By Hot Nerd Girl and Nathan Turner
Category: Event
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Hall H Podcast – International Mobil Film Festival
Guess who guest starred on this week’s Hall H Show podcast? This girl!
Listen to the podcast about The International Mobil Film Festival and featuring the festival’s founder, Susy Botello, one of the Directors, Anthony de la Cruz, and yours truly, as interviewed by Aaron Nabus and Alex Benedicto.
Check it out HERE!
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San Diego Comic-Con – here we come!
San Diego Comic-Con.
It’s my favorite and least favorite time of year. So much fun! So much stress!
Going to Cons for almost 15 years couldn’t even prepare me for the madness that is Comic-Con. Luckily, I’ve learned to relax, take it all in stride, and not try to do every. single. thing. Every year I go is a completely different and unique experience and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Here is some general information, tips, lessons learned, where you can find me, and people/panels I feel deserve to be seen. I’ll be posting Con coverage on my social media during the Con (so be sure to follow!) and some wrap ups afterwards.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/hotnerdgirl
Twitter: @hot_nerd_girl
Instagram: www.instagram.com/hotnerdgirlofficial
May the Con be ever in your favor!
Panels I’m thinking about attending:
My list is much longer than this but here are a few panels that I plan to attend that have nothing to do with a TV show or movie. I’m a bit biased because I have friends and acquaintances involved in each of these but they definitely deserve some attention and if you want to meet me there’s a good chance you’ll get a chance at one of these panels! Again, I can’t guarantee (things happen, one must be flexible at SDCC) but I’m going to try my best! Either way, these are panels and topics that are definitely worth checking out!
Thursday:
10:00am – Wrath of Con Bloggers (Room 14A)
12:30pm – Roddenberry Entertainment Presents (Room 24ABC)
2:00pm – Greenlight Your Passion Project (Room 7AB)
7:00pm – PodCRASH with That Chris Gore Live (Room 25ABC)
Friday:
10:00am – Geek Wars: The Nerds Awaken (Room 14A)
12:00pm – Star Wars Goes Steampunk (Room 14A)
Saturday:
11:00am – Andre the Giant: The Man Behind the Legend (Room 29AB)
4:00pm – Oddball Comic Live! (Room 7AB)
Where you’re guaranteed to see me:
I’ll be at the Game of Bloggers meet up on Wednesday night at the Dragons Den next to Petco Park 9pm-12am hosted by Tony Kim of Crazy4ComicCon fame
For more information on how to attend go HERE!
People to visit in the Exhibition Hall:
I-07 – Sergio Aragones (one of the nicest people you will ever meet)
1915 – DC Entertainment (great photo op! The photographer with the spiky white hair is my friend Tre Ridings. Everyone be sure to tell him that I say “hi” 😉 )
4037 – Hollywood Sci-Fi Museum (great photo op!)
4016 – Ivy Doomkitty (she’s hosting a bunch of your favorite cosplayers, check out her Twitter for a schedule)
1947 – NASA (because…NASA…)
1309 – National Cartoonists Society (specifically Greg Evans and Karen Evans)
2543 – Roddenberry Entertainment
The single most important piece of advice I can give you:
At Cons I shake a lot of hands and am touched by a lot of people. I’m a hugger and a touchy-feely person who puts my hands on people while we’re talking. I’m also Obsessive Compulsive and I get sick VERY easily. Therefore…
Hand sanitizer, hand sanitizer, hand sanitizer.
I cannot emphasize this enough. Even if you’re pro-germ, anti-anti-bacterial (I get it, I use good old fashioned soap and water at home), make this the ONE time of year that you use tons and tons of the stuff. The more alcohol the better (none of the “all-natural” stuff). You WILL get Con Crud. Frequent applications of healthy-sized dollops (none of these little mini squirts) of hand sanitizer will help prevent Con Crud. I promise. Get one of those little bottles that hangs from your backpack. Everyone has them, no one will think you look like a dork. Hand wipes also work but are harder to use on the sly. But get some becuae you will use them, often. And wash your hands with soap and water as often as you can.
TMI WARNING:
Girls, if you’re surfing the crimson wave, RUN and get yourself a period cup. Moon Cup, Lily Cup, Whatever Cup. Doesn’t matter what brand (they’re a personal preference thing anyways). You will not regret it. I’m convinced that it is the single most important item a woman can have in the zombie apocalypse as well.
Other helpful advice based on my experience:
Relax. For real. There’s NO WAY on God’s green Earth that you’re going to get to do everything you want to do. Pick and choose and make a plan. Want to see the Doctor Who panel in Hall H? Plan to camp out that night.
Which brings us to Hall H. Frakking Hall H. It used to be so simple. Not anymore. I’m older and wiser now so it would take a lot to persuade me to camp out (the need to camp out is a relatively recent phenomenon I’ll point out), especially with the new wrist band requirement. I used to get with a group of friends and take turns, I could go shower, eat, brush my teeth, etc. We were all there for some part of the night and weren’t letting in a huge group of people at the last minute – usually just my Mama but she’s tiny and doesn’t count. It was a very non-douchy way of helping each other out. With the new wrist band requirement you can still do that but say goodbye to any parties, meetups, premiers, or evening activities that night. If you’re not there when they hand the bands out, you’re not getting in. Unless you’re between the ages of 18-25 and can handle night after night of it, camping out sucks. Decide which day is most important to you and do it once. I’m not gonna lie, it’s a huge rush to be in the Hall and to see everything first. It’s also where I first saw Tony Kim of Crazy4ComicCon and the Button Lady. I have some amazing memories in Hall H. Now they pretty much release most of it online immediately after so I’m over the camping. That being said, I was in Ballroom 20 for the 10 year Firefly reunion and you can bet your ass I’d be camping out for the 20th. If you can’t live without it, camp for it. Otherwise, don’t bother.
