OK guys– I know it’s Memorial Day Weekend eve, I’m going to ask you to please tear yourself off of those LOST forums arguing about the finale and giggling over the Catroulette blog at your desk to give this week’s roundup some serious attention.

Why the harsh tone? Well, if you truly live under a rock, British Petroleum (BP) had a massive accident a few weeks back and currently, millions of gallons of oil are seeping into the Gulf of Mexico and permanently damaging our oceanic ecosystem as we speak. Gross, right?

I have my personal opinions on the truckload of political  controversy swamping the news, but  figured it would be more appropriate to give you some science on the spill this week, and some resources to learn more about the ‘top kill’ method that’s being implemented (which, by the way, may or may not be working):

• Bill Nye explains ‘top kill’ on CNN (see clip below) and discusses with The Washington Post.
• PopSci’s coverage of Top Kill: http://bit.ly/ajd4hq
• Wired’s coverage on the Environmental Protection Agency and BP: http://bit.ly/94UVsC
• New Scientist’s interview with a senior scientist from the National Wildlife Federation on the current state of the gulf’s ecosystem: http://bit.ly/9LXTjW

If you were to tell me a year ago that one of the best video game film adaptations would be produced by Disney, and would be made out of the Prince of Persia franchise I probably wouldn’t have believed you.

In fact since Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time began production, thanks to the over-abundant leaked shots of a sweaty beefy Jake Gyllenhaal – the film probably never got the fair shake it deserved in the blogosphere. But let me tell you Prince of Persia is the video game film we have all been waiting for. This is the first video game film where they took a story that worked, and instead of reinventing it (ie: Super Mario Brothers) they built upon it’s characters and world to craft a much better story.

I wasn’t expecting much from Prince of Persia, probably due to a pessimistic attitude towards video game to film adaptations. As an avid  gamer, I’ve watched far too many properties I cherished get “re-imagined” (aka: ruined) by someone who’s probably never played the game in the first place. That is the attitude I walked into the theater, and I was happily proven wrong.

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The folks over at Titan Books were kind enough to send me a copy of their book Yipee Ki-Yay Moviegoer!: Writings on Bruce Willis, Badass Cinema, And Other Important Topics written by Vern. If the name sounds familiar, that’s because Vern is well known for writing reviews on the Aintitcool, one of the most popular movie sites out there.  The book is a collection of reviews and essays, many of them have been published online. But instead of digging around the internet, the best of the best have been collected for your reading pleasure.

Review continues after the jump.

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First of all, yes, that is a Zombie Scuba Diver. I mean, they must take vacations from the eternal pursuit of brains sometime, no?

This whole game development process has been an absolute blast and I know people say it all the time, but I really do learn something new everyday. This is in large part due to the fact that I’m a total amateur. My inexperience has kept me open-minded and continually amazed at the different ways in which people leverage new technologies to fuel the creative process. In the past two weeks I have completely overhauled my workflow for creating artwork for our game.

The first major change came when Jake O’Brien introduced me to Zwoptex. I use their flash based web app to generate sprite sheets which is, oh, I don’t know, five trillion times faster than lining every image up in an illustrator document and manually entering all the coordinates into a spreadsheet. For any developers or game artists out there I highly recommend Zwoptex, unless of course you use something better, in which case I insit you to make a counter recommendation.

The next big change was our decision to use cocos2d to randomize certain animations, such as when a Zombie gets decapitated. I had originally created a set animation for this and the idea was to eventually create three or four, randomly choosing one when a Zombie got killed. This approach quickly became visually boring. What we are doing now is separating the Zombie so when you decapitate him his head will roll and blood will spray out in an endless number of ways. It’s just as delicious as it sounds, I promise.

We’re also toying with the idea of a boss for the first release. We know we want some eventually. Since it’s a path drawing game we want there to be multiple targets to attack. This means a boss would have little minions you’d have to take down, or projectiles to throw at you. If you have an idea for you a perfect boss mob you’d like to see in the game, by all means let me know. I should note, humor is a good thing.

