Moyer Gets Wet in Armor, Fights Vikings.

How do you know you're a diehard Truebie? Well, you're so intrigued by one fan's comment at Comic-Con that you reserve your very own copy of Prince Valiant at the library.

But there's a problem -- No, it isn't that you've checked out a movie based solely on the fact that Stephen Moyer appears in it (especially when you're an Eric girl), but that you misread the text online and reserved a VHS tape.

That's right, I'm real high-tech and no longer have a VCR. So I have to call Rachel and subject her to the cheeseball fangirl fest. And what does she do? Explains the plot to me when I'm too busy laughing and provides Moosetracks ice cream for me to enjoy.

It's 1997 and pre-True Blood for Stephen Moyer, and pre-Grey's Anatomy for Katherine Heigl. (This movie also features Hellboy and Professor Flitwick from the Harry Potter films.)

King Arthur has a daughter, Princess Ilene (Heigl), who wants to be a knight. Valiant (Moyer) impersonates his squire in a jousting match because he isn't able to fight. Arthur enlists him to take Ilene to a safe place because they are being invaded by the Scottish (but it's really the Vikings impersonating the Scottish).

Meanwhile, the villans have dug up Merlin and got his spellbook so they could get Excalibur. They remind me the ones in Power Rangers. Yes, I was a kid in the '90s. And those guys really like the eyeliner. But it's shown that only Valiant can release it. (He's a squire because he was orphaned and raised in a monks, who named him Valiant.)

The one requirement for Valiant's quest? That he get wet while wearing armor and possibly have a swordfight. (4:08)

Much better hair like this. Not that "ridiculous mullet." - Stephen's words, not mine.

Pretty much every scene includes Valiant with wet hair and armor. You'd be surprised how many situations call for that.

Then, epic battles ensue. Vikings are barbaric and wear funny hats.

Epic battles, freeballing it to victory. (Sorry Belles, we're not talking Moyer.)

Rachel rewound the part at :25 about three times. Let me just say, this really made me wish that Alex was Thagnar, there. We all know he's Scandinavian, Godammit. They "love to be naked."

But there's a anti-Viking slant going on. Valiant and his people are rightfully pissed at the Vikings. They stole his home and tried to harem-up his woman. UNTIL we find out that Valiant is a Viking, but the good kind.(About 1:13)

You got a thing for proposing to blonde girls, Moyer?

Sound familiar? He's a Viking, but a good one. He hates his own people because they've wronged him and stolen away his family and his rightful life! Some big Viking is trying to sex up his lady and take his spot, so he fights and uses armored alligator heads as lifts!

There you have it. Stephen Moyer is a secret Viking, this movie would have been pop culture gold if Alexander Skarsgard was cast as the evil Viking and all us Truebies could have died happy.

Instead, we'll just have to watch this sometimes live action, sometimes animated, sometimes ridiculous movie of awesome much in the style of Mystery Science Theater 3000 with a friend. Just make sure it's a friend who will not only accurately finish the sentences of the movie she's never seen, but offer to be on a screenwriting team for awesome medieval '90s movies with you.

This movie is a must for Moyer fans, for sure. But fans of alligators in armor and PG-13 innuendo would like it too. Or at least have a good laugh. Stephen did. (4:15)

Thank you, Random Fangirl. You made my Saturday.

Record Cozy Tumblr -- Enjoy The Diet RC.

So, I've been neglecting the blog a little lately. I feel ashamed. BUT... I will have a True Blood reaction up tomorrow, and a playlist pretty soon.

But -- News. Which may not be news if you know it already, but Record Cozy is now up and running on Tumblr as Record Cozy Lite.

What does that mean? Random, but lovely things that are related to regular ole Record Cozy, but not post-worthy.

I don't know if I can promise the suggestive fun times of that there Diet soda, but I can promise way more ASkars than you can handle and a few of my best-ever things: Conversations, Tweets and Top Searches which lead people to Record Cozy (only the amusing and bizarre).

Wasn't it magical the way they all just fell down like that? Dirty mannequins!

I'm especially interested in getting a few more knitting peeps to follow. So, let me know if you love yarn! Woot!

Please enjoy Record Cozy Lite, and we'll be up and running when I get something accomplished academically and can tear myself away from Alexander Skarsgard pictures and Miniature Tiger songs on repeat.

Someone help me. That combination is effing lethal.

Sooooo pretty...

An Appreciation for Manly Tank Tops. Yes.

There is something that I'd never thought I'd admit in public: I have an appreciation for boys in manly tank tops.

