Comedy Meltdown 8: Jason Takes Manhattan
Comedy Meltdown 8: Jason Takes Manhattan
“Rennie: You don’t understand, there is a maniac trying to kill us!
New York Waitress: Welcome to New York.”
Date: Friday, July 25th
Time: 8:30 p.m.
Place: The swanktastic Meltdown Gallery at the rear of the store which is located here:
7522 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90046-3408, US
Whom: ANTHONY JESELNIK
JACKIE KASHIAN
ROB DELANEY
BRIAN ZARIN
ROBERT YASUMURA
Hosted by: JONAH RAY
Sponsored by: ASAHI
In addition to this stellar line-up we are charging NO COVER!
Please drink responsibly or designate a driver.
Something to be aware of: parking in this neighborhood is dodgy, so please plan accordingly.
“Tamara Mason: [Before cutting the drugs] Night time is the right time.”
Tournament of Nerds was Epic!
Thanks to all who hosted, judged, participated, and attended!
This was so much fun!
The final battles are:
Iron Man vs. Darth Vader
Wonder Woman vs. Rorschach
Batman vs. Jason
Mr. Miyagi vs. Predator
These pairings from the brackets won’t make any sense to people who weren’t there.
Be sure to attend the final rounds at UCB Friday, July 11th.
Gawker Exposes a Dorksplosion!
Dorksplosion At The G4 Offices
When Meltdown Comics in LA announced a debate to determine which of 20 nerd icons would win in a fight, the G4 internal email list erupted in a brawl to rival The Kinslaying. G4, America’s leading source for news about places that don’t exist and video of women eating hot dogs, employs an astounding number of dorks whose steady diet of Final Fantasy and hot pockets have prepared them for nothing so much as this fight. Honest, from-the-heart dorkcraft of this level is a thing rarely experienced outside of the Society for Creative Anachronism’s annual Pennsic war. You can almost smell the diabetes and gout as you read their impassioned arguments. Some choice quotes and the full bracket of 20 badass competitors after the jump.
So Meltdown’s 20 seeds were all pretty impressive:
Lara Croft / Batman / Gandolf [sic]/ Enid (Ghostworld) / Aquaman / Captain America / Pikachu / Wolverine / Iron Man / Alan Quartermine / Superman / Alien Queen (Aliens) / Terminator / Voltron / Wonder Woman / Darth Vader / Hulk / Spiderman / Thing / Star Buck (Battle Star G) / The Father from the Movie Happiness / The Borg / Thor / Jason Vorhees / Bionic Woman / Cloverfield Monster / Predator / Chewbaca / Snake Eyes (GI Joe) / Mr. Myagi / Freddy Krueger / Forrest Whitaker as Idi Amin
Aside from the spelling issues (maybe they’re used to spelling Gandalf’s name in Tengwar), the big failure is not specifying Original Universe Starbuck or Re-imagined Universe Starbuck. Alan Quartermain, Enid Coleslaw, and The Father from Happiness are all classy choices, but the G4 nerds have little concern for style, immediately narrowing the list down to Voltron, Gandalf or Thor. Rob R. opens with a classic “this is stupid” gambit.
“Rob R.: This contest is stupid.
Everyone on that list is mortal, except for Thor and Gandalf. You could possibly include Jason Vorhees and Freddy Krueger if you consider them some sort of transformed demonic creatures. But of these only Thor and Gandalf have any real God-like abilities. Since Gandalf is actually a demi-God (a Maia), Thor is clearly superior.
Thor is a God, therefore he can’t be killed by mortals, so eventually he would win any combat. Gandalf would hold his own for a while, but as a demi-God (a Maia) he would not be as powerful as a full God. Although he could not be killed either, he could eventually be subdued and imprisoned by Thor.”
Unfortunately, he trips over his knowledge of Norse god immortality, and the nerds begin to feed.
“Gerry D: Part of the cycle of the Norse Gods is to experience Ragnarok (Viking apocalypse)… At which time, everything is renewed. Including Thor. Therefore, even if it were theoretically possible to defeat the Odinson, he would simply re-spawn, and possibly even angrier then when he was killed.
Matt K. : Only after a major continuity-borking crossover, though.”
The conversation quickly dissolves into an argument about the respawn rate differences between Gandalf and Thor, then is destroyed by a Ragnarok-like picture of coffee.
Your picks for the winner of the Meltdown Tournament of Nerds, and your picks for which G4 dork would last longest in a Halo 3 rumble pit would be much appreciated
http://gawker.com/tag/shouting-heads/?i=5021323&t=dorksplosion-at-the-g4-offices
A Great Battle Was Waged At G4:
The recent announcement of a Nerd Tournament at local comic book store Meltdown occasioned a geek-fight of epic proportions on G4 TV’s email list. Because it’s a lazy summer day, we wanted to share it with you.
