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Darth Vader Playing Golf – Hilarious!
Jul 7th
I like to post a good video from time to time. I just came across a really good one. this is a Spike TV advertisement with Darth Vader playing golf. I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time, especially when the guy pulls out his golf club at the end. At the end it says “Star Wars, There Is Much To Be Learned.” Check it out when you have a moment!
Star Trek The Experience Is Going Away!
Jul 3rd
I really can’t believe it, and perhaps I took it for granted. Star Trek the experience is no more as of September 1, 2008. I have been three times and have very fond memories of the place. I went in 2000, 2001 and 2006. I have fond memories of having my picture taken with Borg, Andorians and Klingons. Stopping by Quarks Bar & Grill and getting a Warp Core Breach was a blast.
According to TrekToday.com, the fate of Star Trek The Experience has been shaky at best. Apparently the Las Vegas Hilton changed ownership, which helped lead to its demise. Apparently the contract between CBS and Cedar Fair (currently run The Experience) were not renewed. This is after cost reductions were implemented.
If you have time in the next two months, pay it a visit. The restaurant is great, gift shops are fun and the rides are blast. Also be sure to do the Backstage Tour. I got my picture taken on a replica of the NCC1701D bridge and in a Borg drone chamber. Great stuff! I think I will try to head down in August. It will probably be very busy.
You can read a copy of the press release here:
A few excerpts of the news release are as follows:
Las Vegas – Star Trek: The Experience, Las Vegas’ premier interactive attraction will conclude its historic 11 year run at the Las Vegas Hilton on September 1, 2008….
Asked if there is any final transmission he’d like to convey from the Enterprise bridge, Chad Boutte, Operations Manager and Director of Marketing said “Hailing frequencies open. We’d like to thank all the fans and friends of Star Trek, whose constant and amazing support we’ve enjoyed throughout our tenure at the Las Vegas Hilton. As we boldly go into the futures that await, know that we take your love of Star Trek: The Experience with us. We share the memories of time spent in the most unique place in the Galaxy, and we carry those memories into our futures with us. Live long, and prosper.
Hailing frequencies closed.”
Hopefully they auction off some of the stuff there. I would love to own a piece of that history. Perhaps I will go to the convention being held there August 6-10. It will be the last convention held there. You can read more about the convention here. Go check it out while you can!!!
501st Legion on Deal Or No Deal – Star Wars edition! Did you see it?
Apr 28th
I just had to give a shout out to the 501st Legion. They made an appearance on the NBC TV show Deal or No Deal and they did a great job! I have met some of these guys and they are some of the nicest people out there. I dream some day of getting enough money to acquire the armor and become a member. That would be a geek dream come true.
All I can say, as I watched the 501st up on stage, is that those guys must have been pretty nervous. What an awesome experience for them! Now that the show has aired, I’m sure the 501st will be able to write more about their experience. It is my understanding that they were under confidentiality agreements (duh) until the show aired. It got over about an hour or so ago. They don’t have much on their site right now about it.
They also got to meet the Deal Or No Deal models in Princess Leia slave outfits. Lucky dogs! 
Nice job guys!
Battlestar Galactica Season 4 – Anyone Getting Exited?
Apr 22nd
We have been blessed with two new episodes of Battlestar Galactica, but is anyone really that excited? After watching the first two, I ended up deleting them rather than keeping them on my DVR like I usually do. Perhaps it’s just me, but this season seems to be more a soap opera than I remember.
The first episode of season 4 was pretty fun with all the special effects, but soon it turned to snooze. I really don’t care who likes who and the drama involved. And how about those lame sex scenes? If I really wanted to see that I could just turn on some HBO at 1:00 in the morning. I want to see more action, but the sort that results from ships blowing each other up.
The storyline with Starbuck is OK. I can live with that and it could really go somewhere. The storyline with the four silons on Galactica could be really good. That is what I am most excited about. Gaius Baltar should have been killed off sooooo long ago. He annoys me, and making him a religious figure makes it that much worse.
Anyway, enough with my rant. Let’s just hope episode 3 this Friday fares better. What have you guys thought about the season so far?
Stargate – The Ark Of Truth. Not Too Bad!
Apr 20th
I am one of the many Stargate SG-1 fans that was pretty bummed out when we heard that the series was to be canceled. I couldn’t believe it. The rumors certainly started to fly. I heard things from “the money wasn’t there” to the cast had signed on and were equally surprised by the shows cancellation. Luckily we still have Stargate Atlantis and the show is doing great!
