I don’t know how many of our readers watch the History Channel’s Vikings, an historical drama about… well, about Vikings. Viking political intrigue. Viking raids. A Viking shieldmaiden who’s better than everyone else (not that I’m biased). It’s now five episodes into its first season, and there’s still plenty of time for newbies to catch up before its just-announced second season (Kermit flail!) starts.

If anyone has any “But why doesn’t the History Channel doesn’t do any history shows anymore?!?!?!” comments to make, please get them out of your system now.

The father in this case is Bill Gekas, an award-winning photographer inspired by the distinctive visual style of the Old Masters of painting, particularly Vermeer and Rembrandt. Combine that with some period-looking clothes and accessories (and potatoes!) and a five-year-old daughter willing to serve as a model and you get this series. It’s about fifty-eight thousand times better than Glamour Shots.

Artist Yudi Chen has created this series of genderswapped fairy tale art, and there’s not much I can say about it other than it’s absolutely freaking awesome. Seriously, they’re perfect. Cinderfella! Tarzana! LadyBeast! The Princess rescuing Sleeping Beauty! Rapunzel’s beard!

I remember seeing a trailer for LARP-themed comedy The Knights of Badassdom at least a year ago, and then… nothing. No news. No release date. The official website still says “coming 2012.” But at last, progress: There’s a new trailer, even though most of the footage in it is recycled from the old trailer. Whatever. Someone’s cut a new trailer and IMDB has updated its release year to 2013, so that must mean we’ll be seeing the whole movie relatively soon… right?

Please? Peter Dinklage. Summer Glau. Danny Pudi. Ryan Kwanten. Steve Zahn. Tom Hopper, who played Percival the sleeveless chainmail-wearing knight on Merlin. I really want to see this. It looks awesome.

(via: Ain’t It Cool News)

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The Wrap is reporting that Anne Hathaway will be getting her Shakespeare on by starring in an adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew.

I request that you all take a short break right now to watch (or re-watch) the fan-made short Gotham High, which places a bunch of Batman characters—including Hathaway’s Catwoman—in high school. It uses the #1 Taming of the Shrew adaptation of my heart, 1999′s 10 Things I Hate About You, for much of its footage.

You done? Good. Let’s continue.

After more than four hundred years of preservation and reenactment, it’s no wonder that Shakespeare’s plays have lent themselves to experimentation, adaptation, or modernization of various kinds. But I can understand the Royal Shakespeare Company, being the Royal Shakespeare Company, feels it has some dedication to a traditional staging of the Bard’s work. Shakespeare scholars have been in a bit of a flap lately over a quite modern idea indeed: women playing male parts in RSC productions.

Which is why the picture at the top of this article is Dame Helen Mirren in her role as Prospera in Julie Taymor‘s The Tempest. Not an RSC production in any way, but there you go.

The Walking Director executive producer Gale Anne Hurd is moving from horror to sci-fi with the alien invasion drama Horizons, which was just picked up by USA. There’s an additional bit of info, though, that moves this show from “Huh, OK, this could be cool” to “When will this air? Give it to me now!” Namely: It’s set during World War II. USA has discovered the key to my heart, and it is the phrase “sci-fi period drama.”

I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but there are children born after the final episodes of Freaks and Geeks aired, following a fan campaign to get three unaired episodes onto television, who are probably already preparing for their Bar and Bat Mitzvot.

Look… I’ll just leave you with some of the pictures from Vanity Fair’s photoshoot. There are lots more at their gallery, and they’ve also got a bunch of never before seen set pictures, a history of the show from the actors and creators, and creator Paul Feig explaining what would have happened in the never-made season two.

Are you aware that human history is full of examples of sexist, patriarchal societies where women were discriminated against? I’m sure you are, as a reader of The Mary Sue. I’m pretty sure you are as a person alive in the 21^st Century, too. Yet so many of the historically inspired fantasy worlds we love are remarkably intent on reminding us of this.

When I raise this issue with someone, I often get some variation of this in reply. Sexism in (to pick the most obvious example) medieval fantasy is okay or even desirable, the thinking goes, because in the real European Middle Ages sexism was the status quo. There’s no denying that, but fantasy is called fantasy because it’s a fantasy. There were no dragons in the real Middle Ages either, but we don’t have a problem including them.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade has been a part of my life since before I can remember. I’ve always sort of took for granted the unusual nature of this particular American tradition but when you take a step back, you realize how truly odd it is. Since 1924, the department store has enlisted folks to hold on for dear life to giant balloons of pop-culture characters as they pull them down the streets of Manhattan to the awe of (usually) freezing crowds. Having lived in the New York area my entire life, I’m actually kind of ashamed I’ve never gone to see the parade in person but every year, without fail, I watch on TV. Here’s some shots of the parade from yesteryear. Take a moment to consider whether our modern balloons are less, more, or equally bizarre.

(via Facebook)