GetBack: Wakin’ Up the Memories

Sign up at GetBack.com, sister company and collaborator of Shout! Factory, for nostalgic doses of pop culture every weekday.

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GetBack.com is the only online community and pop-culture destination built around the music, movies, games, and events you love. We’re a bunch of pop culture freaks dedicated to wakin’ up memories of the past while connecting to the best of the present.

We started our company in 2007, after we (most of us are veterans of iFilm, Spike, Rhino, and Shout! Factory) realized there weren’t any Web sites that acted our age or featured our favorite stuff from the past while keeping current on the best in music, movies, and entertainment. Basically, we wanted to meet more people like us.

So GetBack was born. In our short journey, we’ve covered a lot of ground. You can find our editorial and video content on Yahoo!, MSN, Hulu, and on offline screens near you. We’ve also been featured on Spike TV and Extra and in The Hollywood Reporter, New York Post, and blogs aplenty. Some of our cooler content includes:

  • Our flagship show, Retro Minute, hosted by our own Shawn Amos. It’s a daily blast to the past.
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Brew Up Some Fun With Potions — A Wizard’s Apprentice Game

Discovery Bay Games brews up more fun with Potions -- A Wizard’s Apprentice Game
Discovery Bay Games brews up more fun with Potions -- A Wizard’s Apprentice Game

Discovery Bay Games brewed up another magical batch of fun with their game Potions — A Wizard’s Apprentice Game. In Potions, the players are apprentices competing to become a wizard. The first apprentice to complete the potion assignment gets two Class Credit tokens. The first apprentice to collect five Class Credit tokens wins the game.

Potions uses a combination of dice and cards to build these potions. The cards are shuffled and each player is dealt four cards. The remaining cards are placed face down in the center of the players to create a draw pile. Then the dice are rolled to determine what kind of potion you have to brew up. There are three kinds of potions, six ingredients, and three types of applications of the potion. The first dice tells you what kind of potion you are making: Love, Wisdom, or Transforming. The second die is the first ingredient: Eye of Newt, Tooth of Dog, or Toe of Frog. The third die is the second ingredient: Lizard’s Leg, Wool of Bat, or Fenny Snake. The fourth die represents the application of the potion: Drink, Powder, or Ointment.

At the beginning of each hand, the player draws a fifth card from the deck in an attempt to match four cards with the dice. The player must then discard one of their cards so that their hand is back at four cards by the end of their turn. The card is placed face up in a discard pile beside the draw pile. If it is an action card, the action is done on the player of your choice. If the player does not have all four ingredients, their turn ends and the next player draws a card.

The action cards are fun ways to thwart your opponents’ success. Merlin’s Roll allows you to re-roll one Potion Elements die. Change allows to you change any element die to whatever you like. Take allows you to steal a card from another apprentice, forcing them to draw a replacement card from the draw pile and Spilled Cauldron forces a player to lose all of their cards and draw an entire new hand from the draw pile. After each successful hand, the winner collects 2 Class Credit tokens and the dice are rolled again for the next round.

Another twist on the game is the Apprentice Challenge. If you have at least one Potions Class Credit token, you can challenge any other player that you will have more matching ingredients than them in the next hand. If you don’t have more than them at the end of the hand, you lose a Class Credit token. If you do have more than them, you receive a Class Credit token even if you don’t win the round.

One point of confusion in the gameplay is setting down matching ingredients. The instructions say that you can set your matched ingredients face down on the playing surface so you are only holding the unmatched ingredients in your hand. The cards that are set down are still considered to be part of your hand, though, so when another player gets a steal card, these cards would be the obvious targets to take. The instructions don’t specify if they can be taken or if they are safe. We chose before a few games not to lay down cards, so as to randomize success when the steal card is played.

The box has a molded insert that neatly and securely holds all of the game pieces, and is small enough to store on an average bookshelf. The large dice are easy to read and the cards are thick, coated, and seem to be highly durable for many years of fun game play. Perfect for the fantasy lover, Potions is fun and fast-paced. While it doesn’t have a strong educational value, it might help younger players to understand the concept of mixing ingredients to make something new.

