It Came From The Past: Aisha Tyler Responds To Internet Trolls Re – Presenting At The Ubisoft E3 Press Conference

I missed this when Aisha Tyler originally posted this last year in response to those criticizing her when she was chosen to be a presenter at the Ubisoft E3 press conference, but Captain Marvel writer Kelly Sue DeConnick shared it again today via her Tumblr. There is a certain beauty in watching a veteran stand-up comedian take the smack down skills typically used on a drunken heckler and apply them to internet trolls. It almost makes me want to go drop in at my local open mic and do 5 minutes. Almost.

Check it out, after the jump.

Release Your Anger, And Mix Your Metaphors: Wil Wheaton Tells Infant Why Geekdom Is Awesome

Unless you are a geek of a certain age, say about 35 and older, it is hard to understand the hatred that fandom had, during Star Trek: The Next Generation’s original run, for Ensign Wesley Crusher.

If you were of an age to grow up on original Star Trek reruns, with the Vulcan Nerve Pinch and “Dammit Jim!” and green alien chicks getting the Captain Kirk Slam (definition: railing someone to the rhythm of that “dun dun DUN! DUN! DUN! DUN! DUN! dun dun dun!” song from when Kirk fought Spock in the ring during Amok Time), the debut of The Next Generation, with its calm and measured captain and its Klingon on the bridge and its actual adherence to the Prime Directive, was hard to get used to on its face… without having a precocious teenager on the bridge doing particle physics and rewiring the warp core and generally acting like, well, anyone else on the bridge except with (presumably) wispier pubes.

Fandom’s hatred of that character was palpable, most obviously and continually evidenced by the late 90s Usenet discussion group. At the time, it seemed that nothing could redeem the character, or Wil Wheaton, the actor who portrayed him.

That, of course, was then. Now, in 2013, Wheaton is a widely-respected geek genre actor, writer and icon, and the reaction many people had to Wesley Crusher seems as silly as it should, considering he was a character in a franchise that also gave us Tribbles and “Double dumb ass on you!”

But nevertheless: that negative passion was there in the 80s… but Wheaton doesn’t dwell on that, even though he’d pretty much have every right. And here’s the proof: at this weekend’s Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo, a fan asked Wheaton to record a message to her infant daughter explaining why being a nerd is a good thing. And Wheaton, who took such a beating from fandom once upon a time that even Jake Lloyd sometimes pities him, recorded a four-minute message to this child emphasizes everything good and cool and awesome about being a geek of any stripe. And you can check that out after the jump.

This Is A Triumph – GLaDOS Deals You In With Telltale’s Poker Night 2

Have you ever wanted to throw down in a game of chance against your favorite fictional characters from the world of television and video games? If so, Telltale Games, maker of The Walking Dead video game, has the gaming opportunity for you. Poker Night At The Inventory featured such characters as Tycho, Max, the Heavy, and Strong Bad. Poker Night 2 gives the spotlight to Ash, Brock Sampson, Sam, and Claptrap, with the added bonus of cheerfully murderous AI, GLaDOS, as your dealer. Check it out:

Poker Night 2 is available to buy through X-Box Live Arcade or to download for PC and Mac computers.

Via The mary Sue

Shane! Come Back! – Jon Bernthal Cancels Boston Comic Con Appearance

Say, were you excited about meeting Maggie and Shane from AMC’s The Walking Dead next weekend at the Boston Comic Con? Yeah? Well, temper your enthusiasm a bit. Lauren Cohen will still make an appearance, but Jon Bernthal will not. According to an email sent by the convention to ticket holders last Friday:

A Message from the Host:

Unfortunately, Jon Bernthal (Shane Walsh) of The Walking Dead must CANCEL his appearance at The Boston Comic Con due to a sudden change in his filiming schedule.

All attendees who purchased a VIP Photo Op ticket will be refunded in full.

Any other person who wishes a refund of their admission ticket to the Boston Comic Con due to Jon Bernthal’s cancellation must submit a refund request by no later than Friday April 19th. Once the show has started no refunds will be issued whatsoever.

We apologize for this unfortunate inconvenience which is out of our control.

The Boston Comic Con

Beyond their control, perhaps, but certainly a possibility that they were aware of. A source connected to the group that produced the 2013 commercial for Boston Comic Con tells me that they were told to downplay Bernthal’s appearance at the con because of the likelihood that he might pull out. You can check out their commercial after the jump.

Brain Bleach – Battlestar Galactica As Sappy Network Sitcom

Ok, Rob is currently downstairs up to his eyeballs in a home wiring and plasma television mounting project. Jack Daniels may or may not be involved. You might think that he can’t be productive in the throes of a Jack bender, but I watched him build an entire computer one night in a whiskey blackout. It was Christmas Eve and the next morning he actually thought that Santa had brought him a computer. So cute! And hungover!

Anyway, since we have no live electricity or Internet, I’m posting this from a scant 2G signal begrudgingly supplied by my phone. Ever wonder what would happen if Battlestar Galactica and Friends had a baby? A cheesy, awful, horrific waterhead baby? No? Well, too bad. The same Internet that will give you bukkake clips on demand will also give you this:

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to use what power is left in my phone to dig up 33, find some whiskey, and have a blackout of my own.

