Geek Love - Shot At NYCC - Premieres Dec 18 on TLC

Got a minute? Geek Love - a science fiction speed dating special filmed at New York Comic Con -- is premiering on TLC at 9 PM on December 18th.

Got a few minutes? Early in 2010, as we began planning Star Wars Celebration V with Lucasfilm, "Speed Dating" was one of the notes I had taken down in a meeting. LFL was keen on both making speed dating and a wedding chapel part of the event. I'm none too sure how serious these concepts were at first, but we set about making them real. Here's where things get interesting. Nearly to the day of this meeting, through sheer serendipity, I got an email from a fan and 501st member named Ryan Glitch. He'd attended a number of local speed dating events and ran a few in his hometown in Upstate New York. He wanted to help organize "Star Wars Speed Dating" at Celebration.

As with all proposals like this, my first step was calling Ryan up and ascertaining where he fell on the Stab-Someone-In-The-Eye Crazy Scale. To my shock and delight, despite having a passion for dressing up like Anakin Skywalker and hosting speed dating sessions, the guy was quite sincere and sane. We worked together to present Star Wars Speed Dating at Celebration V.

We gave him an average-sized room and scheduled out a few time slots. Both Ryan and I had high hopes, but we had no clue how it'd actually do. Turns out, it'd do fantastic. All of Ryan's sessions were jam-packed, and we needed to add more on-site. People found genuine love connections, with at least one couple now married who met through Speed Dating at Celebration.

ReedPOP has since worked with Ryan Glitch and the crew of the -- now labeled -- Sci-Fi Speed Dating additionally at both C2E2 2011 and NYCC 2010 and 2011, and we're in talks around what we can do together in 2012. At every event, Ryan's mobbed. We've yet to get Ryan in a room big enough for the demand, and there's always a line out the door. Ryan runs the show with a clear head and clever eye and still dressed as Anakin Skywalker. And people fall in love.

Since our first outing together at Celebration in 2010, Ryan's also gotten some big play in the media. Major names like CNN cover him. It's an interesting beast. On one hand, I know Sci-Fi Speed Dating gets this coverage because it's an easy, zany story to write. On the other, Ryan is genuine about everything he does, so even if news outlets come to him initially because there are nerds in costume trying to find love, Ryan's serious with them. This isn't a joke. It's not done for a laugh. He's trying to make people happy.

Which takes us right up to this year's New York Comic Con. At the same time that Ryan's been getting written up in the mainstream press, the Reality TV world's been knocking on his door. They did a test at C2E2 earlier in the year, and he had a full camera crew with him through the entirety of New York Comic Con. Geek Love is premiering on TLC at 9 PM on December 18th. And if the specials shot at New York Comic Con do well, there'll be more.

It's pretty awesome. Starting with Jeff Kinney, creator of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, getting discovered all the way back at the inaugural NYCC, we've had a long history of creators, artists, writers, and makers getting their big break one way or another at ReedPOP shows, and we couldn't now be happier for Ryan getting this shot on TLC. Yet, while I and the team at ReedPOP are excited, from reading through forums and blogs, I know some fans have concerns with the upcoming specials. Just as press can approach Sci-Fi Speed Dating for a bit of comedy, nerds in costume trying to find love can very easily translate to a joke of a television program. I know, as much as I want Ryan to make it big, I had doubts as the Reality TV deal was coming together. The last thing I wanted to see from all this was something hurtful, something exploitative, or something cruel.

In speaking with Ryan yesterday about the specials, he put it succinctly...

"It's funny, it's sad, it's sweet, and it's real."

Here's the thing to remember, just as Ryan's serious about speed dating and serious with the press, he's damn serious about the TV show. Through it all, all the media, all the filming, and all the buzz, he's still just a kid from Upstate New York who wants people to fall in love, and I love him for that. I wish him the best of luck and hope Geek Love does gangbusters.

Make some time on December 18th for Geek Love on TLC. Ryan will be watching. I'll be watching. And I'd love for you to watch along, too. If you'd like to learn more, head over to Sci-Fi Speed Dating's official Facebook page and read the original announcement about Geek Love at Entertainment Weekly.

My only regret is that they're not using the title for the program I had originally suggested -- Geek Pimp.

Star Wars Christmas Special: GeekChic Pick of The Week

Each week, we're proud to showcase one NYC happening-- as selected by our friends at GeekChicNYC. This week? A different kind of Star Wars Christmas Special...

