OH THE (SUPER) IRONY

Christopher Reeve did his most famous photo shoot in front of the NYC skyline. Here’s the call Helen Slater got:

SLATER: Where are we doing our big publicity shoot tomorrow?

HER AGENT: In the Popeye’s parking lot.

SLATER: That’s where we’re meeting?

AGENT: No that’s where the shoot is.

SLATER: Is there an awesome skyline visible from there? Something emotional and stirring?

AGENT: There’s a Popeye’s.

SLATER: Yes I know but what’s at that location that makes it the perfect place for a Supergirl photo shoot?

AGENT: Popeye’s.

SLATER: You mean we’re actually taking A-list publicity photos that will be printed in every newspaper and magazine across the country in front of a Popeye’s?

AGENT: Yes.

SLATER: But these images will last forever! Chris took his pictures in front of the Metropolis skyline. They are iconic!

AGENT: If you look closely at the skyline I think you can see a Popeye’s.

SLATER: But what does it *say*? Superman standing in front of the city he has sworn to protect has emotional resonance. It’s powerful. What does Supergirl standing in front of Popeye’s mean? What’s the message? What am I protecting?

AGENT: Have you had their chicken sandwich?

SLATER: No.

AGENT: Trust me, one day this will all make sense.

Newtek’s 3D thursday throwdown

If you’re a visual effects groupie (or just enjoy gawking at really cool, Emmy-Award winning eye candy for a couple hours) you’ll want to make your way to beautiful downtown North Hollywood on Thursday night at 6:30.  That’s where Newtek (makers of Lightwave 3D, the ground breaking computer animation software that started the CGI revolution) will be sponsoring a night of glitz, glamor and space ships.  And you are invited!

iphone + sound machine = blade runner

Pictured above, Deckard swipes his iPhone and orders some Chinese.  Now you can use your precious iDevice to immerse yourself in the world of Blade Runner with an app called Sleep Machine, a neat little program meant to help you sleep by generating ambient sounds like wind, rain, surf and crickets.  Now that’s great if you want to pretend you live out in the middle of nowhere, but can it relax the futuristic city dweller, looking to close his eyes and get lost in the soothing sounds of a dark, yet shimmering urban landscape?

you know you’re *really* a nerd when…

This is what happens when you cross a nerd with too much time on his hands with a warped sense of humor (pun intended).  The ever-talented (and ever-warped) Daren Dochterman decided that my urinal puck and Nintendo remote from recent posts were begging to make the leap from pseudo Star Trek wannabe to iron-clad canon.  So, ladies and gentleman, we present to you the USS WiiWee.  Look for the resin kit in first quarter 2010.

you know you’re a nerd when…

 

… the USS Enterprise just keeps showing up no matter where you look.  First it’s in a urinal, now it’s a fishing rod controller for the Nintendo Wii.  What’s next?  The Jefferies Tube in a salami?  A Phaser in a beard trimmer?  Is it us or is the whole world actually trying to look like Star Trek?    [special thanks to reader BobaTrek for sending this one in.  Send yours to DarthMojo4u at AOL].  At the risk of straying off topic for a moment, I just ran across this Photoshop image of Obama as a Vulcan.  Am I the last guy on Earth to see this? 

and the winner is (really this time)…

What a fascinating trip this has been!  Who would have ever guessed I’d be able to milk two weeks worth of posts from a silly picture of a bad Halloween costume?  Who else but sci-fi fans could turn a quick chuckle into a raging ethical debate?  I want to thank everyone who not only took part in the contest, but to those of you who shared it with friends, egged us on in the comments and appreciated the value of the unexpected twist.  In the coming days my cohorts and I will be pontificating on lessons learned and insights gained as a result of all this tom-foolery, but for now we need to put on our tux, turn on the lights and hand out some trophies…

and the winner is…

So the polls are closed and the results are… interesting.  During the first few days of voting, the “Khhhaaaaannnn!!” image was well ahead with double the votes of everyone else.  The race for second was very close indeed, and “Animated XL Kirk” was the front runner for last place.  Then I opened the floor up to “Kobayashi Maru” tactics.  Within 24 hours, the results had completely changed – the number of votes had doubled, with “Action Figure” firmly in first place, followed closely (in order) by The Horse, Tribbles and Animated XXL.  “Khaaaannn!!” was now in last place (ironically, I know for a fact that Jon (creator of the “Khhhaaaaannn!!” image) was the only one not cheating).  But things really took an unexpected turn over the weekend…

vote: you choose the winner of “XXL Kirk” Photoshop contest! (updated)

Citizens of the Federation, it’s time to do your civic duty and vote for your favorite image in our “XXL Captain Kirk” Photoshop contest (review the last two posts if you’re in need of a briefing).  Staying true to the spirit of Star Trek, our hailing frequencies certainly reached out to the furthest star, as entries have come in from across the globe to create a truly international contest (just the way Gene would have liked it).   You’ll find the ballot after the jump, where we’ll show you the “final five” images and tell you a little bit about the evil geniuses behind them…

