Announcements – Page 118

Emilie Ullerup Joins the Cast of Riese!

Emilie Ullerup

Emilie Ullerup, best known for her role as Ashley Magnus on Syfy’s Sanctuary, has officially joined the cast of the new hit web series Riese the Series. Ryan Copple, co-creator of Riese, commented on how excited the Riese team is that she’s joining the show and how excited she was to be coming on board. Her character, Aliza — a revolutionary and companion of Rand — will appear in Chapter 2 of Riese which begins filming in two weeks in Vancouver.

Born in Denmark and traveling the world while growing up, Ullerup always wanted to be an actress. This led her to British Columbia where she graduated from the Vancouver Film School in 2005. After graduation she appeared in series such as Battlestar Galactica and Blood Ties before landing the role of Ashley Magnus on the web series Sanctuary. While Sanctuary was in post-production she was cast in a lead role on the TV series jPod, based on the Douglas Coupland novel of the same name. Her role as Kaitlin on jPod won her a Leo Award for Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series in 2008. While jPod was critically acclaimed and a real hit with the target audience (one of the MOST DOWNLOADED shows of 2008), CBC did not order up a second season of jPod and left audiences with a cliffhanger ending regarding her character.

About this same time, Sanctuary had not only become a hit on the web, it was picked up by several television networks, including Syfy and Space, and reformatted to a one-hour weekly TV series where Ullerup reprised her role as Ashley. More recently, Ullerup appeared as Catherine “Cat” Grant on Smallville and has a small role in the upcoming sci-fi film Paradox, based on the popular graphic novel from writer Christos N. Gage (published by Arcana Comics).

Riese the Series marks her return to the medium that won her scores of fans to begin with: the web.

Riese is a sci-fi/fantasy series richly influenced by history, mythology, folklore and steampunk. It follows a young woman and her companion, a wolf named Fenrir, who travel through a collapsing world trying to piece together the fragmented memories of her past while attempting to evade the dangerous religious cult that hunts her. With a high budget compared to other web series, and filmed on the RED camera in high definition, the show is visually beautiful. The wardrobe, music and depth of story all contribute to creating the world of Eleysia.

Riese features sci-fi regulars such as Christine Chatelain (Sanctuary, Supernatural, The Collector), Sharon Taylor (Smallville, Stargate Atlantis, Eureka), Patrick Gilmore (Stargate Universe, Battlestar Galactica), Ben Cotton (Harper’s Island, Stargate Atlantis, Taken) and Ryan Robbins (Sanctuary, Caprica, Battlestar Galactica, Stargate Atlantis).

Find out more about Emilie Ullerup:

Emilie Ullerup Official Website
Emilie Ullerup on IMDb.com
Emilie Ullerup on Facebook
Emilie Ullerup Fan Forum

Check out more information about Riese the Series here:

Riese the Series Official Web Page
Riese the Series Channel on YouTube
Riese the Series on KoldCast.TV
Riese the Series Official Forum
Riese the Series on Facebook
Riese the Series on Twitter
Riese the Series Fansite

See the Future: Get the Magic Cheezburger!

from I Can Has Cheezburger?:

Life is full of tough questions: Is Ceiling Cat watching me? Will Basement Cat get me in my sleep? Can I has cheezburger?

Fear not: the Magic Cheezburger has the answers! This adorably NOM-able cheezburger is your window into the future (but don’t eat it!!!). It’s like a Magic Eight Ball that brings teh LOLz.

And remember: the only place you can get it is online at our LOLmart store!

More Weta News: November 2009

from Weta:

Earthquake Relief Art Exhibition in Chengdu — The Exceptional Exhibition
Richard Taylor has organised to take a unique collection of art, props and sculpture to Chengdu in China. This exhibition will also premiere a significant collection of fine art paintings from Greg Broadmore, the creator of Dr. Grordbort’s — a property that Richard Taylor and Partner Tania Rodger have developed with Broadmore over the past four years. Read more about the exhibition on our site!

Get your Christmas cards from our new Zazzle.com Dr. Grordbort’s Emporium!
Zazzle.com is an online marketplace that allows us to get closer to you. We supply the designs and they make it and sell it. You can currently get Dr. Grordbort’s Christmas Cards or a t-shirt, sweatshirt or hoodie with Dr. Grordbort’s logo. Check out the local stores for North America, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and other countries. Some of the stores are offering free shipping before Christmas!

