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Forbidden Planet - The Online Entertainment Megastore

Heroes Do Blu

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 08:08:36 PDT

First Transformers and now Heroes is to receive the Blu-ray treatment!

Both franchises were HD DVD 'banner bearers' in the HD format wars! The war ended a few months ago and, with Sony's Blu-ray platter emerging victorious, Universal Studios Home Entertainment has, finally, unveiled the specifications for the upcoming Blu-ray releases of 'Heroes: Season One' and 'Heroes: Season Two', both due to hit store shelves on August 26th.

The wildly successful TV series will get the full high definition treatment, with video being presented in 1.78:1 1080p accompanied by a DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack.

Season One has been reduced from seven discs for the HD DVD release to five! Some special features, such as "Genetics Test" and "Mind Reader" games, have been removed. The special features are as follows:

Disc 1
* Artwork Presentation; Hero Connections
* 73-Minute Premiere Episode with Audio Commentary by Show Creator Tim Kring
* BD-Live Enabled
* Making Of
* Special Effects
* The Stunts
* Profile of Artist Tim Sale
* The Score
* Deleted Scenes

Disc 2
* Artwork Presentation, Hero Connections
* Deleted Scenes

Disc 3
* Artwork Presentation, Hero Connection
* PIP Cast Video Commentaries
* Deleted Scenes

Disc 4
* Artwork Presentation, Hero Connection
* PIP Cast Video Commentaries
* Deleted Scenes

Disc 5
* Artwork Presentation, Hero Connection
* PIP Cast Video Commentaries
* Deleted Scenes

Season Two comes on four discs, notably due to the writers' strike. Extras for this season include:

Disc 1
* Hero Connections - Bios, PIP Cast & Crew Commentaries
* Heroes Season 2 "A New Beginning"
* Takezo Kensei: Sword Saint
* BD-Live Enabled
* Hero Connections: Network
* My Scenes
* Deleted Scenes

Disc 2
* Hero Connections - Bios, PIP Cast & Crew Commentaries
* Genetics of a Scene
* Hero Connections - Network
* The Drucker Files
* My Scenes
* Deleted Scenes

Disc 3
* Hero Connections - Bios, PIP Cast & Crew Commentaries
* Tim Sale Gallery of Screen Art
* Hero Connections - Network
* My Scenes
* Deleted Scenes

Disc 4
* Hero Connections - Bios, PIP Cast & Crew Commentaries
* Generations Alternate Ending
* Inside the Alternate Ending of Generations
* Hero Connections - Network
* My Scenes
* NBC.com Featurettes

Given that Heroes includes BD-Live, I recommend that you watch this title on a PS3! For those who are completely unaware of what BD-Live is, it is a newly developed Blu-ray feature that enables you to access content via your internet-connected Blu-ray player. BD-Live can allow you to download a variety of up-to-date content (e.g., refreshed previews and exclusive special features) and also enable exciting next generation possabilities, such as ringtone/wallpaper downloads, peer-to-peer interactions, live events and gaming activities. BD-Live is showcased on Men In Black (Blu-ray).

You'll be able to pre-order Heroes S1 and S2 from my Blu-ray Shop and support my blogging. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Blu-ray) is available for pre-order now! Your support is very much appreciated and, most importantly, at no additional cost to yourself! Thank you.

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Panasonic Shop UK

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The Return of the King

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Fri, 16 May 2008 09:16:24 PDT

Mattel's Masters of the Universe (MotU), one of the company's most successful multimedia franchises, is to return in the Fall!

Behold King Grayskull, who will be a SDCC Exclusive! King Grayskull is the inaugural MotU figure to feature super articulation and classic detail sculpting by the Four Horsemen. Grayskull comes in a brand new package, featuring lights and sounds, which transforms into a mini Castle Grayskull playset.

