I’m on way down to the convention for Day 3 so this will be short and sweet. Day 2 of the Star Trek convention gave us such goodies as a deep dive into the Phoenix Mars Lander by a pair of folks from University of Arizona that manage the Phoenix surface ops.

The rest of the day was celebrities on stage followed by a photo op with Marina Sirtis (”Counselor Troi” from ST:TNG). Celebrities included Grace Lee Whitney (”Yoeman Janice Rand”), Max Grodenchik (”Rom” from DS9), Michelle Forbes (”Ensign Ro Laren” from ST:TNG), Brent Spiner (”Data”), Marina Sirtis (”Counselor Troi”), Majel Roddenberry (”Nurse Chapel” and wife to Gene Roddenberry), Garret Wang (”Ensign Harry Kim” Voyager).

Oh, and of course, throughout the day there was lots of interaction with like minded geeks, quite a few in costume, we’ll get these pics posted asap when we can catch out breath, unfortunately the hotel’s wifi doesn’t extend to their convention center. Among my favorites is Molly in her retro mini skirt from The Original Series and my personal winner for Best Original Concept would be Michelle and Francine Crockett for their Starfleet Cheerleaders outfits! Oh Yes!

Below is a pic of Ken and his Starfleet Poodles (Tasha Yar and Data and one other who I can’t recall).

That’s right folks - Andy and I have hit town on both feet, and we’re pummeling out some awesome exclusive Star Trek shows that have kept us in our seats during the first day of "Star Trek Las Vegas 2008".  We saw a smattering of great trek stars in the main pavilion, including:

Susan Gibney - "Dr. Leah Brahms"

Barbara March - "Lursa"

Robin Curtis - "Lt. Saavik"

John Fleck - "Silik"

Denise Crosby - "Lt. Tasha Yar"

Carel Struycken - "Mr. Homn"

John de Lancie - "Q"

Each guest was fantastic, though they had their own styles of pandering to the crowd.  Although I enjoyed all the guests, the best by far was Denise, who had a clearly enjoyable time speaking to the crowd about her roles, and giving colorful and entertaining stories about her personal life and present work.  John de Lancie was a real character in life, just as he is on film as well!

That’s it for day one!  I’ll put up some pictures tomorrow of the fascinating people we’ve met so far…  QaHpla‘ !!

My take: Harry Potter = The Goonies meet Bewitched. A perfect combo, this is why it’s raking in money hand over fist. But I digress…

The movie trailer is out for ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ and jeebus this looks creepy!

A young Dark Wizard emerges in this exclusive first look at moviefone. Watch the ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ trailer in HD, the movie will be out Nov 2008.

Synopsis:

Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort’s defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information.

Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry finds himself more and more drawn to Ginny, but so is Dean Thomas. And Lavender Brown has decided that Ron is the one for her, only she hadn’t counted on Romilda Vane’s chocolates! And then there’s Hermione, simpering with jealously but determined not to show her feelings. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

Here’s a fun promo to announce Season 3 of Eureka this week. The tagline for the S3 opener is “Washington sends a “fixer” to make sure the residents are being productive citizens”.

Balancing great science fiction with humor has always been one of the biggest attractions to the show for me. Not unlike the Drew Carey sing-alongs, like this one that combines the “Time Warp” from Rocky Horror Picture Show with “Sake Your Groove Thing” from Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

Anyway, watch and enjoy and hopefully you’re fortunate enough to live in a region that receives Eureka. If you’re not and you’ve never seen it, you can watch full episodes from last season here.

Comment below if you plan on watching or have no idea what I’m talking about.

I’m looking forward to this one coming out…on DVD.

Plot: Set in post-apocalyptic 2018, John Connor (Christian Bale) is the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.