All posts by DrKronner

After years spent at various sites, Kronner finally found a home at Geek in 2012.
POP CULTURE

Neil DeGrasse Tyson and The Starship Smackdown…

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So in a week filled with overnight lines and shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, Comic Con was crammed with hundreds of panels and booths. The one I had the most fun at though, was the one that closed out my weekend. Starting at 3:30 on Sunday afternoon, in a room of around a thousand people, I saw a panel of Sci-Fi geeks who seemed like they were truly enjoying themselves. The group, moderated by Mark Altman (Free Enterprise) has been doing this panel since 2002, and it seemed pretty unanimous that this was the best version to date. The whole idea is to nominate a bracket full of famous Sci-Fi Starships, and argue out who would win each matchup in the bracket.

Altman’s panel included the lovely Madison Dylan in her full-out Star Trek Geek glory, dressed as an ‘Orion slave girl’, and playing Altman’s ‘Vanna White’ as she worked the board. Among the panelists Thor and X-Men: First Class writer Ashley E. Miller, Rob Burnett who just finished an extensive documentary for the ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation 25th Aniversary Blu Rays‘, Star Wars Comic Book writer and artisit Chris Gossett, Clone Wars writer Steve Melching, former Millennium writer Kay Reindl, and Geek Magazine executive editor Jeff Bond. Mr. Bond, who has, what I’m sure his wife would call “an excessive amount” of Starship models, worked with Geek Magazine to create a poster of all the ships built to scale. The poster, which will be available in the upcoming 2nd issue of Geek (on Newsstands in August), was distributed to the audience as a guide.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Once it got started, it quickly turned into a comedy routine as the panelists tore apart the ships almost as quickly as each other. The level of comfort between them was obvious, and made for a good viewing experience. And I’m not just saying that because I was seated next to Nikki Griffin, who was in the midst of a rather convincing ‘Emma Frost’ Cosplay.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Here is some lucky son’abitch posing with Madison and Nikki…

The headline stealing real event of the day though came near the end of the panel (which by that point had run more than 30 minutes over) when renowned astrophysicist  Neil DeGrasse Tyson emerged from the audience to comment.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Tyson as he is know to most of the internet…

 

This was not planned, and the spontaneity of the whole thing left even the most veteran panelists star struck…

It’s funny, as I was sat there, watching the girls on either side of me (Nikki Griffin and my friend Anna in her Sookie Stackhouse Cosplay) totally Geek out over Dr. Tyson’s appearance, I think it was still a little lost on me just how special a moment I had witnessed. Rob Burnett popped such a nerd boner I thought he was gonna flip the table. And now, in the few days since, while collecting my thoughts (and traveling) this story has blown up all over the place. I think the Hollywood Reporter put it best though:

“For all of its overblown, over-inflated, hyper-stimulated mania, sometimes the San Diego Comic-Con can deliver a moment of glorious inspiration, one that reminds us why we love the things we love and how that love knits us together. And that Kirk’s Enterprise is just friggin’ cool.”

And with influence from Trekkies like Altman, Madison Dylan, Jeff Bond, Rob Burnett, and Dr. Tyson – it’s not surprising that they out voiced Star Wars loyalist Steve Melching to end with the original ‘Enterprise’ won out the whole bracket this year.

This is one of Jeff Bond’s models featured on the poster…
TV

Cinemax’s Femme Fatales: Episode 204 – Extracurricular Activities

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As the sophomore season’s 4th episode begins we bear witness to sexy college professor Kelsey Williams (Sandra McCoy) in her class room, alone, at night. She is watching a slide show of what appears to be turn of the century erotic images, and erotic she does feel. By the one minute mark of the episode she has begun pleasuring herself when she is abruptly interrupted (Boooo) by a suspicious looking Security Guard. As fate would have it said night watchman explains to the good professor that there was an attack on campus earlier, and though the young coed escaped, her attacker remains still un-apprehended. For what is surely her safety, he proceeds to relay the description to the attacker to Ms. Williams.

Continue reading Cinemax’s Femme Fatales: Episode 204 – Extracurricular Activities →

TV

Cinemax’s Femme Fatales: 202 – Gun Twisted

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Gun Twisted tells the most classic of all noir stories – the ‘innocent’ and beautiful woman seduces some poor schmuck into carrying out her plan, and afterward, well, he’s just not needed anymore. In this case, our sap is played by Antonio Sabato Jr., who for almost the entirety of the episode thinks that he’s in control. This is of course the plan the of Laurie (Diana Gettinger) as she draws his eye at the gun range, playing the part of the novice shooter.