Technology? Covered! Get Weta Gelaskins for your gadgets!
Together with our friends at Dark Horse Comics we’ve made a few of our Dr. Grordbort’s designs available on the GelaSkins.com website. They come in various sizes customised for different brands and models of mobile phones, laptops and personal gaming devices such as Sony PSP and Nintendo DS. Check them out — it’s an awesome way to protect your valued gear!

News from the Shire
Ian Brodie and the team at Hobbiton Movie Set and Farm Tours will be giving us updates on what’s happening in their neck of the woods. We got the first update this week!

Another update on the work on the Bag End environment from Daniel Falconer
Weta has started work on a collectible environment of Bag End, Bilbo’s and subsequently Frodo’s home in Bagshot Row in the Shire. We haven’t seen much of Daniel recently and his update sheds some light on the reasons for that:

Work on the Bag End mini environment continues apace. One of the biggest tasks so far has in fact been the amassing of reference material. It’s surprising how little actually exists, and what does exist tends to be imagery from the same angles, but we’ve turned up some gems and found some interesting details we didn’t know about before. Approvals on the basic design have come from the studio and we’re deep into making the designs into a physical reality.

Miniature Pearce is here!
“Shiny” — was our test panel’s first reaction to the Pearce 75 Atom Ray Gun. And equally shiny is its minisculized counterpart. It is unique in that it has been miniaturised from a prototype. This is risky business, but who are we to argue with the scientists? At one quarter of its original scale, this finely detailed piece captures all the elaborate detail of its full scale counterpart and, like those larger guns, is made from metal. You simply MUST check it out here!

Richard Taylor’s and John Howe’s Forum Blitzes — check out the replies!
Both Richard Taylor and John Howe have recently been on the Weta Forum on The Shadow and Flame to answer questions from fans. Check out what they had to say. Richard Taylor here and John Howe here. And of course, there is plenty of opportunity to ask questions of other Weta crew, such as Daniel Falconer and David Tremont.

John Howe signs two new books at the Weta Cave
Tolkien and Fantasy illustrator and artist, John Howe, has two new books in the works, Fantasy Drawing Workshop and Lost Worlds by John Howe. John will be signing these books at an exclusive event at the Weta Cave in Wellington on Sunday 6 December. We’ll see you there!

Halo and Texas — what’s the connection? Now we know!
After our plea in the last newsletter, we had a few responses as to why more than half of the Halo Master Chief Sterling Silver Rings we’ve sold have gone to Texas. We reckon Deborah summed it up well:

I would say Texas is more of a state not afraid to stand up for what it believes in. And that means, if you’re a big businessman spending your days securing expensive contracts for your company, but you also like to kick back at night and play some Halo 3 with your friends, you’re not afraid to admit it! You would wear that Halo ring to work with pride, not afraid to fess-up to your geekdom.

Texas really does have a strong nerd base. And that nerd base is not just limited to the young crowd — people of all ages decide for themselves what they enjoy, not what people expect of them to enjoy or promote. There is a fairly broad spectrum of people who enjoy the Halo universe, as well as other games/movies/etc, and they aren’t afraid to proclaim it! Here you’re likely to find people just as proud of their vintage “Strongbad” t-shirt as you are somebody strutting around with their $3,000 handbag.

This is how you find us online!
http://fans.wetaNZ.com/Magnus/ | Twitter: @wetaworkshop | Facebook: Weta Workshop

Harry Turtledove’s “The Star and the Rockets”

The Star and the Rockets

from Tor.com:

Tor.com is thrilled to present “The Star and the Rockets,” by Harry Turtledove. In 1954, Roswell Rockets player Joe Bauman hit 72 home runs, setting a record that would last 47 years. This is true. Whether or not the Roswell alien encounter had anything to do with Joe’s incredible season is, shall we say, a gray area…

Harry Turtledove is the author of more than fifty books and has received numerous awards and distinctions, including the HOMer Award for Short Story in 1990 for “Designated Hitter,” the John Esthen Cook Award for Southern Fiction in 1993 for Guns of the South, and the Hugo Award for Novella in 1994 for Down in the Bottomlands. Publishers Weekly has called him the “Master of Alternate History.”

The illustration is an oil painting by Chris Buzelli. After graduating from Rhode Island School of Design, Chris moved to New York City to begin his career as an illustrator, and his paintings have since appeared in many publications, including Rolling Stone, TIME, Playboy and The New York Times.

