The Nerd Diaries

Films of 2012 - Oscar buzz/hype

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:43:00 -0500

So I have been VERY excited for the Oscars this year. I saw 29 films in 2012 in theaters, from action to indie, rom com to horror. I saw it all. So naturally I was very curious to see what would be nominated. And now that we’ve come to it, there have been a lot of surprises. After reading everything I wanted to post my own thoughts.

My Top 10 Movies of 2012: (in order)

(Film - What stood out)

1. Moonrise Kingdom (The directing, writing, and quirkyness of it was so unique and refreshing plus the beautiful production design!)

2. Silver Linings Playbook (The acting really did it all for me on this one. Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert DeNiro and the return of Chris Tucker. All my emotions. They were phenomenal.)

3. Argo (The rush in my heart was enough to tell me I loved this movie. I kept having to remind myself I was in a movie theater. To give me that experience and that dive tells me a whole lot).

4. Beasts of the Southern Wild (Like Moonrise Kingdom, the quirky nature of it along with the brilliant acting by all, especially Quvenzhane created one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time).

5. The Hunger Games (I think this movie was very underrated because it was caught in the whole “tween” phenomenon. I think if you step back you’ll see that Suzanne Collins beautifully adapted one of the most popular books of the 21st century into a film loved by most all. I think the acting and the theme of reality and violence on television was conveyed beautifully into a movie for all ages).

6. Wreck-it Ralph (The warmth and nostalgia of this movie left me smiling and just glowing. And I think the “tribute” aspect of this movie is enough to make it onto my top 10. The characters had so much charm and personality, especially Sarah Silverman’s character).

7. The Cabin in the Woods (Horror is one of the most unique genre’s in the industry, and to convey all of the quirks and motifs of it into one film is enough to tell me this movie was a masterpiece. No stranger to scifi and horror, Joss Whedon righteously stamped his footprint on the world of film in 2012, with not only the Avengers but this amazing tribute to the horror genre.)

8. Rise of the Guardians (I’m really surprised about the snub of this film. I thought the animation was absolutely stunning, and the storytelling parred with the ability to weave all these fairytales together made it thoroughly enjoyable).

9. Zero Dark Thirty (The reason it’s all the way down here is because it didn’t reach my expectations, but I did love it. Jessica Chastain did not blow me away, but the true gem of this movie is the final infiltration scene, which I think alone makes it deserve a nomination).

10. Life of Pi (This is the other movie that failed to meet my high expectations, but I still did really love it. Visually it was absolutely breathtaking and I can’t wait to purchase it on bluray. I think that the acting of Suraj Sharma was also a strong point of this movie.)

—

My guilty pleasures/film candy of 2012 in no particular order.

1. The Avengers (No explanation needed. I never really loved any of the other Marvel films except The Incredible Hulk until this film!)

2. The Amazing Spiderman (The chemistry between Garfield and Stone was what made this movie incredible and separated it from the original trilogy).

3. Prometheus (AHHH, love this movie. It was such a blast. Beautiful visuals and I loved the entire cast and references to past scifi/horror films. :D)

—

And here are my rambles! Some of it’s repeated because I wrote it at different times… so bear with me.

Snubbed:

Best Picture:

1. Moonrise Kingdom

2. The Hunger Games

Best Director:

1. Kathryn Bigelow - Zero Dark Thirty

2. Ben Affleck - Argo

3. Wes Anderson - Moonrise Kingdom

Best Supporting Actress:

1. Samantha Barks - Les Miserables

2. Tilda Swinton - Moonrise Kingdom

3. Anne Hathaway - The Dark Knight Rises (This was kind of the only reason I liked the movie. She blew me away, as she usually does.)

Best Supporting Actor:

1. Eddie Redmayne - Les Miserables

2. Ed Norton - Moonrise Kingdom

Best Animated Feature:

1. Rise of the Guardians

2. The Secret World of Arrietty

Best Writing - Original Screenplay:

1. The Cabin in the Woods - Joss Whedon

Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay:

1. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins (No, don’t give me that “it’s for kids” excuse. I thought she did a brilliant job of converting one of the most popular books in the early 21st century to the screen, and obviously most everyone loved it).

Best Original Score:

1. Moonrise Kingdom - Alexandre Desplat

2. The Secret World of Arrietty - Cecile Corbel (Both scores were absolutely magical and I listen to them on a regular basis. They were two of the only films with scores that really stood out to me).

Best Production Design:

1. Moonrise Kingdom (I thought the production design is what stood out to me most! ‘twas breathtaking!!!!!!)

—

Most overrated/disappointing movies of 2012 in no particular order.

1. Les Miserables - The reason this film has made my list was because I think all the wrong things were overhyped! The strength of this film was in its supporting cast. Of course, Hathaway was flawless, but I think Samantha Barks, Amanda Seyfriend and Eddie Redmayne were also brilliant! Hugh Jackman is not what made this movie for me.

2. The Dark Knight Rises - Hold your horses fanboys. Remember, this is my opinion. You’re entitled to your own top 10. This movie didn’t deliver in a lot of the ways that TDK did. Anne Hathaway as usual was phenomenal, but I thought the movie was just another popcorn flick.