What I'm saying is that I've really enjoyed watching Eric Northman this season of True Blood, and it's not just because Alexander Skarsgard is the sweetest guy ever. (Although he is.)

Seriously, how could you say no to that? Right about 2:12. There are no words.

While Eric Northman was positively mouthwatering at times, I can't say he was the first cute guy to catch my eye wearing one of those gun-showing shirts.

You're probably going to laugh when read this, but Cillian Murphy held his own in 2007's Sunshine. Why are you going to laugh? Both guys are very attractive, but in different ways. The Skarsgard is let's say, just a little more gunny, than Mr. Murphy. (Nice tank shot at :16.)

I saw Sunshine in theatres when it first came out, at a place which shows what we like to call in our family, "artsy movies." And I loved it.

I don't love many movies. I hate the movie theater, which probably stems from my dislike of crowds and sticky things. But this one, I came out saying wow. Some might say I'm picky, but I'm nothing if not loyal to my favorites.

Not only is the movie great, but I can remember being distracted by the wardrobe choices a little. That is an attractive guy. I can't say I wasn't entertained.

This is actually the first time I've watched it since that first time because, let me tell you, it's sad. This video pretty much sums up the way you feel at the end of the film:

That's pretty sad. Counting Crows sad. But the rest of the movie I'd liken to Alien. Especially the dinner scene at the beginning of the film. You're practically like, "Oh shit. Someone's having an alien baby before this scene is over." Okay, maybe not. The idea's pretty similar.

I love that Sci-Fi stuff. My one complaint about Alien? It brought out the crazy cat lady in me. I spent a lot of time near the end worried about the cat. Let all the people die, but I worried about the cat. Oh, CCL me. There's a reason it's a classic. I can't say that the volumes after Aliens lived up to that, even with Joss Whedon's involvement (Alien Resurrection), which usually turns things to gold.

It is a really great movie, but pre-tank Northman, I was pretty interested in seeing a little Cillian gunniness. I still am. Although with more of a Northman Junior spin.

You have to appreciate the manly tank top. Not everyone can pull that off. Maybe that's not the best word choice when I'm putting all this man hotness in front of you. Ahem. The only time Eric pulls off (his own?) racerback is when he's crying.

But we all know he's a GQ MoFo (And so is Alex...) who cries a little, than has a bite of Sookie Stackhouse. You can forgive the tears for that. And the countless manly tank tops.

Oh manly tank tops, the winter will be bleak without you.

Brave Little Toaster -- Cheerful Appliance!

I have a few ideas lined up for today and the near future, but I am too lazy. So I bring you probably the first of many entirely random, quick and dirty blog posts. I'm sorry this looks kind of strangely wrong next to the heading for my Wool 100% post. I think The Brave Little Toaster's virtue can remain unsullied, even in close proximity to that 3-letter word.

I feel like I've made a lot of Brave Little Toaster references lately. I can think of at least 3 in the past few days, the most recent in this tweet from only a little while ago.

I feel like there aren't enough Brave Little Toaster references floating around. This was another one of my favorite films, The Brave Little Toaster.

What can I say, I'm all about nostalgia. Yet another movie that made my childhood awesome. And made me appreciate the more cheerful of the kitchen appliances.

This is kind of scary as hell. I remember the fear. That air conditioner makes me happy that my dorm is low-tech. The Brave Little Toaster is optimistic and full of hope while other appliances are conspiracy theorists.

There are no Brave Little Toaster dancing to "Tutti Frutti" videos that I've found. I think the search will have to continue. Because that dance is the basis for many a Brave Little Toaster reference. It makes me sad not to share it with the world.

Everyone knows that the dance of The Brave Little Toaster makes people spontaneously happy. Just because. He's a toaster. Who dances.

UPDATE: Just for funsies, thanks to Nystacular for this one. Random, yet awesome. Who are you? I'm sure you've been dying to find out.

It won't let me see the result, but I'm sure I'm a toaster. I enjoy bread too much to be anything else. Although, I'll get offended if you call me "Slots."

Wool 100% -- How is Knitting Like Sex?

I wanted to write up a post on Wool 100% when I saw it two weeks ago, but I got a little busy. It's an interesting film, albeit sort of loud and makes you paranoid that your neighbors think you're having a rave in your room or something. Although Vogue Knitting wrote a small piece about it last winter (which I discovered later), I don't think many knitters know about it. Let me tell you a story.

Nystacular and I were getting pretty crazy and going anti-hermit for the day. Our big outing? Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in IMAX 3-D. Big let down, btw. And not in the awesome Radiohead way. That's the 3-D, not the movie. I love Harry Potter. Awesome knitwear.

