Ever since the technology of the written word was invented there have been dicks that scream and complain that what was being recorded was not “appropriate” or “socially acceptable.”  In recent times, the fantasy genre has gotten the shit-end of the stick, mainly from the legions of religious right-wing crazies.  When I was a kid, they made their assault upon targets such as He-Man, Dungeons & Dragons and even Rainbow Bright.  In the past, this attack was because these things were evil and promoted “satanic agendas.”  Today, the target is Harry Potter, Twilight and other tweeny books.   The charge?   That these bits of literature are the harbingers of naughty language.

So who is making these accusations?  Why, the back-asswards religious folks of course!  Sarah Coyne, a professor at Utah’s hyper-Mormon Brigham Young University (the same assholes that banned female students from taking tests because their jeans were too tight) did the research.  She completed a survey of 40 bestselling adolescent novels and found that most of these had profanity, with an average of 38 swear words popping up per book.

To quote the lady herself:

“Unlike almost every other type of media, there are no content warnings or any indication if there is extremely high levels of profanity in adolescent novels.  Parents should talk with their children about the books they are reading.”

So what exactly did this study classify as profanity?  Oldies but goodies like “damn” and “hell?”  Or was Coyne talking about the serious F-bombs?  Personally, I’ve read Harry Potter and don’t recall Harry ever telling Ron to go fuck himself in the ass with a shit-covered broomstick.  Of course, I might have skimmed over that part…

Nope, the offending word list is much wider than that, covering “fart,” “fuck,” and everything in between.  The classification defines profanity as anything considered “…obscene, offensive, taboo or vulgar… as considered by the American public.”  That’s a pretty goddam big list.  Many consider “Snooki” to meet all four of those criteria, but I doubt she made the list.

Though Harry Potter and Twilight may be the most recognizable names, they actually scored near the bottom of the potty-mouth judgment list.  The baddest of the bunch is a book targeted at older teenagers called Tweak: Growing up on Methamphetamine.  Yeah, no fucking shit a book with a subject like meth would have a bit of profanity in it.

Let’s face it people, hearing profanity is a part of growing up.  Unless a kid is locked in a cupboard under the stairs, they’re going to experience it in everyday life.  And once high school hits, holy shit look out, cause your precious kids are going to be bombarded with it.  No teenage book or waste-of-money research project is going to change this.  Leave the damn books alone you psycho censor-mobs!

Instances of profanity in this post: 17 (18 if you count Snooki).

Thanks to blastr and thestar for the info on this bitch.

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DC New 52, it was only nine months ago that this re-boot of the entire DC Universe set the comic book community a buzz. How much would the canon we all grew up with change and would it reduce the integrity of the characters? Well with the constant competition between DC & Marvel, there has been a constant struggle to keep up or make an concept better than the other.

With Marvel’s recent announcement that they plan to wed two gay characters in next month’s issue of Astonishing X-Men, it should be no surprise that DC has an announcement of their own for the LGBT community. The face of LGBT at DC Comics has been Batwoman; the fiery red-head and former soldier  kicked out of the Army due to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, returns home to don the cape & cowl to fight crimes. But it won’t be enough to compete with Marvel’s big announcement, so what could DC have up its sleeve.

At Kapow Comics Convention in London over the weekend, DC co-publisher Dan DiDio was asked about the possibility of other DC Characters “coming out of the secret lair” due to the reboot. DiDio responded that he

“…was more interested in introducing new LGBT characters to the DC Universe than in rebooting old characters as gay or bisexual.”

But he did let slip that

“…the company’s about to re-introduce a previously straight character who will become “one of our most prominent gay characters” alongside the likes of Batwoman.”

So this clues us into the fact that the reboot of sexual orientation will not be for a prominent character in the DC Universe, i.e: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and etc. It may come from a character who will be making a reappearance in the universe after many years or one we haven’t seen  yet. Among the possible contenders could be: Martian Manhunter, Black Adam, Shazam! (aka Captain Marvel) and Hawkgirl. Of course they could just amp up Poison Ivy being a hardcore plant-lesbian, just sayin’.

Place your bets, and sit tight ’cause DC is keepin’ their lips sealed on the identity of the new LGBT character coming to DC.

