IRL – In Real Life is a warmhearted look at one fanboy’s journey from being a non-stop World of Warcraft addict to getting a real life. What I loved about this film is that it’s a video diary of how one fan fall in love with game — leaves his non-virtual friends behind — meets the fangurl of his dreams — is then dumped by the fangurl of his dreams — and then, well here is the result:

Sadly I guess that there is life after warcraft! And here is the entire film for your enjoyment:

And remember — nothing is bad for you, so long as it’s in moderation! That and don’t fall in love with fangurls from Norway…

The Mario Bros. theme song has been done over and over again by every instrument ever (even banana). In fact, most Mario songs have received this treatment, including the Super Mario World theme, so you have to be really unique to stand out now. The latest? Tap-dancing! Scott Bradlee takes to the piano while his buddy Alex McDonald taps out the rhythm to one of the catchiest game tunes, giving us a short and sweet tribute to Mario. Classy!

Seen via Best Week Ever.

ForrestFireFilms is back with a new stop-motion LEGO short film, and this time it features Captain America beating the crap out of some Nazis – and then some. The violence here is just ridiculously over-the-top and gory, with LEGO minifigs being shot point-blank in the face, sliced in half, and… well, I’ll let you see what else happens yourself. Let’s just leave it at this: this is not your usual LEGO film. Great work Forrest!

Seen via Topless Robot.

For anyone visiting or living in London, the clock is ticking for the Doctor Who Experience. The exhibit will be closing its doors next month, but before that happens, they’ve planned several special events leading up to the last day. On Saturday, February 11th, series choreographer Ailsa Berk will be on hand offering lessons on how to move like your favorite aliens from the show. That following Monday, the effects team responsible for sculpting some of the show’s fearsome creatures will show off some of their techniques.

On the 15th, both the Cybermen and Ood will be walking around the exhibit — by this, I’m assuming they mean people in full makeup. On the 16h, the official makeup team will be on hand give visitors alien makeovers — they’ll even turn you into a Weeping Angel if you ask nicely. Finally, the FX team will be back to demonstrate some of their drawing techniques. The exhibit itself ends on the 22nd. Although its is scheduled to reopen in Cardiff later this year, many first-time tourists may be a little scared to venture outside of London proper — Cardiff is a bit of a drive — so if you have plans to be in the area, make sure to pencil it in. Check out the official site for information, ticket prices, and directions.

I know it’s a few months off, but Calgary Expo made a huge announcement yesterday. This April, the entire principal cast will be appearing at Calgary Expo in Alberta, Canada. It’s a bit of a huge deal for fans, as its been over two decades since the cast appeared together at such an event. I imagine the impending release of Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Next Level, and the show’s 25th Anniversary might be the reason they’ve agreed to it.

Nevertheless, this may be a once in a lifetime opportunity for some of you, and if anyone is hoping to be attend from abroad, I suggest getting your passport in order as soon as possible. Depending on where you are, the approval process can be lengthy and its always better safe than sorry. For more information on the event, check out the Calgary Expo website. Star Trek: The Next Genertaion – The Next Level hits stores this week and for those of you who ordered your copy through Amazon, it should already be in the mail, so expect your packages as early as Monday or Tuesday.

Check out these awesome necklaces from Land of Rapture, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Yeah, that’s coming up soon, and chances are you’re going to want to get a special something for your special someone. So how about this cute Space Invaders Heart cameo? I’m sure there’s some clever joke about Space Invading your heart or something along those lines hidden somewhere. Space Invaders not your thing? Try Doctor Who, R2D2, or Portal! There’s a little bit of everything on their site.

See more from Land of Rapture on their site!

It’s been nearly two years since I first wrote about Star Wars Uncut, the full-length feature consisting entirely of 15 second homemade clips in an attempt to recreate Episode IV: A New Hope as it was meant to be told, complete with campy acting and low-budget special effects. Personally I found the film to be equally hilarious, and painful to watch, but the very concept remains brilliant.  Recently, director Casey Pugh made a special directors cut available to stream online in its entirety. Funny, you’d think a film touting itself as being “uncut,” would, by definition, be the directors cut — I wonder how that works.  You can watch it here, but for more information on the project, check out their official site here.

