Winter is Coming: ‘Game of Thrones’ Is Epic

Posted on January 6, 2012 by

Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Eh, who I am kidding–this humble little blog has never been mighty, per se, just (hopefully wonderfully) nerdy. But still, it has been some time since my last update. What can I say except that senior year is rough? If it helps, blame it on having to banish bed bugs (and move within a week), boredom, business, and of all things to not complain about, a new beau. Wow, it really has been ages. Alas, nerding out has been lessened of late (thanks, Théoden).

No more, geeks! Bountiful blogging (are you digging all of my alliteration? I don’t know what it is about B’s today) is one of my New Year’s Resolutions, and so far I’m sticking to it. And this is something I’ve been meaning to post about for a while–you guessed it: George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones, the first novel in his epic fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, and the subsequent HBO television show that aired earlier this past year.

I’d been talking about reading the first book in the series and then watching the show for forever, and I finally finished the novel (thanks to two 8-hour bus rides) this past Wednesday after months of toiling through it. Blame it on my lit-heavy Writing major. Verdict: Game of Thrones is epic. And I don’t mean epic just in the sense that it’s very, very good, although that is also certainly true–instead, it’s really just epic.

The span of this book, and I’m sure the rest in the series, is incredible. It’s like Lord of the Rings but bigger, if you can believe it (with a lot more sex and backstabbing). The land is divided into Seven Kingdoms and even more across the Narrow Sea, and the plot is intricate, following the lives of several different people all split up and divided by their separate houses (families), ranks, and origins. Bottom line, it’s a lot to go into, but I’ll give you a basic summary: throughout the first novel, a lot of people are conspiring for the chance to rule The Seven Kingdoms, and from all over–the North (the Starks, and the noble protagonists), the South (the evil, rich, and very blonde Lannister clan), and even those that were exiled across the Narrow Sea to Essos (Daenerys Targaryen and her band of Dothraki warriors).

I’m barely scraping the surface, I know. Just go read it. If you’re not one for reading (tssssk–and that’s coming from someone who took months to read it all), then watch the fabulous show HBO has done. It’s ten 60-minute episodes and it’s a lush, breathtaking adaptation of the novel. The worst I could say about the show is that they cast some of the parts a little older than described in the book, but I’m sure that’s because they didn’t want to worry about depicting some of the bad things that happen to children in the novel.

Some of my favorite characters: Daenerys (badass), Jon Snow (leave him alone, Catelyn), Arya (also a badass–yay Martin for writing strong females), Tyrion (he’s a Lannister but undeniably hilarious/awesome, and Peter Dinklage plays him to perfection in the show), and many other minor characters. There’s also a lot of familiar faces in the series for any fans of British television/movies–was that HP’s Tonks I saw as Osha and Argus Filch as Lord Frey? Also, Twyin Lannister is totally in BBC’s Merlin, and I feel like there’s a toooon more.

All in all, I’m pumped to read the next book in the series, A Clash of Kings before HBO debuts the second season. Let’s hope I read this one faster than the last. Till next Friday, geeks, when I detail my other long-delayed but totally worth the wait obsession, BBC’s Doctor Who. Thank god for Christmas breaks. It’s when you get time to catch up on geeking out.

What about you lot? Fans of Game of Thrones? Who’s your favorite character? If you’re not excited yet, check out the trailer for the second season on HBO, below. I have a feeling that the voiceover has GOT to be Stannis Baratheon, Robert and Renly’s brother–and is it just me or does it sound an awful lot like David Wenham, Sean Bean’s (who this season played Ned Stark) brother Faramir in LOTR (when he played Boromir)? If only. It’s actually this guy. Anyway, the trailer:

May the geek be with you,

Lindsay

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Need a Gaang Fix? Bending is Back for Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Posted on September 30, 2011 by

Hey geeks! Long time no blogging. I hate excuses but in this case, life really did get in the way—sad and unfortunate, somewhat infuriating, even, but true.

Anyway, I promised you lot a post sometime featuring either news about The Legend of Korra or Game of Thrones. Turns out it’s going to be the latter.

