Somehow, it’s been 25 years since the release of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. As if I didn’t already feel like ambulatory dust. In the time since its release, it (and the prequel trilogy as a whole) has gone through the many stages of public perception. From a flawed blockbuster, to hated pariah, to underappreciated childhood favorite, to finally begrudging acceptance. Some people will never like it, others never didn’t. In either case, its legendary status (and, let’s face it, silly script) has made it perfect for a live staged reading with a cast of comedians.

As a co-production between the Star Wars Minute and George Lucas Talk Show podcasts, the reading of The Phantom Menace was performed May 19 at Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles. The George Lucas Talk Show added the recording to their YouTube channel and now you can watch it!

The cast includes:

• TAWNY NEWSOME
• HALEY JOEL OSMENT
• DIANA LEE INOSANTO
• LARAINE NEWMAN
• ERIC BAUZA
• VIC MICHAELIS
• TONY HALE
• KRYSTINA ARIELLE
• BOBBY MOYNIHAN
• CORIN WELLS
• MARK MCCONVILLE
• JEREMY CARTER
• HAL LUBLIN
• JOJO GINN
• MATT GOURLEY
• JAMES BLADON

Love it or hate it, The Phantom Menace is definitely much funnier in staged reading form.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

The post Watch Comedians Perform a Live Reading of THE PHANTOM MENACE appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s been almost a year since we lost Paul Reubens, the actor who brought the iconic Pee-wee Herman to life. But fans have ensured the memory of Pee-wee lives on, finding ways to keep him alive in memes and tribute videos. Thanks to the folks at Laughing Squid, we’ve learned about a YouTuber by the name of eli_handle_b․wav. They have edited scenes from the game Cyberpunk 2077 and included Pee-wee from his cinematic debut in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. Whether it’s Night City, California, or a 1980s shopping center, one truth remains: you just don’t separate a boy from his bike. There are consequences.

Pee-wee was always trying to look like a tough guy in Tim Burton’s classic 1985 movie. So he somehow fits right into the dystopian future world of Cyberpunk 2077. After all, this is the same Pee-wee who got inducted into the Satan’s Helpers biker gang by putting on an unforgettable dance number. The same Pee-wee who said “I’m a loner, Dottie. A rebel.” Ok, maybe his wardrobe doesn’t go, but nobody’s perfect. This is not the first time that eli_handle_b․wav has mixed classic comedies into video games. On their channel, they have videos showcasing Shrek in Fallout 4, and Austin Powers in Mass Effect. They even had Ace Ventura, also in Cyberpunk 2077.

Pee-wee somehow has a way of turning up in various other movies he originally wasn’t in. Well, in fan-made videos anyway. Some of our favorites include the time he was in Jurassic Park, or when he took the place of Kylo Ren in Star Wars. We don’t think anyone has put Pee-wee on board the Titanic yet, but we figure it’s only a matter of time. Especially now that he’s gone though, we appreciate seeing that face and hearing that distinctive laughter pop up anywhere.

The post Pee-wee Herman in CYBERPUNK 2077 Somehow Just Works appeared first on Nerdist.

Now that the 96th annual Academy Awards have come and gone, what will people remember about years later? Will it be the Oppenheimer sweep of most of the major categories? Will it be Emma Stone receiving her second Oscar for Poor Things? Maybe. We’re going to bet the thing folks will remember most about the 2024 Oscars, however, is Ryan Gosling’s perfect and hilarious rendition of his nominated song from Barbie, “I’m Just Ken.” That showstopper is what everyone was talking about that night, and the following day. Now, YouTuber LegoME_theOG has recreated the iconic moment, entirely in LEGO. You can watch it in full right here:

So just what made this moment so perfect? Was it Gosling’s commitment to maintaining the “Kenergy?” Was it the involvement of the other major Kens from Barbie? Was it the perfect homage to Marilyn Monroe’s “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes? Well, we think it was a little bit of all of those things combined. Although Ryan Gosling was nominated for his role as Ken, he lost to Robert Downey Jr.’s in Oppenheimer, and somehow still managed to become the most talked about aspect of said event. Ryan Gosling might not have won in his category, but he won the whole night. Isn’t that better?

While we’re sure the now-iconic Oscar moment has got the suits clamoring for more cinematic Ken, we kind of hope this is the victory lap for Gosling as the character. You never want to overdo a good thing. If you enjoyed that LEGO-ized “I’m Just Ken” Oscars moment, the LegoME_theOG YouTube channel has other similarly hilarious recreations. Among them are the recent Deadpool & Wolverine trailer, Stranger Things 4, and even the cliffhanger finale of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. As cool as all of those are though, nothing will ever replace Ken in our hearts.

The post Ryan Gosling’s Oscar Performance of BARBIE’s ‘I’m Just Ken’ Gets a LEGO Upgrade appeared first on Nerdist.

We’ve barely ever seen any winter holiday celebrations in the 23rd-century future of Star Trek. If they do celebrate, we hope they would keep the memory of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Who Stole Christmas alive. They certainly do in this video from YouTube user John C. Worsley, via Geeks Are Sexy. In this clip, footage from Star Trek: The Animated Series as well as audio clips from various classic episodes combine to reframe our favorite Vulcan Mr. Spock as the holiday season’s infamous “Mean One.” At least, that’s how Dr. McCoy sees him. You can watch the full Grinch parody “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Spock” pieced together with Star Trek clips right here:

We’ve actually never seen a true Christmas celebration in the Star Trek future… or any Earth holiday really. Ok, Captain Kirk mentioned a Christmas party once in the original series. But he referred to it in past tense. Captain Picard encountered a Victorian holiday fantasy while inside the Nexus realm in Star Trek: Generations (don’t ask). However, there are no Christmas trees in the Ten-Forward lounge of the Enterprise, or any holiday lights decorating the mess hall on Voyager. Gene Roddenberry believed in a totally secular future. Still, I think he underestimated how celebrated the season was to even non-religious folks.