Where to drink according to Discover SD:
*Disclaimer: I’ve only personally been to a few of these so I can’t vouch for them personally
Best downtown bars
Comic-Con specialty cocktails
Things to do around Comic-Con if you couldn’t get tickets:
Find ideas HERE and HERE.
Links to last year’s SDCC coverage by yours truly:
2014 Part 1 (Panels and Floor)
2014 Part 2 (Costume Contest and Cosplay)
2014 Part 3 (Joss Whedon Nerd HQ and Outlander Premier)
My two favorite Comic-Con insider blogs:
Crazy4ComicCon
The Nerdy Girlie
Stay tuned for more San Diego Comic-Con coverage!
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Doctor Who Burlesque!
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I’m a fan of all forms of art (except maybe Modern – sorry…) and expression and I have a great appreciation for the female form. Plus, as you all well know, my love of all things Doctor Who is infinite. So when I got the opportunity to attend “Dimensions of Time & Tease” – a Doctor Who burlesque show presented by Peepshow Menagerie, I jumped at the chance!
The opening act was a band called Ghost Noise and, although I wasn’t sure what to expect, I ended up being a fan of their ethereal electronic sound.
The Host was the Third Doctor portrayed by the fabulously named Wolfgang Wolfwhistle.
He was soon joined by the delightful (and scene stealing) Mr. Snapper as “Jack” (Harkness).
And then later by the lovely Glama Sutra as “Spoilers” aka River Song.
Some of the Highlights:
Madame Vastra shows off some swordplay.
Novice Hame of the Sisters of Plenitude on the planet New Earth.
Souffle Girl cooking up some Hawtness.
Exterminate! Exterminate!
The Ponds keeping the passion alive!
The Mistress, causing problems, as per usual 😉
And my favorite of the night, this highly upgraded Cyberwoman!
I was truly impressed by the costumes and performances of these lovely ladies and handsome gentlemen. They perform the third Friday of every month and I HIGHLY recommend attending one of their shows!
Be sure to check out Peepshow Menagerie’s next show “Cherry Potter and the Wizards of Burlesque” this Friday, January 16th at 9pm in Los Angeles! For more information go HERE!
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Long Beach Comic Con 2014
Day One! Captain Hammer (and fan) cosplay
When Geek Outlaw and I did a booth at Long Beach Comic Expo in March we ended up in a dark back corner of the Floor in an area we dubbed “The Batcave.” The one perk? We made an awesome friend in fellow Batcave sufferer, Taking Eden graphic novel creator Jason Beckwith. To make up for such a crappy location, they gave us a great deal (and a much better spot) for Long Beach Comic Con.
Day Two! Star Trek (2009) cosplay
Since we spent most of our time behind a table, most of the coverage is the amazing cosplay; however, we did have my very first “drink together” which is basically me telling all of my ConFam that they should know and be ConFam with each other too.
Before we get to costumes, here’s some of my fellow booth peeps – authors, artists, and actors – oh my!
Eye of the Gods and Morningstar creator/artist, Geremi Burleigh
Hero Chick creator (and our next door neighbor) David Arroyo
One of my favorite artists, Mike Hicks
My favorite new Thor [link to pic] artists, Ben Risbeck.
Author (and my Podthingy cohost) John Mulhall! Be sure to check out his supernatural thriller Geddy’s Moon and the final few days of the Kickstarter campaign for his new novel Dark and Broken Things.
Taking Eden creator, Jason Beckwith!
Conor and The Crosswinds author, Kevin Gerard
Podcast interview!
One of my faves, actor Todd Stashwick
Mama Jedi made the perfect ultimate Captain Hammer fan
I also put together my very first “drink together” with some of the ConFam
A few jager bombs in…
And my best friend, Danielle, visiting from Texas, even came by for a bit! She’s not nerdy but I love her anyways.
On to costumes! There were soooo many amazing costumes and I took so many pictures that I’m posting some of my favorites here but I urge you to take a look at the full album at the bottom.
This mini Deadpool was totally adorkable.
The family that nerds together, stays together (DC vs Marvel notwithstanding).
WONDAAAAH BAAAAABY!!!
WONDAAAAAH WOOOOMAN!!!
This Catwoman has the poses down.
The jokes on you.
Lil’ Thanos.
Lil’ Black Widow (aka Todd Stashwick’s adorable daughter).
Mini Rocket and Star-Lord to the rescue!
This Nightcrawler was dead on.
Lonstermash on Saturday as Wolverine and on Sunday as THE JOKEVERINE!
Y’all know I lurv me some Thor and Loki, especially when its fellow HNG’s crossplaying.
My lovely and very Roguish friends over at Smile-X Villain Co.
This Aquaman proposed to his lovely girlfriend about 5 minutes after the picture on the left was taken! The next day they came back and I gave them one of my “nerd harder.” HNG shotglasses. Mazel Tov you too!!
The entire album:
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C4: Central Coast Comic Con 2014
C4: Central Coast Comic Con in Ventura is still in it’s infancy but it’s growing fast. This past weekend was only it’s 2nd year but it’s already twice as big as last year. Unfortunately, that made for several organizational issues and a lot of confusion in regards to panels, most of which were delayed, cancelled, or moved to another location with no warning, announcement, or signage.