The good news: that Avatar continuation comic I mentioned a while back? Well, it’s out and ready for purchase. Just added it to my cart–I can’t wait to read The Lost Adventures! Some even better news is that Dark Horse Comics has announced another comic—and this one is going to narrate the period between the 100-Year War (aka. the Gaang’s story) and the coming of Korra. The comic will be in two parts, written by award-winning graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang, and be titled “The Promise” (cover art embedded for your fan-tastic pleasure).

Now onto the bad news. (Insert long, dramatic sigh). While there has been only speculation up to this point, The Legend of Korra may be postponed until 2013. I know what you’re thinking—or rather, mumbling incoherently in vast disappointment—what??

Well, don’t mar your pretty foreheads with worry lines just yet. Nothing’s official, despite Tumblr blowing up with rumors. If Korra is going to be postponed, then it’s going to be postponed. It’s been nearly four years since ATLA ended, so waiting an extra year for the new mini-series doesn’t sound so awful. Besides, there’s always Nick reruns (or, if you have the DVDS like me, weekend marathons) and fanart/fiction to get you by. I’m more than willing to wait if it means creators Bryan and Mike will make it as awesome as ATLA (though I’m still disappointed Zutara isn’t canon)—especially since it’ll help everyone forget this.  Continue reading →

Posted in Comics/Art, News, TV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

I’ve Got A Ph.D. in Horribleness.

Posted on September 12, 2011 by

Hey geeks. Well, as you might have guessed—or similarly experienced—school’s started up again, and that means slight neglect when it comes to geeking out. Never a good thing. But, alas, it’s my senior year of college, and terror of job-hunting aside, I’m excited to get out into the real world. First, though, is one extremely busy year full of senior capstones and late nights.

So, onto what I’m geeking out about this week! Originally, I was going to blog again about updates on The Last Airbender: The Legend of Korra, but decided to postpone that in favor of something I discovered this past Saturday evening—something I fear I should’ve seen ages ago. Or, to be more precise, years ago: Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.

That’s the worst bit about being busy, in school and working—I feel like I miss the boat on too many things (example and another upcoming post: my current manic reading of “Game of Thrones”). Joss Whedon’s masterpiece that is Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is just one of them—it was released in 2008 during the writer’s strike. What the heck was I doing then?

Whatever I was doing wasn’t productive considering it took me 3ish years to become acquainted with Neil Patrick Harris’s Dr. Horrible. Now, I’ve been a fan of NPH since his reentrance into the public eye in Harold & Kumar and from reruns of Doogie Howser, M.D., so I didn’t really need to be enticed by his natural charisma to enjoy his interpretation of a rising supervillain.

Long story short: Dr. Horrible wants to be a badass-enough supervillian to be inducted into the Evil League of Evil and win the girl of his dreams, Penny, but is often thwarted by his nemesis, Captain Hammer (portrayed with perfect pompousness by Nathan Fillion). Add 14 jaunty musical numbers and it’s tragicomic perfection. Hello, iTunes. (Joss, I know you’re busy right now with the Avengers and what-not, but where’s Dr. Horrible 2?)

If you’re as behind as me and haven’t seen Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog yet, then head to Netflix Instant and get on it. It’s short, sweet, hilarious, and yes, quite sad—but I won’t spoil it for you. For now, just go watch it. I’ll make it even easier for you and throw in Part 1 from Youtube, below:

Until next time, geeks (watch out for Korra or Game of Thrones).

May the geek be with you,

Lindsay

Posted in Movies, Music | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

In Memoriam: Top 10 Highlights of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 2

Posted on August 4, 2011 by

Hey geeks! After a weekend filled with birthday revelry and mayhem (I just came of age), I can get to that coherent post about Harry Potter I promised you.

This isn’t, however, a review. This post is going to be less about what was done right or what was done wrong, or what the fans loved and what the fans hated, though I’m sure it will be awful sentimental.

Instead, I’m going to name ten highlights from the film, from a true fan’s point of view, in memoriam of this life-altering, fantastic series. In addition, I have an exciting announcement! TheGeeksWereRight is expanding to Tumblr! Don’t worry, geeks, you’ll still get all your girl geek perspective right here on WordPress, but for instant hilarity utilizing all new media, check out my new Tumblr, Let’s Get Our Geek On. (Sadly, someone else has realized the brilliance of The Faint, hence the name).