The biggest balancing issue in this whole process is trying to decide between how awesome it would be to put something in the game, versus how much it delays the release. Jake and I aren’t making a dollar off this game until it’s in the App Store and even at that point, we don’t what what to expect. If any of you are in the development process right now, or have been through it before, you’ve no doubt faced this decision a thousand times. All I can say is we’re very excited to get it in people’s hands sooner rather than later and start getting some real reactions. Stay tuned for a giveaway.

My next production diary will no doubt be focused on sound effects and music. At the moment the game is completely silent and as a gamer I know that sound can make or break the experience. We have done this all ourselves and the sound will be no different. Look for some hilarious sound effects and some hopefully less hilarious music produced on my girlfriend’s old Casio. Cheers.

Join us for a FREE PRIVATE SCREENING of Prince of Persia and the big-screen WORLD PREMIERE of Fiesta Day, the film which concludes Mission #4 of Tim & Mikey’s Fiesta Movement. Our awesome film crew was brought together by none other than the infamous Johnny Zito & Tony Trov. Their team is oh-so-hungry to dominate this event.

Friends, we want this last part of the Fiesta Movement to end with a BANG – and we need your help in doing so! The winning team’s film will be chosen by Ford and Filmaka to be produced and screened at the Hollywood movie premiere.

How can you help Geekadelphia & Co. win this event? It’s easy:

• Must RSVP online, please do so by going here
• Must be prepared to check into foursquare on the evening of the event
• Must txt GEEK4 to 44144 (this is the most important!)
  

RSVP and get a chance to win an iPad. Yes, we’re giving away another one.**

So, please arrive early because we’re looking to pack this theater!* Be sure to stick around afterward and head on over to The Ugly American @ 1100 S. Front St. for free drinks and an awesome celebration.

When:
June 07, 2010 – doors @ 7:30PM – screening concludes @ ~10:15PM,
complimentary celebratory drinks to immediately follow @ The Ugly American

Where:
UA Riverview Stadium 17
1400 S. Columbus Blvd.Philadelphia, PA 19147

*Admission to the event will be granted on first come, first serve, until theater capacity.
**Product/prize fulfillment will be done by Action Marketing Group. Must be present on day of film screening to be eligible. Unlike last time, this time we are accepting only *one* email address submission per person. Contributors of Geekadelphia are not eligible, especially not Dan Tabor and Parker Whitney since they already have iPads. And definitely not Chris Schmidt since he won a free iPad from us last time.

Get Him to the Greek, the new comedy written and directed by Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), which stars Jonah Hill (Superbad) and Russell Brand hits theaters next Friday, June 4th. But thanks to the great folks over at Universal Pictures we have passes to an advance screening happening next Thursday, June 3rd at the UA King of Prussia Stadium at 7:30pm.

For those not familiar with Get Him to the Greek the plot goes something like this:

An ambitious young record company executive attempts to transport an unpredictable rock star to L.A.’s Greek Theatre in time for his hotly anticipated comeback performance in this spin-off of the comedy hit Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Aaron Green has just landed his dream job in the record industry, and he’s eager to prove his worth. His first assignment: travel to London and escort British rock god Aldous Snow to the show that will re-ignite his career. Before he departs, Aaron is warned by his boss Sergio Roma to never let Aldous out of his sight, and never underestimate his capacity for mayhem. With the concert fast approaching and Aaron’s fledgling career on the line, the race is on to get Aldous to the Greek, and ensure the big show goes off without a hitch.

I was on the fence about this movie until I saw the trailer, and now I can’t wait to check this out.  We have 30 admit 2 passes for Get Him to the Greek. All you have to do for a chance to win is leave a comment, answering a simple question… if you were a rockstar what crazy things would be on your rider? Deadline for entries is June 2nd.

Good luck!

Writers of Geekadelphia and their families are not eligible for prizes.Limit one entry per person. No cameras, camera phones, or other recording devices permitted in screening. Seating is on a first come, first serve basis. Theatre capacity is limited and passes won do not guarantee seating.(So show up early!) Theater is not responsible for overbooking. Ticket holder and guest must enter theater together.