Castle Grayskull was once home to King Grayskull, an ancestor of Prince Adam. He appears in the Episode, "The Power of Grayskull", waging battle and ultimately defeating the Snakemen led by King Hiss. King Grayskull's triumph was shortlived and he dies defending his kingdom from Hordak. During his lifetime, King Grayskull ruled with wisdom and compassion.

With the emphasis on the collectors market, and The Four Horsemen in the sculpting saddle, the revitalised MotU line is sure to raise the bar on what constitutes the very pinnacle in mass produced collectibles! Read my childhood Masters of the Universe recollection!

If anyone at Mattel is reading this, please contact me to discuss the possibility of running a 'give-away' competition during the holiday season! Thank you in advance.

"Sontar-Ha!"

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Sat, 03 May 2008 15:30:24 PDT

Did you enjoy Saturday's Sontaran yarn? It was good fun, and most humorous to see the diminutive potato-headed clones back in full force! The tech noir trappings of The Sontaran Stratagem were most becoming!

Can't wait for the action figures!

Super Glau

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 06:27:18 PDT

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is to be renewed!

The Sarah Connor Chronicles mines the rich seams of Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (eschewing Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, which is notable for its brave Planet of the Apes ending).

Although the series, currently airing on Virgin 1 in the UK, has yet to truly capitivate me in the manner of Lost or The Big Bang Theory. The ever-enigmatic Summer Glau (best known as River from Firefly/Serenity) is a revelation as a Terminator! Her otherworldy performance, as Cameron, is pitch perfect and scene stealing! The fight scenes are more than a match for the franchises big screen origins!

The intrinsic potential is there, but in the absence of James Cameron and Linda Hamilton...

Doctor Who "Welcome Aboard" Airfix Model Kit

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:34:48 PDT

The first of the Airfix products to feature the latest Doctor.

This set is wonderfully detailed and includes models of the Doctor, Martha and "light and sound" TARDIS that is over 24cm tall! This kit also comes with a tub of Humbrol Precision Poly, two brushes and all the required Humbrol Acrylic paints required to complete the model.

Model Scale 1:12. Requires painting.

Knight Rider

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:29:25 PST

This post was guest blogged by Nick Smith of The Scratching Post.

I was looking forward to seeing the revamp of Knight Rider on NBC last night. I love driving my Ford Mustang, so I was quite happy with the make and model being used for the Knight Industries Three Thousand car (“KITT”). I was even willing to give Val Kilmer a go as the voice of KITT, and I thought a cameo by David Hasselhoff (from the original series) would be fun. The director had worked on Rome and Deadwood – he had to be a smart cookie.

I must confess, the hairs on the back of my neck prickled when the old Knight Rider theme began to play. But it was replaced within seconds by generic rock and from then on, the TV movie resembled a 2 hour car commercial: lots of shots of the tires, the windshield, the grille etc. No amount of fast cutting allowed for the fact that the director Steve Shill had forgotten to make the car chases exciting.

Worse, the storyline was dull, formulaic American TV stuff; the leads were bland, with no interesting lines to test their acting chops; and the dialogue was often drowned out by the rock music.

It’s a shame that executive producer Glen A. Larson couldn’t have taken a cue from a revamp of another of his shows, Battlestar Galactica, and added some more engaging, believable characters. The new Knight Rider was so vacuous that I didn’t stick around long enough for the Hasselhoff cameo, and Steve Shill should stay away from car porn in future...

NICK SMITH BIO
www.nicksmithbooks.com
Nick Smith is a filmmaker, writer and actor. He has written screenplays (The Terror Game, Cold Soldiers); dramas and documentaries for the BBC, Sky and all other major UK networks. He wrote a year's full content for "The Property Channel" on cable and contributed to "The Medical Channel" on satellite.

Other work includes novels (the bestselling Milk Treading, The Kitty Killer Cult and Undead on Arrival), stage plays (Crime School, Foodfellas), comedy sketches, articles (The Scotsman, Charleston Magazine), radio plays and comic books. He founded and ran a production company and The Film School Scotland before moving to Charleston, South Carolina where he’s currently directing feature film and teaching writing, acting and filmmaking. He charts it all in his blog, The Scratching Post.