3. 21 Jump Street - Can somebody please tell me what was funny about this movie? I was really disappointed…

4. Ted - 5000 too many references from the 80’s, toilet humor, penis jokes and the overused Asian stereotypes make this one of my biggest disappointments. Everything I hate about a film.

5. Brave - I fail too see how anybody enjoyed this movie. Maybe it was the baby crying in the row in front of me for the first half an hour, or maybe it was the overly predicatable plotline, but this movie was so flat and awful that I couldn’t wait to get out of the theater.

6. Paranormal Activity 4 - This is no surprise. As a dedicated fan of the first 3, you can only use the gimmick so much and 4 proved that PA’s time is up! While each of the previous movies gave something to add to the franchise’s mythology, 4 just recycled the ending from 3, utilized overly obvious product placement and didn’t have me leaving the theater going OMG. I should’ve gone to see Sinister…

—

Let me know what you thought! What were your favorite and least favorite movies of 2012? Do you agree or disagree with my points? :)

2012 in Review: Jason M

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 15:26:00 -0500

2012 in Review

I wanted to make a blog post about 2012, because I think I can honestly say it has been the best year of my life. There have been many laughs, tears, and surprises, but I know that I’ve grown mentally, physically, professionally, and intellectually. The following photos are some of the best moments and experiences I’ve had this year and if you were a part of my life, I hope you enjoy reliving some of those moments. :)

—

Barbuda 2012 —

For two years in a row, I was lucky enough to study abroad on the beautiful Caribbean island of Barbuda. While learning about a completely new culture, and about ecology, I also succeeded in completing my first ever public running event! Going to Barbuda this year I learned about the importance of communication and what it means to adapt to a situation that you probably aren’t used to. I remember one night when we discovered a Cuban Tree Frog outside our house. Now the CTF is an invasive species to the island and had only recently begun to breed there, so as scientists and biology students we properly identified the frog before euthanizing it for the sake of the ecosystem. That night was a personal favorite of mine, and I remember saying to my professor, “Wow, I actually feel like a scientist!” Barbuda is always an adventure and I hope I can return there one day.

—

Hip Hop —

Ever since I was 14 and I first saw “You Got Served” I’ve wanted to be in a hip-hop dance group. And this year, I finally got to live that dream. Minds in Motion, the hip-hop dance club at my school was graciously inviting for beginners and the Monday and Wednesday nights that we met quickly became my favorite nights of the week. The group worked me physically and mentally and it was tremendously rewarding. I hope to continue with Minds in Motion for my final semester of college! Not only that, but I bonded with a friend of mine, Nicole, as we both got used to the idea of dancing outside of our dorm rooms! And I’m glad I can now call her one of my best friends!

—

WMVL —

WMVL fits in so many ways. But I’ll post the first of three. This really started in 2011, but I asked a friend of mine, Lauren if she wanted to host a weekly radio show with me in the fall of 2011. She excitedly agreed and we quickly became accustomed to the Monday night controlled chaos that was our radio show. The best part of it? I was unnerving an undiscovered passion of mine, and the friendship I formed with Lauren was something I would’ve never anticipated. Offensively hilarious when we’re together, Lauren and I discovered a comedic groove that has entertained many, if not each other!

—

GSA at school —

I’m a member of the Gay Straight Alliance at my school, and have led many topic events and even helped to organize a few events. My all time favorite event was one call “Homosexuality Across Cultures,” where GSA teamed up with nearly ten other clubs and had a big discussion about the inclusion of LGBTQ people in society. The event had dozens of people in attendance, and it was simply inspiring. We discussed the issues facing the LGBTQ community and solutions in helping LGBTQ people find equal opportunities in life. My school is one of the most international schools in the world, so it wasn’t just a bunch of liberal kids from NY talking about gay rights. No, there were kids from over a dozen different countries using their personal experiences and views to contribute to the conversation. At one point in the evening, a fellow club leader representing the Hawaiian club broke down in tears, moved by the emotion in the room and her hope for a better world. It’s events like those that give me hope for the world, and help me realize my duty to make the world a better place. The picture is of several of my best friends afterwards, who were also present. Left to right: (Me, Ali, Danny, Sofia, Nicolle, Hashim, Barbara, Devin)

—

Michael Jackson: Cirque de Soleil —

Words can not describe the impact that Michael Jackson has had on my life, and the influence his beautiful lyrics have had on the way I see the world. Teaching me to love myself and see the beauty as opposed to the disgust, MJ has opened my eyes up to so much. I was devastated to learn of his passing, but this year I got to see Cirque de Soleil’s concert/show based on his music and wisdom. And let me tell you, it was one of the best nights of my life. The energy within the stadium was incredulous; I felt him there with us. And I luckily got to share the evening with one of my best friends, Ali, who also helps me see the beauty and wonder of life, a rare ability. It’s a night that neither of us will ever forget.

