Kevin Smith Taking SModcast to the Stage with 'Helena Handbag'

Courtesy IMDB

Before ringing in the New Year, Kevin Smith took to his Facebook to tell his fans that he would be penning another religion based horror film, "Helena Handbag." He stated that he would be turning another episode of SModcast into a movie, which worked well with his upcoming flick "TUSK." This time around, the plot centers around "mankind teaming up with Hell to save existence from extinction at the hands of a Rapturing giant Jesus."

However, with a new year comes a new idea. Instead of what was turning into an extremely high budget movie, he is looking to the theater. Musical theater, that is. Smith took to his Facebook and had this to say:

'Walker Stalker Con' Returns with Double the Con Fun in 2014

Image provided by WalkerStalkerCon.com

The debut of Georgia based Walker Stalker Con was such a success that they are planning two weekends worth of zombie goodness in 2014! This March 14-16, 2014, the Walker Stalker Con will be hitting Chicago. They'll be returning to Atlanta October 17-19, 2014.

While a Chicago venue has yet to be named, they state on their website that they've leased out four floors at a new location in Atlanta. This means they will have two full exhibition floors, as well as an entire floor dedicated to panels.

It was announced earlier, that Scott Wilson (Hershel) on "The Walking Dead," will be returning to the Atlanta leg of the con. You're not going to want to miss this convention, especially now that you have two chances to attend!

Don't forget to tune into the convention-founding Walker Stalkers podcast, and keep checking back here for up-to-date information.

-Nowal Massari

BBC America to Present First Live Pre-Show for 50th Anniversary of 'Doctor Who'

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of "Doctor Who," BBC America and Nerdist Industries will be presenting the first ever live simulcast pre-show from the YouTube Space Los Angeles. Hosted by Veronica Belmont, the live pre-show will air right before the premiere on Saturday, November 23 at 2:30 p.m EST on BBC America and will stream to audiences world wide via their YouTube channel.
The pre-show will have live presentations of fan-created content from across the globe, as well as conversations with special guests, including YouTube star Phil DeFranco.

“'Doctor Who' has an amazing social media following and is enormously popular, with millions of views on YouTube. Partnering with YouTube on an innovative pre-show will enable fans everywhere to join our celebration of this groundbreaking series’ 50th anniversary," said BBC America General Manager, Perry Simon of the project.

Head of YouTube Space LA, Liam Collins also shared his excitement, saying "We’re very excited to work with BBC America and Nerdist on this first ever simulcast from YouTube Space LA and are looking forward to welcoming 'Doctor' Who fans and YouTube talents for a truly innovative pre-show experience connecting communities all across the world."

After "The Day of the Doctor," BBC America's YouTube channel will host a YouTube exclusive post show at 4PM EST. Produced by Nerdist Industries for BBC America, with Seth Laderman and Chris Hardwick serving as Executive Producers, the live pre-show will round off a YouTube week of all things "Doctor Who," which featured content from YouTube channel favorites such as Doctor Puppet, Nerdist, PBSideaChannel, How to Cook That, Rugburn, and Emergency Awesome.

-Nowal Massari

'We're Alive' brings zombies to podcasts

For all of you zombie apocalypse fans out there, it's hard to know what's good and what's just the same old "zombie ate my family" story. I present for your consideration a podcast called "We're Alive." "We're Alive" is presented in the old radio play format - which I find fascinating. It has a complete cast, with sound effects and music. Essentially, it is the story of three soldiers who have survived the initial zombie outbreak in Los Angeles and their hunt for supplies, survivors and a new home all while trying not to get eaten.

This is another of the dystopic apocalypse scenarios: Survivors are on their own, with no law, no government, and no Internet! Additionally, this always means that there are "bad" survivors, which we get plenty of here. There is also the question of what exactly are the "zombies." Some appear so different it's questionable whether they were ever human, and some appear to be smart. So what are they really? This is the question that keeps me checking in with the group week after week. Maybe someday they'll tell us. In the meantime, I enjoy the complications of living in this particular zombie wasteland.

All in all, I have found this an enjoyable story. It does however, suffer from the bane of my existence, The Cliffhanger. But that goes with the whole radio play thing. "We're Alive" is currently airing it's third season. The episodes are fairly short, usually only 15-20 minutes each. A nice length for listening while I'm sitting in traffic. For you parents out there, I think this one is appropriate for mature teenagers. Obviously, it includes violence, but the "explicit" rating appears to be mostly for a few swear words once in a while. Not being overly sensitive to such things, I barely notice them.

You can find the "We're Alive" podcast for free on iTunes, or at zombiepodcast.com. Give it a listen, and let me know what you think!

-Melissa Harkness