Alan Danzis Alan Danzis
Starpulse Contributing Writer
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Alan Danzis is a lifelong technology and TV enthusiast. He's an early adopter: he had the first generation Sony TiVo and had to buy a special device just to plug the analog DVR into his digital phone line in college, further showcasing his nerdiness. He currently lives in Hoboken, N.J., where he tries not let his TiVo get too full. You can follow him on @adanzis.

“The Unofficial Game of Thrones Cookbook” - Eat Like A Lannister or a Stark

March 29th, 2013 11:00am EDT
The Unofficial Game of Thrones Cookbook
This Sunday, Lannisters, Baratheons, Greyjoys and of course Starks, will be back in our lives.

(For those not in the know, we’re getting Game of Thrones back on our TV screens on Sunday night at 9 pm ET on HBO.)

If you’re planning to have a premiere party, perhaps you should make some food for all your guests—the kind of stuff that makes them feel like THEY’RE the King (or Queen) of Westeros.

Enter then, The Unofficial Game of Thrones Cookbook from Alan Kistler. There’s tons of recipes for meats, desserts and even ale.

A number of the recipes are inspired by A Storm of Swords, the third...
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Three 'Unique' ThinkGeek Gifts for Easter Baskets Next Sunday

March 25th, 2013 11:00am EDT
Plush Peeps
Easter is next Sunday and if you Easter Bunnies out there are still unsure of what to put in baskets for little ones, here’s three potential “unique” gifts you might want to consider from ThinkGeek.

Plush Peeps Gift Set

For peep lovers who are always sad to see the beloved “friends” gone after Easter is over, you can get them a set of four plush peeps. You can get the “traditional chicks” or “adorable bunnies” set and each one comes with a yellow, pink, blue and purple one. They retail for $9.99.

Zombie Bunny Lollipops

For any teenagers that are watching The Walking Dead and you sti...
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Matthew Rhys Dishes On 'The Americans' And His Character Philip Jennings

March 19th, 2013 11:24am EDT
Matthew Rhys as Philip Jennings
One of the most fascinating TV marriages right now, is between Philip and Elizabeth on FX’s The Americans. Sure, they’re KGB spies in the 1980s trying to bring down the Americans while posing as an American couple, but there’s a real love story there.

If you’re all caught up with the latest episode, you might want to check out some interesting tidbits from Matthew Rhys, who plays Philip, after a recent conference call with reporters. He discusses the marriage, Philip’s frame of mind and more.

The highlights are below. The Americans airs on Wednesday at 10 pm ET on FX.

On how his characte...
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'Bates Motel': An Intriguing Contemporary Prequel To 'Psycho'

March 18th, 2013 7:49am EDT
Bates Motel
NBCUniversal has two shows on in the next two months that will attempt to explain the twisted backstory of cinema’s most well-known murderers. Next month, on NBC, we’ll learn about the friendship between cannibal Hannibal Lecter and an FBI agent in Hannibal. And this coming Monday on A&E, we’ll learn what happened during his teenage years to cause Norman Bates to impersonate his dead mother and murder a young woman in the shower.

But first things first, Bates Motel isn’t a direct prequel to the film Psycho. It can’t be—Bates Motel is set in contemporary time, something you might not pick u...
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Let the Bad Guys Be Bad Guys: A Review of 'The Vampire Diaries' 4x16: Bring It On

March 17th, 2013 11:05am EDT
The Vampire Diaries
What Vampire Diaries fan wasn’t excited at the prospect of seeing Elena execute her inner-Katherine thanks to Damon turning off her humanity in the previous episode?

Of course, Elena’s inner-Katherine involved biting some cheerleader competitor… and stealing the ribbon in her hair.

OK, sure, Elena did try and kill Caroline and even hurt her mom, the Sheriff, but unless we see her actually succeed at any of this, will there have been any purpose to the storyline of her turning off her humanity?

Even Klaus has been neutered on the series at this point. The gang failed to “cure” him and he ...
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George Blagden Talks About His Character Athelstan From History's 'Vikings'

March 11th, 2013 10:00am EDT
George Blagden
Last night, viewers met Athelstan, a monk that is taken prisoner by Ragnar on HISTORY’s Vikings show. Over the course of the next few episodes, he’ll develop a unique relationship with Ragnar and the rest of his family.

To learn more about his character, I recently spoke with his portrayer, George Blagden, over email. Here’s what we discussed.

Tell us who your character is and where he fits in?

Athelstan is an Anglo-Saxon monk captured by Ragnar Lothbrok on his first raid to the West. He becomes Ragnar’s slave and then has to adapt to the very alien world of Scandinavia, a place he’s not...
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'Collaborator' Review: Uneven First Film From Writer And Director Martin Donovan

March 10th, 2013 6:56pm EDT
Martin Donovan / David Morse
Hostage dramas are no stranger to films—in fact, one of the stars of Collaborator has starred in one before.

In Collaborator, Robert Longfellow (Martin Donovan) is a famous playwright whose last few works haven’t been well received. In fact, his current one is so savaged by the critics that he retreats home to Los Angeles at his mother’s house, leaving his wife and two kids in New York.

After making a “date” to spend the night with an old flame (Olivia Williams), he winds up getting caught up in his childhood neighbor Gus’ (David Morse) orbit. Gus is an ex-con living at home with his moth...
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Three Exclusive Screenshots From The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct

March 10th, 2013 1:00pm EDT
The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct
Later this month, Activision will release The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, a videogame based on the hit AMC show. (This is different than the Telltale adventure game based on the comic.)

Starpulse was recently provided three exclusive screenshots of the upcoming game, as well as some details for what players can expect.

Over the course of Survival Instinct, players will guide the Dixon brothers, Daryl and Meryl, across the George countryside. Players will be controlling Daryl, while the computer controls Meryl. Sometimes the brothers will communicate via radio (when they’re not within...
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Netatmo Urban Weather Station [REVIEW]: For True Weather Geeks

March 9th, 2013 11:01am EST
Netatmo Urban Weather Station
I’ve had a wireless thermometer for years and I absolutely live by it. Sure, I could use the free Weather app on my iPhone to find out what the temperature is outside—and more importantly, if I need an umbrella for later. But I’m old school. I open my blinds, I look for clouds and I check the temperature outside to plan out my day.

A relatively new product from Netatmo, however, is taking that old school sensibility to the next level.

The Netatmo Urban Weather station consists of two aluminum modules—one you place inside and one you place outside. The indoor one is powered by a USB wall a...
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Olympus DS-7000 Professional Dictation System [REVIEW]: Expensive, But Essential for Reporters

March 6th, 2013 1:02pm EST
Olympus DS-7000
While I can type between 150 and 170 words a minute on my computer, my handwriting leaves a lot to be desired, both in terms of legibility and speed. Luckily, Olympus recently provided me with two professional recorders to test when conducting interviews; I decided to try the top of the line one, the DS-7000.

One of the reasons I preferred the DS-7000 was the slide switch control on the back. Slide up to record, slide back down to stop, slide down even further to play what you just recorded and slide down the farthest to rewind. For whatever reason, I just found that flexibility worked bet...
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