Captain’s Table Restaurant: 2 Captains, 1 Mission, a New Experience.

It appears Captain Picard and Commander Sisko have opened a restaurant in San Jose, California!

Captain’s Table is a new SciFi-themed restaurant featuring Star Trek lookalikes and a display of authentic costumes and props. Sounds awesome! And it’s not exclusive to Star Trek. The restaurant will also have themes from Star Wars, Dr. Who and superheroes.

An added attraction will be our unique display of original memorabilia consisting of costumes and props which has been carefully assembled over the last two years and costing many thousands of dollars.

We intend to offer fast internet access for all visiting customers, giving them the opportunity to promote us to their friends and acquaintances whilst on-line at our premises.

But best of all — if you come in costume, you get a discount! Wow, a restaurant full of Klingons, stormtroopers and superheroes. That just sounds so fun.

When a customer attends in a recognized publicized Sci-Fi costume, they will receive a discount on their final bill. This will also add to the ambiance of the restaurant, and the experience of fellow customers. In addition, this will ignite the curiosity of passers-by to come in for a look at what is occurring in our establishment.

For more information, please visit: Capt-Table.com.

Thanks to KlingonGuy for the tip!

[via Geekologie]

Aw, look at this cute kid wearing a Mega Man costume. Pew! Pew! Pew! I’m impressed with the accuracy of this costume, especially how it lights up. Totally awesome.

If you’re not familiar with Mega Man, he’s the main character of a hugely popular video game franchise which includes spinoffs into comics and television.

You know how I love vampires. So, of course, I couldn’t miss this opportunity to post the trailer for the new CW production, Vampire Diaries, due out this fall.

Based on the books by L.J. Smith, the Vampire Diaries tells the story of beautiful and popular high school student, Elena.

As the school year begins, Elena and her friends are fascinated by a handsome and mysterious new student, Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley). Stefan and Elena are immediately drawn to one another.

But Stefan is a centuries-old vampire, struggling to live peacefully among humans and his brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder) is a violent and brutal vampire. Now these two vampire brothers are battling for Elena’s soul…and possibly the souls of the whole town of Mystic Falls, Virginia.

Heavy Sigh. What girl wouldn’t want two good-looking vampires fighting for her soul? Even if one is a little…ok, a lot, naughty, eh?

Can’t wait to sink my teeth into this one! Vampire Diaries will air on Thursdays, starting September 10th, along with Supernatural…guess I’ll have to stake out two full hours of TV time.

I have my reasons for liking Sci-Fi…and none of them have to do with the dangerously appealing male characters in other-worldly costumes. Yeah, okay, that was a lie. The truth is, I fantasize about men in sexy Sci-Fi costumes.

So, I was hardly opposed to taking a peek at Convention Fans’ Top 20 Sexy Male Sci-Fi Costumes when it was presented to me by a friend. While I agreed with some of the elected winners, others left me perplexed and unimpressed.

That’s when I decided to make my own list. It is my opinion that this list should be expanded to include Sexiest Male Fantasy (including the paranormal genre) costumes as well. While technically Fantasy is NOT Sci-Fi, and visa versa, there is a great deal of overlap between the two genres which both fall under the umbrella of speculative fiction (so there). Besides, it’s my list so you don’t really have a say in the matter…but I highly doubt you’ll be disappointed!

Anyway, here’s what I came up with…

Medieval Majesty

Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy – The chivalrous medieval-style warrior, whether peasant-like or knightly, will ever attract the romantically-minded female.

Lusty Leather

Jason Mamoa as Ronan Dex in Stargate Atlantis – # 7 on the CF Top Twenty List. Nothing says “All Male” like distressed, form-fitting leather.

Keith Hamilton Cobb as Tyr Anasazi in Andromeda – The long dreads and fitted leather vest strategically cut to highlight one firm pec really made Andromeda worth watching (no, I didn’t watch it for Kevin Sorbo).

Eclectic

James Marsters as Captain John Hart in Torchwood – The blending of historical, weathered and modern costume elements creates a Steampunk-feel that’s bad-boy appealing. (# 20 of the CF Top 20 list).

Adrian Paul wore many costumes in his role as an immortal, from kilts to aviator gear to tuxedos…and he wore them all well. But if I had to choose, the traditional Scottish plaids would be have to be my fave.

Attired for Adventure

Brendan Fraser as Rick O’ Connell in The Mummy - Reminiscent of the tough adventurer persona in Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones character. It has a rugged quality that says “I’m man enough to protect you, battle supernatural forces AND find you a nice little treasure!”

Military Masculinity

Michael Beihn as Dwayne Hicks in Aliens: Military togs give off that strong, fit and disciplined vibe that compels women to croon, “I love a man in a uniform.”

