Hot Nerd Girl

Category: Sci-Fi

  • Doctor Who Burlesque!

    1114posterMM

    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!

  • HNG Podcast #9 – These Are the Voyages

    John DF Black promoting the book with Balok

    John DF Black promoting These Are the Voyages with Balok

    I’m a HUGE Trekker. If you don’t know this about me than you’re probably new around here. It was my introduction to nerdom and I’ve literally been watching it since the day I was born. So when I saw a booth at Comikaze advertising a Star Trek book called These are the Voyages: TOS, Season One I was intrigued and I had to buy one of the signed copies.

    About a month ago at Comikaze

    Written and assembled by Marc Cushman, it was being hailed (pun intended) by many as the best Star Trek book ever written. Now, I’ve read many, many Star Trek books on topics ranging from physics to gagh, including reading each edition of the Star Trek Encyclopedia cover to cover and most of the continuing universe sagas. I’ve loved every one of them but this claim was something I had to experience for myself.

    Author Marc Cushman

    I was not disappointed. If anything, I was enthralled. Quite simply, if you’re a Trekkie or a Trekker or a Trekken, you have to read this book. The forward is written by John D.F. Black, the last surviving Producer of Star Trek, and Mary Black, his lovely wife who was his secretary and who read every script and note that landed on John’s desk.

    While at Comikaze I exchanged business cards with the lovely folks running the booth and when the opportunity arose to interview Marc, John and Mary on the podcast, Darcy and I jumped on it. What follows is one of the greatest moments that has happened to me since I started HNG back in 2010. The chance to discuss Star Trek with people who were there and with someone who is, in mine and I’m sure many other people’s opinions, one of the foremost authorities on the subject.

    I really hope that you enjoy this podcast because I had soooo much fun recording it!

    Enjoy 🙂

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

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    And be sure to purchase These are the Voyages: TOS, Season One HERE.

    These are the Voyages: TOS, Season Two will be out in February!

  • HNG Podcast: Doctor Who Edition

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    Its official, we have a 12th Doctor! Peter Capaldi will be taking over the reigns from Matt Smith this Christmas and, while I’ll be so sad to see Matt go, I’m unbelievably excited to see what Peter will bring to the fish finger and custard-laden table. Darcy and I ended up talking about the Doctor Who ‘verse almost exclusively during this week’s podcast and we had A LOT of fun doing it. We also went into Torchwood quite a bit and speculated over the identity of the mysterious black actor who was offered and turned down (?!?!!) the role before it was offered to Peter Capaldi.

    Allons-y!

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

    And don’t forget to pre-order a copy of Forging Freedom, the anthology I contributed a sci-fi story to. The Anthology is being released in September and I’m taking pre-orders for anyone who is interested in getting it for the special pre-sale price of $15 which includes shipping. I’ll only be taking pre-orders until August 17th. I’ll get the copies by September 13th and I’ll ship it to you immediately following (I’ll also sign it unless you specify not to). In late September the book will be available on Amazon and in stores.

  • Star Trek Into Darkness Reviewed

    HNG Star Trek Into Darkness

    So many nerdy posters but not a single Star Trek one to be found

    I know that this review crazy late but I’ve been dealing with some stuff that I might write about later so… c’est la vie, mes chers amis!

    There isn’t much in this world that I love more than Star Trek. It excites and inspires me like nothing else. I managed to see Star Trek Into Darkness twice before opening day. My coworker convinced me to enter a costume contest that a local news station was having so I submitted this picture at the last minute and ended up winning the grand prize. No one was more surprised than me, let me tell you! My prize was VIP tickets to a Wednesday night showing, $80 in concessions, and a gift bag full of Star Trek Into Darkness goodies like a sweatshirt, t-shirt, poster, fake tattoos, cups, and some kind of Bluetooth device that I haven’t figured out yet. So I took my Mama and stood at the concession counter while two employees ran around collecting $80 worth of Red Vines and Junior Mints. Then I saw it again with my friends at a Thursday night preview. Both times were in 3D and I will probably see it again in 2D just for the heck of it.

    *WARNING: I usually try really hard not to spoil things but I can’t help it when it comes to anything Star Trek related and I spoil the shit out of this so beware. Also, it’s been out a week so you should have seen it by now.

    [youtube:http://youtu.be/QAEkuVgt6Aw]

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    A brief synopsis: Starfleet’s been doing pretty swell since Nero got knocked down but a new threat has emerged and no one seems to know how or why, just that he’s blowing shit up and they want him to stop. It’s up to Kirk and his crew to stop this one man Army using whatever means necessary. They think they’ve accomplished this task until Robocop shows up and turns out not to be such a good guy after all. 72 Augmenticles, 2 starships, a few thousand lens flares, and a half-naked baby mama later and our favorite alternate reality crew is finally off on their five year mission and a third movie.

    Kirk (Chris Pine) has the Enterprise. Kirk loses the Enterprise. Kirk gets the Enterprise back. Enterprise loses Kirk. Enterprise gets Kirk back. Some would call this a better love story than Twilight. But I digress. Kirk is riding pretty high at the beginning of this movie. He pretty much thinks he’s invincible and it’s up to Admiral Pike to knock him down a few pegs (or Peggs…?) Just as soon as the message sinks in he’s thrust back into being a rock star and has to save the day from enemies on two fronts. You’d think being thrown out of a trash chute with a genetically engineered superman would humble the dude. It doesn’t, but he learns a lot and by the end of the movie he gets a bit philosophical, saying “revenge is not who we are.” A nice little twist of the “revenge is a dish best served cold” bit of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Speaking of twists…Kirk and Spock’s little sacrificial switch-a-roo kind of annoyed me the first time I saw it. The second time I saw it I appreciated it more even though…..

    ……Spock’s redux of the famous (and infamous) “KHAAAAAAAAAN!!!” call was only slightly less cheesy than Kirk’s original. Is it just me, or was Spock way too emotional in this movie? Don’t get me wrong, I lurv me some Zachary Quinto, missing earflaps and all, but the crying and the talking about the feelings and the anger were all very un-Spock-like. Like everyone else, I applauded when Spock Prime (Leonard Nimoy) Skyped in to break his own rule and discuss how his crew defeated Khan “at great cost.” I hope he shows up in every post-JJ-era Star Trek flick. Spock got some of the coolest scenes in the whole movie. In addition to fighting with a volcano, Khan, Uhura, and some Klingons, he got to use all his Vulcan tricks: nerve pinches, mind-melds, and leaping great distances in a single bound. His moments with Kirk were especially comedic.

    Uhura (Zoe Saldana) got to be pretty badass in this movie. She stood up to the Klingons and swooped in to save the day when her boyfriend (who she also fought with) was taking a beating. Alternate universe Uhura is turning into the mama bear of the crew. She’s got a fierceness and a gentleness about her that exist in relatively perfect harmony. Her feistiness probably wouldn’t fly in a real-life military but for the movies it’s entertaining to watch her throw her earpiece across the bridge’s console.

