A few weeks ago, in co-operation with the Canadian Authorities, I was granted a supervised conference call with The Trailer Park Boys: Ricki, Julian and Bubbles. The call’s purpose was to discuss and promote their upcoming “Ricky, Julian and Bubbles’ Community Service Variety Show” gig Wednesday, May 9th at 7:30pm at the Keswick Theatre.

Due to phone visitation guidelines I had keep it brief, but it was great to hear what the boys were up to in Sunnyvale Trailer Park and they even dropped some news about possibly more Trailer Park Boys shows in the future.

A bit of warning this interview much like the boys is not for the easily offended, if you have seen the show you know what I mean. Tickets for the show are still available and can be picked up here.

(more…)

Image via Moo Noo

Celebrate the warm weather by perusing gallery window-fronts…

First Friday: Friday, May 4th

West Looked East @ Arch Enemy: Gallery ML, the kickstarter-funded body art venue, has opened a sister gallery on Arch Street in Old City. The first show is by local artist Gabe Tiberino. Opening reception 5-10pm.

Philadelphia @ Part Time Studios: New paintings by AJ Rombach. “Since moving here, August 2010, I’ve been struck by the nature of the city: it’s subcultures, it’s layout, it’s people and it’s movements… A body of work largely representational, although not completely, of scenes uniquely Philadelphian’.” Part Time Studios in Fishtown.

Bright Visions @ Bluestone Fine Art Gallery: Opening reception for local artist/ friend of Geekadelphia, Britt Miller. Free event, 5-9pm.

Other artist events and open galleries for May 2012:

Saturday, May 5th events:

Lost Treasures: Screenprints of Photos Taken Under the El: Opening for Ralph Stollenwerk show 6-9pm @ Slingluff Gallery in Fishtown.

TBA @ Art in the Age: a vague ‘First Friday @ AITA’ post was left on their blog calendar… not sure on a formal showing (they had their hands full with the Federal Donuts drinks for your donuts party), but it’s possible that the Warby Parker eyeglasses showroom is still on display?

Plastopia; Visual Works by MooNoo: Opening reception 6-10pm @ Phantom Hand Gallery On South Street.

Send gallery tips to geekadelphia@gmail.com

Our Masters of the Universe screening is coming up this Friday, May 4^th at The Troc and when it came to putting together another event, one thing I really wanted was a really rad poster.

I know a lot of people really liked the one we did for Scott Pilgrim and as a poster collector I wanted the kind of poster I would put on my wall for the event. I contacted local Philly artist Haunt Love, who does the posters for Exhumed Films. He was more than happy to help out.

Here is a time lapse of the process of creating the poster. I think its a great look into how these things are made. The posters were a very limited run so if you want to snag one, the best advice I can give is show up in costume at the event.  So enjoy the video and see you at the event!

Do you consider yourself the top dog when you play Rock Paper Scissors? Do you throw down whenever possible, just itching for some RPS action? Do you practice against yourself in a mirror?

If you answered yes to any of the above, or are just looking for a good excuse to get out of the house, the PBRPRPSCL is for you.

The PBRPRPSCL (Pabst Blue Ribbon Philadelphia Rock Paper Scissors City League) is getting ready to commence with the search for the city’s best Rock Paper Scissors player. Running now through June 9th, they will be running a series of 31 qualifying tournaments all around Philadelphia leading up to the big event; the PBRPRPSCLCS Invitational Championship on June 9th.

If just reading this has you excited more information can be found on the PBRPRPSCL’s website. So start getting in shape and practicing now; remember, there is no prize for second best.

The Pabst Blue Ribbon Philadelphia Rock Paper Scissors City League
www.rpscityleague.com

Cold, frosty beer.

Good, now that I have your attention, I can tell you all about Drinking N’ Typing, an event bringing together two of the most unlikely of passions; beer and manual typewriters.

See, back in the days before you had a computer is your pocket, if you wanted to type something up, you had to do it on a manual typewriter. They were big, cumbersome, a pain in the ass to use and, if you ask any writer, sorely missed. There was something romantic and calming about the sound of a manual typewriter, the clack, clack of the keys pressing against the page.

And apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks so. On Friday, April 27th, from 7 to 10 PM, lovers of the manual typewriter and lovers of beer will converge at the oldest press club in America, the Pen & Pencil (located at 1522 Latimer St.) for an evening of typing and craft beers. Hosted by the Philadelphia Daily News’s Joe Sixpack, there will be beer and typewriters from around the world for you to sample.

All this can be yours for just $15 or, if you bring a working manual typewriter, only $10. So plan accordingly and get ready to see how authors like Jack Kerouac and Hunter S. Thompson used to do it back in the day: on a manual typewriter and really drunk.

Drinking N’ Typing
Friday, April 27th, 2012
www.phillytyper.com

You like video games right? Sure you do. Well Tuesday, April 24th at 7pm they will be screening Indie Game: The Movie,  a documentary about indie game developers at the Ritz East.

The documentary, which was an official selection of Sundance, showcases several developers as they struggle to both develop and release their games. It’s the first high-profile feature length documentary about making video games and it’s a story all creators can identify with.

Tickets are $15 and can be picked up here, but use the code IGTMPHILA and get $3 bucks off your ticket! Check out the trailer below, but a word of warning there is some swearing in it, so you might not want to play if full volume at work.

Last week we teamed up with the Philadelphia Science Festival to dish out an all access pass to see every film during the week long celebration of science.