Tantalizing Tanks

Hugh Jackman as James Howlett (aka Logan) in X-men Origins: Wolverine - What girl wouldn’t smack her lips in the presence of the feral Wolverine looking alarmingly virile in muscle tank, dog tags and denim…GRRR! (#3 on CF top 20 in his X-men suit)…simple but savory.

Steve Bacic as Telemachus Rhade in Andromeda – His snug sleeveless T-shirt and long fingerless, leather gloves compliment his muscular arms perfectly (by the way, this guy also looks great in SG-1 in a Gladiator-like costume…that’s him at the very top of post).

Vampire Vestment

Alex O’loughlin in Moonlight - Thank heaven’s vampires no longer wear the goofy high-collared black cape and tuxedo-like suit. This long black duster over a tasteful button down Henley and snug jeans is more likely to seduce a woman into letting the undead bite her…right, ladies?

Werewolf Wardrobe

Jason Behr as Varek in Skinwalkers – Biker denims accessorized with leather holsters, arm cuffs and a cool tattoo (Oh, and great facial hair) hint at the beast within.

Michael Sheen as Lucian in Rise of the Lycans – Knowing that a primal creature lurks under all that structured warrior-y leather goodness could drive a gal wild.

“Dressed” to kill Dragons

Christian Bale as Quinn Abercromby in Reign of Fire - If one is going to slay the dragon and save his people (including his damsel in distress) he needs to demonstrate that he has the strength necessary to get the job done. I’d say this less-is-more “costume” rather proves that Quinn is up to the task. The minuscule proportion of the teeny-tiny neck scarf augments the broad expanse of his ripped chest (I think I’ll buy my husband one of those scarfs).

Wow, Bonniegrrl just made my day by posting this video on Twitter.

This is incredible! Perfect for a Friday afternoon. LOL, I’m not so sure about Donnie as Luke, but I think Marie makes a great Leia.

Thanks, Bonniegrrl - this video is beyond awesome.

This is an old clip from Legend of the Superheroes, a Hannah-Barbara production from 1979. Great to see Batman and Robin in their old school costumes.

Although, I must say that Batman’s last line in the clip is a bit disturbing. “Wait till you see what I’m gonna do to you when I get you back to the Batcave!”

???

Yesterday, Twitter was buzzing with excitement after Costume Craze released photos of their new Robot Chicken masks. I think they look pretty cool! A full overhead latex mask for $30 isn’t a bad price at all.

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I’m also impressed with several homemade Robot Chicken costumes I found by doing a little snooping around the Web. These costumes are excellent and you can tell a lot of care and work went into making them.

Robot Chicken is such a funny show. It’s alive!

[via Costume Craze, Twitter, Instructables, Posterous & HoustonCostumes]

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I found some cool photos portraying Goth fashion, and it reminded me of this clip from South Park. LOL, basically it’s about Twilight inspiring a vampire fashion trend at school. Naturally, this offends the Goth kids because these new “vampires” have taken their look. Pretty funny!

Here are some great photos I found on Funtasticus. Now remember…. these aren’t vampires. They’re Goths.

Or are they? As a test, I’ve slipped one vampire photo into this list. Let’s see if you can tell the difference! Can you spot the vampire?

I’m so excited about this post! The Smithsonian Channel kindly sent me some exclusive content to promote their upcoming Dogumentary of the annual Big Dog Parade in Santa Barabara!

Each year, dog lovers from around the country travel to California to participate in the nation’s largest dog parade.

Here are a few exclusive photos from the documentary. You can click on the image to view full size. Special thanks to the Smithsonian for sending these to me!

Such great costumes! This looks like the best parade ever. Sigh, I love dogs so much, this is just so cool.

Let’s take a look at a few video clips which give us a sneak peak into Unleashed: A Dogumentary.

This first clip is a fun overview of the parade. Watch the dogs and their owners strut their stuff while thousands of spectators cheer them on.

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In this second clip, we get a closer look at Damon and Kerri, and their dogs Bristow and Jazzy. What a fun team! Previously, they dressed their dogs up as gas pumps, to make fun of the high gas prices. What a clever idea!

Their new costumes are equally clever as they spoof the airplane-themed Dog Fight. Heh, this makes me think of Snoopy flying around and battling the Red Baron. What a great idea!

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This last clip is my favorite. It’s so touching, it totally choked me up and brought tears to my eyes. Meet Molly the Pug, a special needs dog that overcomes a world of obstacles to march in the parade. Talk about inspiration. The unconditional love between Molly and her owner, Mandy, is so powerful, it simply cannot be described in words.

Molly’s back legs are paralyzed. But she gets so much love and care, and she has a special dog wheelchair to help her get around. Despite her challenges, Molly is a champion. I love how Mandy takes Molly to the Junior Wheelchair Camp for Kids and helps inspire handicapped children who are struggling with their own disabilities.