    McCoy and the metaphors! Bones (Karl Urban) spit out so many that it was almost – ALMOST – too much. He’s lucky I love metaphors, bad puns, and cheesy lines. I drew the line at “Damnit Spock, I’m a Doctor not a torpedo technician!” That was, in fact, too far. However, the scene where he’s trying to examine Kirk on the sly was absolute perfection.

    Scotty (Simon Pegg) is running. He just thought you should know. Pegg is an absolute and sorely underutilized gem. He’s got more to do than he did in Star Trek (2009) but he needs more scenes to chew on because, my God, the man spits out gold every time he opens his mouth. He’s a little pissed off in this movie. First his ship is submerged in salt water, then transporter technology that he created is being used and abused, then he’s forced to resign his commission over a morality dispute, then “One day he’s been off this ship. One day!” and it’s falling apart. Still, he plays a huge part in saving the day and Kirk declares him “a miracle worker.” Poor guy needs some scotch and a foot massage. His friend Keenser (Deep Roy) pulls a Major “King” Kong and straddles a torpedo but disappears before the real action begins.

    Sadly, Sulu (John Cho) doesn’t have much to do in this movie, with one major exception. He gets to sit in the Captain’s chair for a while and deliver an announcement to Khan full of truly epic badassery. It’s intimidating and unexpected enough that Bones (having previously underestimated him) looks over and says “remind me never to piss you off.”

    On the other hand, Chekov (Anton Yelchin) gets slightly more to do. When Scotty resigns, Chekov gets promoted (?) to Chief Engineer and looks truly aghast when Kirk orders him to “put on a red shirt.” He spends most of his time running around with a nifty pair of goggles on (I don’t remember seeing anyone else in Engineering with goggles, but meh).

    The good guys are rounded out by a new addition, Dr. Carol Marcus (Alice Eve). She’s the daughter of Admiral Marcus and the future mother of Kirk’s son, David (if this timeline follows the original timeline). She’s got a gratuitous but not at all offensive (not to me at least, I thought the scene was funny) moment in her underwear and a scream reminiscent of a velociraptor.

    Benedict Cumberbatch can do no wrong. Even his name is amazing. I’m a MAJOR Sherlock fan (though I draw the line at Cumberbitch fangirl status thankyouverymuch) and while, yes, BC is very handsome, I’m far more attracted to his fantastic acting chops. He definitely does not disappoint here. He relishes every line of dialogue and every facial expression. He expresses more in a sideways glance then some actors do in an entire movie *coughcoughKristenStewartcoughcough* I’m seriously considering referring to him as Benedict Skullcrusher from now on. Also, did anyone else notice that he turns into Emo Khan when he’s fighting?

    In the movie Khan declares that he’s better than everyone in every way. But he doesn’t really explain why. So if you’re a Star Trek virgin, you’re probably wondering why he’s so much better. Allow me to fill you in: way back in 1992 (you remember, right?) genetically engineered super humans developed a superiority complex and decided to take over the world. They managed to take over about 40% of it with Khan Noonien Singh as their absolute ruler. This resulted in a series of conflicts called the Eugenics or Great Wars. The normal old boring humans managed to defeat the “Augments” in 1996 but about 80 of them, including Khan, went missing until they were discovered in suspended animation aboard the SS Botany Bay by the crew of the USS Enterprise about 200 years later. Here’s how they are “better”: The Augments were designed to be remarkably agile, five times stronger than, and twice as intelligent as a normal human, resistant to sickness and with enhanced senses, possessing heart muscles twice as strong and lung efficiency 50% better. Their blood contained platelets capable of regenerating from any disease or toxin, which could be used to cure or revive medical subjects via transfusion. They also had twice the average lifespan. Even their resistance to energy weapons was improved, as it took multiple shots with a phase pistol to stun one. In combat, they were even capable of resisting a Vulcan nerve pinch and mind meld. Unfortunately, along with those awesome abilities comes a massive increase in aggression, ambition, and all around douchebaggery.

    Speaking of douchebags…Admiral Alexander Marcus (Peter Weller) is one. Can’t quite figure out where you know him from? It’s Robocop. Sure, he’s been in a few things since then, but trust me, it’s Robocop. You’re welcome. You start off liking Admiral Marcus. He’s no-nonsense and doesn’t mind hearing what the youngins have to say. Then he goes and tries to start an intergalactic war with his brand new supership and you start to change your mind a little. Then he reveals that he’s been planning to murder craploads of innocent people just to further his agenda and you start to understand why Khan squeezed his head until his skull cracked open like a walnut.

    To many folks Thomas Harewood (Noel Clarke) may seem like a minor character. Sure, he gets the action started by blowing up Section 31, but why should we care about him? Because he’s also Mickey Smith, former Companion to the Doctor who was, at one point, thrust into a parallel universe. He did make his way back to our universe eventually but who’s to say he didn’t get a hold of a vortex manipulator and find himself trapped in the 23rd century??

    A few final notes:

    I like the warp signature effect, even though it reminds me of “the more you know” NBC thing from when I was a kid, what with all the sparkles and tinkling and stuff.

    When did the Starfleet uniforms get hats? I don’t ever remember hats but in this movie they were everywhere, especially when paired with the grey dress uniforms. Must be an alternate timeline thing.

    The USS Bradbury. I can think of no greater honor.

    42 people died when Harewood blew up Section 31. I just always feel the need to point out when the number 42 is used in anything.

    The ash rain on Spock at the Daystrom Institute. It was very poetic.

    Miss Jeanette (Aisha Hinds) from True Blood took over Navigation from Chekov. Every time I saw her I pictured a voodoo ceremony.

    What happened to the red shirts who went with Kirk, Spock, and Uhura down to Kronos? They swapped out their red shirts for some generic leather jackets, made it to the surface and then were never seen again. I’m assuming they perished in the fight with the Klingons but when?? I like to know/see when Ensign Ricky bites the dust.

    Carol mentions her friend Christine Chapel who got as far away from Kirk as she could and became a nurse. This is the second time Nurse Chapel has been mentioned in the new films but we still haven’t seen her.

    Spock: “Our options are limited. We cannot fire and we cannot flee.” I LOL’d.

    Khan’s speech on board the USS Vengeance was very in keeping with the original Khan.

    The shot of the Enterprise regaining it’s thrusters and slowly rising through the clouds was GORGEOUS.

    Whudda thunk that a noble Tribble would help to save the day? The shirt I wore the first time I saw it turned out to be very appropriate. Sometimes I’m psychic that way.

    I happen to like the lense flares.

    I got really excited by stuff like Section 31, pregnant Gorns, and a reference to the “Mudd Incident.”

    It was nice to hear Chris Pine give the Star Trek shpeel with the “5 year mission” added back.

    No one knew what to expect from the 2009 reboot. Thankfully, it turned out to be magical with just the right amount of inside Trekkie jokes for those in the know. They attempted to recapture that magic here and, to be honest, they just tried too hard at times. They are definitely focusing more on action than substance, which in some ways is a shame because that’s not what Star Trek is all about. It’s about diplomacy and exploration first and violence as a last resort. The conversation between Kirk and Scotty over the torpedoes addressed that which I was grateful for, but the big explosions and fighting cheapen it just a little. That being said, I’m a big fan of action and it’s also helping to attract a crowd that normally wouldn’t give Star Trek the time of day so I appreciate the contribution it’s making to the fandom. The more fans the merrier! It means that much more Star Trek for me in the future 🙂

    And so ends my review of The Wrath of Khan 2.0. What did you think of the movie?