So we're waiting for the movie to start, our giant yellow plastic glasses sitting on our laps amidst a crowd of families and nerdy college kids. Nyssa turns to me and says, "Let me tell you about this movie I saw." We had discussed the film earlier, at one of our nerdy hermit days (Scrabble, Food Network and Cartoons. Very often insanely short games of 2-person Clue or Gobblet, which I always lose.)

As a knitter, I'm intrigued at any movie about wool (obviously). Nyssa tells me that it's really weird. These two old ladies collect junk and they have cute hairstyles. They take care of their finds and clean them up. There's a garbage man--but cute who these sisters both like when they're young. They like him, so they're going to knit him a baby.

Why are they going to knit him a baby? Because when they were young, their mother was pregnant, and as she finished a piece of knitting (which laid across her stomach), her belly grew. So knitting=babies. (She didn't tell me this part.)

Now, don't think I'm giving away too much, because I didn't even get the ending until I saw the preview again just now. If you don't get it, just shoot me an email at recordcozy@gmail.com and I will explain it to you, if you'd like.

So this morning, @knitthecity reposted a link to something about "How is knitting like sex?" Of course, it was a humorous answer. But my mind went straight to Wool 100%, "Because they both make babies?"

Yes.

I think if you're a knitter, you'll identify with Knit-Again, a girl who appears after the women find a bunch of red wool. Her mantra is, "Damn it! I have to knit it again!" That comes out like a siren, and the old ladies cover their ears as Knit-Again rips off her asymmetrically knit red dress and starts frogging.

She's always knitting, and she gets pretty pissed when it's not right. I know how that goes.

It is weird as hell, but I liked it. If you're like me, you'll be jealous of Knit-Again's awesome yarn the entire movie. Go see it. If your library's as cool as mine, they might have it in stock.

There's a lesson, a moral, if you will, and I will close with Nystacular and my Twitter conversation the next day on the subject:

Just watched Wool 100%. Knit-Again messed up my knitting rhythm. And I think she also scared my neighbors. #knitting #movies

Nystacular@recordcozy did it leave you confused? because it left me wondering. I grew to love knit again, but then I hated her in the end

recordcozy@Nystacular Why'd you hate Knit-Again? Because she kept stabbing things with knitting needles or because she would spontaneously get naked?

Nystacular@recordcozy because knit again tried to kill the ladys I think? but really, can you ever be sure with anything in that movie

Nystacular@recordcozy or maybe she was just a physical metaphor for spring cleaning

recordcozy@Nystacular She didn't try to kill them. Just liberating them from the evil clutter demons! So I guess it is about spring cleaning. & fire.

Think Helicopters = Hot Swedish Pilots.

It's now twenty minutes of one and all I can hear out of my new dorm window is helicopters. And what do I choose to think about? What I always choose to think about. Pop culture references. There, I was feeling a little Pinky and The Brain action. In this case with the helicopterus interuptus, a little of this:

"The Drinking Song" by Moxy Fruvous:
I can't explain this except for my mom took me to a lot of folk fests as a kid. I still heart the Fruvous. Live Noise especially.

"Helicopter" by Bloc Party:
In my head it's this version by RAC. -- Free download for the album at Stereogum, btw and it's brilliant.

Hjartslag:
Short Film with Alexander Skarsgard -- Because I'll use any excuse... Did I mention it's a musical? And he wears a uniform and is a helicopter pilot? Interested now? I think so.

I can't sleep, but not bad. Not bad at all. I'll take a little Skars any day. Or a lot of Skars. I'll take some randomly literal pop culture references in there as well. Moxy Fruvous and Bloc Party may not make sense together, but why not? I try not to question my brain's connections. Maybe that's why I see a little True Blood in everything.

Oh, Skars. Is there anything I can't connect you to? Helicopters = Hot Swedish Pilots. I like it.

Skarsgard Fix -- Happy Birthday Mr. Eric!

Alexander Skarsgard (Better known as Sheriff Eric Northman to Truebies) turns 33 today and I thought that would be the perfect opportunity to ogle him. Actually I think any day would be perfect the perfect opportunity to ogle him, but that's beside the point. There are an insane number of Skars videos out there to choose from, but I wanted to have kind of a celebratory video post. I've been saving these gems up for a special occasion. So here's what I have to offer: Alcohol!

The first clip comes from Om Sara, and shows Alex's character celebrating a victory in a football (soccer) match. This is the Alex that Nystacular affectionately calls, "Drunk Alex." (Right about the peace sign... watch for it!) So I thought it would be appropriate.

