Geek News You Should Know: 6/16/14

1) 22 Jump Street not only took the number one spot on the box office charts this week, but did so well that it was the second highest R-rated comedy opening ever behind The Hangover II.  I thought How To Train Your Dragon 2 would do real well considering how great the first one was but didn't even manage to crack the $50 million mark this weekend, which has to be disappointing for Dreamworks. Here's a list of the top ten movies courtesy of BoxOfficeMojo.com.

TW	LW	Title (click to view)	Studio	Weekend Gross	% Change	Theater Count / Change		Average	Total Gross	Budget*	Week #
1	N	22 Jump Street	Sony	$57,071,445	-	3,306	-	$17,263	$57,071,445	-	1
2	N	How to Train Your Dragon 2	Fox	$49,451,322	-	4,253	-	$11,627	$49,451,322	-	1
3	2	Maleficent	BV	$18,504,997	-46.1%	3,623	-325	$5,108	$163,021,529	$180	3
4	3	Edge of Tomorrow	WB	$16,527,215	-42.5%	3,505	+15	$4,715	$57,001,698	$178	2
5	1	The Fault in our Stars	Fox	$14,791,933	-69.2%	3,273	+100	$4,519	$80,767,200	$12	2
6	4	X-Men: Days of Future Past	Fox	$9,816,449	-35.2%	3,042	-597	$3,227	$206,256,610	$200	4
7	6	Godzilla (2014)	WB	$3,311,185	-45.9%	2,088	-1,022	$1,586	$191,457,194	$160	5
8	5	A Million Ways to Die in the West	Uni.	$3,246,400	-55.8%	2,413	-747	$1,345	$37,107,020	-	3
9	7	Neighbors	Uni.	$2,369,250	-55.5%	1,896	-778	$1,250	$143,022,215	$18	6
10	9	Chef	ORF	$2,187,526	-16.6%	1,102	-196	$1,985	$13,987,981	-	6

 
2) In a kind of a shocking turn of events, it's rumored that The Rise of Tomb Raider and Little Big Planet 3 may be released on PS3 and X-Box 360 (in Tomb Raider's case) in addition to PS4 and X-Box One.  Both of these games really could be perceived as system sellers and while they both surely would look better on the newest game systems, for some it may not be worth the $400 upgrade price to experience these games.  It's nice to see them still catering to older game systems but you wonder if that will end up hurting console sales or will it be better for game sales if they are available for systems that most people already own.

3) While it certainly seems like Angry Birds has taken a dip in it's extreme popularity from a few years ago, it still has a fanbase and will be launching it's newest tie-in Angry Birds: Transformers.  The game will feature the Autobirds vs. the Deceptihogs.  No release date is known at this time but there was a preview image and it looks like a unique venture for the series.



4) Heroes Reborn is the Heroes reboot scheduled to hit NBC in 2015.  While the cast is scheduled to consist largely of new cast members, it was announced today that Jack Coleman, who played Noah Bennet (the father to Claire Bennet, the indestructible cheerleader played by Hayden Panettiere) will be joining the new show.  Bennet worked for a shadowy organization (deceptively called The Primatech Paper Company) that dealt with superpowered individuals.



5) Since I'm an accountant I love graphs and charts and what-not and really thought this one was interesting on how returning shows compared ratings-wise to how they did last season.  It's kind of a depressing chart as both some of mine and Anthony's favorite shows bottomed out on the charts as Raising Hope was the lowest and Glee was the second lowest.  However, Raising Hope did get doomed to airing mid-season on Friday nights, which basically signified it's death.  Scandal was by far the biggest grower on the chart with Supernatural of all shows finishing second.

Episode 110 Notes

Here are the official show notes for Episode 110 - 110 Pod Street.

Geek News You Should Know 6/11/14

Hey guys and welcome to today's notes of geekery.  More and more details keep coming from E3 about the video games coming out over the next year and a half but I'll be focusing on the other stuff today, which sadly there really hasn't been a lot of news.

1) A trailer was released for Dumb and Dumber To, I haven't had a chance to watch it quite yet but here it is.



2) Another trailer I haven't watched yet is for the new Sin City movie, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.  Here's that one.



3) Netflix has announced that in 2016, they will start airing new episodes of The Magic School Bus 360° and will be similar to the classic version except it'll be CG and feature a modern take on their adventures.  It's always good when quality educational shows come back and any forms of entertainment for children that they can learn something from is a good thing.

