SpaceGypsies

Zomibes, werewolves and vampires are the last things you would expect to see on a network that brought you the likes of Jersey Shore, Beavis and Butthead, and Jackass. But with the popularity of “things that go bump in the night,” it’s hard not to jump on the supernatural bandwagon. First, MTV stepped into the supernatural genre with their teenage drama Teen Wolf. Now, playing to a slightly older and more…geeky generation, MTV has given us Death Valley.

Zombie poking with Billy and Stubeck

California’s San Fernando Valley has been overrun by zombies, vampires and werewolves. Why? We don’t know and it doesn’t really matter. Death Valley is the story of the Undead Task Force (“UTF”), the police unit formed to handle the situation and keep things relatively under control. Shot in the style of Cops, Death Valley  demolishes the fourth wall and puts the viewer in on the action.

The warning at the beginning tells of the violence and gore that’s coming but this isn’t torture porn. Sure it’s probably a little more gory than necessary at some points, but it’s so campy and over the top that it doesn’t become an issue. The gore is also not central to the storyline. Consider it a bloody accessory.

What separates Death Valley from other shows in the genre is that it’s funny. It’s not meant to be taken seriously. As serious as The Walking Dead is, Death Valley parallels in humor. The writing itself is hilarious, but what really brings this show to life is the actors. Leading the UTF is MAD TV alumni Bryan Callen as Captain Dashell. Callen’s perfect deadpan delivery of shockingly inappropriate comments alone is enough to make you shoot your drink out your nose. So I recommend not drinking while watching.

Rinaldi and Johnson ready to put a zombie down.

Partners Officer Joe Stubeck (Charlie Sanders) and Officer Billy Pierce (Bryce Johnson) are the perfect combination of stuffy play-by-the-rules cop and not-so-clueless wildcard. While Officer Carla Rinaldi (Tania Raymonde) and Officer John “John John” Johnson (Texas Battle) provide a little flirtation along with their strong partnership.  Finally, there’s Officer Kirsten Landry (Caity Lotz), as the rookie of the force who proves to be not as goodie-goodie as everyone thinks she is.

Overall Death Valley is a hilarious and original take on the zombie/vampire trend. It’s a stand out show that combines everything fans love about the genre with a twist of realism and absurdity. It’s the one show on TV that will satisfy all of your zombie needs!

I give Death Valley five out of five gypsy wagons and cross my fingers for a season 2!

Death Valley airs on MTV Mondays at 10/9 central. You can watch full episodes online on MTV.com or download them from iTunes.

Hello fellow travelers!

This is a very special week for the SpaceGypsies. We recently discovered Operation Speak Out with your Geek Out and it was something that really spoke to us. We’re proud to be geeks and we’re proud to be fans. And we’re not afraid to show it!

Geeks have spent far too long being teased and stereotyped. But instead of combating negativity with harsh words, Operation Speak Out with your Geek Out proposes that we invite those that pick on us to “sit at our table and share our interests.”

“Let us combat being used as pawns for internet gaffes with the reasons why we’re awesome, why we love what we love, and why it’s good to be a geek.” -Operation Speak Out with your Geek Out

SpaceGypsies is proud to join Operation Speak Out with your Geek Out this week, September 12th- 16th by posting about the things we geek out for and why we’re proud to be geeks.

Do you want to join the revolution and geek out too? Post your geeky story in our comments section this week and let us know what you geek out for!

Never be afraid to let your geek flag fly!

SpaceGypsies

CoastCon’s guests, Daniel Jouet and Jesse Shoemaker of Changeling FX Inc. held some truly interesting and insightful panels.

Not only did they demonstrate and explain products and procedures but they glittered up this SpaceGypsy and scarred up a few attendees! Watching the creation of a scar to a young woman’s arm by Daniel Jouet was fascinating.

Both Daniel and Jesse had their ‘kits’ (about five metal boxes each) open on the table for anyone to peruse.  Also, visiting their booth you could line up for some Zombie make up or whatever  Changeling you could imagine.

Monster’s displayed on the Changeling FX table and watching Jesse Shoemaker at work crafting some zombie was definitely a highlight of CoastCon 34.  I could have watched this magic all day long!

