NERDONOMY
NERDONOMY

Hail to the Nerds

On the cusp of the 2012 Presidential Election, we look back at factoids from past presidents, and how/why the Electoral College exists. Listen, subscribe, and follow us on Facebook, or Twitter @Nerdonomy!

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Ghosts and a little bit of Demons, but Mostly Ghosts

This week, Eric and Bryan share more feedback, and wrap up October 2013 with the most ancient of symbols to be associated with Halloween and the like.  Listen as they take different viewpoints on the subject of the paranormal, and as always, offer their unique perspectives.

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Back to the 90s: The Matrix

I can remember a day when no one knew what the hell The Matrix was, but GODDAMN did we all really want to!  There were cryptic ads on the radio in 1999 that ended with Morpheus’ line, “Unfortunately, no one can be told what The Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.” The television ads didn’t give too much away either, besides some short but sweet kung fu clips. So, there I was, a sixteen year old movie nerd, dying to know what kung fu, leather jackets, and Ted “Theodore” Logan all had to offer.

SHOW NOTES — Mel Brooksuary: Peruvian Death Squad Allegories

Show:

Nerds on Film

Episode:

Episode No. 71 — Mel Brooksuary: Peruvian Death Squad Allegories

Intro:

Nerds on History’s Eric Bricmont is a guest this week as NoF measures their respective Schwartz’s via a discourse on Spaceballs.

Content:

After a rousing conversation about whether we like sci-fi parodies, we got to the meat and potatoes of the episode,  Mel Brooks’s Spaceballs.   Throughout the episode we shared lots of fun information, such as:
  • The film was Bill Pullman’s first film.  He had been seen by Brooks in a theatre production in LA prior to casting.
  • Brooks was originally looking for a big star to lead the film, and tried to get Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks to take the role of Lone Star before casting Pullman
  • The scene where Barf tries to get up with his seatbelt still on was an accident.  John Candy improvised “Oh! That’s gonna leave a mark” and they kept it.
  • “Spaceballs: The Book”: R.L. Stine of Goosebumps fame wrote the novelization.
  • The scene with Dark Helmet playing with the action figures also wasn’t in the script. Brooks came up with the idea on set one day, told the idea to Moranis who then improvised the entire scene.
  • Vespa is the Italian word for WASP. (hehe)
  • Brooks and George Lucas had a “Fair Use Agreement” that would not allow for Spaceballs merchandise like that depicted in the film to be produced.
  • Brooks was conflicted about the Jewish (Druish) jokes in the movie.  He was ashamed they were in there but proud that he left them in.

We were surprised to learn that while our guest Eric, while not a heavy film nerd, has seen Spaceballs at least a dozen times, and can speak adamantly about it.

SHOW NOTES — Mel Brooksuary: I Was Going To Make Espresso

Show:

Nerds on Film

Episode:

Episode No. 70 — Mel Brooksuary: I Was Going To Make Espresso

Intro:

The month of Mel Brooksuary continues with The Nerds welcoming special guest Roxi Nobari to talk about Mel Brooks’ masterpiece Young Frankenstein.

Content:

After a rousing conversation about which dead cinematic character we’d bring back to life, we launched into a fabulous discussion over what is arguably Mel Brook’s masterpiece: Young Frankenstein.

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