BRRRRAAAIINNNNNSSSS! Come celebrate Easter the zombie way by donning your best zombie duds for Philly’s 6th annual Zombie Crawl along South St. This year brings some significant editions that will be sure to double your undead pleasure.

April 24’s crawl marks the first time under age Philadelphians will have their chance to zombie it up with a crawl pre-party at the TLA starting at 5pm. The $5 admission allows all ages (21+ to drink) access to the ghoulish sounds of DJ Kiltboy and a live performance of Rainbow Destroyer. If you’re not already rockin’ the fiendish look, face painting from About Face II will hook you up for just $10. The best zombies have a chance to win some prizes during the pre-party. At 7pm the party continues for the 21+ crowd.

4 bars are participating in the crawl this year: Tattooed Mom (which will also host more make-up stations), Lickety Split, Copa Banana and newbie The Legendary Dobbs. From 7-10pm the reanimated will shuffle along the South St strip, hitting up drink specials and zombie settings in the aforementioned watering holes.

10pm marks the closing party at the TLA, admission is free if you attended the pre-party (5 bucks if you didn’t) and is also a 21+ event. Dave Ghoul will handle the creepy tunes and Rigor Mortis Revue will provide the visual entertainment in addition to more prizes for best costumes. There’s also an after midnight dance party taking place at Fluid for an additional cover of $5.

So help celebrate the world’s most famous reanimated corpse by becoming one yourself! And remember to say hi, I’ll be the one with The Zombie Survival Guide, listening to Americans UK “Zombies Attack,” in my headphones, and clutching a Shaolin spade. I’m a survivor!

Philadelphia Zombie Crawl
April 24th, 2011
www.phillyzombiecrawl.com

At long last, Visit Philly has its own branded Foursquare page. This adds our city of brotherly, geeky love to the growing list of Pennsylvania properties making an impact on the beloved social checkin platform.

It joins Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau and Visit Bucks County who also have their own branded pages. And of course we can’t forget VisitPA’s foursquare page, still the only state offering up fancy badges.

To celebrate, our awesome social media-savvy mayor, Michael Nutter will be sending a tweet to the Foursquare user who is the “mayor” of the Independence Visitor Center at noon on April 30th.

This might be history in the making with a real mayor acknowledging a fictional/foursquare mayor. At the time of writing this, looks like it might be @jwtheblueprint. Sorry James, but there’s still plenty of time to get ousted

Dear Reader,

Can’t get enough of VisitPhilly? Check them out on other social media platforms.

With Love,

Mikey’s Bad Parodies XOXO

Guest Post by Brian Lynch

Founded in 2008 by friends William Stallwood and Dain Saint, Cipher Prime was originally a design company. It still is. But unlike other companies in their field, they have a secret weapon – they also make kick-ass games.

Their critical darling, Auditorium, was initially developed as a calling card for their design chops, but somewhere after the early shoot-’em-up stages, it became entirely another game. They followed it up with 2010′s Fractal, which was nominated for an IndieCade award, as well as netting their studio a MTV Germany Games nomination in the “Working Class Hero” category for Indie game developers. Their success and subsequent cache with the indie game community is pretty strong.

That’s why the fan criticism of their next effort, Pulse, is so surprising – it runs the gamut from general disappointment to questioning the very direction of their company.

Why all the ire? The Cipher Prime team announced that Pulse was going to be an iPad game (they have since changed their stance, contemplating an eventual Mac/PC port). None of these outraged fans have even played the game; Geekadelphia counts itself among the lucky few to do so.

The game is deceptively simple, yet incredibly immersive. There are a series of concentric circles with dots that appear in time with the music, mimicking the flow of eighth and sixteenth notes. As the song plays, a pulse is sent out through the circles, and the player attempts to touch each of the dots before the pulse reaches them. It’s not long before eight or nine dots are scattered on screen, and one’s hands are doing the herky-jerky trying to hit all of them. Yes, hands – you’ll need to use both of them.

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Did you hear that noise? That was me, squealing and crying like a 12 year old girl at a Justin Bieber concert. Mary Roach is coming to Philadelphia.

You might know Mary Roach from her wealth of geek-tastic essay collections, from Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife to Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. Her most recent collection, Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, explores space and the universe. Needless to say, she’s a geeky writer you need to familiarize yourself with.

Roach will be here for First Person Arts’ Philly vs. Boston Slam on April 15th, as a part of the Philadelphia Book Festival. Not only is she a guest judge… she’s a guest storyteller, and will be joining in the festivities. Awesome.

For more information, do visit the First Person Arts website. I’ll see you there. I’ll be the guy trying to give her a yellow rose.

Philly vs. Boston StorySlam
Friday, April 15th, 2011
www.firstpersonarts.org/philly-vs-boston-storyslam

I’ve been a fan of the The Romantic since I first covered it in 2009. It was a film that both challenged its audience and failed to be easily categorized. The film was finally released online for Valentine’s Day and is finally getting some much deserved press.

I took a few minutes with its director and creator Michael Heneghan to ask him some questions about what it was like putting together an animated feature with basically no budget. Enjoy the interview and check the film out here for free!

What was the inspiration behind The Romantic story-wise?

I was entirely saturated in mythology when the original narrative threads for The Romantic began to take form.  I was enamored by myth’s ability to break reality in a very earnest, matter-of-fact kind of way, because it in itself is a reality of idea, where eternal thought structures are made relate-able to help us grow our souls.

In mythology, you go with it, or you don’t. That was the key inspiration of The Romantic’s tone. I was not going to gunk up the works by telling you why Romance can jump really really far after he is rejuvenated by his first encounter with Po. Because you already know why; any attempt to reconcile that act in a believable reality would have lessened the act itself.

When I began writing the script I was feeling very reactionary; against the dull and redundant hero narratives that populate cineplexes and comic books, against the presumptions in North America about what a film, specifically an animated film, could be. Thus is the origin of the film’s anger, and the beginning seeds of its story.

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Most Philadelphia Phillies fans were bummed out last year when they missed an opportunity to advance to their third consecutive World Series. Fortunately, Take Two’s 2K Sports has got your woes covered for the 2011 season with their annual MLB 2K franchise, Major League Baseball 2K11.

Through superb play-by-play analysis and color commentary delivered by ESPN personalities Gary Thorne, Steve Phillips and former Phillie John Kruk, we are immersed into a game very similar to it’s predecessor, Major League Baseball 2K10.

From the get-go, you will notice one of Major League Baseball 2K11’s greatest attributes; it’s highly customizable gameplay modes and options in a slightly overwhelming amount of menus. Specific automations can be configured to allow the player to micromanage a plethora of options during franchise, seasonal and postseason gameplay.

This is where MLB2K11 really shines. Eventually though, you may began to feel overwhelmed by the increased customization and abundance of menus… but I was still anxious to begin my journey to the World Series!

Read on to win a copy of MLB2k11 for the Xbox 360!

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The National Constitution Center recently announced a fabulous cocktail party… and I seriously can’t wait to go.

Entitled Shaken, Not Stirred, the NCC is inviting guests to swing by, sip cocktails, and enjoy VIP “access to the Center’s latest feature exhibition, Spies, Traitors & Saboteurs: Fear and Freedom in America.” Oh, and film geeks, I hope you’re listening. Because they’ll be testing your knowledge of James Bond.

That’s right. The NCC will be quizzing you on your knowledge of classic Bond films. The movies will be projected on a giant screen in the upstairs lobby of the NCC, and while you’re there, you can “create your own spy decoder to uncover hidden messages throughout the museum to win a prize.”

The party takes place on Tuesday, May 3rd. Yeah, it’s a month away, but tickets (priced at $35 per person) are sure to sell out for this thing. Admission to the Spies & Traitors exhibit is normally $15, so you’re getting quite a bit for the extra $20. Cocktails, food, movie trivia… sold.

Shaken, Not Stirred @ the NCC
Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011
www.constitutioncenter.org

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Comments Closed!

Mega-Bad Movie Night at the Academy of Natural Sciences is back, this time with a screening of Mega Piranha… and of course, we’ve got some tickets to giveaway. You’ve clearly heard of the film. It features Tiffany, a piranha chomping a helicopter out of the sky, and an utterly brilliant plot about giant piranhas meant to protect us.

Unfamiliar with Mega Bad Movie Night? Shame on you. Along with the screening of the film in the Academy’s beautiful theater, the Academy’s brilliant scientists provide MST3K-esque commentary on the movie’s inaccuracies. There’s also beer and nibbles. Awesome.

Want to score some tickets? We’ve got three sets of passes for two for the film screening to dish out, as well as six pairs of tickets to the museum. Going with the Asylum’s tradition of using has-been stars for their movies… choose your favorite washed up singer you think should star in the next Asylum film and why.

I’ll select the winners at the end of the week. There of you will get tickets to the event, six of you will get tickets to the museum.

Remember, the event is for folks 18 and older, and you have to be 21+ to drink. If you don’t win, relax. Tickets are only $10 for members, $15 for non-members.

Good luck!

Mega-Bad Movie Night: Mega Piranha
Thursday, April 14th, 2011, 7pm – 10pm
[Eventbrite] / [ANSP.org]

Academy of Natural Sciences
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 299-1009
www.ansp.org

Disney was kind enough to send me copies of both Tron and Tron: Legacy on Blu-ray to review here on Geekadelphia. Both films which hit store shelves today. I took it upon myself to watch both films back to back. A Tron-a-thon if you will. I wanted not only to review the discs but also give Tron: Legacy another chance, and see how it fared when watched directly after the original film.

Video: Both films look amazing. But Tron especially so, since the last time I saw this was on the 20^th Anniversary Collector’s edition that was released back in 2002. The first film has been so well restored it almost looks almost as if was a 80′s period piece shot today.

While the CG shots in the first Tron look amazing transferred, the other special-effects… not so much. While the first Tron will stand as a document of its time, I really think the HD transfer accentuates the crude methods used to give Tron its specific look.

Tron: Legacy on the other hand is stunning and pure eye candy. This Blu-ray will definitely make a great demo disc to show off your system. The film looks exactly as you would expect with an immaculate transfer, clear and crisp with very rich blacks.

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This time in the Comic Roundup we give Marvel and DC the blow off and look at a trio of small press/creator owned books. We check out the new hero calling himself The Savage Dragon, fall under the spell of Tarot and read a bedtime story with Grimm Fairy Tales.

Grimm Fairy Tales #57
By James Patrick, Jordan Gunderson and John Toledo

Grimm Fairy Tales has long been the flagship title of Philly’s own Zenescope Studios, and with good reason. Sometimes called “Fables with boobs”, the two books do have certain similarities, but totally different storytelling goals. Grimm Fairy Tales is a horror title mixed with a little bit of fantasy, plain and simple. The current issue is a perfect example of that balance.

Issue #57 continues the story of Sela and Blake as the try to beat Orcus and his army to the city of Tallus. It is pretty standard fantasy fare, nothing exceptional. The art by Toledo is good, but has a certain lack of detail that gives the art a rushed look. The real highlight of the comic is the retelling of the fairy tale Diamonds and Toads, Zenescope style. Patrick took a page from Vertigo’s House of Mystery and tells each story as a separate tale. He ties it into the main story nicely by making Orcus’s Lieutenant Gruel the star of the story. The art here by Gunderson is wonderful. It evokes a very old world European feeling, which is perfect for a story like this.

Grimm Fairy Tales continues to be a fun, enjoyable comic book month in and month out. It might not be the deepest of reads, but is great for what it is; 22 pages of horror/fantasy fun.

Final Grade: B

The Savage Dragon #170
By Erik Larsen

After Spawn, Savage Dragon is the second longest running Image title, with issue #200 looming on the horizon. The main difference between the two titles, however, is that Erik Larsen has written and drawn every issue of the series. Every. Issue. Think about that. It’s an amazing accomplishment for a book that deserves more attention and higher sales than it currently gets.

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Todd Klein, one of the most celebrated letterers in the history of American comics (dude has won the Eisner fifteen times, the Harvey eight), is swinging by Locust Moon Comics on April 8th.

His name might ring a bell for fans of Sandman, as he was a letterer for the entire run of the series. Locust Moon will be celebrating the man’s legendary career with food, wine, discussions on lettering, and of course, a signing.

The party begins at 7:30pm. Swing by and join in the fun.

Todd Klein Party & Signing
April 8th, 2010

Locust Moon Comics
4040 Locust Street (19104)
(215) 921-8530

The line between technology and art blurs more and more every day. As tech continues to integrate itself into our lives, it is also altering our perception of art and what it means. What better place to discuss this ongoing trend than the Philadelphia Museum of Art during Philly Tech Week?

April 26th some of the leaders in this emerging field will be gathering at the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the panel discussion Augmented Reality Check: Seeing the Future Now. Panelists include Dr. Mimi Sheller and Dr. Paul Diefenbach, both from Drexel University, Chris Manzione, founder of the Virtual Public Art Project, Josh Marcus from Decision Tree and many others.

After the panel, Manzione will lead a Virtual Art Walking Tour along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway as part of the Philadelphia International Festival of Arts.

Admission is free for what looks to be a fascinating discussion about the crossroads of art and technology. For more information, check out breadboardphilly.org.

Augmented Reality Check: Seeing the Future Now
April 26th, 6:00-8:00 pm
Van Pelt Auditorium
Philadelphia Museum of Art