The fascination with superheroes is crossing comic book boundaries and leaping into fashion, music and pop culture.
Even music and retail icons like Christina Aguilera and Target know the value of channeling superhero popularity in their advertising.
In this Target commercial (that promotes the release of Christina Aguilera’s new best-of album, sold exclusively at Target), Aguilera borrows from the action-hero theme of her music video Keeps Getting Better dressed in various superhero outfits, with an animated comic-book style background.
I love watching all the free TV shows and clips on Hulu.com. I can spend hours on that site watching both old and new shows, and best of all, it’s 100% legal - Yay!
Today I browsed Hulu looking for Halloween related video clips. I found some great stuff by Howcast, perfect for this time of year.
This is a great instructional clip on how to get the most Halloween candy. Very funny and insightful!
Is your house haunted by a ghost? Here’s a handy tutorial to help you get rid of your unwanted guest.
Don’t get caught unprepared by a vampire. These helpful tips will keep you and your loved ones from being bitten.
Speaking of vampires, why not treat yourself to a full episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer? In this Halloween episode, people magically turn into whatever costume they are wearing. It’s frightfully hilarious.
Hulu has full episodes of Angel, too. Everyone loves this vampire with a soul. Here’s the pilot episode of the Buffy spin-off.
Ah, wonderful stuff. If you have the time, Hulu is a great place to discover old and new TV shows for free, plus loads of clips featuring the best of the web. Unfortunately, I don’t think Hulu.com works for folks outside of the U.S. Hope that changes soon.
If you know of any great Halloween-related clips, please share with us in the comments below.
Various websites have released exclusive photos of the upcoming Star Trek movie prequel. Above you can see (from left to right) young Checkov, Kirk, Scotty, Dr. McCoy, Sulu and Uhura.
And here’s young Spock, played by Zachary Quinto, from the popular TV show Heroes. He looks a lot like Leonard Nimoy!
To compare, here’s a photo of these same characters from the Original Series:
So what do you think of the new uniforms? Personally, I think they look… pretty good. The texture of the material makes them look a bit like thermal underwear. But it’s not too bad.
I’m pleased with most of the casting, especially Simon Pegg as Scotty. As a long-time Trek fan, I’m a little concerned that this might become Trek 90210. But I have faith in J.J. Abrams and I will certainly be at the theater on opening weekend.
Here are a few more photos. I’m glad they kept the miniskirt, it keeps things consistent with the Original Series.
What if there was a place where monsters, unimaginable creatures and un-human humans could find sanctuary?
Now there is. On Friday, October 3rd the season premiere of Sanctuary begins with a full thirteen-episode first season on the Sci-fi channel.
Sanctuary, a fantasy video series about a safehouse for abnormal creatures, originally premiered in May of 2007 as a webisode. The series follows the exploits of Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping of Stargate SG-1) as she studies and helps terrifying and monstrous creatures with her reluctant protégé Will Zimmerman and her reckless daughter Ashley. Together they will seek out and protect frightening and mysterious beings that defy explanation.
Did I mention that Dr. Magnus is 157 years old? Through some sort of accident, she was infused with longevity, so she cannot age or die of natural causes. Who better to sympathize with other abnormal creatures?
Unlike most shows, 90% of Sanctuary’s sets will be computer-generated imaging, blending and bending reality with computer animation.
Here’s the first webisode and you can check out other webisodes on You Tube. Also, head over to the official Sanctuary site to watch promos, trailers and interviews with the cast.
If you have cable, plant yourself in front of the TV next Friday for a frightful dose of creepy Sci-Fi monster-y goodness. Don’t be scared…it’s a Sanctuary, remember?
It’s rather remarkable how former SNL member Tina Fey and VP nominee Sarah Palin look so much alike.
Last weekend, Saturday Night Live had a huge ratings boost as Tina Fey returned to her old stomping grounds to appear as Sarah Palin.
Today, the New York Times is running an interesting story about the custom wig worn by Fey for this sketch.
Some interesting facts:
• The wig took 40-50 hours to make.
• SNL keeps a replica of Tina Fey’s skull on hand for making wigs.
• Required a team of wig makers, colorists and a pound of human hair.
Since the sketches aren’t approved until Wednesday night, it leaves very little time to get things ready for the Saturday show. According to Bettie Rogers, the show’s head of the hairstyling department, “The ladies who make the wigs work around the clock until Friday night, sometimes even late Saturday.”
Rogers describes Palin’s hairstyle as a “French twist with a ’60s bouffant kind of thing, and bangs. It’s darker at the nape of the neck, and shows transitions to a lot of different colors. We also have to go back and root it. We paint in darker colors right at the roots, to give it contrast.” [via NYT]
Wow, I had no idea how much work went into a wig for an SNL sketch. Bettie Rogers and her crew are true artists, it’s amazing.