    4 out of 5 Sci-Fives! (for once my Sci-Five graphic is 100% appropriate)

     

    If you like pictures like this:

    Then don’t forget to buy a calendar! It’s got every nerdy holiday you can imagine, plus a super handy convention calendar, and some never-before-seen pictures that will never, ever be seen anywhere else. I know it’s May but it’s worth it to get the 2013 calendar. Besides, if I don’t sell these, then there probably won’t be one next year so, ya know…buy one  Since it’s May, they’re super discounted (I promise you I’m not making a fortune off of them) and the price includes taxes and shipping within the US and Canada (if you live outside of the US/Canada then email me at princesstrek@hotmail.com). AND I’ll sign it if you want.

  • “The Best of Both Worlds” on the big screen

    Aw yeah, that’s a baby Borg on my t-shirt!

    Aw yeah, that’s a baby Borg on my t-shirt!

    Star Trek is my first nerdy love. Without it, I would not be the nerd I am today. I’ve said before that I literally have no memory of my life without Star Trek. Watching The Original Series with my parents on Saturday nights is one of my earliest memories and, although I was very young when The Next Generation came on the air, I was not so young that I don’t remember watching it for the first time very clearly. In my humble opinion it is, quite simply, the greatest franchise ever created.

    The Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “The Best of Both Worlds” is arguably one of the greatest cliff hangers in the history of television. So, when my friend Mike reminded me that it was going to be playing in movie theatres across the country this past Thursday evening in all its remastered glory, I immediately bought my ticket.

    Me and my friend Mike before the show

    I love seeing stuff from my childhood on the big screen. In a relatively recent phenomenon, they’ve started bringing movies back to the theatres for limited runs.  Movies like Star Wars, Top Gun, Jurassic Park, and The Lion King. It’s so much better than remaking a movie and introduces them to a whole new generation. When I lived in Los Angeles, they would have events where they would play a movie on the big screen for the first time in decades, then have people who worked on the movie do a Q&A panel afterwards. My NerdBFF Geek Outlaw and I went to one of these for Ghostbusters and LOVED it. Events like that are one of the few things I miss about living in LA.

    The lights went down and we were immediately treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the making of “The Best of Both Worlds, part I & II” that included interviews with the people involved and fan reactions to the season three cliffhanger. Some highlights:

    –          Patrick Stewart recalled how a woman pulled up next to him while driving, rolled down her window, and shouted “You ruined our summer!” and a guy walking past him in the NY subway, paused in front of him momentarily and said “You’re keeping it real.”

    –          The late, great Michael Piller wrote the episode thinking he’d be leaving the show and someone else would have to figure out how to get the crew out of this mess. Of course, he ended up sticking around and had to clean up after himself.

    –          For some reason, I never put two and two together that Elizabeth Dennehy (LCDR Shelby) was Brian Dennehy’s daughter. Which is weird because I LOVE Brian Dennehy. Turns out he didn’t really want her to do an episode of Star Trek. Elizabeth didn’t really know anything about the franchise. It was one of her first auditions after moving to Los Angeles and she didn’t know enough about it to be intimidated. She also didn’t realize that it wasn’t like working on a soap opera (where you apparently get several hours to just sit around and learn your lines) and was completely unprepared the first day of shooting. She learned quickly and never made that mistake again.

    –          I’ve never been one to notice hairdos, but once Elizabeth Dennehy pointed out how much hairspray was used in her updo, I couldn’t help but notice how it affected other people’s hair.

    That’s DOES look like it takes way more time than a Commander has in the morning.

    Especially Dr. Crusher’s, whose hair pretty much didn’t move when she turned her head. It was like a gloriously shellacked red waterfall.

    I never understood why one side of her hair was longer than the other

    –          They showed how they achieved many of the special effects and how they remastered them for the Blu-ray. The hardest part was the starship graveyard at Wolf 359, mostly because of their limited budget.

    –          I’m always struck by how the actors have to pretend like they’re being jostled around when the ship is struck by enemy fire. When I was a kid they had an attraction at Universal Studios in which members of the audience were called up to participate in some scenes from Star Trek. We got to see firsthand how they put together an episode, including having to fake being bounced around in your seat. So I‘ve always known that this is how it’s done. But it’s quite funny to see the actors do it over and over again, take after take, with a completely straight face.

    Then it was time for the episodes, which they combined to make a feature length presentation. In case you haven’t seen the episodes, here’s a little summary/background information:

    First seen in the 2nd season episode “Q Who” (thanks to Q playfully tossing the USS Enterprise right in the path of a Cube), the Borg have been on the Federation’s mind for years. None more so than Admiral JP Hanson and Lieutenant Commander Shelby who have been working tirelessly to develop weapons and defenses based on what they know from the Enterprise’s encounter. They assumed it would take the Borg a certain amount of time to reach the Alpha Quadrant but they severely underestimated the Borg’s capabilities and they arrived much sooner than planned. The Borg’s goal is to reach Sector 001 aka Earth. To do this, they need to tap someone’s brain, someone who has the knowledge they need to get around the Federation’s best laid plans. They choose Captain Picard, assimilating him into the Collective, making him their spokesman, giving him a killer mechanical six-pack, and dubbing him “Locutus of Borg.” To my knowledge, Locutus is the only Borg who is ever given a name as opposed to a designation (ie, Seven of Nine). Despite the friction in their relationship, Commander Riker and Lieutenant Commander Shelby must work together to rescue Picard and stop the Borg from reaching Earth.

    Mmmmm…Borg abs….

    When the third season ended abruptly with Picard as Locutus and Riker telling Worf to fire on the Borg Cube, a collective (heehee) uproar went up in the Star Trek community. No one knew what was going to happen or if Patrick Stewart would be coming back to the show, not even the showrunners. Speculation was so great that someone wrote a fake script in which the whole thing was a prank orchestrated by the Q Continuum.

    “The Best of Both Worlds” is critical in Star Trek cannon. It provides a major part of the back story for the TV show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and is the basis for the movie Star Trek: First Contact.

    After the ending credits, we were delighted to watch a blooper reel featuring outtakes from many different episodes. Some of the highlights included stumbles over the technobabble, forgotten lines, Worf blurting out that he never played with little boys, Guinan cursing, and Lieutenant Richard Castillo asking Tasha Yar to call him “Dick.” It was a lot of laughs that were missed by at least half the audience who walked out during the ending credits.

    Speaking of credits, I must say, it was amazing to see the opening credits on the big screen. Every time I ever watched them as a child, it was always on our little 1980’s-era tube television set. As an adult I’ve watched them on my nice flat screen TV but NOTHING compares to seeing it that big and whispering the words along with Patrick Stewart in movie theatre surround sound. They are some of my favorite words in the world and I’ve known them by heart since before I could read:

    “Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life, and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one as gone before.”

