Getting Ready for Marvel's NEW WARRIORS Next Year...

So yesterday afternoon, I found out online that the amazingly-talented Milana Vayntrub will become one of Marvel's newest live-action superheroes in the 2018 TV series New Warriors. Milana will play Doreen Green, a.k.a. the all-powerful Squirrel Girl...who in the comic books defeated none other than Thanos himself, and bested other characters such as Deadpool in combat. With Tippy-Toe, her buddy squirrel at her side, Squirrel Girl will be joined by Mister Immortal (Derek Theler), Night Thrasher (Jeremy Tardy), Speedball (Calum Worthy), Debrii (Kate Comer) and Microbe (Matthew Moy...who cracked me up as diner owner Han Lee on the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls) on New Warriors. It will debut on Freeform—formerly Disney's ABC Family channel—next year.

As someone who's followed her career since she delighted audiences as the adorable Lily Adams on AT&T's TV commercials, I am stoked that Milana is getting roles in projects as huge as a new Marvel TV show. From her funny Let's Talk About Something More Interesting YouTube videos, Paul Feig's hilarious but sadly short-lived 2015 sci-fi web series Other Space (plus a cameo on Feig's Ghostbusters reboot last summer) to a Season One stint on NBC's hit show This Is Us, Milana is going places. This is both literally and figuratively... Milana went to Greece and Jordan over the past two years to personally help Syrian refugees (and created her charity organization CantDoNothing.org as a result). Ms. Vayntrub herself was a refugee who emigrated here from Uzbekistan when it was once a Soviet republic 30 years ago.

In regards to Other Space, it's so interesting that Milana is the second cast member on that series to land a role on a Marvel show. The first cast member being Karan Soni...who went from playing Captain Stewart Lipinski on Other Space's UMP Cruiser to Deadpool's trusty cab driver Dopinder in the movies. With Milana as Squirrel Girl and Soni's Dopinder set to get more bad but hilarious dating advice by Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) in next year's Deadpool 2, it's clearly obvious that the alternate universe the UMP Cruiser stumbled into happened to be the Marvel Universe itself! I wouldn't be surprised if other Other Space alumni Neil Casey and/or Eugene Cordero join Brie Larson in 2019's Captain Marvel...

So yea, I can't wait to see Milana charm TV audiences and Marvel fans as Doreen Green next year. I'd ask if she'll appear at the D23 Expo [where Disney promotes its plans for its theme parks, movies, TV shows (Disney owns Marvel, remember?) and other properties] in Anaheim or San Diego Comic-Con this month, but it doesn't really matter to me. I've had the pleasure of meeting Milana a few times at her comedy shows and other places over the past two years. The first time was in early 2015, and I worked on an amazing short film called Brief last September... Milana and I both donated money to this project through Kickstarter, and I got to be an extra on it (yes, Milana was on set; she helped out as an assistant director since Brief was written and produced by some of her closest friends). Ms. Vayntrub is one of the coolest and nicest folks you'll ever meet in person—and considering how big of a star she's becoming by the day, that is something to be proud of. Anyways, time to end this Blog entry (unless of course, Milana is actually reading this and can't get enough of my crazy and incessant flattery)... Bring on the New Warriors next year! And Happy Tuesday.

Help Bring Back OTHER SPACE!

So yesterday, I found out online that the hilarious 2015 sci-fi web series created by Paul Feig (who directed such comedy flicks as Bridesmaid, Spy and last year's Ghostbusters reboot) is now available to download for free on a Tumblr webpage. The episodes aren't geoblocked...meaning that they can be viewed from anywhere in the world! And the reason why Other Space is available to watch for free anywhere in the world is because Feig wants the support needed to film Season 2 of the funny web series!