Now, coming from someone who doesn't drink, this probably seems strange. But I pretty much died the first time I saw this. There's something about the Chicken Dance that makes multiple expletives in succession extra hilarious. You have to marvel at the awesome editing skills in this clip. It's entitled, "True Blood Drinking Game" and it's got Alex in spades! Smirking, anyone?

Happy Birthday Alexander Skarsgard! You couldn't be a better Eric Northman or guy in general. Cheers!

Let's end with a little tribute video. Because you can never have enough of The Skarsgard.

There is a Virtual Birthday Party in the works for Alex, thrown by his fans. It's happening at 9 p.m. E.T. Visit True Blood Net for the details here.

Videos by SkarsgardChannel, Tru3Silva2 and barbarah4 via YouTube.

No Eric?! -- Of Mice and Stackhouses

Maybe I'm having too much fun with last week's episode of True Blood, "I Will Rise Up," but when these things occur to me I usually just giggle to myself. Now, I feel compelled to share them with the world or at least with the people who find this blog. This is yet another installment of "What About Eric?!" but without the Eric. Sadly.

Anyway, I got to thinking about Sookie and Jason's heart to heart. I don't think I gave it enough time. I was too busy spazzing over Eric. (Still am.)

But after I thought about that scene, all I could think of was this scene from An American Tail where Fievel and Tanya Mousekewitz are trying to find each other. A movie which I saw again recently after watching it incessantly as a kid... and finally understanding the Communist references (Beginning 4:36).

The mice sing about love and family togetherness and cute mouse things. And I always thought it was a little too romantic for siblings, what with the moon and the stars and the orchestral music... At least both of them are fully clothed. And also mice.

Maybe that was the inspiration for last week's scene. Can't you just picture Sookie in that babushka?

Can't Even Go to the Movies -- Love, Cables

I just saw the new Harry Potter film IN 3D! Well, the first 10 minutes and the previews were in 3D. But, as any good knitter will, I spent the entire movie not concerned over magic and Death Eaters, but moreso with the knitted items the cast wore.

Though I did identify the various techniques used to craft Ron's sweater and admire each girl's cardigan while longing for some cooler weather, I was most intrigued by Hermione's hat, a simple cable and lace beanie.

This clip shows Hermione and her handsome hat quite -- quick and blurry-- but it's there. Yay for videos! (Marker 2:20 or so maybe a little later.)

Of course, I came home and immediately started my search for duplicating this pattern. So far I've found that some other knitters have made their own Hermione hats. Here, JL Yarnworks crafts a nifty little hat in Patons Classic Merino, a worsted weight yarn and Size 5 circs and DPNs (pattern on linked page).

But I was thinking of basing the pattern off of the Winter 06/07 Knit.1's Skull Cap Cabled Hat (one variation of mine here on Ravelry), which uses DK weight yarn and only Size 6 DPNs. Although this pattern uses a 4-st cable with 2 sts in between the cables, a slight (or not so slight) modification of the number of stitches in the non-cable panel to 3 to account for the lace pattern. This adjustment doesn't worry me because the original cable pattern came out much too small the first time I knit it. I'll double the band size of the Skull Cap to match Hermione's, of course. I'm thinking of a deep red for the color, like Cranberry. Then we're cooking! Or knitting!

I've make several different versions of this hat with different DK weight Knit Picks yarns including Swish DK and Elegance. I think it'll be just as awesome as a nerd hat can be. I'm especially excited to start working on this one because Knit Picks just released new weights of their Gloss yarn (like the extra perfect Gloss DK-- shivering with knitty joy!). That means soft yarn and super warminess!

Oh, knitters. You can't even watch a movie without thinking about cables. You can't even watch cable with thinking about cables. What am I going to do with you?

Doomed Pets -- They all look alike.

Today I watched Pet Sematary for the first time. This seems like a horrible horrible thing, with the reputation of the classic horror movie, but considering I was a baby when it came out, I hope all can be forgiven. There were a couple things I noticed about the movie that were very interesting.

The first one being the remarkable resemblance of the dead, then undead cat, Winston "Church" Churchill (marvel at that for a moment) and Tina, Sookie Stackhouse's cat. They could be twins. The cats, that is. They have a nice picture and mini article about Tina, here from Loving True Blood in Dallas. Below is a clip of Church: The Doomed and Undead.

See, those pets all look alike. Aside from being an interesting look at gruesome late 80s gore, bad parenting skills and poor judgement, Pet Sematary has super cool music. There's a rather entertaining song by The Ramones of the same name. It's too good to describe. Thank you YouTube. You say volumes when words are not enough.