While frustrating at times, I’m eager to see C4 become the Con I know it can be. I love little local Cons, they are usually the best place to talk to all of the local comic vendors in one place. Which is why I was kind of bummed that I really didn’t see any comic book stands. If there were any, they were tucked away where I missed them. It didn’t seem like a particularly good Con for most of the vendors, with the exception of the guy making balloon characters for tips (more on that talented gentleman later).
The highlight for me was definitely hanging out with my “ConFam” aka the artists and cosplayers and SoCal Con regulars that I see at every convention and love catching up with. So this wrap up will mostly be pictures of the cosplay and a few of the artists. I was planning to attend the Authors Panel but, alas, it was delayed, then moved, then cancelled altogether.
But I like to focus on the positive so….PICTURES!
Since it’s a Comic Con, let’s start off with Comic Book Cosplay, shall we?
Last year Lonstermash cosplayed as Rocky Balboa, complete with bloody boxing wounds and an American flag. This year he went with his classic movie Wolverine while representing at the Agents of COSPLAY table. He has several creative variations of the Wolverine costume and is probably the most famous Logan cosplayer out there.
This female Deadpool really broke the fourth wall.
Mini Silver Surfer!
Cap, with and without background creeper.
Author John Mulhall got in on the photobombing. Cyclops’ handler was not amused.
You look like you could use some DC, how about we switch over to the other major comic universe.
This is Smile-X Villain Co. They did the world’s best Batman/Rogue’s Gallery photo shoot ever a few months back. A photo shoot that I will post about at some point but the pictures keep slowly filtering in and I want to make sure I get them all before I post about it. Smile-X has several versions of their costumes, including Classic, PJ’s, and Punk Rock (pictured here).
Most of the members of Smile-X Villain Co. met at C4 last year so this past weekend marked their one year anniversary as a cosplay troupe. Happy Anniversary, Smile-X!
Dylan, the ringleader of Smile-X Villain Co. and a delightfully creepy Joker.
My favorite Riddler is Ian aka Pieced Together Cosplay. I couldn’t choose between all of the awesome pictures I took of him this weekend, so here they all are:
Spikes!
Classic!
With MEEEEEE!
The Bat (The Bat Cosplay) debuting his new blue accessories and The Cat (Gotham Sirens Cosplay) in her classic Burton garb.
Speaking of enemies….this Clark Kent seemed really surprised that I wanted to take his picture. You’re disguise doesn’t fool me, Superman!
WONDAAAAH WOOOOMAAAAN!!! And a pirate thrown in just for kicks.
I complemented this Two-Face on his makeup job and he pointed at his mother and proudly proclaimed that she’d done it. Well done, Mom, well done.
The family that cosplays together, stays together. We’ll transition from Comics to Sci-Fi with this lovely Loki/Firefly loving family.
Multi-pass!
I am the law!
I didn’t notice that the trooper on the right was a mannequin until after I got home and started going through my pictures. I thought he seemed a little tall for a Stormtrooper.
This guy makes custom action figures, wears awesome t-shirts, and has some badass figure tats.
The Star Trek Enterprise D Bridge Restoration project was there and took tons of pictures of various cosplayers (including these classic Treksters) in the Transporter Room. Check them out on their facebook page!
These guys from the Umbrella Corporation couldn’t figure out how to get it to work.
I found this Dalek wandering around and tricked it into getting on the Transporter pad so that I could beam it to another dimension and thus EXTERMINATE it!
But it caught up with me just as I was exiting the TARDIS (btw, this picture was taken by Bulk of the Mighty Morphine Power Rangers while we were perusing the floor, more on that later).
Luckily the War Doctor was there to help me out.
After which we headed back to the TARDIS (Hello, Sexy!)
And hung out with K-9 for awhile.
I can’t decide what my next car should be. Put your vote in the comments!
How about this one? It comes complete with Heroes in a half shell!
Or, if you’d prefer, half-clothed.
I asked this mini-Popeye if he was eating all of his spinach. His reaction? *shrug*
This little lady was totes adorbs.
These guys are so critical of EVERYTHING.
What a nightmare these two were.
Speaking of nightmares…I practically jumped behind John Mulhall’s Geddy’s Moon backdrop when this chick turned to stare at me.
Luckily there was a Goblin King nearby.
Did someone say Goblins?
Don’t know. Don’t care. They’re perty.
Alpha 6 and Zordon from Mighty Morphine Power Rangers.
Speaking of Power Rangers, there were a TON of them there. I even ended up hanging out with a bunch of them at a bar one night. Turns out that my friend and Podthingy cohost, John Mulhall, is a friend of Jason Narvy who played “Skull” on the show. So I got to hang out with Bulk (Paul Schrier) and Skull for the weekend. I even helped Bulk pick out a souvenir for his girlfriend, hence why he took my picture in front of the TARDIS – which was hilarious because I could see people recognize him but they didn’t want to interrupt him while he was taking my picture. When they did finally get a chance to approach him, he was very gracious and welcoming. Both Jason and Paul are pretty much the complete opposite of their characters on the show. Nice guys through and through.
Speaking of John Mulhall, he had a Geddy’s Moon booth there. If you haven’t read his book yet, you really should. It’s a fantastic supernatural thriller.
Jason Beckwith’s graphic novel Taking Eden is a recent new fave of mine and I desperately need to write a review of it and his other books so that you’ll all realize just how awesome they are and buy them from him.