First Tribbles and Now Spiders!

from Shout! Factory:

William Shatner sure finds himself in awkward positions. First there was a bevy of green alien chicks, then fuzzy, multiplying tribbles. We’re pleased to be bringing you another of his follies, 1977’s Kingdom of the Spiders. This cult classic finds Mr. Shatner protecting his local townies from big, hairy, killer arachnids. Watch him leap and bound over the infestation. The Special Edition DVD, set for release on January 19, includes all-new interviews with William Shatner, director John “Bud” Cardos and others, as well as in-depth commentaries, rare behind-the-scenes footage and the original theatrical trailer, all on a brand-new anamorphic widescreen transfer.

Star Wars MIMOBOT Vote and announcing 16GB Capacity

from Mimoco:

Star Wars MIMOBOT Series 5 is coming in March 2010 and we need your help to complete the series. Vote for your favorite character to be produced as the Series 5 audience choice MIMOBOT and get a 20% discount on the community-chosen design!

Your favorite MIMOBOT characters now in 16GB!
We’re happy to announce our top 12 best selling MIMOBOT flash drives are now available in the new and larger 16GB capacity! Carry even more kibbles ‘n bits than ever before on your favorite MIMOBOT design. It’s everything your USB port needs at every meal. And ya know, 16GB MIMOBOT drives make great gifts. We recommend loading them with love letters, the Lady Gaga album, and pictures of your dog and then giving them to your sweetheart.

Tim Burton’s Tragic Technology: Cell Phone and Laptop Skins Available Today!

The next wave of Dark Horse Skins arrive featuring artwork from the legendary Tim Burton

from Dark Horse Comics:

The popularity of skins that both personalize and protect our modern electronic devices is growing by leaps and bounds. Dark Horse Deluxe, an imprint of Dark Horse Comics, and manufacturer GelaSkins have teamed up to launch a new collection of special designs for this contemporary platform, drawing on their longtime relationships with some of today’s most interesting and respected creative talents. Dark Horse is pleased to announce that the first designs featuring the original art and characters of director and artist Tim Burton are available now.

Burton’s career-spanning retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York opens November 22, 2009, and will continue through April 2010. Consisting of a gallery exhibition and a film series, the event will showcase Burton’s widespread influence on both artists and pop culture.

Dark Horse Deluxe has a long-standing licensing relationship with Tim Burton for his most personal work, the fascinating group of characters created for his book The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories. The art and story have inspired a range of figures, toys, journals, and other collectibles that bring the characters alive and have been dubbed the Tragic Toys for Girls and Boys.

The new products take the technological tools that are now ubiquitous — laptops, computers, cell phones, and related other electronics — and turn them into a hip palette for personal expression while serving the useful function of protecting them from wear and tear.

“We have been planning this new platform for some time,” Dark Horse vice president of sales, marketing, and licensing Anita Nelson remarked. “We are proud to have Tim Burton’s strange and wonderful characters as the centerpiece. We are so pleased he likes the designs and think fans will agree.”

The complete Dark Horse line of Tim Burton GelaSkins can be seen here.

All are available for purchase now!

ThinkGeek Thanks You with a Free T-shirt

from ThinkGeek:

Seasons Eatings!

It’s turkey day next week and Timmy is totally prepared. He’s even invented a new side dish that he’s planning to unveil at the big ThinkGeek Thanksgiving Bacon Bonanza™. Since he’s a generous monkey, he’s going to share it with you all. Timmy’s Bacon-tastic Bacon Dip is: 1 cup Baconnaise, 1/2 cup sour cream, 6 slices of pulverized Tactical Canned Bacon, and a sprinkling of fresh parsley and chives. What does one dip into the Bacon-tastic Bacon Dip, you ask? (We can’t believe you’re asking, but we’ll humor you.) You dip the rest of the can of bacon, of course! It’s bacon on bacon goodness. Besides, once the can is open, it’s no longer going to last until the zombie apocalypse. Unless of course, the zombie apocalypse is triggered by an overdose of tryptophan…

Free T-shirt!
Celebrate the Season of Eating… with SCIENCE! Break away from the tradition of wearing itchy sweaters and get into a nice soft tee. Right now we’ll toss in a free t-shirt featuring the tryptophan* molecule with every $25 purchase. Like the best pumpkin pie, this offer is only good while supplies last.