[via movieviral]

Now this is a pretty great looking tie, and it’s gaming-related. How often do those cross? It’s not too overdone, but still geeky in the right ways. Maya Pixelskaya recently posted this fantastic Duck Hunt-themed tie on her web site as well as Ebay for sale. Sadly, this tie is one-of-a-kind so you’ll have to out-bid everyone else if you really want it. Only 2 days left to bid! That said, this tie looks good enough for mass-production, so let’s get that rolling – please?

Let’s hope Maya goes back on her word about not making any more. Here’s a few more images from her site.

Talk about growth spurts. Close to 900 people crowded into a midtown Manhattan hotel ballroom at last weekend’s Bronycon II, vs. perhaps 1/3 that number at its September predecessor. The new venue – a long corridor and ballroom at NYC’s Hotel Pennsylvania (the fading epitome of 1940’s swank) – might’ve been bigger than the Chinatown loft where the September con was held, but was nonetheless instantly overcrowded. After one made their way past the undermanned registration desk, the next bottleneck to brave was a narrow doorway leading to the ballroom. (When you have dealer’s tables, an autograph line and random attendees all trying to occupy the same space at the time, traffic can’t help but gum up a bit.)

The voice acting panel at Bronycon II.

BroNYcon I’s high-profile guest of honor was Jayson Thiessen, MLP:FiM’s supervising director. This time Nicole Oliver, Ashleigh Ball and Andrea Libman – the voices behind Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Equestria’s benevolent monarch Princess Celestia — were on hand. The three participated in a 90 minute Q&A session in the packed ballroom, while some 2200 people watched online. One highlight of the session: the audience going nuts with applause when a fans requests and Ashleigh delivers a line from a popular fan animation in the voice of palomino farmgirl Applejack, “Fergit you, I kin eat all these apples!” (“You just fed the internet,” she was informed by the session’s host.) Evidently being exposed to hundreds of rabid bronies and “pegasisters” (sorry, that one doesn’t work for me) didn’t spook the three; when asked if they’d come back for another ‘con, Nicole didn’t hesitate to answer “in a New York second.”

Then, live via Skype, appeared Daniel Ingram (no, not the 1960’s top-40 deejay), the show’s composer. Once a few audio problems were surmounted, Ingram described the process of coming up with songs for MLP:FiM’s elaborate production numbers. (And according to Ingram, the show songs “The Art of the Dress” and “At the Gala” were homages – not knock-offs – of the incredibly similar-sounding Broadway show tunes “Putting it Together” (Sunday in the Park with George) and “Into the Woods” (from that particular musical).

Ingram praised the elaborate fan remixes and dance versions of those show songs. When asked which particular song he’d like to hear redone, the interviewer warned him “whatever you say will be done – the composers are eagerly awaiting your instructions.” Ingram chose ditsy Pinkie Pie’s “Smile Song,” to which an audience member quickly shouted “I’m gonna be right on that.”

Not too shabby a day for the bronies, who are undoubtedly going to flood July’s BroNYcon (lasting two days at a new venue ten times the size of that ballroom) in even greater numbers to see MLP:FiM’s equivalent of J.K. Rowling: series creator Lauren Faust.

You may remember me mentioning an awesome Skeletor/Darth Vader mask a while back. It was part of HalloweenCostumes.com’s Vader Helmet Art Contest, and guess what? Now you have a chance to own it, or one of many other fantastic Vader helmets that are going up for auction. 24 artists were selected to create a custom Darth Vader helmet, and on February 7th, they’ll go up for auction on HalloweenCostume’s site. All proceeds will be going to the Midwest Art Catalyst and The Miracle League of North Mankato. Click through for a gallery of some of the helmets!

Some things never change. The internet will always create parody videos of pop culture, and some of them end up being funny, too! And in this video, Skyrim is still the same in the year 2012. Sure, technology has advanced, but pickpocketing and placing baskets on people’s heads are still the preferred way of doing business, apparently. I’ll let the the Gro Pro Bros explain.

Sure, the “great great great grandfather” joke is tired and overdone, but the rest is fairly clever and I can’t help but admire their restraint to not do an “arrow in the knee” joke. Thank you, guys.

