Star Trek (2009) @ Movies on Market Square!

I'm back in Tennessee visiting my parents this week and I just heard some very good news for Trekies in Knoxville.  The Knox County Public Library announced the line up for their 2011 "Movies on Market Square" series.   For the past 9 years the library has shown movies on the Square as a way to highlight their movie collection-- available for checkout.

This year if Trek fans head down to Market Square on September 30th they'll get to see Star Trek on the big screen as part of the series!

Head over to WBIR.com for more info about this event. 

Gene Roddenberry

I let an important date slip by.  Star Trek creator and all around amazing guy, Gene Roddenberry would have been 90 years old on Friday.  I just want to pause for a moment to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY GENE!

Check out this really cool message from Gene himself.  It was recorded in 1991 not long before Gene passed away:

Batman & Robin Gay??

I read a fascinating blog the other day on the Comics Code Authority.  I HIGHLY suggest that you go over the Dork Forty Blog and read it!   You see, back in the 50's Dr. Frederic Wertham wrote a book called Seduction of the Innocent that was highly critical of the comic book industry and it's potential influence on the youth of America.  One of the many claims that he made in the book was that Batman & Robin's relationship implied an improper or homosexual intimacy and that Robin’s costume might stir gay feelings in young boys.  Well... I'm not saying that comic books made me gay, but I could say that as a gay kid I might have been drawn to Batman and other chiseled heros in tight tight costumes for a reason that I was totally unaware of at the time.

But, for the record,  Batman and Robin are certainly not gay!   But I can see how one might get a confused.  Taken out of context these clippings (mainly from the pre Comics Code era) do feed the imagination a little.  Check it out for a good laugh :)

Ok, so they tan together.  In Jersey this isn't gay at all.

Well.. Batman loves Robin.. right?  I mean.. well...

Haha!  I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation...

This one really makes me laugh!  I'm not sure what they're talking about but I think you can get it on Christopher St. In fact, I know you can.  ;)

Oh now they're getting Superman involved.  This seems like a very bad idea.  How old are those boys?

I have no explanation. Haha!

You'd think Wayne Manor would be big enough for Dick to have his own room!

It's um.. milk?

I.. I can't explain this.

My Life With Batman 1989-1992

Ok.  Confession time.  I've never been much a reader.  While I say things like "I always more of a DC comic book can than a Marvel reader when I was a kid", I honestly didn't read comic books at all until I was in 5th grade.  I was always much more interested in TV and grew up watching 80's cartoons like the Smurfs, the Thundercats, He-man, & Shera.   Why read comic books when there are all these awesome adventures on my TV every afternoon?  It took the introduction of Batman into my world to get me into reading comic books.  Here's the story. 

I was 10 years old in June of 1989 when Tim Burton's Batman was released in theaters.  But I didn't go down to our local 8 screen multiplex by Foothills Mall to see the movie that summer.   My parents stopped going out to the movies when they bought their first VCR back in the mid 80's.   But even if my parents had offered to take me to the movies back in '89 I would have asked them to take me to Ghostbusters II instead.   I was OBSESSED with the Ghostbusters at that point and watched The Real Ghostbusters cartoon every Saturday morning.    Whenever a commercial for Batman would pop up (it happened a lot while watching cartoons) I would scoff and say "Show me a Ghostbusters II commercial!!)  I had no interest in the Batman movie.

Lucky that opinion quickly changed and I have the TV to thank.  You see,  Michael Keaton wasn't they only Batman popping up on my parents 23" cabinet TV set that summer.   Adam Wests's iconic Batman series from the 1960's was making a come back!  I'm sure Fox was trying to cash in on the new movie by dusting off these classic TV shows and airing them on cable.  Well, I just fell in love this show!  I watched it every chance I could get and was soon recording it onto blank VCR tapes so I could watch it over and over again!


Fast forward a couple months and the Tim Burton movie came out on VHS, which my parents quickly rented from our local mom & pop video store down the road.  I remember my Dad warned me about the movie before we watched it.  "Now Mike, this Batman is really different from one on TV.  I've heard it's really a dark movie so you might not like it."  I wasn't discouraged.  I plopped down on the floor in front of the TV and commanded "Start the movie!!"  Of course I LOVED IT!  I learned a valuable lesson that day.  A really well crafted character like Batman can stand the test of wildly different interpretations and still be good!  I promised myself then that I'd see Batman Returns in the theater when it came out.  :)

I totally had this!!  Cool right?

