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It seems all the horror icons of our youth are making a big comeback. Michael Myers in Halloween Kills, Candyman, and soon, Chucky. The evil “Good Guy” doll has been terrorizing horror fans since Child’s Play in 1988. And making us laugh. Now, SYFY and USA are bringing the tiny terror back in a new TV series. And there are a lot of familiar faces, including Jennifer Tilly as Tiffany, Chucky’s true love. And of course, Brad Dourif as the voice of the titular demonic doll. You can check out the new Chucky trailer right here:

You can also read the series’ official description below:

“In the new television series, an idyllic American town is thrown into chaos after a vintage ‘Good Guy’ doll turns up at a suburban yard sale. Soon, everyone must grapple with a series of horrifying murders. Ones that begin to expose the town’s deep hypocrisies and hidden secrets. Meanwhile, friends and foes from Chucky’s past creep back into his world. They threaten to expose the truth behind his mysterious origins as a seemingly ordinary child who somehow became this notorious monster.”

SYFY/USA Networks

Not only is Chucky’s original creator Don Mancini the series showrunner, but he’s also directing the first episode. Original Twin Peaks writer Harley Peyton is also on board as executive producer. And Devon Sawa, who has quite the horror pedigree thanks to cult classics like Idle Hands, Final Destination, and Casper, is also recurring. In October, Chucky will also feature in the upcoming Shudder series Behind the Monsters, along with his cinematic slasher buddies. A Child’s Play remake hit theaters just a couple of years back, with Mark Hamill voicing Chucky. But as great as Mark may be, nothing beats the original.

The first episode of Chucky airs on SYFY and USA on October 12 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

The post CHUCKY Comes to Life in Brand New Trailer appeared first on Nerdist.

Hi everyone! Today I want to talk about one of my predictions I got right and wrong from last week. So, I predicted that the Cardinals would beat the Jaguars 38-17, but the final score was 31-19 Cardinals over the Jags. A pretty close prediction there! The Cardinals made the game interesting because they were shooting themselves in the foot in the first half after they have scored a touchdown to be up 7-0 on the Jags. The kick return by the Jags after the kicker Matt Prater tried to hit a 68-yard field goal attempt was something that the Cardinals did not want to happen going into half because it allow the Jags to take the lead 13-7 right before half time. But in the second half, the Cardinals played a lot better after the quarterback Kyler Murray threw an interception and he was trying to force the ball down the field in the endzone. The Cardinals came back from being down 19-10. The play of the game that shifted momentum for the Cardinals was that the cornerback Byron Murphy had a pick six and the Cardinals finished the game with another touchdown to go up 31-19 on the Jags. So, the Cardinals are 3-0 for the first time since 2015.

I predicted that the Broncos would beat the Jets easily 38-17, but the final score was 26-0 Broncos over the Jets. I predicted that the Cowboys would beat the Eagles in a close game 33-30, but the final score was 41-21 Cowboys over the Eagles in a blowout. I was not expecting a blowout, but I was right that the Cowboys were going to beat the Eagles. The Eagles’ offense was just not good and so was their defense. The Cowboys offense moved the ball very well and kept running down the clock. I predicted that the Bucs would beat the Rams 24-21, but the final score was 34-24 Rams over the Bucs. The Rams were just a little too much for the Bucs to overcome. I predicted that the Seahawks would beat the Vikings 17-13, but the final score was 30-17 Vikings over the Seahawks. The Vikings were able to keep Russell Wilson off the field for a long time by taking a lot of time off the clock. I predicted that the 49ers would beat the Packers 38-35 in a shootout, but the final score was 30-28 Packers over the 49ers. The kicker Mason Crosby kicked a game-winning field goal. The 49ers should not have let Aaron Rodgers have time to go down the field to win the game because he is really good doing that. The 49ers player should have at least slide down before he got into the endzone because if he did, then Aaron Rodgers would not have time to go win the game. So based on my predictions, I got 3 out of 6 picks right! Now let’s get started on week 4 picks, shall we?! The first game I will predict is the Browns @Vikings game. Both of these teams are coming off with the win last week. I think the Browns are going to win this game over the Vikings 30-20 because they are going to run the ball a lot to Nick Chubb and he has been really good because the offensive linemen are getting him good lanes to run. I just think the Vikings defense is going to have a hard time stopping the run. You can’t win games if you can’t stop the run. The next game I will predict is the Giants @Saints game. The last time these two teams played was in 2015 that the Saints won the game in a shootout 52-49 over the Giants. I do not expect that to happen again tomorrow. I think the Saints have the edge over the Giants 36-17. The next game I will predict is the Chiefs @Eagles game. Both of these teams are coming off with losses last week. Nobody expected the Chiefs to start off the season 1-2. I do believe the Chiefs can bounce back with the win over the Eagles 37-26 because I think they are desperate to win this game and they need to win this game to keep up with their divisional rivalries. The next game I will predict is the Panthers @Cowboys game. Both of these teams are coming off with their wins last week.