Every once in awhile, I come across a TeeFury design that I just can’t pass up. More often than not, they relate to Doctor Who, due to the lack of awesome Doctor Who merchandise we get here in the States. For example, today’s design features an beautiful ad for the Sonic Screwdriver Mark VI, which you might recognize as the model used by Tennant and Eccleston throughout the 2005-2009 seasons. While I love how classy it looks, especially against that background, I’m not so sure I’d look good in it — cream really isn’t my color. Girls, on the other hand, will luck out with a white alternative. Why only two colors? Great question. All I know is that the shirt will only be on sale for the next 24 hours, so if you really want one, don’t wait.

Ever wonder if droids felt things too? In the touchy-feely way? Paperbeatscissors, aka Chris Gerringer, wondered that too and recently made a series of 8 prints featuring iconic Star Wars droids and some thoughtful type. These are pretty unique, and I love the solid bright, saturated colors. Looking for something a little more introspective to hang on your wall? These might be the ticket.

You can purchase these prints on Chris’ Society6 page. His official site is here.

What have you been doing for the past 6 months? Working? Saving? Well Sven Junga has been building an enormous replica of the Hyperion battle cruiser from Starcraft II. In my opinion? Totally worth it. It’s incredibly detailed, all the way down to the small windows on the front. Tons of “greebles” (the LEGO builder term for the small technical details all over the surface of the ship) cover the body of the vessel to help make it look authentic. Amazing job, Sven.

It’s 115 LEGO studs long and made up of roughly 15,000 pieces. And, he even has characters to go with it. Those are fantastic too! Now if only this could be an actual LEGO model…

Looking for another quirky t-shirt for your already large collection? 6amCrisis brings us an excellent Star Wars shirt with a great coat of arms design featuring the most important members of the Skywalker family. Some might ask where Padme is – to them I respond: who? Ok, joking aside, this is a pretty great shirt, and a nice plus is you can choose which color you prefer. You can also get it as an iPhone case or baby’s clothing (huh?). Check his redbubble profile for more awesome work!

It might not be the same quality you’d expect from a major studio like Pixar, but this is worth checking out. Using a mix of CG and footage from the original film, YouTube user Mylex67 recently tried his hand at recreating some of the battle sequences from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. While it’s my instinct to complain about the lack of accuracy, he notes that the clip is not meant to be a shot for shot recreation, but rather just an alternate take on the battle in the Mutara nebula from the film. Needless to say, I’m a bit impressed, and I hope there’s more to come.

Here’s a little treat for your Christmas morning: Reddit user Tmyakal took his artificial tree and with a little cleverness, gave it some pizzaz. I might have to steal this idea for myself next year. Don’t worry, I’m not going to make you endure any more Portal jokes. I only have one question: where do the presents go?

Seen via /r/gaming.

If you’re looking for a recipe for internet success, face it, you’ve been beat. Avemagnadude created a trailer that combines the two most popular video games this holiday season: Minecraft and Skyrim. Using a combination of in-game footage from Minecraft and custom CGI he recreated the Skyrim trailer in all it’s glory, and also brought to a conclusion this whole silly Mojang vs. Skyrim silliness. It’s really quite stylish, although the name ‘Minerim’ doesn’t exactly sound too pleasing. Click through for the full video.

There’s a certain charm to “sweded” versions of films. Adding a dash of home-made ingenuity in trying to recreate big-budget scenes along with a little bit of child-like fun makes for entertaining videos. Dumb Drum recently created their own version of the Dark Knight Rises trailer that’s been hyped up quite a bit recently. There are some fairly creative bits in here, especially with the zoom out of the Batman logo and the football stadium! Click through to check it out.

Being a geek myself, I’ve received my fair share of Geek-themed stocking-stuffers over the years. Some have been awesome, and others not so much, so I’ve decided to throw together some quick suggestions for those of you in a rush. Don’t worry, we’re all guilty of a little procrastination every once in awhile.

Now, I don’t know about all of you, but I spend a great deal of time glued to my monitor. It’s not so bad that I forget to live a life outside of it, but you have to consider that you’re going to spend a lot time in front of a computer, so you may as well make it enjoyable. I usually like to enjoy a cold beverage, and while USB cooling pads sound cool, they rarely function as intended. Instead, consider buying some nifty Sci-Fi-themed ice trays, like this Star Wars R2D2 tray. They even have one of Han Solo frozen in carbonite, though it might be harder to find.

