16GB Stormtrooper MIMOBOT and Star Wars MIMOBOT Series 5 Vote

from Mimoco:

From the Vault: Star Wars Series 1 Stormtrooper MIMOBOT is back…

Three years ago Star Wars MIMOBOT Series 1 made its big debut in a limited edition run. They’ve been long gone ever since, but today we’re re-releasing Stormtrooper in a never before available 16GB capacity!

Get one while you can! There are only 85 super-rare Stormtroopers in this limited edition MIMOBOT army.

The Holiday Shipping Guide
Once you’ve found the perfect MIMOBOT, make sure it arrives on time! For delivery by December 24 place your order by…
December 14 by 11:59AM PST… FREE Shipping on orders over $75 (3-9 Business Days)
December 17 by 11:59AM PST… UPS Ground (3-5 Business Days)
December 21 by 11:59AM PST… 2-Day (2 Business Days)
December 22 by 11:59AM PST… Next-Day (1 Business Day)

Star Wars MIMOBOT Series 5
Series 5 Launching March 2010
Help us complete the series by choosing your favorite character!

Weta News: December 2009

from Weta:

Weta Dollars — Final Reminder!
As we’re nearing the end of 2009 we thought we’d highlight once again that any Weta Dollars you’ve transferred over from our old site (we launched the new site in February) will expire on 31 December 2009. So please make sure you use them.

December is the time to go to the movies!
Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones and James Cameron’s Avatar are launching in time for the holiday season. Get your tickets now. We can’t wait! Weta Workshop and Weta Digital have contributed significantly to both movies over the last few years. See what we have been up to!

Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones — 11 December (US)
James Cameron’s Avatar — 18 December World Wide

New books signed by John Howe
When John Howe visited the Weta Cave this weekend, Anna, our store manager asked if he’d mind signing a few more for his out-of-town fans. And John, gentleman that he is, of course said yes! So we can offer a VERY LIMITED number of John Howe’s Fantasy Drawing Workshop and Lost Worlds on a first come, first served basis. If you snooze — you lose! Get one now.

More news from Hobbiton!
The design of the Bag End Environment continues to make good progress. We have been actively seeking suggestions and advice from some of the key Hobbiton experts involved. We recently journeyed up to Matamata and discussed the designs with our friends at the Hobbiton Movie Set. We were fortunate to get first hand input from Russell Alexander (Owner and Manager) and Ian Brodie (Media and Communications Manager). Russell and Ian run tours of the Movie Set, so if you are visiting New Zealand, this is a “must do” activity to cleanse the soul. Check out their website at hobbitontours.com.

VICTORY Shipping!
Dr. Grordbort’s VICTORY: Scientific Adventure Violence for Young Men and Literate Women is now shipping in the US and NZ and has all but arrived in the UK. Order your copy now! It really is a great book and a must-read for anyone who’s read Dr. Grordbort’s Contrapulatronic Dingus Directory.

The Exceptional Exhibition — a huge success
Weta Creative Director Richard Taylor and Dr. Grordbort’s creator Greg Broadmore are currently attending Weta’s exhibition in Chengdu and the crowds are pouring in. Multi-talented Ri Streeter who’s there making sure the guys stay out of trouble has taken some photos that we’d like to share with you. Check them out here!

Follow Weta Online! Twitter | Facebook

RiffTrax Live: Christmas Shorts-Stravaganza is less than two weeks away!

from RiffTrax:

RiffTrax Live: Christmas Shorts-Stravaganza is less than two weeks away! Get your tickets now before it’s too late! Mike, Kevin and Bill are back on the big screen, riffing a wonderfully warped collection of Christmas shorts! Our Special Guest is the hilarious “Weird Al” Yankovic!

All event attendees will receive 5 FREE digital goodies: a holiday song by the RiffTones, two downloadable shorts, an autographed digital photo of Mike, Kevin and Bill, and a Christmas desktop wallpaper!