Here’s how the nerd tourney works: Interested parties apply to select one of the following pop culture characters and debate who would win in a fight:
Lara Croft / Batman / Gandolf / Enid (Ghostworld) / Aquaman / Captain America / Pikachu / Wolverine / Iron Man / Alan Quartermine / Superman / Alien Queen (Aliens) / Terminator / Voltron / Wonder Woman / Darth Vader / Hulk / Spiderman / Thing / Star Buck (Battle Star G) / The Father from the Movie Happiness / The Borg / Thor / Jason Vorhees / Bionic Woman / Cloverfield Monster / Predator / Chewbaca / Snake Eyes (GI Joe) / Mr. Myagi / Freddy Krueger / Forrest Whitaker as Idi Amin
The email argument this event spawned is under the cut.
Jess R: I nominate Matt K immediately.
Blair H: Nomination seconded.
Courtney K: All in favor?
Robert J: (posts a picture of an eye to say “aye”)
Casey S: MOTION PASSED!
Michael D: HUZZAH!
Matt K: They misspelled “Gandalf.”
Casey S: …. And we have a winner!
Justin F: DAMN YOU MATT K. FOR BEATING ME TO THE LORD OF THE RINGS REFERENCE.
John W: It’s actually “Gonif,” a reference to an Isaac Bashevis Singer graphic novel that never sold all that well.
Matt K: I don’t think anyone on that list could win against Voltron, anyway.
Well. Maybe Thor.
Rob R.: This contest is stupid.
Everyone on that list is mortal, except for Thor and Gandalf. You could possibly include Jason Vorhees and Freddy Krueger if you consider them some sort of transformed demonic creatures. But of these only Thor and Gandalf have any real God-like abilities. Since Gandalf is actually a demi-God (a Maia), Thor is clearly superior.
Thor is a God, therefore he can’t be killed by mortals, so eventually he would win any combat. Gandalf would hold his own for a while, but as a demi-God (a Maia) he would not be as powerful as a full God. Although he could not be killed either, he could eventually be subdued and imprisoned by Thor.
Sean S.: Idi Amin FTW.
Gavin P: Write in: One CXO to rule them all.
Gerry D: Part of the cycle of the Norse Gods is to experience Ragnarok (Viking apocalypse). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnar%C3%B6k
At which time, everything is renewed. Including Thor. Therefore, even if it were theoretically possible to defeat the Odinson, he would simply re-spawn, and possibly even angrier then when he was killed.
Matt K. : Only after a major continuity-borking crossover, though.
Justin F: Is this where I get to point out that Gandalf has the Valar on his side? Wouldn’t they simply resurrect him in different colored robes with more power were Thor to kill him?
Matt K: Then Gandalf would win as he has no such restrictions on his power.
Blair H: Our office is literally CRACKLING with geekiness right now
Matt K: Judging by the events of Lord of the Rings, he also respawns faster than Thor.
Michael W. Why has nobody yet paid homage to the unstoppable force of Mr. Myagi? (Gd rest his soul)
Gerry D: The only way to destroy this thread is to heave it into the mouth of an active volcano.
Or steamy cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee.
(A brief explanation of G4 lore: A long time ago, a G4 email thread about the merits of foods from the East Coast raged on for several days and several hundred emails. Since then, Dunkin’ Donuts has become a signifier for “This thread has gone on long enough!”)
John W: (posts a picture of Ogre from REVENGE OF THE NERDS in a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee cup)
Kevin S: If we’re arguing that both could be resurrected until the end of days I think the winner would be whoever takes more wins. That man (God) is Thor. I know styles make fights but Thor has beaten the Hulk and guys like Iron Man, I don’t see Gandalf faring as well against them. Thor’s never had a problem with the Enchantress, a similar magic-user who’s also a GOD. He beats magic gods!
Thor has a belt of strength and currently, the Odinpower, Gandalf has robes and a beard.
Oh, and I’m a huge loser.
Guy B. Gandalf’s power is limited by the form he takes.
Look at Radagast. Why does no one ever think of Radagast?
Stephen J: Hey, nerds. We at TheFeed would like to post this entire email exchange (minus last names and email addresses) on our website. Is that cool with everyone?
Matt K: It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/686677/Epic_Nerd_Battle_Waged.html
The Los Angeles Times… Bap!!!
Tournament of Nerds at Meltdown and UCB Theatre
Think cuddly, Pikachu could crush Darth Vader? Think the Predator would be no match for Superman? The Tournament of Nerds aims to settle the debate.
Elina Shatkin, Times Staff Writer
July 3, 2008
Wolverine’s adamantium claws or the Terminator’s metal endoskeleton? A telepathic Amazon with a magic lasso or a 1970s Ugandan dictator? Freddy Krueger or Gandalf the Grey?
Combine the greatest hypothetical battles into a March Madness-style bracket, invite movie and comic book nerds to make their case and you’ll have the Tournament of Nerds, a debating competition that attempts to answer once and for all the most baffling existential dilemma facing humanity: Who is the greatest superhero of them all?
