No new episode this week.

Sorry folks, there will be no new episode of KBP this weekend. Frankly, both of us are very busy this weekend. This is compounded by the fact that Ryan is having some issues with his internet. Between the two things it just looks like this week isn't meant to be. The good news is that this gives you more time to give us your feedback!

Next week we will be tackling movie adaptations. So let us know how you feel about them! In general do you like them or hate them? Do you like them to be as close to the source material as possible? What are some examples of good ones? How about bad ones? What source material seems to adapt better (i.e. Books, Comics, Video Games)?

As always you can email us, call us or tweet. Just hit the contact link up at the top of the page!

Mortal Kommentary!

This week we're not recording an actual episode. To make up for this, we offer your Mortal Kombat: The Commentary. Mortal Kombat is available on Netflix if you don't happen to own a copy of this classic video game movie.

Next week, we'll be talking about movie adaptations. Comic books, video games, books and TV shows are all being turned into movies. Is nothing sacred? We'll be talking about why we love adaptations so much and why we get so crazy over them. So let us know how you feel. Do you like adaptations? Are you a rabid fan boy that foams at the mouth when "they" get your favorite franchise wrong? What do you think makes a good adaptation? Give us your feedback! Email us, show@kneelbeforepod.com, or click here for more contact options!

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Android Karenina – A Book Review

As a reader of this website, or listener of the podcast, please raise your hand if you’ve read Leo Tolstoy’s classic Anna Karenina (and no, following that link doesn’t count). I’m going to assume that no one raised their hand, and I’m not surprised. I haven’t read it either. A soap opera, with a bunch of hard to pronounce names, based in 19th Century Russia? No thanks. I’m sorry, Mr. Tolstoy, but I prefer my soap operas to have midgets and demons.

Enter Ben H. Winters, who co-wrote Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters with Jane Austen. Mr. Winters had the brilliant idea to rerelease Anna Karenina for a new (much cooler) generation. Take everything that made the novel a beloved classic, and mix in two healthy doses of Steampunk and robots. Quirk Classics, the Masters of Our Public Domain, jumped on this idea, and catapulted Mr. Tolstoy into superstardom (possibly back into superstardom, records are unclear).

Android Karenina, the novel that breaks all the rules (but not those very important three!), is the fourth title which re-envisions classics of literature with a patently geeky bent. Following hot on the heels of Zombies and Sea Monsters, the addition of robots to the arsenal completes the Geek Trifecta.

Need more of a reason to check out Android Karenina*? How about a picture of some swanky dude making time with a robot chick…

*Not so fast, Sparky. As with my review of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls, Quirk Classics is letting me clue you in on another fantastic contest! Here’s the deal: Click on this link –> RIGHT HERE <- and tell them about Kneel Before Pod. As before, registration is required, but it’s a small price to pay for this awesome prize pack you will have a chance at winning (prize pack worth nearly $100…that’s a lot of money, children)!

• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith
• How to Survive a Horror Movie by Seth Grahame-Smith
• Dracula’s Heir: An Interactive Mystery by Sam Stall
• Extreme Encounters by Greg Emmanuel
• How to Tell if Your Boyfriend is The Antichrist by Patricia Carlin
• An Android Karenina Poster
• And More!

**Special Bonus! The Official Release Trailer!

Episode 68: Kneel Before Ed: Episode II: The Ed Strikes Back

This episode is what is left from our recording with Ed from Voice of the Republic. This episode we finally get to the meat and potatoes of the show. We discuss Lost, Star Wars and a bunch of other things!

PUT IT IN YOUR EARS!!!

Music featured in this episode:
Drive Shaft - You All Everybody
The Supervillains - Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)

Episode Links:
Here is the picture album we discuss with Ed regarding the Tokyo Halloween Decadance
Here is Japanese rockstar ROLLY singing a couple selections from Rocky Horror Picture Show.

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Episode 67: Kneel Before Ed... PART 1!

This week we're joined by Ed Siemienkowicz from the fabulous Star Wars podcast Voice of the Republic. We started recording at 7pm and didn't stop till midnight! As a result, we just have too much content. From trips to Red Lobster to talk about Lost(the original topic), we just couldn't stop talking!!!! The good news is you're going to hear it all. The bad news? You'll have to wait till next week to get the rest.