Don’t miss the Comedy Event of the Season — only two nights, in over 480 theatres nationwide: Live on Wednesday December 16th, with an Encore on Thursday December 17th!!! Bring your friends and share the holiday cheer, with RiffTrax Live: Christmas Shorts-Stravaganza!

And don’t forget, you could win a FREE TRIP FOR TWO to sunny San Diego to see the show live and MEET THE STARS!

Buy tickets now.

Enter to win VIP airfare and tickets to the show in San Diego.

“Star Wars” Celebration V Announced!

from StarWars.com:

Commemorating the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and the ongoing, weekly adventures of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Reed Exhibitions’ PopGroup will partner to produce what’s expected to be one of the largest official Star Wars fan events ever — featuring cast and crew celebrities, fan-run events, costumes, music, live entertainment, screenings, autographs, collectibles, panels and sneak peaks into the future of Star Wars.

Star Wars Celebration V will take place August 12-15, 2010, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. A website, starwarscelebration.com, is dedicated exclusively to the event, and tickets to Star Wars Celebration V will be available for purchase online starting Thursday, December 10th. As always, Celebration will bring together the best of the Star Wars universe in one exciting, dynamic event!

“We’re going to have a blast commemorating the 30th anniversary of fan-favorite The Empire Strikes Back as we welcome an entire new generation of fans watching our animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” said Steve Sansweet, Lucasfilm’s head of Fan Relations. “There’s no doubt that Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando will be the ‘must attend’ event for Star Wars fans of all ages and from all parts of the galaxy,” he added. “We’re also very excited to launch our partnership with Reed PopGroup, which has shown great expertise in running large, fun-filled events that satisfy fans, show participants, and exhibitors. We’re expecting the biggest and best Celebration to date.”

“This is an enormously exciting undertaking and a natural partnership,” said Lance Fensterman, Vice President of Reed PopGroup. “Star Wars is arguably the strongest brand in the pop culture world, while Reed PopGroup has established itself as a leader in creating amazing experiences for fans and customers. Additionally, Reed Exhibitions has a strong international presence and is able to create world-class events globally,” he added “We look forward to providing first-rate organizational and programming expertise for a fan-based event that is well established and already attracts an enormous audience. In tandem with Lucasfilm, I’m certain that Star Wars Celebration V will be bigger and better than ever. We look forward to many years of working with Lucasfilm.”

Ticketing, pricing, and exhibitor information follows:

  • Tickets will be available starting Thursday, December 10th via starwarscelebration.com. Pre-sale Adult Four-Day Passes are $120; Kids Four-Day Passes are $50; pre-sale Thursday, Friday, and Sunday Passes are $45; Saturday Passes are $50; and Kids One-Day Passes are $25. Children under six years old are admitted free.
  • Limited VIP Packages are expected to be available in early 2010, with details to be announced on the website. Single or Four-Day Passes already purchased can be upgraded to VIP status as long as supplies last!
  • Special hotel rates and other travel information will be announced on the website.
  • Information for Exhibitors and Celebration Art Show participation at Star Wars Celebration V will start to take shape in early 2010. For information about a sponsorship or exhibiting at Celebration V please contact Larry Settembrini, Sales Manager, lsettembrini@reedexpo.com, 203-840-5321.

For the latest news on show exclusives and special announcements on featured guests and events, subscribe to the Star Wars Celebration Newsletter at starwarscelebration.com. For general information and the latest news about the Reed Exhibitions’ PopGroup, please follow the group’s official blog, www.mediumatlarge.net.

Get Seduced: StarWarsShop’s Dark Side Days Are Here!

from StarWars.com:

StarWarsShop’s Dark Side Days event is seducing shoppers with 25% off ALL in-stock merchandise for two days only — that’s just two days to get that $25 Force Action Lightsaber for under $20, that $60 Koto Commander Rex maquette for $45, or that $130 LEGO AT-AT for under $100! And that’s just for starters — remember, ALL in-stock merchandise is 25% off — there are NO exclusions — but you have to act FAST!