Sarah Palin reportedly enjoyed the sketch, and even claims she once dressed as Tina Fey for Halloween. So far, no photos of her costume have surfaced, but I think it’s only a matter of time.
If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the SNL sketch of Tina Fey impersonating Sarah Palin. Enjoy!
Today, ThatCostumeGirl sends a costume shout-out to…ME!! How cool! She knows I’m a big fan of The Greatest American Hero and The Middleman. How very thoughtful of her.
ThatCostumeGirl has several posts about her recent experiences at Dragon*Con. I especially enjoyed her Favorite Awards, where she lists and discusses the best costumes in a variety of categories.
She also added 300 photos of Dragon*Con 2008 to her Photo Gallery, be sure to check ‘em out!
Trekkies everywhere are mourning the loss of the Star Trek Experience, the only live Star Trek attraction in the world. Today marks the end of its ten-year run at the Hilton in Las Vegas.
Over the weekend, thousands of Trekkies beamed into Las Vegas for a final encounter with the Borg and to drown their sorrows in strong Klingon drinks served at Quark’s Bar and Restaurant.
It doesn’t help that there’s as strong online rumor that the exhibit will become a theater for pop star Michael Jackson. Ouch, that’s harsh. Couldn’t they have just made Michael part of the attraction? Oh well.
Someone put together a touching tribute on YouTube:
Operations Manager Chad Boutte left a final transmission from the Enterprise bridge:
“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.”
Perhaps all is not lost, Star Trek fans. All of the props will be returned to Paramount, and with a new Trek movie debuting next summer, it’s likely the franchise will reboot into a future with many more Experiences to come.
Well, we’ve reached the end of our Star Wars blog fest. In honor of today’s theatrical premiere of The Clone Wars, I’d like to finish up here with another type of animated Star Wars film…the parody.
I’d never heard of Robot Chicken before yesterday, because I don’t have cable television. But I’m glad I ran across this hilarious little morsel on the internet.
Cartoon Network’s popular Adult Swim series, Robot Chicken, created this 2007 Star Wars parody using stop motion animated toys & puppets. Funny man, Seth Green, directed the 22 minute episode which was nominated for an Emmy. It’s available for purchase on Amazon.com, but you can check out some clips right here:
If this merely wet your appetite for Star Wars parodies, you’ll be happy to know that there’s another Robot Chicken Star Wars episode in the works!
Many members of the voice cast from the first special, including original Star Wars actors Carrie Fisher and Billy Dee Williams will lend their voices to the sequel.
This time around, the focus of the show will explore the stories of the bounty hunters. Robot Chicken Star Wars, Episode II, will premier on the Cartoon Network November 16th.
Disney knows a good thing when they see it. So they came up with their own line of Disney / Muppets Star Wars action figures.
The Disney action figures will be sold individually for $9.95, and include Mickey Mouse as Anakin, Minnie Mouse as Amidala, Goofy as Jar Jar, Donald Duck as Darth Maul, and Stitch as Yoda, available for sale inside Disney Theme Park gift shops.
Muppets Star Wars figures will be packaged separately or in a boxed set. Characters include Kermit as Luke Skywalker, Miss Piggy as Princess Leia, Beaker as C3PO, Fozzie as Chewbacca, Rizzo as Yoda, and Gonzo as Darth Vader. These figures are also for sale sale inside Disney Theme Park gift shops.
Just when you thought you were done collecting action figures…
Are you ready for more Star Wars? With the new animated Clone Wars hitting theaters this Friday, the Star Wars fans are out in full Force. I thought it would be fun to show some fantastic costumes from Comic-Con.
So many great costumes! It’s fun to see the traditional Star Wars characters as well as the creative variations such as the pink Darth Vader and Legos characters. And of course, no Star Wars photo gallery is complete without Leia in her metal bikini….
We’ve been blogging quite a bit about Dr. Horrible, the supervillain musical that’s taken the Internet by storm.
Today, we’ll take a closer look at making a Dr. Horrible costume.
Lab Coat
Dr. Horrible wears a white lab coat. You can find a basic lab coat at any costume shop, but if you want to be picky you’ll need a coat that buttons on the side, not down in front. Look for the “Howie” style coat.
Here are some places that sell this type of lab coat:
EDIT 9/10/08:Irongate Gallery is selling a custom lab coat that is perfect for around $100. Includes the caduceus sewn in and the goggles. CLICK HERE
Edit 11/05/08:Shadow Dale Creations now also offers an authentic Dr. Horrible lab coat for $200. Available in white or red. CLICK HERE
EDIT: Word on the street is that these goggles actually are green in color. Apparently, the manufacturer picture is wrong and they are NOT silver as shown.
White Gloves
Dr. Horrible wears a pair of white work gloves. Some people have found that fencing gloves work, too. You can try these stores:
