Star Wars Identities: The Coolest Exhibition of 2012

When I saw the new poster art for Star Wars Identities: The Exhibition, my jaw hit the floor! This is some of the coolest poster art I’ve seen in a while. A great spin on the classics we love.

The exhibition itself takes place in Canada in late 2012, and you can find our more on their official website.

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25 Tardis-Inspired Gift Ideas

When it comes to the holidays, what better to give than a gift that reminds loved ones just how much of a geek you are (trust me, you’re not alone). We found 25 cool-yet-random gift ideas based on of one of our favorite inspiring items: the Tardis. Uh, random might be an understatement for some of these bad boys.

Ice bucket from Neatorama.com.

Tardis Dress by Tara Reich.

Mug with lid from DrWhoGear.co.uk.

Soap from Luxury Lane Soap.

Necklace by LiiLii.

Wallet by Coolbeans 717.

Earrings by LampshadesnLollipops.

Cuff links by BlinkPhoto.

USB hub at Target.

Scarf by Rebecca Roach.

iPad sleeve by MyFunkyCamelot.

Macbook decals by Robot1001001.

Glasses case by SlippedSketch.

Ring by TheClayPony.

eReader sleeve by fourcorners.

Paperclip by bohemianstorm.

Collar by UlZaorith.

Vinyl Satchel by Mibolsa.

Floating pen at Amazon.com.

Phone on victormorris.com.

Air Freshener from DrWhoGear.co.uk.

Tardis Christmas ornament by Pixelated Mushroom.

Rucksack on DrWhoGear.co.uk.

I’d not consider this next one a gift, but it’s apparently very popular in the UK (and quite a unique use of the famous blue box).

Last but not least, though we’ve been told it isn’t what we think it is, this shack does look like a Whovian outhouse! Or you can buy a regular outhouse and play pretend in your back yard.

Photo by Sandra Whiteway.

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‘A Game of Thrones’ Costumes, Art & 2010 Recap

I’m a huge fantasy fan, and though I must commend many series writers for their attempt at adapting some of our favorite novels into episodic television, the end result (for most) is generally, well, cheesy. They err on the side of good prevailing (in every episode), yet they fail to venture into the depths of pain, suffering, violence and seeming hopelessness in story lines. Often the dialogue doesn’t come close to matching the original writer’s brilliance. (Then there are the special effects… sigh).

Late last year when I found out that HBO, the television network that gave us True Blood, Rome and many other sagas filled with blood, murder, deception and betrayal, was about to embark on bringing George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones (the first book from A Song of Ice and Fire series) to television, I couldn’t be happier. Will they finally get it right?

With production announcements pouring in daily, the new series creeps closer into our purview and spring 2011 can’t come soon enough. Here are some highlights so far, starting with our favorite topic: Art!

Costumes & Set (new!)

Costume designer Michele Clapton shares the process of creating Westeros garb.

Artisan Gemma Jackson on the Castle Black Lift

Some oldies but goodies (if you haven’t seen them):

Behind The Scenes Featurette

George R.R. Martin (the author of “A Game Of Thrones”), the executive producers and the cast talk about what to expect in HBO’s new dramatic series.

Game of Thrones teasers

True, they don’t show much!

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‘Battlestar Galactica: The Exhibition’ at Seattle’s EMP

Experience Music Project|Science Fiction Museum (EMP|SFM) in Seattle will unveil it’s newest exhibition Battlestar Galactica: The Exhibition on October 23, 2010 (through March 4, 2012), and you’re in for a surprise! The show will honor both the new and older series, and include three full-size spaceships from the later series (two Vipers and one Cylon Raider), costumes, concept art, storyboards and various props from both shows. The exhibition is organized by EMP|SFM, Universal Cable Productions and Syfy.

I’ll be there, and rest assured, I’ll be documenting the whole thing! Find out more on empsfm.org.

Building Battlestar Galactica: The Exhibition

BSG Cast & Crew Attending

Edward James Olmos Admiral William Adama  (re-imagined series)	Ronald D. Moore Creator & Executive Producer (re-imagined series)	Glen Larson Creator (original series)
Richard Hatch Apollo (original series) Tom Zarek (re-imagined series)	Michael Hogan Colonel Saul Tigh (re-imagined series)	Tahmoh Penikett Captain Karl ‘Helo’ Agathon (re-imagined series)

Photos: Setting Up the Event

© Copyright All rights reserved by EMP|SFM

© Copyright All rights reserved by EMP|SFM

© Copyright All rights reserved by EMP|SFM

© Copyright All rights reserved by EMP|SFM

© Copyright All rights reserved by EMP|SFM

© Copyright All rights reserved by EMP|SFM

© Copyright All rights reserved by EMP|SFM

Yes, the EMP has a wall of guitars!

View all photos on EMP’s official Flikr stream.

Battlestar Galactica Evolution of the Cylon

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Missed out on BSG?

Watch the miniseries promo!

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Towers of Midnight: The Making of the Book Trailer (episodes 1-3)

SPOILER ALERT: Parts 2 & 3 include the same spoilers the trailer does.

