25 Jul 2010

Thumbcast Extra: Had a big shit - +2 points

Craig and Iain consider the world of World of Warcraft - and what happens if it does, as is rumoured, go free...

24 Jul 2010

Sharktopus! SyFy just gives up on originality and goes for batshit crazy instead

Eric Roberts creates the ultimate weapon in Sharktopus - a hybrid shark/octopus creature which goes rogue and starts attacking holidaygoers in Mexico.

Yes, SyFy has decided the subtlety and style of Galactica was just too much to bear, so for the viewers of the stupidly spelt sci-fi channel, they've ramped up the dumb quota 30 new schock creature features on the way.

Sharktopus is just the beginning too. There's also Mega Python v Gatoroid - which puts Debbie Gibson and Tiffany head to head in a BATTLE TO THE DEATH presided over by Micky Dolenz from the Monkees (no, seriously, we're not making this shit up!), Dean Cain battling a giant armoured block of ice, Sean Bean in a post-apocalyptic horror, Kevin Sorbo battling a supersoldier, Shannon Doherty as an evil witch, Lauren Holly and Lance Henriksen suffer the Scream of the Banshee...

All this AND a sequel to Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus, as the Asylum turn their attention to Mega Shark vs Crocosaurus.

Basically, they've just given us 31 weeks worth of material. God bless you SyFy, we salute you!

24 Jul 2010

The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Any More...: THAT Walking Dead trailer from SDCC

I think Craig and I may have mentioned on the blog and the podcast how excited we are for the new TV adaptation of Robert Kurtman's phenomenal Walking Dead series.

And the lucky sods at San Diego Comic Con got the chance to see a five minute preview of what's to come.

Of course, these things never say private for long - especially not in the smartphone era...

Wow. Just... wow.

23 Jul 2010

Daylight(sabre) Robbery: Darth Vader stages bank raid...

Man wearing Darth Vader mask and cape robs Long Island bank with gun, shoves customer to floor

BY John Lauinger
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Originally Published:Thursday, July 22nd 2010, 8:27 PM
Updated: Friday, July 23rd 2010, 2:52 AM

 

Police are investigating the robbery of a Chase bank branch in Setauket by a man wearing a Darth Vader mask and a cape.
Police are investigating the robbery of a Chase bank branch in Setauket by a man wearing a Darth Vader mask and a cape.
The mask-clad man entered the bank, displayed a gun and demanded cash.
The mask-clad man entered the bank, displayed a gun and demanded cash.

A lot of robbers use force. This one used the Force.

A bandit decked out in a Darth Vader costume strolled into a Long Island bank on Thursday - and walked out with a wad of cash.

The villain looked ready for Halloween, wearing the "Star Wars" scoundrel's signature mask and sweeping black cape.

He lost some authenticity points for a pair of camouflage pants.

The getup struck one customer as so funny that he started joshing with the Darth Robber after he strode into the Chase bank in Setauket.

"The customer thought it might have been a joke, and not a serious attempt at a robbery," said Suffolk County police Detective Sgt. William Lamb.

But Darth wasn't kidding - and he wasn't going to be stopped by a non-Jedi Knight.

He won a "shoving match" against the incredulous customer before using his piece to order him to the floor, Lamb said.

And his weapon was no joke. He was carrying a pistol instead of a lightsaber.

Cops released a surveillance camera image yesterday showing Darth at the teller counter, loading bills into a bag, while the customer cowers on the floor.

The fake Darth made a quick-footed getaway, and the bank was still checking its drawers late yesterday to figure out how large his take was, Lamb said.

It was the second recent off-the-wall bank robbery. On Wednesday, NYPD cops arrested a man dubbed the "Bouquet Bandit," saying he brought flowers and potted plants into banks he robbed.

jlauinger@nydailynews.com

 

20 Jul 2010

If Amanda Palmer can do it, so can we: The Thumbcast's radiophonic theme performed on ukulele

It might have escaped your attention (although admittedly, these days on the internet it's hard to miss anything) but the singer, performer and Neil Gaiman's Other Half, Amanda Palmer, has produced a remarkable cover album interpreting the miserablist stylings of Oxfordshire indie kings Radiohead on the ukulele.

Well, we're not ones to be outdone here at the Thumbcast.  So, thanks to Alison Eales from Scottish cult favourites Butcher Boy, we've got our own ukulele cover.  Specifically, Festival Time, the radiophonic track by the late John Baker we use for the show's theme.
 
Take it away...

 
 
 

The Thumbcast's Posterous

The Thumbcast is a grumpy, shambolic, sometimes legally dubious and occasionally inaudible monthly ramble through the good, the bad and the downright ugly bits of pop culture, hosted by Iain Hepburn and Craig McGill.

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