The game includes:
52 Playing Cards
4 Potion Elements Dice
20 Potion Class Credit Tokens
1 Potion Class Credit Token Bag
1 Cauldron Shaker Cup

Potions is distributed by Discovery Bay Games, and is available from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or one of Discovery Bay Games’ many other Retailers.

The Legend of Neil T-shirt Vote

from The Legend of Neil:

Hey all,

So finally due to popular demand, we’re making some t-shirts. Here’s the deal though, we need to figure out which one to make! So please click here and vote on the T-shirts of your liking. Voting a 5 means you’d buy it, voting a 1 means you’d burn someone alive if you saw them wearing it. Click here to vote! And thanks for your help. Pretty much all the proceeds of this shirt will go directly to the season 2 budget, and help make it just that much more kick ass!

-Sandeep

Split Reason: Gear for Geeks and Gamers

Visiting the website of Canadian company Split Reason is like opening the doors to a geeky dream closet. It’s hard to pick just one thing to wear, as there are so many winning selections.

Linked
Linked

“Inspired by that dude with the pointy ears, and we don’t mean Mr. Spock,” Split Reason’s line of Zelda-based apparel will enchant Nintendo fans on a quest to tap into the power of the Triforce, and tide over followers of web series The Legend of Neil who are currently waiting on poll results for official show t-shirts to be made. The Linked design, available as a men’s hoody and t-shirts in men’s and women’s baby tee sizes, incorporates all the iconic images associated with The Legend of Zelda video game and is printed on a thick, Link-green fabric that’s double-stitched for extra durability. The t-shirts are soft, pre-shrunk, 100% cotton, while the sweatshirt is a warm cotton-polyester blend with a double-lined hood that helps hide pointed ears on travels outside of Hyrule. Split Reason also offers a Hearts Mug to sip your favourite re-energizing potions out of while playing Zelda or watching The Legend of Neil. Final score for Linked: three out of three healing hearts.

If Mario is the franchise that makes you jump for joy, Split Reason has a bunch of related garb featuring the Super and 1-up Mushrooms. Get set to power-up and earn extra lives when you wear these stylish and brightly-coloured threads!

Grow Up
Grow Up
Get a Life
Get a Life

The Grow Up and Get a Life t-shirts, like the Linked design, come in men’s and women’s baby tee sizes made of pre-shrunk, double-stitched cotton. A snuggly Grow Up hoody is listed only in men’s sizes but will fit women who order a size smaller than they normally would.

Tree of Lives
Tree of Lives

Greedy gamers who think one mushroom just isn’t enough have the option of laying claim to the entire Tree of Lives. “It does exist!” Split Reason insists, “and if you can only ascertain its location, you can ditch the fountain of youth and simply feast on its fruit and 1UP your way to immortality!” Whether this fabled tree of the Mushroom Kingdom really exists or not, it makes a peachy image that proclaims to the world that you are the master at cheating digital death.

“Every day you wake up and have to get dressed, why not get dressed with a little geek and gamer pride!” Split Reason enthuses. “Now go forth young Jedi and spread the word about the geek and gaming haven that is Split Reason.com!” Split Reason’s playful attitude, coupled with first-class customer service, is why it pwns its competition. That, and an interactive website, more playground than place of business, where geeks congregate to compete in weekly contests, earn rewards by submitting pictures of themselves in their new gear, trades ideas and feedback for Gold Pieces that can be redeemed on future purchases, and submit ideas and designs that their peers are then able to vote into actual production. The company even has a 30-day money-back guarantee on the loot you drop your hard-earned coin on, so what are you waiting for? Go do some retail damage!

Order directly through the Split Reason website. For all the latest news and special offers, follow Split Reason on Twitter, join their Facebook group, friend them on MySpace, add them on Flickr, subscribe to their newsletter and RSS feeds, read their blog, and listen to their Paused podcast.