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What’s Picard’s card say?

This photo was recently smuggled out of a convention photo shoot, but the message written on Patrick Stewart’s card was unfortunately blurred beyond recognition. Since we at NerdBastards have not seen any news about Patrick since this picture was taken, you can imagine our concern.

Help us out by submitting your thoughts on what the card says in the comments section below or on the corresponding FaceBook post. We’ll take the best and post it to NerdBastards’ Facebook page where you will bask in the glory of your fellow NerdBastards’ respect and adulation.

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Jackie Chan has been the face of Martial Arts since the 90′s, but today he hangs his cap. While promoting his latest film Chinese Zodiac at Cannes, Jackie Chan officially announced that he would be retiring from acting in action films.

“[Chinese Zodiac] is my last action film. I tell you, I’m not young any more. I’m really, really tired. And the world is too violent right now. It’s a dilemma – I like action but I don’t like violence.

I want the audience to know also I’m not only a comedian. I can act. Day by day, year by year, I’m going to show you the real Jackie Chan.

I don’t just want to be an action star, I want to be a true actor. I want to get rid of my image.”

So at 58 years-old, it is understandable that the actor feels its time to keep himself from harm, and build a different image for himself. Jackie Chan has starred in over 100 films, most of which were in the action genre. His current decision is said to be a combination of wanting  serious acting roles, and just being to tired to keep up with the high stakes in current action films, which revolve around larger amounts becoming tired of starring in films that revolve around large amounts of violence.

This news makes the JC Film Nostalgia come up, so check out this video clip of Rush Hour Bloopers, and tell us what you think of the announcement.

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Yeah. You read that right.

Árni Johnsen, who’s a member of the Icelandic Parliament, was in a car accident in 2010, but according to him it wasn’t luck that saved him, but a group of friendly elves that lived in a boulder by the side of the highway. As a thank you, Johnsen is moving the 30-ton boulder home of the elves to the yard of  his home in Höfðaból, where they will live with a neighboring colony of elves in Johnsen’s backyard.

To prove this isn’t entirely B.S., here’s a quote from Morgunblaðið, a newspaper in Iceland:

I had Ragnhildur Jónsdóttir, a specialist in the affairs of elves from Álfagarðurinn in Hellisgerði, Hafnarfjörður, to come look at the boulder with me [...] She said it was incredible, that she had never met three generations of elves in the same boulder before [...]

She said an elderly couple lives on the upper floor but a young couple with three children on the lower floor [...] But they asked whether the boulder could stand on grass. I said that was no problem but asked why they wanted grass. ‘It’s because they want to have sheep.’

Do you get the feeling that if Mitt Romney or Barack Obama were involved in a story like this that the U.S. media would take it at face value? Or would Anderson Cooper call Dr Drew to call bat $#!% on the situation?

Johnsen went on to talk about the luxury the elves would travel in, and what happened on the night of his accident.

The boulder will be moved on the ferry Herjólfur and the elves will travel in a basket lined with sheep skin so that they can be comfortable on the journey.

Ragnhildur explained to Árni that when he was in the accident everything went crazy on Hellisheiði. Elves from all neighboring settlements were called out and there was much confusion until one large being took control of the situation.

Well, no matter how you feel about the facts of the story, at least we can appreciate a good news story about a politician for a change.

Source: Geekologie

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This is rather strange… This is the moment where Star Trek‘s Data suddenly becomes Spock and the world gets turned upside down.

Brent Spiner, the actor who plays Data in Star Trek, dressed up as Spock for some wacky children’s birthday party and it is completely awesome.  Not just somewhat awesome – it’s completely awesome.

This happened as part of Fresh Hell, a semi-autobiographical web series Spiner is doing… Playing Spock was meant to get him close to a casting director.  Well, it certainly got him close to something.

Check it out; it’s quite the mind fuck.

Source: blastr

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Admittedly, I’m a bit off my game with X-Men lore. All my reading after 1995 has been on the light-side.  So, I definitely feel inadequate speaking on the subject. However, I can confidently and competently say that Charles Xavier (Professor X) founded the X-Men. Seriously, how are they X-men if they’re not Xavier’s students?!