Today, we’ve got something just as awesome. A pair of tickets to All About Ales, an awesome beer event at the Yards Brewing Company on Friday, April 27th. Here’s some details regarding the event from the Science Festival’s website:

Why did Ben Franklin brew with spruce trees? What makes a porter a porter? And why do oysters taste so good with stout? Discover the answer to these questions during a night of sensory experiences at Yards Brewing Company.

Interact with the Yards brewers as they explain the science of the brewing process and the chemistry behind some of their favorite brews — what happens to make an IPA different from a saison? In the tasting room, explore some great beer and food pairings and find out from taste experts the chemistry that makes them go together.

Other collaborators include Percy Street BBQ and Betty’s Speakeasy & Fudge, so you know this is going to be a fantastic evening of tasty brews and delicious nibbles. Please note, you have to be 21+ to attend.

The winner will score two tickets (worth $30 a piece) to the event. To enter, just leave a comment about your favorite local beer. I’ll select one of you at random this Friday. Easy as that.

Good luck!

All About Ales @ the Philadelphia Science Festival
Friday, April 27th, 2012
http://ph.ly/_b1x_

If you saw Hugo (or you’re just a big film buff),  you are very aware of Georges Méliès classic film A Trip to the Moon.

It features one of cinema’s most unforgettable images…  the Man in the Moon being poked in the eye by a rocketship. The iHouse will be screening the newly restored colored version of the film with recorded musical accompaniment by Air as part of their Archive Fever series this Wednesday, April 18th at 7pm.

Preceding the film will be the new documentary The Extraordinary Voyage. The documentary charts Moon’s voyage from the fantastical Méliès’ production in 1902 to the premiere of the new restoration at Cannes in 2011.

Tickets are $9 and you can get more info here.

Poster by Haunt Love

Its been a while since we had a Geekadelphia movie night at The Trocadero, but that’s about to change. Friday, May 4th we will be screening the 1987 classic Masters of the Universe at the Troc followed by Skeletor Karaoke for FREE! I am a HUGE fan of Skeletor Karaoke and he will also be on hand helping with hosting duties. If that isn’t enough for you, before the film we will be screening the world premier of the trailer for the South Fellini horror epic Alpha Girls.

If you have never seen Masters its definitely a product of the 80s and something that has to be seen to be believed. The film (produced by the infamous Cannon Films) was released AFTER the popularity of the cartoon and toyline, leading to a box office bomb, the demise of the studio, and the cancellation of their planned adaptation of Spider-Man.

Fun Fact: The left over sets were used in another 80s classic with another 80s action superstar… Cyborg with Jean-Claude Van Damme.

There will also be some awesome prizes for those who dare to dress up as their favorite Masters of the Universe characters (She-ra counts!). Dolph Lundgren, beer, karaoke and blood splattered sorority girls this night has everything, BE THERE! Since it’s first Friday, doors will be at 8:30 with the film rolling at 9:00. Karaoke will start at the film’s conclusion. Check out the trailer below!

According to the Mayans, December 21, 2012 is going to be a really, really bad day for everybody. Or if you talk to fans of The Walking Dead, a zombie uprising is inevitable and we all need to be ready.

Thankfully for everyone, Nerd Nite has our backs. As a public service, they are going to host A Nerd’s Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse as part of the Philadelphia Science Festival. For just $5, you will learn what to be on the look out for, discuss the various ways movies and television have portrayed the end of days, and be trained how to survive and what you need to make your very own apocalypse survival kit.

So be at Frankford Hall  at 8:00 PM on April 26th to learn what to do when the world ends. Remember, when have the Mayans ever been wrong?

Nerd’s Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse @ Philly Science Festival
April 26th, 2012, $5
www.philasciencefestival.org

Frankford Hall
1210 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19125
www.frankfordhall.com

Website design has gone from something very complicated that you needed to hire someone to do for you to something almost anyone can do for themselves. And WordPress is a big part of the reason why.

Started in 2003 as a free, open source blogging tool, it now powers millions of websites across the internet and makes setting up a website as easy as a download and a few clicks. But one of the great things about the platform is that you can customize and tweak it as much as you like, or keep it simple and just start posting.

If you ever wanted to know more about WordPress, Philly Tech Week has you covered.

The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philly WordPress Meetup group are presenting WordPress for Beginners & Intermediates, presentations designed to get you rolling and working with the platform. The Beginners presentation will cover posting content, handling comments and working with video and audio. The Intermediates presentation will go over creating themes and plugins and what exactly that entails.

So be at the Philadelphia Inquirer’s building (400 N Broad St, Philadelphia) at 6:00 PM on April 25th. It will cost you $10 and you do have to register, but it will be worth every penny if you want to know the ins and outs of WordPress and what it can do for you.

WordPress for Beginners & Intermediates
April 25th, 6pm, $10
www.phillytechweek.com/events/WordPress_for_Beginners-Intermediates

Philly Tech Week
www.phillytechweek.com

Red Tettemer’s Annie Heckenberger is basically Philadelphia’s Plutarch Heavensbee. If you don’t get the reference, I apologize. If you do, then head to the Marion Anderson Center on April 16th, for the Philadelphia Foursquare Games, a Hunger Games inspired foursquare tournament.

Tributes have been chosen from Indy Hall, Technically Philly, InLiquid, the William Way Community Center, PANMA, P’unk Ave, Social Media Club Philly, and of course, Geekadelphia.

Competitors from each ‘district’ will duel it out on the court in this terrifying game of foursquare. A victor will be crowned, losers will cry, and it will all be livestreamed.

The event is free. The winner will walk home with a trophy and some serious bragging rights. Come hang out. And may the odds fornever be in Technically Philly’s favor.

Philly Foursquare Games
April 16, 2012
phillyfoursquaregames2012.eventbrite.com