In addition to this Grinch parody about Spock being “mean,” John C. Worsley has a few other Star Trek holiday songs on his YouTube channel. We like the Star Trek: The Next Generation take on Mariah Carey’s iconic “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Except it’s “All I Want for Christmas is Q.” Yes, as in the annoying cosmic entity played by the great John de Lancie. And “Simply Having a Wonderful Deep Space Nine” parodies the Paul McCartney Christmas classic, only now with more Captain Benjamin Sisko. Hey, we know the cast of Strange New Worlds can sing, they did a musical this year. How about they get a turn next?

The post This Grinch-Inspired STAR TREK Parody Turns Spock Into ‘The Mean One’ appeared first on Nerdist.

In the real world, we marvel at skyscrapers like One World Trade Center, or the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. But those buildings are simply dwarfed by the ones folks create in their imaginations. But which imaginary buildings are the biggest? Buildworld has recently ranked the tallest buildings as seen in fiction, across film, books, and video games. And the answers as to what the tallest buildings are might surprise you. They’ve released their findings in a series of infographics, and you’ll spot several iconic monoliths from Star Wars, games like Grand Theft Auto, and more. You can check them out in our gallery below.

Click To View Gallery

It’s interesting to see that the tallest structure by a significant margin in films comes from the galaxy far, far away. Standing at 4,343 meters tall is the Coruscant residential complex at 500 Republica. We first saw it in The Phantom Menace, as the home of the Galactic Senate’s most elite members. Coming in at second place is the Tyrell Corporation headquarters, from the futuristic Los Angeles we saw in Blade Runner. That cityscape was a direct influence on the looks of Coruscant in Star Wars.

Both of these structures make some other famous buildings from movies seem very tiny. Even Barad-dûr, home to the Eye of Sauron from The Lord of the Rings, can’t compete when it comes to size. Hogwarts looks like a two-story apartment complex next to them. As for the skyscrapers from various Marvel movies? These tend to have something closer to real-world proportions. So Avengers Tower and the Oscorp Tower from The Amazing Spider-Man films mostly seem like regular old buildings in comparison. The buildings from the Grand Theft Auto series are way more down to Earth as well. As for us, well, we’re more comfortable closer to the ground. Has anyone got a hobbit hole with a spare room?

The post From STAR WARS to the MCU, Which Buildings in Fiction Are the Tallest? appeared first on Nerdist.

Artist Daniel Beckwith combines his love for the outdoors and the Muppets with a delightful twist on classic national park posters. Even though we know a bear’s natural habitat is a Studebaker, the mashup feels right. The nostalgic feel of the artwork itself also works perfectly. The Muppet posters are in the style of the Works Projects Administration (WPA) posters produced from 1935-1943 that are instantly recognizable as national parks posters. Beckwith has made about a dozen Muppets meets parks posters so far, with more on the way.

The Muppets poster project started with a trip Beckwith took to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks in central California. It’s hard not to be inspired by the peaceful groves of ancient trees there. Adding another national treasure feels natural and Kermit the Frog is just that. After all, Kermit was recently added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry for the song “Rainbow Connection,” which would fit perfectly as a soundtrack for his national park adventures.  

In the series of Muppet posters for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Kermit and his nephew Robin explore the parks. They enjoy campfires, stargazing, hikes, wildlife, and wonder to remind us all to get outside. If you can’t make it to a national park anytime soon, check out Google’s Art and Culture for some virtual tours. 

Beckwith also branched out into other parks and other Muppets as part of this poster art project. Fozzie dips his toe into the wilderness of the Great Smoky Mountains. Gonzo has some aerial adventures while visiting Joshua Tree National Park. We can’t wait to see what comes next.  

Beckwith’s website is full of other amazing artwork, including holiday cards with the likes of E.T., Man-Thing, and Grogu. You can follow him on Instagram and Twitter. By day, he’s an educator at the Comic-Con Museum in San Diego.

Thanks to Disney+, there’s so much great Muppets content these days. We’ve got everything from classic episodes of The Muppet Show to the new Mayhem series. And since it’s the holiday season, don’t forget to watch the classic Muppet’s Christmas Carol and listen to their holiday album with John Denver. But also, listen to these Muppet posters, and go enjoy some time in the nearest national park! 

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. Her favorite Muppet is Pepé the King Prawn and her favorite national park is Bryce Canyon. Melissa moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.

The post National Park and Muppets Mashup Posters Are Perfectly Nostalgic appeared first on Nerdist.

Hello there, tiny puppies. Ewan McGregor is officially back on our screens as Obi-Wan Kenobi, giving major bereft energy and looking a little too posh to pull off his regular guy alias. This is all to say, I am loving Obi-Wan Kenobi. McGregor is always a treat on the press circuit. He has excellent energy, is full of stories, and is game for anything. But I think we can all agree it is supremely unfair to ask the actor to answer questions while playing with puppies. They’re just too cute! BuzzFeed did exactly that. And, honestly, it’s amazing McGregor answered as much as he did considering he paid next to zero attention to the questions at hand.

Throughout the video, McGregor faced questions about his whole career from Moulin Rouge to Big Fish. But, of course, most questions centered around Star Wars, which makes a whole lot of sense. He talked memories from the prequel trilogy and how he ended up back in the franchise.

The actor shared that every interview he did for years always asked him about another Trainspotting movie and whether he’d be down to don the Obi-Wan robes again. McGregor answered, “Sure!” to both and here we are, with two Trainspotting movies in the world and a whole Obi-Wan Kenobi-centered series. The latter is especially sweet given several other prequel trilogy actors, including Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Temuera Morrison, Jimmy Smits, and, of course, Hayden Christensen are back as well.

I’m definitely a little surprised McGregor was able to answer as directly as he did for some of the questions. From the get-go, he was pretty distracted by the pups. But, of course, that makes sense. People are fine. Lovely, even! But just no match for goofy, energetic pups who just sort of flop around at will.

Obi-Wan Kenobi, sans a pack of cute puppies, is currently airing on Disney+.

The post Watch Ewan McGregor Get Distracted by Puppies for Six Minutes appeared first on Nerdist.

