"The boy who lived!" We revisit the wondrous world of Harry Potter. From new films, an expanding theme park, to revision of the canon, we discuss the latest developments in the most successful book series of all time. In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, who's the better ruler of their media empire – J. K. Rowling or George Lucas? We conjure our top 5 Harry Potter moments. 

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• 0:00 – 34:09: Harry Potter revisited.
• 34:10 – 52:21: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER: J. K. Rowling VS. George Lucas.
• 52:22 – 1:06:31: Top 5 Harry Potter moments.

• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Diagon Alley expansion
• ‘Harry Potter’ Author J.K. Rowling Heading to TV with ‘The Casual Vacancy’
• What Harry Potter book covers from all over the world look like
• J. K. Rowling to produce Harry Potter stage play
• Harry Potter Spinoff Series Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Planned as a Trilogy
• J. K. Rowling has released History of the Quidditch World Cup online!
• J. K. Rowling Gives Glimpse Of Ginny Weasley As An Adult
• J. K. Rowling at Carnegie Hall Reveals Dumbledore is Gay
• J. K. Rowling: Hermione should have married Harry, not Ron
• Warner Bros. and J. K. Rowling v. RDR Books
• The International Quidditch Association

Conrad: 

1. Reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

2. Drinking butterbeer at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

3. The evolution of Hogwarts’s professors

4. Hagrid tells Harry he’s a wizard (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone book)

5. Watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows film at Universal Studios 

Ali:

1. Midnight release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book
2. The Tale of the Three Brothers (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows film)
3. "It was foolish of you to come here tonight, Tom." (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix book)
4. Discovering Sirius Black (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban film)
5. Voldemort's Backstory (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince book)

Honorable Mentions:

• Fireworks

Cliff Chiang's WonderCon 2014 logo

The best of WonderCon 2014! We discuss the things that make conventions such an awesome experience and highlight the coolest panels from this year's WonderCon. In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, what's the best place to connect with nerds - WonderCon or San Diego Comic Con? We share our top 5 fan gatherings.

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• 0:00 – 51:21: WonderCon 2014
• 51:22 – 1:03:52: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER: WonderCon VS. San Diego Comic Con
• 1:03:53 – 1:25:00: Top 5 fan gatherings.

• Why Ali loves comic-cons
• The Comics Arts Council
• Comics & Medicine Conference
• Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me
• Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
• Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
• The Underwater Welder
• Gail Simone, Kelly Sue DeConnick, and More Talk Strong Female Characters at WonderCon
• Women in Refrigerators
• The Star Wars #1
• Star Wars Comics Move to Marvel in 2015
• Gary Oldman runs into The Joker at WonderCon
• No Mention of Bryan Singer at 'X-Men' Panel
• Batman Beyond, Kevin Smith Make Big Moments at the WonderCon Batman 75th Anniversary Panel
• Bill Wadman's photograph of Greg Bear, co-creator of San Diego Comic Con
• Nerd HQ at San Diego Comic Con
• Gatekeeping of Women in Geek Culture at WonderCon
• Young Girl Bullied For Liking Star Wars
• Pop Culture Anti-Bullying Coalition
• The Psychology of Star Trek VS. Star Wars: Episode III at WonderCon 2014 (Recap)

Introduction to Graphic Medicine

Strong Women and the Creators Who Empower Them

The Making of The Star Wars

The Battle For Multicultural Heroes

Twentieth Century Fox Presentation

Science in Science Fiction (check out their book)

The Indoor Kids live at WonderCon

Conrad: 

1. The Internet
2. PAX East
3. Comic book stores
4. Midnight releases
5. Board game meetups 

Ali:

1. The Internet
2. Comic book stores
3. 1990s video game arcades
4. Midnight releases
5. Nerdy trivia nights

Honorable Mentions:

• Renaissance Fairs
• Anywhere you wear a geeky t-shirt 

"The price of freedom is high…and it's a price I'm willing to pay." Join us for a discussion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's newest film - Captain America: The Winter Soldier! Does the movie live up to the hype and how will it impact Agents of SHIELD? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, who better upholds American values - Captain America or Superman? We share our top 5 political thrillers.

