I honestly can’t decide whether this is the creepiest thing ever or quite possibly the coolest. Skull-A-Day a blog that focuses on you guessed it – a skull image a day, posted an image and some videos from Philadelphia’s own Mütter Museum.

The image in question (above) is a skull created from over 375 pieces human brains embedded in clear acrylic, stacked to form an image of a giant skull. The videos on the site discuss and show the process of creating the image with the acrylic-encased brains, or as they jokingly call them Zombie MREs.

Check out the blog here for more videos and pics!

Guest Post by MA

One of the perks of the being married to an editor of Geekadelphia, is that he gets all sorts of things sent to him… like screeners. One that made it’s way into our house lately was the fourth and last season of Ugly Betty. I used to watch this series every week, until the change to FIOS rendered the series unable to make it to our DVR. So I was finally able to check it out.

Ugly Betty is a series based on a Columbian telenovela called Yo Soy Betty La Fea. It tells the story of a Betty, a less-than attractive girl (played by the beautiful America Ferrera) that was hired as the assistant of a womanizing editor-in-chief of a high fashion magazine called Mode. Being fashion-challenged in the midst of the skinny, pretty people is the classic fish out of water story.

But Ugly Betty was always more than that. As the show developed – so did the relationships and the characters. The season’s 20 episodes are well paced and while there were a couple of story lines that were overtired and repetitive, on the whole it was an enjoyable watch. And the final episode – was the send off that the series deserved.

More After the Jump!  

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The fourth (and probably not final) installment of the Resident Evil franchise, Resident Evil: Afterlife hits theaters September 10th; Alice is back this time she’s in IMAX Digital 3D.

While I am a huge fan of the Resident Evil video game series, I have to say I have mixed feelings about the films, which are “loosely” based on said games. While I really enjoyed the first and second film, they had enough of the game’s themes and characters to make them interesting, the third one for me just didn’t really seem like a Resident Evil film at all. And it seems like quite a few fans felt the same way.

With Afterlife, Chris and Claire Redfield, two fan favorites of the series, join the film franchise, along with Jill Valentine and Albert Wesker, the primary antagonist in the series and one of my personal favorites. The film also promises to be influenced by Resident Evil 5, and who can honestly argue with zombies in IMAX Digital 3D? I am definitely interested in checking this out and the plot synopsis of the film goes something like this:

In a world ravaged by a virus infection turns its victims into the undead, Alice (Milla Jovovich) continues on her journey to find survivors and lead them to safety. Her deadly battle with the Umbrella Corporation reaches new heights… as Alice gets some unexpected help from an old friend. A new lead that promises a safe haven takes them to Los Angeles, but when they arrive the city is overrun by thousands of undead – and Alice and her comrades are about to step into a deadly trap.

We have 20 passes for 2 to give away for a screening at the AMC Cherry Hill, for September 9th at 7:30. You’ll get to check this film out in IMAX Digital 3D. Free zombies in IMAX? Can’t beat that.

Want a pass? Simply comment with your favorite Resident Evil film and why for a chance to win. Winners will be picked and notified September 7^th.

I know we’ve all been witness to copious amounts of SEPTA fail in our lives as Philadelphians, but sometimes, just sometimes something magical happens in our generally unpleasant mass transit experience. 

I was coming home from covering Inochicon where I was recording the Reni Mimura concert on the 570 R5 Landsdale/Doylestown Regional Rail, and a girl got on the train… with a harp.

Now I thought the fact that the girl was carrying around the harp was crazy enough and due to the sheer size of the thing. Everyone on the train was openly fascinated with the instrument and the conductor joked that she should play a song, and everyone sort of chimed in and agreed.

She eventually relented and played a short set of 3 short songs. I got her name afterward… Paige Setzer. Thank you Paige.

Another Song After the Jump!

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It’s another week and time for another epic Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World interview.

This time, I sat down with Jason Schwartzman who stars as Gideon Graves and Anna Kendrick, who plays Scott’s sister Stacey Pilgrim in the film. I should probably go on record by saying I am a huge Jason Schwartzman fan and have been since I first saw Rushmore on laserdisc. It was great chatting with these two and a lot of fun as well, as you can probably tell in the interview.

Also, if you haven’t seen this film… what are you waiting for? We need to support this film in any way shape and form we can, and for the life of me I can not figure out why this film, with its stellar reviews and write-ups, isn’t making the money it should. So read up and go see the film again.