Evening Arwen at Etsy

Evening Arwen at Etsy provides unique, customized costumes and corsets for roleplaying or fancy dress events. You can choose from premade designs or draw up the blueprints for your outfit completely from scratch. Either way, you will get a costume that wows all who see it.

How many out there love Halloween? Or have themed birthday parties? Maybe even there’s a huge movie premier that you want to dress up as your favourite character to? If you agree to any of those things than you and I have something in common… costumes. We clearly love to dress up and be something that in real life we probably never could, such as an elf or a jedi.

While I love the main characters of our blockbuster films I also love some of the side characters that you never seem to see costumes of. I’ve also found that nothing is worse than spending a lot of money for a costume that feels like it was made out of something that maybe resembles cotton and was made one size to basically fit all. And that’s where I come in…

My goal is to create movie replica costumes for almost any character out there that you could possibly want to be. On my page you will see costumes that inspired me to want to create them and they are listed up here to give you an idea of what I can do. But the purpose of this site is so you can contact me with who you want to be and then we will discuss in detail what your budget is, the colors, material and accessories that you would like to include with the costume. My prices I know are on the more expensive side but a lot of that is due to the fact that the materials I use are very high quality and the outfits made require quite a lot to create it as a whole. All pieces though can be sold/made seperately and if you only have under $100 dollars to spend then I will do my best to create something for you that’s still beautiful and will fit like a glove for that price.

I’m here to help you be the talk of the party… in a good way. = )

Becky

Becky’s most talked about creation at the moment is the Star Trek Inspired Corset, based on the Star Trek: The Next Generation jumpsuits.

Star Trek Inspired Corset

The corset is available in red, blue, and yellow, so you can get decked out in your Star Trek uniform of choice. No need for shore leave on Risa when you’ve got this sexy little number hanging in your closet!

Guild Episode #12 “Fight!”

from The Guild:

LOTS to share today with the finale of this season!

Please check out the last installment in the Guild Season 2 saga, Guild Episode #12 “Collision Course”

Guild characters collide — literally.”

View it streaming on MSN Video:
Download it in HD or SD off of Xbox Live Video Marketplace under “Independent Videos”
Download it off the Zune Marketplace for your portable needs!

A few people made outstanding contributions to the finale, including special effects guru Doug Luberts (@dougluberts on Twitter) and uber band “The Main Drag” who allowed us to use the last song in the show “Love in Wintertime”. Check out their website.
Thank you so much to all of their time, effort and expertise, we are honored!

Also, a behind the scenes video “Episode 4: The Stunts” edited by our behind the scenes expert Kenny Mittleider has been posted.
AND a Gag Reel for episodes 8-12! Happy finale day!

Thank you so much for taking this wild ride through Season 2 with us. We really hope you had as much fun as we did! Tune in to our live chat tonight on our Ustream channel, 7:30 pm Pacific!

On to Season 3!

The Guild Management

“The Guild” Live Chat and Improv News

from The Guild:

Two Items:

To celebrate the final episode of Season 2 tomorrow, we’re going to (attempt) to live stream an hour with some cast and crew members!

Tomorrow night, Tuesday the 17th from 7:30 to 8:30pm, we will be in our Ustream channel, chatting and video casting with anyone who’s interested!

On another note, actors Felicia Day, Sandeep Parikh and Jeff Lewis will be performing improv in Los Angeles Wednesday, Feb 18th along with many other funny performers. If you’re in town please come by!

INFO:
Theatre Asylum 6320 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90038
Plenty of Street Parking, meters free after 6
10$ cash only at the door!
Call (323) 463-2942 for reservations!

and here’s the Facebook invite page.

Thank you for all your support, it’s been a fantastic season!

Girl Genius

Girl Genius

Girl Genius, by Phil & Kaja Foglio: Adventure, Romance, MAD SCIENCE!

In a time when the Industrial Revolution has become an all-out war, Mad Science rules the World… with mixed success.

At Transylvania Polygnostic University, Agatha Clay is a student with trouble concentrating and rotten luck. Dedicated to her studies but unable to build anything that actually works, she seems destined for a lackluster career as a minor lab assistant.