In part 1, we read your feedback, talk a lot and then finish it up with news. Next week, you will get the on topic Lost talk, some Star Wars and some other Misc stories. So strap in and get ready to Kneel Before Ed!

PUT IT IN YOUR EARS!!!

Music featured in this episode:
Geronimo Jackson - Dharma Lady

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Episode announcement & super sexy music time!

This week we will have part one of our two part episode featuring Ed Siemienkowicz of Voice of the Republic. The original intent was to have a Lost wrap up show, but we just recorded way too much content. We started at 7pm and didn't finish till midnight. So now you're getting two show and the Lost talk will follow next with part 2 that will be coming next week! So prepare to put it in your ears!

Till then, enjoy long time friend of the show Jamie Douglas with his band The Powergoats playing live at Irene's Pub in downtown Ottawa!

Episode 66: The Great Spider-Man debate of '010

Carl has said it before... he doesn't like Spider-Man. Not much time has been dedicated to this fact. Now, we dedicate a whole episode to this point of dispute between the two hosts. Can Ryan sell Carl on Spider-Man? Will Carl make Peter Parker cry? Can he really do whatever a spider can??? Listen and find out. As always, there's two scoops of nerd news to finish off.

PUT IT IN YOUR EARS!!!

Music featured in this episode:
Hockey Monkey - The Zambonis
The World is New - Save Ferris

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Episode 65: Does whatever an iron can

I know, I know... we said we were going to have the great Spider-Man debate this week. We really were, we promise... but... IRONMAN 2 CAME OUT THIS WEEKEND!!!!! Don't ask how this slipped our minds. That's what happens when you make plans on the fly while recording.

Anyways, this week we talk about Ironman 2. Does it do the original proud? Does it miss the mark? Should we learn some new alloys? It's covered in this mostly spoiler free episode. So put it in your ears!!!

Music featured in this episode:
Skateaway - Dire Straits
Trou Macacq - Squirrel Nut Zippers

Play Episode

Direct Download: Right Click and Save Podcast Home: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/23055 RSS Subscription: http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/recordings.talkshoe.com/rss23055.xml or just look us up on iTunes!

Point / Counter Point: Spider-Man – Hero or Douchebag

Last week on Kneel Before Pod!, I posed a challenge to Carl. We'd decided to finally get to the heart of our feelings for Spider-Man, and to debate our points on the show. To go along with this aural debate, I said "Why not write something up for the ol' bliggity-blog?" Carl was in favor, because he's always in favor of me putting up content. To sweeten the deal, and because I thought it would be more interesting, I suggested that we take up the opposite side in our pieces; I'd be against Spider-Man, Carl in favor. Here, in all it's glory, is what we came up with. Enjoy!

Carl - President of the Spider-Man Fan Club

Over the years, comic characters have come and gone. Some have gone out of favor and others have gained a fan base. One character that has almost always been at the front of fandom is Spider-Man. But why has Spider-Man remained a fan favorite for so many years? The reason for Spider-Man's longevity is simply the fact that he is a lighthearted character that people can relate to and is generally a likable character.

For years, comic book superheroes were beyond the reader not only with their physical daring, but with their personal life and ideals as well. Rarely did you see Superman in a position where he was being bullied. You never saw Bruce Wayne fail to get the girl. By the time characters in comic books became heroes, they were typically paragons in every aspect of their lives.

Spider-Man was one of the first mainstream characters to show a less-than-perfect life beyond their origin story. Even after he gets his powers, Parker has what many people would see as a normal life. Problems with girls, his job, money and his family. His life is not charmed just because he becomes a super hero. In fact, his personal life suffers from his new found powers. In the real world, this could translate into "I got a promotion at work, but now my home life is suffering." It's a very human problem and many people have experienced it.

Not to mention Spider-Man and Peter Parker are always the victim to bullies, which is a situation that many comic book readers can relate to. Be it Flash in High School, or J. Jonah Jameson as he gets older, there is always someone working against him on a personal level. To many people, this is something they can relate to. Be it a boss, a family member or some jerk neighbor, readers can connect with a character that has people working to bring him down. It's an issue that hits close to home, especially to kids and teenagers.