Via Gizmodo UK.

Phil? His First Name Is “Agent” – Clark Gregg On The Resurrection Of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Agent Coulson

Clark Gregg recently spoke with Collider at WonderCon about his Marvel Universe character, Agent Coulson, who has been a breakout fan favorite. Fans were crushed when Agent Coulson went to the great beyond during a blowout with Loki on the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, but the character’s death served the purpose of being the emotional focal point that rallied the heroes to the eventual defeat of Loki and the Chitauri. Coulson’s death also rallied fans into action, petitioning Marvel, Joss Whedon, and anyone else who would listen, for Coulson’s return. In this interview, Gregg discusses Coulson’s return with unabashed enthusiasm, along with how the S.H.I.E.L.D. television show fits into the larger Marvel Universe, and the overall weirdness of signing a multi-year television contract. He never quite spoils the actual mechanics of how Coulson returns, but I know I’m thinking Life Model Decoy. Who’s with me?

There’s no official drop date for the television pilot, but you can keep up with all news on the S.H.I.E.L.D tv show on its Facebook page.

Info (Star) Wars

When I was a young lad back in 1977, I used to argue with my friends at the schoolyard during recess over which one of us would get to pretend to be Luke Skywalker as we relived the daring rescue of Princess Leia and the subsequent destruction of the Death Star. We were young, innocent, and simply eager to mimic one of the greatest heroes of modern times. Or at least, that’s what we thought.

What if we were lied to? What if Luke Skywalker – Red Five himself – was part of a secret plot hatched by the entire Skywalker family to destroy the Death Star from the inside, as part of a conspiracy to kill much of the Empire’s top military personnel, profit from the military / industrial complex that would inevitably demand the reconstruction of the Death Star, and eventually seize control of the Imperial government. We’ve heard of the Old Republic… but why haven’t we heard of the New Galactic Order?

I mean, sure: we’ve all seen video of the X-Wing Red Squadron flying the trench and launching their proton torpedoes – we’ve seen that video on film, on VHS videotape, on DVD and on high-definition Blu-Ray so far – but what if it was faked? What if some insidious, shadowy figure behind the scenes kept doctoring that video, to the point of repeatedly tinkering with it, without our consent? All in the interest of muddying our memories of that momentous event, in the pursuit of simply cynical profit?

Clearly, I’m not the only person who thinks this might be the case. Because free-thinking patriot Graham Putnam has created a video that just might change your thinking about the fateful day we witnessed the thousands killed in the tragedy that is the Battle of Yavin IV… and might make you question whether or not The Force, is in fact, with any of us. And you can watch this eye-opening video after the jump.

We are through the looking glass, people! Tarkin was martyred!

Robert Kirkman Talks Rejected Walking Dead Merchandise On Conan

You ever finish an episode of AMC’s The Walking Dead and think “I wish I could smell like the zombie apocalypse?” Just me? Well, turns out that was very nearly a possibility. Robert Kirkman discusses The Walking Dead merchandising opportunities he’s passed on, including perfume and energy drinks, in this clip from Conan.

The Walking Dead can be seen Sundays at 9 PM Eastern time on AMC.

Via Bleeding Cool

Marvel To Make “#1” Announcement At SXSW

Just what on Earth is “#1”?

150 Seconds of Pant-Crapping Terror: SDCC Hotel Registration Is Complete

Our apologies for the dearth of content today, but is has been a busy one here at the Crisis On Infinite Midlives Home Office, between significant personal business, day job obligations… and, of course, the application for convention-priced hotel rooms at San Diego Comic-Con 2013, which occurred in a white heat starting at noon Eastern Time today.

Now, you can say what you want about the fact that, these days, you need to fill out an online form, list some favored hotels (this time, six. No more, no less)… and then wait for a few days to find out if you got what you wanted, what you were willing to settle for, or if you’ll be fighting for space in the men’s room stalls without the glory holes. And that’s after you have to wait for several hours after completing the online form just to get an email confirmation that they even received your application.

But I will say this: compared to the experience of reserving a convention room through Travel Planners, SDCC’s preferred booking agent or hotels, just five years ago, the current twitchy anticipation of waiting a few days to find out what you got is a small price to pay to avoid that tooth-shattering pure, animal rage that the process used to be.

Back in 2008, the Travel Planners site opened at noon on the appointed day… and promptly shit the bed like an infant on Seconal. It took me two and a half hours to get through to where I could actually purchase a room, and by then, well, I’m lucky that finances meant that we were looking for a hotel more than a mile away from downtown. That experience taught me: if you want to maximize your chances at attending SDCC, book a backup room that you can cancel later at a non-convention hotel within a month after the Comic-Con you just got back from… and no, I won’t tell you our backup hotel of choice. I know we’re a news site, but we’re not saps. Do your own damn legwork.

Compared to that pure hell, a little anticipation and apprehension is a small price today, because the process was surprisingly simple. During last year’s hotel reservation process, my browser chugged briefly when the site opened at noon, but I was able to get through the process in about three minutes… with a few minor complications.

So how was it this year?