But when the University is overthrown, a strange “clank” stalks the streets and it begins to look like Agatha might carry a spark of Mad Science after all.

The award-winning Girl Genius, a Gaslamp Fantasy that started as a comic book series then turned into a webcomic, is currently available online and in graphic novel collections.

Order now at Amazon.com:
Girl Genius, Volume 1: Agatha Heterodyne and the Beetleburg Clank
Girl Genius, Volume 2: Agatha Heterodyne and the Airship City
Girl Genius, Volume 3: Agatha Heterodyne and the Monster Engine
Girl Genius, Volume 4: Agatha Heterodyne and the Circus of Dreams
Girl Genius, Volume 5: Agatha Heterodyne and the Clockwork Princess
Girl Genius, Volume 6: Agatha Heterodyne and the Golden Trilobite
Girl Genius, Volume 7: Agatha Heterodyne and the Voice of the Castle

Or order directly through the Girl Genius and Studio Foglio: Airship Entertainment websites.

Legend of Neil Makes Me a Millionaire!

from The Legend of Neil:

In the future the number of views equals the number of dollars you get, right? RIGHT? Assuming that is so, I’m a future millionaire because today The Legend of Neil season 1 reached 1,000,031 views on atom.com (technically it does have some tens of thousands of views elsewhere on mydamnchannel.com and xbox live, etc but this is the only count I’ve followed). Anyway, I’m really proud that we were able to reach a million views and my deepest thanks go out to all my cast and crew who made the show million worthy and all the 1,000,000 viewers out there (its a 1-1 ration right?) who’ve taken in Neil‘s exploits.

It was especially gratifying to tabulate that today on my apple calculator, because we just had our first major production meeting for season 2 of The Legend of Neil which we’re shooting in March. Looking forward to bringing you all many more R-rated exploits through Zelda!

Now that I’m a future millionaire I’m going to feel free and build up tons of credit card debt. Forever 21 here I come!

Streamline

Add a little whimsy to your interior decorating with Streamline, the New York-based company that specializes in funky décor and accessories, and “dedicates itself to the design of all things wonderful for those who are fashionable and fun at heart!”

Toadstool Table and Toadstools
Toadstool Table and Toadstools

The storybook-inspired Toadstool Table and Toadstools set, a 100% organic design cast in solid resin and painted in naturalistic colours, looks like furniture pulled straight from a fairy garden or the world of Alice in Wonderland. Just like real toadstools, these jumbo versions are weatherproof, so they can be planted either indoors or out in the yard. The Toadstool Table is the “perfect table to throw a tea party at or doodle daydreams with friends”, its matching stools providing a place to “enjoy reading a good book upon”. Sure to become a cherished childhood heirloom, the Toadstool Table and Toadstools will also appeal to adults seeking to bring a little magic into their living space. The table makes an ideal end table or display stand for fantasy books and art, and the stools are small enough to serve as accent pieces in the kitchen and anywhere else toadstools seem likely to crop up.

Navy Blue Intergalactic Juicer
Navy Blue Intergalactic Juicer

Streamline’s Intergalactic Juicers are gadgets for those who like a little science with their fantasy. Touted as a “modern accessory for the kitchen capable of making morning moon juice”, they come in four stellar colours: Navy Blue, Lime, Bright White, and Posy Pink. Except for the minimalistic Bright White, each style has a design printed around the edge of the saucer ring, the most fitting of which is the Navy Blue’s Space Invaders pattern. The plastic juicers pop apart into four pieces for easy cleaning and, instead of a messy pouring spout, they have a hole in the bottom of the saucer that allows juice to drain straight through into any container the UFO hovers over.

Yellow Submarine Radio
Yellow Submarine Radio

For a bit of retro kitsch, there’s the Yellow Submarine Radio, which will be an immediate hit with fans of The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine song and animated film. This rubber bath radio has scan and volume buttons, and produces very clear sound in AM/FM. It’s waterproof, but is labeled “do not immerse in water”, so children should be supervised when playing with this little musical sub. In summer weather, the radio can travel from the tub to the wading pool on the deck, where, as Streamline suggests, you can “relax in the pool and listen to your favorite team at play”. Music and news are just more fun when broadcast from a novelty radio.