I managed to pick up a copy of “The Ark Of Truth” and was very impressed. I know this review is a little late in coming, but the “movie” really took off from were the show ended. It was especially nice to get some resolution on the whole Ori situation. I won’t go into too many details for those of you who haven’t seen it, but if you like Sci-Fi, like I do, pick up a copy.
Don’t torrent it, buy a copy. These guys deserve the money for some prime work. That and I hope if they see the interest is still there they will keep Stargate Atlantis going for several more seasons.
The next Stargate SG-1 “made for TV movie” will come out on July 29, 2008 and is entitled Stargate Continuum. According to the IMDB the synopsis for Stargate Continuum is:
Ba’al travels back in time and prevents the Stargate program from being started. SG-1 must somehow restore history.
I’m excited, especially since Richard Dean Anderson will be in this one! Nice! While you’re waiting for it to come out, check out this nice Stargate Wiki I found.
Jericho Canceled! Second Life On Cable?
Mar 25th
It’s like a knife being driven through my heart! I just found out that Jericho has been canceled and will not be brought back to CBS for a third season. It is almost as bad as when FireFly was canceled, but not quite. Although there aren’t laser beams or spaceships, I consider anything post-apocalyptic to be great Sci-Fi. Look at Mad Max!
Although the TV show has been officially canceled, it would seem that there may be a second life on cable. According to the Carol Barbee, Executive Producer of the show, it may be back. She is quoted as saying on the SciFi channels official Web site:
Carol Barbee, executive producer of CBS’ canceled post-apocalyptic series Jericho, told SCI FI Wire that talks are ongoing to find the show another home, perhaps on a cable network.
“I can’t really say [much] about specifics, and, … partially, it’s because I’m not the one having those conversations,” Barbee said in an interview on March 24, the eve of the show’s final episode. “[CBS] Paramount [Television, which produces the show,] has been pursing it, and our agents have been into that, so, you know, I am pushing those people and coming up with ideas to have those people pursue.”
She goes on to say:
If Jericho is not picked up for another season by a TV network, Barbee said that she could envision it living on in some other form. “There’s definitely an Internet series to be had, and we always talked about a graphic novel, and … a movie,” Barbee said. “I mean, there are lots of things that I could easily see as a way to continue the story.”
I argue that there is no better cable channel for this show than the SciFi channel. The writer of the article at SciFi.com, Patrick Lee, says:
(Fans wishing to write SCI FI Channel about picking Jericho up should NOT use the scifiwire@scifi.com e-mail address, but rather should send snail mail here: SCI FI Channel, 21st Floor, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112.)
Let’s make sure this show goes on another season! Be sure to write, I know I will.
The Sarah Connor Chronicles – Season One Too Short!
Feb 28th
I have been religiously watching the Sarah Connor Chronicles with much delight. I have been surprised how good it has been. I didn’t have much hope after watching the first two episodes, but it has gotten pretty good. The special effects aren’t half bad for a TV production. It has been especially fun seeing Summer Glau play Cameron. I really enjoyed watching her as River Tam in Firefly.
After watching the latest episode last week, the preview said that the season finale is this week! That would make only 12 episodes for the season. I know the show is in it’s first season and I’m sure there is a little risk there for he network, but the show is currently pulling in good ratings. The premier of the show was the best new show opening in three years according to Variety.
Do you remember when Sci-Fi shows had at least a dozen episodes in a season? Star Trek the Next Generation was showing episodes in the 20s per season. I can’t imagine a short season is good for maintaining interest in a show. Perhaps the writers’ strike cut the season down. I can’t find much on why the season is so short. I’m feeling good about a season two, but there are rumors that this is still up in the air.
Regardless of the season being short, I will be certain to watch the two-hour season finally. It looks pretty good. I suppose we may all find out more information at that time as to the future of the show.
Firefly To Be Released On Blu-Ray?
Feb 26th
The HD format war appear to be over and Blu-Ray has come out victorious. Toshiba has thrown in the towel and HDDVD is going the way of the dinosaurs. That happened sooner than I thought! After hearing about Paramount signing a huge contract with Toshiba, I thought the format wars would go on for a few more years.
I think this is a good thing though, especially for science fiction / SciFi. People can finally settle on one format and movie publishers can now feel comfortable in releasing content in HD. This got me to thinking about several Sci-Fi TV shows that would look great in HD.
The first series that comes to mind is Firefly. I am one of the many fans that discovered and grew to love the show after it had already been canceled. Oh how I wish I could have seen it on TV while the series was still running. Perhaps I could have helped keep it on TV!
Anyway, Firefly would look great in HD. I have checked several sources and can safely say there is no release date yet for this show to come out on Blu-Ray. I will be sure to let you know as soon as it happens. Amazon.com is allowing you to sign up and be notified as soon as it becomes available.
The movie adaptation Serenity was put out on HDDVD. I still haven’t purchased an HD player yet, but will now certainly purchase a Blu-Ray player. I hope Serenity will soon be released on Blu-Ray as well. I’m sure it will eventually happen. Now it is only a question of when.
I found a good forum over at FireflyFans.net talking about this very thing. Go take a look!
David Tennant Leaving Doctor Who?
Dec 22nd
In a recent interview with Radio 2′s Jonathan Ross, Catherine Tate said that she does not believe David Tennant will come back for another season of Doctor Who. Her exact words were “I think it’s maybe David’s last series.” As you can imagine, the rumor mill is now churning out all kinds of crazy thoughts and ideas as to the future of the show and possible replacements. The BBC has remained silent regarding Tate’s comments.
Those of you who do not remember Catherine Tate, she made an appearance on the December 2006 Christmas special. She played a runaway bride. I thought it was a pretty good episode. According to the BBC, that episode brought in 9.4 million users in Britain. With a population of 60 million people, that is a pretty dang good market share. I can’t imagine a Sci-Fi show in the United States ever getting that high a market share.
Apparently she is a comedian. Being an American, I am not familiar with her at all. Perhaps some of you Brits can fill me in on her past comedic works. She is going to be playing Dr. Who’s new assistant. Apparently this will also be Tate’s last TV series.
On a similar note, Dr. Who fans have voted David Tennant as the best Doctor Who ever. The number of votes accumulated even surpassed the previous favorite Tom Baker.
The Top Five Doctors:
1. David Tennant – 28.2%
2. Tom Baker – 26.5%
3. Christopher Eccleston – 11.4%
4. Jon Pertwee – 9.6%
5. Patrick Troughton – 8.8%
I’ll try and keep you all updated as I find more news. I sure hope David Tennant is staying with the series. I think he has turned out to be a great Doctor.
In Need Of Last-Minute Sci-Fi Gifts?
Dec 21st
For those of you who celebrate Christmas, there are only a few days left. Have you gotten your friend or loved one a Sci-Fi gift yet? If not, here are some great TV, Movie, Video Game and Book suggestions.
Recommended Sci-Fi TV Seasons:
1. Star Trek the Next Generation (TNG)
2. Star Trek the Original Series (TOS)
3. Firefly
4. Stargate SG1
5. Stargate Atlantas
6. Futurama
7. Babylon 5
8. Doctor Who
9. The X-Files
10. Battlestar Galactica
Recommended Sci-Fi Movies:
1. Star Wars Movies
2. Galaxy Quest
3. Chronicles of Riddick
4. Star Trek Movies
5. Planet of the Apes
6. Dune
7. Blade Runner
8. Terminator Movies
9. Alien Movies
10. The Matrix Trilogy
Recommended Sci-Fi Video Games (For Current Generation Systems):
1. Halo 3 (Xbox 360)
2. Unreal Tournament 3 (PS3)
3. Mass Effect (Xbox 360)
4. Call of Duty 4 (Xbox 360)
5. BioShock (Xbox 360)
6. Gears of War (Xbox 360)
7. Resistance: Fall of Man (PS3)
8. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)
9. Crysis (PC)
10. Galactic Civilization II: Dark Avatar (PC)
Recommended Sci-Fi Books:
1. Dune
2. The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy
3. The Time Machine
4. 2001 – A Space Odyssey
5. Fahrenheit 451
6. Ender’s Game
7. 1984
8. Foundation Trilogy
9. Starship Troopers
10. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?
Good luck! I’m sure any true Sci-Fi fan would be happy with any of the above listed movies, TV shows, games and books. The games may be a little more difficult as you need a specific console to play them. The books, movies and TV shows are a pretty safe bet. Merry Christmas!
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