Heads up, comic fans. Tony Trov and Johnny Zito, Philadelphia’s deadly comic drawing duo, currently have the first four chapters of Moon Girl on sale for 99 cents this week through Comixology. What’s Moon Girl all about? Here’s a description, straight from Zito himself.

Masked vigilantes wage class warfare on the roof tops of 1950′s New York. Moon Girl, champion of the counter culture, must become more-than-human to defeat super-terrorists; Satana, Sugar Plum Fairy and Tiki Bob!

Unsure that Moon Girl is worth the dollar? First of all, we don’t like you anymore. Secondly, you can preview the comic online on Comixology before buying the full issue. Do it, you’ll love the witty writing and outstanding artwork.

This is a great way to get into the work of a brilliant pair of comic artists, especially since issues 5 and 6 are coming in June.

Moongirl @ Comixology [ www.moongirlfightscrime.com ]

Guest post by Walter Foley, Photos by Roy Burmeister & Doug Kavendek

Walking into a steampunk convention without understanding the culture is a lot like being in some bizarre foreign country, where everyone’s nice to you and you feel ashamed for having such tiny muttonchops. The Steampunk World’s Fair in Piscataway, NJ this month was a mecca for anyone interested in the lifestyle of retro-futurism: The sci-fi genre that takes you into the past, then asks you to imagine what the future will be like.

Sound absurd? It definitely is, especially when you’re walking to a debate on Tesla vs. Watt and you see someone in space gear strolling around a mustachioed baby as a theremin moans in the background.

But for as many non-sequiturs as you can spot among convention-goers (did Boba Fett just walk by? He must be lost), there could be an equal number of institutions. For example, goggles are extremely important. If you don’t have goggles, consider investing in an incredible hat.

“Steampunk today is what you make it,” said Hans Meier, who refers to the scene as the original sci-fi, rooted in the works of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. “The time travel aspect of the culture allows for a wide range of costumes and accessories, which is why top hats and cufflinks are often seen on people carrying copper-plated ray guns.”

More after the jump!

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A French student film entitled Above and Beyond has been circulating the interwebs recently. Upon first glance the film seems to be heavily influenced by Up.  But the funny thing is, this film was completed in 2005 over four years before Up even hit theaters.

Pete Docter one of the directors and writers of Up (who I interviewed here not too long ago), has gone on record saying in an interview…

“We came up with this idea of a floating house, and we worked backwards from that, thinking, ‘How did this guy get into the floating house?’ And we came up with this whole backstory of him meeting this girl, and they fell in love, and they had this whole relationship. And this failed promise, that they didn’t ever get to go down to South America to live this adventure that they always wanted to do. And so it was kind of based on that.”

The director of the Above and Beyond, Yannick Banchereau who was attending ESRA (a French film school) at the time the film was created, only guesses that since his school has a relationship with Pixar they might have seen his film and borrowed the idea.

Now, why doesn’t Yannick do anything about this? Because according to ESRA policy, since the film was done at the school for his studies, he does not hold the rights to it.  And this is a real shame.

If you have any doubts, simply check it out below for yourself and comment with what you think. Just for the record I love the ending to this one much more than the “Disneyfied” version.

via the great you thought we wouldn’t notice

Not to be confused with Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty, this new graphic novel written by Alexander and Joseph Lagos, illustrated by Steve Walker and Oren Kramek, delivers a supernatural take on the American revolution.

In The Sons of Liberty, we’re introduced to Graham and Brody, who are “slaves on the run-until they gain extraordinary powers. At first they keep a low profile. But their mentor has another idea… one that involves the African martial art dambe and masks.” The book hits shelves tomorrow thanks to Random House.

Sounds intriguing? It should. And graphic novel artist Steve Walker will be at Locust Moon Comics in University City this Wednesday, May 26th, for a signing and discussion.