—

ABC News —

This is something I still have a hard time understanding: I interned at ABC News. I can’t go into the exact details of what I did there, but I can assure you I never photocopied one thing or ever did a coffee run. The people treated me like a valuable member of the team and that interaction is irreplaceable. I coud go on and on about what I learned there. I actually wrote everyone a 6 page letter about what I loved about working there, and I hope they understood what I got out of it! I mean, the skills and experience of it all is so irreplaceable and valuable not only for my resume, but for my heart as well. I learned so much about the world, and really found my love for this planet. A news center is an information hub of the world, and you change from that experience. I’m now more attentive to international news and make it my business to stay informed about the world.

—

Meeting Raven Symone —

This may sound like a silly one, but I got to check off something from my bucket list. I met my idol: Raven Symone. Some people may think that she’s an odd choice for an idol, but I absolutely adore her. Whenever I watch That’s So Raven it brings such a smile to my face, even now. Her quirky comedy and simplicity is both inspiring and infectious. Meeting her for all of 30 seconds was satisfying enough. It felt like greeting an old friend. She was so nice and posed for a quick picture before moving on to other people.

—

THIS PICTURE. The one of 10 people… I just love this photo. My fam/friends.

—

Weekend with friends —

This next picture is of a weekend that I’m sure to remember for the rest of my life, because it was just as cheesy, teary and wonderful as I’d hoped. Out with five of my best friends, (Barbara, Devin, Sofia, Danny, Ali) we celebrated a final weekend together before Ali had to go to West Africa to study abroad for 3 months. The weekend was filled with apple picking, horses, and this picnic! I always call the picture, “The Notebook,” because it looks like something that would be in a cheesy Nicholas Sparks film. There were many laughs as we took beef teriyaki and pretzels out of the picnic basket, and many tears as we left the driveway, not seeing Ali again for months! (Well, a few of us snuck to the airport for a final goodbye a few weeks later…) The weekend was such a perfect symbol of what friendship is because I felt that there was not one moment those couple days where I wasn’t smiling. (Okay, I did get frustrated while playing on a level of Kingdom Hearts: DDD, but that doesn’t count).

—

Meeting Internet Friends —

With outlets like tumblr and facebook, our young generation is quickly finding friends over the net, and bonding with them, but unfortunately most of us can’t meet each other in real life. I am thankfully not most and have met many of my internet friends over the years. And none of them were really old creeps! :D This summer was a big meet up for a bunch of my Avatar friends and was especially exciting because I got to meet not only one of my internet friends, but one of my best friends in general, Tyler and it was so awesome! He’s the guy on the far right next to me. He’s just as hilarious, kind and sincere in person as he is online! I always love meeting up with these guys! We toured NY for a week and even though it was partly chaotic, it was fun just being with everyone in person!!

—

Meeting Lev Grossman —

Here we go again, about to use the phrase, “best friend.” I have about 12 best friends FYI, so it’s not like an unlimited term. Haha. But one of my BESTEST friends is Barbara, and we bonded this year over a love for the book “The Magicians,” by Lev Grossman. I love the realism and criticism of the fantasy genre that the book explores and I was so excited to meet the author back in September at a book festival. It was my first time ever at such an event and I’d love to go to more! Barbara and I were fangirling when we met him, and it was such a small crowd at the signing that I think he was really surprised and didn’t know how to react. haha. We had a really cool conversation, and he even gave us some stuff to look forward to for the final book in the trilogy!

—

21st Surprise Birthday Party —

So for my 21st birthday, I had nothing big planned. I was going to buy a few bottles of something, and I invited my friends over to watch The Avengers in my dorm room. But at midnight on my birthday, my roommate (and one of the honored 12, haha) delivered a note to me requesting my presence at an underground tunnel on my school’s campus at 4PM. I also had to wear the provided gray shirt, which had blue arrows down the arms. I freaked out. I was being thrown some kind of Avatar The Last Airbender themed surprise! When I showed up the next day, my friends, the nomads led me through a tunnel singing “Secret Tunnels,” and we then showed up to the field where we played a game of Pro Bending, with water balloons, bean bags and frisbees (in place of water, fire and earth). Afterwards we headed back to the room for Avatar themed cupcakes BAKED BY LAUREN. Ugh, guys, they were like the most delicious thing in the universe. The earth kingdom ones were chocolate chip, the water tribe was cotton candy, the air nomads were marshmallow, and the fire nation ones were HOT TAMALE FLAVORED. Hot Tamales are literally my crack, so I was overly excited. And Barbara made my favorite drink, painkillers, which I first had in the Caribbean I think I had once off handedly mentioned it to Barbara and she found the recipe online!! They were delicious. After the fact, I discovered that a large group of my friends at school had gotten together to make this happen, especially Amy who came up with the idea, and it meant more to me than Amy or the rest of them might ever know! It was single-handedly the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me, and I think about it all the time!

—

Dyeing my hair!

So one of the things I’ve always wanted to do was dye my hair. But at risk of being disowned I was too afraid to. But this year I figured, I’m a senior, I’m 21. YOLO. So with help from Lauren and Barbara I dyed my hair brown!! We bought a dark brown color, but first bleached it, and it turned red over time. I originally wanted the color in the final picture anyway, so I was very happy! I was really going out of my comfort zone when I decided to do this, but I got so many compliments and I’m really glad that I did it! I plan to do it again soon. Same color. My hair got so long last month that I had to cut it and now most of my hair is black again, except for the very front which is a reddish-brown. haha. Lauren and Barbara are wonderful stylists! :D

—

First time Cosplaying!!