4) The makers of 22 Jump Street announced that one of the features of the upcoming Blu-Ray/DVD release will be a 10-minute serious cut of the movie with all of the jokes, comedy, and action sequences cut out.

5) Get your chili dogs ready as Sony has announced they will be making a live-action/CG-hybrid movie based on Sonic the Hedgehog.  While there haven't been many details released for this yet, other than some Upright Citizens Brigade alums are writing it, it sounds like an interesting idea.

Geek News You Should Know: 6/10/14

All of the major video game companies have finished their E3 announcements and there's some good stuff coming down the pipeline.

1) Nintendo has officially announced it's Amiibo plans, which are their version of Skylanders'/Disney Infinity figures as well as the games they are going to work with.  They will sync directly with the Gamepad (as Nintendo tries to make the gamepad a bigger focus) and the figures will store information.  They are going to be released along with Smash Bros. Wii U this holiday season and will also work with Mario Kart 8 and Mario Party 10, as well as a few other games.  They are also going to develop a pad that will allow these figures to work with your 3DS as well.  I would imagine these games, especially Mario Kart 8 will operate completely fine without the Amiibo figures, what benefits you get from them however is unknown at this time.  I would hate to lose any functionality of a new Mario Party game because I didn't have the figure. Here is a video explaining how they will be incorporated into Smash Bros. Wii U.



2) Along with these little guys, Nintendo is also making a Gamecube hub so that you can use your pre-existing Gamecube controllers with the Wii U system, as well as new Gamecube controllers rolling out soon.  This is designed mostly for Smash Bros Wii U, but hopefully this functionality will be able to be used in Virtual Console games and other Wii U titles as well.  It'll be $20 for the adapter and $30 for new Gamecube controllers.  I'm just glad I held onto all mine, especially my Wavebird.  In Super Smash Bros. U you will also be able to play as your Mii in the game, which adds an extra level of awesomeness as you can control yourself in bouts against the iconic Nintendo figures in the game.  Ever dreamed about smacking Bowser in his giant nose, now you can!




3) Mario Party 10 will feature the classic Mario Party mode we've come to love, but also feature a Bowser Party mode, where one player can play with the gamepad as Mario's nemesis and wreak havoc on all of the players while they try to avoid his attacks.  Also announced is Mario Maker, where players will be able to customize their own Mario levels from adjusting warp pipes down or up in size, to changing the appearance of the game from classic 8-bit Super Mario Bros to New Super Mario Bros U in appearance.  Nintendo also announced new The Legend of Zelda, Star Fox, and Mario vs. Donkey Kong (as well as a bunch of other new games) for the Wii U and 3DS.

4) I love the E3 conferences but don't have an hour to sit through all the conferences, this is why I love IGN's 5-minute version of the presentation showing all of the highlights.  Click here to watch Sony's 5-minute presentation. While I don't play as many Playstation games as I probably should, I am loving a lot of the stuff they have coming down the tubes.  I don't have a PS4 but love the PlayStation TV that they are releasing, which allows you to use your PS4 in different rooms of the house.  Not sure how well it'll sell but it's a neat feature especially for roommates and siblings to use the system in their own rooms. Sony also announced during their presentation that they are making a Ratchet & Clank animated movie based on the popular video game franchise that will be hitting theaters early next year.  And most importantly, Brian Michael Bendis came out on stage and announced that Powers will be coming to PlayStation in December, the first episode will be free for all, while the rest of the series can only be watched by PlayStation Plus members.  They also announced a new Metal Gear Solid, Uncharted, and Arkham Knight games which all look mindblowing as well dozens of other cool games, I wish I had more money.

5) Meanwhile, here's Microsoft's 5-minute version of their presentation as well.  A lot of cool games coming from them as well, including a lot more Halo stuff, Call of Duty, Forza, Dragon Age, Assassin's Creed and so much more.  Nice to see Microsoft focusing on the X-Box One as a gaming system and not as multimedia system that also plays games like they advertised it as when they first announced it last year.

Geek News You Should Know: 6/9/14

Sorry for taking the past week off, things just got busy in a lot of different areas, because it was the end of the month/beginning of the month, it was my busy period at work so I couldn't stay as up on the news as I would like.  Then this past Sunday and last night I went to Chicago and Madison respectively to see WWE live, which both events were a ton of fun.  Anyways, here's some geek news, don't forget to check out the latest episode 109, posted today for even more geek news, reviews, etc. in movies, televsion, comic books, video games, food, and more!