I was soon begging my parents for Batman action figures and wearing my Dracula cape along with a improvised mask with Bat ears around the house claiming to be Batman's new assistant (who I named Batkid).  My 11th Birthday was sort of a Batman-Birthday.  I got the movie on VHS along with a Batman action figure (the one with the cool belt/retractable rope), the Joker, & the Penguin along with a really cool Batmobile that fired little rockets!  I wanted everything related to Batman that I could get my hands on. I did chores around the house, mowed my Grandmother's yard, fetched the newspaper for our neighbor-- all so I could earn some money to spend on Batman merchandise.  I had trading cards, cereal, magazines and... of course... comic books.  When shopping for Batman gear it doesn't take long to realize that the more economical thing to spend your allowance on is the comic book!

Death of Robin II (Jason Todd)

I remember the first Batman comic book I bought!  I was so excited to find more adventures of my favorite hero!  What I didn't know was that a lot had happened since the 60's.  Dick Grayson had out grown his Robin suit and was now fighting crime under the name Nightwing.  Bruce had taken on a new side kick named Jason Todd.  Todd was a scrappy kid on the edge of going down the wrong path when Batman caught him trying to steal the tires off the Batmoble.  He took in this orphan, trained him and made him the new Robin.  But the fans didn't like Jason as much as they had liked Dick (I mean, with a name like that what's not to love!) so DC did something monumental.  They let the fans vote on whether Robin should live or die.  Dark right?   The fans voted for the latter and the Robin II was killed off in a saga called "Death in the Family".

Robin III (Tim Drake)

Soon a new Robin was introduced.  His name was Tim Drake.  So, This is where I started reading Batman comic books.  During this whole transition between Robin #2 and Robin #3.    Can you imagine my shock?!  I was totally confused.  They killed Robin?!?!  Who is Jason Todd?  Where is Dick Grayson?  This IS NOT the Batman I know from TV or from the movie!  It took some time for me to sort it all out.  Luckily a story arc called "A Lonely Place of Dying" was a big help.  Here is a TV Guide style synopsis: "After Jason Todd's death, Batman begins to go on a rampage taking unnecessary risks and actions. Only Dick Grayson or a very young boy named Tim Drake can calm him."   I found these comic books to be an even more adult view of Batman than the 1989 movie.   I enjoyed these comics but in my heart of hearts, I preferred the campier TV version of Batman.  So I never really committed to buying every issue of Batman or of Detective Comics.  I became a casual reader, only picking up an issue a couple times a year.  

Lucky for me, there was more Batman on it's way to TV!  In 1992, Bruce Timm's Batman the Animated Series starting airing on Fox!   This show was somewhere in between the 60's TV show and the modern comics.  I was very happy that it featured Dick Grayson as Robin again.  And no one was going to die a horrific death the Fox Kids line up!  It was a fun show!  Dark, bruting, but ultimately a good kids show.  Timm and team were inspired by the Max Fleischer Superman cartoons from the 1940's and created a stylized look for Batman TAS that made it seem timeless.   These shows still hold up today.  As I mentioned in my last blog entry, I just picked up season 1 on DVD.  I can see the Warner Brothers animation style in those early episodes (think Anamaniacs).  But there is something very different about the overall feel of Batman TAS.  The artists painted onto black backgrounds-- something that was unheard of before then.  this made all the colors really pop off the page and made Gotham City look eerily dark.

I really can't write about my childhood bat-fandom without mentioning my favorite character.  One day I was sitting in front of the TV watching Batman (the 1960's TV show).   I had the opening title sequence memorized.  "Batman!! Nanananana Batman!!"  Something happened that surprised me.  Instead of seeing Batman punch the villians a 2nd time a new hero swung in a rope and kicked them.  WHO WAS THAT?!  I mind raced.  What is going on here?  Then, at the end of the title sequence a figure sped across the screen on a motorcycle.   It happened so fast I didn't get a good look at her.  I settled in and watched the episode entitled "Enter Batgirl, Exit Penquin".  I was suddenly in love with Batgirl-- in the only way a gay 10 year old boy could be.  I wanted to be her.  Forget "Batkid"-- the side kick I'd invented.  Batgirl was way cooler!