At NYCC, I cosplayed for the first time! I was Kid Flash from Young Justice. I had put together my costume with help from friends… I bought shirts from Nike, Adidas, yellow converse, red pants from A Eagle and even steampunk goggles that I painted. I put so much hard work into it, and then my mask didn’t arrive on time! And worse than that, I got sick the weekend of Comic Con! It was kind of awful, but alas I have been wanting to cosplay for years, and even though I was kind of derp, I loved cosplaying and I definitely plan on doing it again! Here is one of my good friends and I having a birdflash moment. xD

—

WMVL Board and Mville News Radio!

So this past semester I started a news radio segment at school, and it was definitely one of the most enriching experiences of my life. With only minimal news radio experience under my belt, 7 novice radio and news hopefuls and I set out to create a dynamic news program that looked to discuss the key issues surrounding our school, and giving voice to the students who cared. We produced 4 shows with over a dozen different pieces ranging from cafeteria complaints, alumni interviews, horoscopes and even an interview with the President of the college. I can never express how proud I am to be a part of the news radio team, and even prouder to lead it. The 7 members of my team were new and took to the challenge of news radio with the utmost gusto. I think next semester will be even better. And being Senior Producer of Mville News Radio (which is what we call ourselves) meant I also became a pseudo board-member of WMVL Radio overall, being a liaison between news radio and the radio as a whole (which is more music oriented). Working with the board of WMVL was so much fun, and I always felt as if I was working at an actual company. Everyone was connected so well, and we worked very hard to bring major changes to the radio station, and everything will be for the better. I’m very excited for my final semester at WMVL and for future classes as well. :)

—

Filling in the cracks

And no year would be complete without the inclusion of my best friend and brother, Chris! We’re the craziest duo, and I always have so much fun hanging out with him. No “year in review” would be complete without giving credit to this man! He’s creative, smart and hilarious and gonna be famous! Be it riding Kingda Ka at 6 Flags Great Adventure, or pwning n00bs on Halo 4 at 3AM, or going for McDonalds runs at midnight, Chris and I will definitely be brothers till the end.

—

So that’s it! That was longer that I thought it’d be and took me over 2 hours to write! I hope you’ve enjoyed my 2012 in Review. There’s so much more I could say, but I’d have you here all day reading!

To my friends: you know I love you and even though we’re graduating this next year, I hope we’ll be friends forever and continue to push through all the hurdles and hardships that comes with friendship. Barbara, Ali, Devin, Sofia, Lauren, Nicolle, Taylor, Nicole, Amy, Chris, Stacey, Dylan, Danny, Alexa, Lily, Anna, DeyShawn, Pooka, Shou, Tyler, Mariella, Jacqui, Molly, Jackie, Michele I LOVE YOU GUYS!

~thatguywiththeblog

Camp Half Blood Perspective — As some of you know, I...

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 12:46:00 -0500

Camp Half Blood Perspective

—

As some of you know, I interned for ABC News Radio over the summer and got to produce, write and edit my own perspective story/piece from start to finish! With help from anchor/correspondent Cheri Preston and associate producer Colin Tipton, I did a piece on how real life Camp Half Bloods (inspired from the Percy Jackson book series) are helping invigorate young readers to be more enthusiastic about books!

Previously it has only been a part of an entire 45 minute weekly podcast, but here is the camp piece alone.

Jason McConnell

I Hate Airplanes

Sun, 16 Dec 2012 02:02:47 -0500

This is a piece I wrote several months back, and even though it’s really short I’ve always felt it had a wonderful pinch of personality to it that has made it one of my favorite pieces I’ve written.

—

I nervously pick at my already near-gone fingernails when the pilot announces we’re experiencing some technical difficulties. I un-do my tie and get a disgusted look from the lady next to me who notices my huge, sweaty armpit stains before I do. I take a deep breath, which provides a quick sense of relief until panic washes over again. Where are my cigarettes? I think. Oh wait; you can’t smoke on an airplane, can you? Then again, I don’t even smoke! I unbuckle my seatbelt and sit on my leg looking out at the entire plane. No heads up except mine. How can everyone possibly be so calm?

“Would you please sit down,” The woman next to me shrieks. “Your knee is in my face!”

I swallow my spit. “Sorry,” I say as I slowly slouch back into my seat. I wonder if Alice is coming back. Why is she taking so long in the bathroom? Maybe I should go check on her…

I look up at the selection of buttons above me: one for the light and one that beckons for a flight attendant, which is kind of like a help button. I wipe the sweat off my forehead. I’ve never pressed that button before. I wonder if it’ll make a loudbeep noise. I wonder if everyone around me will be irritated by it. The flight attendant will probably scold me for making them get up and walk all the way over here. I fiddle with my fingers. I’ll just ask them for some water and for a sleeping pill. Yeah, that sounds good. Wait, are airplanes allowed to sell drugs like that? Do they even sell drugs in the first place?

I shake my shirt, airing out my chest, which is becoming something of a waterfall. I close my eyes, and reluctantly press the button. It let’s out a slight bing! That was awfully loud.