Lastly, he's just a likable character. While sometimes the content does get a little bleak and dark, Spider-Man almost always keeps a positive attitude. He is well known in the Marvel Universe and by readers in the real world for his witty one liners and zingers that he directs towards villains in their confrontations. Even when he is facing what might be death, you can count on Spider-man to make a joke.

So in summary, people like Spider-Man due to his fun hi-jinks, his down to earth problems and his ability to relate to younger audiences. He has been on top for years and will no doubt continue to be an all-star in the comic book universe.

Ryan - Proponent of cigar-chomping newsmen everywhere

Let me paint a picture for you:

No one at school likes you, except for the weird rich kid that doesn't fit in either. The jocks, led by a Neanderthal nicknamed, of all things, “Flash,” treats you like his personal toilet. Your parents are dead, so the only family you have in the world is your septuagenarian aunt and uncle, who insist you eat your wheat cakes every morning. Sure, you're a smart kid, but then, what else could you have going for you with this kind of hand.

One day, a freak accident occurs, and you suddenly find yourself with the proportionate strength and speed of a spider. Not only that, but you have some kind of freaky warning bell in your head that lets you know if something bad it going to happen. Of course you are going to try and capitalize on your new found powers. Living the way you do doesn't exactly make being popular an easy task. Pro wrestling; that's the ticket.

Blah blah blah, your uncle is dead. You could have done something, but you didn't get precognition from that spider bite. Now your aunt, the only thing left to you, has no one to take care of her. I know – give up your semi-lucrative career as a popular wrestler and fight crime. For free. Because “With great power comes great responsibility.”

No, Parker, with great power comes great opportunity. As The Amazing Spider-Man, you could have had everything: money, fame, women. The world could have been your oyster. Instead, you end up fighting losers who adopt animal names for their crimes.

Take a look at Batman real quick. Same basic origin, same motive, and criminals fear him. If I were in the crime business, I wouldn't worry too much about ol' Spidey. He'll knock me around a bit, string me up on a light pole, throw out a “witty” quip, and leave me to the authorities. I figure I can bounce back from that. I honestly don't know how common criminals even take Spider-Man seriously.

Parker, in addition to being an all-around douche, also has the same problems as me. Why this is, I have no idea. Money's short? You're a superhero. Can't get the girl? You're a superhero. Your alter-ego's boss thinks you're a menace? You're a freaking superhero. See? One simple alteration in Parker's life, and everything comes up roses.

Face it, Tiger...you're a douche.

What are your thoughts on the ol' Web-Head? Everybody likes throwing in their two cents, so why don't you give us yours? Twitter, email, or voicemail, we'll take them all.

Even though I hate Halo, I hate myself even more...

Over the years, I have really come down hard on Halo. I think it's only fair though. If you're going to be a franchise that people point to and say "That's the one. That's the game that innovated the genre." you better well innovate the genre. To me, the only thing the Halo franchise has achieved is bring a watered down PC experience to the home console. This really shouldn't be reason to hate a franchise that is at least half decent and it really isn't mine. The reason I hate Halo, and I have said it before, is because I fall for it every time.

Well, it's happening again. There's a cool new short film, a bunch of shiny screenshots and a wide spread beta. Being a gaming nerd, I can't help but to get a little tight in the pants over all of it. Then it happens... The tweet that will likely get the better of my common sense.

I have a very specific list of things I don't like about Halo. The generic cookie cutter combat is one of those things. There's a reason that I like games like Team Fortress, Battlefield BC2, Star Wars Battlefront and Tribes. Classes. The game allows people to play in a way that takes advantage of your natural playing style. Medics, Snipers, Engineers, Spies... They all come together in this amazing KFC Famous Bowl meal that makes for a truly satisfying experience. No race to the most powerful weapon on the map. Just a balanced game where working well together can achieve some amazing things and overcome tremendous odds. So with Halo adding classes and jetpacks, I might start running out of stuff to put on my "Why Halo is only mediocre at best" list.

If I secure a place in the Beta, I will let you kids know what I think. BTW, if I hate this game I am totally blaming Gabe...