Onto business. In honor of Warner Bros., the entire cast and crew of the Harry Potter films, Lit-Goddess J.K. Rowling, and of course, our dear pal Harry, I give you—Top 10 Highlights of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 2:

10. Goodbye, Griphook. Just like his first onscreen appearance in Goblet of Fire, the scene in which Voldemort learns that the trio is hunting horcruxes and, in his blind fury, subsequently murders an entire room of Gringotts goblins, Ralph Fiennes truly inspires real fear. On paper, after seven books, Voldemort isn’t too frightening of a villain. On screen, Fiennes abolishes that with an apathetic stroll through numerous dead bodies, feet stained with their blood.  Continue reading →

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Pitchforkin’

Posted on July 21, 2011 by

Hey geeks! Well, it’s here: the post about Pitchfork I promised you. Before I get to that, let me just share with you my reaction to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2…

“(Sob) It (sob) …pretty much (gasp) perfect (sniffle)…Snape (sob)…Alan Rickman (gasp)…Oscar (sob)…(incomprehensible muttering).”

You get the gist. Full, less emotional reaction/totally unbiased review coming your way later this week, probably after I see it again.

In the meantime, I have plenty to write about—Pitchfork Music Festival, and my 5-day stay in the Windy City. A quick recap of some trip details before I plunge into the bands: we took the MegaBus to Chicago from Iowa and stayed with some new buddies, courtesy of Couch Surfing (a great way to meet fellow awesome people & nerds alike).

We arrived Thursday afternoon, and after being greeted warmly by our awesome Couch Surfer hosts, we hit up the beach near Loyola for a few hours before making our way to B-Dubs and the (squee!) Harry Potter premiere, decked out in all our Potter glory.

The next day, we headed to Union Park for Pitchfork. As such happens with all music festivals, we did not see everyone play, but I’ll give you the lowdown on who we did see. First band we hit up was tUnE-YarDs, the nearly one-woman band dreamed up by Merill Garbus. With a little help from Nate Brenner on electric bass and a sick sax solo from Matt Nelson, the tUnE-YarDs killed it. Their set was dance-able while still managing to mingle dissonance and soaring harmonies, all courtesy of Garbus and her loop machine. Garbus’s voice, though, was the highlight for me–I loved her throaty yet eclipsing vocal style. And for some reason I never dig chick singers.

Continue reading →

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Hurrying for Harry.

Posted on July 8, 2011 by

Hey geeks. Not a lot of time to type, but I wanted to update you on the reason for an absence of recent posts and why I don’t have a lot of time to type. My guess is you might already know one of the reasons…

SIX DAYS UNTIL HARRY POTTER.

If you don’t think that warranted caps, then I don’t know if we can be friends. Just kidding! …sort of. (Full countdown to the film at Mugglenet.) Plain and simple, my fellow geek-culture enthusiasts, with the announcement of Pottermore (a social network/RPG/lexicon all rolled into one?! Hello, new home page. Sorry Yahoo.), the upcoming LAST MOVIE, and my impending annual vacation to Chicago with my best friend, I’ve been busy.

That’s right—next week I’m heading to Chi-town for the Harry Potter premiere AND for three days of hipster-watching at the Pitchfork Music Festival. And I’m trying to reread all of the books, as I do every year, before the movie. I’m currently halfway through Chamber, but to be fair I just started Tuesday night and have only gotten about 5 hours of reading in total. Here’s hoping I can ignore the rest of my life enough this weekend/early next week to plow through the rest—at least to book 6. (I’m a very fast reader, so, as Ron Weasley might say—doubters, bugger off.)

On top of reading and wallowing in misery that Harry Potter is going to be OVER (thank J.K. Rowling for Pottermore), I’m going to be packing and getting ready for the trip. I don’t think I’ll have a long post for my reaction to Deathly Hallows Pt. 2. In fact, I can pretty much predict that it’ll be all in caps or completely incomprehensible. Either way, I’m sure I’ll love it. But after that, don’t worry—like previous years, I will try to write daily reviews of the goings-on and concerts at Pitchfork (last year was Lollapalooza). Depending on how the weekend goes, I might have another little something to write about. Here’s hoping!