The woman next to me scoffs and I realize my arm is right in her face. Sorry, I think. Maybe I should’ve said that to her. Now it’s been too long to say without making it awkward. She hates me. I know it.

Alice begins to walk down the aisle back to our row and I smile wildly. “A-Alice!” I stammer with excitement.

“Jason, what’s wrong?” She asks confused.

“You were g-gone for awhile. I g-got worried.”

She raises her eyebrows at me, looking tremendously lost, “Jason, oh God, you’re sweating so much!” she exclaims.

“I know!” yells the woman next to me.

I look back at Alice. The flight attendant begins to walk down the aisle now. Oh crap! She looks phlegmatic!

“The p-pilot said w-we were experiencing t-technical difficulties.” I manage to spit out.

“Jason, it’s only the TV’s that don’t work. Stop freaking out.” She says slowly, as if we’ve had this conversation many times before.

“Can I help you with something, Sir?” The flight attendant asks.

“You can help me with a seat change! Are there any other’s available?” The woman next to me begins on a rant of frustration. As Alice squeezes into the window seat, I cover my face in embarrassment. I hate airplanes.

—

HOW TO BE A COOL WHITE GUY IN 1 MONTH WITH 31 EASY STEPS.

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:13:06 -0500

If you follow these steps, one per day, I 1% guarantee you’ll be a cool white guy at the end of the month!

1. Know at least 9 different types of beer, and at least 15 different types of cocktails.

2. Watch every movie from the 80’s… EVER. Movie references from this era are EXTREMELY frequent, and you’ll definitely miss 78% of all jokes within your friend group of other cool white guys if you’re not a 80’s movie buff.

3. Don’t be gay.

4. Never under any circumstances show enjoyment for any pop singer, even unarguably good singers like Adele or Bruno Mars. You must only listen to rock, hard rock, classic rock, pop rock, alternative rock, punk rock or sometimes metal. Occasionally you can get away with being an oldies fan of artists like Stevie Wonder or Elvis Presley, but you better know your shit when quizzed, and YOU WILL BE QUIZZED.

5. You better have banged a chick within the past 48 hours of reading this otherwise you’re a homo.

6. The only stores you’re allowed to shop at are Abecrombie, Abecrombie & Fitch and Tommy Hilfiger.

7. Your appetite is wide ranging, but nothing beats Chipotle, Subway or that awesome Thai place around the corner from where you work.

8. Hitting under 4 bars on any given weekend guys night out is just unacceptable.

9. One of the most crucial rules of being a cool white guy: You must be FLUENT in talking about at least THREE types of sports and have at least advanced knowledge in TWO others. Horse Racing does not count and Rugby gives you extra points.

10. You either belong to Equinox, Planet Fitness or a private gym that Daniel Craig used to train at.

11. You love cars. There is no exception to this rule. To be truly classy try favoring the German flavor of automobiles. Italian is too overused, and Japanese is just a insult waiting to happen.

12. Your knowledge of current events is limited, but still semi-knowledgeable. You know there’s some type of violence in that place near the pyramids, but it’s best to just repeat whatever your parents or bros say because then you don’t actually have to draw your own opinion!

13. Your favorite television shows are Mad Men, Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy. (Every cool white guy marathon’d the first four seasons of Mad Men on Netflix).

14. Wes Anderson is your favorite film director.

15. Every cool white guy dreams of making the Mecca-like journey to Amsterdam where you can get ridiculously high, and obnoxiously wasted… things you already do in America, BUT IT’S AMSTERDAM.

16. Any year of being a cool white guy should consist of at least 3 concerts, 5 sports games (at least 2 different sports), and at least 8 movies (except you’ll only like 2 of them because of their homages to Sergio Leone and the Coen brothers.)

17. For every 10 friends: 7 are white, 2 are black and 1 is something really exotic that you like to talk to to feel especially cool (but in reality he’s only from Connecticut). Only 2 of those 10 are women, and you’ve already banged one of them. The other one is your colleague, and yes, you’ve thought about it many many times.

18. Women jokes. LOL GET BACK TO THE KITCHEN.

19. Fortunately, in dating terms, any ethnicity is usually acceptable, and occasionally if you date a minority you’ll get extra points! Yay objectifying women of color!

20. You have either an Xbox or a PS3 that you never really play. You don’t have a Wii, that shit is gay. Your game library consists of 3 Call of Duty games, the past 4 Maddens, and the past 2 FIFA’s. You mostly use your Xbox or PS3 for Netflix or Hulu Plus.

21. The magazine basket in your bathroom has the past 10 issues of GQ and Men’s Health.

22. You bathe in Old Spice, and once in a blue moon, Irish Spring.

23. Your religion? Bros don’t discuss religion, but you were probably raised either Roman Catholic or Protestant. You’re now mildly agnostic, but you really couldn’t care less about what’s above the clouds.

