Almost two years ago (to the day) it was announced Warner Bros and Leonardo DiCaprio were teaming up to bring a live adaptation of Akira to the big screen. After two years of virtually no news (two or three updates max if I recall), it seems that the Hughes Brothers (Book of Eli) are in talks to direct the project!

This makes my little nerd heart swell with joy. Akira was one of the movies that warped my fragile little mind when I was much younger. Probably what, 18 years ago or so? If you haven’t ever watched Akira, I suggest you do so immediately. It is totally badass.

If you have seen Akira, there is an incredible live action short taking place 10 years after the events of Akira; check it out over at Nerdwithswag.

….And somehow, I had a feeling, things were going to turn out all right.

1) You had me at Decepticon with pom-poms. The above video marks everything that is right with the internet. You know what everyone? I think we’re going to be okay, we’re going to be okay. *Cue California by Phantom Planet*

2) While we’re talking about parodies of anime, Grand Theft Auto has taken anime parodies to the next level…. and it is GLORIOUS. I originally saw the trailer on Topless Robot two weeks and it is too good not to share:

Princess Robot Bubblegum!!!!!!!!!!!

Potentially NSFW if your work frowns upon skimpily clad anime women, tentacles or brilliant cliches.

I’ve actually seen all of episode one and it is quite well done. For a cartoon within a video game I have to give mad props. Princess Robot Bubblegum reminded me very much of the shortlived Adult Swim series Perfect Hair Forever. Perfect Hair Forever was an incredible series that Adult Swim surprisingly has thus far not released on DVD. Each episode looked at a different anime series and parodied every possible cliche. Montage of it’s shortlived greatness can be found here.

3) Know what’s not great? Getting a terrible tattoo! Hitting the rounds this week is one of the greatest tattoos I have ever seen. A brave geek got a tattoo of Street Fighter’s shoryuken controller command up his entire forearm. Too bad he got it wrong!

4) If you loved the above, also check out Geeky Tattoos. These people have thus far been much braver and more awesome than I am, however my eventual Battle Cat tattoo will blow these out of the waters.

5) In unrelated news, Alan Moore is going to pen a libretto for the Gorillaz!!!!! This is so unexpected and so out of left field that I am thrilled. I can’t even fathom how awesome this is going to be. I will sit here waiting with open ears and an open mind, because anything could happen…. we’re talking about the man responsible for THIS KOOL-AID MAN COMIC afterall.

Oh apparently he’s written some other stuff too.