Monday, February 08, 2010

Geek TV Week in Review: Obi-Wan Still Loves Rex

Time for another recap of this week’s geekiest offerings on the tube. You’ll notice the exclusion of Lost. I haven’t watched it since the first season, so jumping in now seems pointless. Friends tell me that all the same mysteries are still in play, waiting to be resolved, so who knows? Maybe I’ll give it another try. Or if we have a Lost expert out there, please feel free to give us a report.

Sunday, February 07, 2010

Quote of the Week: The Wisdom of Damon

It’s time for me to come out of the closet, or coffin as it were, and confess that the CW’s teen vamp drama The Vampire Diaries has become something of a guilty pleasure for me. My early reviews of the show were negative, but tolerant. That tolerance has now turned into giddy anticipation of every new episode. Clearly, I need help. I usually roll my eyes at bad boy characters, because I’ve been around the block enough times to know where all that’s going to lead. But Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore is surprisingly refreshing. His onscreen brother may be the dreamy, brooding one, but Ian has him beat when it comes to charisma and comedy. In this scene, Damon dismisses the teen/centenarian lust of the protagonists and catches the audience up on everything we need to know about the plot. Let’s watch:

So, naturally I’m going to start saying this week’s Quote of the Week incessantly now:

“If I see something I haven’t seen before, I’ll throw a dollar at it.”
-Damon Salvatore, The Vampire Diaries

This will especially come in handy at future FBOTM photo shoots. So, do we have any other closet Vampire Diaries watchers out there? Or am I alone (utterly, utterly alone)?

Saturday, February 06, 2010

FBOTU’s Weekly Comics Load: Kiss Him, Conner!

Friday, February 05, 2010

FBOTM Friday: Sam’s the Man

It’s that time again! Meet Sam, our February 2010 Fanboy of the Month. In addition to being 100% adorable, Sam is also a big DC fan, toy collector and pop culture buff. We had postponed his shoot a couple of times due to scheduling conflicts, but our persistence paid off. When Sam walked into the studio, he was enthusiastic and ready to play. Smart, friendly and quick with a joke, Sam had us giggling throughout the shoot. I could have held off featuring him until March or April, but February, the month of Valentine’s Day, just felt like the right fit for such a sweetheart. Now, let’s get to know the new guy!

• Check out the first shots from Sam’s photo shoot in the Gallery.
• Learn all about Sam and what makes him tick in his bio in the FBOTM Lounge.
• Watch Luke’s intro video below or on the FBOTU YouTube page.
• Coming soon: Sam’s desktop calendar download! Stay tuned!

Finally, let’s take a look at Sam in action, behind the scenes at the FBOTM photo shoot:

See more of Sam every Friday in February, right here at Fanboys of the Universe! Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Review: You Can’t Keep a Good Pee-wee Down

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

FBOTU Book Club: The Magician and the Fool by Barth Anderson

I’m pleased to announce that the next selection for the FBOTU Book Club is The Magician and the Fool by Barth Anderson. Here’s a synopsis:

For hundreds of years, men have sought their futures in the legendary images of the tarot—but what secrets of the past are harbored by the priestess, the magician, the hanged man and the fool? Years ago, fallen scholar Jeremiah Rosemont left the bitter rivalries of academia behind for a simple nomadic life in South America. But he can’t escape his past or the dangerous truth that lurks beneath his abandoned studies. Following an enigmatic summons to Rome, Rosemont finds himself at the center of a mystery that dates back to the fall of Troy and the legendary “first” tarot deck.

Nominated for a Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBT SF/Fantasy/Horror, The Magician and the Fool is a lyrical, dreamlike thriller. Publishers Weekly says, “Anderson doesn’t make it easy on the reader, preferring to reveal his swirling, complex story bit by enigmatic bit. Those willing to surrender themselves to this talented author’s compelling vision will find a fevered dream universe where understanding in the normal sense is probably not possible, nor even necessary.”

Discussion of the book will begin on Wednesday, March 3 in the Books Forum. That means you have a whole month to get and read the book. I’ll be posting weekly reminders to help keep you on track. But once you start reading The Magician and the Fool, I doubt you’ll be able to put it down.

To get us started, let’s give away three FREE copies of the book! The first three members who post “Book me!” in the comments section of this post will win. (NOTE: If you won a previous FBOTU Book Club selection, but didn’t take part in the discussion, you are sadly ineligible. Oh yes, I keep track, kids.)

You can purchase The Magician and the Fool at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders or wherever fevered dream universes are sold.

Happy reading! 

Monday, February 01, 2010

Quote of the Week: Bizarro World

Long-Suffering Boyfriend and I currently live on opposite sides of the country and communicate almost exclusively by IM. The other day, this classic exchange appeared in my little IM window:

Elaine: Bizarro Jerry?
Jerry: Yeah, like Bizarro Superman, Superman’s exact opposite, who lives in the backwards Bizarro World. Up is down, down is up, he says hello when he leaves, goodbye when he arrives.
Elaine: Shouldn’t he say badbye? Isn’t that the opposite of goodbye?
Jerry: No, it’s still goodbye.
Elaine: Does he live underwater?
Jerry: No.
Elaine: Is he black?
Jerry: Look, just forget the whole thing, all right?
-Seinfeld, “The Bizarro Jerry”

So, my thanks to LSB for sharing and reminding me of one of my favorite Seinfeld bits. Let’s roll the clip!

Bring on the Justice!

Smallville returned from hiatus this past weekend with another Oliver-heavy story. I’m not complaining, though. I could watch Justin Hartley make with the sad eyes all day. It was a serviceable episode overall, but what I’m really excited about in the Smallville universe is the upcoming Absolute Justice movie event! Here are two slightly different teaser trailers:

I have a feeling Michael Shanks as Hawkman is going to be a new crush. Here’s hoping he becomes a regular. Now, just for good measure, here’s the Canadian promo with a few additional scenes:

So, what do you think? Excited? Skeptical? Enraged? Personally, I’m looking forward to some costumed heroes inspiring Clark to ditch the trench coat and (super)man up. Pull on the tights, boy! You’re not getting any younger!