24. THE CHRISSSTOPHER NOLAN BATMAN TRILLLOOOGGYYYYYYYY. SOOOOOO COOOOOOOOOOOLL.

25. Your knowledge of theater doesn’t extend past the fact that you enjoyed “The Lion King” movie when you were 8.

26. You don’t even know what No Shave November is for, BUT IT’S COOL SO YOU BETTER DO IT.

27. Cool white guys do not ever… under any circumstances… dye… their… hair.

28. One or two meaningful tattoos are pretty cool. Maybe a meaningful phrase from your parents or something?

29. You have 3 pairs of loafers, 3 pairs of converse (or Nike Air), 2 pairs of running shoes and 1 pair of regular vans.

30. Since the age of 15 you’ve been black out drunk at least… well lost count. FIST BUMP BRO.

31. The only channel you’ve ever watched on your television is ESPN.

This is what happens when you’re a nerd, have a job, and...

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 15:13:59 -0400

Rage

Avarice

Fear

Willpower

Hope

Compassion

Love

Life

Death

This is what happens when you’re a nerd, have a job, and too much time on your hands. My avarice face is my favorite.

Tiny tiny sample of my book.

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 02:40:31 -0400

I’ve never publicly shared any of the book that I’m writing. It’s a fantasy novel about mythology, and teenagers… probably will end up being a YA, but I just want to write it. Anyways, this is always been one of my favorite paragraphs… I’m not quite sure why. Maybe it’s because I love the peacefulness of forest that I wanted to write about it.

—

Walking to school felt so bland to Evan. There was hardly ever anything that would change. The same cars would be parked in the same place every morning; the same store owners changing their signs from CLOSED to OPEN at a predictable hour. Evan often liked to take the long way through the woods. He lived in Westchester, New York, just north of New York City. Wooded areas were common in the surrounding towns. At least when he was weaving through the trees, there was some expression of change. Sure, the trees didn’t move but the birds never sang the same song twice. The wind blew in unpredictable directions. The smell of the woods wafted into his nose comfortably. The early morning dew created a damp earth, covered in fallen leaves. Each species of tree giving their own flavor to the aroma of the forest: red oak, yellow birch, sugar maple, he recalled from his memory. But most importantly, the woods were the safest place from the noise and exhaust of cars and the prying eyes from other curious town folk.

He stepped over fallen logs and through piles of dead leaves. The outline of his high school started to take form the closer he got. He looked down, trying to postpone the realization that his education was beginning again for the day.

What's your favorite color?

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 22:03:51 -0400

GREEN GREEN GREEN!!!! MOAR GREEN

School is coming... and so are more blog posts.

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 21:25:36 -0400

So maybe things didn’t work out as planned. Sorry thatguywiththeblog… I thought we’d be closer. Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want from my life and there is definitely a lot of things. But I’ve remained optimistic. So I’m going to try a few things on this blog in the next year and I hope you guys will stick around to enjoy it. :)

~Jason

What is your favorite candy of all time?

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 19:14:27 -0400

Ooo! This isn’t at all a hard one! It’d have to be either Twizzlers or Hot Tamales!! If you give me those, we’re best friends for LIFE! :D

Where did your inspiration for comedy come from?

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 19:14:00 -0400

First off, thank you for all the questions! Now to answer some! xD

My inspiration for comedy really comes from anything I find generally silly or funny to talk about. My style is very influenced from Chris Tucker and Raven Symone. Both of whom are my favorite actors and comedians. I love the sassy backtalk that they give in comedy. It always brings a smile to my face.

Other than that, I love feeding off of really stupid mistakes people make with things, and I try and make awkward situations funny. :D

Confession: I only bought the Animorphs books because I thought the covers looked cool.

Sat, 14 Jul 2012 21:57:57 -0400

I decided to make an egotistical post. When my parents decided...

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 22:55:00 -0400

Me with a bestie. Barbara. :D

Keepin it classy.

CAN YOU FIND ME

Bon Temps Jason. GET IT?!?!

Werd up!

Why am I so red??

With Shannon! Aka Annabeth!

>.< I need a haircut looking at this pic

This should be a TV show.

I decided to make an egotistical post. When my parents decided to have kids, they were like, “let’s have a chameleon.” I’m pretty sure I am a different shade of something in all these. lol.

1. Regular Jason - Barbara and I! One of my bestest friends. She’s like my sister. Always there for me. Will always be there for her!

2. 1960’s Jason - I’m going through a bit of a retro phase, especially having become obsessed with the show Mad Men. Ironically I discovered an old home video of my grandfather (my Dad’s Dad), from the 1960’s and I kid you not, he has the EXACT same shirt. And the shirt I’m wearing is from Banana Republic’s Mad Men line from 2012. :)

3. Dark Jason - This is what happens when you leave me out in the sun. I don’t burn. I just get dark. REALLY dark.

4. Bon Temps Jason - So I was in a play once, where I played a cross dresser… hmm… Maybe I should post pics…. haha. Well we had a photo shoot and stupid me didn’t wear anything nice. So here is Bon Temps Jason. GET IT?!? LOLOLOL

5. Gangsta Jason - You don’t wanna mess with Gangsta J. He’ll mess u up yo!

6. Pale Jason - He only makes rare appearances now.

7. Zombie Jason - RAWWRRRR. I was apart of a haunted tour thing once! This is me with Shannon, you might know her better as the internet’s true Annabeth Chase!