For now, enjoy this Harry Potter featurette that’s been on the web for a few days. That and visiting EW (they have a lot of awesome of stuff on the franchise over the years) should somewhat satiate our Harry Potter sweet tooth till the loooong six days are over:

What about you, geeks? Are you as excited as me for Harry Potter? Is that even a question? And, like me, will you have to see the movie multiple times because you will have bawled during the entire first viewing (and, well, why not?)?

Let me know in the comments!  I’ll catch you a little later next week with loads of content. For now, have to get back to Gilderoy Lockhart. SIDENOTE: Anytime I read Harry Potter or get heavily into anything uber-British, I start talking in a (relatively poor) British accent. Does this happen to anyone else or am I just a bit off my rocker (See!)?

May the geek be with you,

Lindsay

Posted in Life, Lit, Movies, News | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Self-Indulgent Sunday: My 5 Recent Celebrity Crushes

Posted on June 13, 2011 by

Hey geeks–you ready for some major self-indulgence? Well, good. This week I’m going a little shallow with my post and naming my 5 recent male celebrity crushes. Don’t worry, they’ve all been chosen for more than their looks–although that definitely helps!:

5.  Tom Hiddleston

Where you’ve seen him: Thor as Loki
Upcoming Projects: The Avengers

Is it just me or was Loki kind of hot? Chris Hemsworth got all the attention as the hammer-wielding  Thor, but for me, it was all about Loki’s cheekbones. In all seriousness, though, this previously unknown English actor will probably jettison to stardom due to his memorable take on evil brother Loki in Thor and the upcoming Avengers. Reason I’m crushing: Thor’s hot and all, but it’s one thing to create a super-sexy villain–it’s another thing to make me empathize with one.

4. Darren Criss

Where you’ve seen him: Glee as Chief Warbler and Kurt’s boyfriend, Blaine
Upcoming projects: More Glee and the web-series Life of Leopold

Good news, ladies—though he plays one of the best gay characters on TV, Darren is into the ladies in real life. Thank goodness, right? Reason I’m crushing: in addition to playing the sweetest and sexiest singer on Glee, Darren is also known for originating the role of Harry Potter in the Youtube sensation “A Very Potter Musical”. We already have so much in common.

3. Adam Levine

Where you’ve seen him: As the lead singer of Maroon 5 and current coach on The Voice
Upcoming projects: Hopefully winning The Voice with one of the members of Team Adam and touring the U.S. this summer with Maroon 5. I’m still waiting for a follow-up album as good as “Songs”.

This one’ isn’t technically new, but the rekindling of an old flame. I’ve actually crushed on this “Sunday Morning” singer since seventh grade, but sort of lost interest after two weak albums following “Songs About Jane”. Reason I’m crushing: thankfully, his current stint on The Voice brought us back together—even if he does only date twiggy models (yeah, I’m jealous).

2. Michael Fassbender

Where you’ve seen him: 300, Inglourious Basterds, Jane Eyre, X-Men: First Class
Upcoming projects: Shame (2011), Prometheus (2012)

I remember dear Michael from 300 but he didn’t really hit my radar until I saw him as Mr. Rochester in the recent adaptation of Jane Eyre. Those 19th century tight pants? Smokin’. Reason I’m crushing: if you thought he couldn’t get any hotter, go see him in X-Men: First Class (currently in theaters)–he plays Erik Lensherr, or a young Magneto. Let’s just say Nazi-hunting and controlling metal has never been sexier.

1. Eoin Macken

Where you’ve seen him: Centurion, BBC’s Merlin
Upcoming projects: More Merlin as Sir Gwaine (Gawain in Arthurian legend)

This talented Irish model/actor/director caught my eye when I saw him as Sir Gwaine in BBC’s Merlin. Reason I’m crushing: it’s pretty hard to outshine both Colin Morgan and Bradley James, but somehow, Eoin did it. I don’t know whether it’s his scruffy good looks (totally my type) or his winning performance as the roguish but lovable Knight of the Round Table, but all I can think is: yum.

Well, geeks, hopefully I’ve turned you onto some new (and handsome) emerging talents (crushes). Till next time!

May the geek be with you,

Lindsay

Posted in Life, Movies, Music, TV | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments