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Why Aren't People Excited About The Apple Watch?

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The new Apple Watch has come in for a lot of knee-jerk reaction type of criticism since it recent launch.

It’s said that it’s too wide, too thick, too expensive, and people can’t really see a need for it as they have their smartphones and tablets already – so what’s the point in a tiny computer on your wrist?

Of course – all this stuff seriously misunderstands the true potential of the Apple Watch in ways that many people are only just beginning to grasp.

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Would Wearing Crying Babies Into Battle Benefit Warriors? This MIT Grad Student Proves That It Would

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Before I show you this talk by Tomer Ullman, an MIT Graduate Student in Brain and Cognitive Sciences, I want to tell you a little bit about The Festival of Bad Ad Hoc Hypothesis, or BAHFest, which is a "...celebration of well-argued and thoroughly researched but completely incorrect evolutionary theory" [BAHFest].

Basically, it's like The Moth/Mortified/Ted Talks for brainiacs, whereby amazingly smart people come up with a "story", so-to-speak, and back it up with PowerPoint slides and facts that can make any unsuspecting person believe that it is true.

In Ullman's talk, he proves, without a doubt, that the benefits of wearing a crying baby into battle helped our species evolve into the violent warriors that we are today, based upon one fact, that the annoyingly horrific cry of an infant had to be some kind of asset for us to allow it to continue.

So please, enjoy Ullman's presentation after the break and remember, whenever your ears begin to bleed from the piercing wail of a a three month old, at some point in our history, that cry helped someone kick ass.

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THE FACTS OF LIFE Cast Reunite At PaleyFest To Celebrate 35th Anniversary

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By Erin Maxwell

Memories were shared, laughs were had, stories were told and Mrs. Garrett cussed like a truck driver.

Watching an 88-year-old Charlotte Rae let her one-auburn hair down while surrounded by former cast members Mindy Cohen (“Natalie Green”), Nancy McKeon (“Jo Polniaczek”) and Lisa Whechel (“Blair Warner”) was perhaps one of many great highlights at the PaleyFest’s The Facts of Life 35th Anniversary Reunion.

While chatting about the initial casting of the iconic show, Rae talked about meeting Cohen for the first time and how she was cast as Natalie Green.

“She was just a 12-year-old girl in front of a TV audience for the first time,” recalled Rae. “You must have been scared shitless.”

As the audience howled at the remark, Rae was quick to point out: “You know I'm not Mrs Garrett.”

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SUPERHEROSTUFF: 15th Anniversary Sale: It's SIDEKICK'S DAY!

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It's been 15 years since our friends first opened the digital doors to SuperHeroStuff.com! To celebrate this anniversary they're having a 15 day long super-mega-ultra sale. Take 15% off everything site-wide PLUS save extra on 100s of different items every day!

Today is Sidekick's Day!  Which means up to 20% off merchandise featuring some of the greatest sidekicks in pop culture including Robin, Supergirl, Superboy, Harley Quinn, Batgirl, Nightwing, Kid Flash and more!

Check out the aweseomeness HERE!

More sale info after the jump!

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5 Pop Culturally Cool Chess Sets

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It’s not often you see the phrase “Cool Chess Set” in a sentence before as Chess it’s often considered to be a rather plain (yet still entertaining) board game. It’s something for adults and a dedicated audience, like bingo.

That’s why we’ve scoured the web to find what we think is the coolest and geekiest Chess sets out there, games that put a fun and funky spin on the classic game of chess in the same way that free bingo sites give a breath of fresh air to the classic bingo game.

But forget about the crappy free online games; check out some of these cool Chess sets!

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Cosmic Treadmill: LEAVING MEGALOPOLIS (review)

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Today, Dark Horse releases Leaving Megalopolis, originally a Kickstarter funded project from the amazing creative team of Gail Simone and artist Jim Calafiore.

Jim and Gail were responsible for a longtime run on Secret Six, the DC villain team book that will be returning to the New 52 with Gail on writing duties.


Leaving Megalopolisstands in the grand tradition of books going back to Watchmen. At the center of the conflict, innumerable super powered beings take over and turn on the innocent humans they at one time were sworn to protect.

Mina is our hero — a cop with baggage just trying to get out of the city in one piece.

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Totally Gnarly 80s Horror Flicks

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I know that those of you who’ve read my pieces before think I’m some sort of giallo, Italian horror, fanatic.

Yes, this would be a true statement. However, I’m not indebted to any one subgenre. 

I hope you feel the same way, too; segregation is evil.

But, ever since I began my education in horror, my heart has always bent for the grody, icky, bloody, gory, filthy comedic horror straight out of the 80s in the best way possible.


Maybe it’s because I grew up with two older brothers who are both very horror-centric, but I really do love being grossed out. Well done, nasty effects are spectacular solely because if something can make you shout at your own television, like an ornery old man, while laughing, that’s something truly special. It’s a difficult niche to do well in for that reason.

Flops are abound because vile hilarity can be difficult to truly hone.

I’ve gathered five of my favorite totally gnarly 80s horror movies to share with you. Now, I’m not a person who gives trigger warnings (whatever the hell those are), but if I were, I would most likely do that now.

By no means are these meant to offend you, but, my god, I sure hope they really, really do.

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Original Series JUSTICE LEAGUE: GODS AND MONSTERS CHRONICLES Announced

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Episodes Are Expected to Launch in Second Quarter 2015, in Advance
of Highly Anticipated Original Animated Film Justice League: Gods & Monsters

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When APES Banter: Paul Williams Meets Dr. Zauis Onstage

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In 1973 singer/songwriter Paul Williams appeared on Johnny Carson dressed as his character Virgil from Battle for the Planet of the Apes. The performance became legendary for it's pure weirdness and, in some circles, is still thought of as one of the greatest skits in the history of the Carson show.

As an homage to that epic TV moment, writer/comedian Dana Gould stopped by Williams' show at the LARGO in Los Angeles dressed as Dr. Zaius and proceeded to banter with the legendary singer songwriter.  Pure magic for any fan of the original Planet of the Apes.  Anyone else hoping for a buddy comedy?

If you are a fan of men dressed up as apes, this is definitely going to make you happy.

Video after the break.

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Boston Cinegeeks! Wanna Win Tickets to See THE EQUALIZER?

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In The Equalizer, Denzel Washington plays McCall, a man who believes he has put his mysterious past behind him and dedicated himself to beginning a new, quiet life. But when McCall meets Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can’t stand idly by – he has to help her. Armed with hidden skills that allow him to serve vengeance against anyone who would brutalize the helpless, McCall comes out of his self-imposed retirement and finds his desire for justice reawakened. If someone has a problem, if the odds are stacked against them, if they have nowhere else to turn, McCall will help. He is The Equalizer. 

For your chance to win two tickets to attend the advanced screening of Columbia Pictures THE EQUALIZER on Wednesday, September 24th at the Boston Common, at 7:00PM go to www.sonyscreenings.com/FOGEQU.

Win a FALL TV Prize Pack!

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It's mid-September which means it's officially Fall TV Season!  This year, more than any other in recent memory, there are more geektastic shows than ever before!

There are, three shows in particular that we're really excited about!

THE FLASH
Barry Allen was just 11 years old when his mother was killed in a bizarre and terrifying incident and his father was falsely convicted of the murder. With his life changed forever by the tragedy, Barry was taken in and raised by Detective Joe West, the father of Barry’s best friend, Iris. 

Now, Barry has become a brilliant, driven and endearingly geeky CSI investigator, whose determination to uncover the truth about his mother’s strange death leads him to follow up on every unexplained urban legend and scientific advancement that comes along. Barry’s latest obsession is a cutting edge particle accelerator, created by visionary physicist Harrison Wells and his S.T.A.R. Labs team, who claim that this invention will bring about unimaginable advancements in power and medicine. However, something goes horribly wrong during the public unveiling, and when the devastating explosion causes a freak storm, many lives are lost and Barry is struck by lightning. After nine months in a coma, Barry awakens to find his life has changed once again – the accident has given him the power of super speed, granting him the ability to move through Central City like an unseen guardian angel.  For now, only a few close friends and associates know that Barry is literally the fastest man alive, but it won’t be long before the world learns what Barry Allen has become…The Flash.

GOTHAM
The good. The evil. The beginning.  Everyone knows the name Commissioner Gordon. He is one of the crime world's greatest foes, a man whose reputation is synonymous with law and order. But what is known of Gordon's story and his rise from rookie detective to Police Commissioner? What did it take to navigate the multiple layers of corruption that secretly ruled Gotham City, the spawning ground of the world's most iconic villains? And what circumstances created them – the larger-than-life personas who would become Catwoman, The Penguin, The Riddler, Two-Face and The Joker?

Gotham is an origin story of the great DC Comics Super-Villains and vigilantes, revealing an entirely new chapter that has never been told. From executive producer/writer Bruno Heller (“The Mentalist,” “Rome”),
Gotham follows one cop's rise through a dangerously corrupt city teetering between good and evil, and chronicles the birth of one of the most popular super heroes of our time.

STAR WARS: REBELS
Starring a small band of heroes — Sabine, Kanan, Hera, Ezra, Zeb, and Chopper — Star Wars Rebels is set in a time where the Empire rules through fear and shrouds the galaxy in darkness. This trailer offers many new glimpses at sequences from the show, including the starship Ghost chased by TIE Fighters; young Ezra watching as a Star Destroyer looms overhead; Stormtroopers marching; a zero-g fight between our heroes and Imperials; and Kanan, a secret Jedi, assembling his lightsaber and preparing for battle. It ends, however, with an Imperial officer reporting to the Inquisitor — the Empire’s Jedi hunter, seen and heard here for the first time.

Star Wars Rebels takes place between Star Wars: Episode III and IV as the Empire tightens its grip on the galaxy and a rebellion begins to form. The series, executive produced by Dave Filoni, Simon Kinberg, and Greg Weisman, is scheduled to premiere in fall 2014 as a one-hour special telecast on Disney Channel and will be followed by a series on Disney XD.

And to celebrate the launches of these three series, we've teamed up with our friends at TV Store Online to give away an awesome prize pack!

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THE COMPLETE JUNIOR AND SUNNY Catches Eyes This December

Great Scott! 5 Awesome Films Set in Scotland (Braveheart Not Included)

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In America, popular culture from other countries tends to have little effect unless it’s produced here. Films like Braveheart and Brave are two of the more popular films that focus on Scotland and are respectful of the country’s history, whereas other icons such as The Simpsons’ Groundskeeper Willie or Star Trek’s Scotty, tend to cross over into parody. Scotland’s current fight for independence is virtually ignored here in the states, where it’s far more important to cover the Kardashians and football players beating women.

Fortunately, there is plenty of commentary online including satire in the form of Lotto Land Scot-Pop Posters and celebrities are also voicing their opinions, with Sean Connery, Gerard Butler, Alan Cumming and Brian Cox siding with Scottish independence and Helena Bonham Carter , Simon Cowell, Judi Dench, Mick Jagger, J.K. Rowling, Patrick Stewart, Sting and David Tennant supporting that Scotland remain united with the rest of the U.K.

Whatever the decision winds up being, here are five of our favorite movies set in Scotland.

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ANIMATION GEEK: In The Air Is Christopher Grey...Love Has Never Been This Hilarious

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When you're young, the feeling of love can be overwhelming and because you don't have the benefit of experience, you do things that seem, well, weird, in order to impress the one that you are crushing on hard. You think things like, "If only s/he could see me break dance to Lionel Richie's Dancing on the Ceiling s/he would love me" or "If I jump a five-foot Boa Constrictor on my bike maybe that will impress her/him". Weird stuff like that (and no, that bit about Lionel Richie never happened...well, maybe some of it...)

In Felix Massie's In The Air Is Christopher Grey, a young Christopher Gray is in love with a girl named Stacey, and, as he proclaims to his friend, "No amount of lemonade can cool his desire", so he tries to do something a bit heroic to impress her (that snake thing I mentioned? Yeah, we're going there). And, as things usually do in situations like this, everything kind of goes wrong.

I don't believe there has ever been an animated short that so perfectly captures love young in all of its heartbreaking glory (or it's bloody horror) quite as well as this one.

Watch it after the break.

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China Creates Pedestrian Lanes For Cell Phone Addicts

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Because the world is apparently going straight to hell, the city of Chongqing in China has created walking lanes specifically for people who can't seem to lift their head from their phone long enough to see a car coming at them.

I guess no one understands Darwin's theory of evolution over there.

News report about why life no longer makes sense after the break.

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Watch Martin Scorsese's 1967 Short Film 'The Big Shave'

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Who's in the mood for a depressing short film by a young Martin Scorsese involving a bloody morning shave that seems straight out of one of his later films? Of course, many critics and film scholars have opined that The Big Shave is a metaphor for the Vietnam War, and it seems that it could very well be considering the time period.

Regardless of it's original intention, with recent news that the U.S. will once again be involved in a bloody and violent manhunt for ISIS, it feels as if the symbolism of The Big Shave mirrors the country's collective feeling of depression that we will never again feel safe in our homes.

So let's all get royally sad and watch the short together...afterward we can all down some Xanax with a couple of beers and binge-watch Scrubs.

Video after the break.

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Wytches #1 (review)

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Review by Atlee Greene
Wytches #1
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Jock
Colors: Matt Hollingsworth
Letters: Clem Robins
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $2.99



The fact that Scott Snyder is writing for Image Comics alone is enough to get anyone excited about the highly anticipated Wytches series.

Add to the fact that he is reunited by his fellow Batman: The Black Mirror collaborator, Jock, and you suddenly realize that you are in the midst of something special.

After an unsettling opening sequence that sets an incredibly horrifying tone, the story turns to the Rooks family who are dealing with a lot of personal baggage.

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Win THE WALKING DEAD: THE POSTER COLLECTION V.2!!!

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The Walking Dead, the most watched series among viewers 18 to 49, returns to AMC on Sunday, October 12 at 9pm ET/PT for its fifth season.  With forty stunning removable posters, The Walking Dead: The Poster Collection, Volume II features all new imagery from the third and fourth seasons, capturing the epic drama of the hit television series. Featuring amazing images of the most gruesomely memorable Walkers, it’s a must-have for fans of the show.
 Among the images within you'll find:


And thanks to our friends at Insight Editions, we're giving away three copies to FOG! readers!

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BOJACK HORSEMAN and '90s Throwbacks To TV Diversity

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Back in the '90s, he was on a very famous TV show.

And now he’s back, trying to recount his life, revive his career, and maybe redeem himself in the process.

Oh, and he’s an anthropomorphic talking horse.



If you haven’t see BoJack Horseman, the Netflix animated show streaming in full right now, go treat yourself to a Hollywood celebrity satire mixed with deeply intelligent, emotional storytelling. And the weirdness of a million animal-specific gags, and the bestiality-that-isn’t that goes way beyond Family Guy.


American pop culture creates a nostalgia wave of looking back 20 years, and right now we’re deep in the wave of '90s redux.


We keep hitting 20th anniversaries and other throwbacks, from Nirvana to Soundgarden’s Superunknown album to State Farm rolling out Rob Schneider’s Richmeister character from SNL.


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FOG! Exclusive Sneak Peek: THE SIMPSONS FAMILY HISTORY By Matt Groening!

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Next week, Abrams Books will release The Simpsons Family History by Matt Groening. Commemorating The Simpsons' incredible 25 years on the air, the book is the definitive piece of fan memorabilia, as well as the perfect gift for the holiday season.

The Simpsons Family History travels through time with series creator Matt Groening as he pulls back the curtain and reveals the events that turned this average family into a pop-culture phenomenon. Readers will marvel at hidden moments they never knew they missed, as all the pieces of Simpsons family history fall into place. This large-format, richly illustrated book is the first Simpsons book to pay tribute to the extraordinary visual artistry that has made The Simpsons the most consistently entertaining, enlightening, and inventive show in the history of television.

And thanks to both Mr. Groening and Abrams, we have an exclusive* look at several pages of the book!

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