Hugh Jackman’s allegedly hung up the claws f0r good, but it’s clear Wolverine is still a big part of him. So much so he paid an adorable tribute to the X-Men character on stage recently. The actor is currently on Broadway in The Music Man, where instead of the very specific mutton chops and claws, he flips between a suave derby hat and a marching band cap. But a fan recently brought a special accessory to the show and Jackman couldn’t help but show it off. For starters, I didn’t realize foam Wolverine claws exist, and now cannot wait to buy a pair. But it’s sweet how excited Jackman is to strike that classic Wolverine pose. Recently, the actor posted a video of this The Music Man meets Wolverine mashup to his Instagram story for us all to enjoy.

Both the audience and The Music Man‘s cast seems so utterly charmed by this whole interaction. It is the one—probably even Patti LuPone-approved–instance where using the phone in a theater is remotely acceptable.

The clip is short, so we don’t get to see the full exchange between the fan and Jackman. But the actor posts the crux of it: beckoning him to hand the foam claw over, showing off his spectacular pose, and joyfully tossing it back. But given how delightful the foam claw is, I’m sure just a brief wave at the end of the show was enough to capture Jackman’s attention.

The real question is, what if he performed The Music Man with the foam claw—just once! I’d even settle for a performance of “Ya Got Trouble.” I think the claws would add such a dynamic layer.

Still, though, it’s charming to see so much enthusiasm from Jackman. After all, he did play the iconic mutant in nine films—including two small cameos—over the course of 17ish years. So the Wolverine pose must be as second-nature as blinking at this point. Even if we don’t see him as our MCU Wolverine, at least the character is still very near and dear to Jackman’s heart. And now we feel ready for a full version of The Music Man, everything the same except it stars Wolverine.

The post Hugh Jackman Posed with a Wolverine Claw at THE MUSIC MAN Performance appeared first on Nerdist.

The Force is serious business. No Jedi would ever use it carelessly… Of course not. But thanks to a recent interview from Entertainment Weekly, we think we’ve identified the most adorable use of the Force ever. And serious or not, we feel good about it. In the interview, Obi-Wan Kenobi‘s Ewan McGregor shed some light on how he enacts being a real-life Jedi. What does he do? Well, McGregor channels Obi-Wan and “uses the Force” to open automatic doors at supermarkets and the like.

Honestly, we need an in-situ video of this, stat. McGregor practically owes it to us at this point. Here’s how he describes his real-life Jedi adventures. “I do it with doors,” McGregor explains and demonstrates his Jedi finger slash move in the video interview. (Cue everyone swooning.) “I like to do that with automatic doors, just for my own amusement. I always do a little Jedi move for the doors.”

Well, obviously, we can understand that impulse. But for poor Ewan McGregor, the experience sometimes becomes just a little blush-worthy. He shares, “I have occasionally been caught doing it. You know, like at the supermarket or something when I’m wheeling my trolley out.” Honestly, that paints a real picture. And again, we must ask for the video of this happening in real-time.

But it’s all in good fun really. McGregor notes, “It’s just always for my own [amusement] because it makes me laugh, but occasionally I’ve been caught doing that, and that’s kind of embarrassing.” You say embarrassing, we say incredibly endearing. And it’s nice, honestly, to think of Obi-Wan Kenobi having a nice time with the Force at the supermarket, amusing himself with small feats of Jedi power. Because it sounds like we won’t get too much other light-hearted Obi-Wan anytime soon.

The upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi show catches our titular character at a dark time of his life. Ewan McGregor even shared, “We find Obi-Wan at the beginning of our story rather broken, and faithless, and beaten, somewhat given up.” A far cry from Obi-Wan cheerfully using the Force to open a supermarket door. But silly or serious, we’ll take more Ewan McGregor and Obi-Wan Kenobi however we can get them.

Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi releases on May 27.

The post OBI WAN-KENOBI’s Ewan McGregor Uses the Force on Automatic Doors appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s Groundhog Day. You know what that means. Time to find out… about more adult live comedy shows starring puppets! That’s way more exciting than talking about winter and whether it will stick around. In the below exclusive video, Phil the Groundhog tells us about upcoming return of Brian Henson and Patrick Bristow’s hilarious Puppet Up! – Uncensored. The show, which takes place on the historic The Jim Henson Company Lot, brings together puppets and chaos for a memorable experience.

Brian Henson groundhog content is the only kind of groundhog content we’re here for today.

As far as what Puppet Up! – Uncensored involves, the Henson Alternative production starring the Miskreant Puppets is really two shows in one. You have the puppets on the stage and also projected live on screens above the stage. Then you also have the talented puppeteers racing around beneath them to bring the show to life. That all means antics galore to amuse you and catch your eyes. The set includes improve, with puppets taking suggestions from the audience, but also throws back to some favorites. The show has re-creations of classic pieces originally created by Jim Henson, Jane Henson, and Frank Oz. All in all, it’s a winning combination.

And Puppet Up! – Uncensored returns in March! That’s not so far away at all.

The Jim Henson Company

Don’t wait around to buy tickets for this event because they’ll go quickly. Snag your tickets for Puppet Up! – Uncensored here. You can catch one of six shows between March 4 and March 6. If you can treat yourself, get a limited VIP ticket. That includes a tour of the Henson lot, a question and answer session with Brian Henson, a souvenir puppet, and priority seating.

Amy Ratcliffe is the Managing Editor for Nerdist and the author of A Kid’s Guide to Fandom, available now. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

The post Phil the Groundhog Announces Next Dates for Brian Henson’s PUPPET UP! appeared first on Nerdist.

By this point, we’ve all seen the “sad Keanu” meme making the rounds on social media. But what does the actual Keanu Reeves think of this particular bit of internet silliness? Was he actually sad the day someone took that pic? Or did he actually just have a resting sad face? (Yes, we totally just made that phrase up).

Well, the subject of the infamous meme actually came up on Keanu’s latest appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The beloved actor was there to promote the upcoming The Matrix: Resurrections, and of course Colbert had to bring up “sad Keanu.” You can see Keanu’s response to it all in the video clip right here, via the folks at The A.V. Club.

In his own words, Keanu said, “I had some stuff going on” the day someone took that photograph. But mostly, he was just really hungry. As anyone who has ever been hangry knows, it can put a sour face on just about anyone. But the John Wick star confirms he wasn’t having some deep emotional crisis at that moment. It had just been “a day,” as they say. Funnily enough, artist Ron Garney, artist of Keanu’s upcoming comic book series BRZRKR (pronounced Berzerker), paid homage to the sad Keanu meme in his own comic.