    Thanks to Mike for being my nerdy Star Trek buddy!

    One last note: folks have been asking me to put out a calendar for the last couple of years and I finally got around to doing it with the amazing artistic talents of my sister-in-law, Reba. It’s really an awesome calendar. It’s got every nerdy holiday you can imagine, plus a super handy convention calendar, and some never-before-seen pictures that will never, ever be seen anywhere else. I know it’s almost May but it’s worth it to get the 2013 calendar. Besides, if I don’t sell these, then there probably won’t be one next year so, ya know…buy one 🙂 Since it is almost May, they’re super discounted (I promise you I’m not making a fortune off of them) AND I’ll sign it if you want.

    Buy one here: http://hotnerdgirl.com/shop/

  • “Ask a Roddenberry” – Interview with Rod Roddenberry

    Every time I see Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry I become a bigger fan of him. He’s genuinely friendly and very easy to talk to.

    This interview was conducted on Saturday at San Diego Comic Con, hence my Thor costume, crazy makeup and obvious lack of sleep. I got back from my Grandma’s funeral a day and a half before SDCC so I only had about 24 hours to prepare for this interview. Despite the notes on my lap, it felt more like a conversation than an interview which I think was welcome to both of us – it was to me! But such is the personality of Rod. I never once felt nervous, though having met him before was most likely the reason for that.

    In the interview we talk about scuba diving, The Roddenberry Foundation, an amazing new media project called White Room: 02B3, the X Prize and devices such as Medical Tricorders and Universal Translators becoming a reality, and, of course, Star Trek. He also reveals a new Star Trek blog called “Mission Log” hosted by John Champion (DVD Geeks) and Ken Ray (Mac OS). I asked many of your questions so thank you for submitting them!

    We ended up using the whole interview, nothing was edited out so the footage is all raw all the time.

    Hope you enjoy it!

    [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7js4WltWHR0]

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    For more information on anything and everything Roddenberry, check out Roddenberry.com.

    Some more pics from the interview…

    Thanks to my friends Darcy for filming and Eddy for taking the still shots. And a huge thanks to Rod, Trevor, Chance and everyone in the Roddenberry camp for being so welcoming to me yet again!

  • Star Trek night at Dodger Stadium

    I’m that rare combination of girl who is a huge nerd but is also a big sports fan. I’m pretty much in 7th heaven right now with the Olympics being on.

    My favorite non-Olympic sports to watch are football and baseball. I’ve never been to a professional football game (it’s on the bucket list) but I’ve been to tons of professional baseball games. It’s one of my very favorite things to do.

    I happen to have a family member who has amazing season tickets for the Dodgers. So I’ve gone to a few Dodger games in my day even though I’m not actually a Dodger fan. No, I have the sad misfortune of being a Padres fan (one of these days we’ll get there!) But that’s beside the point. If I don’t care about either team I root for the Home Team. It’s just good manners.

    So when cousin Chaney discovered that Friday, August 3rd was Star Trek night at Dodger Stadium, we got the invite to attend. Not gonna lie, I was pretty frakking stoked. They were playing game 1 in a series against the Cubs.

    I debated whether or not I should dress up in one of my three Starfleet uniforms. I have a number of Star Trek t-shirts and I was thisclose to wearing one of them but my Mama Jedi is constantly telling me to be big and brave and bold so I opted for the uniform.

    Thankfully no one in my group was completely mortified by this. In fact, they were even more gung ho than I was. I was worried I would embarrass them but they all thought it was pretty cool.

    Sold.

    It turned out that I was the only one in attendance who was big and brave and bold. I didn’t see one other person dressed up. Chaney saw one Star Trek t-shirt but that was it. In fact, most people who stopped to ask me why I was dressed that way had no idea it was even Star Trek night.

    Sigh.

    Oh well, I’m used to being the only weirdo in the room. Or in this case, the packed stadium.

    In honor of Star Trek night the Dodgers were giving away Spock jersey t-shirts. They were actually pretty awesome and I totally wanted one but it turns out they were only giving them away at one entrance and they ran out pretty quickly.  Sad robot 🙁

    The second we sat down I looked up and the eyes immediately zeroed in on a figure standing on the field. I yelped and said “holy shit, it’s William Shatner!” much to the surprise of my companions.

    I went down to try and catch his attention to see if he’d come over for a picture since I was the ONLY PERSON in the entire stadium in costume.

    I’m 99% sure he saw me. He was looking right at me and when I waved he looked away and avoided looking in my direction for the rest of the time he was on the field. That was kind of depressing but I have to admit that it’s only been in the last couple of years that I’ve even started to like William Shatner. To be clear, I have always loved James T. Kirk, just not always the person who portrayed him. It seemed like he’d warmed up to his Star Trek fans in the last couple of years though. Especially in his documentary The Captains (which is fantastic by the way). Apparently he has to be in the mood. Oh well. I was still ridiculously excited to see him. I was literally less than 20 feet away from him at one point. Star Trek actors are really the only people I get star struck by and that was a doozy.

    Shatner did all of the announcements and the roll call and even threw out the first pitch.

    I filmed it for you…

    [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lW9MS3NthI]

    –

    You’re welcome.

    I’m not going to go into the whole game or anything (Dodgers won) but one cool thing happened that I’ve never experienced before. Having a foul ball fly right at my face and having someone in my group nab it. It was the first foul ball of the game off the bat of David DeJesus from a pitch by Chad Billingsley. It bounced off the chairs in front of me, landed on the ground to the right of us, then rolled back in front of us before it was scooped up by Christian who had propelled himself over a row of seats to get to it. It happened very fast and frankly, I was relieved to have my face intact, but it was one of the coolest 2.5 seconds I’ve ever experienced at a ball park.

    Every once in a while I would catch a player turn around and look right at me (I wasn’t hard to find, I was bright red in a sea of white and blue). At one point that player was Matt Kemp. I was pretty excited to see Matt Treanor. I could really care less about him but he got Misty May to marry him and she’s awesome so he must be doing something right.

    The evening ended with Friday night fireworks set to the theme songs of the various Star Trek shows. They started off with a little film that was pretty much just a love letter to The Next Generation.

    Then the music started and the fireworks began.

    They did the theme songs in bizarro order. First Star Trek, then DS9, then Voyager, and ending with The Next Generation.  Enterprise got the shaft. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen fireworks and I really truly seriously LOVE fireworks and these were set to music from my very favorite franchise ever. It took a long time for me to wipe the goofy grin off my face.

    I filmed the Star Trek and TNG parts of the fireworks. You can see them here:

    Star Trek: The Original Series…

    [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-DnKN7DKOw]

    –

    Star Trek: The Next Generation (and the grand finale)…

    [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArjSpHIZdAg]

    –

    All in all, a pretty awesome way to spend the evening.