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• 0:00 – 43:20: Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
• 43:21 – 54:23: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER: Steve Rogers (Captain America) VS. Clark Kent (Superman)
• 54:24 – 1:17:02: Top 5 political thrillers.

• Captain America's Catch-Up List Is Different In Different Countries
• Captain America 2 Is One Of The Best Action Movies I've Ever Seen
• This Week’s Game-Changing Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Was Exactly The Problem With The Show
• "Visual Guide to Marvel Character Movie Rights" Infographic by The Geek Twins [Infographic]
• A Guide to Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, the Twins Teased at the End of ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’
• How ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ Succeeds Where ‘Man of Steel’ Failed
• The Psychology of Star Trek VS. Star Wars: Episode III Live at WonderCon 2014

Conrad: 

1. North by Northwest
2. Sneakers 
3. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
4. The Bourne Identity
5. Charlie Wilson's War

Ali:

1. All the President's Men
2. Goodnight and Good Luck
3. Syriana
4. John Adams
5. The Constant Gardender

Honorable Mentions:

• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
• Enemy of the State
• Minority Report
• The X-Files

Coming to a theater near you! We discuss the business behind blockbuster films, debate what makes for a great summer movie, and explore what the future of cinema might look like. From Captain America: The Winter Soldier to Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, we predict what films will earn the Super Fantastic Nerd Hour stamp of approval. The kings of summer cinema, Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay, face off in the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER. We share our top 5 blockbuster films.

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• 0:00 – 29:44: The business of blockbuster films.
• 29:45 – 55:25: 2014 summer movie preview.
• 55:26 – 1:02:59: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER – Steven Spielberg VS. Michael Bay.
• 1:03:00 – 1:26:38 Top 5  blockbuster films.

• Jaws: the first blockbuster
• Greenlighting Movies in the Tentpole Era: A Tough Numbers Game
• Too Many Tentpoles: Hollywood's Homegrown Summer Movie Crisis
• I saw The Lone Ranger so you don’t have to
• Fear of Movie Duds Makes Disney Rethink 'Tentpoles'
• Disney Exec Says Tentpole Movies are About Spectacle, Not Story. Is He Right?
• George Lucas & Steven Spielberg: Studios Will Implode; VOD Is the Future
• AV Club gives Sharknado an 'A'
• Is It Possible to Make a Hollywood Blockbuster Without Evoking 9/11?
• How Do I Know If My IMAX Theatre is Real 70mm IMAX or lieMAX (Digital IMAX)?
• Michael Bay vs. his critics.
• X-Men Days of Future Past San Diego Comic Con 2013 panel
• "98% human" award winning PETA video
• The Inception Sound EVERYWHERE NOW!
• Mila Kunis on being a Trekkie

• Captain America: The Winter Soldier
• The Amazing Spider-Man 2
• Godzilla
• X-Men: Days of Future Past
• Edge of Tomorrow
• How to Train Your Dragon 2 
• Transformers 4: Age of Extinction
• Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
• Jupiter Ascending
• Hercules
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Into the Storm
• Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Conrad: 

1. X-Men: Days of Future Past
2. Godzilla
3. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Ali:

1. X-Men: Days of Future Past
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
3. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Conrad: 

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. Star Trek (2009)
3. X-Men
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
5. Jurassic Park

Ali:

1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
2. Jurassic Park
3. Independence Day
4. Spider-Man
5. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Honorable Mentions:

• Die Hard
• Ghostbusters
• Back to the Future
• The Dark Knight
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
• The Rock
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

We are made of star-stuff! Join us for a conversation about all things COSMOS. We discuss the legacy of the original COSMOS: A Personal Voyage, the long road to the new COSMOS: A Spacetime Odyssey, why people deny science, and what makes for effective scientific communication. The Spaceship of the Imagination enters the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER for a scientific duel between Carl Sagan and Neil deGrasse Tyson. We share our top 5 science documentaries. Special guest, photographer and space geek Bill Wadman. 