“Personally, I hope the Alien Queen eviscerates Pikachu. I want to see him get a mouthful of acid blood,” says Hal Rudnick, one of the tourney’s co-organizers.
Rudnick once worked as an entertainer at children’s birthday parties, which included occasional stints playing Pikachu, an experience that was like “wearing a suit made of carpet while sticking your head in a giant fishbowl on the hottest day of the year in the Valley.”
Rudnick’s hatred for the cuddly Pokemon avatar is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the profound passions evoked by this debate.
“I’ve never been one to have these kind of arguments, but twice in the last week I’ve gotten into vicious debates about the best season of ‘ The Simpsons,’ ” tournament co-organizer Justin Donaldson says. “Season 8. Definitely. Not Season 4.”
Teaming up with actress Linda Pine, who produces a monthly stand-up comedy show at Meltdown Comics, Rudnick and Donaldson created 16 improbable battles and recruited passionate fans to argue the merits of each character at the live events. Think of it as the ultimate crossover. Voltron will fight Thor, the Thing will fight the “Cloverfield” monster, the Borg will try to assimilate “Battlestar Galactica’s” Starbuck.
Click here for a downloadable PDF of the Tournament of Nerds bracket.
A trio of celebrity judges culled from the overlapping worlds of comedy and comic books will judge the merits of the arguments, and the eight survivors will head to the finals a week later.
“All hell is going to break loose,” Rudnick predicts. “I want to see nerds screaming, nerds crying and nerds laughing maniacally after victories.”
TOURNAMENT OF NERDS
WHERE: Meltdown Comics, 7522 Sunset Blvd., L.A.
WHEN: 9 p.m. Friday, July 3, 2008
PRICE: Free
INFO: (323) 851-7223, Meltdown Comics & Collectibles
WHERE: UCB Theatre, 5919 Franklin Ave., L.A.
WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, July 11, 2008
PRICE: $8.
INFO: (323) 908-8702, Upright Citizens Brigade
http://www.latimes.com/theguide/events-and-festivals/la-gd-events3-2008jul03,0,3303454.story
The Los Angeles Times… BIFF!!!
(L-R) Justin Donaldson, Linda Pine and Hal Rudnick, co-producers of Tournament of Nerds, show off a few of their favorite superheroes in front of Meltdown Comics & Collectibles. The tournament features comic book fans debating the merits of various superheroes in a bracket-style competition.
Live Comedy L.A.-ed!
Comedy Meltdown at Meltdown Comics: So Cool
Linda Pine produces a stand-up comedy show once a month at Meltdown Comics on Sunset called Comedy Meltdown that is at the top of the list when it comes to professionalism. Yet, some how she pulls it off it a kick-back, nerdy environment that I dig.
The show is free. The beer is free and sponsored (yes…sponsored) by Asahi. You actually have to make a purchase at the store to get free beer…which is genius. It could be a $0.25 comic…doesn’t matter. But it’s a win all the way around for everyone. The lighting is great…the sound system rocks…the comics have their own little room. And check out that huge poster behind the stage. This show kicks ass. I recommend it to everyone. All promoters should aspire to this level of professionalism.
Three comedians I would like to highlight from a stellar line-up: Jonah Ray (who has hosting duties for the monthly show), Chip Pope, and Brent Weinbach:
Jonah Ray is a pro at hosting and did a great job at setting up the other comedians. You’ve heard me use the point guard analogy for hosts – he nailed it. Love that.
Chip Pope was a little unconventional tonight and took on the role of a character name R.O. Mance. A British pop singer from the 80’s. HI-larious! I’m normally not a big fan of this stuff during a stand-up show…but he killed it.
Brent Weinbach might be one of the most talented performers I have seen on stage in a while. I really enjoyed the Russian Alphabet bit…the upper-case letter in particular.
This is a must see show…so stay tuned for next month…definitely a fun Friday night out.
Hoopla-ed: Part Two!
Jazzed? But Not Motivated?
The week in fun, June 27-July 3
By Libby Molyneaux
Wednesday, June 25, 2008 – 12:00 pm
You fans of hip comedy: Let’s see — tickets to Katt Williams start at $50, plus parking ($1,000), beer ($2,000), indoor skydiving at iFLY on CityWalk ($39.95). Or you could go to Comedy Meltdown, where admission is free, beer is free (though a DUI is not; plan accordingly). Mary Lynn Rajskub headlines a bill that includes Kevin Seccia, Heather Thomson, Ben Kronberg and Chip Pope and is hosted by Jonah Ray. Meltdown Gallery, 7522 Sunset Blvd., Hlywd. ; Fri., June 27, 8:30 p.m.; free. (323) 851-7223 or http://www.meltcomics.com.
LA Weekly • 3861 Sepulveda Blvd • Culver City CA 90230
http://www.laweekly.com/la-vida/hoopla/jazzed-but-not-motivated/19170/
I Am Having A Comedy Meltdown & So Should You!
CM&: H2O
TONIGHT
Same Bat-time! Same Bat-channel!!!
COMEDY MELTDOWN 