Continue reading Cinemax’s Femme Fatales: 202 – Gun Twisted →

Movie News & Opinions

BURN: One Year on the Frontlines of the Battle to Save Detroit

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Currently in the final funding stages is a documentary titled BURN: One Year on the Frontlines of the Battle to Save Detroit. In the film they explore the relentless fight against the seemingly endless rash of arsons that have plagued the city for years. Original home of “Devil’s Night”, where the city would burn annually, Detroit has always had a history with fire. This is the story of some of the men and women who fight these fires…

This comes from the movie’s official website:

“WE HOPE FOR BETTER THINGS; IT SHALL RISE FROM THE ASHES.”
– FATHER GABRIEL RICHARD, WHO WROTE DETROIT’S MOTTO AFTER FIRE NEARLY DESTROYED THE CITY IN 1805

Detroit is an iconic city. Go anywhere in the world, say “Detroit,” and it strikes a set of images — Motown. Hockeytown. Chrysler, Ford, General Motors. Eminem, 8 Mile … Also crime, foreclosures, poverty, white flight, race … and fire.

But these are mere snapshots, glimpses into a deeper, more complex panorama.

Once the proud center of the American industrial machine — its cars gleamed, its culture was rich, its future boundless. Now, it is an omen, a ghost of America’s future. No one understands this better than the people literally putting out the fires, battling every day in an uncertain war.

BURN is a character-driven documentary about Detroit, told through the eyes of Detroiters who are on the front lines, trying to rescue and rebuild it. BURN will follow the firefighters, the men and women charged with the thankless task of saving a city that many have written off as dead. We’ll also look at the educators, the reformers, the activists, the enthusiasts — those who have the vision and the heart to bring a forgotten American dream back to Detroit.

The Detroit Fire Department is one of the oldest, proudest fire forces in the world, and certainly one of the busiest.

Every day, these firefighters face injury, disablement, illness, death. But still they come back, day after day, resolved that they can make a difference.

The city’s future is uncertain — record foreclosures, unemployment, and a struggling auto industry have made it ground zero of the floundering American economy. But there’s still life here. And people are listening. These firefighters and a cast of visionary citizens argue that it’s worth saving, and they’re fighting the battle with unparalleled commitment and a remarkable sense of humor.

BURN will embed with Detroit firefighters and follow a rich tapestry of other Detroit stories. We’ll explore human struggles, hope and personal courage in the face of overwhelming odds.

Until now, no one has properly explored the city with the depth and detail it deserves.

Among the filmmakers is not only a native Detroiter, Brenna Sanchez, but it’s also produced by Resuce Me star Dennis Leary…

This project was brought to my attention by one of Detroit’s Bravest, my uncle, David Kronner, who has been with the department for just shy of 24 years. And while Uncle Dave isn’t directly involved in the movie, he respects the message behind and it. To get that message out however, they’re still in need of some funding. PBS fronted the cash to produce this 9 minute trailer here. Take a look…

I’ve spoken with the filmmakers, who hope to have the movie done by late summer/early fall, but that will only be possible through additional donations. To help out…

DONATE HERE 

And while we plan to keep you updated on the progress of the production, you can visit the official website at DETROIT FIRE FILM, and you can follow them (obviously) on Facebook and Twitter.

Uncategorized

The Return of GEEK Magazine!

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June 19th will mark the long-awaited return of Geek Magazine to print, available on newsstands nationwide (along with a digital edition on tablets). The magazine, which produced over 30 issues in its initial run from 2006-2010, has been resurrected in the wake of the former publisher (Fusion) closing their doors after having purchased the magazine from CFQ Media several years earlier. Got it? Good. Now under the umbrella of the much bigger Source Interlink, Geek will attempt to break back into the print business with comprehensive look at geek culture from music and video games, to television and movies, to technological advancements and interviews.Among the many featured articles in the 100+ page first issue is a Spider-Man cover and an interview with its director Mark Webb.

The creative staff includes a wide array of writers from several backgrounds ranging from comedy to music to movies and television, but most importantly, I will be a regular contributor to the magazine to ensure that it keeps its ‘Geek’ cred. Booyah. Grizzly Bombed.