Welcome to today's edition of Nerd Alert, where we have all the eccentric, nerdy news for you in one convenient spot. What do we have in store for you on this fantastic Friday? The beloved speeder bikes from Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi may actually become a reality, Godzilla becomes a Japanese citizen and The Goonies' "Truffle Shuffle" gets a new remix. So, sit back, relax, and check out all that today's Nerd Alert has to offer.
Godzilla Becomes an Official Japanese Citizen
Godzilla and Japan just go together like peanut butter and jelly, even though Godzilla has destroyed the country countless times in the original Toho movies and the American remakes. It's fitting, yet quite odd, to learn that this fictional creature has been named an official citizen of Japan by the Shinjuku Ward. The photo above shows the document that Shinjuku Ward officials are handing out to people in their office. Here's an English translation of the text:
Name: Godzilla
Address: Shinjuku-ku, Kabuki-cho, 1-19-1
Date of birth: April 9, 1954 (the first Godzilla movie's release date)
Date of becoming a Shinjuku resident: April 9, 2015
Reason for special residency: Promoting the entertainment of and watching over the Kabuki-cho neighborhood and drawing visitors from around the globe in the form of the Godzilla head built atop the Shinjuku Toho Building.
Previous visits to Shinjuku Ward: 3 times; Godzilla (1984), Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), Godzilla 2000 Millennium (1999)
Real Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Speeder Bikes
A group of Hungarian flight enthusiasts came up with a design for what they call the flying tricycle, a.k.a. the "flike." As you can see in the video above, it does bear quite a few similarities to the beloved speeder bikes from Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. Unfortunately, the video doesn't show the "flike" moving forward or backwards, just hovering off the ground for 90 seconds. Still, the concept does appear to be sound, and if we ever see another video of the "flike" flying through a forest at top speed, I'm sure legions of Star Wars would give these Hungarians every dime they had for a "flike."
The Goonies "Truffle Butter Shuffle" Remix
All you need for a good mashup are two things with one tiny coincidence in common, which has never been more true than Youtube user Mike Relm's video that mashes up The Truffle Shuffle from The Goonies with Nicki Minaj's current hit song Truffle Butter. Be warned, though, while the video is quite hilarious, the mashup is only 1:40 long, with Mike Relm using the rest of the video, nearly 5 minutes, to promote his signature glasses.
Everything Wrong With Jurassic Park III
Yesterday we showed you Cinema Sins' latest video where they break down everything wrong with The Lost World: Jurassic Park. You had to know that a Jurassic Park III video wouldn't be too far behind, and sure enough, here it is. The only thing that's surprising is that they can fit all of the movie's "sins" into just a 15-minute video...
Nick Offerman Wants You To Buy His Voice
Parks and Recreation star Nick Offerman wasn't too pleased when he saw a John Deere commercial that used a voice over actor that was clearly trying to imitate his iconic voice. Thankfully, the actor appeared on Conan last night and debuted a solution to this horrendous crime, with a hilarious parody ad for his "product" known as Nick Offerman's Voice. Since listening to Nick Offerman say anything is endlessly fascinating, I only wish this product was actually real...
Super Friends Live-Action TV Intro
BlamCo has decided to make a live-action version of 1970s TV show Super Friends' intro. While it isn't 100% exactly the same as the original, this video uses footage from the 1978 Superman movie, the original Wonder Woman and Batman TV shows, and the 2002 Scooby Doo movie. We have also included the original intro for comparison's sake.
Movie Vehicle Mashup Artwork
Artist CJ Johnson has created a number of humorous pieces of artwork that mash up classic movie vehicles. There is Shaggy and Scooby Doo letting air out of the Ghostbusters' Ecto-1, Back to The Future's Delorean time machine getting a speeding ticket and The Warriors putting Scooby Doo's Mystery Machine up on blocks. If you want to purchase any of these prints, you can visit CJ Johnson's official website.
Shia LaBeouf Cameos In The Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King
Yesterday, we showed you Shia LaBeouf's "deleted cameo" in Marvel's The Avengers, and today the actor/intense motivational speaker has popped up at the end of The Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King. At this point, we should start taking bets on where footage of Shia LaBeouf's motivational speech pops up next. Actually, strike that, what I really would love to see is this footage cut into one of Chris Farley's classic Matt Foley sketches from Saturday Night Live. JUST DO IT, Internet!
That wraps it up for today's Nerd Alert. Do you have any suggestions for future Nerd Alert columns? Hit us up on Twitter @MovieWeb and send us your suggestions, and it may even make it in the next edition. Check back tomorrow for another installment of Nerd Alert.