Discover the power of Dark Side Days at StarWarsShop Friday and Saturday for some of the best holiday deals you’ll find anywhere on Star Wars merchandise — you WILL be turned.

Second “Browncoats: Redemption” Trailer


Browncoats: Redemption Trailer from browncoatsmovie on Vimeo.

The fan-funded film is set shortly after the events of Serenity, when the Alliance’s power and standing in the ‘verse has been shaken by the announcement of what took place on Miranda. Browncoats: Redemption expands the lore of the ‘verse by following the crew of the ship Redemption, self-professed Browncoats who’ve “kept their noses clean” — until now.

Planned for a 2010 release, with its unveiling at next year’s DragonCon in Atlanta, the Browncoats: Redemption team hopes to not only fuel interest in the Firefly ‘verse but raise funds for charities. 100% of the film’s proceeds (after production costs) will be split between the charities Equality NowKids Need to ReadThe Dyslexia FoundationThe Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center and Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation. Early projections based on previous Firefly/Serenity related DVD sales have the filmmakers hoping to donate upwards of $80,000 to each charity (based on a $15 DVD price tag).

The team has been posting behind-the-scenes videos on their YouTube Channel, and now you can get a first look at the Redemption crew in the newly released Browncoats: Redemption teaser trailer.

Geeky Goodness, Gadgets and Great Gift Ideas

Trying to figure out what the perfect gift will be for your favorite geek? Check out some of these awesome gift ideas.

Electronic Gadgets:

The Kindle Wireless Reading Device is presently the #1 Bestselling, #1 most wished for and #1 most gifted item on Amazon.com. At just over 1/3 of an inch thick it’s thinner than most magazines and weighs less then a paperback book. With wireless 3G technology, you can download your new books digitally in under 60 seconds from anywhere in the world! It reads like real paper without a glare (even in strong sunlight) and holds up to 1,500 books at a time. With over 360,000 books now available for download, Kindle will keep any book lover happy for years to come!

This 8 GB MP4/MP3 Player from Pyrus Electronics includes an FM radio, camera, voice recorder and features a 2.8 inch touchscreen. They also have a 4 GB version and for under $10 you can get an MP3 FM Transmitter (with remote) that plugs right into your cigarette lighter and transmits your favorite MP3s to your radio. It uses an SD card so your only limit is how big the card memory is.

The Electronic Lab 130-in-One Project is a fun way to learn about electronics and study the wonders of science. This kit will give you a jump-start on a great hobby with no prior electronics knowledge needed. Project components are assembled on a built-in breadboard by connection to spring terminals — no soldering needed — and use safe, low-voltage batteries. Comes with built-in speaker, 7-segment LED digital display, integrated circuits, rotary controls and clearly written instructions with schematics/diagrams.

The Genius PenSketch is a brilliant drawing and graphic editing tool. I’ve owned the previous model of this 9×12 tablet for almost three years and it’s been incredibly helpful and easy to use with any artistic project I’ve worked on. It has a USB connection and includes a wireless mouse, rubber-coated pen and software. This handy tablet includes lots of customizable features that I haven’t even begun to explore yet. While everyone dreams of having the massive, professional graphic tablets, Genius has provided an affordable, high-quality product that will help you master your digital graphic arts skills before spending the really big bucks on a professional set-up.

DVD Goodies:

Farscape: The Complete Series
Probably the best news I’ve had in years, Farscape is finally out on DVD at an incredible low price. Remember when IF you were lucky enough to find it at your local store, it had a hefty $120 per season price tag? Even online sources like eBay charged an average of $80 per season. Now, to celebrate the 10th Anniversary, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop and A&E Home Video have partnered to bring you the complete series for under $100! Tack on Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars and you’ve got a complete set! Still need more Farscape? Check out the books and comics that complete the back-story and fill us in on events since The Peacekeeper Wars.

Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: The Definitive Collection
One of Jim Henson’s finest works is The Storyteller series, originally airing on HBO in 1987. The Definitive Collection includes 13 stories, 9 based on European fables, and 4 slightly grittier takes on Greek myths.

Jim Henson’s Fantasy Film Collection includes three of Henson’s best fantasy films: Labyrinth, MirrorMask and The Dark Crystal, all for one great, low price.

Pushing Daisies: The Complete First and Second Seasons is a MUST-have for anyone who loved other Bryan Fuller productions such as Wonderfalls and Dead Like Me.

Other great film ideas:

V: The Original TV Miniseries and V: The Complete Series
See where it all started with the original series!

Ultimate Sci-Fi Collection
This 20-disc set includes: Escape From NYMad MaxRollerballThe Abyss, Alien, AliensThe Day the Earth Stood Still, Fantastic VoyageThe Fly, Independence DayJourney to the Center of the Earth, The Neptune FactorPlanet of the Apes (1968), and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.

Babylon 5: The Complete Television Series and the follow-up Crusade: The Complete Series.

Sanctuary: The Complete First Season
The little web series that could! Sanctuary made its jump from the web to television. This 4-disc set includes the entire first season plus many extras, including the original web series.

Earth 2: The Complete Series
A great show that ended too soon. Definitely worth adding to your sci-fi collection.

The Ray Bradbury Theater: Complete Series includes all 65 episodes of this wonderful show.

Some of my other all-time favorites that your favorite geek might like: KrullTin ManWillowThe Philadelphia ExperimentThe Final CountdownTime After TimeStargate SG-1: The Complete Series Collection and Young Frankenstein.

Board and Card Games:

Fluxx 4.0
Looney Labs produces lots of great games that are fun to play. One of their most popular, Fluxx, has been updated with a new release and new art work, but the same great fun. Additional versions of Fluxx include: Martian FluxxMonty Python FluxxZombie FluxxEcoFluxx and Family Fluxx.

Battlestar Galactica, based on the hugely popular recent series, is a semi-cooperative board game for 3-6 players.

The Dread Pirate Bookshelf Game is played on a wonderfully illustrated and aged treasure map with cast metal playing pieces, replica doubloons, wooden dice, treasure bags and pirate treasure. This attractive Bookshelf Edition comes packaged in an aged wooden book that will look great displayed in any room of the house.

World of Warcraft: The Adventure Game
Can’t talk your friends into playing World of Warcraft online with you? Maybe they’ll enjoy an exciting and fast-paced journey through the world of Azeroth with this awesome board game based on the popular online game.

Starcraft: The Board Game
Whether you choose to lead the versatile Terran, mysterious Protoss, or voracious Zerg, in Starcraft: The Board Game you’ll command an army like no other in the universe. Based on the popular computer game, here’s a fun way to get your friends hooked on another game classic!

Music:

Battlestar Galactica: Season OneSeason TwoSeason Three and Season Four soundtracks feature the mesmerizing music of Bear McCreary.

Requiem for Delinquency: Hob’s End is a great electronica album in the vein of Delerium and Enigma, with hints of Dead Can Dance.

The Best of Delerium features some classic cuts from one of my all-time favorite groups.

Pure Chill Out is a collection of chill, electronica and ambient music. This is another CD that is always in my CD wallet when I travel.

Café del Mar, Vol. 15 is the latest entry from this great music anthology. It’s perfect for playing games online, drawing or whatever else you find yourself geeking out with.

Final Fantasy XI Premium Box features 7 discs of the beautiful in-game music from the Final Fantasy series.

What would be on your wishlist? Feel free to comment!

Shout! Factory’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale

from Shout! Factory:

Buy any two DVD or CD Box Sets (over 120 to choose from) and get one FREE!

Whether you’re shopping for yourself or planning your holiday gift guide, Shout! Factory has the perfect purchases for you.

This sale only lasts until Monday, so start shopping today!