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• 0:00 – 37:43: COSMOS.
• 37:44 – 52:31: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER – Carl Sagan VS. Neil deGrasse Tyson.
• 52:32 –1:22:00 Top 5  science documentaries.

• Who Was Carl Sagan?
• Neil deGrasse Tyson: Cosmos’s Master of the Universe
• Creationists Demand Airtime On Neil deGrasse Tyson's 'Cosmos'
• Bill Nye Debates Ken Ham on science vs. creationism
• COSMOS tells a great story, but it forgets to explain the science of denying science
• "We apply fight-or-flight reflexes not only to predators, but to data itself"
• Neil deGrasse Tyson: "If Comic-Con people ruled the world, the future would be invented daily and warfare would be nothing more than bar fights with toy lightsabers. That is the world I want."
• Neil deGrasse Tyson on racism in academia, failing a dissertation, and who funny cat videos taught him about communicating science
• Neil deGrasse Tyson at the Starship Smackdown, San Diego Comic Con 2012
• Neil deGrasse Tyson reveals his sideburns are an homage to Star Trek
• Armitage Gone! Dance The Elegant Universe
• Bill's photo of science historian James Burke
• Bill and James Burke
• Bill's photo of theoretical physicist Brian Greene

Conrad & Bill: 

1. Connections
2. How to Grow a Planet
3. The Elegant Universe
4. From the Earth to the Moon
5. Wonders of the Universe

Ali:

1. Planet Earth
2. When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions
3. This Emotional Life
4. A Brief History of Time
5. An Inconvenient Truth

Honorable Mentions:

• Star Trek: Secrets of the Universe
• The Blue Planet

Illustration by John Byrne.

“With great power comes great responsibility!” We explore how culture is depicted in comic books, discuss why diversity matters, outline how rigid character representations are bad for everyone, and describe how multiculturalism leads to better business and cooler stories. In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, Marvel Comics VS. DC Comics. We share our top 5 social commentary comic book stories.

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• 0:00 – 51:44: Culture in comic books.
• 51:45 – 59:22: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER – Marvel VS. DC.
• 59:23 – 01:18:43: Top 5 social commentary comics.

• Gal Gadot gets asked about playing "large breasted" Wonder Woman in first interview
• San Diego Comic Con 2013: The Battle For Multicultural Heroes
• Geek Therapy: Multicultural Heroes
• "Fake Geek Girls" & Dear Fake Geeks, Go Away?
• Film Crew Creepers at New York Comic Con
• Cosplayers Have A Message To All Perverts - Cosplay Does Not Equal Consent
• The Bechdel Test for Women in Movies
• Most Superhero and Sci-Fi Films Would Fail Sweden’s New Film Rating
• Study Finds TV Alters Fiji Girls' View of Body
• Marvel Body Mass Index Study Reveals Nearly 1/3 of Female Characters Are Underweight
• The Hawkeye Initiative
• Here's how awful Batman would be without the existence of Bill Finger
• 10 Diversity Resolutions for Superhero Comics in 2014
• The Psychology of Fan Outrage or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Accept Ben Affleck
• Changing Face: Diversity & Change in Comic Books and Superhero Movies
• 12 YEARS A SLAVE’s John Ridley Talks Diversity in Comics
• What If the X-Men Were Black?
• DC’s explanation of why Batwoman can’t get married is nonsense
• Study finds TV shows with ethnically diverse casts, writers have higher ratings
• Fox Says Diversity Leads To Good Ratings And Better Business
• Marvel and Natalie Portman Announce Mentoring Program for Girls Interested in Science
• 6 Hilariously Failed Attempts at Making Comics More Diverse
• Jamie McKelvie Details his CAPTAIN MARVEL Redesign
• Statistics for Diversity in Marvel and DC Titles
• Marvel Was Happy to Answer Diversity Questions at NYCC. DC Was Not.
• Marvel’s Diversity Issue: Screen Output Doesn’t Reflect Open-minded Comics