  • San Diego Comic Con, Part 1 – The Panels

    Hot Nerd Girl and Geek Outlaw at it again

    I promised detailed blogs about Comic Con and by golly, I aim to keep that promise. There’s just one problem. There’s waaaay too much for just one post. I tried. I’ve gone through approx. 1000 pictures (no joke) and narrowed them down to the best of the best and even then I was left with so many that I had to break it up.  So I’m splitting SDCC into 3 (or 4) blogs.  The first of which is the panels.

    FRIDAY (Community, Legend of Korra, Firefly):

    I’ve been to many conventions but this was my first time at the mothership aka Comic Con and boy, did I learn a lot about what to do/not to do (but that’s a whole ‘nuther post). I thought that because I live in San Diego County I could sleep at home and drive to SDCC each day.

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

    I’m ridiculous.

    Parking is a bitch so what you end up having to do is drive to a trolley station and take the trolley the rest of the way. They helpfully provide CC-specific trolleys to make it easy for you. One problem, the first one gets you to the Convention Center just after 7:00am. Waaaay too late if you want to get in line for one of the big panels *cough cough Firefly cough cough*

    Daniel to the rescue!

    Lucky for me and Geek Outlaw, our mutual fan (and now fave friend) Daniel, had planned to camp out and saved a spot for us in the Ballroom 20 line. I felt guilty about cutting in line for exactly 3 minutes at which point I saw everyone else doing the exact same thing and got over it.

    I’m not gonna lie, I was there for Firefly and Firefly alone. But you have to sit on all of the panels before Firefly in order to have a seat for Firefly (they seriously need to figure out a better system) so I ended up sitting through the panels fro Community and Legend of Korra as well.

    I wasn’t the only one.

    The first panel of the day was Community. I find Community highly entertaining so I was more than happy to sit in on their panel. They did not disappoint. The cast and crew were hilarious and the film clips they put together for Comic Con were chock full of funny shenanigans. Chevy Chase and Donald Glover were noticeably absent. Which is too bad because LeVar Burton was there and they could have had an epic Troy/LeVar moment.

    Cast and Crew of Community

    The second panel of the day was Legend of Korra (I’d like to know who they had to bang to get the lucky spot between Community and Firefly). This panel was like Chinese water torture for my sister-in-law. She looked like she was either going to explode or throw up. Maybe both. Simultaneously. I had an advantage because I’ve seen a bit of Avatar: The Last Airbender. So I actually enjoyed the panel. It was notable in that I recognized two of the voice actors. Bud (David Faustino) from Married with Children and Janet Varney from The Selling (which I reviewed a while back because it’s directed/produced/starring our mutual friends from SFSU). It was also fun because they recorded the audience doing crowd voice work for a future episode. I’ll admit, it got me intrigued about checking out an episode or two of the cartoon. For those who are Korra fans, they did a preview of an upcoming episode by reading the script live while showing concept sketches of the episode. They also showed off future costume and character designs.

    The cast and crew of The Legend of Korra Hey! It’s the chick from Falling Skies!

    Then came the panel we were there for, the 10 year Firefly reunion. It was epic. Truly epic. I felt like I was a part of history. The sheer volume of love being poured forth was incredibly intense. The actors and Joss all cried at some point. Most of the audience cried at some point. My mom cried through 90% of it. It was magical. I took video of parts of it but then I found this full length video and thought you would appreciate it more.

    [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V85olh2aZ34]

    –

    Nathan Fillion was so overwhelmed that he totally missed a question that was directed at him and his costars had to answer for him.  They all said that Firefly was the best job they’d ever had. At one point they all blamed Summer Glau for something (which you’ll find hilarious if you’ve watched the extras on the DVD) and the look on her face was priceless. Gina Torres, Jewel Staite, Morena Baccarin, and Ron Glass were missing and their absence was felt deeply by everyone in the room. The most touching moment in an hour chock full of touching moments was when the last question was asked of Joss Whedon –  “what do the fans mean to you?”

    [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXiS0gV8cic]

    –

    It was the most beautiful “thank you” I’ve ever witnessed and I feel truly honored to have been there for it.

    Tid bit excited!

    SATURDAY (Spotlight on J. Michael Straczynski, Roddenberry Presents):

    Saturday was the day I cosplayed as Thor. Which was awesome but awful at the same time. It was my first time cosplaying at a convention and I underestimated the amount of time it would take to get ready. As a result I got to Comic Con about…ohhhhh….5 hours later than I’d intended and missed a bunch of the morning panels I’d wanted to check out. I’m a little jealous that Geek Outlaw got to sit it on the Powerful Women, Simpsons, Futurama, Once Upon a Time, and Peter Cullen panels but meh, what are you gonna do?

    (Be sure to check out Geek Outlaw’s blog if you want to get the dish on those panels I just mentioned!)

    No matter, I had something uber awesome to look forward to. I was scheduled to interview Rod Roddenberry after his 3:00pm panel.

    As a result I caught the Joe Straczynski panel right beforehand. The best part of that panel? One guy complained that a Joe comic had kept him up on a school night so Joe reached into his wallet and gave the guy a $20 refund.  It was quite hilarious.

    The Roddenberry panel was a whole ‘nuther level of awesomesauce but I’m saving all of the Roddenberry stuff for its own post later this week. So stay tuned for that!

    SUNDAY (Fringe, Supernatural, Doctor Who):

    I was supposed to cosplay on Sunday as well but my experience on Saturday convinced me that it was a terrible idea so I reverted back to an HNG t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Comfort and timeliness will always, always win out for me. I am nothing if not practical.

    Morgan to the rescue!

    The one panel that I was determined to see was Doctor Who. I lurv me some Doctor. Again, thanks to the trolley schedule, we were pretty much screwed but miraculously, another HNG/GO fan came to our rescue. Morgan camped out and let us join him in line for Hall H. Seriously. Best. Fans. Ever. I’ve promised myself that I will plan this better and do my own camping out next year.

    Immediately upon walking into Hall H we were handed Fringe fedoras a la The Observers  (fun fact, while I was in New York I saw Evita on Broadway starring Michael Cerveris as Peron and he was AH-mazing)

    Fringe was the first panel of the day and after mentioning their brushes with cancellation, there was a very lovely moment when at least half the audience held up pictures of white tulips. I’ll admit that I got a little verklempt.

    Despite the best efforts of the audience (and some teasing from Joshua Jackson), the Fringe cast and crew revealed no secrets about the upcoming final season.

    It was kind of a kick to see the actors smile and laugh. There was one especially funny moment when Anna Torv said she “was coming…” and then paused in her sentence. The audience started laughing.

    Then Joshua Jackson got it and started laughing.

    Then the rest of the cast got it and started laughing.

    Then Anna got it and was completely mortified.

    It then became a running joke throughout the rest of the panel. I feel for you Anna, that is totally something that would happen to me. The mood quickly shifted when the cast were asked what their favorite scene was that they were not in. Cue the waterworks! Anna Torv,  Jasika Nicole, and Lance Reddick all teared up when describing memorable and beautiful scenes from the show.

    And then shifted back again just as quickly when the best audience questioners ever took the floor. I can’t even remember what their question was, I was too busy laughing at their deadpan Observer impression. Seriously, they never broke character once and the girl in the back right had the most amazingly creepy buggy-eyed thing going on..