So Jason you worked on the score for Funny People… did you have any influence at all on the score for Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World?

Jason: Um… no… (laughs).

What did you think of it then?

Jason: I loved it, so much. I really think a big part of the film is the music. Not only in the background in fight scenes, but you know, [when the] bands in the film [are] playing songs.  We were pretty lucky to have Beck, Broken Social Scene, and Metric do songs for the film.

Nigel Godrich even composed an original piece of music and to me it was just incredible. I probably did Funny People because no one else was available, (laughs)  but for this one everyone was available.

So they all got to do it as they should and it was just amazing, especially the sound design too is amazing in the film as well.

Did you have any favorite songs from the film?

Jason: Yeah, I love every Beck song and the Ramona Song.

Anna: Black Sheep is my favorite song

Jason: That is a really great song too.

Anna: I’ve heard all of the songs a lot, (Laughs) and that’s only one I really like is Black Sheep.

Jason: That is such a great song. Ramona is such a great song as well, it has great chord changes and I like Summer Time (Jason breaks into the chorus to Summer Time)

More after the Jump!

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Photo: A Tale of Two Brains

Ah, the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe. It’s that special time of year where people can paint themselves weird colors and dance around in front of projector screens, and can somehow live with themselves after calling it art. But experimental and post-modern rubbish aside, the Philly Fringe Festival has a lot of hidden gems this year that will appeal to you geeks out there.

From a ballsy sounding Top Gun and Shakespeare mashup to the touching story of two toothless zombies wandering Pennsylvania searching for the meaning of life… I present to you, Geekadelphia’s Top 10 Fringe Festival Picks.

10. Wawapalooza – This annual production put together by IdRatherBeHere is consistently hilarious year after year. And whilst the show isn’t riddled with geeky references, the self deprecating mockery of our fair city never ceases to be a riot. This year’s show promises “short films, plays, and artwork that parodies environmentalists, mustaches, Taser victims, sex, vegans, and awkward run-ins with exes in Wawa.” Mocking vegans? We’re in.

9. Zombies Are Forever – Rainbow Destroyer, a zombie-pop duo, are hosting a night of karaoke… and you’re invited. Can you handle it? We bet Alex Hillman from Indy Hall could, with those pipes of his. Zombie karaoke. How could this not be on the list?

8. Jester’s Dead – Sure, The Outfit is an ensemble from New York… but we won’t hold that against them. They’re blending Top Gun with Shakespeare, packing it full of “swordfights, songs, and text from every play in Shakespeare’s canon.” Awesome.

7. Hello From the Children of Planet Earth – “Two NASA scientists fall in love as an astronaut and his wife slowly drift apart.” This one sounds slightly deeper than a lot of the other picks I’ve got listed, as the description claims the show will remind “us that even when the universe looks terrifyingly infinite, we are never truly alone.” Hard not to love a show taking place in space though.

More Picks After the Jump!

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Closed!

I will gladly go on record saying that the Quentin Tarantino/ Robert Rodriguez failed theatrical experiment Grindhouse was probably one of my single favorite experiences in a theater ever. While some might argue that the films Planet Terror or Death Proof might have not lived up to fan expectations, one thing no one ever complained about were the faux trailers spliced in between the two films.

The two standouts of the lineup, which even included Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World’s own Edgar Wright were Eli Roth’s gruesome and very hilarious Thanksgiving, and Machete also by Rodriguez.  The Machete trailer, which focused on a story of a renegade Mexican federale (Trejo) who is double crossed, when hired for a hit job while posing as an average by the hour day laborer immediately became a hit with fans.

When Grindhouse was first released Machete was supposed to be next up for Rodriguez, but after Grindhouse didn’t live up to expectations and the films were eventually split for foreign distributors, fans were left in the lurch waiting for Danny Trejo to dawn a machete lined trench coat.  Three years have passed and Rodriguez has made good on his promise of bringing one of the hardest working actors in genre films to the front in his own action film.

I am huge fan of Trejo and quite honestly cannot wait to see this film, and you wont have to. The film opens September 3^rd and also stars Robert De Niro, Michelle Rodriguez, Jessica Alba, Jeff Fahey, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, Steven Seagal and Lindsay Lohan. I have 50 passes for 2 to an advance screening of Machete tonight at The Rave Theater at 7:30pm.