*An amino acid. May cause drowsiness.

The 2009 ThinkGeek Holiday Gift Center is Upon Us
Timmy has been transformed into a monkey reindeer monster (not to be confused with a pony monkey monster, which can apparently have “too many monkeys” — lies, we say! lies!). What were we talking about? Oh, right. Timmy the Monkey-Reindeer has a most geektastic Holiday Gift Center where you’ll find everything you wanted to know about shopping ThinkGeek for the holidays. Top sellers for those who need ideas, shipping information for procrastinators, gift certificates for those who believe in DIY presents, and much much more! Use it for yourself or invoke your ninja skills to slip the link to someone who owes you a present this year. Hint hint.

Find more What’s New items at ThinkGeek!

“The Guild” Season 3, Episode 11: “LAN Off”

from The Guild:

The Guild Season 3 Episode 11: “LAN OFF” is now up on MSN, Xbox and Zune Marketplace. The Axis of Anarchy and The Knights of Good face off.

Streaming on MSN | Downloadable on Zune

The New Xbox interface has all video going through Zune Marketplace now, so if you download The Guild once, it will be on your Xbox AND your Zune.

Also, this link to MSN’s Parallel Universe hub should always have the latest episode of The Guild as they are released.

Next to last episode of the season! We hope you’re enjoying it! 🙂

Riese the Series: Chapter 1, Episode 2: “Fragments”

In “Fragments”, the second installment of the fantastic new web series Riese the Series, Riese awakens inside the township of Helmkin and discovers a horrifying secret.

Missed the first episode? Check out Episode 1: “Hunt”.

Interested in learning more? Check out more information about Riese the Series here:

Pre-order Galaxy Girls Dolls Now!

from Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls:

The Galaxy Girls Dolls Available for Pre-order!

Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls Dolls have entered Earth’s atmosphere and are now available for pre-order at FAO.com!!!!

22” Rag Dolls Milky Way, Venus, Pluto, Jupiter, and Mars are still in their final descent to FAO stores, predicted to land in late November, but you can secure your doll today. This exclusive line of Series 1 Galaxy Girls are limited, so buy one now before they rocket out of orbit!

Christmas Memorandum from Dr. Grordbort

from Weta:

TO ALL STAFF!

Memorandum on Christmas Celebrations

It has been brought to the attention of the SGCC (Seasonal Glee and Contentment Committee) that not all Grordbort Industries employees intend to be jolly this season. Whether this is due to lack of imagination or just plain ignorance we do not know, but we have today had our 8 step plan ratified by the board of Governors and intend to ensure you are happy whether you like it or not!

VICTORY is nigh! Launching this week with TWO book signings at the Weta Cave! Attendance compulsory for all staff below pay grade 14C.
The annual visit to the Royal Observatron at Greenwich has been replaced by a bare-knuckle boxing event at the Salvation Army in Lewisham. Mr. Slithers will keep a book on the event.
The shiny and therefore desirable Pearce 75 — Miniature Version has, through a most regrettable event involving a large grey squirrel and a Daimler crank shaft, unexpectedly started shipping! Not that we pay you nearly enough to be able to afford such beauty, but you can always gawk.
The results are in from our recent survey! We are pleased to announce that 74% of our respondents harbour more than a little resentment towards that sickly pale orb in the night sky and we would therefore like to announce the immediate commencement of Operation Lunatic.
The Righteous Bison is smashing particles world wide but has yet to put a single dent in anyone’s wallet! Extraordinary! It truly is a marvel of modern engineering and all staff in the Imitation Metal department (the light infantry) get an extra tuppence in their bonus envelopes.
Dr. Grordbort’s Art Book, signed by Arch-nerd Emeritus Greg Broadmore, is still available, but only just! Please note our Squalor Circumvention Detail will undoubtedly inspect your premises prior to delivery.
Our art exhibition in Oamaru (Venusian plains) has had a splendid reception. You are required to attend on three separate occasions and to bloody enjoy every single minute of it. The natives seem to!
Those who, after all this, still aren’t laughing can take their attitude down to Field Test Volunteer Services.

Don’t say we don’t bring you a
Merry Christmas

This is how you find us online!
http://fans.wetaNZ.com/Magnus/ | Twitter: @wetaworkshop | Facebook: Weta Workshop