But why wasn't she in the comic books?!  What happened to this fabulous crime fighter?  It took some research, but I soon found out that Barbara Gordon / Batgirl was a character in the comic books.  But much like Robin, the comics weren't so nice to her.  She had been shot by the Joker long before I ever started reading comic books and had been confined to a wheel chair ever since.  This paralyzed Barbara Gordon continued to fight crime however, under the name "Oracle".  She used her amazing mind, photographic memory and librarian skills to become a computer wiz fighting crime one mouse click at a time.  Hmm.  Not quite as cool as Batgirl, huh?  I didn't want to read the adventures of Oracle-- I wanted more Batgirl!  So I had to seek out used comics and collected stories like "Batman in the 60's" to get my Batgirl fix.  The folks at DC introduced more Batgirls like they did more Robins over the yearss, but Barbara Gordon's Batgirl is still my favorite super hero.

So-- that sums it up.  That is a quick overview of  my childhood (pre high school) obsession with Batman, Batgirl, and the like.  As you can see it was 75% TV, 15% movies and maybe 10% comic books. Thoughts?  Please comment!

I Wanna Ride Batman!!

Tim is spending the day with Lauren at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey!  He's been texting me photos of super hero inspired roller coasters like Superman: Ultimate Flight.   This coaster looks SCARY but I'm still kind of attracted to it!  Why?  Well, I love Superman.  I love comic book superheros!  But ultimately, I'm not a roller coaster fan so I'd probably never get on Superman: Ultimate Flight.  I just don't like the feeling of my stomach sinking as the coaster decends a drop and then goes into a roll.  Ugh.

This isn't to say that I hate all thrill rides!  I actually love simulator rides.  My favorites include Mission: Space at Epcot and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey at Universal Studios, Florida.  These rides give me the thrill and exhilaration that some people get out of roller coasters without actually dropping me 60 feet or making me feel like I might die.   They actually do much more than that-- they immerse me in a totally believable adventure.  It's easy to believe that you are really flying on a broomstick behind Harry chasing a dragon!   And Harry Potter isn't the only hero with a cool simulator ride at Universal Studios.  The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman is another top notch ride and it has comic book appeal as well.  I've never been the biggest Spiderman fan though.  Don't get me wrong-- I read Spiderman comics as a kid but I was always much more into Batman.  But there is no Batman simulator ride at Universal.  This is mainly due to the fact that Universal Studios has a contract with Marvel (now owned by Disney) for their characters (Spiderman, Captain America, Hulk, Ironman).  Batman and his "super friends" like Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman are all DC / Warner Bros. characters.

As far as I know, here in the US you can only find the DC characters in Six Flags parks.  Six Flags is known for their gut dropping / death defying roller coasters and NOT for simulator rides.  So instead of a Harry Potter or Spiderman like ride, there are only Batman Roller coasters like Batman: The Ride and The Dark Knight Coaster (both at Six Flags in New Jersey).   I did some internet research, however, and found that there IS a Batman simulator ride out there in the world!  Batman Adventure: The Ride 2 can be found at Warner Brothers Movie World in Austrailia!  Check out the video below of this really cool attraction!  The best part is that you're riding in a batwing piloted by Batgirl!!!  I wish I could ride it SO BAD!  But I'll just have to settle for watching Batman: The Animated Series (I just picked up season 1 on DVD).  Here is a bit of trivia.  The voice of Batman that you'll hear in the ride video below is Kevin Conroy.  He has voiced Batman since the early 90's and is best known for Batman: The Animated Series!  :)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEKcAFVncKU]

New Star Trek Attraction & Resort!?

A couple good friends have recently e-mailed and facebooked me information about a new Star Trek attraction that is being built in Jordan.  The news seems to be spreading pretty quickly, and when my friends hear "Star Trek" they immediately think of me. :)  These messages usually start with "Do you know about this?"  Or "I thought you'd want to be the first in line!" 

This really is exciting development with a fascinating background, so I thought I'd share all I know about this Star Trek attraction.  Back in May, TrekMovie.com reported that "The Rubicon Group announced today they had signed a deal with CBS to include a Star Trek themed center as part of The Red Sea Astrarium (TSRA), a $1 Billion themed entertainment resort located in Aqaba, Jordan." 

