Great Scott! Nike hints at Air Mag ‘Back to the Future’ sneaker release! [Update: Launch info]

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Back to the Future fans and sneakerheads, listen here. Nike is about to drop some major news: the Air Mag sneaker, as featured and worn by Marty McFly in Back to the Future Part II, is set to slip into reality. The glowing, auto-lacing sneaker from the future will hit the market today (well maybe not precisely today, but you know what I mean).

So here’s the relatively short story. Ever since these shoes made an appearance in the movie, BBTF buffs and sneaker collectors alike have been praying for this very day to come. In May 2009 Nike filed a patent describing “an article of footwear with an automatic lacing system.” Late last night Nike sent out urgent invitations inviting guests to attend a product unveiling. The invitation was in the form of a black box and enclosed was an iPod shuffle and a written invitation. The audible notice was a personal message from Dr. Emmett Brown stating, “Welcome to Los Angeles. If my calculations are correct, over the next 24 hours you are about to see some SERIOUS SH*T!” The card said, “IT’S ABOUT TIME. Tinker Hatfield, VP of Design and Innovation at Nike, cordially invites you to an unveiling that could change the course of time.” Other BTTF related goodies came inside, including a sleek pair of metal shield glasses.

And that brings us to right now. Moments ago a teaser video was uploaded to YouTube by one DocEmmettBrown88 glimpsing us inside “McFly’s Closet.” This sneaker is real people, and it’s coming soon. Park here, and as soon as official word comes from Nike following the announcement event I’ll update this post and splay all the release and pricing details for you. While you’re waiting, drool in anticipation by replaying the teaser above  (now after the break) and then jump after the break to watch the Air Mag in action, circa 2015.

Update: Here’s the official launch info straight from Nike: “1500 pairs of the 2011 NIKE MAG will be auctioned on eBay with all net proceeds going directly to The Michael J. Fox Foundation. Each day for the duration of the ten-day auction, one hundred and fifty pairs of the 2011 NIKE MAG shoes will be made available via eBay’s Fashion Vault. The auction starts September 8, 8:30PM PST, and will end September 18. Thanks to a previous 50 million dollar match given to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, all donations will be matched, effectively doubling the contributions from the auction.”

Nike goes on to describe the shoe’s aesthetic: “The first rechargeable footwear from Nike, the 2011 NIKE MAG shoes were designed to be precise replicas of the originals from Back to the Future II. The aesthetic is an exact match, down to the contours of the upper, the glowing LED panel and the electroluminescent NIKE in the strap. The only deviation from the original is additional foam support in the ankle and toe box for increased comfort. The 2011 NIKE MAG illuminates with the pinch of the “ear” of the high top, glowing for five hours per charge.” Not a single word about the auto-lacing feature. Bummer!

Nike CEO Mark Parker said this at the launch event: “We wanted to translate the excitement people have for the ‘greatest shoe never made’ and for the Back to the Future into positive action. But the long term objective is to raise awareness so the Foundation can achieve their goal of eradicating Parkinson’s disease.” Fox, the actor who played Marty McFly back in 1989, added: “This project is exciting to me because it brings together three very passionate audiences: the Parkinson’s community, the sneakerheads and Back to the Future fans. With their support we can accelerate our objective of finding a cure for Parkinson’s.” He is the featured guest on the Late Show with David Letterman tonight on CBS; he’s expected to detail the Air Mag during his interview.

An astute Nice Kicks commenter posted, “Shitttt. You cant camp outside of eBay!” That’s right–this item is certainly going to be a hot commodity when it hits the auction site and it’ll be extremely hard to get if you’re not extremely rich. At least all the money is going to a great cause. Ah well, a boy can still dream of a future where everyone sports super cool auto-lacing sneaks. Perhaps that day will come when it’s supposed to–in 2015. Get a closer look at the shoe in the gallery below, and after the break you’ll a find a third related video.

[Via NiceKicks 1, 2, 3; Nike] Continue reading Great Scott! Nike hints at Air Mag ‘Back to the Future’ sneaker release! [Update: Launch info] →

Leonard Nimoy gets lazy in “official alternate version” of Bruno Mars’ hit song

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Have you ever wanted to see what it looks like when Star Trek vet Leonard Nimoy just doesn’t give a damn? The man who played Spock came out of retirement for a second time (the first time involved a voice-over job in the animated Fringe episode “Lysergic Acid Diethylamide”) to star in this high-larious “official alternate version” music video for Bruno Mars’ “The Lazy Song.” Watch as he starts his morning by acting out in front of a mirror, scaring an innocent child at the grocery store, practicing his Vulcan salute, roaming his neighborhood in a robe, and getting lazy with beers and a joint. It doesn’t get much better than this people.

Or maybe it does. Click after the break to watch the video set against Danger Mouse & Jemini’s hip-hop track “The Sh!t.” Continue reading Leonard Nimoy gets lazy in “official alternate version” of Bruno Mars’ hit song →

Animated short: ‘Follow the Sun’ intermission reel takes a turn for the highly disturbing

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From design and filmmaking collective MK12 comes this disturbingly bizarre short film that serves as “an homage and/or affront to a great American tradition: the Intermission Reel.” MK12 further explains the inspiration behind this odd masterpiece:

Those who weren’t making out in the back of the family Buick between films at the drive-in will remember them: poorly-spliced, underexposed & overplayedgrindhouse reels of sickly green hot dogs,unprovoked pizza-groping, ice cream sundaeswith a vomit of pale, lifeless toppings, and perversesight gags featuring animated snacks in PG-13scenarios. MK12 interested themselves in this format, and envisioned its slightly darker, but perhaps more-to-the-point, R-rated cousin.