Well, according to Marvel (who clearly isn’t running out of ideas), it was not Xavier that founded the first mutant team, but rather Wolverine. Say Whaaat!?

A new five issue limited series this August will reveal that it was in fact Wolverine who assembled the first team of mutants in the Marvel Universe. Written by Christos Gage and with art from Neal Adams, The First X-Men takes place before X-Men #1 and it sees Logan attempt to recruit both Xavier (who turns him down) AND Magneto to his team. Rather than a school, Logan will put together a team of soldiers which includes Sabretooth, Magneto, Bomb and a new female character. The series is set firmly in continuity and will feature a cameo from Namor the Sub-Mariner before he regained his memory in the pages of Fantastic Four.

So… lets get this straight. If my X-Men knowledge serves me well (I am rusty), Wolverine has taken Xavier’s job, his house and now his origin? Fuck! I know Wolverine is popular and everything, but does he need to be the the center of the entire X-Universe? *shakes head*

OK, so maybe I’m overreacting. It’s not saying that the X-men were founded by Wolverine. It’s saying that Wolverine brought a team together. Weapon X’s Men, more like it. Regardless, what a dumb fucking idea. Seriously, if Wolverine wasn’t overexposed, overplayed and over saturated enough as it is… Ahhhhhhh!

Can someone shoot me with an adamantium bullet so I can forget about all this?

Source: Newsarama

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Every day the internet produces an astounding amount of goodies and gems. Most hilarious, some amusing, but all worth at least a few seconds of your time. We here at Nerd Bastards try to bring you the best bits of news and nerdery the webz has to offer, with a bit of snark thrown in. But sometimes not everything makes the cut. Monday through Friday we’ll be bringing you our inbox leftovers, our forgotten bookmarks, the nerdy bits that simply slipped through the cracks. You can submit items to Nerdy Bits by emailing us at nerdybits@nerdbastards.com.

ABOVE: You better change my diaper, you wouldn’t like me with a dirty diaper. Baby Hulk…SMASH! (DC Women Kicking Ass)

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Many of us have seen the movie and read the Kick-Ass comic book, and we’ve heard the stories about real DIY superheroes and vigilantism, particularly in the Pacific Northwest where Phoenix Jones has taken to the streets to fight crime with varying degrees of success and controversy. Some people rave and hold these masked men (and women) up as true heroes, while others, like Det. Mark Jamieson of the Seattle PD, just want them to stop before someone gets hurt, telling ABC News: ”They don’t have the training. They don’t have the authority.”

Suddenly though, and by way of the internet, we have learned of a new player in this battle for the Emerald City. Rex Velvet, a monocle wearing, mustachioed mad man with a bowler hat, a sword cane, a Space Needle dagger, and a propensity for grandiose statements and red cocktails, has made himself and his intentions known. The Emerald City has a genuine super villain too, and while he seems like he was pulled strait out of a comic book to stand against Phoenix Jones and the Rain City Superhero Movement, I can attest that he is very real, and very committed. The question is, is Rex Velvet trying to do something legitimate or is he just an attention seeking clown seeking to piggyback atop the micro-fame of a group of people who are actually, and foolishly I might add, going out in the street in an effort to help people?

I spoke to Mr. Velvet this afternoon while doing my best Vicki Vale impression and we discussed his secret evil plan to stop Phoenix Jones, his love of puppies, his henchmen headcount, and the importance of letting the police do their jobs.

Here now is our exclusive interview with Rex Velvet. (more…)

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Every day the internet produces an astounding amount of goodies and gems. Most hilarious, some amusing, but all worth at least a few seconds of your time. We here at Nerd Bastards try to bring you the best bits of news and nerdery the webz has to offer, with a bit of snark thrown in. But sometimes not everything makes the cut. Monday through Friday we’ll be bringing you our inbox leftovers, our forgotten bookmarks, the nerdy bits that simply slipped through the cracks. You can submit items to Nerdy Bits by emailing us at nerdybits@nerdbastards.com.

ABOVE: Dr Evil. can relax, because FINALLY, we have a shark with a freakin’ laser! This is real lemon shark with a real 50mw green laser attached to it’s dorsal fin using a temporary clamp. This stunt was pulled off by Wicked Lasers and Luke Tipple [Wired]

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