This shouldn't be a big surprise.  His Majesty King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a well known Trekkie.  So much so that back in the 90's (when he still just Prince Abdullah) he made a  cameo appearance on Star Trek Voyager!  He was in the 1996 episode "Investigations".  It was a non speaking part due to SAG rules. 

Abdullah's cameo was actually arranged as a surprise for him by his US adviser. The prince said, "I would have been thrilled just to visit the set but this is too much." (TV Guide, 17-23 Feb., p. 26)

In 1999 Abdullah was crowned King and in 2011 he suggested that Star Trek become a part of a planned resort to be built on the Red Sea.  This is proof that "it's good to be King"!  Can you just imagine of other Trekkies had great power?  I'm envisioning the US congress all dressed in Starfleet dress uniforms!  A constitutional amendment with the prime directive!  Haha!

But more about the attraction, the Star Trek component is just part of the larger resort.  According to TrekMovie.com it will be based on the 2009 J.J. Abrams movie and is set to open in 2014.  The press release says:

[The Star Trek-themed center] will deliver a variety of multi-sensory 23rd-century experiences, culminating with a state-of-the art space-flight adventure that takes real-time immersive entertainment experiences to bold new heights. This exciting, world-class attraction will serve as the cornerstone of the TRSA sector’s world of tomorrow.

This is all very exciting right?  But why am I not happy?  I wish it was in the US!  Ever since the closing of Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas we've desperately needed a new Trek attraction!  I really loved The Experience and miss is terribly.  There was some talk of it re-opening in downtown Vegas, but those rumors have died down-- much to my disappointment.  I'd love it if there was a "Star Trek Island" at Universal Studios, Orlando.  Wouldn't that be amazing?? 

But, alas.  There doesn't seem to be any hope for us to get something like that here.  We'll have to either go to the Paramount park in Spain (which is supposed to get some kind of Star Trek presence) or go to Jordan.  Frankly, I doubt that I'll ever travel to Jordan.  I do want to travel abroad (my passport still has no stamps) but I'm sure that some other destinations will fall on my itinerary first.  I'd love to go to London, for example.  Oh, to see the Globe Theatre!  The RSC!  Theatre on the West End!  I'm sure this will happen long before I end up going to Jordan. 

Bewitched Returning to TV??

 

Rumor has it that CBS and SONY are considering rebooting the Bewitched TV show.  Now, they've just ordered a script so this is still in the very early stages.  It doesn't have a full green light and no casting as been announced or anything like that.  Part of me is very excited about this!  I loved the original TV show with Elizabeth Montgomery!  But I'm only very cautious.  Apparently producers of the Will Ferrell/Nicole Kidman movie are also involved with this new TV pilot.  I hated that movie!  It lacked all the magic of the original TV show.   I wanted them to just make a Bewitched movie-- about an advertizing exec who's wife happens to be a magical witch.  Instead what we got was a movie about a failed actor trying to revitalize his career by doing a re-make of a classic TV show and casting a beautiful woman in the role of the witch who just happens to be a magical witch.  Um... that's just dumb.  And not funny.  

Pardon the quality of this video I found on YouTube, but it sums up my thoughts on that 2005 Bewitched movie.  Let's hope this new TV show doesn't provide similar disappointment.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mRAqbAtQ5I]

Walt Disney World Podcast

Tim recently introduced me to the world of Walt Disney World podcasts.  His favorite (and now mine) is WDW Radio which can be found in iTunes or at wdwradio.com.  The podcast is hosted by Disney World guru Lou Mongello. 

Tim and I are really gearing up for our 2nd trip to Walt Disney World Resort this year.  We spent a week in Disney back in January with some dear friends and are going back for a few days in August just on our own.   This will be our last Disney vacation before our honeymoon next year!  So we'll be doing some gift registry stuff at Downtown Disney and honeymoon planning while we're there.  Other than that, it will be a nice relaxing trip before our work lives get busy in the fall. 