Conrad: 

1. The Walking Dead
2. Watchmen
3. Persepolis
4. Marzi
5. Ms. Marvel (2014)

Ali:

1. Persepolis
2. Akira: v. 1
3. Daredevil Legends Vol. II: Born Again
4. Magneto: Testament
5. Ms. Marvel (2014)

Honorable Mentions:

• The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale
• Bone
• The Dark Knight Returns
• V for Vendetta

Calling all Marshmallows! We explore the rise, fall, and return of Veronica Mars. What made the TV show so unique, how did Kickstarter bring it back, and is the film everything fans wanted? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, Veronica Mars takes on Buffy the Vampire Slayer! We share our top 5 TV to films.

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• 0:00 - 46:02: All things Veronica Mars.
• 46:03 - 57:52: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER - Veronica Mars VS. Buffy Summers.
• 57:53 - 01:13:40: Top 5 television shows to movies.

• Why we need you Veronica Mars!
• 7 Reasons Why Men Should Give Veronica Mars a Shot
• The Veronica Mars Movie Project Kickstarter
• Can the Veronica Mars movie make up for the show's mistakes?
• Why Would You Ever Give Money Through Kickstarter?
• The Psychology Behind Gift-Giving and Generosity
• Forget Nancy Drew: Thanks To Fans, 'Veronica Mars' Is Back On The Case
• Veronica Mars Movie Cheat Sheet: What To Know If You Didn't Watch The Show
• 'Veronica Mars' at PaleyFest: Logan and Veronica weren't always meant to be, and 5 more revelations
• The Veronica Mars Cast Reacts to the Movie's 8 Biggest Moments
• 'Veronica Mars' backers experience technical difficulties with digital downloads; Warner Bros. and Rob Thomas respond
• Weekend Box Office: 'Veronica Mars' Earns $2M

Conrad: 

1. Batman / Batman
2. Star Trek / Star Trek: The Motion Picture
3. The Muppet Show / The Muppet Movie
4. The Addams Family / The Addams Family
5. The Brady Bunch / The Brady Bunch Movie

Ali:

1. Star Trek / Star Trek: The Motion Picture
2. Monty Python's Flying Circus / And Now for Something Completely Different
3. The Muppet Show / The Muppet Movie
4. Mission: Impossible / Mission: Impossible
5. Traffik / Traffic

Honorable Mentions:

• The Fugitive / The Fugitive 
• The X-Files / The X-Files: Fight the Future
• The Simpsons / The Simpsons Movie
• Looney Toons to Space Jam

Cici James at Singularity & Co. Photo by Bill Wadman.

Save the scifi! The Super Fantastic Nerd Hour visits the Singularity & Co bookstore for a conversation with its cofounder Cici James. We discuss Singularity's origins, how its mission to save out of print science fiction stories got started, the community that has developed around this project, and the current state of science fiction.  In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, who's a better bookseller - Captain Kirk or Captain Picard? Cici shares her top 5 science fiction books for those new to the genre.

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• 0:00 - 25:39: Singularity & Co.
• 25:40 - 31:59: Cici James's geek origin story.
• 32:00 - 34:41: Top 5 science fiction books for newbies
• 34:42 - 36:36: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER - Captain James T. Kirk VS. Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
• 36:37 - 47:02: The current state of science fiction.