MK12 teamed with cel-frame animator TJ Fuller to give birth to the cast of live-action and stop-frame characters featured in the short Follow the Sun. It was made to serve as an opening act to FITC’s tenth anniversary conference in Toronto. They were also commissioned to brand the design and technology-based festival.

Glean what you will from this disturbing tale of dancing snack foods. A making-of video lingers after the break.

[Via FollowTheSun] Continue reading Animated short: ‘Follow the Sun’ intermission reel takes a turn for the highly disturbing →

Animated short: ‘Mac ‘n’ Cheese’ is a psychedelic chase

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A group of students at the Utrecht School of Arts in the Netherlands spent five months creating this visually stunning animated short titled Mac ‘n’ Cheese. They say the visuals were inspired by Valve’s Team Fortress 2 and the short film Meet Buck. The synopsis goes like this:

When you find yourself running scared and running out of energy, there’s only a few options left to outrun your opponent through the southern desert. Stopping at nothing, watch these two guys wear each other out and rip through boundaries hitherto unbroken. Enjoy the ride!

It’s trippy, man.

‘Gulp’, the world’s largest stop motion video shot with the Nokia N8

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The creative minds at Sumo Science at Aardman have constructed a short film called Gulp, the world’s largest stop motion video. It was shot using the Nokia N8 smartphone which features a 12 megapixel camera and Carl Zeiss optics. A very tall crane was also used to help shoot the various scenes; the largest scene stretches over 11,000 square feet! It was done on location at Pendine Beach in South Wales. It only makes sense that the same group behind the world record-breaking ‘largest stop-motion animation set’ is also behind the construction of the world’s smallest stop motion video which can be seen here. Nokia’s phones might not have been all the rage in the States, but you cannot deny the delicate precision of the cameras built inside them. Jump after the break to go behind-the-scenes of the impressive Gulp.

[Via Gizmodo] Continue reading ‘Gulp’, the world’s largest stop motion video shot with the Nokia N8 →

Professional rally driver Ken Block stars in “The Hollywood Megamercial”

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DC and Ken Block present Gymkhana FOUR: The Hollywood Megamercial.  GYM4 surpasses the high-production style of Gymkhana TWO with even more spectacular effects shot in the backlots of Universal Studios, California. Filmed over the course of five days, director Ben Conrad (Zombieland and 30 Seconds or Less) and his team at Logan deliver a Hollywood caliber production complete with pyrotechnics, massive stunts and a series of unbelievable tricks. Featuring robotic sharks, deranged zombies, and a hilarious cameo by the Epic Meal Time guys, Ken Block and his Hybrid FunctionHoon Vehicle (H.F.H.V.) bring the magic of Hollywood and gymkhana together.

Gymkhana, according to everyone’s favorite source Wikipedia, is a type of motorsport whose “courses are often very complex and memorizing the course is a significant part of achieving a fast time.”

Get ready and hang tight, your mind will be blown.

[Via @kpereira]

If ‘Game of Thrones’ was an RPG

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The talented folks at College Humor have really outdone themselves this time. They’ve transformed the HBO series Game of Thrones into a role-playing game! The video basically goes through all the major events that happened in the first season, so beware of spoilers. From the pixelated animation to the 8-bit score, Game of Thrones the RPG is simply spectacular and I want to play it right now.

[Via CollegeHumor; thanks Allie K.]

Actor Miles Fisher creates fun, gory musical to promote ‘Final Destination 5’

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Miles Fisher landed the lead role in the fifth installment of the Final Destination franchise, and to celebrate he wrote a catchy song called “New Romance” and starred in the parody video that’s embedded above. Fisher approached FD5 studio backer Warner Bros. with the idea and they decided to fund it. It’s really fun to describe: Fisher has imagined a colorful world that melds high school teenie boppers and well groomed guys with over-the-top death sequences in the style of Saved By The Bell. Watch it now, it’s a bloody good time.

And this isn’t the first time Fisher has made a parody; check out Pinkberry 3D!

[Via Deadline]

FoD: Don Cheadle is Captain Planet

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This video featuring Don Cheadle as Captain Planet quickly went viral and after hitting play you’ll no longer wonder why. What starts out as a pleasant message for kids telling them to combat pollution by preserving trees suddenly morphs into a full-scale killing spree. One of the Planeteers doesn’t make it. Yeah, it gets that dark.

[Via FunnyorDie]

DJ Steve Porter remixes ‘Community’ Greendale gang

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As you sit there and shake in anticipation for the season 3 premiere of Community coming later this month, I present this phenomenal video to you. DJ Steve Porter (the same guy that Nickelodeon hired to dream up The ’90s Are All That jingle) put together this Community themed remix that incorporates a ton of great season 2 moments. The upbeat dance track was first unveiled at Comic Con earlier this summer, and now it’s on the ‘Net for all to see! I got two words for you: POP POP!

Community returns September 22 on NBC.

[Via EW-InsideTV]

How you should react to Adam Sandler’s new flick:

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Comedy legend Adam Sandler’s got a new movie coming out called Jack and Jill and in it he plays both the male and female protagonists. I have to say that I am a big fan of almost all of Sandler’s work, but this just looks like a load of crap. I think I’d rather watch the faux flick Re-Do that was featured in Funny People (remember it’s the one where Sandler’s head is CGIed onto a baby’s body). Join George C. Scott (as General Patton in Patton) in the video above as he tries his darndest to make it through a viewing of the horrendous trailer.

[Via Deadline]