But getting back to the podcast, WDW Radio is helping get me in the mood for some Disney days!  But what is a Disney World podcast like?  Well, the website promotes WDW Radio as being "From Lou Mongello, author of the Walt Disney World Trivia Books, this unofficial Disney podcast focuses on Walt Disney World and features: Walt Disney World News, Rumors, Interviews, Disney Trivia, History, Vacation Planning, Attraction, Dining & Resort Reviews, Contests, Special Guests, & More!"  Mr. Mongello does a great job producing an entertaining and informative program.  I'm amazed at his wealth of WDW knowledge and am thankful that he's sharing that gift with all of us!  The podcast also features guests who range from other experts to Disney cast members.

These podcasts might not be for everyone.  If you've only been to Disney World once... back in the 90's... and walked away saying something like "It's cool but it's no Six Flags" then you might be bored listening to WDW Radio.  But if the Magic Kingdom is your happy place then you need to subscribe to this podcast!  First of all, he has the scoop on rumors for what's coming in the parks, what rides are getting upgrades, what new ideas Disney is testing (like "smart" refillable mugs that expire after you check out of the resort so you can't bring them back next year and not pay for Coke).  He also provides lists like "The top ten counter service meals in Disney" and advice on things not to miss in the parks.   He knows all kinds of little tidbits.  For example, there are all kinds of little sound bites that the average guest might miss.  Like, if you pick up the fake pay phone in Main Street USA. you can listen in on a "party line".  And if you pause to listen in front of the fake music studio (also on Main Street USA) you can hear someone getting voice lessons. :)  I just love the attention to detail that Disney puts into their parks.  And this podcast helps me enjoy that.  Geeky?  Yes.  Cool? Yes. 

New Directions (Glee pun intended)

Welcome to the new Hailing Frequencies Open. Previously this blog served two purposes. First and foremost it was my "Star Trek Blog". This is where I'd blog about all things Star Trek and how they relate to my life. Secondly, it was the official blog of the U.S.S. Atlantia, a chapter of the International Federation of Trekkers. This is the Star Trek fan club of which I am a member. But I've decided to disassociate the blog from the Trek fan club so that I can write about other things. I love Star Trek, but I want to write about things like the Captain America movie that I just saw (it was AMAZING btw) and how excited I am to be a beta tester for Pottermore! My geekdom cannot be limited to one franchise. So welcome and enjoy!

Pottermore

Back in June, Harry Potter fans were all a twitter (can we still use the word "twitter" like that?) at the news that J.K. Rowling was going to make a big announcement.  Of course those "in the know" were expecting her to make an announcement about "Pottermore" which she did.  Never challenge nerds in the know.  Pottermore is an online reading experience for Harry Potter fans who will have access to an interactive, illustrated companion to the books. All 7 books will be available as e-books for the first time ever via the site.  Some people are calling Pottermore a social networking site for Potter fans, but according to Pottermore Insider (their official blog) it isn't.  "Pottermore isn’t trying to compete with sites like Facebook or the Harry Potter forums and fan sites that are already out there. Once you’ve signed up to Pottermore you’ll be able to find and invite your Facebook friends (if you're over thirteen) and leave comments in your house common room and the Great Hall, but Pottermore isn't a social networking site where you can share personal information or chat in forums."

Pottermore will be open to everyone in October, but they've let 1 million fans in early as beta testers.  These beta testers had to play a little game last week.  Each day a trivia question was released at a certain time on the Pottermore site.  You had to be able to answer the question to get in and search for the magical quill.  For a complete list of the questions asked, just head over the the Pottermore Wikipedia entry.  On the first 3 days the question became available in the middle of the night and we missed it.  But on the 4th day the timing worked out and Tim and I got the answer right and finally got in!  My username is SnitchFeather144!  Fun, right?

So far we haven't actually been able to access the site.  They are only letting certain numbers of beta testers on at a time.  I feel very lucky to be one of these beta testers.  I also feel a small amount of guilt as I haven't actually read any of the books.  I mean, I still consider myself a Harry Potter fan (not as much as Tim of course) because I've seen all the movies and really do love them.  I also absolutely love the Harry Potter section of Universal Studios in Florida!  But, when I tried to read the first book earlier this year I just didn't finish it.  I kept imagining the movie which would then distract me from reading.  Eventually I just sat down and watched the first movie again because that's what I really wanted to do every time I picked up the book.  But Pottermore may inspire me to hunker down and actually read the books!  I'm sure they paint a much more detailed world than the movies and once I get past the first couple I won't be able to stop.  :)