February was a rough month. Between the weather and my Carpal Tunnel coming back in full force, I didn’t get nearly as much content up as I had anticipated.
With that said, I’m very pleased with what did go up. Here are what I consider the best posts of February 2013.
85th Annual Academy Award Predictions (Huge breakdown of the how and why of the Academy Awards that resulted in 20/24 correct predictions; spoilers move that to 22/24)
Finally, you can view the entirety of Food Don’t Go Stale in Space at Sketchy Details now. This includes the conclusion of the Evul Deed arc delayed due to personal issues. I’m tweaking the format of the comics aspect of the site and really liking how the new WordPress Galleries format (enhanced with Lightbox Plus) works. I could never get Comic Press to install properly and Manga+Press Comic Manager works but doesn’t fit for this wide-format comic.
Did you hear about the Civilization II game that led to the almost total destruction of humanity? Now there’s a huge Reddit thread filled with fan fiction. It’s awesome. io9
Courtney Enlow rates some of the saddest deaths in the history of film. Needs more Dancer in the Dark. Pajiba
The winners of the 2012 Courage in Theater Award are the students of The Spectrum School in NYC for writing an original musical about their experiences with autism. Congratulations. Playbill
Can we all just accept that pop music, by its own definition, is fluff? No? And since when is Fiona Apple just a pop musician? Or Lana del Ray, for that matter. Get back to me with a career retrospective on Lily Allen or Britney Spears. Gawker
I still need to see Moonrise Kingdom. Bad film fan. Here’s a beautiful illustration from The New Yorker as penance. IndieWire
Adrian Tomine for The New Yorker
Here’s a bunch of new information about the revised Side Show that starts full productions next summer. BroadwayWorld
I must warn you this link is very NSFW. Gilbert Gottfried reads Fifty Shades of Grey. Jest
If I had a nickel for every time I had someone beg for work they told me not to finish, I’d be running fewer ads on this site and have paid employees. The Trenches
Finally, here is undeniable proof that we can and will be replaced by robots in everything we do. Take it away, breakdancing robotic dancers.
I was grouting and finishing up a long-delayed tiling project all day. I’m exhausted. I’m mentally wiped out. I’ll be back tomorrow with the first season 3 Drag U recap and other content.
Futurama comes back tonight and the fine folks at io9 get you caught up to speed. I, too, wonder how they’ll handle the everybody is dead or stuck in a time loop problem. io9
Not to be outdone by Disney proper, Pixar has released 4 Monsters University–aka the Monster, Inc. prequel–trailers today. Rope of Silicon
Helen Mirren might trot the boards to play Queen Elizabeth II again. I hope the material is as wonderful as The Queen. Broadway World
Emmy technicalities are srs bsns. Yes, it is strange that animated programs cannot submit for writing. Then again, they get all the voice acting categories that people like Helen Mirren (voicing Becky the cheerleader’s inner monologue on Glee) can’t enter plus their own series of technical categories to run with. Draw? Pajiba
I could see a teenager getting away with a Helen Keller dance solo in the right context. Not a nine year old on a reality show. Gawker
Now this is a cool way to redo photography. Dude Craft
Michael Mapes Photo Dissections
Newly minted Best Leading Actress winner Audra McDonald is out of Porgy & Bess until 3 July on vocal rest. From there, she will have an alternate for some performances for the rest of the run. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Playbill
And a happy 45th birthday to Nicole Kidman. Team The Others. The Film Experience
The people I know with an actual bee allergy don’t find this as funny as I hoped. Penny Arcade
Finally, a reader sent this highly choreographed (and heavily edited) beer pong trick shot video to me. It’s pretty cool. The choice of music and flow of the story, so to speak, is great.
Kirby is getting a six in one retrospective game release on the Wii. Kotaku
A fantastic look at three highlights from Cecile De France’s acting career. Haute (High) Tension is a must-see for her performance. The Film Experience
The soon to be in NYC Alama Drafthouse chain is adding a DVD subscription plan. Pajiba
It’s been a long time coming. Bare, a musical about teenagers coming to term with their identities and sexuality at a Catholic co-ed boarding school, is getting a commercial Off-Broadway run. Will they finally fulfill their Broadway ambitions? Playbill
Could you imagine if Pokemon actually looked this good? Bit Rebels
amazing pokeball fan art
I strongly encourage you to tune into MyndJack Radio tonight to hear the Top 12 contestants perform on MyndJack Radio Idol. It’s the best parody karaoke contest you’re not listening to. That OtherRobert can write a mean lyric, let me tell you. All Digital Radio
A new look at the upcoming Scientology-themed film The Master. FilmMaker
Staggeringly beautiful images of the Arctic Circle taken from space. io9
Finally, this video of a pair of gamers playing the newest Fatal Frame has been making the rounds for about a week now. If you’ve ever played a survival horror game, you now know what you looked like while playing. Well, not me. I shut off the TV and walk away when I reach the hit your best friend and scream phase. But that’s just me.