    It was an all around awesome panel and made me want to run home and catch up on my Fringe episodes on Netflix.

    Next up was Supernatural, a show I’ve never had time to get into. Seriously, I wish that I didn’t have to sleep, I would be more than happy to fill 100% of my time watching every awesomely nerdy show there is. I have some friends that are obsessed with this show and have been trying to get me to watch it for years. They were very jealous that I got to see this panel. The running joke here was that “anything is possible” was used to answer at least half of the questions they were asked.

    I may not know much about the show but I do know about Mark Sheppard and I was SUPER excited to see him. I’m pretty sure that he’s contractually obligated to only appear in TV shows/movies that are nerd-worthy.

    I never really thought that Jared Padalecki was that cute but I must admit, he’s pretty damn good-looking in real life. He and Jensen Ackles win major brownie points for their gag reel antics.

    Then came the panel that I was really there for, Doctor Who. Or should I say “Doctor WHOOO???” Seeing these people in real life is kind of a surreal experience. I usually only get star struck by Star Trek actors but I was totally star struck by these guys. I literally sat on the edge on my seat the entire time. And that’s only partly because the girl in front of me was so tall she most likely plays in the WNBA.

    First of all, let me just say how incredibly gorgeous Karen Gillan is. Seriously. I didn’t think she could get any prettier than she is on TV but she can! I’ve seen it with my own two eyes! Just stunning.

    The moderator of the panel was one of my nerd crushes, Chris Hardwick (not Wil Wheaton as some mistakenly believed) and he was nerding out just as much as the rest of us. He even brought his sonic screwdriver.  There was a bit of good-natured ribbing between him and Matt Smith. Apparently they ran into each other the night before at a party and this happened:

    Oops! Chris blamed it on his pointy face.

    The best audience question came from a little girl dressed up as a Dalek. She wanted to know what button, screen or object on the TARDIS was their favorite. The cast took this question very seriously and even admitted to stealing a few of their favorites (a pair of binoculars for Karen). Matt’s favorite is the main lever he yanks all the time. The little girl walked away but Matt Smith called her back and asked her if she had a favorite button, screen or object on the TARDIS. She looked at him very pointedly, said “NO” and walked away again. The whole room was laughing so hard I think we all peed ourselves a little.

    They were also asked what they find annoying about each other. Matt said that Karen picks her lip, Karen said that Matt shakes his head and they both agreed that Arthur Darvill goes into “dad mode.”

    Having seen the Firefly and Doctor Who panels, I can now die a happy nerd.

    Stay tuned for more posts about Comic Con 2012 including the Roddenberry interview I mentioned and all of the awesome costumes!

  • Star Trek Captains Podcast (Ten Forward)

    This is a very sleep deprived HNG coming to you from New York City. I’m here visiting my nieces and having a great time with them. Unfortunately for me, I usually go to bed around midnight-2:00am California time. Combine my sleeping habits with the time zone change and my body wants to go to sleep between 3:00am-5:00am New York time. Since I’m typically waking up around 8:00am that’s not working out too well for me. 5-hour Energy has become my new best friend.

    It’s time for another podcast with the awesome guys over at World’s Best Podcast and their section dedicated to all things Star Trek – “Ten Forward.” This time around we discussed the Captains from Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise. It made for a very entertaining discussion, let me tell you!

    Oh, and we recorded this a while ago when I was very sick so my voice is all scratchy and Janeway-sounding. I was also suffering a bit from sick brain so it was difficult for me to put my thoughts together at times.  But considering how awful I felt, I thought I did pretty good.

    Thanks to Mark and Isaac! It’s always fun to talk Trek with you! Listen to the podcast here:

    Or if, as per usual, if the above player takes too long to buffer, just click here to listen: http://tinmanfrisbie.podbean.com/2012/06/04/ten-forward-season-1-episode-2/

    Previous podcasts I’ve joined in on:

    Daredevil

    Star Trek Universe

    Marvel Cinematic Universe

  • “Ask a Foley Artist” – Interview with Dean Minnerly

    HNG and Dean on the Foley Stage at Universal

    As I mentioned on the HNG facebook page, I did an interview with Dean Minnerly, Foley Artist for Universal Studios. I also mentioned that he is my stepdad. Now, I should probably offer a quick explanation because I talk about my parents a lot and it can get a bit confusing because I have 6 of them. I know, right about now you’re thinking wtf? What is HNG smoking? I have been extremely fortunate to have a loving and supportive immediate and extended family that is chock full of some of the most fascinating people you will ever meet. We’re pretty much the definition of a Modern Family.

    There’s my mom (Mama Jedi who’s on here a lot and is the reason I moved to San Diego) and my dad (retired Navy, I talk about him a lot too, most recently in my review of Battleship). They are my rocks and the greatest parents on earth. No one could ever replace them. They divorced when I was in middle school.

    I was pretty young when I started acquiring step-parents (and with them, 9 step-siblings). My dad married a wonderful woman, my stepmom Jeanne, who I adore. My mom was in a decade-long relationship with my stepdad Don (airbrush artist and direct descendant of Davy Crockett) who is amazing and insanely knowledgable about Scottish history. She later married my stepdad Randall who was one of the most wonderful men I’ve ever known. He passed away in October 2010 and was featured in my In Memoriam post that year. Then there’s Dean aka Popi. He’s been an incredibly close friend of the family since I was 6 years old. When my dad was gone on WestPacs he would step in as our father figure when we needed one. He has been to every play, graduation and major event in my life since I was very young so years ago I dubbed him “Popi.”

    These 6 wonderful people make up what I call my “parental units.” It’s more love and support than any one person deserves and I know exactly how lucky I am to have been brought up by this intelligent, funny, and eclectic group. I would not be who I am today were it not for them.

    Apparently it really does take a village

    Now that the explanation is out of the way, here’s a little background on Dean:

    Dean P. Minnerly of Sleepy Hollow, NY (yup, that one, from the stories and movies) descended from the first Dutch families that settled what was to become New York.  Let’s skip a few hundred years.  He enlisted in the United States Army in late 1969.  He excelled in training… went Airborne… recruited out of Airborne for Special Forces Qualification Course.  Served in Viet Nam with 5th Special Forces (Airborne), with 5th Mike Force, II Corps and Recon Team Louisiana (details classified).  He came home and started teaching Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan with the Norris brothers (as in Chuck).  He was educated at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA in engineering and music.  He then returned to active duty with 7th Special Forces in El Salvador/Honduras/Nicaragua and was posted in Panama at the “Banana Boat School” also know as the Jungle Expert Course among other things.  Look up “Green Monster” and you’ll understand.  He separated from the service and moved to California to continue teaching for Chuck Norris in ’83.  His Studio City, CA school had many well known students and their families including the son and grandson of then president, Ronald Reagan.  One of his many students in the film industry introduced him to Foley and that’s how this facet of his life began.  Another of his students was a senior story editor for Star Trek: The Next Generation and got him involved with contributing story, writing and martial arts skills to the show.  He has been at Universal Studios for 18 years and loves it there.