The Panthers are unstoppable so far. I think that this will be a great game. I think the Panthers will stay undefeated by beating the Cowboys 31-27 in a close game. The Cowboys might rally late in the fourth quarterback, but it probably won’t be enough. I could be completely wrong, but this is what I believe. The next game I will predict is the Seahawks @49ers game, the divisional rivalries. Both of these teams are coming off with their losses last week. The Seahawks are 1-2 and the 49ers are 2-1. I am going to give the edge to the 49ers over the Seahawks in a close game 32-24. The Seahawks have been blowing some games that they should not be blowing and if they want to win this game, they need to find a way to finish the game if they get the lead on the 49ers. The next game I will predict is another divisional rivalry Cardinals @Rams game. Both of these teams are coming off with their wins last week. These teams are 3-0. Who is going to lose their first game of the season? The Cardinals have to be ready to play these Rams and not shoot themselves in the foot because if they do that again, then they will lose. They cannot allow too many penalties, they cannot get off to a slow start, allow Aaron Donald to make Kyler Murray feel uncomfortable, but he can run away from him, they need to pressure Matthew Stafford because he is going to look for his wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Desean Jackson. Don’t let these guys get 150 plus receiving yards on you, don’t kick too many field goals, score touchdowns, don’t go three and out too much, take a lot of time off the clock if you need to, stop the run and more! This is going to be a huge test for the Cardinals in order to come away with the win. Sean McVay is 8-0 vs the Cardinals. When the Rams have the lead going into the half, the Rams are 40-0!!! That is ridiculous!! It will be hard for the Cardinals to win this game. Well, I hate to do this, but I think the Rams might barely pull it off over the Cardinals 30-27 in a close game. I hope I’m wrong, but it seems to be likely. The Rams just have an edge because they are at home. Hard choice to pick because I needed to be honest.

The next game I will predict is the Steelers @Packers game. The Steelers are coming off with the unacceptable loss to the Bengals and the Packers are coming off with the historic win over the 49ers. I think the Packers will beat the Steelers 33-24. The Steelers might be a little better, but it won’t be enough to beat the Packers. Aaron Rodgers seems to have an edge when he is at home. The next game I will predict is the Ravens @Broncos game. I think the Ravens may give the Broncos their first loss of the season in a close game 35-30. The next game I will predict is the Buccaneers @Patriots on Sunday Night Football. Tom Brady is going to be coming back to stadium which he used to play for, the Patriots. He is going to get a standing ovation from the Patriot fans and may boo them for trading him. I think Tom Brady and the Bucs will pull this one off over the Patriots 37-20. The Bucs defense is still pretty good and the offense is still good as well. The last game I will predict is the Raiders @Chargers game, the divisional rivalry. I think this is going to be a great game to watch. I think the Chargers will come away with the win and give the Raiders their first loss of the season in a close game 30-24.

So, what do you guys think about the week 4 prediction match ups?! I would love to hear lots of comments, thoughts, opinions, concerns, or questions down below!

Stay tuned for prediction updates.

The post Week 3 Prediction Updates and Week 4 Picks! appeared first on The Nerd Element.