Truly gifted in their craft, Jesse Shoemaker and Daniel Jouet of  Changeling FX, Inc.

Here is a snippet of one of their panels.  Unfortunately the sound and lighting in this panel room lacked much.  I left the intercom announcement (advertising this panel very late as you can tell) in as the reaction was a hoot.

CoastCon 34 – Con of the Living Dead hit Biloxi, MS for the 34th time March 11- 13, 2011.    There was an impressive display of pictures from many of the past cons and some great people/staff who are dedicated to this con!  

Though the theme was Con of the Living Dead, I’d have to say a good many of the costumes were Steampunk.  And of course Storm Troupers, Vader,  and some unidentifiable Con goers.

K-9, the Robot was delightfully underfoot all day on Saturday.  The small brown lump you can barely see on his back behind his neck is actually a miniature Chewbacca that K-9 wore in the Infamous Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus Mardi-Gras Parade on March 6th in New Orleans.

Every day at CoastCon the Inebriated Lab brew crew could be found wandering around in their lab coats with a drink in hand.  This lively bunch are home brewers love SciFi-Fantasy Conventions and the Con parties that are always on hand.

And these guys are more than willing to share their expertise and their brew!  Not to mention their new addition of ‘TigerBlood’. 

The usual array of gamers were on hand, as well as the D20 Girl Gamers group who the SpaceGypsies originally met at the New Orleans Wizard World Con.

The CoastCon34 had a room dedicated to Larping and Cosplay.

All in all this convention – though small –  was entertaining, informative, and lively!

Recently, I hosted a viewing party for the first season finale of AMC’s The Walking Dead. To my terror (and delight) I had two zombies in my living room that night!  Close friends asked if they could bring along bona fide zombies.  Not to worry, gentle reader, they were actors who had been lucky enough to be cast as featured zombies.

Episode 1: Joe Crawls Under the Tank. He is on the right. He's under a tank in downtown Atlanta!

The zombie actors, Magpie Starkiller and Joe Hernandez, were gracious and agreed to talk to me about being part of the highest rated series ever on cable.

Over the next few weeks I will be presenting these interviews and my analysis of the series start to finish. I hope also to look at the graphic novels, through a discussion with one of biggest fans of the graphic novels, my daughter, Ay-Bear about the differences between the graphic novels and the television show, the disappointments she found in the show, and the triumphs of the series.

During the scene where the heroes are approaching the CDC, Joe pointed to himself on the ground on the side walk.  In the next camera angle he pointed to himself across the street.  Another angle, he was on the grass.  His flexibility as a performer, solid work ethic, and sheer likeability lead to his constant usage on the show.

Today, I present my interview Joe Hernandez, featured zombie.  Joe and I share many mutual acquaintances in the Atlanta area, but the first time I met him was when he came to view the show with us.  It’s been a pleasure getting to know him and his craft.

Zombie Joe Hernandez on the right right, closest to camera.

Had you done any television work before? Film work? How different was this experience?

I’ve worked both in TV as an extra and as crew for a couple short films with Whitestone Motion Pictures and Penny Dreadful Productions, the production company I build for, and it was astounding.

Even though it was “just” a tv show, every episode of Walking Dead had all the production value of a full feature length movie.  TWD had multiple shooting crews, dozens of makeup and special effects guys, literally hundreds of extras and some really exceptional acting talent. To say it was impressive would be an understatement.

What is the best reaction you had from friends or family?

All during preproduction whenever a production photo would leak my friends would try to find me. It was like a game:  Where’s (zombie) Waldo? A couple of my friends actually made a The Walking Dead drinking game out of this when the show aired.  As for my family, after the first episode we sat down and calmly discussed our plans for if one of us turns.

Wait…what? Did you say a drinking game? How did that work out for them?

Well, that was before we knew how often I would show up in the background – they regretted that idea.

How familiar were you with the Walking Dead Graphic Novels?

I read the first few issues almost as soon as they were released. How could I not? It was zombies (awesome) in Atlanta (even more awesome)! Read the rest of this entry »