Another interesting tidbit revealed? There is one sequel that Keanu can’t get off the ground. And that is a sequel to his 2005 film Constantine. The original film, about DC Comics’ supernatural investigator, wasn’t a big hit. But it wasn’t a huge bomb either. But for whatever reason, even Keanu doesn’t seem to have the power to make Constantine 2 happen.

Of course, there’s a version of the character coming to HBO Max, and the recent Legends of Tomorrow version, played by Matt Ryan. But if we can have multiple Superman and Batman portrayals, why not John Constantine too? As long as Keanu keeps from doing a British accent, we’re totally for this. If you’ve ever seen Bram Stoker’s Dracula, you know why Keanu doing a British accent is not a great idea.

The post Keanu Reeves Spills the Beans on the ‘Sad Keanu’ Meme appeared first on Nerdist.

Neill posted a wonderful video to his Twitter account of him and Goldblum doing a fun, loose, and genuinely pretty rendition of the American songbook classic “I Remember You.” The song was originally recorded in 1942. And this Jurassic Park-inspired rendition wouldn’t have felt out of place back then.

Goldblum, who in his free time also dabbles as a jazz musician, provided backing vocals and intermittent commentary for Neill’s lead vocals, in a performance that could have easily taken place in a smoky underground jazz club full of people who know they’re cooler than everyone else.

The pair followed that up with another #JamWithJeff. They sang the classic standard, “September Song.” It originally debuted on Broadway in 1938’s Knickerbocker Holiday. And we smell a revival in the works.

Neill says Goldblum “flatly refuses to rehearse” before recording, so each of these videos captures the first time they sang them together. But that’s a big part of their allure and charm, as both are performing off the cuff. (Neill can keep a straight face through Goldblum’s ad-libbing because he’s a professional.)

This is the rare case where we’re glad they didn’t think about whether or not they should, they just did.

Universal Pictures

Now, do we expect to see Doctors Ian Malcolm and Allan Grant crooning together in Jurassic World: Dominion? No, but that’s okay. Just filming the movie together made these duets possible in the first place. And that means the movie is already a success.

Featured Image: Universal Pictures

The post Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum’s Jazz Duets are a Total Delight appeared first on Nerdist.

But his co-star from his other most beloved franchise, the X-Men films, is just as much of a dear friend to him as his friends from the Enterprise crew. I’m talking, of course, about Sir Ian McKellen, who played Magneto to Stewart’s Professor Xavier in five different films. The two men came up together on the London stage and share a deep and abiding love for all things Shakespeare. Due to that fact, McKellen read Shakespeare’s Sonnet 81 for his beloved friend, which Stewart then shared via Twitter.

Oh, and as a reminder of how cute these guys are together, here’s the time they posed with Elmo wearing bowler hats. I mean, c’mon. Whose heart doesn’t melt at this image??

For the past few weeks, Stewart has been uploading videos of himself reading all of Shakespeare’s Sonnets. He had already read 80 on the day before Sir Ian recorded his own message. So while McKellen reading 80 on Patrick’s 80th would have been cool, I am sure Ian didn’t want to repeat that one just to match his friend’s birthday number.

Twentieth Century Fox

Patrick Stewart’s idea was to have a different Shakespeare sonnet read every day during the coronavirus pandemic, as a gift for his legion of fans who are locked down in quarantine.  We would honestly be OK with either of these fine gentlemen reading the phone book out loud. But there’s nothing quite like them reading from the Bard.

Whether it’s reading the celebrated works of Shakespeare or just goofing around, the friendship of these two legends is always good for giving us the warm fuzzies.

Featured Image: Twentieth Century Fox

The post Ian McKellen Reads Shakespeare for Patrick Stewart’s Birthday appeared first on Nerdist.

In a television segment reminiscent of Last Week Tonight, a variety show host in Egypt interviewed an anthropomorphized version of the coronavirus (or more specifically, SARS-CoV-2). During the segment, the humanoid virus seemed to be comically combative, although still quite frightening with his Pinhead-esque mask painted an alien green. And while much of the interview is hard to decipher, one thing is clear: This particular person-virus is what nightmares are made of.

Al Qarmouti’s interview with the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. 

According to Eg24 News, TV host Jaber Al Qarmouty interviewed the coronavirus on his show, which has the translated title, Talk to Any. The interview took place during a March 9 episode of Al Qarmouty’s program, although the segment subsequently went somewhat viral on Twitter days later.

Unfortunately, while Eg24 has transcribed and translated the interview into English, it is, to a large extent, nonsensical. What is clear is that Al Qarmouti was conducting a fake satellite interview with the coronavirus, during which the coronavirus expressed concerns over his portrayal on social media, as well frustration with people accusing him of doing things(?) in a WhatsApp chat group.

For those who’ve been living under a rock for a while—or perhaps a giant, ancient armadillo shell—COVID-19, a.k.a. “the coronavirus,” is a disease that has been spreading recently in countries across the globe. Worry over the disease, which causes flu-like symptoms, but appears to have a higher mortality rate than the flu, have grown to be so bad that countless major events and social functions are being cancelled. Things are especially bad in countries like Italy, where the government has taken the drastic step of quarantining the entire country.

According to the most credible statistics we could find, it seems like COVID-19, and the novel coronavirus that spreads it, is going to continue affecting people around the world, at least for some months to come. Which means we’ll be seeing a lot more humorous COVID-19 segments on television. A trend that’s interesting to note, because it’s hard to imagine these kinds of jokes being made during another type of terrible world event. (Which is not a value judgment, but just an observation.)

Pinhead from Hellraiser. Film Futures 

It should also be pointed out that this humanoid version of the novel coronavirus is wearing a Pinhead mask because the pins are reminiscent of the “spike proteins” that surround the surface of the virus. A Caesar-type figure with a crown would probably be more apt, however, as the coronavirus family gets its name from the Latin word for crown.

What do you think about this interview between Jaber Al Qarmouti and an anthropomorphized version of SARS-CoV-2? Do you think it makes sense to joke about this pandemic as it’s unraveling, or should we hold off on making light of the situation until we know we’ve moved past it? And how much did watching this interview put you in the mood to watch Hellraiser? Give us your thoughts in the comments!