B. Alex Thompson, writer of Hass. Love him!
I mentioned before that the balloon guy probably had the best Con experience of all of the Vendors. Geek Outlaw and I first met Donald Tran and his girlfriend when they were walking thorugh the halls of San Diego Comic Con with these amazing balloon creations on their heads. We had to stop and check them out. Turns out that SDCC was his first Con and C4 was only his second! He got such a great response to his head gear that he decided to have a booth. He worked for tips and was crazy busy the entire weekend popping out all manner of comic book, fantasy, and sci-fi creations for kids and adults alike. Naturally, I had to get a Mjolnir, which I later gave to my 5-year-old neighbor
Seriously, I’m a big fan of Donald Tran. Here’s a video of him finishing up my Mjolnir.
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The most unexpected and wonderful person I met this past weekend, was legendary MAD Magazine (amongst other things) cartoonist Sergio Aragones. And it was his birthday! He’s 77 years young and the sweetest man you could ever hope to meet. I adore him.
That wraps up my coverage of C4! Thanks for checking it out! Here’s hoping that 2015 C4 is bigger and better and a bit more organized I truly appreciate the tremendous effort of everyone who tried to make the event as smooth as possible, it was obviously a labor of love for them.
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2014 Geekie Awards
Author John Mulhall + Rock Star Blayne Alexander + Hot Nerd Girl + Geek Outlaw = Podthingy
Author John Mulhall + Rock Star Blayne Alexander + Hot Nerd Girl + Geek Outlaw = Podthingy!
I just had the pleasure of attending the 2nd annual Geekie Awards, an awards show for geeks by geeks founded by Kristen Nedopak and hosted by Khail Anonymous. The purpose of The Geekie Awards is to honor the nerdier parts of pop culture that are often ignored by other larger and more mainstream award shows. The categories include: Lifetime Achievement, Geek of the Year, Geek Cred, Indie Video Game, Art & Craft, Comics & Graphic Novels, Cosplay, Podcasts & Vlogs, Short Films, Websites & Blogs, Trailers & Videos, Fashion & Armor, Tabletop Games, Personality, and the big award of the night, Web Series.
Aside from an uncomfortably hot two hours on the black carpet (seriously, despite drinking water I started seeing stars at one point and had to sit down for a few minutes before I passed out in Manu Bennett’s arms – which, in hind sight, I probably should have just rolled with) and a few technical issues with the mics, the entire experience was a joyous voyage to my happy place. I love nothing more than to talk nerd with fellow geeks and it was an entire evening of doing just that. Nerdvana indeed. I also spotted and chatted with many of the same people I see at all of the local Cons so it was a blast seeing them in a different venue. Many of them were cosplayers there to bring out the statues during the show so they were in full costume making it easy for me to identify them. They, on the other hand, often took a second before they recognized me thanks to the fact that I was decked out in a dress and high heels. VERY different from my usual attire of jeans, t-shirt, and Chucks.
Let’s start with the aforementioned black carpet, shall we? For this I teamed up with my NerdBFF, Geek Outlaw, to tackle and talk to the various celebrities, presenters, and nominees. To watch all of the black carpet interviews and shenanigans (gods, I love that word), check out the video here:
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Some photo highlights from the black carpet!
Eric Won (Writer, Director, Producer) and Trip Hope (Executive Producer) of The Division, nominated for Best Web Series.
Kaj-Erik Eriksen (See No Evil 2; The 4400) Presenter, Best Art or Craft
Vic Mignogna (Executive Producer and star) of Star Trek Continues, nominated for Best Web Series. I had a BLAST geeking out about Star Trek with him!
Vic Holtreman (Owner) of Screen Rant, nominated for Best Website or Blog. We had a more in-depth conversation with him at the after party about how he started the site.
Jason Ritter (Parenthood; Gravity Falls) Presenter to LeVar Burton
Robert Carradine (Revenge of the Nerds; King of the Nerds) Presenter, Best Website or Blog
Randy Couture (The Expendables 2 & 3) and Mindy Robinson (King of the Nerds) Presenters, Best Trailer or Video
Greg Grunberg (Alias, Heroes, Masters of Sex, SocialTronLive) Presenter, Best Tabletop Game
Amy Dallen (Host) and Jenni Powell (Producer) of Talkin’ Comics Weekly, nominated for Best Podcast or Vlog
Lauren Bregman of Castle Corsetry, nominated for Best Fashion or Armor
Jenny Lorenzo (Host) Aggressive Comix Presents: Geekgasm, nominated for Best Personality
Tony Swatton (Star, Master Blacksmith) for Man at Arms, nominated for Best Web Series
Curtis Armstrong (Revenge of the Nerds; King of the Nerds) Presenter, Best Website or Blog
Manu Bennett (Arrow, The Hobbit trilogy, Spartacus) Presenter, Best Personality
Bonnie Gordon and Lina Carollo (The Quest)
Brian Bielawski, Co-Founder and Chairman of Gam3rCon
Doug Jones (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy trilogy, Falling Skies) Presenter, Best Cosplay
LeVar Burton (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Reading Rainbow) Geek of the Year Honoree. His super cute daughter and I bonded over our mutual love of Thor and my Mjolnir earrings while her Dad was being interviewed further down the line.
And, of course, the real star of the black carpet: The Batmobile
Once the black carpet portion was over we were whisked inside to the press area in the mezzanine. Luckily, John and Blayne had already secured seats for us so we were right up next to the railing with a great view of the stage.
Lifetime Achievement
Presenter: Stan Lee
Recipient: Gale Anne Hurd
First up was a pre-recorded video of Stan Lee (his health seems to be a bit precarious lately but he looked great in the clip!) presenting the Lifetime Achievement Award (last year he was the first recipient) to Gale Anne Hurd (The Walking Dead, Terminator).