All I can say is, I hope Season 2 of Other Space gets made. Season 1 ended on a cliffhanger, with a mysterious alien lifeform boarding the UMP Cruiser [commanded by Stewart Lipinski (Karan Soni)] after its own vessel was obliterated by another unknown extraterrestrial ship. Along with this subplot, there were other story threads that remained unresolved...such as what will become of the romance between oddball Kent Woolworth (Neil Casey) and his virtual love/onboard ship computer Natasha (Conor Leslie), the other would-be relationship between Stewart's sister Karen (Bess Rous) and carefree doofus Michael Newman (Eugene Cordero), and of course, the currently-unrequited romance between Stewart and his ditzy but tough-as-nails navigator, Tina Shukshin (Milana Vayntrub).

I hope Season 2 gets made even if Other Space won't get a third season. Have the tale of the UMP Cruiser live on for at least 8 more episodes before her crew sails on into oblivion in the cold vacuum of space—even if that means that Stewart and company will never leave that alternate universe and make it back to Earth. On the plus side though, most of Other Space's amazing cast is doing just fine without donning their white UMP jumpsuits once more. Karan Soni is set to play Dopinder again on Deadpool 2, Milana Vayntrub is making a great impression as Sloane the playwright on NBC's This Is Us, and Eugene Cordero will appear alongside Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackon, John Goodman and Brie Larson in next month's Kong: Skull Island. And Bess Rous and Neil Casey appeared in Feig's Ghostbusters with Karan, Milana and Eugene less than a year ago...even though they didn't share screen time together.

Even if Season 2 doesn't get made (Nooo!), it was cool to reminisce about Other Space one last time. I wish this won't be the last time, but hey, that's why I need y'all to click on this Tumblr link to binge-watch this show! Let the web series that's a cross between Star Trek and The Office live on for a bit longer... Per favore. Happy First Day of February!

And watch Other Space now!

Come Back, OTHER SPACE!

We JUST got the rights back to @OtherSpace from Yahoo. So, going to set it up somewhere. Dying to visit the Cruiser! https://t.co/vF3EOBe9l2

— Paul Feig (@paulfeig) February 13, 2016

Last Saturday, Ghostbusters director Paul Feig posted the tweet above announcing that he just regained the rights to his sci-fi web comedy Other Space...which premiered on Yahoo! last April before being canceled by the Web conglomerate late last year. All I can say is, I'm stoked that we'll be getting more episodes focusing on the exploits of Stewart Lipinski (played by Deadpool's Karan Soni), Tina Shukshin (portrayed by the ever-awesome Milana Vayntrub) and the rest of their gang aboard the UMP Cruiser. Will Other Space make its triumphant return via Netflix? Hulu? The Syfy channel? Hopefully we'll find out soon!

Farewell, Other Space...

I just found out recently that Yahoo! has decided not to renew Paul Feig's hilarious sci-fi web series Other Space for a second season. Such a shame... We'll never find out who was after that alien who hitched a ride aboard the UMP Cruiser at the end of Episode 8 (the series finale) and why. Or—if the ship's main computer Natasha (Conor Leslie) and Kent Woolworth (Neil Casey) managed to live happily ever-after upon their eventual return to Earth. Or—if Stewart Lipinski (Karan Soni) finally won the heart of Tina Shukshin (Milana Vayntrub), and they left the Universal Mapping Project to start a new life together in a quiet, rural part of Uzbekistan. So many things left unresolved...

I guess this will be the only drawing I make of the hilarious characters who will forever be lost in that alternate universe...eating nothing but chocolate and randomly giving Michael Newman (Eugene Cordero) a hard time. That is all.

Video of the Day: OTHER SPACE Fan Trailer!

For those of you who watched and enjoyed the Yahoo! web series Other Space, check out this cool preview that a fan posted on Twitter earlier today. Kris WatchesOn, who created this clip, managed to gather most of the memorable moments from the 8-episode series and feature them in this trailer. The official promo for Other Space (which was shown during the First Look segment at AMC Theatres when I watched Avengers: Age of Ultron there a month ago) is shown below; the unofficial version above looks like it would've done a more effective job in enticing moviegoers to check this web series out. It's all good.

(OTHER SPACE) An Improv Show and Q&A Session in Hollywood...

