Svengoolie to present original Star Trek pilot episode

Fans of both Star Trek and b-movie horror host Svengoolie will enjoy the show this weekend when MeTV airs the original pilot episode “The Cage” hosted by the Chicago Television legend!

When I heard the news, I reached out to Sven’s alter-ego Rich Koz for comment: “As a longtime Star Trek fan, who watched the shows when they first aired  -yeah, I’m that old- getting to present the original pilot is a real kick for me -especially this remastered, full color version. Still blown away by the scene where Spock finds something amusing and breaks out in a big smile!”

Which begs the question, will the rubber chickens be set to stun?

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From the MeTV YouTube Page:

On Saturday, September 10, 2016 Svengoolie presents the original, unaired ‘Star Trek’ pilot, “The Cage,” at 10PM | 9C. Also, at 9PM | 8C, tune in for the first ‘Star Trek’ episode to air on broadcast television, “The Man Trap.”

Visit the MeTV website for programming info!

Getting paid on the Enterprise: How does money work on Star Trek?

The latest episode of Geek/Countergeek has Keith Conrad and I discussing Star Trek’s 50th Anniversary, the new blu-ray collection, and how money – or more specifically commerce – works in Gene Roddenberry’s utopian future.

Just how much do garbage men make in the United Federation of Planets?

FOLLOW KEITH CONRAD on TWITTER!

FOLLOW GEEK/COUNTERGEEK on TWITTER!

Andy Samberg is a POPSTAR in new comedy on Blu-Ray/DVD

Ever since he left Saturday Night Live, Andy Samberg has done a pretty good job of staying in the pop-culture limelight, breaking out like other former SNL cast members in new television and film projects. Now the Brooklyn Nine-Nine star has a movie coming out on Blu-Ray and DVD where he plays a pop star who is trying to remain relevant.

The film is a comedy called POPSTAR: NEVER STOP STOPPING and it was written by Samberg and his Lonely Island homies. I’ve got the details about the Blu-Ray/DVD release in the following press release. And I’ve got digital copies to give away to a couple lucky Geek To Me readers!

Check it out:

 AN OUTRAGEOUS NEW COMEDY FROM THE LONELY ISLAND AND ‘TRAINWRECK’ AND ‘40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN’ PRODUCER JUDD APATOW

POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING

AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL HD AUGUST 16, 2016, ON DEMAND AUGUST 30, 2016, AND BLU-RAY AND DVD SEPTEMBER 13, 2016 FROM UNIVERSAL PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT

“Insanely funny!” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Universal City, California, July 12, 2016 – Andy Samberg stars in this hilarious comedy as a former boy-band member trying desperately to salvage his failing solo career, coming to Digital HD on August 16, 2016, On Demand on August 30, 2016, and Blu-rayTM and DVD on September 13, 2016, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. This side-splitting comedy goes behind the scenes as music sensation Conner4Real (Samberg) finds his popularity plummeting after a disastrous album release, leaving his fans, sycophants and rivals all wondering what to do when he’s no longer the dopest star of all. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping on Blu-rayTM and DVD comes with over an hour of outrageous bonus features, including deleted scenes, a gag reel, celebrity interview outtakes and more!

(More info and contest details after the jump!)

Can you guess “What’s in the Box?”

Every Friday on “Pretty Late with Patti Vasquez” we play a game called “What’s in the Box.” In the game, callers are read online reviews for different products and must guess if it is for an appliance or an adult toy. The game makes for some very funny moments, and in this round, one of the Marines in attendance asked that I read one of my reviews as Yoda.

7/29/16 What’s in the Box?

Give it a listen and have a laugh!

“Opening the Mother Box: Exploring my relationship with comic books, religion and George Lucas”

About a month ago, I was invited to speak at “The Marrow“, an event that takes place at The Whistler in Chicago each month. At this event, storytellers are asked to read an essay that gets to “the marrow” of who they are.

As it was the first time I’d ever done something like this, I was rather nervous and wrote a piece that was to be a deep, personal exploration of my self.

It was well-received, but after hearing some of the other storytellers that evening – one spoke about trying to find a rehab facility for his ex-wife on a holiday, another about her estranged relationship with her mother and how it all started the day her mom kicked her father out of the house – I knew that I had just skimmed the surface.

Next time, if there is a next time, I’ll go much deeper. But for now, I’ll share with you the essay that I announced that I’d never read in public again. :::laughs::: I’m so full of it:

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The challenge to writing an essay about oneself, especially one that is supposed to get to the heart of who you are, is that you tend to get all caught up in your own bullshit.

You know, you get sidetracked by trying to turn a clever phrase, or using florid language that makes you sound smarter than you think you are.

You find yourself unconsciously using a verbal sleight of hand, one that distracts your reader from the truth that you don’t want them to see you tucking away in your pocket.

So there won’t be any of that from here on out…

Or will there?

(Continues after the jump!)

Army of Darkness VS THE GEEK SHOW!

A few weeks ago I was invited by fellow fanboy Aaron J. Amendola to be a guest on his variety/comedy/talk show called “THE GEEK SHOW”.

As this was my first time at the show, I found it to be a wonderfully charming and funny production, that’s put on by some of the most talented people you’ll meet in Chicago.

In my segment, Aaron and I talk about my contribution to the “Army of Darkness 1992.1” anthology, live-tweeting a date, and who would win in a fight between Darth Vader and Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Check it out!:

(Now after seeing myself on video I’m feeling a bit like I need to get back into the gym and work on my geekfit some more. WHO AM I KIDDING? I NEED IT BIG TIME!)

Check back for my next segment on THE GEEK SHOW where I play a game with a member of the audience!

Thanks to Aaron for the invite and kudos to him and the VS THE UNIVERSE CREW for putting on a fun show!

That Moment When The Universe Mocks You…

THANKS FOR NOTHING SPORTS ILLUSTRATED!!! #jinx #cubs pic.twitter.com/ljnDgAolat

— Elliott Serrano (@ElliottSerrano) December 17, 2014

There went any hope I had for the 2015 season…

“A New Hope”: Retold and reFERBished? PHINEAS and FERB take on STAR WARS!

I have to admit, when I heard that the Disney cartoon show “Phineas and Ferb” was going to give its own take on “Star Wars: A New Hope”, the first thing that crossed my mind was “didn’t Family Guy already cover that?”

(Geek confession: I often annoy friends when I declare that I don’t find “Spaceballs” all that funny since I read essentially the same jokes in “MAD” and “Cracked” magazines.)

So, you could imagine my delight when the episode finally aired and made me laugh in ways I didn’t expect.

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What I didn’t take into account was that the humor of the “Family Guy” specials skewed towards adults, while the fun that Phineas and Ferb have with the Star Wars mythos is more family friendly. (Which is not to say that there wasn’t any black humor in the episode. I mean the line “And you thought we would die in space” straight up made me laugh out loud. For realz.)

Anyway, I really enjoyed it, and since a special edition DVD of the episode just hit shelves this week I’ve got a “Phineas and Ferb/Star Wars” prize pack to give away!

How can you win this ginchy gift? I’ll tell you how after the jump!

My New Favorite Star Wars Talk Show

Today was the premiere of “The Comlink”, a nerdy talk show devoted to all things Star Wars. The show is hosted by David Collins and can be found on Kevin Smith’s S.I.T. (Smodcast Internet Television) Youtube Channel.

The first episode features an interview with voice actor – and friend of Geek To Me – James Arnold Taylor. He talks about the new episodes of “The Clone Wars” that debuted on StarWars.com, as well as what it was like to interview Mark Hamill: