Fright Night, the upcoming reboot of one of my favorite 80s vampire films is finally hitting screens Friday, August 19th. The film is directed by Craig Gillespie which is an interesting choice considering his last film was the 2007 dark comedy Lars and the Real Girl. I’m more than a little curious about how this update is going to turnout.

The film also stars Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin (Chekov from Star Trek) and the Tenth Doctor himself David Tennant in his first big screen role since leaving Doctor Who. For those not familiar with this great slice of 80s genre the plot goes something like this

A remake of the 1985 original, teenager Charley Brewster (Yelchin) guesses that his new neighbor Jerry Dandrige (Farrell) is a vampire responsible for a string of recent deaths. When no one he knows believes him, he enlists Peter Vincent (Tennant), a self proclaimed vampire killer and Las Vegas magician, to help him take down Jerry.

Want a chance to check out this film early? We’ve got tickets to see it at the Rave on Thursday, August 11th. Simply leave a comment about your favorite Doctor Who episode featuring the Tenth Doctor by midnight on Tuesday, August 10^th and the top 10 will get a pass for 2 to see the film before it comes out in theaters!

In the mean time check out the trailer below!

The more I think about Rise of the Planet of the Apes the more I am torn about it. Planet of the Apes is one of my favorite sci-fi film series of all times (above the Star Wars: Special Editions, but not the originals mind you) and while it has been almost 11 years since Tim Burton’s failed attempt to revive this franchise, I still wondering why Hollywood can’t just leave those damn dirty apes alone.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Rise of the Planet of the Apes is very smart reboot. It has some great references to the original films. It pays an outstanding homage while it takes a totally insane premise like apes taking over the earth and makes it almost plausible. The film is an origin that explains the accelerated evolution of the apes and the eventual uprising with a drug developed to treat Alzheimer’s that stimulates new brain cell growth.

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Jason Mewes. You all know him as the lovable trash-talking jester in the duo of Jay and Silent Bob. He has made appearances in Clerks, Dogma, Mallrats, and among many other cinematic romps. And although there aren’t going to be anymore Jay and Silent Bob movies, they live on in audio form on SModcast Internet Radio (S.I.R.).

Mewes took some time to answer a few of my questions. Being from New Jersey myself, Jason Mewes is a bit of a legend and I was quite nervous giving him a call that morning. But, all my qualms were laid to rest when he answered the phone with a resounding, “HELLLLOOOOO!”

How has it been collaborating with Kevin to get S.I.R. off the ground? Weekly podcasts are one thing but a whole radio station has to be a whole new beast.

It has been a lot of fun. I’ve been digging it. Credit goes to my wife Jordan. Jordan and Kevin go back and forth on iChat with ideas and sort of get everything going. There are also the interns that work on the technical stuff. It really is a team collaboration with Kevin’s assistant Megan and her fiance too. I try to come up with ideas that Kevin hates. I know he hates them but I try to just stick them into the live show anyway. But, I really have been enjoying it. They actually had me set up here in the old copy room of a school so we could stream the show while I’m here in Canada filming. But yeah, really enjoy it. (more…)

For those of you literary types who haven’t heard, last week, Leslie Esdaile Banks passed away. She had been diagnosed with late-stage adrenal cancer earlier this year.

The New York Times best selling author was a Philadelphia native and graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University’s MFA program. Her writing flowed among multiple genres.

As L.A. Banks, she wrote many paranormal fiction books, including the popular Crimson Moon and Vampire Huntress series. As Leslie Esdaile Banks, she created crime thrillers set in Philadelphia. As Leslie E. Banks, she penned two novels based on the popular T.V. series, Soul Food. Finally, she wrote numerous fictional, romance and motivational non-fiction books – some of which are also set in Philadelphia – while writing as Leslie Esdaile.

Banks came to further national attention when she fired off an email in support of the health care reform to President Obama. The President then asked her to introduce him when he came to Arcadia University. Banks wrote about the experience here.

Her health care woes didn’t end when she met the President, and her family is now left with many hospital bills from her last days. A fund has been set up for donations and any financial help is greatly appreciated.

Cipher Prime, the makers of the hit iPad game Pulse, have reason to celebrate. Their title has been sitting in the App Store’s top 10 list for iPad music games for 12 straight weeks. That’s a serious accomplishment for the mini indie game dev studio, located here in Old City, Philadelphia.

So, in honor of this accomplishment, they’re running a one-week only sale on their game.

Now through Wednesday, Cipher Prime has reduced the price of Pulse to $1.99 (60% savings over the regular $4.99 price). If you already own the game, great… now go tell your friends.

Local Philly pop punk group Robots & Racecars aren’t just your run of the mill New Found Glory wannabes. These guys sing serious nerd rock, with lyrics about Transformers, spaceships, Super Mario and the Lock Ness Monster. We supported their Kickstarter earlier this Summer, and now, it’s time to go support them in concert.

The geek rockers will be playing at Kung Fu Necktie on Monday, August 8th. And the icing on the cake? You’ll get to scope out Invincible, a local rock group fronted by Geekadelphia’s own Jo Pincushion. They’ll be shooting a video of the performance, and will be sure to catch you swooning and ogling over Jo on camera. Because you will be.

Tickets are only $5. Be there.

Robots & Racecars w/ Invincible @ KFN
Monday, August 8th, $5

Kung Fu Necktie
1248 North Front Street (19122)
(215) 291-4919
www.kungfunecktie.com

NYC-based startup Skillshare is coming to Philadelphia. Their premise is simple, it’s peer-to-peer education. Folks interested in educating the local community, sign up on the website to teach a class. Other people interested in learning said topic sign up to attend and pay the associated fee. Skillshare takes a modest 15% cut.

Ever want to endow anybody with your wealth of knowledge in writing, design or some sort of wicked Settlers of Catan strategies? Seize the opportunity, without the need of some sort of post-graduate degree to teach an accredited class. I think I’ll sign up to teach a class at some point. Speaking from the standpoint as a guy who went to school for web design, I know for a fact that it takes traditional education systems some time to catch up to skills needed or being used right now.

Create a Pilot Class to gauge student interest. No risk in being that guy who throws a party that nobody comes to. Awesome friends of Geekadelphia such as Josh Loomis and Anna Goldfarb (of Shmitten Kitten) have already signed up to offer their knowledge.

Are you a) female b) interested in the basics of blogging? Anna’s got you covered in her two hour class in September. Prior to then, Josh will break down creative writing for you in his one and a half hour class in late August.

Sign up up today, and join us at the Field House across from Reading Terminal Market on Tuesday, August 16th for the show and tell (kick-off class and launch party).

My custom made Dr. Who TARDIS Print!

Build a Sign is a convenient way to design and print your very own custom sign or banner for your next event. Preparing for the next convention where you’re showcasing your awesome product? Well, these guys can send you a quality print at a great price.

It’s really easy. The ordering process on the Build a Sign website is flawless. It doesn’t take a seasoned geek to order something from these guys. They’ve got the whole thing down pat. You can pick from one of their designs or upload one of your own.

So, I decided to print something out special for my living room. Hm…. what could I print out? Oh-I know! Artwork of a TARDIS for my living room. As you can see in the photo above, the print quality is exceptional.

Build a Sign has also signed up as a sponsor of the Philadelphia Geek Awards, and will be providing us with an absolutely fabulous banner to hang in the Academy of Natural Sciences. Thanks guys!

This is a shark. Not Chris Sasser.

Remember when you saw Jaws you thought it was pretty cool, but totally terrifying? Maybe you had a tough time sleeping that night, or maybe your big brother kept telling you he saw a fin in the water and chased you around the beach making that awful “duh-dump” sound over and over and…

Well anyway, some folks didn’t have despicably evil siblings and had a much more positive experience with the movie. Philly’s Chris Sasser is one of those folks, and like any good subject matter expert he created a Tumblr to share his passion. I had the chance to chat with Chris about Shark City, his tumblog devoted to all things Jaws.

So, Shark City. How does one end up running a Tumblr about Jaws? Traumatic experience with sharks when you were younger? Just a big Jaws fan? What’s the story?

I would love to tell you all about how the girl of my dreams– my high school sweetheart– and I eloped just after our first year of college to a small island to get married. Our honeymoon turned into a horrormoon while swimming off the shore. A large Tiger Shark attacked my girl… clamping down on her legs and dragging her out to sea right out of my very grasp. I became obsessed with finding and killing this bastard shark… and I realized that I mirrored Robert Shaw in Jaws in many ways.

Again, I would love to relate that tale… but it would be pure fabrication.

In truth, I was five when Jaws hit. It was a phenomenon of course, and everyone was talking about it. The iconic artwork by Roger Kastel really captured my imagination. That monster fish. Those sharp teeth. The naked blonde… it all clicked. The more I heard about it, the more I wanted to see it. Every time we passed by a movie marquee, I would read the letters off: J-A-W-S…. finally my parents relented and took my to see it at a drive-in screening. It did NOT disappoint. I was hooked. (more…)

As some of you may remember (and if you don’t, shame on you), last April during Philly Tech Week, the Philadelphia Museum of Art did a panel discussion about Augmented Reality (the intersection where art meets technology) and how it has fundamentally changed how people conceive, view and react to art. Now you can see for yourself why this has become such a hot topic at the Distributed Collectives exhibition.

From August 5th until August 27th at the little berlin gallery in Philadelphia, you can see the work of three different web based groups of artists: Computers Club, Manifest AR and F.A.T. Together they will be showcasing some of the most cutting edge art from the field of AR, including augmented reality public art and browser-based motion art.

In addition, on First Friday, August 5th, there will be an opening reception from 6 to 10PM that will include virtual tours, demonstrations and barbecue (mmm, barbecue). And if that wasn’t enough, on Monday August 15th, Open Web Studio will be held from 6-9PM. Here you can learn more about the tech of AR and even how to create your own.

Anyone who considers themselves an artist really needs to see this exhibition. Augmented Reality is going to be a big part of the future of art and the Distributed Collectives exhibition is a great place to learn more about it.

Distributed Collectives
www.distributedcollectives.net

little berlin Gallery
www.littleberlin.org

Heads up documentary nerds, there’s a free screening of Olmsted and America’s Urban Parks at the PHS Pops Up Garden tomorrow night.

The film tells the story of Fredrick Law Olmstead, the man whose firm designed many of the parks in the Philadelphia region, including “FDR Park and Marconi Plaza in South Philadelphia; Pastorius Park in Chestnut Hill; Washington Square in Center City; and other portions of Fairmount Park.”

He’s also responsible with New York’s Central Park, but we don’t really care about that.

The screening kicks off at 8pm in the PHS Pops Up Garden at 20th and Market. For more information on the garden screening, as well as details regarding future events, visit their calendar at pennhort.net/phspopsupevents.

The planets must be aligning. It’s quite rare that so many things I enjoy, appreciate or even adore come together just like this.

Our friends over at Drink Philly are celebrating their one-year anniversary on First Friday this week. They’re celebrating this momentous occasion by helping raise money for my very favorite locally-based, nationally-recognized nonprofit charity, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. The icing on this cake of awesomeness? They’ll have some food from Khyber Pass Pub and cocktails from Philadelphia Distilling Co.

I can’t wait to eat way too much bacon grease popcorn from KPP while enjoying fantastic local art and music at the office of one of my favorite local sites. Please stop on by, support a good cause and enjoy FREE food, cocktails, art, music and FUN.

Drink Philly’s One-Year Anniversary First Friday & Fundraiser
5-9pm on Friday, August 5
239 Chestnut St. 2nd Floor. Unit B
Philadelphia, PA 19106
www.drinkphilly.com