Gale gave a rather lengthy but charming acceptance speak that included walking us through the definition and the history of the word “geek” and describing her childhood as a nerd before being a nerd was cool.
Geek of the Year
Presenter: Jason Ritter
Recipient: LeVar Burton
Next was the Geek of the Year presented by Jason Ritter to LeVar Burton. As a bonus, Greg Grunberg and someone from Gibson guitars, came out to present Burton with a guitar of his very own. A major highlight? When he busted out the theme song to Reading Rainbow.
Geek Cred
Presenter: Malik Forte
Recipient: Oculus VR (accepted via a pre-taped video message)
In between the categories and during what was technically the commercial breaks of the show, we were treated to some trailers and funny filmed comedy bits. One of the most entertaining of which was Barry Dragonman. A dragon who found early success on The Munsters, then got sucked into the world of partying, alcohol, and drugs, eventually going broke. He later found success again appearing in “Lizardnado” and Game of Thrones. It was a feel good story. Turns out the guy who played Barry was sitting right next to us.
Best Video Game
Presenters: Alison Haislip & Maude Garrett
Nominees:
Axle
Outlast
Octodad: The Dadliest Catch
Don’t Starve
The Banner SagaWinner: The Banner Saga
Best Art or Craft
Presenter: Kaj-Erik Eriksen & Anthony C. Ferrante
Nominees:
House of Darkly
Sienna Morris
Art of Kudaman
Kindra Nikole Photography
The Work of J.W. Kinsey’s ArtificeWinner: The Work of J.W. Kinsey’s Artifice
Best Comic or Graphic Novel
Presenters: Jason Charles Miller & Wendy Pini
Nominees:
Oh, Hell
Boston Metaphysical Society
The Man of Many Shades
Wicker
RuinWinner: Oh, Hell
Best Cosplay
Presenter: Doug Jones
Nominees:
Trolloc Fist (The Wheel of Time)
Big Daddy Bouncer(Bioshock)
Totoro Ball Gown
Steampunk Rowena Ravenclaw (Harry Potter)
Brienne of Tarth (Game of Thrones)Winner: Big Daddy Bouncer (Bioshock)
This is the part where a baby T-Rex came out and Doug Jones had to awkwardly inform him that he’d already gotten the part in Jurassic World. Check out the clip and hilarious baby T-Rex impression HERE:
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Some stills:
Best Podcast or Vlog
Presenter: Lucky Yates & Rob Paulsen
Nominees:
Gecken
Talkin’ Comics Weekly
We’re Alive – A Story of Survival
AMC Movie Talk
Sword and LaserWinner: Talkin’ Comics Weekly
Best Short Film
Presenters: Mark Ordesky & Jane Fleming
Nominees:
The Hitchhiker
Future Hero
Splinter Cell Extraction
Kepler X-47
The Field of VisionWinner: The Hitchhiker
At this point the Founder of The Geekie Awards, Kristen Nedopak, came out to give her spiel.
Best Website or Blog
Presenters: Curtis Armstrong & Robert “Bobby” Carradine
Nominees:
The Escapist
International Geek Girl Pen Pal Club
Set to Stunning
Screen Rant
Geek Girl AuthorityWinner: Screen Rant
To watch Curtis and Bobby talk about being the oldest nerds there and other funniness, check out a snippet of their interaction (including a hilarious in-character laugh from Bobby) HERE:
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Best Trailer or Video
Presenter: Randy Couture & Mindy Robinson
Nominees:
Nothing to Prove – Geek Girls & The Doubleclicks
Wonder Woman
Brielle and the Horror: The Graphic Novel Trailer
The Doctor Games (Parody Trailer)
Legends of the KnightWinner: Legends of the Knight
For some reason this segued into a rather awkward bit in which the host brought Catwoman onto the stage and asked for a volunteer from the audience who would like to be whipped. I have a feeling that this looked a lot better on paper. But, hey, we’re geeks and we’re awkward, so I guess it was kind of perfect in a way.
Best Fashion or Armor
Presenter: Jessica Merizan & HipHop Stormtrooper
Nominees:
Kayla Stojek / Zombie Peepshow
Lauren Bregman / Castle Corsetry
John McGovern / Sharp Mountain Weather
Catherine Kim / IAMKNIGHT
Donna Ricci / Clockwork CoutureWinner: Lauren Bregman / Castle Corsetry
Best Tabletop Game
Presenters: Greg Grunberg & Brea Grant
Nominees:
Little Wizards
Forbidden Desert
Dread Curse
Council of Verona
BelfortWinner: Belfort
(They were a no-show so the award was accepted by Greg Grunberg, who also helpfully reminded us that this year marks the 40th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons)Best Personality
Presenters: Manu Bennett (who took it upon himself to moon us…not that I’m complaining) & Olga Kay
Nominees:
Kim Horcher
Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox
Jenny Lorenzo
Jenna Busch
Danni DangerWinner: Jenny Lorenzo
Best Web Series
Presenters: Mychal Thompson & Meghan Camarena
Nominees:
Caper
Star Trek Continues
The Record Keeper
The Division
AWEme “Man at Arms”Winner: Star Trek Continues
We were then treated to a performance by Songhammer before spending a few minutes hanging out at the after party where we chatted some more with Doug Jones and a few of the winners.
All in all, a delightful experience that I very much hope to repeat next year!
For more information about The Geekie Awards go HERE!
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San Diego Comic-Con 2014 (Part 3) – Joss Whedon Nerd HQ and Outlander Premier
Hot Nerd Girl Outlander
Welcome to Part 3 of my San Diego Comic-Con wrap-up! This section is all about the Joss Whedon Nerd HQ panel-turned-last-minute-Mystery-Guest-panel and the Outlander premier.
