Batman:Year One

Hey guys! Check out the latest episode of The Two-Headed Nerd Comicast to hear me talk about "Batman: Year One" written by Frank Miller and illustrated by David Mazzucchelli.

Matt and Joe were kind enough to invite me on their show (aka they finally got sick of hearing me bitch about not being on the show) and give my thoughts/reaction on a comic of their choosing. My segment even has a title "Kacie's Krazy Korner" (ugh, racism) and theme music! Since The Dark Knight Rises, just opened the previous weekend, they figured that "Batman: Year One" would be a nice tie in.

Click here to find out if I give this comic a "buy it, skim it or leave it..." Oh the suspense!

Gandalf vs. Dumbledore

For those of you that don't know, I am currently training for the Lincoln half marathon on May 6. It is a huge commitment of my time and a lot of running. When I run I need some pumped up jams to keep me motivated like this and this. Especially on my long run days, like last Sunday, for instance.

I was well into mile four heading to the finish line at mile five when it happened. All of a sudden there was what sounded like a drunk yelling in slow motion and then this happened.

You see, my husband and I share a Spotify account. Or I should say, I mooch of his and created myself a sweet running catalog of hits. Apparently two weeks ago when he was creating a nerd playlist to be heard during The Two-Headed Nerd Comicast one year anniversary/birthday party, he starred this song and dragged it to what he thought was the nerd folder. Alas, it was my running folder.

I almost fell off my treadmill when it came on. Seriously, to the ground. Even the photo that popped up when I went to change the tune almost stopped me on the moving belt. But, just as I was about to swipe on to the next song, something took over and my finger froze. That's when the rapping started. But not just any rapper, oh no. This was Gandalf from 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings' versus Dumbledore from the Harry Potter series. IT WAS AMAZING! Words cannot do it justice, so the lyrics are below.

Gandalf:
You shall not pass!
I rap fast like Shadowfax
Tom Riddle me this, you bitch
How's your little wand gonna beat my staff?
I leave mics in flames, torched by Gandalf,
Touch mine Dumbledore and scorch your other hand off
You fool, you got Snaped, you're not a real fighter
Death makes you die and just makes my brights, brighter
You ass is like Grigotts, everyone makes a deposit,
We all know you've more than a boggart in your closet

Dumbledore:
The prophecy forgot to mention this day,
When I knocked your ass back to Gandalf the Grey
Check your status, they call me headmaster, you're nothing
Nice staff, you compensating for something?
I prefer the company of wizards and I'm proud of it,
You try to win your battles with two fat hobbits
You think your hairy toed friends are gonna harm me?
Wait 'til the get a taste of Dumbledore's Army

Gandalf:
Do not take me for some conjurer of cheap tricks,
I don't give a Fawkes about your Order of Phoenix
I'll tie a new not in your beard, with your wrinkly balls
For I am the one rapper to rule them all

Dumbledore:
Your spells are a joke, not funny ones either
Mines of Moria? Ha, more like Mind of Mencia
I'll Expecto my Patronum on your face, you little snitch
And when I'm finished, I'mma fly like it's-a quidditch.

I think this has to be my new running song, right?!

The Hobbit has Dwarves, who knew?!

It is no secret that my husband and I have very different tastes when it comes to movies. Sure there are many we do agree and love (I am talking about you Drive) but there are far more we disagree about seeing and enjoying.

The biggest offender of this probably is The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I love fantasy novels and movies, so no, that is not the issue. I also love a lot of the people in the cast...Charlie "Not Penny's Boat" Pace (serious LOST spoiler alert if you click on that link). So, not a casting issue either. It's just, I don't understand why Frodo just didn't get rid of the damn ring during hour two, because really, it would have saved me at least $15 bucks and seven hours of my life.

Fast forward...The Hobbit is being made into two movies, by Peter Jackson, of the Rings Trilogy fame. When I heard the news I could have cared less. I did not like the book or the play. In fact, I remember being in 7th grade when my High School did a production of The Hobbit and about 30 minutes in wanted to eat my face off from boredom. My husband on the other hand cannot wait.

He loves all the Tolkien books (and movies) like some people love the Bible. He even thought we should take our honeymoon in New Zealand, not to see New Zealand but to STAY IN THE HOBBIT HOUSES!

A little while ago the first Hobbit trailer was finally released. We were laying in bed talking about movies and decided to watch the trailer. Have you seen it? Well, again, not my cup of tea, but honestly, watching my husband watch the trailer should have been a movie itself.

There was smiling, giggles, screams of "AWESOME!," more giggles and then tears. Yes, HE CRIED WHEN THE HOBBITS SANG (correction from my husband -the Dwarves we're singing, not the Hobbits). The scene of them singing reminds me of the Irish Hour NPR airs on Sundays at noon (apparently that hour is called The Thistle and Shamrock with Fiona Ritchie another correction from my husband), my least favorite hour on the radio.

I was in disbelief. I do not think I have ever cried over a movie trailer. Cried in a movie, yes, totally acceptable, but crying over hobbits (or dwarves, if we are being totally correct here, geez) singing a song, I was speechless. I am sure I had this face the entire time this was happening.

The best part, to this day, is that when we talk about The Hobbit the following spews from him "When they broke out in song....(insert grunt noise and hand to heart motion) it made me tear up. It's gonna be so good. AHH!"

For all those that want to go sing hobbit songs (whatever, dwarf songs) and cry, please contact my husband. He will sit there with you, drink an ale and weep tears for the homies Sam, Pippin and Merry (and apparently added by my husband: Fili, Kili, Oin, Gloin, Thorin Oakenshield, Dwalin, Balin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dori, Nori, and Ori).

