Bits & Bobs - 8th Edition

Bits & Bobs collects some of the cool things around the interwebs that I think are noteworthy and worth your time but don't necessarily fill up a full blog post or news item. On with the show...

THERE HAS BEEN AN AWAKENING, AND YOU PROBABLY FELT IT...

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Unless you've been off the grid since Thanksgiving, you probably have already seen and know that a teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released on Black Friday. The new sequel film takes place thirty years after the events of Return of the Jedi and features all-new characters and some familiar faces including Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia. The teaser trailer clocks in at a mere 88 seconds but is the first official glimpse of the newcomers John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, and Oscar Issac and is intended as something of an amuse-bouche before bigger trailers are released presumably next spring. Of course, fanboys are nitpicking over tiny details including a brand new lightsaber seen sported by what many assume is the new villain of the film but how can you not like everything you see in this trailer? A panicked hero in Stormtooper armor on the run, a tough female jumping onto a souped-up speeder and racing to (or away from) danger, X-Wings, the Millennium Falcon... I mean, c'mon. If you haven't seen it, check it out here in glorious high definition courtesy of StarWars.com.

HER NAME IS AGENT

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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is about to head off into its mid-season hiatus with a blow-out Winter Finale on December 9th, but the good news is that in between episodes Agent Carter is going to help you pass the time starting with a two-hour film airing on ABC January 6, 2015. The latest TV spots and promos really make the film look true to the first Captain America: The First Avenger film (and in-turn, gets me stoked for the show because it also feels a lot like The Rocketeer). The seven episodes will presumably air weekly leading up to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s return later in 2015, and knowing how everything in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is connected, will most likely have ramifications for all of the Marvel shows and films to come.

Bits & Bobs - 6th Edition

Bits & Bobs collects some of the cool things around the interwebs that I think are noteworthy and worth your time but don't necessarily fill up a full blog post or news item. On with the show...

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BASS (JUST LIKE THE 90'S)

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Nerdist has a parody video up today of the catchy "All About That Bass" featuring the ladies of Team Unicorn. While the song may not be your cup of tea (it's definitely not mine), the lyrics are pretty damn clever and get a good guffaw or two. Plus the costume changes and production value, including dancing astromech droids and backup Royal Imperial Guard dancers make it worth a view. And you know, it's the Team Unicorn ladies so... it's worth a view for obvious reasons. For those interested, the Team Unicorn Saturday Morning Cartoon inspired show should be hitting Adult Swim soon.

AGENT CARTER, I PRESUME?

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Last night, during its 75th Anniversary documentary special, Marvel released a new trailer for the upcoming Agent Carter series which highlights a fantastic moment between Carter herself and father of a future Iron Man Howard Stark. The clip also introduces us to the original Jarvis, who presumably will be the inspiration of the artificial intelligence J.A.R.V.I.S. utilized by Tony later in the films. I'm really loving the tone of the series, it has that amazing Rocketeer feel (which is the major reason I'm such a fan of the first Cap movie as well) and can't wait to see what the rest of this series brings.

ABC Renews Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Picks Up Agent Carter

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The Cast of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s freshman season sees the really big door behind them open up to a second season. (Courtesy ABC)

According to the official Marvel site, and confirmed by show runners, cast and crew via Twitter, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been renewed for a second season. Along side the show is the oft-discussed but never confirmed Agent Carter series, which has been ordered straight to a season order (skipping the formality of filming a pilot and running through the trials that many shows often have to endure).

Obviously this is great news for Marvel fans and fans of great genre television as it means not one but two more shows to look forward to this fall revolving around the extraordinary. For those that might have fallen off the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. train early in the season, I would really encourage you to go back and give it another try, especially in this post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier arc that the show is currently exploring.

For more information including casting as well as how many episodes to expect and when, I would expect ABC's upfronts presentation to reveal (at least some) answers. Stay tuned!