Memories To Live On and Prosper

While the internet continued to implode about a color changing dress and llamas, the geek/nerd community suffered a saddening blow today. We said goodbye to long time iconic figure Leonard Nimoy, best known of course for his portrayal of the character Spock in Star Trek (TOS, The Original Series). Within minutes of the announcement, social media was flooded with a sea of tweets, posts and messages--fans of all ages expressed their sadness at the news. On Twitter alone the hashtags #RIPLeonardNimoy and #LLAP (Live Long and Prosper) became trending topics while actors and musicians alike shared their condolences. Most notably, Nimoy's fellow Star Trek actor and friend, William Shatner.

Nimoy died at the age of 83 due to complications resulting from late stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a diagnosis he made public last year. He accredited the disease to his former smoking habit, even though he had not smoked in 30 years. I did recall having heard on the radio days ago that Leonard Nimoy had been admitted to the hospital but the breaking news of his death had certainly caught me off guard.

I'm far to young to have seen anything but re-runs of the old Star Trek series, but I remember watching them as a child along with Star Trek TNG (The Next Generation) and loving the show (s) completely. My mother remembers rushing home every day after playing outside, to be home in time to catch the newest episode of Star Trek. I have her to thank for my later adoration of the sci-fi show that started it all. 

I like to think of myself as a Trekkie, but compared to some I would probably be considered more of a fan. I can't quote entire episodes by heart and I don't remember which episode Kirk fights the Gorn in, but I do know that it's one of the cheesiest fight scenes ever and yet is still fantastic. But despite all of it: the low ratings, questionable stunt scenes, the shows cancellation after three seasons--the show was propelled to the top of the list as the most popular science fiction show of all time. The show's charm and like-able characters gave way to a passionate and enormous fan base spanning the decades. Of these characters my favorite has always and will continue to be Commander Spock, the half human/half Vulcan science office aboard the USS Enterprise. I'm of course not alone in my love of Nimoy's portrayal of the complex and emotionally neutral yet not to forget highly logical character. 

But what may surprise some, aside from being an actor, Nimoy was also a singer, photographer, author and director. He directed two of the original Star Trek movies (III and IV) as well as two Star Trek documentaries. He published two autobiographies titled: I Am Not Spock and I Am Spock,--along with works of poetry. His photos were displayed in art shows and he performed pop songs in addition to writing songs about Star Trek despite being regarded as not possessing a singing voice in the slightest by the music world. The man had a long and fulfilling career involving many different artistic endeavors. He will be missed but his legacy and contributions to the world will continue to live on in the hearts of sci-fi geeks and Trekkies everywhere.

Spider-Man Swings Back to Marvel

The news broke today regarding the long running rumors of a Marvel/Sony joint venture involving the web spinning super hero. Spider-man a high grossing franchise for Sony, has his roots in Marvel Comics--imagined from the mind of Stan Lee and the pencil of Steve Ditko. So this news was as no surprise to fans hopeful for Spidey's return home as part of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe).

For the past decade and a half, Sony has had the pleasure of creative control of Spider-man and his human alter ego Peter Parker--in the realm of film. It's been a roller coaster ride aimed at success. With the original film (starring Toby McGuire) debut in 2002 and it's not quite so good predecessors, up to the reboot of The Amazing Spider-Man with Andrew Garfield's portrayal of the radioactively altered Parker in 2012.

With Marvel's undeniable reign atop the throne of superhero movies, Sony would have been foolish to have dismissed an opportunity such as this. This long awaited change to the web crawling crime fighter is not without it's limits. Sony will remain in creative control of Spider-man as their property and will continue with their planned film(s) for him. What this new partnership does mean for Marvel though is that Spider-man would make his first appearance back in an upcoming MCU film that has already been announced (fingers are crossed for Captain America:Civil War). In addition, Marvel will assist Sony with their future film (July 2017) by means of Kevin Feige (head of Marvel Studios) joining forces with Amy Pascal (Sony) as joint producers.

So, new Spider-man (that's right, it's doubtful Garfield will return to the role), new studio. Two rival studios working together to bring fans a glimmer of hope for their wall climbing photographer to once again associate with his fellow Marvel superheroes. This Marvel involved reboot has caused interesting changes to the upcoming Marvel movie line-up of already announced films. Four films have had their release dates pushed to take advantage of this new character opportunity. The changes in order: Thor Ragnarok has moved from the summer of 2017 to the fall of 2017 (Nov 3rd), Black Panther has moved from the fall of 2017 to summer of 2018 (July 6th), Captain Marvel has moved from summer of 2018 to the fall of 2018 (Nov 2nd), Inhumans has moved from fall of 2018 to the summer of 2019 (July 12th).

With all that said, if anyone could shoulder the responsibility of rebooting Spider-man, it would be Marvel. They are about to show Sony that with great power comes great responsibility...and they know how to handle it.

Stranger Conversations with Grant Markham

Next week, on February 17^th, my friend Grant will be premiering his solo podcast—The Stranger Conversations. I thought I would take the time to write up a post dedicated to this achievement. Grant has been podcasting for years, mostly with his best friend Jason as part of The Last Podcaster Standing and 7 Days A Geek (the latter of which is how I met the two of them). But this will be Grant’s first podcast without his ginger crutch (just kidding buddy), so it’s a big deal for him. This podcast is based on the idea that you could find out so much about another person just by having a conversation with them. Even people you may have known for years could still be a stranger to you because it’s hard to know everything about someone. Grant will spend time speaking with folks each episode getting to know them or more about them, simply by just having a conversation—the premise for the podcast.