If you missed Part 1 go HERE. If you missed Part 2 go HERE.
NERD HQ
Hayden (Geek Outlaw), Podthingy cohost John Mulhall, HNG Podcast cohost Darcy Villere, and I were all really excited to nab tickets to the Joss Whedon Nerd HQ panel. Nerd HQ panels are quickly becoming the hottest ticket in town during SDCC and the tickets sell out, literally, in the blink of an eye. I’m not joking. I blinked and the tickets for The Walking Dead and Nathan Fillion panels were GONE. Joss had been our first choice though so we were happy just to walk away with tickets to his “Conversation for a Cause” benefiting Operation Smile. Then, the day before the panel, a rumor started circulating that Joss had been laid up with a sudden knee surgery and wouldn’t be able to make it. We had no idea if they would cancel the panel or Skype Joss in or try to make it up to us by bringing in someone else. It turned into the ultimate Mystery Panel (though my bet was always on Nathan Fillion). We had no idea right up until the moment we took our seats and the show started.
It turned out that I was right and out walked Nathan Fillion, quickly followed by Liam McIntyre (Spartacus), Chloe Bennet (Agents of SHIELD), Seth Green, and Alan Tudyk.
During the very first audience question my phone buzzed with a text message from Darcy who was sitting on the other side of the theater with John. Turns out Hayden and I were on camera the entire time the girl was asking her question and Darcy snapped a picture of it.
One of the audience members got more than she bargained for when she tried to ask a question. First Liam showed that he was paying rapt attention.
Then everyone else decided to join him. With the exception of Seth who decided it was more important to take pictures for posterity.
Then, about halfway through – tada!- Joss Whedon turned up via Skype from his bed in London where they were just finishing up filming Avengers: Age of Ultron.
And proved that he is, indeed, the Puppet Master.
Watch the entire Nerd HQ Conversation with Joss Whedon and Mystery Panel here (keep an eye out for me and Geek Outlaw at 10:52):
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STARZ OUTLANDER PREMIER
Yes, I’m dressed like Captain Malcolm Reynolds. We came straight from Comic-Con, mmmkay?
I’ve been a voracious reader for as long as I can remember and, as a result, I quickly got tired of books meant for my age group and was always on the lookout for books that would challenge me. This is why, when I was around the age of 14 or so, my Dad handed me a book that my Stepmom had recommended to him and said “here, read this, I think you’ll like it.” That book was Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and I was smitten. It took several more years but I eventually convinced Mama Jedi to give it a try and she quickly became as enraptured by the story of Jamie and Claire as I was. Outlander is one of those books that I’ve recommended to more people than I can count. Whenever someone asked me what book I would want to make into a movie, I never hesitated to say Outlander. So it was quite fitting that two Star Trek alums (I’m a Trekkie in case you’re new here), Ronald D. Moore and Ira Steven Behr, made it happen in a way that honors the spirit and vision of the world Gabaldon created.
First we waited in a rather lengthy line and completely skipped Hall H in order to check out the SDCC panel. Panelists: Ronald D. Moore (Producer), Diana Gabaldon (Writer), Caitriona Balfe (Claire Randall), Sam Heughan (Jamie Fraser), Tobias Menzies (Frank Randall/Black Jack Randall), Graham McTavish (Dougal MacKenzie), Lotte Verbeek (Geillis Duncan)
Turns out, in Scotland, Gaelic is pronounced “Gall-ick” not “Gay-lick.” I learn something new every day. We also learned that they thought it would be most difficult to cast the part of Jamie but it turns out they found Heughan pretty quickly and ended up having the hardest time casting Claire. Like me, Gabaldon was not initially impressed with Heughan’s look and couldn’t picture him as Jamie (I believe she initially called him “hideous” – ha!), but then she saw him in the part and he grew on her (me too). Moore has included Gabaldon pretty much every step of the way, resulting in a TV series that Gabaldon is both excited about and proud of. Gabaldon and George RR Martin are good friends and will often commiserate with and try to one-up each other. For example, it seems that Martin is quite jealous that Outlander has 16 episodes instead of just ten. We even got a highly amusing kilt twirl from Ron Moore.
Mama Jedi and I also visited the Outlander booth in the Exhibitor Hall a few times. Which had everything to do with checking out the period props and nothing at all to do with the handsome men in kilts *ahem*
Thanks to a little help from Geek Outlaw, we managed to nab a couple of passes to the Starz World Premier at the Spreckels Theatre just a few blocks down from the Convention Center.
The crowd was impressive, as was the plaid carpet.
Once inside, we were forced, forced I tell you, to walk through the lobby between two rows of even more handsome men in kilts standing on logs and boulders looking all tall and manly. Mama Jedi was a bit twitterpated, methinks. I almost tripped and fell flat on my face at one point because I was too busy looking at all of the studliness surrounding me and not even remotely paying attention to where I was going. I have no idea if anyone saw that. I’m really hoping that nobody saw that.
Luckily our seats were on the aisle…
… so we had a great view of the theatre and the screen with its bevy of Scottish Highlander historical FAQ.
The women behind and to the right of us seemed to be in a group together and they were pretty much obsessed with getting pictures of the actors. Every time I looked over my shoulder all I saw was a sea of glowing smart phone screens.
When the actors finally did walk in, every woman (and some of the men) jumped to their feet and surged forward. I was slightly concerned for the actor’s safety, but the fans ended up behaving themselves. Can you tell how amused I was by all of this by the fact that I took pictures of the people as opposed to pictures of the actors?