If treats are more your thing, there’s a fine selection of caffeinated mints, an assortment of bacon-flavored products, or even a fine selection of wacky, geek-themed candy out there. I’m fond of Japan’s Black Black caffeinated gum — it’s really minty, charged with some caffeine, and really helps to keep you alert when you need that little boost. As far bacon products go, the classic bacon salt is a great way to go, you can utilize it with so many different foods. Bacon-flavored popcorn, on the other hand, might be a bit too pungent for anyone who isn’t already a fan. J-List has some awesome wacky Japanese candy with flavors like Sake, Udon, Soba, and more. While I loved the Sake-flavored candies, I could have done without the Udon — something just didn’t taste right.

Most of these products are available through ThinkGeek, and over-night shipping can still get those products to you before Christmas if you hurry and order by 12PM Eastern on December 22nd.  Amazon Prime members might be able to find some of these products available for free 2-day shipping. Ordering before the evening of the 22nd can get you those products by Friday. It’s rough trying to find outlets online that can go that extra mile, so make sure to get your shopping done as soon as possible. Good luck!

This falls into that category of “too cool not to post.” Ever want to see a bunch of Jedi ninjas battle to the death? Well, thanks to directors James Mark, Justin Lovell, you’ll get to. Featuring the martial arts performance squad Team 2X, this awesome short aims to recreate some of the stylized lightsaber combat featured in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. It’s very reminiscent of those over-the-top lightsaber battles from the latest trilogy, but you have to admit those lightsaber duels were probably the best part of the films. Be sure to watch the clip all the way through, as there’s a pretty funny reveal around two minutes and twenty seconds in.

Most people haven’t heard of the show, but for kids in the early 80s the Japanese-French animated series Ulysses 31 (宇宙伝説ユリシーズ31) left an impression that would mark a generation. A co-production by DiC and TMS, this program would receive brief exposure on American television via the syndicated weekend cartoon block, “Kideo TV” in 1986. This intentionally-cheesy fan-made homage to the show’s famous intro was produced by Dermot Canterbury, a London-based director who also produced work for such clients as the BBC, The Foundation, RDF, and English Heritage.

It’s probably irrational of me to be so upset about a show being put on hiatus like this, but NBC’s Community consistently proves to me why its among the best on television. I know it’s terribly self-referential and littered with in-jokes that almost require you to watch the series from the first episode on, but it’s worth it. Unfortunately, that would be too much to ask of the average viewer. You know who I’m talking about. The ones with the attention span of a goldfish, or who think sitcoms are somehow better with Flash T-shirts and laugh-tracks — yeah, I went there. Just picking Community up mid-season would be difficult for anyone, but now that entire series is available on Hulu, there’s really no excuse not to watch it. In order the help drive home that point, be sure to check out this incredibly informative public service announcement, and find out what you’ve been missing.

[college humor via collider]

How many can say that attended the first science fiction convention that was ever held, were part of the first generation of great science fiction authors and are around today and blogging about it? That honor would go to Frederik Pohl who will celebrate his 92nd birthday today! Show above is a photo from the first science fiction convention in 1936 — Frederik Pohl is the gentleman in the center. To celebrate his birthday here are a number of cool vintage covers of his (and his co-authors) books:

Frederik Pohl: Alternating Currents from 1956

Frederik Pohl: A Plague of Pythons from 1965

Frederik Pohl: The Abominable Earthman from 1963

Frederik Pohl: Tomorrow Times Seven from 1959

Frederik Pohl and Cyril Kornbluth: Presidential Year from 1956

Frederik Pohl: Drunkard’s Walk from 1960

At first I didn’t take the Bronies too seriously, but this has made me change my mind: Operation Winter Wrap Up is a site started by My Little Pony fans with the objective of “Bronies donate Ponies to children in need” with a holiday toy drive. Currently the Operation Winter Wrap Up site includes detail information on where to donate, toy suggestions and other ways that people can help: And there’s also a Facebook page as well.