Wanna go? Show Danny Trejo some love and leave a comment with your favorite Danny Trejo film, that shouldn’t be too hard he has only been in like 200 and I will send you the code to enter for your free passes.

Till then check out the trailer below that started it all WARNING NSFW!

Photos by Kara LaFleur

You’ve only got a little over a week left to scope out Work to Ride (A Work in Progress), currently on display at the University City Arts League. The exhibition highlights Work to Ride, a program for disadvantaged youth at the Chamounix Equestrian Center in West Philadelphia. You can learn more about that program, here.

The woman behind the camera, Kara LaFleur, is no stranger to the world of Philadelphia geeks. You might know her from her outstanding work with Geeks Who Give, or the wide array of unconferences she frequently helps put together. Her exhibit is currently on display until September 3rd.

To learn more about the exhibit, visit the University City Arts League’s official website. Scope it out while you can, she’s a talented gal with a huge heart.

Work To Ride [ www.ucartsleague.org ]

3G Ghostbuster Poster by the Ever Awesome Tom Whalen

The Autumn Society, an art collective that boasts several Philadelphia artists, is currently working on their biggest art show yet. Teaming up with Gallery 1988 in LA, they’re launching 3G, a pop-culture art show that pays tribute to Ghostbusters, Goonies, and Gremlins, three films that defined our generation.

The show premieres in Los Angeles on Friday, September 3rd, however you can scope out a lot of the fine work our hometown heroes have been working on via the Autumn Society’s official website. They’ve tagged a lot of the work as 3G, so its easier to check out.

Best of luck, guys and gals! You make our city proud.

The Autumn Society’s 3G Art Show [ www.theautumnsociety.com ]

Comments Are Closed! Winners Have Been Notified!

Comedian Chris Hardwick is truly the geek’s comedian. Well known for his hilarious stand-up, nerdtastic website, and awesome podcast, he is making an appearance at Helium this week. He’ll be at the Philadelphia comedy club Wednesday through Saturday… and guess what? I’ve got some tickets to giveaway!

I’m giving away four pairs of tickets; two sets to Wednesday and two sets to Thursday.

How can you win these free tickets? Leave us a comment… seriously, that’s all. Whether you’re just saying “pick me!” or “Eric you’re awesome please have my beautiful exotic children!”, I’ll pick four winners at random tonight.

You’ve got until 10pm, so start your commenting! Good luck!

Chris Hardwick: The Nerdist @ Helium Comedy Club
August 25th – 28th, 2010
www.heliumcomedy.com

That’s right Geeks, comes September 3rd, you could potentially own a piece of movie memorabilia touched by Edward James Olmos himself. As you’ll recall, before Olmos was our beloved William Adama on Battlestar Galactica, he appeared in another slice of delectable science fiction… Blade Runner.

Under the direction of Simeon Lipman, the cat who’ve seen on Antiques Roadshow appraising miscellaneous swag, Freeman’s first sale of pop culture and memorabilia kicks off on September 3rd, and will feature not just cool movie stuff, but sports and music items as well. Auction lovers can also bid on designer toys and street art.

There are some other interesting highlights. Something about a letter from Frank Sinatra and autographed baseballs from athletes… but what we really care about, are the Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Blade Runner props.

According to a press release from Freeman’s, they will have props and costumes from the flick. We emailed Freeman’s for details on the items, but haven’t heard back yet. So far, they’ve got a script from Blade Runner listed, and a leather jacket from T2.

Freeman’s will host an exhibit on Wednesday and Thursday, September 1st and 2nd, from 10am to 6pm. The auction kicks off Friday, September 3rd at noon.

Freeman’s
www.freemansauction.com

Ah, XIPWIRE. Our favorite little Philadelphia start up. You might have seen Dan’s interview with the founders, Sharif and Sibyl, or attended their brainstorming session at PYT. We try to support Sharif and Sibyl whenever we can. And now, by voting for them to present at this Spring’s SXSW, you can too.

Currently, XIPWIRE is is the running to be among the presents at the 2011 SXSW conference. The public is now voting on who they’d like to see there in their Panel Picker. Cast a vote for XIPWIRE here, and help these two out.

You can read more about what they plan to present (and vote for them), on SXSW’s official website.

Vote for XIPWIRE [ SXSW.com ]