11/12 update: While it seems like “Khaaaaan!!” is the front runner, it’s still important for everyone to vote – as of now, the race for second place is VERY close, so, to keep things interesting, I will also offer a special prize (to be announced) for the second place contestant.  The runner-up spot is totally up for grabs at this point, so I suggest those of you in the running get out there and do some campaigning!

coolest CGI shot of all time (with video)

A few months back we showed you how we created a brand-new CGI Viper from the original 1979 Battlestar Galactica.  Using a model built by the talented Derek Smith, I painstakingly recreated the lighting and studio look of the TV classic just to see how close a match we could get to the original.  But what about the Galactica herself?  Not too long ago, FX veteran Lee Stringer enlisted a few cohorts and spent quite a bit of personal time building an exact replica of the original filming miniature (as seen above – yes, he did this on his own time) so I thought I’d take a crack at creating a brand new shot of the girl and see how close I could get it to looking like a scene from the original series…

more lightsaber madness (plus photo contest)!

 

How do visual effects artists spend their New Year’s Eve?  Lightsaber dueling, of course!  After the international success of yesterday’s lightsaber post, I spent a little time digging through the Mojoplex archives and unearthed these gems from a 2006 New Year’s Eve party – where we offer proof that you’re never too old to not grow up (on the other hand, if you’re easily embarassed, the alternate lesson learned here is that booze and lightsabers don’t mix if you’ve got a digital camera laying around and a friend with a blog). Click through for more pics and the identities of the revelers!

i broke my lightsaber (with video)

It was bound to happen eventually.  Like any self-respecting Star Wars fan, I have one of the greatest toys every made – the Master Replicas Lightsaber.  As anyone who has played with one will tell you, the first time you get ahold of one of these and activate it you get a rush that is possibly the greatest toy experience of your life.   What we wouldn’t have given as kids to have one of those!   Ok, it may have taken 30 years but hey, at least we have ’em now.  And I don’t care how old you are, swinging one of those things around puts such a grin on your face it’s easily the second best form of stress relief in the known universe.  That is, it’s all fun & games until what happened last night happens to you… 

nsfw: the greatest keyboard ever

No, you haven’t accidentally connected to Engadget, but I am taking some time for a NSFW post (that’s No Sci-Fi Wednesdays for the nubies) to tell you about a neat nerd-toy I’ve been patiently waiting for since forever – the perfect backlit keyboard.  Someone finally made it and I’m going to explain (and show you) why this one succeeds where all others have FAILED…

avatar trailer review: dances with beowolves

So I found out a little too late about last week’s free, worldwide IMAX screening of a fifteen minute preview of James Cameron’s upcoming AVATAR (for those who aren’t super nerds, AVATAR is basically Jim’s first movie since TITANIC and will be out this winter in 3D).  I tried to get tickets the night before the event but the website told me every theater was totally and completely 100% for sure  sold out.  Luckily, Darth Mojo correspondent (and 3D stereo whiz kid) Jim Carbonetti was there and kindly offered to share his thoughts on what he saw…

should i buy an iphone?

I’ve been on the fence for a while about one of these but it’s renewal time at AT&T and if there was ever a perfect time for me to pull the trigger, it’s now.   The only problem is I abhore change;  I love my current Samsung A717 clamshell and the idea of joining the Cult-Of-Mac makes me a little gunshy.  So, I’ll open the floor to all Darth Mojo reader – after all, you guys are my conscience, my moral compass and my most trusted advisors.  Today, you can be my financial planners.  Should I or shouldn’t I?  I’ll even turn off the comment approvals for this one!  ‘Ave at it and either talk me into – or out of – an iPhone 3GS!

The shat in 3D!

My good pal and stereo imaging expert extraordinaire Jim Carbonetti recently ran across William T. Shatner at a trade show and took some 3D video of our beloved captain.  Carbo was gracious enough to provide a few anaglyphs for all the lucky Darth Mojo readers out there who made the effort to go out and pick up some 3D glasses at Blockbuster.  Click ahead for a few more images that show Bill’s true depth as a performer…

 

introducing: 3d Trek

They say that the secret to success is to simply please yourself.  Since it’s impossible to predict what people are going to love or hate, people are often told “make the movie you want to see, or invent the thing you want to buy.”  Recently, I was approached to come up with an idea for a new Star Trek product; as part of the process, I found myself wondering, “what would I be interested in?”  Sadly, the programmable Orion Slave Girl Clone  didn’t quite pan out, but I came up with something else that I think is even sexier…

stay tuned!

Hey gang!  You may have noticed  a distinct lack of postings lately… no, I haven’t been kidnapped by Borellian Noman or “silenced” by JJ Abrams, but I have  been hard at work on a very cool new project that is slated to premiere in a few short weeks at San Diego Comic Con.  At the moment, mum’s the word, but I promise to fill all of you in on the details shortly before the rest of the world finds out.  Suffice it to say that I’m giddy with excitement and can promise you that what we’re about to unleash boldly goes where no one has gone before.  The image above is a tiny hint of what we’ve got in store, so stay tuned!