Order directly through Streamline’s online retail website, Karma Kiss.

The items mentioned in this article are distributed by Streamline and its associated Representatives.

Cylons, Vampires, Podsters, Monsters and Myth of Science: Emilie Ullerup navigates the world of Science Fiction

The brilliant Emilie Ullerup has brains, brawn, beauty and moxie!
The brilliant Emilie Ullerup has brains, brawn, beauty and moxie!

In just a few short years, Dutch-born Emilie Ullerup has done what many actresses only ever dream of: going from bit parts to award-winning, starring roles. Soon after graduating from Vancouver Film School, Emilie (pronounced like Amelia) started her career in 2006 with guest spots on shows like Blood Ties and Battlestar Galactica. She then landed the role of Ashley Magnus in the Amanda Tapping and Damian Kindler produced web series Sanctuary. It was the first series shot with RED cameras on greenscreen sets, and was the most ambitious and expensive direct-to-web series ever produced.

While Sanctuary’s world was still being rendered, Emilie was then cast as video game artist Kaitlin Joyce on CBC’s jPod (based on the book by Gen X author Douglas Coupland). jPod was critically acclaimed, won a global audience through positive word of mouth (and torrents, since CBC chose to regionally lock the episodes they streamed on their website) and was nominated for twelve awards, winning four. While jPod’s fate was still being decided, Sanctuary’s was set in stone: redevelopment for television. Emilie rejoined her castmates for thirteen episodes of Sanctuary, which broadcast internationally, as well as on SCI FI channel. The show received high ratings in all of its markets, securing it a second season. In case you aren’t counting, that’s two lead roles in two hit shows in two years, and a Leo Award for Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series for her role in jPod.

With the holiday season just wrapping up, Emilie set aside some time to talk with us about her recent successes and her plans for the future.

ÜberSciFiGeek (ÜSFG) Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today. I know you have been really busy and I’m sure your life has changed a lot over the last year or two.

Emilie Ullerup (EU) Sanctuary is really helping propel my career forward. It’s really exciting.

(ÜSFG) It is! I’m thrilled for you and we really appreciate how connected you are staying with your fans. It means a lot to all of them.

(EU) I LOVE MY FANS! They rock! They mean a lot to me. This business is at times so damn hard, and you get so much crap from all directions, that a strong fan base really helps to pull you out of the lows once in a while.

(ÜSFG) Everyone is thrilled every time you stop in and check the forums. And everyone I’ve talked to who has met you has just been very excited about how open and friendly you are.

(EU) I’m glad that I’ve been so well received. It’s a little scary being the “new young thing”. But it’s been a warm welcome.

(ÜSFG) I don’t know if you realize that sci-fi fans are fiercely loyal. We’ll watch anything you are attached to no matter the genre because we tend to get neglected by mainstream media so we are very thankful for people who work in sci-fi.

(EU) That’s good to know.

(ÜSFG) You’ve lived a lot of places in your life haven’t you? How does Vancouver compare?

(EU) Every place has its own charm. They’re all really great in their own ways. And they’ve all got less exciting things about them too. Vancouver is great for its outdoors, friendly people and it’s a major city so it’s just always open! You can always get what you any need time of day. I’m a fan of that.

(ÜSFG) I’ve moved a lot too, some big cities and some small towns and in addition to climate, I’ve noticed a lot of social changes. From one area to another, it seems there’s a completely different mind-set. Moving south, sometimes I feel like I’m on another planet, not just another part of the world. Has it been like that for you, too?

(EU) Oh definitely. There are places where it’s harder to build close relationships because you just don’t think the same way. And then there are cultures where you get each other instantly.

(ÜSFG) Yes, that’s how I felt in Seattle. I just felt like I was a part of it instantly. From everything I’ve heard, I think Vancouver would be like that.

(EU) Very similar.

(ÜSFG) Speaking of Vancouver, why did you choose Vancouver to start your career?

