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Zombie Ants are here run for the Hills!

Actually don’t worry if our tiny insect friends were the tip of the spear of the zombie invasion we would have been in trouble a long time ago. Scientist recently found evidence that ants being taken over which are commonly known as zombie ants began as far back as 48 million years ago. Harvard scientist David Hughes found this evidence by exploring plant fossils found in Germany’s Rhine Rift Valley  that had the tell tale signs of the zombie ant bite! So what exactly is a zombie ant?

It is actually a fungus that infects the ant and takes over it’s brains. Oddly though instead of making the ant want to eat other ant brains this fungus causes the ant to chomp down on the veins of leafs in order fo that fungus to get the necessary nutrients it needs to complete it’s take over. This causes the ant to die but the fungus then grows a stalk with a pod at the end that releases spores that will move on to continue the process again. This stalk grwos right out of the ant’s head as pictured here:

Pretty freaky stuff right?

Well it is not only fungi that find the ant body enticing. As descibed at National Geographicit is also common for phorid flies to inject their eggs  into a fire  ant. You know those pesky red ants that are everywhere in the southern United States. The eggs grow in the ant and make their way to the head of the ant. The larva can live there for weeks feeding off the brain and it has even been shown in some cases to cause the ants to migrate away from their colony as far as 50 yards so as to avoid begin attacked by other ants. To finish the process the baby fly will decapitate it’s host ant when it hatches and flies away. Check out a picture of the fly actually hatching out of the ant:

And that boys and girls is your Truth is Stranger then fiction moment of the day. Pretty freaky stuff if you ask me.

I try to explore a lot of different types of  music but in my interweb travels recently I came across the phrase “Zombie Jazz”. Needless to say I had to explore more. Would this be the preferred music of civilization after the inevitable outbreak, or would this be the smooth jazz used to keep the resistance spirits up and remind them of their humanity in the dark nights that will hold all of us tight once the  Zombie Apocalypse runs wild on us all.

It turns out it is actually the sound of a Jazz fusion type band bellowing out of the depths of Brooklyn New York. Meet the creators of “Zombie Jazz” the Father Figures:

They don’t look quite like you imagined do they? That’s okay they are musicians and they sound exactly how you would like them too! I am far from a jazz connoisseur particularly when it comes to more modern artist. Full disclosure here the latest Jazz album in my collection is Miles Davis’s “Bitches Brew”.  So how i found this little gem of a band was by reading a piece over at NPR’s “A Supreme Blog”     It is quite an interesting piece that details how Adam Schantz and the rest of the Father Figures make their push to strike out and actually tour. As many of you probably know Jazz is not really at the peak of it’s popularity and it is difficult for bands to string together enough dates to make setting out on the road profitable. Earlier this year they released their Self Titled album that seems to mix rock, jazz, and any other genre they felt would me necessary at the time.

Adam Schantz of the band answered NPR’s Patrick Jarenwattanannon’s questions about the self described “Zombie Jazz” title:

PJ: So, to be clear, it’s improvised music with jazz instrumentation … but it’s not exactly “jazz” as most people think of it.

AS:Precisely. The term “zombie jazz” seems to fit. Once people hear it, they understand. Plus, it’s a great word to get people’s attention in the press. I think we got a few writeups on tour solely because we wrote “zombie jazz” in the email header.

PJ: You like this zombie idea.

AS: It’s stuck with me since I first started throwing shows. But the zombie energy is a good one. It’s not too cerebral. They’re more concerned with eating brains rather than spending too much time using one. I think it favors the instinct, and human curiosity, things everyone can get behind

I really enjoyed what i heard checking out their myspace page and if you are interested i suggest you take a listen there too. Below is a video from their recent tour. I think it gives you a great idea of their sound and actually comes across as good “zombie music”! The visual is a little challenging but just listen to it and check it out:

Hey everybody, this is a bootleg trailer of the upcoming Walking Dead six-episode series airing on AMC in October.  Watching it, they are starting out just like the Graphic Novel series, however I do notice some little differences.  Example, looks like they follow the African American father/son neighbors a little.  Also, I don’t remember a Tank from the comics.  Anyway, I can see that they are going to expand past the original story.

According to Frank D., he is going to use the graphic novel as a great series of breadcrumbs to follow, however he is going to expand the narrative and grow the story.  I continue to get more and more excited about this.  Below is the trailer, and the panel with the major players from Comic-Con.

The Trailer for Walking Dead on AMC:

The Panel From Comic-Con:

Just read that Universal Dead, a popular online Web Series about zombies, has been optioned by paramount to be turned into a feature length movie.  The news comes from Comic-Con, and was announced by the lead writer/producer Kelly Parks.

Currently, you can find the first three episodes created on Youtube.  There is only about 15-20 min. of film.  The series is really good, and I’m excited to see what they do with the story when they have a budget.  I’m hoping this is the first of many new zombie films that will be put into play now that World War Z has Brad Pitt attached, and is set for 2012.

Universal Dead Synopsis:

Planet Earth is ravaged by a strange disease that turns people into mindless murderers.  As civilization struggles to survive, a small team of US Navy SEALs must protect a doctor from the Center of Disease Control on a mission to discover the secret to mankind’s salvation.  Facing endless attacks from infected cannibals and lawless bandits, the tight-knit unit races against time to save what’s left of the world.