The talk and signing starts at 7:30. Stop by! I’d link Locust Moon’s website, but they don’t seem to have one. So here’s the next best thing. Google.

The Sons of Liberty
www.thesonsoflibertybook.com

With the Lost finale airing this weekend, I thought I might post this very appropriate interview, since the subject, Mira Furlan, has been surprisingly absent from the show since her character’s death, with another actress playing her role in recent flashbacks. Mira played the role of Danielle Rousseau, one of the unsung heroes of the show.

Fans grew to follow this intriguing character as she developed throughout the show, until she was suddenly killed off in the middle of the fourth season.  What makes somewhat controversial, is the producers of the show publicly stated that she wanted to leave the show, which is why her character’s story ended the way it did.

But when I had the chance to interview her at Farpoint this year, her explanation was a very different.

Before the interview, I found Mira didn’t start out her career like most actresses, but had an amazing and almost unbelievable back-story of love, war and survival. So sit back and enjoy an interview with one of the most interesting actors to appear on Lost.

I read that you’re are originally from Zakhaev, Yugoslavia; where you were a member of the Croatian National Theatre.  Could you tell us a bit of about your journey as a theatre actor moving to film and television, in pre-war Yugoslavia?

It’s a huge, huge theme. I began work in theatre, almost immediately as I was still a student at the Academy of Dramatic Arts.  I got a job in TV and I got a TV movie, which kind of put me on the map there.  From then on I started doing television and theatre at the same time.

I did my first theatrical film fairly late, I was 24, maybe 25.  I immediately got the main film award in Yugoslavia for it, and from then on I was working non-stop.  Then bad things happened, but that’s life – good things, bad things and somehow you try to survive through all of them; because sometimes good things are really bad things in disguise.

In what was then Yugoslavia, I did a TV series that was immensely popular.  That actually created problems for me, people were calling me by that name, they were completely identifying me with that character and I was doing very serious work in theatre, playing all the classics, so I was bothered by the fact that people didn’t take this other work seriously.

The usual problems of actors, what you do and what you put out, and what people get out of it.  Which is all a matter of their prospective and their perception and you can’t really influence it.  So sometimes there are those dichotomies.

More after the jump!

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Image courtesy of Wired Science

‘Sup geeks?! How was your week? Did you have fun at Geekadelphia’s free concert at The Piazza?

So, local news first:

• Philly wins a sustainability award! So, we sort of have a bad rep with other large cities in America because we have wild sports fans and fat locals, apparently… but hey, we are on our way with technology initiatives for long-term sustainability, and that’s really cool.

In other news…

• As a young, attractive, charming, funny (modest…) gal, this study merely confirms my long-term suspicions after swimming in the Philadelphia dating pool: Neanderthals are among us. This Wired Science article gives a great breakdown of the latest news in evolutionary studies…

• What the what?! All life on Earth shares a single common ancestor, a new statistical analysis confirms. Microbiologist chatter has been secured that we don’t have a ‘tree’ of life, so much as a ‘web’… and that’s good to know, considering the study also noted that one universal common ancestor is at least 102,860 times more probable than having multiple ancestors. So get your Enya on, Geekadelphians, because we’re technically all one.

• Um, James Cameron develops camera for new Mars rover. Yes, you read that right. Despite all scientific knowledge to this point, Mars may actually be filled with blue people.

• I got a press release from the National Green Energy Council detailing the Cape Wind project — an offshore sustainable wind farm in New England. Hallelujah! The USA is finally working with the world’s elements, not against them.

• Quick! Add ‘genomic manipulation’ to your vocabulary because we’re a few short steps away from the first Cylon war with the creation of mostly synthetic cells. Kidding! Sort of… This NPR article is a bit more thorough.

That’s all, party people. Have a great weekend, and I hope to see you at Brave New Worlds for the Movement and Motion showing!

She Blinded Me With Science is a weekly column for Geekadelphia.com, brought to you by The Letter B. To submit a science tip, email bianca@geekadelphia.com