I have two old Boxer dogs who are beginning to develop special needs of their own. This video clip really hits me hard. Mandy is an absolute hero for giving Molly such a great life.

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Unleashed: A Dogumentary premiers Saturday, June 6th on the Smithsonian Channel, and will continue to run at various times throughout June. This network broadcasts in HD on a number of satellite and cable providers. It’s also available On Demand. Check with your local provider to find the Smithsonian Channel in your area.

For more information, please visit the Smithsonian Channel and also be sure to check out their blog.

And a VERY special thank you to the Smithsonian Channel for sending me the exclusive content and tipping me on this story.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to go hug my dogs.

Lately it seems that every other post, I’m thanking @Bonniegrrl for the tip. She has the best “tweets” on Twitter and is just the coolest, most fun, most upbeat person you will ever come across. I thought it was time I wrote a note of thanks to Bonnie Burton and hopefully create new Bonniegrrl fans along the way.

So who is Bonnie Burton? Even though I’ve never met her, I could probably wear out my keyboard talking about her.

Bonnie is currently employed by StarWars.com as an editor and writer for their blog. Yes, she gets to hang out at Skywalker Ranch, sigh. Just last weekend she appeared at the Maker Faire Bay Area and ran a workshop on Star Wars finger puppets!

Since the mid 1990’s, Bonnie has been the proud owner of the hugely popular grrl.com, a pop culture site with a feminist slant that discusses music, books, art, and life in general.

She’s also published three books:

1. Never Threaten to Eat Your Co-Workers: Best of Blogs

2. You Can Draw Star Wars

3. Girls Against Girls: Why We Are Mean to Each Other and How We Can Change.

These books are available on Amazon and in bookstores everywhere.

Bonnie is a huge fan of Betty Page, and certainly bears a strong resemblance to the famous and gorgeous pin-up girl. She even has a page on her website that shows their similarities with side-by-side comparison photos. Very cool.

I really enjoy watching her Ask Bonnie video segments that appeared years ago on Web Waste. She is so funny! Her humorous deadpan delivery is just perfect.

Here’s a classic “Ask Bonnie” video, where Bonnie explains “How to be a Cowboy.” Isn’t her little cowboy hat cute? She does a great job explaining how to make a cowboy costume.

 
Sometimes @Sock would step in for Bonnie, when she wasn’t feeling up to being on camera. LOL, so funny and informative!

 
Isn’t she great? One of my hopes by posting this article is too stir up support for a Get Bonnie in Front of the Camera Again campaign! She’s a great writer, editor and photographer, sure - but the world needs to see her on camera as well. Bonnie has an awesome on-screen presence and personality. She’s the perfect celebrity– So get with it, Star Wars!

LOL, I’ve even tried to start a campaign on Twitter, using the hash tag #bonniegrrltv. Let’s see if it picks up steam.

Just remember: If you’re ever bored, sad, or need a pick-me-up, just go to Twitter.com/Bonniegrrl and your day is guaranteed to get better.

Thanks, Bonnie, for all you do to make the world a better place!

See you in Twitterland!

Remember Magnum P.I. ? Here’s a funny clip someone made with the Magnum theme intro - but with Han Solo instead. Great stuff.

It’s even better when you compare it to the original Magnum intro:

 
Still aren’t impressed? Try watching this side by side comparison. The Han Solo version becomes extremely awesome. Well done!

[via Gizmodo]

 
Magnum P.I. was a great show. Back in the day, Tom Selleck was THE MAN.

Hollywood’s been trying to make a Magnum P.I. movie for several years now. The IMDB has the Magnum movie listed for a 2011 release but nothing official has been announced.

I remember a few years ago there was a Magnum P.I. costume for sale, but I think it’s been discontinued. *digs around the Internet

Ah yes, here it is, LOL!! It’s all about the mustache and Hawaiian shirt.

Magnum P.I. Costume

EDIT: Check out the Anatomy of a True Magnum P.I. Costume from Defunctd.com - the author does a perfect job explaining his costume!

Gunaxin.com has an awesome collection of old Star Wars TV commericals. And even though some of these are poor quality, they are still great to watch.

I think my favorite is the crossover commerical featuring Colonel Sanders from KFC, the Pizza Hut girl, and the Chihuahua from Taco Bell as they team up to battle the evil droids.

Head on over to Gunaxin.com to view all 20 clips.

And here’s a BONUS clip. It’s not a commercial, but a rare featurette created during the filming of Return of the Jedi. And Carrie Fisher wears the metal bikini!

I like how they keep saying, Revenge of the Jedi, which was the film’s original title until George Lucas changed it at the last minute.

[via Topless Robot, Gunaxin & Bonniegrrl]