Skyrim (a photo entry)

This is a glimpse into my life ever since the video game Skyrim has entered it. We literally just got home from the bars and he ran to the couch, picked up the xbox controller and began playing.

This might be worse than drugs, okay that was a tad dramatic, but it is a close second.

Christmas Movie Rankings

Once again I will apologize for the long absence. I went to D.C., London and Paris for pretty much the entire month of November, but now I am back and it's Christmas time!

Tonight when we got home from Pitch Pizzeria (it has been mentioned on this blog before so I will not repeat the awesomeness of this place), I turned on the tv and "White Christmas" with Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney was on the tv. I LOVE THIS MOVIE!

For real, you guys, I can watch this movie over and over again, and have. It reminds me of my grandmother, as she loves it just as much as I do and was the one who introduced it to me. Anyway, my husband emerged from the bathroom and saw that for the second night in a row this was on our tv. He knows of my love and asked me what my favorite Christmas movies were, besides this one.

My list is as follows:

-"White Christmas"

-"Elf"

-"Love Actually"

-"National Lampoons Christmas Vacation"

(side note - both my husband and I are singing "Count Your Blessings" right now with Bing Crosby...BOOM!)

-"Holiday Inn"

I asked my husband what his favorite Christmas movies were and he said, "I like the ironic Christmas movies." Of course he does, sigh.

-"Die Hard" (he has made me watch this on Christmas Eve, seriously)

-"Gremlins"

-"Edward Scissorhands" (I love this movie!!)

-"The Nightmare Before Christmas" (typical indie rock choice)

-"Rocky 4" (?????????? I don't understand!!)

So when Christmas Eve comes once a year and per our tradition of coming home after a night of family drinking and oyster stew eating (shout out Kelley family), we always choose a holiday movie to watch so please wish me luck this year otherwise I might end up watching "Black Christmas(the remake)."

And we gonna ride the boogie...

I just wanted to share my husband's latest avatar for Xbox live. Why yes, that is a sparkle bodysuit and boots that you see. It reminds me of the outfit Michael Jackson wore in the "Rock with You" video, minus the Nebraska Cornhuskers football helmet of course. If you ever get a chance to see this avatar live, it performs some sweet moves even Michael would have envied. I really have no words.

Just enjoy.

DC ReLaunch

As many of you all know my husband is a nerd, hence the blog title. One of the biggest nerd stories to come out in the last few weeks has been the relaunch of the DC Comic Universe. Let me have him explain it to you;

Hi, it's Kacie's husband Matt making a guest appearance because my wife is to lazy to look up any info on DC's relaunch (Kacie: RUDE! I'm not lazy, just intrigued by "The Lost Boys" playing on our TV at this moment). For those of you out of the comics loop, DC has restarted it's entire line of comics with the number one in an attempt to draw in new readers that may have been intimidated by over 70 years of back story. To those readers I say, you're lazy and start reading. Of course I've been reading DC comics for more than 25 years (Kacie: True, my husband is OLD). Regardless, the relaunch is here and so far it's been pretty well executed. Including the new Superman relaunch which is like rewriting Jesus's part of the bible for nerds like me.

In non-nerd terms he means (this is Kacie by the way) that the relaunch was designed to get those that are not avid comic book readers interested in reading them. My husband thought it would be fun to have a newbie to the comic book world read this relaunch to see if their evil ploy works. His guinea pig for the experiment is me of course. So without further ado, Batgirl #1.....(apparently nerds are upset about this one because Barbara Gordon, Commissioner Gordon's daughter, has been paralyzed in previous comics but in the relaunch is up and fighting crime again with the use of her arms and legs).

Just a small note to start with. The cover is Batgirl in costume, with red hair, which I was always partial too thanks to the red wig the Barbara Gordon on the 60's TV show had. My only problem is when a superhero has perfect makeup on, like on this cover. Please, you are fighting crime in a pleather suit, girl you are gonna sweat and that shit runs.

I just finished reading Batgirl #1, and to me this is what it feels and sounds like when I read this comic: click here. WHAT! I was confused from page when when the bad guy, The Mirror, shot up some poor old survivor of a disaster that I imagine to be similar to that of the Titanic. Then we flashed forward to some serial killer group that was going to kill some couple, and then Batgirl storms in and gets lucky (I believe those were her words) and saves the day. Then she has a bad dream about the Joker shooting her and paralyzing her, which is what I thought happened in old DC world, but I guess it really did happen here too, but she was only out the use of her legs for three years. See what I mean, that techno dance party video is so fitting right about now.

Anyway, now there was some police officer in the hospital, The Mirror punched a lady named Heidi, Barbara Gordon gets a roomie who likes tea and to hug, then she gets two more guns pointed at her an let's a dude die. THE END.

So my opinion, I don't really have one. I felt like I needed background information leading into this read and it jumped around so much it was like my brain was being wrinkled but not in the awesome wrinkled way. I probably would read it again, just to see if I could figure out what I had previously read, so I am not writing it off just yet, but if things are still like a techno mind jumble in issue #2, then I am OUT.

Have no fear my loyal readers, if you are dying for more posts like this, I am sure my husband will make me read some more #1's, as to be a real guinea pig one must do a sample of tests, not just stop after the first one. My husband thinks I will come around and begin a love affair with comics with his little Doctor Evil experiment here. He likes to cite the example of years ago tricking me into reading the first Harry Potter book to see if one would become obsessed. If you know me, and for those that do not, let me tell you that Ron Weasley is one of my top ten favorite people ever, so figure out how that experiment ended. He is hoping for more of the same.

*by the way that photo is me doing "The Batgirl."