(EU) I wasn’t interested in going to L.A. right away. It seemed too big and too full of actors. I figured it was better to go to Vancouver where the talent pool is smaller, and then start a solid resume up here so that I would eventually be able to go to L.A. without being just “another new face”. I want to go there when there’s interest in me. It’s so easy to get lost in the movie machine down there.

(ÜSFG) Yes, well your plan seems to be working so far. You’ve gotten a lot of attention, not only with the success of Sanctuary (web and TV) but with jPod!

(EU) Yeah… I guess I have. It’s been an incredible ride. jPod was the best first experience for an actor. I still miss it.

(ÜSFG) So do I! I have to admit that after watching Sanctuary on the web, I was worried that I’d only see Ashley when I saw Kaitlin but Kaitlin was really a night and day different character then Ashley Magnus. I was surprised and delighted that I saw no shades of Ashley in Kaitlin. You changed personas very well. Are you drawn to a particular type of character, do you look for diversity in the roles you pursue, or are you still discovering what you want and enjoy in a role?

(EU) I certainly always yearn to stretch my acting muscle. There are things that I’m not as good at, but will take them on anyway. I love the Kaitlin characters. The dramatic parts certainly draw me in but then I look back at jPod and realize that Kaitlin was pretty crazy too! I think that as long as I feel that I can be free in my work, that I can explore and not be restrained by anything, I am happy with any character. Ashley is most certainly a challenge for me though.

(ÜSFG) jPod received rave reviews, developed a demographic-bending cult following and was nominated for 12 Leo Awards going on to win 4 of them, including yours for Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series. Congratulations for that, by the way.

(EU) Thank you!! Ah, I still get a bit of a rush in my stomach when I’m reminded of that win.

(ÜSFG) That’s so cool though. I mean, like you said, it was a first show for a young actor. I imagine that it’s going to feel good for a real long time.

(EU) It will always be “the first one”. (Hopefully of a few more (blush))

(ÜSFG) I’m sure there will be more.

(EU) I wish… It was such an important win, because it solidified the fact that we’d been cancelled waaay too early.

(ÜSFG) Yes! I know we fans feel jilted. A lot of us are really sore about how it ended. How do you feel having the series cut short like that, especially after receiving so much praise and fan support? Has there been enough noise made by the “Save jPod” websites to actually stir any interest in a second season or at least a “special” to wrap up the story and let us know what happened to Kaitlin?

(EU) I think that jPod is dead though. I felt awful when we got cancelled. We all did. We were the tightest group, we had so much fun, there was incredible trust, and we all completely believed in the show. So to sum it up, BOO!

(ÜSFG) So, you said Ashley is a challenge to play. Why is that?

(EU) It’s really an art to master the balance in Ashley. She’s no bullshit but she’s also scared and sensitive and has to be likeable. So it’s a challenge to be a likeable “no bullshit” character, for me anyway. Especially because I had formed such a strong Ashley in the web episodes that bringing it back and making her softer felt wrong at first. It was like trying to put on a tight sweater on top of a really big one. I didn’t know how to make it fit.

(ÜSFG) Yes. Ashley was my favorite character in the web series. Of all the characters Ashley Magnus seems to have gone through the most drastic changes in the transition from web series to television. I know I’ve struggled a bit with reconciling the changes. Comparing the two incarnations, what are some of your favorite changes? What are some of your least favorite changes?

(EU) I like that she laughs more, smiles more. It allows for some of me in there but I do sometimes miss the ridiculously short Ashley. Shoot and then think. Later… a lot later… It was fun to explore such an instinctual character. That has disappeared a bit but I do think that she’s much more 3-dimensional now.

(ÜSFG) Yes, it seems our “Kick-Ash” has become a bit mellowed.

(EU) She is. Hopefully season 2 will allow for some real madness.

(ÜSFG) She does seem more fleshed out as a person and that’s a very good thing for character development.

(EU) It certainly looks that way.

(ÜSFG) It also leads to questions like, “why is there a man’s shirt in her closet?” and all sorts of things…

(EU) Ha haaaa, yes. That was Sam Egan. I love his ideas.

