Sci-Fi Storm

The Thunder Child is proud to announce its first science fiction quiz book, the Eye Sci Fi edition (that is, movies).

There’s nothing new under the sun, and many of today’s best science fiction movies are either remakes, homages, or owe a debt of gratitude to the classic movies of the 1950s…the “radiation theater” where atomic testing was rampant and so were giant bugs of all kinds. When aliens visited us…and took us over, and when we first reached out and explored the stars.
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Star Wars Weekends, an annual four-weekend-long event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, will start May 20th this year – coinciding with the relaunch of Star Tours. The announcement was rather late this year, perhaps due to the Star Tours updates and wanting to make sure it would open in time.

More details about guests are yet to be revealed, but Anthony Daniels will appear for the first two weekends, and Ashley Eckstein (the voice of Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and founder of Her Universe, and former DHS parade cast member) once again returns for all 4 weeks and will host the “Clone Wars: Behind The Force” sessions. Feel free to message me on Twitter (@scifistorm) for more details as information is released.

Star Wars Weekends is a fun time for fans…there are plenty of meet and greets with the characters in costume, some of which also float around (the bounty hunters can be especially menacing) and the shows are entertaining. Read our 2009 SWW report for a quick idea of what it is like.

The update to Star Tours is very significant as well. A new projection system is being used (reportedly 3D but this hasn’t been 100% confirmed), and feature a “variable” ride experience – that is, there will be a number of scenes that will randomly be selected for each ride, with a reported 54 possible variations. George Lucas recently got a preview, and reportedly gave it a thumbs up.

Way back in 1985, a comedy skit series called Comedy Break was syndicated. It starred the comedy duo of Mack and Jamie,and supporting players were impressionist Kevin Pollak and Jan Hooks and Marla Frumkin.

Fans of this show, or of Kevin Pollak’s William Shatner as Captain Kirk impesonation, or of 1950s sci fi spoofs, will want to check out the clips on YouTube, or at my blog, Daily Space.

There’s 3 1950s Science Fiction Theatre episodes, with Kevin Pollak as Capt Bill Carter, then three Horror Theatre eps (which are really also SF spoofs) and then an ep of Plan 6 From Outer Space.

1950s Science Fiction Theatre
1950s Horror Movie Theatre

So while on vacation we went to the Wizarding World Of Harry Potter – for me this was the second time, the first being during exclusive access at the Syfy Digital Press Tour. This time it would be with the family, during normal hours – and I’m told a dessert buffet, open bar and all the butterbeer you can drink is not the typical experience… 😉 We also checked out the rest of the Islands Of Adventure, which none of us had seen before. It was also unusually cold there, with temps 20-25 degrees below normal – makes for a convincing winter scene in Hogsmeade, but not so great for water rides…
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OK, I’ve mentioned this several times now…thanks to the great folks at BBC America (who also have their own giveaway), I’m giving away a prize pack which consists of the following DVD sets: Doctor Who Series 5, Being Human Series 2, and Top Gear Series 13, plus a Union Jack light switch wall plate! And it’s very easy to get a chance to win!

Note: I said following us on Facebook would work, but unfortunately that won’t work for this giveaway right now. I have to change the way I integrate with Facebook and won’t have that ready in time. Update: I’m working on at least a temporary solution to the Facebook issue, but no guarantees.

First, follow us on Twitter if you haven’t already. Then retweet any news article posted on Twitter (the ones that start with News – this article doesn’t count but feel free to retweet anyways) from today through Monday night (if retweeting the old fashioned way, make sure “@scifistorm” is in there as well as the link). Also send @scifistorm a tweet naming your favorite Doctor from the classic years (up through the seventh Doctor). If you don’t have a favorite from that era (perhaps you are too young to know), then choose one of the newer ones.

On Tuesday evening a winner will be randomly selected and announced. One entry per person, please – although retweets of articles are always appreciated. Spread the word! We haven’t been using Twitter very long, but I’d like to see us get the follower numbers up!

Update: This will be extended through Wednesday night…and I should add, this is for U.S. copies of the DVDs and is open to U.S. residents. I can’t ship the package internationally.

Just a quick reminder from the road…the holiday episodes of Eureka and Warehouse 13 are tonight on Syfy. I have to wait until I get back to see them 🙁

Also, I’ll be giving away a BBC America prize pack, but you’ll need to be following scifistorm on Twitter to qualify…more details later.

Update: Facebook followers will count as well, but you must be a U.S. resident or have a U.S. address at least…I’m still coming up with a plan, but it won’t be a complicated contest…the prize pack will include DVDs of Doctor Who, Being Human and Top Gear and a Union Jack light switch cover.

This holiday season, BBC America is giving away $1,000 in gift cards – $500 for the winner, and $500 for a friend – redeemable toward purchases at BBCAmericaShop.com with the annual Holiday Sweepstakes. Other prizes as well – just go to the BBC America Shop Facebook page and click on Enter Sweepstakes.

And as an added bonus, start following us on Twitter – next week I will announce a giveaway of our own…but you must follow @scifistorm on Twitter to be eligible.

What happens when the Doctor’s most fearsome enemy meets the world’s most powerful blender? You find out when Tom Dickson of Blendtec’s “Will It Blend?” series meets up with Sebastian J. Brook of Doctor Who Online with his Dalek…
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Fancy a chance to experience a little time travel? The BBC is opening the Doctor Who Experience on February 16th, 2011 at London’s Olympia Two, where it will stay until sometime in 2012 when it will relocate to Cardiff for the longer term (and be near the current production offices). The exhibit will include costumes, the Tom Baker-era TARDIS exterior, and the TARDIS sets from both David Tennant and Peter Davison – along with newer items like the Pandorica and monsters and enemies from across time. And there will also be an interactive experience, where you can star in your own serial! “The Doctor Who Experience is a fan’s dream come true – a fully interactive adventure that will allow viewers of the show to get as close as possible to some of the scariest monsters from the series,” according to producer/writer Steven Moffat. “It will also be the first time that Doctor Who artefacts from all the show’s 47 year history – classic and new – will be on display together, many of them being seen for the first time. And never mind that, this is the day the Doctor teaches you how to fly the TARDIS through time and space, and takes you into battle with all his deadliest enemies in a brand new adventure. So steady your nerves and bring your own sofa – the Doctor needs you!”

If you took your LEGOs, and made the original Star Wars trilogy from the point of view of a different character (what do you mean, Jar Jar wasn’t in it?!?), you might just get…”LEGO Star Wars: Bombad Bounty”…(thanks to Fellowship of Fools for pointing it out)