So last night, I went to the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Hollywood to attend a special screening of the Yahoo! web series, Other Space. On-hand to do a Q&A session afterwards were four of the show's main actors, Karan Soni, Milana Vayntrub, Neil Casey and Eugene Cordero. Along with answering questions about Other Space (one of them being about when people will find out if Yahoo! approved a second season... The official response by Owen Ellickson, one of the producers who also attended the Q&A: "We're working on it"), the cast members also did two comedy skits before the screening started. Everyone was funny—though Casey and Cordero stole the show (you still rock, Milana).



The Other Space episode that was screened yesterday was "Trouble's Brewing," which is the fifth of eight episodes that make up Season 1...and is also a fan favorite. It was funny to see Coffee Bot (who is voiced by John Milhiser, who was also present at the Q&A) try to take over the UMP Cruiser while Tina Shukshin (Vayntrub) and Michael Newman (Cordero) were stranded on an alien world nearby. That climactic scene where Tina and Michael are teleported back to the ship, with Newman missing a limb because it was devoured by a hungry Shukshin down on the planet's surface, was hilarious! Add that to the fact that Newman, a fellow Filipino (I'm Pinoy, in case you're wondering), got to make out with Tina despite violating the Bro Code [Shukshin is Captain Stewart Lipinksi's (Karan Soni) main crush—and Michael knows it], and you have a feel-good romp that I enjoyed watching. It would be cool if another Q&A screening is held for Other Space...though this time around it would be nice if the cast signed autographs after the session as well. It's all good.

(OTHER SPACE) Artwork of the Day...

Just thought I'd share this anime-style drawing that I made two days ago of a few characters from the hilarious Yahoo! web series, Other Space. If you watched all 8 episodes of Paul Feig's brilliant new sci-fi comedy, you'd get the sentiment behind what's going on in this artwork. And if you don't, well it's all good. Tina Shukshin (played by Milana Vayntrub) strikes a pose while Captain Stewart Lipinski (portrayed by Karan Soni)—in his attempt to pose alongside his navigator/longtime crush—gets photobombed (art-bombed? Hm.) by Art (the bathroom-crazed robot voiced by Mystery Science Theater 3000's Trace Beaulieu) and the alien (Sarah Baker) that the crew of the UMP (Universal Mapping Project) Cruiser encounter in the last two episodes of the season. Looking on is Natasha (Conor Leslie), the ship's sultry on-board computer who has a thing or two for trendy wardrobe (though you couldn't tell that by the design I gave it in this artwork, hah). I used my Android smartphone to take a picture of this drawing since my computer scanner is a piece of crap that overexposed the illustration and brought out unwanted details in it (as seen below). Anyways, here's hoping that there will be a second season for Other Space... Make it happen, Yahoo! Happy Hump Day, folks.

Photos of the Day: Meeting Tina Shukshin!

So last night, I finally got to meet the very beautiful and talented Milana Vayntrub...who performed two hilarious skits at the Inner Sanctum Cafe in Hollywood. For those of you who don't know who Milana is (AS IF!), she appeared on such TV shows as Californication, House of Lies and Silicon Valley. Oh, and she's been playing the charming Lily Adams on AT&T commercials for about a year now. But her most recent work can be seen on the Yahoo! web series Other Space—which is created by Paul Feig, the director behind the hit film Bridesmaids and the upcoming Ghostbusters reboot. (Milana's Other Space co-star Neil Casey was on-hand to perform the skits with her yesterday.)



I'm quite relieved that I finally met Ms. Vayntrub! Considering how popular she's becoming by the day, I was afraid that the only way to meet her would be to attend a book signing (like I did with Jessica Alba in March of 2013) or to go to a comic book expo (as in the case with Alyssa Milano in November of that same year) and dish out some cash! Thank God that's not the case (though I did have to pay $5 for parking last night). Oh, and check out Other Space now! It's totally hilarious (Tina Shukshin is the name of Milana's character on the show, FYI)... Probably my second favorite sci-fi-themed, geeky comedy behind The Big Bang Theory. Carry on.