The one exception I made was Tobias Menzies who walked by right next to me and was so close that this was the picture I got and my camera wasn’t even zoomed in.
The show started with some intro music by three lovely and talented female bagpipe players.
The first episode did not disappoint. It is available to watch HERE for those who are interested (trust me, be interested).
We were then treated to a Q&A with the same folks we saw on the Comic-Con panel…
… and an almost flash from Graham McTavish.
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After which we got a proverbial cherry topper to our Outlander ice cream in the form of a musical performance from none other than composer Bear McCreary himself.
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All in all, a fabulous experience well worth skipping dinner for.
And that wraps up my 2014 San Diego Comic-Con wrap-up! Thanks for tuning in and I’ll see you at the next Con!
Here’s Part 1 and Part 2 in case you missed them.
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HNG’s Music Video Debut – Lydia’s Libido “Like You”
hot nerd girl lydias libido
One of my male parental figures, Dean Minnerly aka Popi, is in a band called Lydia’s Libido based out of Ft. Worth, Texas and about a month ago they came to California for their “Kiss the Frog” tour. While they were in Los Angeles they decided to film a couple of music videos for the album and asked me if I was interested in being in one of them. Of course I said yes. Of course I had absolutely zero knowledge what the music video was going to be about.–
Then two days before I’m set to drive up to LA with Mama Jedi I get a call from Dean.–Dean: “Do you own any vampire fangs?”Me: “Uhhh…no…”Dean: “Ok, I’ll pick you up a pair. See you soon!”*click*–I probably should have thought that was a strange exchange. But we’re a strange family so I didn’t think much about it. The next day I get an email from guitarist Gary McGrath with the address of the shoot. I emailed him back asking what I should wear/pack.–Gary: “Dress like a vampire.”–Uh oh.–I packed most of the black/gothic-esque clothing I own which tends to lean more towards Badass Superhero than it does Horror and figured I’d let them decide what I was going to wear.–The next night Mama Jedi and I drove up to a tiny little LA apartment filled with music memorabilia and band gear. I’m introduced to the residents, band promoter and host of LA Rocks, Red Beard and his wife, Epiphany.–At this point I still know nothing about the story line of this music video, just that it involves vampires.–Me: “So, what’s this music video about?”Gary: “You and Epiphany are going to seduce (lead singer) Olivia in this bed on these satin sheets.”Me: (awkward pause) “……….Dean did inform you that I’m a tomboy and I’m really, really awful at being sexy….right?”Gary: (laughs) “You’ll do fine!”–He then proceeded to point to the skin-tight pleather leggings and the black corset in my suitcase and said “wear those.”–We spent the next half hour trying to figure out how to get the vampire fangs to mold to our teeth so that we could pop them on and off. I never really did figure it out and if you look closely, the left one is cocked off to the side a bit. Because I’m a huge dork.–This is about the time that I’m told Epiphany is a porn star and a contortionist. I’m officially fascinated. I have never met a porn star before. She turns out to be a little kooky but very, very sweet. And shocker of all shockers, she’s about 100 million billion times better at being sexy than I am and completely fearless. I am NOT completely fearless. I decided to suck it up (hee hee hee) and went for it, being as sexy as I possibly could (which really isn’t saying much). Being the extremely awkward person that I am, I was cracking jokes and making everyone laugh in between takes. Hopefully that was a good thing.–Aaaaaaand here’s the end result. Pretty much everyone who knows me personally has laughed out loud for real the first time I show up on screen. Because I’m a huge dork.–Full disclosure: if you work in an uptight office, this is mildly NSFW. Very mildly. Enjoy!–––So there you go, my music video debut! I must say, the music video turned out ah-mazing. I never would have guessed it would be the end product based on how it was filmed. I’ve never been on a music video set before so the fact that everyone was talking and not being mindful of noise was mind-blowing to me (I was a theatre major and silence during shows or on a film set is paramount). However, I hovered behind the cinematographer while he was filming at times and the shots he was getting were incredible.–If you want to see something completely different and really, really fun (seriously, I LOVE this one), here’s another one of their recent music videos:–––To check out more of Lydia’s Libido…they just took the tour to Las Vegas…go here:Interwebs: http://www.lydiaslibido.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lydiaslibidobandTwitter: https://twitter.com/Lydias_Libido–Thanks to Dean, Gary, Olivia, Andy, and Shawn for letting me dork it up in their music video and to Mama Jedi and everyone else who helped and who made me feel just slightly more comfortable because the gods know I was REALLY uncomfortable. Hopefully I faked it pretty well -
WonderCon 2014 – Part 2 (Costumes and Cosplay and Characters – oh my!)
Geek Outlaw and Hot Nerd Girl on the loose
If you missed Part 1 of my 2014 WonderCon wrap up (Panels, Floor, and Shenanigans), be sure to check it out HERE! I attended the Con with my NerdBFF Hayden aka Geek Outlaw and Mama Jedi.
Mama Jedi and I dressed up as Sherlock and Dr. John Watson on Saturday!
Part 2 is all about the costumes so, without further ado…
Let’s start off with Video Game Cosplay!
We’ve got a couple of Portal fans.
Some Mario Kart fans.
And then some friends of friends who are also Super Mario Bros. fans.
It’s a Mario Bunny!
Speaking of games….hey! I found Waldo!
Monsters like to play games, let’s move on to Horror.
Freddy Krueger was trying to be all intimidating.
Sherlock was not impressed with him or his friends.
They’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky…
Hats don’t kill people, people in hats kill people.