In A New Hope, C-3PO tells Luke Skywalker he's not very good at telling stories. Then in Return of the Jedi, his storytelling ability convinces the Ewoks to induct his crew into their tribe! (Now you know where M. Night Shyamalan got his idea for plot twists.) We don't speak Ewokese, but judging by the fuzzy natives' reactions, recapping the rebels' adventures with thrilling sound effects is a rewarding skill. Charlie Ross, who does speak the Ewoks' primitive dialect, is taking a cue from the golden protocol droid and recapping the original Star Wars trilogy all by himself in the inventively titled One-Man Star Wars Trilogy. After viewing the movies hundreds of times, Ross can now quote them word-for-word, including the indigenous lexicons of Hutts, Wookiees and Rodians. Along with playing all the characters, Ross incorporates factoids, plenty of sound effects and even bits of John Williams' score. The performances run from December 2nd to December 23rd at the Midtown Theatre.

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Dedication

This is the PAX logo. Tattooed into a fan's arm. That is all.

Parks and Rec's Aubrey Plaza Pitches WarCraft

Why, hello there Aubrey Plaza. I'll buy whatever you're selling.

PS: Did you know Aubrey Plaza's Twitter name is @evilhag? Now you do.

Toys, T-Shirts, and TARDISes Up For Grabs in Geek Chic Holiday Giveaway

How was your Thanksgiving? Now, I don't really care about the turkey and trimmings, but I am interested in any deals you snagged.  We had some ReedPOP members brave the cold for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, and I may just be risking carpal tunnel syndrome right now for some Cyber Monday scores.  One of the team landed Arkham City for $15 on Friday.  Another took home a two foot tower of Blu-rays for cheap.  And a third now needs to find a home for a 48 inch LG 3D TV procured at the ridiculous price of only $400.

Of course, the best price of all is free, and our friends at Geek Chic Daily are giving away the ultimate nerdy holiday prize pack.  Culled from throughout the interwebs, they've assembled an assortment of geekery coming in at over $1,000, and -- tis is season -- are sharing it with their readers instead of hording it beneath their desks.  Geek Chic's holiday prize pack consists of...

Smallville: The Complete Series DVD Box Set
Mattel DC Infinite Heroes Starro Set - 2010 Comic-Con Exclusive
Kotobukiya Fine Art Gambit Statue
Sideshow Holiday Yoda
Doctor Who Series Six DVD
Doctor Who TARDIS Mini Set
Doctor Who Suit Shirt
Doctor Who Talking Pen
Darth Vader Ultimate FX Lightsaber
Masters of the Universe Classics Wind Raider
Kotobukiya Han Solo in Carbonite and R2 Ice Trays
Angry Birds: Knock On Wood Game
Super 7 Mascot-Size Mummy Boy in Blue Glow Vinyl
Gremlins Gizmo Action Figure, Dancing Gizmo and Santa Gizmo plush by NECA

You can enter to win online at Geek Chic's site and twice more via Facebook and Twitter.  For more info and to put your name into the running, hit up geekchicdaily.com by December 20th.

Now, I should mention that this entire post is written against my better judgment, and my original draft began with "Screw the Season and Don't Enter the Geek Chic Daily Holiday Contest!"  Part of the Geek Chic giveaway, see, is the Doctor Who TARDIS Mini Set.  For the uninformed, it's a little kinda-sorta-almost Lego TARDIS complete with Doctor and Amy mini-figures.  In other words, it's the best holiday gift of all, and I want it all for myself.  You entering will only diminish my own chances of eliminating any of my own productivity in 2012.  I suppose, though, I can just buy one myself if Forbidden Planet NYC ever gets them back in stock.

Vworp! Vworp!

Worst. Clan. Ever.

Playing Modern Warfare 3?  The game's broken virtually every metric of success for not just videogames -- but across entertainment overall -- so, it's pretty safe to assume you are.  The game's a gorgeous thing, its narrative making me well up a few times, and the multi-player is incredibly self-aware and nuanced.  But I'm not going to write a love letter to MW3.  No.  Instead, I'm going to formally announce the start of the worst clan in Modern Warfare history.

Fanboys and fangirls, the good folks at ReedPOP and Reed Exhibitions have banded together to start [RXUS].  This clan, composed of Reed employees who fancy themselves warlords and nation builders in their off hours, is now online and getting its ass swiftly handed to it by twelve-year-olds.

If you spot a member of RXUS online, please be gentle.

Seriously, it's long been a pet project of the team to start up some regular playdate with fans, whether sanctioned by Xbox LIVE or not, and we're hoping RXUS is the first step toward something bigger.  The PAX guys regularly privately play online, but the larger team only had one internal playdate I can think of.  It was pretty fun, despite Settembrini spending the entire night camping. Well, fingers crossed something becomes of RXUS and we can build some legit online gatherings out of it. 

Until then, I'll be the guy you just destroyed with an ACR.

Caturday: Chow Chow Edition

I'm on the slow bus between Boston and NYC without any cat pictures on my phone, so we'll all have to work with this. Snapped last week, it's of a Chow Chow at Meet The Breeds.

The Chow Chow, a giant, fuzzy lion of a dog, is one of the oldest breeds of doggies, and the original ancestor of more modern breeds including the Pomeranian.

The Chow Chow is originally from ancient China, where I've been told they were raised for their meat.

Happy Caturday!

Thanksgiving At Large

Happy Thanksgiving! The ReedPOP team has scattered across the country for today's annual celebration of family and fowl. Kim's feasting on a Thanksgiving brunch right now. MK's on hour 30 of her turkey prep. Heels is in Long Island somewhere making this day of traditional Americana nerdy. Lance is at Greg's, both on their second six pack of pumpkin ale. Fitch's kids, I assume, are hunting possum in the backyard.

I'm on the Fung Wah bus to Boston for a traditional Chinese Thanksgiving followed by a late night screening of The Muppets.

I'd wanted to stay in NYC for the first time this year, doing a whimsical little holiday with the fiancée at home. We'd make construction Pilgrim and Indian hats and a horrible mess of the kitchen: stuffing from scratch, hand-pounded mashed potatoes, candied yams, gingered green beans, corn spiked with hot pepper, tofurkey dressed with guava chutney, pretzel bread biscuits, and apple, pumpkin, and sweet potato pies. The soon-to-be Mrs. said no. Something about how I'd instead spend the day playing Modern Warfare 3 while she stared on furiously.

So, Boston.

I've digressed.

Back to Thanksgiving, we meet a lot of people in this business, and everyone becomes a little bit of our family. We thank you for that, and we hope you have a safe, happy, warm, and wonderful Turkey Day. We'd love to all invite you to our home one day, but I don't think we'd be able to find a table long enough, and MK would probably go walkabout midway through the three week prep.

We wish you all the best today, and we'd like to remind you that it's okay to take that third slice of pie. We won't judge.

Chicago On A Plate

If you even casually glanced at the blog last week, you know we ate a lot in Chicago.  We didn't go looking for breakfast pie or chocolate chip skillets, they found us, and while we had a fantastic time in the Windy City, the team spent the weekend shopping for new pants.  Now, as a perfect coda to our exploits in Chicago, @1nerdycupcake, sends us the McRushmore 2, a gustatory Frankenstein concocted by the evil geniuses at Red Eye Chicago.

The McRushmore 2 is the unholy union between the Mastodon Burger from Kuma's Corner, the Taco de Panza out of Big Star, the Antelope Sausage Dog by way of Hot Doug's, and a slice of Lou Malnati's Sausage Deep Dish Pizza.  Terrifying, no?  You can see the finished masterpiece above, and -- if you're brave enough -- you can check out Red Eye for 26 gratuitous shots of the burger's construction and demolition.

I'm afraid.

3 Things I Think Are Awesome

#1

#2

This story about adult Lego freaks from the WSJ. I long so much to be one of them, or rather one of them that gets paid to be a freak, read it here.

#3

This story from the Star Tribune about where Paul Westerberg is these days. Apparently working on a Replacements box set, but more importantly coaching his kids baseball team and randomly riding his bike around the street he lives on. Nice. Read it here.

- Lance

Caturday

MK sent me this picture yesterday. The email was titled "Kim's Ideal World". Unprompted by not soon after, my girlfriend asked me if MK and Kim were weird. 

I showed her this picture.

This Is What Genius Looks Like

Last weekend, I attended an Archer panel in NYC's Paley Center.  It's the kind of stuff I aspire to see at NYCC.  In a number of ways.  First up, the panel had a fantastic line-up -- Adam Reed along with H. Jon Benjamin, Chris Parnell, Amber Nash, and David Cross.  Second up, let me repeat David Cross.  The panel wasn't a panel but performance art.  Cross moderated/hijacked the hour-long talk, spending very little of it actually on Archer, instead discussing more important things like BBQ, Worcester, and Amber Nash's house.  At some point, star H. Jon Benajmin just walked out, wandering about the Paley Center with his mic still on.

I had tears in my eyes the entire time, while I can only imagine Paley Center curator David Bushman had sweat dripping from his brow.  Bravo, though, dude.  It was unexpected, devious, and surreal. It was brilliant.  You can -- and should -- read Bushman's full recap of the event.

Capturing the atmosphere perfectly, here's a shot from Bushman's blog of the panel's cast posing in front of the Paley Center's step and repeat...

 

Chicago At Large: One More For The Road

Chitown Spidey is a lot like NYC's Spider-Man.  While I've always known and appreciated him for his heroism darting about the Mag Mile in his red and blue long undies, I realized during our meet-ups that he's got even more in common with his New York counterpart.  Just as NYC's Spider-Man's secret identity, Peter Parker, has a day job taking photos for the Daily Bugle, Chitown Spidey's secret identy, [REDACTED], loves to snap pictures as well.

Here's his group shot from the end of our second night...

It's dark and grim and all of our eyes are red, but that's pretty representative of how we are in real life.

Chicago At Large: The Last Word

Well, that was fun.  After three days of non-stop meetings and eating, we need to wave goodbye to the Windy City.  We had a lot of fantastic conversations, and the wheels are spinning around C2E2 2012.  Pretty soon, you'll begin to see the fruits of these past few days at C2E2.com as well as right here on the blog.  But, until then, we'd like DJ Kitty to have the last word...

Chicago At Large: I Spy A Guy With A Hogwarts Scarf

Those are Heise's hands, banging on some work as we roar along the track to O'Hare. We're on the subway now. I spy a guy with a Hogwarts scarf, a kid in a Spider-Man hat, and a woman reading George R.R. Martin. While I'm excited and have a bit of an obsession with trains, Jenny may be freaking out.

It's OK. Just 53 more minutes.

Chicago At Large: I Will Eat No More Forever

So, Day Three of our Chicago trip is coming to a surreal, satisfying end. A number of the team have already departed, with Fitch, MK, Jenny, Heise, Heels, and I still on the ground. Lots of meetings today. Awesome meetings. Don't know how we managed to plow through after the late night at Blue Frog, but we laid the groundwork for some excited, exciting things.

Yeah, vague promises are the best promises, aren't they?

In between meetings, we hit up the Lego Store, a tea shop called Tea, some gallery with a Power Ranger and elephant eating donuts, and did some walking. After three days of eating to the point of madness, we walked twenty blocks along the Magnificent Mile. It felt awesome.

I should mention we were walking to a little place called the Grand Lux Cafe - a place MK wanted to go to solely to score some fried pickles. We also attempted a pulled pork grilled cheese and something called a Manhattan Salad - which, I presume, was named based on its size being rather not smaller than Manhattan. You can see some of this in the picture.

We gave up pretty soon in. After three days here, I think we're all exhausted. Thanksgiving is cancelled. I'm throwing out everything in my refrigerator. We're donating the ReedPOP Secret Snack Stash to ISC.

All of this, though, didn't stop Heise from endeavoring to stomach a chocolate chip cookie sundae skillet.

Chicago At Large: Deep Dish Pancake

Day Three begins at the Original Pancake House. This darling is their apple pancake. Heise's hand should give you a frame of reference. Now, if you look closely, you may start to think the thing bears very little resemblance to a pancake, having more akin to pie. You'd be correct.

The Original Pancake House serves up entire apple pies for breakfast. It's twisted. It's delicious. Chicago's catching up to us, though, as Heels and I could barely do a third of this pie masquerading as a pancake.

Actually, meditating on it, the apple pancake shares a lot with another Chicago staple - the deep dish pizza. This monster is a deep dish pastry packed with layers of apple, cinnamon, sugar, and an unexpected buttery custard.

Read more »

GeekChic Picks Of The Week!

While the ReedPOP team is out in Chicago, New York's not left alone.  Looking for something to do in Manhattan, Brookyn, Bronx, Staten Island, or Queens? Here are some recommendedations -- as selected by our friends at GeekChicNYC...

Akuma Matata - It's time for Galactus practice. Midtown Comics' November 19th Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 tourney has a $50 gift card prize, no entry fee, free play and free comics. That's the best Combo yet. (Stone Creek Lounge, noon)

Tommy, Can I See You? - It's not easy to choose the worst New York movie (Freejack? Spider-Man 3?) But anyone who's glanced at the leering, grave visage of Tommy Wiseau on a Highland Blvd. billboard knows the worst LA one. His self-produced, written and directed movie The Room epitomizes so-terrible-it's-awesome. The People's Improv Theater is offering a rare East Coast viewing at midnight November 19th. (Free)

Mocking Dead - Zombies rip us apart, so it's time we rip on them too. The play Brew of the Dead II: Oktoberflesh spoofs classic zombie flicks to answer a question ignored by George A. Romero, Sam Raimi and Robert Kirkman. Can the dead get high? (Under St. Marks, Through November 19, 8PM, $12)

Shell Meet Again - On Friday, a screening of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be introduced by the clan's blue masked leader (or at least his puppeteer). Take April O'Neil's reporting gig by asking Leo why he gets to use two swords while Donatello is stuck with a stick. (BAMcinématek, 9:15PM, $12)

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Chicago At Large: Be Who You Are

So, at 2 AM on a typical night, I'd be snuggling with and stealing covers from my fiancée after passing out to Glee on Hulu. Tonight, I'm the awkward guy in the corner of Blue Frog as Chicago's best karaoke floods the air.

That blob in the middle with the vintage Lego T-Shirt is Captain Lance, bringing down the house with a tearful tribute to none other than our own Michael Carmela Armstrong.

Mike's in the back, blushing, confused, and feeling just a wee bit excited.

Chicago At Large: Nacho Drunk

Night Two here in Chicago, and we're doing our second formal focus group. Last night, we met up with Chicagoland fans who haven't been to C2E2 before, and tonight we're talking to prior attendees. The event's gone on a bit now, and everyone's a little drunk on nachos and beer - which is pretty much the ReedPOP business model.

Here's some of the random notes from the evening. Don't try to draw a web between em all...

Food Tucks
Nathan Fillion
Classical Ballet
Nostalgia Critic
Webcomics
Froggy
Trivia Nights
Roosevelt Stop
Doctor Who
Animation Industry
Drum Line
Howard
SMBC

Another round of nachos!

Chicago At Large: This Isn't Healthy

I'm sorry. I apologize. Golly, I didn't know what I was thinking. Looking back at Chicago At Large, I don't know how I made two posts in a row not about food. It won't happen again.

Making right, here's a picture from breakfast at the Original Pancake House. The place is obscene. Six egg omelets. Apple pie pancakes. Bacon infused waffles.

We're at an Asian place for lunch now, ideally mitigating some of breakfast's damage, but we've somehow ended the meal with chocolate peanut butter pie.

This isn't healthy.

Chicago At Large: Killer Robots

Behold the Gakushu Robot Cell. This is one of the smaller robots here at FabTech. We saw a very patriotic robot, too, waving about an American flag. But I don't trust him. As soon as Judgment Day hits, he'll clearly be the first robot to slaughter his human masters.

In non robot news, I think we've got an initial plan around rooms, space, queuing, press, talent, volunteers, and other wonky business. Ideally, all this stuff will be invisible to attendees, but it's something that'll be the result of long hours of talk, debate, and name calling within the team.

Now, excuse me, as I have to ask if the Komatsu Rapid Manufacturing System can be used to make grilled cheese.

Chicago At Large: The New Home Of C2E2

We're here in McCormick Place North and South, and you're looking at the Grand Concourse. FabTech - the most fabulous trade show ever - is in McCormick now. It's got bending robots, welding robots, cutting robots, drilling robots, and dancing robots. It's awesome. There's even an Orbital Welding company.

Welding In Space!

Heels and I should make sure Skeleton Bandito has a sub-division called Orbital Welding Solutions. If the preceding sentence didn't make sense, you're not following @h_e_e_l_s and @petertatara on Twitter. Shame.

Getting serious for a moment, McCormick's North and South Buildings are amazing. Unlike New York, where we don't have enough space, C2E2's 2012 halls provide us more than enough. We've got the fortune, too, to sit, think, plot, and plan, which is what we're doing today. We're skulking around secret passages, taking freight elevators into kitchens, and avoiding FabTech's killer robots.

There's a lot of potential for C2E2 2012, and we've got to now put all the puzzle pieces into place.

Chicago At Large: Local Nightlife

Check out this spooky shot of some disturbing Chicagoland vampires. Wait, no. Sorry. It's a picture of the Team Leaders from the C2E2 Volunteer Meet-Up and Bake-Off.  We met at a charming family place called Ethanol and Sustenance.  As you can see, it was quite dim.  (Which, if you note the quality of my Kuma's photo, I'm sensing is a trend.)  The picture comes by way of Chi-Town Spidey, who was also recording a good bit of the evening, so expect video of a half-down Heise with a face full of canola soon.

Yeah, we're serious about the Bake-Off bit.  There were cookies, eclairs, cupcakes, magic cheesecake, and various other sweets.  The winner?  Let's say it was Bravo, as the boy needs something to build up his confidence.

Chicago At Large: Kuma's Corner

We're at Kuma's Corner. The legendary Kuma's Corner. The infamous Kuma's Corner. Chicago's death metal answer to NYC's Shake Shack. We've heard the tales and we were denied Kuma's last time we were out in Chitown -- a three hour wait to grab a burger on a Saturday.

But now, we four -- Fitch, Heise, Heels, and I -- sit inside Kuma's! After a fantastic meeting with Chicagoland volunteers, we dashed out to Kuma's, prepared for a multi-hour line, but... Gasp! Shock! Horror! We were seated without any wait.

Fitch is getting the Pantera, Heise has the Iron Maiden, Heels is going for the Arkansas Something Magical, and I'll be tucking into a Neurosis. Our beers range from Christmas Ale to British Banana Beer.

It's been a long day, and we've had some significant dropout from the original 16 planning on hitting up Kuma's, but we've survived, and now we're about to dig in.

It's loud. It's hot. It's cramped. It's dark. It's delicious.

Chicago At Large: When In Rome

Here we are, deep into Day One of our whirlwind C2E2 November tour. Lots of good meetings. Khahil got a job offer. Kim's flight was cancelled. Pretty par for the course. Here's a little picture of lunch at Lou Malnati's.

We're splitting up again now for focus groups and a volunteer meet up. Then, the first official meeting of the ReedPOP Save Inspector Spacetime (And Community) Emergency Taskforce.

Chicago At Large: Must Love Dogs

We're here and set up in Chicago. The team's split up among retailers, volunteers, partners, and various other friends of the show. Meanwhile, I'm doing some Star Wars work from my hotel room.

Behold one of the wifi networks in the hotel. MustLoveDogs.

Chicago At Large: Devil With A Blue Dress On

We're en route to Chicago. Kinda. Almost. We're on the plane on the tarmac. That's the view from my window. That's not our actual plane. Our's is probably called Blue Harvest. Or something. Doesn't really matter.

We'll be taking off shortly and then be doing a day of meetings that we probably can't talk about. Then, though, Kuma's Corner. It's going to happen. Tonight. Past your bedtime. Doesn't really matter.

We're still going and will be blogging blurry, blurry pictures of Kristin Heise elbow deep into a piece of gouda and carmelized onion covered chuck.

There's a work connection here somewhere, and it's not as tenuous as you may suspect. Really. I've got a cunning plan to do a special burger at Kuma's in honor of C2E2.

The C2B2.

Behold The Burberry Baby Snowsuit

We stopped by Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Ave yesterday to check out the werewolves and fishmen in the luxury store's windows and then headed over to the Bergdorf website afterwards to get some additional information on the beasties. Couldn't find anything, but we did discover the 2011 Bergdorf Goodman Holiday Gift List. It's an amazing, baffling, stupefying list and well worth a read, whether you're in the market for some super swanky Christmas presents or if you just want to see how the 1% shops.

Our favorites...

White Gold Shark Head Cufflinks with Diamond Eyes ($7,000)
Alexander McQueen Purple Mink Skull Purse ($3,000)
Stingray, Alligator, Ostrich, and Goatskin iPhone Cases ($400)
Burberry Gold Metallic Baby Snowsuit ($350)

That's the Burberry Baby Snowsuit pictured with this little post.  You owe it to yourself to click on over to the Bergdorf Goodman Gift List to see the rest.
 

Cheshire Caturday

It's been a busy day. Went to the Paley Center Archer panel hosted by David Cross, an event that was a surreal piece of awesome and awkward performance art. After that, hit up the Central Park Zoo and saw a baby red panda, making anything you did today irrelevant. After that, dinner at Alice's Tea Cup, which is totally where I'm doing my wedding rehearsal dinner. Really. Then, I stopped by FAO Schwarz, where they're selling both American and Japanese Power Rangers toys. Next, picked up a top secret surprise for Marykate. Finally, walked by Bergdorf Goodman, and I saw this.

It's a super spooky Cheshire Cat walking some doggies. It's part of a ridiculous window display also featuring a werewolf and Hath-like fishman. Hath? They were the baddies in the Doctor Who episode "The Doctor's Daughter". Didn't care for it when it first came out, but it's grown on me. Also, it introduced David Tennant to Miss Georgia Moffett, the actress who played the titular daughter. They're married now.

I'm digressing. We posted up pictures of the werewolf and fishman and red panda at @nerdyorkcity. I'm off to eat scones.

Townhall At Large: McRib

Wrapping up today's Townhall posts, we'll leave you with a look at some of the raw, untempered creativity of the ladies and gents at ReedPOP. Today's meeting had various team-building exercises, and what's a team-building exercise but an excuse to make up team names? Below are some of the names generated. They're not the best, but they're the ones I'm not ashamed to post on the internet. My mom reads this blog...

Dingleberries
Fire Breathing Kittens
The Penn State Nittany Lions
Heavy D's Final McRib
Team Chewbacca
Platinum Prestige
Trumbull Youth Basketball Xplosion
Taskforce Silent Panther
Alex Skarsgard Is Lame
Fireable Offense
Snake Juice
Creeps In Vans
Here for Beer
Victorious Secret
The Abusement Park
Designated Drinkers
Better With Beer
Fire Breathing Kittens
Anti Armed Flying Mortal Penguins
Steaming Medium

The image - referenced in an earlier post - is a shot of our super spooky storage room in the basement. Can you see the asbestos?

Townhall At Large: We Are The Champions

The ReedPOP Townhall is wrapping up. We just finished our own little version of the Newly Wed Game. Armstrong and I were a team and kicked ass. Now, while those at the meeting may not say we actually won, I'm saying we did. On this blog. On the internet.

So, who you gonna believe?

This was my answer to "What Job Would You Leave ReedPOP For?" I'm gunning for you, Moffat!

Townhall At Large: Blurry Jackie

That is all.

Townhall At Large: Sad Mike

Here's blurry, sad Mike. He's just learned we're sending him to Siberia for four months to help with a new launch. The Sverdlovsk Ska, Jazz & Funk Fan Fest.

Townhall At Large: Fitch Castle

Behold Fitchie. At least, behold his shirt. I first encountered Punisher Fitchie this morning while in the building's spooky P1 level on my way to Reed's super spooky storage space. There's always something supernatural or sketchy on P1, and an early morning encounter with Fitch Castle fits this.

Townhall At Large: New York, NY

Behold the New York Bakery. In Norwalk, CT. It's outside our townhall.

Townhall At Large: Blurry Greg

Blurry Greg takes the floor. He's in a seersucker shirt and talking about his Tecmo Super Bowl League.

Townhall At Large: Blurry Kim

And here's Kim. She's the blob most to the right. I think Jenny's the little blob next to her. Butler's the plaid bit of pixels on the left. Kim's talking about energy colors and crystal skulls.

Townhall At Large: Blurry Lance

Promised blurry pictures. Here's super blurry Lance beside a screen too bright and blurry to make out any of the details. Likely pictures of Lance's Maine vacation.

ReedPOP Townhall Go!

Ladies and gents, welcome to the ReedPOP Townhall. A day for the 30-some people across Reed Exhibitions who dirty their hands, bloody their noses, and otherwise lose sleep over NYCC, C2E2, PAX, NYAF, UFC, SWC, and Inspector Spacetime Expo.

The business we're talking about today is secret. Really. I can't post any of the strat plan, biz dev details, or global review, but I can upload blurry pictures.

Yay?

C2E2 Contract Binder

Can I talk to you about C2E2 guests yet? No. Can I show you the happy little binder were all our guest agreements live? Sure. To your right, you'll see the topic secret file housing everything awesome about the 2012 Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo. If you happen to break into the ReedPOP office, please don't steal it. Instead, grab some chips from our secret snack stash - held pretty close to the binder.

MK created the binder with three kitties representative of the C2E2 Conference Team. There's Kim, the kitty passed out beneath a glass of red wine, Peter, the fancy kitty with a top hat and pipe, and MK, the kitty hugging a puppy... which makes sense. Somewhat.

Chicago At Large! One Week Away!

At this time next Monday, the ReedPOP team will be soaring on the wings of JetBlue to Chicago for three days of jampacked meetings, site visits, and planning sessions.  We'll be swinging by friends, volunteers, retailers, partners, and burrowing through all the back halls of McCormick.  Of course, we've got to eat, too. And, by eat, in typical ReedPOP fashion, we mean drink.  We'll be retiring to the Whiskey Bar & Grill at 1015 North Rush Street next Monday and Tuesday nights at 8 PM.  We'll be the loud group discussing the best ways to get talent in and out of the North and South Halls of McCormick Place... along with our MW3 withdrawal... and if we've got any angles to get into Kuma's without waiting for four hours in the cold.

Come by, say hi, and trade gamertags with us.

Quidditch World Cup This Weekend!

We know people are going to fill panel room for discussions about X-Men and Batman. Publishers like Marvel and DC are the tentpoles of our events. This said, each year, we attempt to inject something new.  Patton Oswalt... Comics and Food... Quidditch...  These are three bits of unexpected, out-there programming we added to our shows' agendas in 2011, and we're working on more diverse experiments for 2012.  Thinking back, I remember first talking with the International Quidditch Association late last year. It was right after their 2010 World Cup in NYC. I remember seeing kids in goggles, capes, and brooms heading through Manhattan to get to the game.  I remember our first meeting over tea and Japanese cookies at Kinokuniya Bookstore.

A few months later, we presented Muggle Quidditch (that's what those in-the-know call real-world Quidditch) exhibition matches at C2E2, and just a few weeks back, we featured the International Quidditch Association for two days of matches at New York Comic Con.

Each time I see a game, it ignites a little spark of joy.  This is something that shouldn't exist.  Really.  It's an imaginary sport played by wizards... but there it was, kids, parents, and Stormtroopers rushing about Hall B in NYCC, ducking under balls and chasing after a dude wrapped from head-to-toe in gold.  I'm excited now, after seeing Quidditch played on the small scale at C2E2 and NYCC, to witness it on the center stage.  This weekend is the fifth Quidditch World Cup in NYC!

The event goes on this Saturday and Sunday at Randall's Island, bringing together over 100 teams from throughout the US as well as Canada, Finland, Argentina, and New Zealand.

We'll be there cheering for hometown favorites the NY Badassilisks.  Want to join us?  Grab tickets at worldcupquidditch.com.

Caturday

From Jenny.

Manga and Merlot Mix at Drops of God Wine Tasting

There are all kinds of manga genres.  I'm not talking about giant robots, ninjas, or magical school girls, either.  Nope, there's horse-riding manga, train-driving manga, golf manga, cooking manga, and wine manga, too. Drops of God by Tadashi Agi and Shu Okimoto falls into this last category.  It's about wine, and it's become terribly, amazing influential in Japan.  It's spurred the Japanese wine market, and the bottles in the book's pages have regularly exploded in popularity and price.  And, now, through Vertical, Inc, Drops of God's come to the US. 

To celebrate this American launch, Vertical and NYC wine shop BottleRocket are throwing a Drops Of God party on November 9th. After an introduction from Vertical on the manga and its significance, BottleRocket's staff will be pouring six wines featured in the series. Cheese, conversation, and comics will follow. 

It all kicks off at 6 PM. Admission is free, but the wine is limited.  Get there early.

Danger Zone! Archer At The Paley Center

The New York Comedy Festival will shortly be in town, and with it, our friends at the Paley Center are putting on a week of dynamite panels. Behind the Scenes at the Onion News Network on IFC is November 11th, Live from New York… A Discussion with the Saturday Night Live Writers is November 13th, Wrapping Up the Third Season of Bored to Death is November 15th, and -- oh, what's this -- Danger Zone: In the Field with Archer is Saturday, November 12th!

Archer creator Adam Reed along with H. Jon Benjamin (Sterling Archer), Chris Parnell (Cyril Figgis), and Amber Nash (Pam Poovey) will take the stage to talk about the current season of Archer, which the Paley Center calls "the most profanely funny and compulsively quotable show currently on the tube" and "a richly layered, quirky character study, rife with callbacks and sparky interactions and laden with the kind of subtle detail that rewards repeat viewings". It's also got this...

PS: The event is moderated by David Cross.

Grab tickets to all of the Paley Center's upcoming events at paleycenter.org.

NYC MoCA Open Until Nov 3

TBS's Conan is shooting in New York this week.  They're at the Beacon Theatre until the 3rd, and also until the 3rd, is the New York Museum of Conan Art (MoCA).  Taking over the second floor of the Time Warner Center, it's a glorious, genius museum dedicated to all things Conan spread out over galleries devoted to Classical Narcissism, Neo-Impressionist Expressionism, Really Real Surrealism, and Post Self-Deconstructivism.  Much more than paintings on walls, too, there are black turtleneck clad docents, an audio tour, and a robot couch that gives hugs.

I stopped in last night.  Lines were long.  Smiles were wide.  La Bamba was playing piano.  It was a whole other world.

Take a half hour today or tomorrow and check out MoCA.  It's deliriously, dementedly brilliant.  Then, check out Conan at 11 PM on TBS. (To your right, you'll see one of the pieces in the musuem - Conan the Conqueror.)

What Would NPH Do?

This is my whiteboard. As you can see, it houses some very important stuff. Wave buh-bye, though, as it's all being erased in the lead up to a big C2E2 pow wow. We're slogging through where we are with guests as well as new directions. Plus, Khahil from the PAX team is coming by.

To keep it all straight, we're going to scribble on the whiteboard.

And maybe draw another kitty.