Cardboard Hobbit Feet FTW

Ladies and gentlemen, the best Halloween costume I saw of 2009. While they may not win big in the the Topical or Original categories, there is a lot of good going on here. The hobbit/right wraith height differential, the gender swap, the props (they had killer backpacks as well), and more than anything else, the FEET! That is genuine cardboard with hair glued on. This is DIY craftmanship at it's best. Awesome.

A few more photos of notable nerd costumes, after the jump...

Is it sad that I immediately recognized this as a Shy Guy and not just a spooky ghost?

Star Fleet uniforms are easy to come by, but you have to admire the dedication the accuracy displayed when it comes to hairstyles/facial hair grooming. There is no mistaking these guys for generic redshirts.

Given my unique relationship with Anakin Skywalker, seeing his doppleganger walking around in the flesh was a little terrifying, especially with little kids running around all over the place.

Stars of Star Trek Sing Their Hearts Out

Nothing brings out the ham in an actor like a hotel bar and a grand piano. Thanks to the all-seeing eye of YouTube, those of us not fortunate to be at the Hyatt during ComicCon can still enjoy the spectacle of Riker belting out the jazz standard Ain't Misbehavin' as if it were the eleven o'clock number in the top show in town. Dude really gets hot at about :15 seconds in.

After the jump, Sisko musically humiliates some web cartoonists at the same hotel, and classic musical moments from three Star Trek captains and an android...


Here, Avery Brooks, Scott Kurtz, Kris Straub (of PvP and Starslip Crisis) try to make their way through "At Last" and "Summertime" with considerable prompting from the brassy lounge pianist.

Cringe Alert: Between Sisko's quasi-incoherent drunkery, Kurtz' frequent self-conscious looks at the camera, and the fact that this already interminable video was obviously edited down from a much longer take....this is the sort of nerd/idol fantasy meetup that is probably exceedingly painful when it's actually happening, but at least makes a great story afterwards.

Of course that all pales in comparison to this video, which of course has the advantage of higher production values (ie a straw boater and cane).

Seriously, this is pretty much the best thing ever. If you're seeing it for the first time, I envy you.



Also, here is the stalwart Captain Archer doing the voice of a cartoon cat in one of the most underrated American animated musical comedies out there, Cats Don't Dance.


Then there's Brent Spiner, in the original Broadway cast of Sunday in the Park with George (his stuff starts around 6:30 in), sporting a snappy fin de siecle suit and an intensely nasal German accent.


And what musical Star Trek post would be complete without this slice of heaven? I know people enjoy this segment in a sort of freak show context, but I have to say after a few viewings, I think I appreciate what he's trying to do here. I "get" you Bill, I do. I even get a little choked up at 4:14...he should have saved that reading for the end, you can't keep the pace after an emotional high point like that. And neither can this post.

UPDATE 7/31/08:
Reader Dracula Jones (awesome) has pointed me to something I shamefully overlooked....

Wow. If anyone is friends with Guillermo Del Toro, please be sure he sees this before he gets started on principal photography. Though I'm kind of enraged by the fact that this song is all about Bilbo and Bilbo NEVER EVEN SHOWS UP in the video. Total tease.