The Wheel of Time is my favorite fantasy series ever. I’ve dreamed about being part of the world Robert Jordan began back in 1984, whether it was being immersed in one of the enormous novels, making a fun costume or getting to meet Jordan himself to attest my love for his incredible work of political, epic fantasy.

Sadly, I never did get to meet Robert before he passed away in 2007; however, back in June (thanks to Twitter), I became pals with some of his most devoted followers. One of those fans was Jason Denzel, who created Dragonmount.com (@Dragonmount). After a lengthy phone call (or what I like to refer to as a total WOT geek out session!), Jason informed me that Tor, The Wheel of Time publishing company, had asked him to create something special to promote the release of book 13 Towers of Midnight: a book trailer. So, I jumped in the car and drove to Sacramento to capture this epic moment in Wheel of Time history.

Below are three Making of the Book Trailer features that I’ve created to showcase the story of this production, featuring clips from the trailer, behind the scenes photos and interviews with the cast and crew. Be sure to visit Dragonmount for the full feature write-up by Jason: A featured look at the making of the Towers of Midnight book trailer. And come find me on Twitter @Nedopak!

Part 1: The Making of the Book Trailer (no spoilers)

Part 2: Characters & Costumes (spoilers)

Part 3: Creating the Set, FX & The Tower of Genji (spoilers)

Sound Design

Patrick Knipe

Sound Designer & Sound Mixer
Wheel of Time fan since 2002

I was particularly excited about creating a rumbling world of thunder for the trailer. Being a kid from the Northeast trapped in sunny Los Angeles has deprived me of years of thunder storms, and this was like therapy for me. Jason Denzel kept emailing me after each pass, “More thunder!” Building a world of sound from scratch around Kate Reading’s rich voice and the striking imagery on the screen was invigorating. My greatest challenge was creating the sound of Saidar. Tess and Jason both wanted it to be a holy sound. My first try sounded too much like thunder and was more fitting for Saidin; luckily Jason was very demanding and whipped me furiously until I got it right. A swirly sound of smooth glory made up of twenty tracks (one of which is me singing with my voice pitched up)!

I’m a huge fan of epic fantasy. I started reading The Wheel of Time while studying Tolkien at Oxford University in England in 2002. I finished Knife of Dreams just in time to shoot an interview and book signing video with Brandon in Pasadena during the release of The Gathering Storm.

Final Film: Towers of Midnight Book Trailer

Be sure to visit the official book trailer page on Dragonmount, where you can discuss it with fans!

Towers of Midnight: The Novel

Towers of Midnight will release in early November and is written by Brandon Sanderson (@BrandonSandrson), another incredible fantasy author who took over the WOT series after Jordan passed away (and is kicking some serious butt at it).

Related articles

Video: Towers of Midnight Prologue read by Brandon Sanderson

Artist Spotlight: The Fantasy Art of Seamas Gallagher

Wheel of Time at Dragon*Con 2010

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Clash of the Titans: In memory and anticipation

Clash of the Titans original poster

When I was in grade school, I remember getting an assignment to write a report on any person, place, or thing from history. Being the fantasy fanatic I was, I chose the Pegasus. Funny, though I was quite obsessed with Gods and Goddesses of Greek mythology, I was more excited to illustrate the book cover showing the creature in all it’s glory (or what my artistic skills could produce at the time; and they were actually pretty darn good, even back then).

So it wasn’t a surprise that, along with so many other mythology and fantasy enthusiasts, I loved the original 1981 film Clash of the Titans. Even with its slightly cheesy special effects, it’s still a favorite in my mind.

As most of the world knows, they’re coming out with a remake in 2010. I don’t fully trust that it’ll top the original (yes, I’m one of those people who always love the originals more), but what I am looking forward to are the special effects! With today’s technology and talent, this new film will, well, kick the original’s ass in that department.

The films, old and new

For anyone who hasn’t seen it, here’s the trailer to the original:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVcT5YWBzq8

Here’s the trailer for the 2010 remake:

Who’s playing who?

It’s always fun to compare actors from the past to the modern day versions of characters:

Laurence Olivier as Zeus	Liam Neeson as Zeus
Harry Hamlin as Perseus	Sam Worthington as Perseus
Jack Gwillim as Poseidon	Danny Huston as Poseidon
Judi Bowker as Andromeda	Alexa Davalos as Andromeda

And of course, though Hades wasn’t in the original as far as I recall, I look forward to Ralph Fiennes interpretation of the character in the new film:

Ralph Fiennes as Hades

And the creatures!

Medusa - original

Medusa - updated

Kraken - original

Kraken - updated

Scorpion - original

Scorpion - updated

Who’s missing?

Aeromental provides a great article documenting what monsters are missing, along with many still frames from the new film.

Fan art

Check out some of the Clash characters and scenes by über talented artists:

Zeus by Genzoman

Poseidon by Genzoman

Hades by Genzoman

Kraken by Vegas Mike

Perseus by Jordan Ross

Featured Artists

• Genzoman
• Vegas Mike
• Jordan Ross

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