Here at Nerdist we love two things: The Rocketeer (it deserved better) and two player tabletop games. We’re all for games for large groups, but sometimes it’s nice to just grab a buddy and dive in. Funko Games’ The Rocketeer: Fate of the Future brings the things we love together with its heroes vs. villains gameplay and gorgeous art inspired by the 1991 Disney film. In the newest How to Play, host Becca Scott walks you through The Rocketeer board game step by step.

You can choose to play heroes or villains. The Rocketeer, a.k.a Cliff Secord, leads the heroes’ party, which includes Cliff’s girlfriend Jenny and airplane mechanic Peevy. The nefarious Hollywood actor Neville Sinclair serves as the ringleader for the villains’ group. That includes the henchman Lothar and gangster Eddie Valentine. Each group’s objective? To secure all of the blueprints for the jet pack and to make moves to acquire points as the game progress.

Nerdist

As you can see in How to Play, this battle for the blueprints (and the future!) plays out over The Rocketeer‘s Los Angeles locations. Designed by Prospero Hall for Funko Games, the art deco imagery is beautiful. Make sure you appreciate the details on each locale and also on all the cards. Each location comes with certain benefits that will help you gain the upper hand. You move around the various spots in each round of turns. And while it’s your turn, you play the cards you want and pick from the cards’ abilities or actions. Maybe you’ll fight and try to knock your opponent out. Or maybe you’ll try to steal the blueprints.

Players have only a limited number of rounds to score as many points as possible. Once the zeppelin reaches Los Angeles (which current events cards dictate), the game is over.

Get your copy of The Rocketeer: Fate of the Future now.

The post Learn How to Play THE ROCKETEER Game and Save the Future appeared first on Nerdist.

Although dreams of an IRL Jurassic Park are still just that, nearly every dinosaur finding still tantalizes with possibility. In a new fantasy fueling discovery, scientists in China say they’ve found evidence of “remnants” of original dinosaur DNA. Which may or not actually be there depending on how future experiments shake out.

ZHENG Qiuyang

Gizmodo reported on the discovery of the evidence, which a team of scientists from the Shandong Tianyu Museum of Nature outlined in a new paper in the journal Communications Biology. In the paper, the scientists describe how they isolated “exquisitely preserved” cartilage cells from a 125-million-year-old dinosaur from Northeast China. One that apparently looked a little like a peacock. The specimen, from the genus of small feathered theropod dinosaurs, Caudipteryx, was approximately the size of the modern day, fanciful bird. And it even had a long, feathered tail.

To look for evidence of dino DNA, the scientists took a piece of fossilized cartilage from the specimen’s right femur and decalcified it. They then used different chemical and microscopy methods to analyze it; in part by staining it with hematoxylin and eosin, chemicals that react with the nucleus and cytoplasm of extant cells. (The stains are immediately below. The Caudipteryx cells are on the left, those of the chicken, on the right.)

ZHENG Qiuyang

When the scientists stained both the Caudipteryx cartilage and that of a chicken, they found the two specimens reacted identically. The scientists even say that one of the dinosaur’s cartilage cells revealed a nucleus with fossilized threads of chromatin. That’s the material that makes up the chromosomes of organisms other than bacteria.

“[W]e are obviously interested in fossilized cell nuclei because this is where most of the DNA should be if DNA was preserved,” Alida Bailleul, corresponding author of the study, said in a press release. The scientists have “very exciting data,” but are “are just starting to understand cellular biochemistry in very old fossils,” she added.

ZHENG Qiuyang

Indeed, as Gizmodo‘s report highlights, many experts believe that these researchers have not actually found evidence of dinosaur DNA. They told the news outlet, for example, that—even under the best circumstances—DNA couldn’t last more than three million years. Let alone more than 100 million. And that the chemicals may have been staining inorganic matter that only looks cellular in nature.

As of now, the most ancient DNA that scientists have been able to sequence was that of a million-year-old woolly mammoth. And the youngest dinosaurs are at least 65 million years old. But if future experiments do confirm this evidence as real, then that really changes things. At least in our fantasies, where reanimated dinosaurs and Ian Malcolms abound.

The post Fossil of Peacock-Like Dinosaur May Have Preserved DNA Remnants appeared first on Nerdist.