    Originally we were just supposed to get together for dinner and I was going to head back next week to conduct this interview but one thing lead to another and we ended up at Universal driving around the backlot in a golf cart and crashing people’s private tours (they were on Dean’s stage afterall). The next thing I know I’m conducting an interview that I totally wasn’t prepared for. Note to self: write down some good questions and keep them in your wallet. Needless to say, this was very good practice and I’m über glad that my first interview was with someone who won’t hold it against me.

    Here is the bulk of our interview:

    [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxFyyQVGEpg]

    –

    Since I wasn’t prepared, I only had my camera on me and had limited memory card space so I emailed him some additional questions a few days later:

    HNG: What is it about Foley that keeps you coming back for more?

    DM: Few jobs allow such creativity and allow a person to share with such a wide and diverse audience.

    HNG: How did you meet the Foley family and become involved with the program at Paramount Ranch? 

    DM: Cathi Foley Clark grew up at Universal with her uncle, Jack Foley, and has been his chronicler and biographer her whole life.  She visited me on the stage and we began a friendship.  I had been doing demos at Paramount Ranch for the National Park Service and she brought the whole family out to meet me.

    One of Dean’s many Foley demonstrations at Paramount Ranch

    HNG: You also worked for Larson Studios, how long did you work there and why did you move to Universal? 

    DM: I was with Rick Larson for about 6 years.  I started taking night work on the original Law & Order at Universal and eventually was offered more and more steady work.

    HNG: What is your favorite TV show and movie to have worked on? 

    DM: Presently, my favorite TV show is Grimm.  I did the pilot and all the episodes since.  It’s quite a challenge but great fun!  The most recent movie I completed was Ted for Seth MacFarlane starring Seth as the voice of Ted and Mark Wahlberg as Ted’s real life-buddy with Mila Kunis as Mark’s girlfriend.

    HNG: What is your favorite movie in general? 

    DM: I have so many but Saving Private Ryan has to be close to the top.

    HNG: Favorite TV show? 

    DM: Again, it’s hard to pin down a single show but I’d say shows on History/Discovery/Military/NatGeo channels get the most of my viewing time.

    HNG: You are currently keyboardist for The McGrath Project. How did you meet Gary McGrath and how did that lead to becoming a band mate? 

    DM: Gary needed someone to track on a new album and I was introduced to him by a mutual friend.  The band included Tim Bogert, virtuoso bassist of Vanilla Fudge/Cactus/Beck,Bogert and Appice and Bryan Head, drummer of Foreigner and others.  Gary is a two time Grammy winner.  They liked my studio work and invited me to play live with them and I joined the band. A year and a half later, Ann-Marita Garsed, a solo singer-songwriter sang with us a few times and joined as well.  Many people have been in the band at one time or another including many Hall of Fame players and Grammy winners.

    [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqmbLCaAQ0E]

    –

    HNG: How did you meet Chuck Norris? 

    DM: I took Pai Lum Gung Fu (not Kung Fu)  when I was around 13 and stayed with it.  I’d just returned from VN and went to the CNKS in Virginia Beach where I was living.  Chuck and his brother Aaron were there and I started over but with past experience, rose through the ranks quickly.  I became an assistant instructor and after testing for black belt, a full instructor.  Continued teaching for them when I moved to CA in ’83.

    HNG: Who is your favorite Director you’ve worked with? 

    DM: I have three… Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Tom Hanks.   I haven’t worked with Clint Eastwood but I have great respect for him… F. F. Coppola as well.

    HNG: What kinds of awards have you won for Foley? 

    DM: Emmys and Golden Reels.

    HNG: Who is your favorite superhero? 

    DM: I have to go back to my first… Superman.

    HNG: Your favorite Star Trek Captain? 

    DM: Patrick Stewart for ST:TNG as a single show but William Shatner for Star Trek overall.

    HNG: Your favorite band/musician? 

    DM: Too many but I always loved The Beatles.

    HNG: How many black belts do you have? 

    DM: Depends on the style.  5 in Tang Soo Do, 3 in Hapkido, 2 in Hwa Rang Do, and 1 in Judo.

    HNG: How many ways can you kill a person using pressure points? 

    DM: Pressure points can help healing, can cause great pain, can mediate blood flow but don’t by themselves kill through pressure.  Impacts or impalement at these points may as many are arterial points or central nervous system (nerve bundles) points.

    HNG: How many times has your nose been broken due to martial arts? 

    DM: Three or four.

    HNG: What was your first impression of Gene Roddenberry? Patrick Stewart? The rest of the cast? 

    DM: Gene… a true visionary.  Majel… the ultimate in support and a true comedic actress.  Patrick… an unshakeable Shakesperian mind and demeanor with a musical comedy heart.  Jonathan … powerful and funny.  Michael… intense and the only real pilot of the bunch.  LeVar… studied but impatient.  Marina… meticulous.   Gates… careful and mothering.   Brent… a true performance chameleon worthy of Vaudeville.  Wil… headstrong with an attitude but willing to learn.  Colm… eager to excel.  Denise… demure cowgirl.  Whoopi… outrageous!

    HNG: Who was the most awesome TNG cast member?  The most awful? 

    DM: They were all great but everybody knew who was boss.  Some of the guests could be difficult.

    HNG: You’ve taught self-defense courses before, what’s the single most important thing for someone to remember if they are being attacked? 

    DM: Keep your head and be aware of everything and everyone around you.   Look for opportunity.  Yeah, I know you said one… oh well.

    HNG: You were featured in a Tonight Show sketch with Conan O’Brien. What was he like? 

    DM: The tallest Energizer Bunny on the planet with a very edgy side and sense of humor.

    * * * * *

    I thought it would be fun to let you guys ask him some questions as well since I know from experience that y’all ask some GREAT questions. Hopefully I collected them all, I apologize if I missed any!

    Jake R: What’s a Foley Artist? 

    DM: A performer of sound.  We recreate live sound EFX to picture and sync them to the event portrayed.  The effect may be what you see, more than what you see or different depending on the needs of the client or project. It is named after creator Jack Foley.

    Jack Foley perfecting the art

    David F: How do you get to be a Foley Artist? 

    DM: Apprenticeship.  You must find another artist(s) who will take you on and begin to train you.  If you don’t have the base skills already in you, you won’t make it.  You need precise hearing, athletic skills and timing, the ability to anticipate movement and a working knowledge of the gear used.  Most of us have a background in music, athletics or dance and audio engineering.

    Kevin C: How does one get a job as a Foley Artist (other than being awesome)? Do you just have to be in the know with people in Hollywood? 

    DM: It doesn’t hurt to be connected but your skill as an artist and ability to work with demanding clients at a demanding pace is what keeps you working.

    Stevey M: What is the most fun noise to make? 

    DM: Depends on who’s listening.  If we can make people cringe at the sound, make them laugh or make them sick… we’re happy.

    Craig S: Is it true that the sound of love is a boot stuck in mud, only wetter? 

    DM: Trade secret but if you are familiar with that sound you may not need the answer.

    Paul M: Mick Foley!? 😀 

    DM: No… Jack Foley.  I don’t think Jack ever wrestled.

    Robert N: Axel Foley? 

    DM: Only in Beverly Hills.

    Aaron A: For your “ask a foley artist” interview…. if you want to ask him, what’s the most fun he’s had on a project, or movie or whatever. God I wish I knew a Foley Artist. It just seems like such a cool job to have on a movie or whatever. So random and different.  I’m just ever so slightly jealous you know one. 

    DM: Know one?  She has BEEN one.  She lived with me after SFSU and apprenticed at Universal.  She has contributed to many projects I worked on.

    Andy L: What sound that he has generated was the most different from what the sound was supposed to portray? 

    DM: Depends on the client.  If the real sound is insufficient or the client wants an entirely different sound, we build it.  If it’s sci-fi or fantasy and the visual was newly created a sound will need to be created as well.

    Larry L: How do you get the best recordings of your sounds? What equipment/techniques? 

    DM: Our own skills and abilities and each of us is different.  Different mics and mic-pre’s… absorption and reflective surfaces to create ambience, depth and size.  We’ll use three mics at once… two directional and one elsewhere in the stage to cross-fade and develop the perspective necessary.  Our primary mics are Neumann KMR-81’s with other Neumanns, Sennheisers, AKGs, etc. in the mix.  Our mic-pre’s are GMLs, Focusrites, Avalons, etc.  We record to ProTools and have several sets of near field monitors to choose from with our largest being JBL’s.

    Lisa C: What was the most complex sound he ever created and of what was it composed? 

    DM: Don’t think I can pick just one.  We do a lot of layering and sweetening.  The effect may only last for a few seconds but we many be out a dozen tracks creating all the different sonic facets that alone may be nothing but together make the event live.

    Shannon H: Why do car tires sequel on dirt roads in the movies? 

    DM: People have preconceptions of what things SHOULD sound like regardless of reality.  That group of people includes very well known leaders in our industry.  Even if it’s wrong we will do what’s expected but we will also give alternate tracks of what we think would better serve the event.  That way, on the dub (re-recording/final mix) stage the choices are available.

    Bruce P: What was the most unusual method you’ve used to create the most common sound? 

    DM: A recent one comes to mind..  I did a documentary called The Movement about paraplegics, blind and otherwise disabled people learning or relearning to downhill ski.  One of the effects I created for the clatter of skis on a fast run involved my crushing ice and shaping it into a one by two foot mound… mic’ing it close and overhead and using an empty plastic mustard squeeze bottle to create the clatter, moving toward the mic capsule as the skis closed on the camera and off-angle as the skis moved away.

    Lair of the Nerd: In your opinion, what’s the weirdest thing you’ve used to make a noise, and what noise was it. 

    DM: There are a few.  Here are two:  In slasher flicks we rip lots of guts out.  Take a large watermelon, cut one end off, violently shove your hand in it and twist as you pull it out.  The suction and texture of the melon flesh combined with all the wet works great… it’s absolutely disgusting.  I mentioned snow.  Snow has many textures and sounds.  Squeaky powder is very distinctive.  Garden supply stores have Perlite, often used in potted plants.  Cornstarch is also used.  Pour it into a pillowcase and start walking on it to grind it down.  The squeaks will be there and you won’t freeze your nerd off in the process.

    AK G: Who decides what a fictional sound should be? The director? A writer? The foley artist? 

    DM: ‘D’… All of the above.  In spotting sessions, when everybody sits around reviewing the reels, these things are discussed and the creative people hash out what best serves the scene.  When agreed upon, we have our direction and we go make it happen.

    Todd F: How much celery do you waste on a daily basis? 

    DM: Celery is part of only one food group we abuse regularly.  No fruit, veggie or uncooked critter is safe on a Foley stage.

    Salem P: What’s the foley effect you’re most proud of that you thought up? 

    DM: Whichever one the client wasn’t expecting that gave him/her more than he could have imagined… and that only lasts until I come up with the next one.

    José H: How awesome do you have to be to be HNG’s stepfather? 

    DM: I love her… she loves me.  Nothing else matters.

    One of my high school senior portraits

    Dan G: Do studios have massive Foley libraries that you get to pull from as needed or do they prefer you always start from scratch (keeping it fresh and each movie slightly different)? 

    DM: There are no Foley libraries.  There are libraries we create for EFX editors for them to draw from but we start fresh every time.  It is the inconsistency and imperfection of human and animal movement that make it real.  No two of anything are every exactly alike as are our performances.  Each time we create a sound it will have some variation.  Think of each or our creations as a snowflake.

    Scott D: Universal as in Orlando? 

    DM: Nope… Universal Studios Hollywood.  There is a Universal in Orlando but this is home, first opened in 1913.

    Jay A: He didn’t know Keillor’s effects guy, did he? 

    DM: If you refer to Garrison Keillor’s radio shows, then no.  What they do and what we do is quite different.  They add simple sound components to add color to those programs.  We develop a complete sound package integral to the final product you see and hear in theaters and on TV.

    John G: Does he realize he’s standing next to “HNG”? 😉 

    DM: I do occasionally notice that.

    Marlon B: ‎Can I marry your step-daughter?

    DM: I think some would have a problem with that but thanks for asking.

    José H: Do movie or TV studios force Foley artists to generate a wet-sucking sound for scenes involving the removal of objects from a body part? It seems like that sound is inserted whenever the hero/coroner removes an object from a dead body part… 

    DM: It does come up.  I refer you to my responses to Shannon H. and Lair of the Nerd.

    José H: Serious question: What’s the weirdest sound effect you were asked to create that has absolutely no equivalent in the “real” world?

    DM: I guess the sound of a maggot crawling on a sweater from 15 feet away.  As you may guess it was a head-scratcher.  Since no sound exists in that instance, there’s no reference point and how do you make it distinct enough to get it played?  There are others but that one was a challenge.

    Dee O: What’s the most memorable and or unique sound you were asked to make/record? 

    DM: This is what is known as an “imponderable.”  Each had a quality of it’s own.  Memorable would have me recall the event or circumstance and people involved more than the sound(s) itself.

    Kyle S: Why was there was no Chuck Norris in the Next Generation. That would have been epic……

    DM: Several characters exhibited talents and abilities similar to those of Chuck’s.  At the time, Chuck was so well known he would never be accepted as another character.  Think about it… Chuck has, regardless of the portrayal, always played himself.  His show, Walker, Texas Ranger, also competed with TNG for audience.

    Miki K: What do you think is your most creative sound? 

    DM: The one I haven’t yet thought of.  You are always creating and each is a new challenge.

    * * * * *

    Thanks for your questions everyone! Thanks to Mama Jedi for her superb camera and interview assisting skills. And a huge thanks to Dean for taking the time out to let me bumble my way through this interview and for being such a rad Popi.

    Previous blogs that were mentioned in the video portion of the interview:

    Visiting the set of Serenity

    All of the Star Trek: The Next Generation stuff Dean gave me