I don’t have much else in terms of info on this one, so I’ve gone ahead and just posted the first installment of the story below:

There are some really cool set pictures from The Walking Dead, being filmed in Georgia, that have been released on the net.  As you hopefully know by now, The Walking Dead, the graphic novel, is being transformed into a 6 part series to be shown on AMC in October.  To read more about it, visit The Walking Dead update here.

These pics appear to have been taken by someone who lives in the area and can see all the action below their condo or apartment – talk about having great seats for the show!

To see all of the Walking Dead zombie pictures, visit aintitcool.com.

I don’t have an Android phone.  I’m more of an iPhone type of guy.  However, this “Zombie Outbreak” app for the Android has me giving the Adroid a second look.

According to Gizmodo.com:

Pixel Zombies Live Wallpaper, now available for $1 in the Android Market, simulates a zombie outbreak on your phone: The red dots are zombies, the blue dots are zombie hunters, and the green dots are the doughy citizens whose brains the zombies are nom-nom-noming.

You can set the population paramaters of the groups yourself and track how they’re faring in real time. Dropping an icon acts as a nuclear bomb, leveling the playing field.

This is pretty cool if you ask me.  Using your wallpaper to actually have an on-going zombie game seems like it could be on-going simple fun, and is a testament to how more open the Android is when compared to the iPhone.  Don’t worry fellow iPhone friends, I’m not switching anytime soon, but think this is worth calling out all the same.

A week or so ago, I was able to get my hands on the yet-to-be-released Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated screener. I quickly learned that this film is a terribly interesting experiment of where film and art converge.

The premise behind the film:
Using the full original sound track (including voice, music, etc) from the 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead by George Romero, the creators of NOTLD:R replaced the original black and white video portion of the cult classic with a series of artwork from over 100 different artists.

According the NOTLD:R website,

Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated is an art show hung on the cult classic’s timeline. Every scene serves as walls to hang artworks, the audio becomes the ambiance of the space and the original narrative serves as the theme that holds the show together.

One thing of note is that the film is a no-budget creation with 100% volunteer contributed art.  That said, it certainly serves as an experiment in liberal usage of public domain.

The art used with the film is interesting in many ways.  The film uses all types of art forms including animation, puppetry, clay-motion & still imagery.  As a work of art, I believe the film does a great job in showcasing the imagination and re-imagining of a cult classic that has had such a large impact on the genre.

As a movie, I ultimately felt that something was lost.  Romero’s genius often falls within the angles & tension that he can create.  The art, although interesting & creative, in many ways eliminated that tension felt in the original.

At the end of the day, for fans of the genre and the original Night of the Living Dead, NOTLD:R is worth watching if you can get your hands on it.  If for no other reason, check it out to see the showcase of really cool art that has been created and volunteered as part of the project.  My hats off to the organizers & volunteers that created this film with no budget.  Great accomplishment!

Interested in a trailer of NOTLD:R, check it out below:

Is anyone out there doing anything for Earth Day? How would a Zombie spend Earth Day………..

Capcom has announced that Raising Dead 2, the new Zombie video game set for release on August 31st,2010 in North America, will be have a brand new online co-op mode for the game’s campaign!

This sequel to Dead Rising follows Motocross champion Chuck Green who has signed on to participate in “Terror is Reality,” a gruesome game show that dares contestants to survive zombie-filled environments for the delight of TV audiences around the globe.  As you can guess…..the zombie’s escape.

According to their site:

Co-op play is introduced to the Dead Rising universe for the first time as players can invite their friends to partner up with them at any time to take on the zombie massacre- tag-team style! Play with a friend and have even more fun as you lure zombies in using strategic items like a toy helicopter or a firecracker. Once the zombies have gathered, your friend can rain bullets from above or shoot at a strategically-placed gas tank to create a deadly explosion that will take out masses of the enemy. Killing zombies with a friend is always more fun!

All I can think of is Left 4 Dead….  Will this be able to hold  a candle to the mother of Zombie Survival Co-Op?  I certainly hope so, especially since it will be available on the PS3 – something that I can’t say for L4D.

Here is the trailer: – Enjoy

Fangoria interviewed Frank Darabont, Director of the upcoming “Walking Dead” TV series that will be airing six episodes on AMC in October. Below are some excerpts from the interview:

Regarding the source material, Darabount noted:

“Robert Kirkman’s graphic novel series is very much a template for us, and it’s a tremendous opportunity to take the subject as serious as possible, and really as a long-term exploration of characters, which is what television does best when television is really working. That’s our goal..”

He went on to discuss any concerns about the fact that it’s playing on regular cable TV versus HBO or Showtime:

“I think there’s going to be an ongoing dialogue with standards and practices, but I think we have a friendly venue in AMC, if you see the kind of edgy stuff that BREAKING BAD is doing, which I adore, by the way. I don’t think we’re going to be lacking for adult content or the ability to depict the world that we’re depicting. I don’t think we’re going to have that many constraints, and if there are they’ll be in minor increments that will not affect the storytelling that we’re doing. It will just give us an opportunity to maybe do an enhanced cut on DVD or something, but I really don’t think we’ll be constrained too far. I’m certainly not getting the sense that AMC is there to interfere; they are a fantastic group of folks, and they’re very excited about this. They really want to enable rather than hinder this process.”

The news so far is really good.  I think the idea of building a “non-edited” version of the story for DVD (and hopefully Blue Ray) will go a long way and is a great idea.

For the full interview on the Fangoria Website click here.

To learn more about the TV series check out our Walking Dead update post.