People with real power never fear of losing it. People with control think of little else.

- Joss Whedon

Much ado has been made about the Man Cave. These spaces, dens dedicated to testosterone, beer, meat, sports and scantily clad women, serve as a reclamation of shared space, a declaration and celebration of gender. A semi-official definition of the phrase reads: “man cave n. A dedicated area of a house, such as a basement, workshop, or garage, where a man can be alone or socialize with his friends.” And why not? Men and women are different in some fundamental ways: bits and parts, gaseousness, body hair, and sometimes, if we’re just going to go ahead and be stereotypical, in ways that are split down party lines (as in how we like to party, get down, have fun, do shit with the dude in the place).

 I firmly believe in a separate but equal policy of gender politics. Men and women are different. See?

Battle of the Sexy!

Those differences should be celebrated, not ignored, as our equality lies in being able to achieve the same level awesomeness, no matter which path (masculine, farty, corn-nut encrusted) we may take (rose-lined, solid gold, with massaging capabilities).

It is in this spirit of egalitarianism that I present the feminine alternative of the Man Cave, the ode to all things lady-ish and excellent: The Lady Lair.

My Lady Lair Shall Have:

• A giant television. Just like the Man Cave staple, at the center of the Lady Lair will be a big ole screen for watching all the ridiculous things I enjoy (in no particular order, Discovery Channel nature shows, The Celtics, reruns of Charlie’s Angels, I Shouldn’t Be Alive and any time The American President is on … that movie cannot be turned away from, Michael Douglas.)
• Beds. Lots of beds. Like, a big huge giant tiered bed system with different inclines, levels of squishiness, several million pillows and high thread count sheets covered with fluffy duvets.
• Something that reminds us of our childhood. It’s nice to remember back to the day we weren’t disappointed sex objects trying to be thin and successful and married and combat wrinkles with the Oil of Olay Battle Axe moisturizer.
• Something that reminds us of Robert Pattinson. I don’t care that he is super ridiculously lame and probably has no personality and I am kind of a pervy jungle cat for finding him so undeniably attractive, but the man is DELICIOUS.

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Wiiiiiiiiiin in the End!

This may surprise you - but I'm a bit of a nerd. Furthermore, I'm a bit of a comic book nerd. I'll give you some time to make peace with this startling new information. I went to see X-Men: First Class this weekend and overall found it OK - some good performances, some terrible ones, and a young beast that looked like the Smurf version of Teen Wolf (Smurf Wolf!).

And while I could be the pedantic geek that pecks at each element of the movie that dramatically departed from the source material - I'm not going to do that. As long as the movie is good - and the spirit of the comic book is honored - then I don't care how "faithful" an adaptation the movie. Because no matter what the movies, TV shows, or even newer books do - they won't necessarily change the original books that I loved so much. That doesn't mean I don't have kneejerk fanboy reactions to things in these movies or even just regular nerd reactions - of course I do (why does Emma Frost's clothes turn to diamonds when she turns to a diamond? it...it doesn't make any sense). But it means that as long as everything makes sense in the context of the world it's presenting and doesn't betray any of the fundamental aspects of the franchise just for cheap plot device, I'm pretty much OK with these changes. Organic webshooters? Different - but that certainly makes more sense than a teenage technology genius that does nothing else with his scientific gift, so I'll allow it.

But the part of my nerd brain that doesn't allow for such mutations in tradition is the filmgoer side. It's that side that had a real problem with X-Men: First Class, not the comic book nerd that secretly yearns for Speedball to have his own movie. The problem with X-Men: First Class, just like Singer's Superman Returns, is that it tries to serve two masters but ends up just making a mess. These films are positioned as their own entities - "reboots" to reignite interest in the property and for a new group/generation of people to enjoy. Rather than creating something wholly new and fresh using the same sandbox of characters but with a new direction/interpretation, Singer and his writers shoehorn their reboots into the established continuity of previous films - making the movies a complete mess and trying to understand the continuity becomes a sissyphean act of desperation. If you are going to reboot a franchise, having the story take place in the past/as a prequel, then you do not have to fit in with pre-established continuity. In fact - it would be better if you don't.

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Today's word of the day is Repudiate:

–verb (used with object), -at·ed, -at·ing.

The GO! Team's "Apollo Throwdown" is a great way to start the day:

Via Reddit

I am a real American...

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If nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do.

- Joss Whedon

Double Dip Demands is a column in which I propose films that deserve a re-release on DVD/Blu-Ray with more special features, better transfers and other nerdy bits. Some of the films have no DVDs out there for Region 1 viewers, and some of them have a really crappy version that's bare bones or poorly put together. Who speaks for these films? I do.

The Film: Idiocracy (2006)

Cast & Crew: Mike Judge (writer/director); Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, Terry Crews

Plot Synopsis (via IMDB): Private Joe Bauers, the definition of "average American", is selected by the Pentagon to be the guinea pig for a top-secret hibernation program. Forgotten, he awakes 500 years in the future. He discovers a society so incredibly dumbed-down that he's easily the most intelligent person alive.

Is it Out on DVD Currently?: Yes - but in a bare bones release with no real extras to speak of.

Why Does it Deserve to Have Special Features?: Idiocracy is Mike Judge's parodic take on the dystopic future Sci-Fi movie. Much like his previous film (and future Cult Classic) Office Space, Fox did a crap job promoting it in theaters and hasn't shown it much love on home video - despite the fact that it's generally beloved, infinitely quoteable and unfortunately relevant to our society. It's funny, insightful, original and unique in its willingness to gleefully indict people and corporations. There are many aspects of the world Judge has created that are worthy of exploring. Additionally, with so many funny people involved and with so many comically absurd situations in the film, it's a fair bet that there'd be a lot of good material available to entertain Idiocracy fans.

What Should be on the Disc?

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Today's word of the day is Lassitude:

Via 4GIFS

Great music video for TV on the Radio's "Will Do" off their latest album, Nine Types of Light:

Thundercats HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

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Very occasionally, if you really pay attention, life doesn’t suck.

- Joss Whedon

Although tonight’s debate in New Hampshire among the candidates for the Republican presidential nomination is not the first of this cycle, it is the first to include current frontrunner Mitt Romney. It is also the first debate since prospective candidates Mike Huckabee and Mitch Daniels announced they weren’t running. This seems like as good a time as any to share a few thoughts on the current crop of candidates.

US Representative Michele Bachmann – A three term representative from Minnesota, Michele Bachmann is a favorite of the Tea Party. She has the potential to appeal to conservative Republican voters due to her votes against TARP, socially conservative views (particularly on abortion), and tendency towards provocative, outspoken remarks. Bachmann has been compared to Sarah Palin, but she’s much more disciplined and serious about running for President. She has hired an experienced campaign manager and seems set to run a fairly traditional campaign, albeit with a less than traditional candidate. Although it is extremely unlikely to happen, I consider Bachmann to be the only fringe candidate with a shot at parlaying an Iowa Caucus win into the Republican Presidential nomination. In my opinion, the biggest thing standing in her way is that she is basically unelectable in a general election and I don’t think the Republicans will nominate an unelectable candidate.

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Every week, we list our recommendations of new music, books, comics, movies and TV to check out. This is Recs in Effect:

New Game

Duke Nukem Forever

14 years. 5 different developers. Duke Nukem Forever became one of those insider geek jokes - something that would never be made and forever postponed. Well, it's finally coming out this week. The Duke Nukem franchise has spawned many imitators and has left its mark on many series - in its development, design and attitude. This installment has been getting less than good marks - but it makes the list because of its long, storied history. Buy it here and check out the trailer below:

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