Category: Science Fiction


‘Green Lantern: The Animated Series’ Debuted On Cartoon Network

Filed Under: Animation, Comics, Science Fiction by Wayne Hall — Leave a comment
November 12, 2011

I thought this week, in honor of the hour-long debut of Green Lantern: The Animated Series on Cartoon Network on Friday night, I’d vary the weekend format and post videos about the show. I’m a big fan of it, but then, I loved the live-action Green Lantern movie that flew into theaters. Honestly, I’ve met a LOT of people like me who hope for more GL!

Of course, the comics continues soaring right now, with Geoff Johns writing! Hal Jordan remains one of DC Comics’ most popular characters!

Green Lantern: The Animated Series features the voicework of Josh Keaton, Tony Todd, Kevin Michael Richardson and many others. Here’s more information about the series: “Green Lantern: The Animated Series is an American computer-animated television series based on DC Comics’ superhero Green Lantern. The series is set to air on Cartoon Network, as part of their ‘DC Nation’ television block. The series will be the first independent television series based on Green Lantern, not having the Green Lanterns making only guest appearances or share plot with other different superheroes. A total of 26 episodes have been ordered for the first season. The program will focus on the adventures of Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern of Sector 2814, and his fellow warrior ally, Kilowog against the series’ main antagonists, the Red Lanterns, led by the villain Atrocitus, and the Manhunters. Carol Ferris, Salaak, Sayd, Saint Walker, and Zilius Zox will be supporting characters in the series.“

First up, here’s a very brief commercial for the series:

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Don’t It Make Your Brown Eyes Blue?

Filed Under: Beliefs, Science Fiction by Wayne Hall — Leave a comment
November 4, 2011

Let’s face it — blue eyes are considered magical while brown eyes, well, not so much.

Believe it or not, medical science might be able to help “make your brown eyes blue.” Check out this story from the Daily Mail:

>>Ever wished you were the blue-eyed boy? You soon could be, after a doctor revealed he can permanently change a person’s eye colour in just 20 seconds.

Dr. Gregg Homer, from Stroma Medical in California, said his Lumineyes technology uses a laser tuned to a specific frequency to turn brown eyes to blue.

The laser energy removes the brown pigment, or melanin, from the top layer of the iris, and the blue eye colour emerges over the following two to three weeks.

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‘Warehouse 13’ Returning Soon, First Webisode Released

Filed Under: Science Fiction, Television/Movies by Wayne Hall — Leave a comment
July 6, 2011

I’m a big fan of the Syfy program Warehouse 13, which is about a secret government organization (aren’t they all?) that retrieves artifacts with special powers and stores them in a building in the Midwest.

It’s the most popular program on the network, and it usually airs during the summer months (except for a holiday special in December). It’s fun, it’s fanciful and it’s got great characters.

There’s a new character arriving named Steve Jinx, played by Aaron Ashmore. Viewers might remember him as Jimmy Olsen in the recent Smallville show. A lot of fuss is being made that the new guy is gay, but that’s not important at all to me.

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A Funny Comic Book Parody Weekend

Filed Under: Animation, Batman, Comics, Science Fiction by Wayne Hall — Leave a comment
June 4, 2011

Since comics are big in the news recently (both with new films and renumbering of books), I thought this weekend I’d highlight some of the wonderfully funny bits done by the “I’m A Marvel/I’m A DC” folks from YouTube.

First up is their latest one, with Green Lantern talking with characters from the new X-Men prequel film:

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The Comics Industry Loses A Shining Light

Filed Under: Animation, Comics, Science Fiction by Wayne Hall — Leave a comment
February 22, 2011

I’ve enjoyed the work of Dwayne McDuffie for years. He did terrific things on television as well as comics. To hear of his passing today was quite a shock to me. Here’s the story from Reuters:

>>(Reuters) – Comic and television writer Dwayne McDuffie, perhaps best known as the co-creator of Emmy Award winning animated TV series “Static Shock,” has died, his publisher DC Comics said on Tuesday. He was 49 years-old.