1) After seeing the fangirls turn out in droves on Thursday it's no surprise that The Fault in Our Stars dominated the box office this weekend as it opened up big on Thursday and Friday but did dip over the rest of the weekend.  While, Edge of Tomorrow disappointed in the United States, it made a ton of money in foreign markets which should help pull the big budget sci-fi movie from being a loss.  I said it on the podcast, that up until recently the marketing for Edge of Tomorrow was terrible, and I hope they point the figure of blame towards that instead of the movie itself as the premise seems really cool.  Meanwhile, Maleficent held up well and finished in second place this weekend.  Here are the top 10 movies according with all of this information from BoxOfficeMojo.com.

TW	LW	Title (click to view)	Studio	Weekend Gross	% Change	Theater Count / Change		Average	Total Gross	Budget*	Week #
1	N	The Fault in our Stars	Fox	$48,200,000	-	3,173	-	$15,191	$48,200,000	$12	1
2	1	Maleficent	BV	$33,523,000	-51.7%	3,948	-	$8,491	$127,370,000	$180	2
3	N	Edge of Tomorrow	WB	$29,105,000	-	3,490	-	$8,340	$29,105,000	$178	1
4	2	X-Men: Days of Future Past	Fox	$14,700,000	-54.8%	3,639	-362	$4,040	$189,101,000	$200	3
5	3	A Million Ways to Die in the West	Uni.	$7,189,000	-57.2%	3,160	+2	$2,275	$30,088,000	-	2
6	4	Godzilla (2014)	WB	$5,950,000	-50.5%	3,110	-391	$1,913	$185,043,000	$160	4
7	6	Neighbors	Uni.	$5,201,000	-35.6%	2,674	-265	$1,945	$137,801,000	$18	5
8	5	Blended	WB	$4,050,000	-50.3%	2,928	-627	$1,383	$36,509,000	$40	3
9	9	Chef	ORF	$2,600,000	+36.0%	1,298	+674	$2,003	$10,362,000	-	5
10	8	Million Dollar Arm	BV	$1,822,000	-49.2%	1,643	-686	$1,109	$31,347,000	$25	4

2) Stand-up comedian and former SNL and 30 Rock cast member Tracy Morgan is in critical condition after being involved in a six-vehicle accident in New Jersey.  Tracy was a passenger in a limo bus that was rear-ended by a semi and flipped, killing Tracy's comedy mentor Jimmy Mack.  We send our best to Tracy and hope for a speedy recovery.

3) While Once Upon a Time teased Elsa at the end of it's season finale a month ago, it has been confirmed that Elsa from Frozen will be in around 9 episodes and will be joined by Anna and Kristoff in some of those episodes as well.  No casting or other details have been announced at this time.

4) This week is E3 week, which is a huge video game conference where they lay out all of the upcoming games in develop and I will include many of these that I find interesting in here throughout the week.  This should be a great E3 conference as last year Microsoft announced the X-Box One and Sony announced the Playstation 4, but the games for there haven't been many games released that made these systems sell.  This will be the year where a lot of awesome titles will be announced for these systems and I'm anxious to see what's in store.  Today, Crystal Dynamics announced the sequel for last year's Tomb Raider game, Rise of Tomb Raider which should hit store shelves for the holidays in 2015.  I am loving the first game and look forward to this one whenever I pick up a Playstation 4.  The game makers have also announced that they will put a larger emphasis on the tombs in the next game.  While it's a little small in size, here's a screencap from the game.



5) In news that will surely please my wife, The Sims 4 has been officially announced to be released on September 2.  They've totally redesigned the game to make it both easier to make characters and houses while also giving you more customization controls then ever.  Here is a video on how they designed the character engine which is impressive.



I will have plenty more video game and other geek news throughout the week ahead.  Today is very much video game news overload so if you want to follow things more closely check out IGN.com, where they always do a tremendous job covering things second-by-second.

Episode 109 Notes

Here are the official show notes for Episode 109 - The Pupils Need Some Cukes.

Episode 108 Notes

Here are the official show notes for Episode 108 - A Million Ways To Penpal in the West.