You know what’s kind of scary? Decepticons.
Luckily Michelangelo and Rafael were just a few feet away.
Homers…
So many Homers…
Mo and HNG were not impressed by them.
But Woody was! I yelled out “Andy’s coming!” but he shook his head and kept walking
Ariel out of the sea.
Ariel in the sea…with her friends…wait a minute…
Hey, nice crab!
Let’s finish up Disney with some Maleficent.
From one bad ass woman to another…Xena!
Hey, that’s not Daenerys!
I was seriously tempted to stage a rescue for this poor little Hobbit.
There was some great Steampunk costumes.
This is our recently acquired friend, Capt. Seekerman, who we met at ConDor in San Diego.
And here is the back of his costume showing off his steam-powered (yes, actually steam-powered) wings that fold up and down.
Just like I have a NerdBFF in Geek Outlaw, Capt. Seekerman‘s NerdBFF is Andrea.
This guy is part of Vocademy, a group that helps and teaches others how to make elaborate costume pieces like this hat that he keeps adding pieces to including an old school Mickey Mouse watch he’s had since he was a kid.
I swear I know that guy with the goatee from somewhere but I cannot for the life of me remember where. He said it was his very first convention so it’s not that. It’s seriously going to bug me until I remember.
Steampunk to Sci-Fi is a natural transition, let’s go there next!
Steampunk Boba Fett recognized me and remembered that there was a price on my head.
I snuck past him and then spotted this little Droid wandering the Floor…
Obviously trying to escape from Darth Vader who had already taken an Ewok hostage.
I managed to escape only because this guy warned me it was a trap.
This Stormtrooper tried to take me to Darth Vader anyways.
Luckily Darth Vader was distracted by Dark Helmet.
I was (barely) aided in my escape by these guys.
Only to discover General Grievous coming after me.
Lando thinks he helped, but he didn’t.
It was this lovely Ewok
Party time! Because Bith Happens.
Wait, is that George Lucas?? Nope, it was just a random guy who happened to be walking by and we literally shoved him into our picture.
This guy is 6’4″ and Mama Jedi is 5’0″. I love taking pictures of her next to tall people. It makes me happy. I don’t know why.
Let’s crossover into Star Trek with this lovely crossover. Awww, free face hugs! That’s sweet.
This guy made up his own alien species. Clever boy. (Ignore The Comedian in the background, she’ll get her turn later).
His made up alien kind of reminds me of a Vinvocci so let’s segue into Doctor Who.
This lovely 10th Doctor caught me just as I was entering the Con on Saturday morning.
I ran into another 10th Doctor and 4th Doctor hanging out together, obviously John Mulhall’s nearby Geddy’s Moon booth provided the necessary paradox for a time crash.
They must have resolved it because I ran into the 4th Doctor again later in the day. It’s always a good day when I get two Jelly Babies.
The 11th Doctor was a little spacey that day.
I think he missed his “Sexy.” Don’t worry, I found her.
This annoying lady kept asking me to moisturize her. It was super creepy.
With Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart‘s help…
…I found a treasure trove of Doctor Who characters.
Hey! It’s the 11th Doctor again!
Who ya gonna call?
Ghostbusters!
We run into these guys at so many Cons, they decided to give Hayden an honorary patch. I don’t know who was more excited, Geek Outlaw or Stay Puft.
I asked where Vera was and he pointed at me. I think he’s had a bit too much Mudder’s Milk.
Please excuse me while I scold Dr. Horrible.
What’s Illyria doing hanging out with Harley Quinn?
I don’t know but I’m going to use it to switch over to Comic cosplay!
My 5-year-old nephew is a huge fan of this Riddler (and here’s another one). So much so that, when Zeke wouldn’t eat his vegetables, Riddler intervened and Zeke is still eating his vegetables to this day!
As a result, I am not known as “Hot Nerd Girl” to this group, but instead as “Zeke’s Aunt” which suits me just fine This talented group of Cosplayers go by the names Smile-X Villain Co. and Pieced Together Cosplay and they have several different versions of their Gotham Villain costumes. Here’s a more traditional…
And a seriously kick ass punk rock take. I’ve also seen them in PJ’s.
Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy.
Hayden was scared of Harley Quinn.
But I correctly deduced that her weapon could not harm me.
It’s OK, Robin’s here to deal with all of these villains. But where’s Batman?
You have a choice between Comfy Pajama Batman…
…or Sparkly Disco Batman.
OMG! It’s Tracy AND Dick Tracy!
Iron Man and Doctor Doom had a crowd of people around them taking pictures so Mama Jedi decided to photobomb them.
Here’s what everyone else’s pictures look like. Muah hahahahaha!
Oh wait, except ours
Black Widow in the hizzouse!
Don’t get any ideas Geek Outlaw!
Uh oh.
Thor will take care of that.
Unless Loki gets in the way.
Sue Storm and Silver Surfer will help.
What up, Spidey?
Nevermind, I can see you’re busy.
The Rocketeer, one of my all-time faves.
Sexy Comedian finally gets her turn.
Colonel Stars and Stripes!
Rick Grimes pre-Walker Apocalypse.
And don’t forget, kids….
Amen.
Thanks for checking out the 2014 WonderCon coverage, hope you enjoyed all of the fabulous costumes! Huge thanks to the Cosplayers who let us take their pictures!
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Side note: the first run of HNG calendars sold out (yay!) and I need to order some more for an upcoming event. If anyone would like to get one, now’s the time to order! The calendar features all of the nerdy holidays (and the regular ones too) and a convention calendar. Order one today!