• Singularity & Co.: Preserving the Future From the Past
• Singularity & Co.'s original Kickstarter
• The Brooklyn Law Incubator & Policy (“BLIP”) Clinic
• Richard C. Meredith, author of The Sky is Filled With Ships
• Ryan Britt of I, Reader
• Twenty Sided Store
• Tom Cruise & Will Smith look the same in every movie poster
• Guardians of the Galaxy trailer
• Star Trek Into Darkness is cool and relevant, so stop complaining Trekkies

• Time and Again, Jack Finney

• The Forever War, Joe Haldeman

• A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle

• The Giver, Lois Lowry

• The White Mountains (The Tripods), John Christopher

Level up with this week's role-playing games episode! We discuss why tabletop, live action, trading card, and massively multiplayer online role-playing games are so popular and what made them so controversial. In a non-spoiler edition of the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, Community's "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" duels against Knights of Badassdom. We squee over our top 5 fandom films.  

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• 0:00 - 35:15: Role-playing games.

• 35:16 - 54:03: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER - Knights of Badassdom VS. Community's "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons".

• 54:04 - 1:16:11: Top 5 Fandom films.

• Wikipedia role-playing game portal
• The (not-so) secret origin of D&D
• Director Jon Favreau credits his success to D&D
• The real victims of satanic ritual abuse
• The psychology of falsifying memories
• Remembering Satan: A Tragic Case of Recovered Memory
• Which are deadlier: sharks or horses? (availability heuristic)
• What's it like to LARP?
• Google Street view captures LARPing
• The Darkon Wargaming Club
• Ali LARPing as a scary clown
• Investigating the psychology of cosplay
• Movies about fan culture
• Trekkies vote Galaxy Quest 7th best Star Trek film

Conrad:

1. Shaun of the Dead
2. Star Trek (2009)
3. Galaxy Quest
4. Kill: Bill Vol. 1 & 2
5. Firefly/Serenity

Ali: 

1. Galaxy Quest
2. Rudy
3. Almost Famous
4. Mallrats
5. The Lego Movie

Honorable Mentions:

• Veronica Mars
• Flight of the Conchords
• Homemade Movies: Death Star Trench Run
• Mortal Kombat: Rebirth

And the Oscar for Best Picture goes to…no science fiction film EVER! We explore how the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences works, why genre films keep getting ignored during award season, and why this matters. The two biggest science fiction Oscar losers, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Wars, battle for intergalactic glory in the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER! We share our top 5 Oscar snubs.

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• 0:00 - 24:00: Why the Oscars hate geeks.

• 24:01 - 47:44: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER - 2001: A Space Odyssey VS. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.

• 47:45 - 1:20:05: Top 5 Oscar snubs.

• How the Oscars work
• A brief history of Harvey Weinstein’s Oscar campaign tactics
• Robert Redford on his Oscar snub
• Tom Hiddleston as Loki at San Diego Comic-Con 2013
• Star Wars at New York Fashion Week
• Big pharma's influence on physicians
• Genre biases in the Best Picture category
• Inclusion and diversity at the Psychology of Star Trek versus Star Wars panel at San Diego Comic Con 2013
• The Hugo Awards
• The Saturn Awards
• Peabody Awards
• If Her wins the Oscar for Best Picture, it could change science fiction forever
• Quicker, faster, darker: Changes in Hollywood film over 75 years

Conrad:

1. District 9
2. Inception
3. E.T.
4. Sin City
5. Alien

Ali: 

1. Citizen Kane
2. Children of Men
3. E.T.
4. Her
5. Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Rise of the Planet of the Apes)

Honorable Mentions:

• Sam Rockwell (Moon)
• Alan Rickman (Harry Potter films)
• Ed Harris (The Abyss) 
• Blade Runner
• Dark City
• Jeff Goldblum (The Fly)
• Donnie Darko
• Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
• Metropolis 
• The Iron Giant
• The Dark Knight
• Jurassic Park
• Looper
• Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) 
• Pan's Labyrinth 
• Back to the Future
• The Wizard of Oz