(ÜSFG) What would you like to see happen in Season 2?

(EU) I would love to see her get real bad.

(ÜSFG) Well, I think Ashley is an incredible character, you have so much to work with, fans who’ve seen you in other shows know the range you have and could do with her so everyone is eager to see how far you can take her back into a bit of the madness we saw in the webisodes but still remain someone we care about seeing heal, change, grow…

(EU) Hear hear! Thank you for the compliments.

(ÜSFG) You are most welcome! I am far too used to seeing actors being the same character in different clothes from show to show so I am THRILLED to see a truly different persona emerge.

(EU) Me too! I would love some sort of head to head conflict with mom.

(ÜSFG) That would be great to see! That was one of the discussions from the webisodes, how the mother-daughter conflict wasn’t explored the way it could have been.

(EU) I hope the Sanctuary team will feel the same way and give me some juicy, juicy stuff for us all to sink our teeth into. And hopefully season 2 will bring out something way different from season 1.

(ÜSFG) What kind of Ashley-centric episodes would you like to see happen in season 2?

(EU) Hmmm… Other than some badass ash-kicking?

(ÜSFG) Yes, other then more ash-kicking. You’ve got so many different directions she could go. If you could pick something really juicy and challenging, what do you think it would be?

(EU) It’d be fun to explore how the possibility of power could mess with Ashley. She’s young. She’s been introduced to some new powers. She’s not levelheaded at this point. What if she, just for an episode, got disgustingly power-hungry and turned into a Dana times 10.

(ÜSFG) Oooh… I like that idea.

(EU) It would also be great to see her come back to the good side and then have to be taught how to use her powers by daddy. She keeps messing up her teleporting. Instead of landing in Thailand, she lands in a men only steam bath in Turkey.

(ÜSFG) Oh, that would be one of those classic bits of TV that goes viral in web clips!

(EU) Ha ha ha.

(ÜSFG) Would she be embarrassed or like, “Hey”. 😉

(EU) I think a good mix of both. Depending on the men.

(ÜSFG) Back in the web series days, Ashley was nick named “Kick-Ash” because of all the fight scenes. While she’s been toned down a bit, she still sees a lot of action. Do you have a lot of fun doing the fight scenes and, as an actor, how does that compare to the more dramatic scenes you share with your costars like Amanda Tapping and Christopher Heyerdahl or the humor-laced “romantic” scenes with Robin Dunne?

(EU) I love, love, love all of them. The fight scenes are so great to get to do. We have the best stunt team and so fight rehearsals are a blast but I wouldn’t be happy without the dramatic scenes. I really, really crave dramatic scenes.

(ÜSFG) Your fight with Bam Bam (stunt man James Bamford) is what got you hired in the first place, isn’t it?

(EU) Yeah, I believe it was one of the factors. They sprung that on us in the callback session.

Emilie with James “Bam Bam” Bamford on the set of Sanctuary
Emilie with James “Bam Bam” Bamford on the set of Sanctuary

(ÜSFG) I have seen people take screen caps of some of your fights and give play-by-play descriptions of the moves you are doing, like it’s a football game or something.

(EU) Ha, really??

(ÜSFG) Oh, yes. Especially the martial arts or military fans. They will name the moves you are doing.

(EU) It’s been really hard training but a great base to have, to know some moves. And it’s so satisfying to see the show and know that a lot of the fights are actually me, and not the double.

(ÜSFG) Yes, that’s been another comment frequently made, to see a single shot with no cut away and know beyond a doubt that YOU are the one making the roundhouse kick to someone’s face, and then in the very next scene you’re moving us to tears with a dramatic moment.

(EU) Aaaaaaw. You guys… :*

(ÜSFG) Did you watch sci-fi when you were growing up? Were you planning on getting into the Sci-Fi/Action genre or did you just sort of fall into it?

(EU) I honestly just fell into it. I didn’t have any concrete plans when I started the business. I just wanted to work! But sci-fi is a really fun genre. Anything is possible!

