much more competition out there.  If there is nothing on, we can always turn to YouTube or another free alternative for our content.

On the other side of the spectrum these companies must realize that we have satellite service primarily for the large selection available.   If you do not provide our favorite channels, we have no reason to be your customer.

The recent Viacom and DirecTV issues should have been resolved long ago.    They need each other.   Be reasonable and work it out.    Many customers will just leave and watch the show for free or on an alternative such as Netflix or another provider.

Dish Networks had recently dropped AMC and will likely have a lot of unhappy customers when they realize that the new season of their favorite show is not there.    These companies will not likely see an immediate loss since most customers are stuck in a long-term contract.  I suppose that is why they have to trap their customers instead of providing the best service possible so that they will stay because they want to.

This will push the evolution further of consumers turning to the web to watch their favorite shows.   This industry is going to whine in a few years that the Internet ruined their industry as it did the music industry.   No… you are doing it to yourselves.

I am digging that Spirit Halloween has started doing a series of funny Halloween viral videos this year.

Check out:

I think that it is very interesting how many people LIKE Twilight movies but will not admit it.

It appears some people think that if you like Twilight, that it dis-respects other types of vampire movies.   I like them all.

They each are different and show a different aspect.   Don’t be a hater. Embrass it!

I guess that I am one of the few that am tired about hearing about Tiger Woods in the news.

There is some crazy other news that seems to be much more important.

If he cheated, then cheaters get what they deserve.  If he did not, then he is getting screwed.

Nicolas Cage is in the news a lot lately.

Apparently he is broke and cannot pay his taxes.   He is one of those actors who I really love all of his movies.  I think that he is an amazing actor.    I also am under the impression that he helped Johnny Depp in his early part of his career.

Although it always seemed like he feels that the public is beneath him.  I may be wrong, he may be a nice guy..but he always seemed stuck up.  Great movies though.