Win a VIP trip for two to see RiffTrax Live in San Diego

from RiffTrax:

Win a FREE Trip for Two to San Diego, watch RiffTrax LIVE: Christmas Shorts-Stravaganza on December 16 and MEET the RiffTrax stars and special guest “Weird Al” Yankovic! Two free round-trip tickets, transportation and lodging included!

Buy a ticket to RiffTrax Live by December 4, select “Like and “Share” on our Facebook post, and you are automatically entered to win*. Sweepstakes runs for two weeks only (from November 23 – December 7).

Official Rules | Enter to Win | Buy Tickets Now

*No purchase necessary.

“Star Wars: Trench Run” Now Available on iTunes

from StarWars.com:

Relive the pivotal moments of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope on your iPhone or iPod Touch in Star Wars: Trench Run, a brand new game now available at the iTunes store for $4.99. Click here to check it out. Developed by Infrared5 and distributed by THQ Wireless Inc., Trench Run lets you skim the surface of the Death Star trenches as you seek to target a small thermal exhaust port less than two meters wide. Can you reenact the shot heard ’round the galaxy? Is the Force with you?

Trench Run uses simple motion controls and realistic game play to put you in the action. Tilt your iPhone or iPod touch to maneuver your X-wing. Tap one side of the screen to fire weapons, and tap the other to call on the power of the Force, which slows the action down allowing you more control. The game features two main play scenarios — flying in the trench, and dogfighting with TIE fighters high above the Death Star surface.

Features of the iPhone / iPod Touch version:

  • Force Power: Slow down time and increase agility using the Force to bring TIE fighters into shooting range, and to dodge obstacles while flying down the trench.
  • Breathtaking 3D Experience: Incredible 3-D graphics based on the original Star Wars movie.
  • Amazing Special Effects: Vivid lighting, advanced shaders, explosions and incredible lifelike models.
  • Authentic Star Wars Music and Sound Effects: Combined with real movie footage for complete immersion into the Star Wars universe.
  • True-Life Flight: Accelerometer controls with life-like physics.
  • Addictive Game Play: Ever increasing challenges, and tons of replay value.
  • Multiple Points of View: Featuring both chase cam and cockpit modes.
  • Mission Mode: With storyboards, music and dialogue from the original Star Wars movie.
  • Arcade Modes: For increased re-playability, includes both Trench Run and Dog Fighting modes.
  • Multiple Difficulty Levels: From Easy to Jedi.
  • Optimized Gaming Experience: To work on the 3G, with special graphical features for the 3GS, iPod Touch 2nd Gen and future devices.
  • Leader Boards: Players compete against others across the world for the top spot. Find out who are the true Jedi.

Watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars right now at StarWars.com!

RiffTrax boldly riffs 2009’s “Star Trek”

from RiffTrax:

Like the odometer on your 1984 Plymouth Reliant rolling back over to zero, the Star Trek series gets a reset! The previous thirty-eight films had barely begun to scratch the surface of these fascinating characters, and so Star Trek is back to answer all your burning questions: What’s Scotty’s favorite brand of bacon? Why does no one seize the moment and slap the hell out of Chekov? Why does Uhura jam that huge piece of machined steel into her ear? Was Spock’s mom younger than him, and which uncle taught him that nerve pinchy thing?

A tour de force of shameless retconning, Star Trek nevertheless introduces a bold new sci-fi innovation: time travel! And black holes! And characters meeting themselves! And ice planets! And evil nemeses who vow revenge! And ship flybys! These are by themselves very compelling reasons to watch, but Star Trek gives you an even more compelling one — to learn Uhura’s first name. Sure, you never knew she didn’t have a first name, it was never an issue for you, and you haven’t even given it one millisecond’s thought, but at last you get to find out! (It’s Nyota, by the way.)

Mike, Kevin and Bill self-consciously tug down their red Federation uniform tops and go boldly into Star Trek!

Get it here.

And don’t forget about RiffTrax Live on December 16th! Tickets are now on sale!

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