8. Suspender’s Jason - I NEED A HAIRCUT.

9. Simply Jason - This should be a reality show. AMIRITE?

This is from last year. Just found this in photo booth. I think...

Sun, 27 May 2012 15:06:48 -0400

This is from last year. Just found this in photo booth. I think it’s safe to say I really like Green Lantern.

Netflix needs to stop advertising how great their selection is....

Sat, 26 May 2012 18:28:00 -0400

Netflix needs to stop advertising how great their selection is. The only movies they advertise are No Strings Attached and Iron Man 2 for Christ’s sake!

This just in: the sequel to "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," is going to be released April 23rd, 2014 and is tentatively titled "Jesus Christ: Dinosaur Slayer."

Thu, 24 May 2012 22:01:38 -0400

Interview with Green Lantern: The Animated Series Creator/Producer Giancarlo Volpe (Also, Director from Avatar: The Last Airbender).

Thu, 24 May 2012 21:09:01 -0400

In the following interview, resident blogger, Jason McConnell of thatguywiththeblog.tumblr.com and aangthenomad.tumblr.com talks to Giancarlo Volpe about his work and prospects on the recent cartoon, “Green Lantern: The Animated Series.”

—

Here’s a short intro/background for everyone. :)

A few weeks ago I got to interview one of my favorite animation directors (and directors in general), Giancarlo Volpe! Giancarlo is probably best known to the Avatar fandom as directing practically a third of the entire series, including fan favorites like “The Ember Island Players,” and “Appa’s Lost Days.” “Appa’s Lost Day’s” later went on to win a Genesis award, which is an award for individual’s in entertainment and media who support public awareness of animal rights issues. He also received an Annie Award, which recognizes outstanding animation, for his directing on “The Drill.”

Currently, he is a producer and showrunner of the new “Green Lantern: The Animated Series.” I was a little reluctant when I first saw the series. The animation was vastly different from the familiar 2D Bruce Timm style that we’ve seen in past DC animation. But I was quick to change my mind when I started on the series. Volpe masterfully combines the classic GL storylines with a fresh and compelling new premise that brings famous Lanterns Hal Jordan and Kilowag into the deep corners of space, where they discover a whole new set of villains previously unbeknownst to most of the rest of the Corp, like the Red Lanterns. The villains and supporting characters stem from more recent plots like the Emotional spectrum. The comical banter and tight dialogue that is familiar in all Bruce Timm productions is no stranger to this show and I believe is one of its strongest points. Many younger crowds have struggled with the recent surge of Hal Jordan. Many like myself grew up with John Stewart as our main GL from the JLA and JLU series, but I believe “Green Lantern: The Animated Series,” is a strong compliment and gratifyingly marvelous addition to the vast mythos that John Broome and Gil Kane created years ago.

One of my classes in the previous semester was taught by former DC Comics President, Paul Levitz! And one of our assignments was to make up mock interview questions for a person of our choice! Well I ended up getting in contact with Giancarlo and here is that interview!

—

JM: What initially drew you to this project? Was the GL mythos something you always had wanted to tackle?

GV: Initially, no. I wasn’t a huge Green Lantern fan. I had read a handful of comics when I was a kid, but that was it. It was decided before I was even asked to do the job that they were making a Green Lantern series to follow the GL movie in 2011. They approached me about producing because of my experience on Clone Wars. I was really wanting an opportunity to be a show runner, and this seemed like a great offer. So I knew I had to become a Green Lantern fan really fast.

JM: When working with someone like Bruce Timm who has established a legendary resume in 2D animation, how do you convince or work with him towards something that is entirely new for Warner Brothers?

GV: Again, that was another choice that was made by our Executive Producer, Sam Register. He knew that a lot of studios around town were making CG shows, and wanted WB to stay competitive. And what better way to assure high quality than to have Bruce Timm run the show? Bruce had some reservations because he had never done CG before. So it was a good fit – I could guide him through the CG process, while simultaneously learning how to run a show with one of the best in the business.

JM: The Green Lantern universe is a vast one, and along with the Hal Jordan storylines, there is quite a bit of material. How do you decide to hone in on a specific setting or storyline?

GV: A friend of mine told me about all the stuff Geoff Johns had written since he took over the title, including the color spectrums and all that. So I literally bought every volume he had written on Amazon and read them all. That definitely played a huge part in our inspiration. But we also read some of the silver age books as well. Sometimes the old stuff is the best way to figure out what the essence of a classic superhero is. Some of those story lines are a little corny by today’s standards, but the spirit was definitely there.

JM: Obviously animation directors and live actions directors face a lot of different challenges. Have you ever considered directing live action? And if you did want to, what do you think would be some of the challenges for you?

GV: I would love to direct live action. In fact, I’m very interested and intrigued by fellow animators that have made the transition (namely, Tim Burton, Brad Bird, Andrew Stanton.). I would imagine my biggest challenges would be mostly technical : knowing what lense to use, what lighting set ups to call for, etc. But I’m kind of assuming that’s what the cinematographer is for. In animation you have incredible control over every single frame because any one can be redrawn (or re-rendered) later. I imagine I’d have to learn to live with a lot more things that aren’t exactly the way I pictured them, but probably work just fine anyways.

JM: What is the best experience or moment you’ve had in your career in Animation?

GV: There’s two of them. One was winning the Annie award for my work on Avatar the Last Airbender. I still think that is one of the greatest animated projects ever, and I’m not just saying that because I worked on it. I was so proud that the show got recognized, and that I was there to represent it. Another great feeling is how many people approach me to this day and say that Avatar changed their lives. They claim that it made them get in touch with their spiritual side, that it made them want to be better people. Words cannot describe how powerful an emotion that evokes. I am very lucky.

JM: Are there any specific career goals or projects you hope to develop in your lifetime?

GV: Absolutely. I am very interested in writing and directing my own animated features, and eventually trying live action (as you mentioned earlier). So far I’ve made my career fleshing out other people’s ideas, but I’d really love to say I came up with the whole universe from top to bottom. And I’m ready to go!

JM: After only one episode, GL was nominated for an Annie. Do you think that develops a lot of pressure to continue on a good path or is it more or a relief?

GV: I think it was great for morale. Anytime you work on a show, it involves a very long start up time where you’re working in a bubble. You don’t know if anyone’s going to like it. You just make a bunch of calls based off your own tastes and hunches. When GL finally got out there and we got so many great reviews, it was very vindicating. It made me feel like we were getting it right, and had nothing to worry about. As far as our future, the same care went into upcoming episodes, if not more. I really think we’re getting better at what we’re doing. A lot of us thought “Man, if they liked the premiere wait till they see what’s coming up!”

JM: You were also a director of Nickelodeon, and both that and Warner Brothers are the animation giants on television right now. Are there any major differences between the two companies in the way that the shows are run?

GV: For the most part, no.. But there are personality differences which are dependent on who’s in charge of the studio. I think for the most part WB is a little more “macho” than Nick was, namely because of their reputation of doing super hero shows. Nick also tends to have bigger budgets than WB, which can make things tricky. But GL got more than average budget (as CG tends to require) so I’m not complaining.

JM: What is your personal hope for the show? Is there a certain direction you’d like to see it take at some point? Or is there a certain storyline you want to explore?

GV: Our writer producer Jim Krieg and I were planning out a four-season arc. We really want to get all the lantern colors in the show, and all the earth Green Lanterns in at some point. So far we’re still waiting for a pick up, so I feel like we’ve only told half the story we set out to explore. It’d be great to finish the tale properly.

JM: You’ve done a lot. You’ve done CG with Lucasfilms, 2D with Nickelodeon and now with Warner Bros. What position or job title do you feel most comfortable in the field of animation?

GV: I’m lucky in that with each job I’ve gotten, I seem to have climbed another rung on the ladder. Show running is definitely a thrill because you get to come up with EVERYTHING from the basic concept all the way down to locking the final picture. It’s a truly complete storyteller’s experience. But it also means you have a lot more responsibility. Sometimes I long for the “simpler life” of just being an episodic director, but I’ve found every job in animation is pretty laborious. There is no easy gig. So if it’s going to be hard work, I’d rather be the guy in charge so I can at least have fun calling all the shots!

JM: Any hope of seeing a Daffy Duck cameo?

GV: Ha ha, who knows? There’s some wacky characters in the Green Lantern universe – namely, Ch’p the Green Lantern squirrel and Dextarr the Red Lantern cat. Anything’s possible!

—

There you have it! I hope you enjoyed this awesome interview. Thank you again to the wonderful Giancarlo Volpe for having this interview with me. On behalf of all the fans from Avatar, Star Wars and now GL, we are excited for all the great work that is sure to come from you!

Question for the readers: If you could have any character appear in the GL:TAS show, who would it be and why?

Thanks for reading!

Jason

aangthenomad: The Misery Meme! I thought of how lately...

Wed, 23 May 2012 21:15:11 -0400

I figured Kathy Bates would be a Zutara.

aangthenomad:

The Misery Meme! I thought of how lately apparently some fans have been bothering the crew members and this struck me. :D :D Enjoy! I’ll upload the plain photo so you can make your own? It is composed of all the unanswered questions and other random stuff!

"Don’t ever let somebody tell you, you can’t do something. Not even me. Alright? You got..."

Tue, 22 May 2012 22:40:22 -0400

“Don’t ever let somebody tell you, you can’t do something. Not even me. Alright? You got a dream? You gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they wanna tell you, you can’t do it. You want something? Go get it. Period.”

- Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness

So, some of you may know I dance, mostly hip hop. For one of my...

Sun, 20 May 2012 00:13:28 -0400

So, some of you may know I dance, mostly hip hop. For one of my hip hop group’s performances, our “costume” was a wife beater, and suspenders. Awkward me had never worn a wife beater, so I borrowed one of my best friends’ shirts. THESE THINGS ARE TIGHT. Okay, little did I know that after I put on the damn thing with suspenders I looked like a stripper.

-_________-

Thank you to those who told me that, or DIDN’T tell me that… My hair is also now very short compared to this photo. Jeeze, I was wearing jeans and matching red converse too. I probably looked like a firefighter stripper! EVEN WORSE.

It is clear I have to work on these things. Then again, maybe I don’t know what strippers look like. Look at those ab…. wait…. lack thereof.