Feature image: AlHayah TV Network

The post Egyptian TV Host Interviewed Pinhead-esque ‘Coronavirus’ appeared first on Nerdist.

Comedian Billy Eichner has been stopping strangers on the streets of New York City for his game show Billy on the Street for fifteen years now, believe it or not. As a way of celebrating his big decade and a half TV milestone, Eichner recently did a special episode with none other than Captain America himself, Chris Evans. You can check out the clip down below:

As is customary on any episode of Billy on the Street, the Lion King and American Horror Story actor was his usual Tasmanian Devil self as he did his customary schtick. Which is still pretty much just running up to ordinary folks on the streets of New York and asking them all sorts of random questions. He, of course, manages to remind everyone of his show’s milestone, with Evans’ presence jokingly serving as an afterthought. You know, in case you care about exceedingly charming and handsome celebrities or something.

Staying on brand, Eichner even managed to have another “let’s go lesbians, let’s go!” moment, which is the most famous running gag on his show. Never a dumb move to make sure one calls back to their greatest hits. Perhaps the funniest bit was when Eichner actually asked a random dude, “Sir, for a dollar, would you like to sign this petition to remove Kevin Spacey from homosexuality and add Chris Evans?” Very matter of factly, the guy signed. I too would like to know where I can sign on the dotted line for this one.

Marvel Studios

The most endearing part of these shenanigans though was when Eichner and Evans apparently just ran into actor Paul Rudd while filming the episode. I mean, what are the odds that one Avenger would run into another Avenger randomly like that in a city of eight million people? Let’s just say my eyebrows are raised at the prospect of this being any kind of a  “random” moment here. Ok, so Paul Rudd really does live in New York, but still.

Of course, as soon as Rudd appears, Eichner immediately made him a part of the show. And so we got to see Cap and Ant-Man hug it out for moment. Staged or not, who doesn’t love that? And if you’re Billy Eichner you are most certainly going to take advantage of this moment, and start asking random folks just which of these two handsome heroes you would rather have intimate relations with. Honestly, that is a nearly impossible Sophie’s choice to make, and it’s mean to even ask anyone to make such a decision.

Evans, of course, made sure to mention that he’s got a major movie coming out soon, director Rian Johnson’s murder mystery comedy Knives Out. Evans is part of an all star cast which includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Daniel Craig, Toni Collette, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, and Christopher Plummer.

Knives Out will hit movie theater screens on November 27.  Meanwhile, Billy on the Street Seasons two through five are currently available for fans to stream on Netflix. New episodes of Billy on the Street are now also available on YouTube.

Featured image: billyonthestreettv

The post Chris Evans and Paul Rudd Reunite for BILLY ON THE STREET appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s hard to imagine a more somber occasion than a funeral. The loss of a loved one is deeply painful, and people who are gathered to mourn are usually at their most vulnerable. Considering those facts, it seems like a miracle that a deceased Irish man was able to make the people at his funeral laugh (really laugh too) through their tears. No wonder there were so many people gathered around to say goodbye to him.

According to a devastatingly sweet tweet by his daughter, Andrea, Bradley’s dying wish was to play that recording of him shouting, singing, swearing, and knocking on the lid of his coffin. And while not much more context is given, according to whoever uploaded the video to YouTube (the user name Irish Manhattan is used, but the relationship between uploader and Bradley is unclear), this kind of comedy is par for the course in Ireland.

Here is a picture of the legend himself. My dad, Shay Bradley. It was his dieing wish that we played this at his funeral. What a man…. To make us all laugh when we were incredibly sad….. He was some man for one man…. Love you forever Poppabear #Shayslastlaugh pic.twitter.com/YkG2ecKAaL

— Andrea (@Andrea36496119) October 13, 2019

“The irish [sic] are said to have a dark sense of humor, and to approach life with a wicked wit,” the description beneath the video notes. “This fella decided to carry it with him all the way to the end.” But you could even say he carried it past the end. And not only because the recording was played after his death, but also because he doubtlessly passed on some of that legendary wit to his daughter.

What do you think of this heartwarming prank? Describe all of your current feels in the comments!

Images: Irish Manhattan 

The post Dead Irish Man Makes Funeral Burst Out with Laughter appeared first on Nerdist.

Whether you’ve loved Sesame Street since you were a kid, or you’re endlessly entertained by their pop culture savvy and humor as an adult, chances are you have at least one favorite character. We’d bet our cookies that it’s Cookie Monster. So would Hasbro’s Haslab, and they want to give you the chance to take one of your favorite fuzzy friends home with you in their latest crowdfunding campaign.

Hasbro Senior Product Design Manager Bill Rawley is leading the charge to get a total of 3000 backers for the project. In celebration of 50 years of Sesame Street, the team chatted with Muppet fans before deciding that Cookie Monster was the best companion to bring you some sunny days. Cookie is a fully posable, 30 inch tall replica of the classic Sesame Street character. Haslab has paid attention to every detail from fingers to toes, including Cookie’s soft blue fur to his perfectly googly eyes.

Rawley obtained those details following some one-on-one time from the actual Cookie Monster himself, which Rawley describes as “truly an unforgettable moment”. He took measurements in order to make their version as true to life as possible. With a full skeleton, blue plush, and fur, Cookie Monster weighs in at 10 pounds of soft, squishable fun. While the replica is pricey at about $300, this lovable monster is truly a collector’s item that the entire family can enjoy.

If you’ve ever dreamed of hugging one of your favorite Sesame Street or Muppet characters, this is probably as close to the real thing that 3000 people can get. (We’re not the only ones who’ve dreamed of a Cookie Monster hug, right?)

The campaign is running from now until the end of the day on August 25, 2019. If the campaign is successful, Cookie Monster will be nom-nom-nomming in homes by spring 2020.

All Images: Hasbro

The post C Is for Crowdfunding a Life-Sized Cookie Monster appeared first on Nerdist.