I was fortunate enough to get to hear the first few episodes, among which-- the origin story. Grant talked with Neil C. from another great podcast, Dark Angels & Pretty Freaks which Neil hosts with his wife Annaleis. Being fellow podcasters and in some of the same podcast networks, they had gotten to know each other through Twitter and formed a friendship. This friendship furthered after a 4 hour conversation between the three of them which was then posted as an episode of Dark Angels & Pretty Freaks. Due to that conversation, it sparked an idea in Grant’s head about forming a show around that very thing. It had been so easy to chat with Neil and Annaleis for hours and through that interaction, he had gotten to know them both better. 

It’s these types of interactions that can truly enlighten a person. Most of us, meaning people in general, can go along spending most of their lives trapped within their own shells. It’s easy to be content with one’s surroundings and routines—rarely straying from them. But then you end up missing out on the remarkable things waiting just beyond your horizon.

In my youth, I was never what you would consider out going, possessing a soft spoken and shy personality. The invisible wall flower content with a life of work and school. Until I finally decided, I needed to make some changes. In the last few years, I stepped out of my comfort zone: joined the military, left the military (it didn’t work out), found an international scavenger hunt that forces you to embrace the abnormal. These things amongst others forced me out of my shell and gave me experiences that have impacted my life.

This is why I’m looking forward to Grant’s new show and have made effort to promote it. I love the concept and I’m not just saying this because I know the guy. When you move past that initial fear of trying something new…stepping beyond the barrier you have created for yourself, you open up a wealth of opportunities. Now I’m not saying, go jump off a mountain (interesting story, Grant has, you can hear more about that in Episode Zero)—baby steps people. Make the effort to get to know your neighbors, spend time with co-workers outside the work place, have open and honest conversations as often as possible. Then take what experiences and knowledge you’ve learned from these conversations and apply them to your own life. The outcome will be interesting to say the least.

But, how do I take that first step you ask? Well, I have one suggestion.

Go to TangentBoundNetwork.com or TheStrangerConversations.com on February 17^th to download/listen to the first episodes of The Stranger Conversations. Then drop a line to my friend Grant and let him know what you think--TheStrangerConversations@gmail.com or @TheStrangerCons on Twitter. I will be on the podcast (unless Grant changes his mind, haha) sooner or later. It will just come down to when we can schedule something. So that right there is something to look forward to, I know I am.

Super Bowl XLIX

Blue 42...Blue 42....hike! Ok, I admit...I have no idea what that means. My knowledge of American Football is limited and I've never been a huge fan, I don't follow most of it. I'll pay enough attention to know how our local team is doing--The Arizona Cardinals--and I will watch the culminating event of the entire football season, the Super Bowl. Who doesn't love Super Bowl commercials? But, if the teams are really good and it makes for an exciting game then I'll gladly watch it and cheer for whichever team I happen to like better.

I have no interest in statistics or learning the actual rules of the game. The object is getting the "football" (which is carried in someone's hands nearly the entire time, so please tell me how this was the proper name for this sport?) from one end of the field to the other, without getting knocked down too many times and scoring a touchdown. I don't need to know how many yards are in a 1st down or the difference between a linebacker and a receiver.

I'm a Soccer fan (excuse me, a real football fan) and will gladly sit watching a match that could quite possibly end in a 1-1 tie after an entire hour--finding it just as gripping if not more so than any other American sporting event. I used to be into basketball but that too I did not follow as closely. I find baseball boring and Golf is...is not a sport. I'm sorry, but it's not. Besides, The Phoenix Open made me late for work every day last week because everyone had to be there early in the morning and clog up rush hour traffic--I left early!! Bad form Golf, bad form.

There is one other sport which I don't follow closely but I would like to because I do find it interesting, Hockey. For me, Hockey is a lot like Soccer. It can end in a 1-1 tie after a grueling game and depends on fast paced passing of the puck to try and score goals, many similarities except of course for the fact that Hockey is played on ice. It's never too late to start getting into a sport and as I always say, better late than never.

But back to the matter at hand, Super Bowl XLIX (49). Held right here at home in Phoenix, Arizona, for the second time since I've been living here. So, it does add more interest in the matter to have spent the last few weeks driving by the stadium every day and watching it transform into the football media/fan capital of the US for this year. I've been trying to snap photos at various points during my morning commute to catch the huge tents and arches with big screens that have been built a top what is normally parking lot. Even downtown Phoenix--15-20 minutes away from the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale--has been revamped to cater to the tourists (lucky enough to make it out of snowmageddon) and local fans alike. Downtown has been a buzz with the NFL Experience, Victoria Secret Fashion Show and a Playboy Show.

Our desert city has done well to entertain and hype up this huge event. With just under two hours to go, the whole thing is about to come to fruition. I will be watching the Super Bowl in its entirety while enjoying some tasty snacks and beer (wings, chips and salsa, fried zucchini). I have no real investment in either team. I just hope for an exciting game, a good halftime show and some great commercials. May the best team win.