McDuffie died on Monday due to complications in surgery, according to a report on the website Comic Book Resources, but the cause of death could not immediately be confirmed.

“Dwayne McDuffie left a lasting legacy on the world of comics that many writers can only aspire to,” Dan DiDio, co-publisher of DC Comics media division DC Entertainment, said in a statement on Tuesday.

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Computer Defeats Humans At ‘Jeopardy’

Filed Under: Beliefs, Computers/The Web, Science Fiction, Television/Movies by Wayne Hall — Leave a comment
February 17, 2011

It’s an old sci-fi staple that computers would one day be better than humans at everyday tasks.

Well, the syndicated show Jeopardy found that computers were better than humans when it comes to playing that game.

Here’s the story from myway.com:

>>Final score on ‘Jeopardy!’: Computer 1, humans 0
By FRAZIER MOORE

NEW YORK (AP) – Note to self: Never play “Jeopardy!” with a supercomputer.

That’s a useful lesson for me or any mortal who has followed the Man vs. Machine faceoff this week on the popular trivia game show, where on Wednesday the second of two exhibition matches sealed the deal: Watson, the IBM-created megabrain, officially buried his flesh-and-blood opponents, veteran “Jeopardy!” champs Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter.

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‘Star Wars’ Leia Did Cocaine On ‘Empire’ Set

Filed Under: Beliefs, Science Fiction, What-everrr! by Wayne Hall — Leave a comment
October 12, 2010

Hollywood must be a tough place to work. Seems like so many creative people get blown away from the pressure … or the drugs.

Since I am a big science-fiction fan, I’m sure the story below about Carrie Fisher will be quoted to me as an example of how bad things are in the genre. But the sad truth is, this isn’t anything new in the entertainment industry.

Here’s the story:

“Princess Leia did Cocaine on Empire Set”

Star Wars‘ actress Carrie Fisher admitted Monday to taking cocaine on the set of The Empire Strikes Back, saying she didn’t even like the drug but was intent on getting high.

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‘To Beam, Or Not To Beam?’

Filed Under: Science Fiction, Star Trek by Wayne Hall — Leave a comment
August 30, 2010

Being a Star Trek fan means I look at the world through different eyes. And I like that.

For instance, I don’t look at Shakespeare the same way others do because of references in the show to the writer being a Klingon. That is a perspective that actually makes sense, given the Bard’s penchant for murder.

Well, it had to happen: Shakespeare is being performed in Klingon right here in the Nation’s Capital. Here’s the Washington Post’s article about that:

>>How the Washington Shakespeare Company came to offer Shakespeare in Klingon

By Peter Marks, Washington Post Staff Writer

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Don’t you love that remarkable moment when roSenQatlh and ghIlDenSten exit the stage and Khamlet is left alone to deliver the immortal words: “baQa’, Qovpatlh, toy’wl”a’ qal je jIH”?

No? Well, it always kills on Kronos. That’s the home planet of the Klingons, the hostile race that antagonizes the Federation heroes of “Star Trek.” We learned back in ’91 in “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” that the Klingons love them some Shakespeare. Or as he’s known to his ridged-foreheaded devotees in the space-alien community: Wil’yam Shex’pir.

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‘Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure Of All’ 2 Of 2

Filed Under: Animation, Science Fiction by Wayne Hall — Leave a comment
August 29, 2010

Yesterday, I posted the first five portions of Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure Of All. I hope you will stick around for the last four, which I am putting in order below:

Part 6:

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‘Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure Of All’ 1 Of 2

Filed Under: Animation, Science Fiction by Wayne Hall — Leave a comment
August 28, 2010

In honor of the Baltimore Comic-Con that I’m attending this weekend, I thought I would share a really good animated adventure featuring the classic character Flash Gordon. This movie, called Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure Of All, was made by Filmation, a company that made a LOT of cartoons in the 60s and 70s. This was one of their best.

It is broken into nine parts so it can appear on YouTube. Today, I’m posting the first five; tomorrow will have the last four. I know it is a little grainy since it has been translated from videotape, but please take time to enjoy this film.

Part 1:

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