We might live in a highly partisan, highly divided world where it seems no one can agree on anything, including things like basic human decency, but that’s only mostly true. Keanu Reeves currently sports an approval rating of 103%, with a margin of error around “you’d have to be insane not to like him.” Not only did he give the world John Wick 3 and Toy Story 4‘s Duke Caboom this year, he continues to be a source of positivity wherever he goes. That includes going the extra mile to let someone know they too are “breathtaking,” like he did recently when he pulled over to autograph a yard sign, without even being asked to.

Bill & Ted Face the Music writer Ed Solomon shared a quick story with on Twitter with images of what happened when Keanu Reeve’s saw a handmade lawn poster that said “YOU’RE BREATHTAKING” while driving to the set of the movie. The actor stopped the car so he could write “Stacey, you’re breathtaking!” along with his signature.

So yesterday this sign was out on a lawn on the way to set. Keanu jumped out of the car and did this. pic.twitter.com/OI1bQJ1nfy

— Ed Solomon (@ed_solomon) July 18, 2019

Well played, Stacey… whoever you are.

If you’ve been closely following the Year of Keanu that 2019 has become, you’ll know that “breathtaking” has become the unofficial word to truly capture how fans feel about the actor. When he made a surprise appearance at this year’s E3, where his role in Cyberpunk was revealed, a fan in the audience screamed out, “You’re breathtaking,” to which he replied, “You’re breathtaking! You’re all breathtaking!”

Thanks Keanu. These days we can all afford to hear or read something like that. And, if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it really means something coming from you.

Featured Image: Netflix

The post Keanu Reeves Left a Lovely Message on a Fan’s Lawn appeared first on Nerdist.

Anyone who’s taken an introductory acting class has probably been engaged in a round of what is known as the Meisner technique. To sum it up reductively, this approach to acting involves saying the same word or line of dialogue over and over and over, each time with a different spin, to the end of emancipating yourself from whatever preconceived notions you attach to said set of words from the get-go. As I explain it, it may sound a bit dry and humdrum. So let me defer to the charm and expertise of two renowned actors, Tom Hanks and Tom Holland.

On a recent episode of The Graham Norton Show, Hanks took it upon himself to give fellow guest and (hopefully) his new protégée and showbiz squire Tom Holland a lesson in Meisner-ing the heck out of a simple line. The result was the always affable Hanks barking creative advice at Holland the way a loving father might, and a giddily befuddled Holland striving to impress his would-be father figure. Okay, maybe I’m projecting a little, but the scene in question is downright adorable and deserves a quick watch.

The Chrises of Hollywood stardom have had a good run, but perhaps it’s time they passed the spotlight to an even worthier cohort: the Toms. There may only be two of them at present, but between just the pair, they span an age-range of 40 years and represent cinematic triumphs from Big, Saving Private Ryan, and Catch Me If You Can to the Avengers and Spider-Man series and The Lost City of Z. Toss a Hardy or a Hiddleston or maybe a Berenger if you’re feeling feisty into the mix, and you’ve got yourself the next great collective of like-named thespians in the biz. Finally, Tom Holland will be able to take on his greatest nemesis.

Image: BBC/The Graham Norton Show

The post Tom Holland and Tom Hanks Scream at Each Other About Coffee appeared first on Nerdist.

Jeff Goldblum has had a long and celebrated career in Hollywood, but in the past few years, the world has finally caught up to what an unfettered boss he is. And we’re reveling in it. With every new interview or cooking show episode or jazz piano concert, we’re hooked and want to hear more from him. And one of the things we love most about him is his almost preternaturally snazzy dress aesthetic, which goes way back. And the man himself revisited some of his fashion choices in a lengthy (yes!) video interview from Vanity Fair.

Like many fine wines or an appreciation for The Allman Brothers Band, Jeff Goldblum’s look only gets better with age. By our standards, Goldblum’s look during The Big Chill maybe wasn’t as suave as he’d later get, but the actor explained he didn’t have a ton of clothes back then. He also went through his big hair phase, in the mid-’80s during The Fly, when his hair in the wind looked a bit like a Daniel Boone hat. But a mere seven years later, the man was rocking Ian Malcolm’s black-on-black-with-chest-hair-exposed on his own accord. Dude decided to adopt his character’s look as his own. Props for days.

But by far my favorite revelation is Goldblum telling us not to be afraid of getting older. He’s clearly gotten to almost 66 years old and has arguably gotten sexier as he’s gone along. The poster retirement-aged person for aging gracefully. And he loves his glasses, which, so do we. So, keep doing you, Mr. Goldblum. Keep posing like a damn Playgirl pin-up; we hope you’re still doing that when you’re 90.

Image: Universal

The post Jeff Goldblum Talks About His Decades of Mad Style appeared first on Nerdist.

The public has come up with some really dumb monikers before, but the good folks of Madison, Alabama did not make that mistake when they voted on a name for their new minor league baseball team. They were real guardians of the process, and came up with one of the best names in the galaxy. That’s why they will soon have the frickin’ honor of rooting for the Rocket City Trash Pandas.

In a story we came across at WHNT News 19, team owner BallCorps Inc. announced the final results of a three-month process for renaming the Mobile BayBears when they move to Madison, Alabama in 2020. “Trash Pandas” (which Guardians of the Galaxy fans will recognize as the much resented slur hurled at Rocket Raccoon in the second film) won with 44.75% of the final vote, beating out an incredible field that included “ThunderSharks” (19.25%), “Moon Possums” (12.6%), “Space Chimps” (12%), and “Comet Jockeys” (11.4%).

,

Matthew Higley, the fan who nominated the name, said he wasn’t thinking about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 when he suggested it. The term “trash panda” does predate the movie by at least a few years, but we’re not convinced it wasn’t on his mind since he wrote this on his submission form:

“Our community is known for engineering, and no creature in our galaxy is as smart, creative, determined and ingenious a problem solver – dedicated to the challenge at hand – as our local raccoons!”

No matter his true inspiration, it certainly seems like the voting public was thinking about the MCU’s foul-mouthed little hero, because they overwhelmingly elected to use Rocket City (the nickname of the Madison County- and Limestone County-based city of Huntsville) as the team’s identifier. It got 67.4% of the vote, beating North Alabama (18.1%) and Madison (14.5%), the actual city they will play in.