Hey, what do you know? It’s not just Internet trolls that think women don’t play games and couldn’t be interested in them. Kotaku*
While we’re in the neighborhood, here’s a great editorial on why we don’t actually need booth babes at gaming conventions. The PA Report
Oh look. Someone else came to the same conclusions about Prometheus as I did. Notice how he deftly avoids suggesting that Ridley Scott offered any real answers to the myriad of questions he asks. io9
Are we going there? Yeah, we’re going there. The creator of Gilmore Girls is now in a fight with the creator of Grey’s Anatomy because diversity in casting/girl power. Can’t we just have a nice dance drama starring a very talented performer without outside drama? No? Pajiba
Palette cleanser: sample Hans Zimmer’s score for The Dark Knight Rises. Rope of Silcon
Try some intricate papercraft anatomy. io9
Sarah Yakawonis is doing beautiful anatomically correct work.
So, Ray Bradbury may have predicted all of the future. Prepare your flameproof book bunkers now. Geeks Are Sexy
Just remember, the people who tweet about Justin Bieber being better than “x” because of Twitter, that’s why, were probably born long after the musician in question was a chart topper, let alone alive. Jezebel
Are special effects makeup artists the new rock stars? Matt Valentine thinks so. Fangoria
Finally, don’t you know that Mario is totally over? Indie games for life.
*The look of horror on the one game developer who penciled me in at NYCC was amazing when he realized I couldn’t play a shooter. Mythbusters, activate. Form of: nerd guy who is not a l33t shooter in video games.
Anne Hathaway describes the difficulties of shooting Les Miserables. Yeah, I can see how being told to forget that it was ever an amazing stage spectacle when you’re singing the signature song could be a challenge. Broadway.com
When will the insanity stop? FunnyJunk’s lawyer is trying to shut down The Oatmeal’s IndieGoGo charity fundraiser because The Oatmeal made a yo mama joke in cartoon form. Digital Life
I don’t know why, but this comic about accusations of sexism and/or racism in gaming feels especially relevant today. Critical Miss
Remember folks: gaming is srs business. That’s why police in Osaka, Japan arrested an 11 year old girl for “hacking.” Spoiler alert: she guessed a classmate’s password to a free online game. Justice! Kotaku
Shakespeare + amazing paper crafting = envy. Dude Craft
Fair is foul and foul is a nasty papercut from thick cardstock
I know some people prefer Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party to John Michael LaChiusa’s The Wild Party. Congratulations. You win the race to the first NYC revival of the two shows based on the same Modernist source poem from the same theater season. Playbill
Excerpts from Frank Langella’s star filled memoir Dropped Names: Famous Men and Women As I Knew Them. The Film Experience
Stuck on which font to use for your project? Never fear. This infographic will help you. Bit Rebels
Finally, it might not be hip to admit it, but I really enjoy Celine Dion. She’s trained, has a beautiful voice, and knows how to pick material that proves it. Case in point: the new revision to her Las Vegas show includes a cover of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” The spiral, people. Listen to it ring. h/t Rich Juzwiak @ Gawker
New Regresty contest! Design the new must-have cross stitch sampler for April Winchell’s museum of whimsy, aka her house. Regretsy
The creator of The Oatmeal is collecting all the money. $120,000+ for bears and cancer research. The Oatmeal
My fellow NJites, when will you book your tickets to see Patti LuPone perform with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra for two nights only? Playbill
Forget “what are Pikmin?” What is Pikmin? Even Nintendo doesn’t know. Kotaku
Aww, look at the pretty kitt…what in the name of Prometheus is going on here? Hell Yeah Horror Manga
Why does this family store their pets with their monsters?
Gene Wilder was what we call a hands on actor. Here he is redesigning his Willy Wonka costume by post. Letters of Note
Disney is doing an exhibit on the art of Frankenweenie. Well, that’s one way to be more focused that the MOMA exhibit on the art of Tim Burton. Shock Till You Drop
The anatomy of the common pinata will shock and delight you. Winning at Everything
NSFW: College Humor tests the limits of Siri. Turns out she’s not good at mediating marital disputes. College Humor
Finally, someone has designed DIY Portal Loop artwork. It looks real. Must loop all the things. c/o Bit Rebels