(ÜSFG) There have been very few actresses who have been able to establish themselves as action heroes. Are you getting action roles sent your way more than dramatic ones?

(EU) I am getting a good mix of both. I think there’s excitement when they know I have a bit of training ’cause there are many parts that call for a bit of action and it’s upsetting when your hero doesn’t know how to hold a gun properly, I think.

(ÜSFG) Yes. People notice the smallest details and when something catches their attention, it isn’t as easy to suspend your disbelief and get into the show.

(EU) Precisely!

(ÜSFG) So, with new roles coming your way, you were just cast in the film adaptation of Arcana Comics’ Paradox. Kevin Sorbo has been cast in the lead role as Detective Sean Nault, a homicide detective on an alternate universe Earth where Magic rules instead of Science. IMDb.com lists you as “rumored” but doesn’t list what character you are rumored to have been chosen for. What role have you been cast in and who is she?

(EU) Yeah, no need for the rumored part, I shot it already, just before Christmas.

(ÜSFG) Oh? Really? What can you share?

(EU) I actually didn’t think I could do it because I had only about two days available. I had laser eye surgery and then was going to Denmark for Christmas so they weren’t sure what I was able to do. I ended up getting a small cameo part as a nutty lab tech. Brenton Spencer, the director, did two episodes of Sanctuary. We really hit it off, so it was such a blast to get to work with him again. And I got to work with my very close friend, Steph Song, who did jPod with me! I’m so happy they made it happen despite the tight schedule I was on.

(ÜSFG) I was going to ask about Steph! I’m glad to hear you got to work with her again. She’s been cast as Lenore, a fairly significant role in the comic book.

(EU) Yes, she is the female lead. And her first introduction to sci-fi! Very exciting.

(ÜSFG) I’m really thrilled that she got the part and that you two saw each other. That was actually one of the questions I had here so I’m glad you brought it up! Any chance you could try to get her a bit more rooted in sci-fi, oh, maybe getting her a guest spot on Sanctuary?

(EU) I would love to have them on Sanctuary. Unfortunately I have very little say.

(ÜSFG) Do you still keep in touch with the jPod gang frequently?

(EU) Yes! I just saw David (Kopp) and Steph yesterday! And of course I live with the crazy klown now!

(ÜSFG) Yes, yes. I know that! It’s great to see you two together. What was it like working with him?

(EU) Kyle (Cassie) was great to work with. He’s a madman, so working with him is a challenge, a great challenge. He’s so intense and all over the place, that you really have to work hard to keep up. It was the best way to get to know one another.

(ÜSFG) Did you actually have scenes with Steph or were you just on the set at the same time?

(EU) No, we had a scene together. Me, Steph, and Kevin. Good times.

(ÜSFG) You’ve been working with the Sci-Fi Pantheon for a while now. With Paradox, it’s really broadened that list of actors. What was it like working with Kevin? Did you get to meet Chris Judge?

(EU) Chris was leaving set right as I arrived. So I didn’t get to meet him.

(ÜSFG) Aw. I’m sure you will eventually.

(EU) Kevin was great fun. He’s really laid-back and welcoming. He’s so easy to be around.

(ÜSFG) I’ve heard that about him. I was a Hercules fan from way back and everyone who met him said he was a “California Beach Boy”… really laid-back, easygoing, fun, charming.

(EU) Couldn’t have said it better myself.

(ÜSFG) So when can we expect to see Paradox hit the big screen? It’s listed as 2009 on IMDb but there are no dates yet.

(EU) You know what, I actually don’t know! I should find out.

(ÜSFG) Have you done any other projects since Sanctuary and Paradox that we can keep an eye out for?

(EU) Nothing as of yet. Everything kind of dies down at Christmas so it’s only starting back up right now. I’m very busy with auditions and such so that’s good. Hopefully something will come my way.

(ÜSFG) I’m sure it will. Thank you and good luck!

Paradox is currently in post-production, but look for Emilie Ullerup in Season 2 of Sanctuary later this year, and don’t forget to pick up the jPod DVD box set now available at Amazon.com.