This is obviously an amazing name for a baseball team, but now we’re going to need some other cities to vote on new monikers for their teams so the Rocket City Trash Pandas can play the Knowhere Collectors, Asgardian Angel Pirates, and Titan Mad Snappers.

Which MCU character would be a great choice for a baseball team name? Step up to our comments section below and let us know.

Featured Image: Marvel

The post Minor League Baseball Team Becomes the Rocket City Trash Pandas appeared first on Nerdist.

According to U.S. News & World Report, the number one marketing graduate program in the country can be found at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. But someone at a small secondhand charity shop just schooled every Kellogg School of Management graduate—and everyone on Earth, period—on how to really market a product. How did they do it? By filling every picture frame with a photo of Jeff Goldblum.

Twitter user @Simonreah shared this genius piece of salesmanship he came across at a charity shop, where one of the world’s smartest marketers used pictures of Jeff Goldblum to give the store’s available frames a little, uh, pizzazz.

Someone who works at a charity shop put Jeff Goldblum in every single photo frame ? pic.twitter.com/ey67khUNiG

— SimonR (@Simonreah) September 1, 2018

You know how when you buy a brand new picture frame it always comes with a photo of some random, way-too-happy family doing something stupid like throwing leaves at one another? Why are they so happy to be holding dirty foliage? Who does that? That doesn’t make me want to buy a frame. It makes me want to stay home, far away from these leaf-loving weirdos. But do you know what does make me want to buy a picture frame, even a used one? A photo of Jeff Goldblum.

I hope for the cost of tuition at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, they make sure to teach you that Goldblum always sells. It’s simple but, uh, effective.

Which celebrity would you fill your store’s picture frames with? Tell us in the comments below.

Featured Image: Universal Pictures

The post Charity Shop Put a Photo of Jeff Goldblum in Every Picture Frame appeared first on Nerdist.

Think of cruising around in a stolen armored vehicle in an Eastern European country and GoldenEye probably comes to mind –nobody ever looked better annihilating a bunch of priceless stone architecture in a tank than Pierce Brosnan Bond did. But, apparently, that kind of incredible stunt sequence is no longer reserved for thrilling action flicks. It’s now happened in real life!

Comrades, may we present to you: Drunk Russian man stealing a tank, driving it through the streets of Apatity (in the Murmansk Oblast region), and then crashing it into a corner store so he can steal some wine.

The video, which comes via BoingBoing, was shared by Russia’s RT Network, and we know it’s not really the holiday season anymore, but this really is a wonderful little gift. Just like the wine the drunk Russian man stole.

It seems that the intoxicated man–who may or may not be military personnel, that’s unclear–stole the tank from a driving school focused on teaching conscripts how to drive these beasts, and then proceeded to pilot it into the nearby city, crush a small sedan, and finally smash it into a corner store’s window. Once the window was destroyed, he jumped out of the tank (seen in the video), and then was arrested as he was stealing his bottle of vino.

Luckily, the tank was completely stripped of weapons, and nobody was harmed during the making of this drunken, illegal booze run. It should still be stressed however that you should not drive while intoxicated. You should also not steal any 50+ ton vehicles and drive them through city streets.

What do you think about this drunk Russian man stealing a tank for his nighttime booze run? Give us your thoughts in the comments below!

Images: RT

More wild stories!

• Ill-timed bus ruins Weather Channel’s view of imploding stadium.
• Verizon made a car with extendable legs.
• See the fastest street-legal car in the world.

[brightcove video_id=”5481677970001″ brightcove_account_id=”3653334524001″ brightcove_player_id=”rJs2ZD8x”]

The post Drunk Russian Man Tank-Smashes Corner Store, Steals Wine appeared first on Nerdist.

The many characters Jeff Goldblum has portrayed over the years inspire countless tattoos. Okay, maybe not countless, but the number’s definitely in the hundreds and probably the thousands. We’ll add that question to the next census to get an official number. Anyway, in a new sit-down with GQ (via Boing Boing), Goldblum took a look at 11 different tattoos featuring none other Jeff Goldblum. His reactions are priceless. Priceless, I tell you.

Goldblum’s Jurassic Park character, Dr. Ian Malcolm, is unsurprisingly featured in more than one of these tattoos. In fact, the tattoo featuring Dr. Malcolm sharing pizza with a velociraptor was featured on Nerdist in Inked Wednesday in spring. It belongs to Becky Cousineau and was inked by Tom Beste at Eternal Tattoos. As Goldblum explains, “It’s a whimsical representation of the relationship that I would have with a velociraptor.” Because, obviously, real raptors wouldn’t want to get pizza–unless the pizza tastes like human flesh.

I realize the video is seven minutes long, but I promise you, it is one hundred percent worth sticking around until the end. Goldblum’s clever commentary isn’t only limited to the topic of tattoos; it also includes fashion advice for adult men who like to wear sandals.

Do any of you have Jeff Goldblum tattoos? We want to see them! Leave links to images in the comments or send them to us on Twitter at @nerdist and @amy_geek.

Image: GQ

Amy Ratcliffe is an Associate Editor for Nerdist. She has no Jeff Goldblum tattoos for Jeff Goldblum to critique. Follow her on Twitter.

Stay hip with more Jeff Goldblum stories!

• Jeff Goldblum and other Thor: Ragnarok cast members define Ragnarok.
• Jeff Goldblum reads fans’ tweets.
• Jeff Goldblum was almost the voice of Siri.

[brightcove video_id=”5618303300001″ brightcove_account_id=”3653334524001″ brightcove_player_id=”rJs2ZD8x”]

The post Jeff Goldblum Critiquing Jeff Goldblum Tattoos Is Comedy Gold appeared first on Nerdist.

Schadenfreude | n. | (scha·den·freu·de) - Pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others.Obviously, some of the very best content the internet has to offer comes from the unfortunate situations of others. And there’s nearly nothing as satisfying as witnessing someone harmlessly embarrassing themselves in public. Like, say, overreacting to a digital display of a shark tank.

Have you experienced a prank installation like these? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

Image: Sharkdiver68 | Wikimedia Commons

It’s More Practical to Have More Jokes For You…

• Kit Harington pranks Rose Leslie with his own severed head
• Does Bart Simpson’s megaphone prank really work?
• On the set of The Walking Deadpranks get glittery ,

The post Museum Shark Tank Prank Teaches Patrons to Never Tap the Glass appeared first on Nerdist.

Now that the new year has arrived, many men and women are heading to the gym so they can get back into the shape. But what if the Disney Princesses also wanted to work out in 2017? That’s the premise of a new parody video starring a few very familiar faces as modernized and a little bit hipster versions of Disney’s iconic Princesses.Blogilates‘ Cassey Ho co-wrote and co-stars as Pocahontas in the recently posted “Disney Princesses Try Working Out” video. The short features one of our favorite musicians, Lindsey Stirling, as Ariel from The Little Mermaid; with Justine Ezarik (iJustine) as Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, Rosanna Pansino as Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and Lilly Singh (iiSuperwomanii) as Jasmine from Aladdin.As it turns out, Pocahontas’ personal preferences clashed with the rules of the gym, while Jasmine’s tiger freaked out the front desk clerk (Casey Breves). Ariel was a bit too enthusiastic about the whole experience, and she may be a sneaker thief; while Aurora lived up to her nickname and slept through most of the experience. As for Belle, she was in true beast mode.Kenta Seki also had a small role as Shang from Mulan, but the Disney Princesses were much too hard to handle even for this hardened workout warrior. It’s a very funny short, but we particularly loved Ariel’s tendency to breakout into song at a moment’s notice.What did you think about the Disney Princesses workout video? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Image: Blogilates

The post Disney Princesses Hit the Gym in a New Parody Video appeared first on Nerdist.

When legendary actress/author Carrie Fisher revealed that at the age of 19 she had an affair with a 33-year-old (and married) Harrison Ford on the set of the original Star Wars, I doubt any of us were all that shocked. Part of the reason being was because in the original Star Wars trilogy, the chemistry between Princess Leia and Han Solo was real and palpable. No wonder she wrote a bunch of sad teen poetry about it!

While our grandparents might have had Scarlet and Rhett in Gone With The Wind, Leia and Han was the epic screen romance for the modern era. To find out that romance had a basis in reality feels like information we all kind of instinctively knew. The revelation of the affair is part of Fisher’s newest book, The Princess Diarist, where the author writes about her own love/hate relationship with the sci-fi character that made her a feminist icon to generations of fans. And while the character of Leia Organa was this mature woman and a leader of armies, the reality was she was being played by a teenager with a crush on a sexy older man.And what do teenage girls do usually do when in the midst of romantic angst? Poetry, baby! And Carrie Fisher sure wrote some lovelorn poems during the making of Star Wars, which (thanks to Vulture) can now be shared with everyone. There may have been years of Leia/Han fan fiction written out of the on-screen romance of the two characters, but the truth of the relationship is a hell of a lot more relatable than some cheesy “Fifty Shades of Wookiee” story found online. Here’s one sample:

Don’t offer me love
I seek disinterest and denial
Tenderness makes my skin crawl
Understanding is vile
When you offer me happiness
You offer too much
My ideal is a long-lasting longing
For someone whom I cannot touch.

Ok, that right there is actually totally worthy of Angela on My So-Called Life. I can almost see Carrie Fisher, still in Leia drag after a long day of filming, cinnamon bun rolls still on her head, smoking a cigarette in some British coffee house while writing all this down.

All snark aside, it’s really not bad, and you can see how this young actress found greater fame as a wordsmith in her adult years, both as an author and as a script doctor. Here’s one more Fisher poem from her time on Star Wars that’s brief and to the point, but I’m sure resonates with as many women today as it did back in 1977:

A woman’s place is in the home
Seated by the telephone
Men sow their wild oats
And women are sown.

And that right there, is one Carrie Fisher dropping the mic. Fisher’s new book The Princess Diarist is out now, and of course, we will see her as Leia Organa once more in Star Wars: Episode VIII, coming out next year.

Are you looking forward to all the behind the scenes stories on the making of Star Wars from Fisher’s new book? Let us know down below in the comments.

Image: Lucasfilm

The post Carrie Fisher’s STAR WARS Poetry is Better Than Any Leia/Han Fan Fiction appeared first on Nerdist.

Filming is now well underway for Rian Johnson’s upcoming Star Wars: Episode VIII, and unlike the last time, it appears that Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker will have a much larger role in this adventure. One assumes it’s a role where he even gets to speak lines. Or even A line. Imagine that.

We don’t know a heck of a lot about what Episode VIII will entail, but if The Force Awakens mirrored A New Hope, then the assumption here is that Episode VIII will in some way echo The Empire Strikes Back. If Han Solo was the “Old Ben” of The Force Awakens, then we can assume Hamill will definitely be the Yoda to Rey’s Luke in Episode VIII.Lovable old goofball that he is, Mark Hamill is keenly aware of how his role is being perceived of as the Yoda of this movie. This past weekend he decided to have a little bit of fun with it, by tweeting out a pic of himself, propped up on Daisy Ridley’s back, to commemorate the actresses’ birthday. This is of course meant to echo the famous moment in Empire when young Luke carries Master Yoda on his back in the swamps of Dagobah. You can see the tweet below:

A long time ago (last week I think) In a galaxy far, far way(@PinewoodStudios ) THIS happened! Happy Birthday Daisy! pic.twitter.com/dYc9j65YBD

— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) April 10, 2016

Of course, within minutes of the picture hitting the internet, eager Star Wars fans on Reddit began photoshoping the pic in question, doing things like giving Hamill green skin and big Yoda ears, making Rey inton a tauntaun, and the inevitable Jar-Jar Binks photobomb. And as you can imagine, it didn’t end there. Now we’ve gathered some of the best fan created images in our gallery below, and you can see just how much fun the fans had with this image.

Which one of these fan created Luke/Rey images is your favorite? Let us know in the comments.

—

[brightcove video_id=”4836447471001″ brightcove_account_id=”3653334524001″ brightcove_player_id=”2bfa565b-5412-4cfd-9211-6269880b8a5e”]

HT: Maramilk Hl, Reddit 

Images: Lucasfilm 

The post These Mark Hamill/Daisy Ridley Memes Are Out of This World appeared first on Nerdist.