Toy Fair 2008 - Transformers Crossovers

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 10:34:06 PST

When Hasbro announced Marvel Transformers, I was sceptical, due, in part, to the scattergun success of Star Wars Transformers! Well, I'll be eating my own words, it seems, if these official images, from Toy Fair 2008, are anything to go by!

Iron Man and The Hulk have transitioned well into Hasbro's new Transformers Crossovers line (incorporating Marvel & Star Wars)!

G.I. Joe can't be too far behind!

Marvel Transformers

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 14:58:27 PST

It was inevitable! In the wake of Star Wars Transformers, two great tastes that don't taste entirely great together, Hasbro has announced Marvel Transformers!

*Venom/Jeep
*Hulk/Tank
*Iron Man/Jet

Could be interesting. What say you dear reader?

UK Toyfare Transformers Press Release

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:21:11 PST

2007 was a hugely successful year for Transformers, with a blockbuster movie supporting an ever popular toy range. 2008 is set to be just as exciting with the release of the new Transformers: Animated series. Hitting TV screens from march, it's a great twist to the classic story of the "robots in disguise"

Transformers will be exploding into living rooms across the country with the all-new Transformers: Animated series set to launch this Easter. featuring on Nickleodeon, fans everywhere will be treated with the next generation of the popular struggle between the Autobots and the Decepticons. The series will be supported by a whole new range of action figures in the style of the new cartoon with some familiar faces such as Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Megatron. The full toy line will be available mid year.

Transformers: Animated is a high-octane, animated action-adventure series based on the beloved 1980s 'robots in disguise' of toy and cartoon fame. The Autobots continue their battle against the Decepticons on Earth and this time they have human friends to help them in the search for the AllSpark, such as their energetic 8-year-old guide, Suri Sumdac.

Also launching this Autumn / Winter is the Universe Toy Range which is set to capture the classic Transformers styling, going back to Generation 1 and the Beast Wars, bringing back your favourite characters to excite and inspire a new generation of Transformer fans.

2008 is going to be another big year for the 'robots in disguise' and fans are going to be with them every step of the way!

New Products Include:
Transformers AllSpark Blasters - £19.99
Movie Screen battles - £19.99
Legends AllSpark Battle Packs £5.99
Animated Range - £4.99 - £49.99
Universe Range - £2.99 - £39.99

Hasbro Masterpiece Starscream needed!

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:52:23 PDT

This is a request to my readers!

If you can help me procure Hasbro’s G1 version of the amazing Masterpiece Starscream (a Wal-mart exclusive), for review, please use the contact form (right hand sidebar). You will, of course, receive a credit/link.

Transformers Masterpiece Action Figure:
Starscream
Amazingly detailed Decepticon robot-to-vehicle figure
Exact replica of the character featured in the 80s hit cartoons and comics
Features interchangeable heads, hidden missile pods, an opening canopy and more
Comes with display stand

Thank you in advance.

LEGO Skywalker

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:59:27 PST

This link was sent in by Dave (blogger and owner of BrickPlayer)! As someone who grew up playing with LEGO and Star Wars toys, I'd have done Dave a disservice by not giving props:

Luke Skywalker LEGO Sculpture

Dave's goal in creating BrickPlayer.com is to share information about: LEGO building projects, building tips/tricks, LEGO product/company news, and whatever other LEGO related topics come to mind. I wish him all the best with this endeavor and look forward to seeing more Star Wars characters and vehicles in the future!

If you have an interesting blog post/link, that is relevant, to share with my readers, please e-mail me via the contact form (right hand sidebar).

A Doctor Who Christmas

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 07:47:40 PST

This is my final post of 2007! May I take this opportunity to thank all my readers and sponsors for their continued support. Don't miss Doctor Who: The Voyage Of The Damned on Christmas Day!

I'll be back in the New Year...

Rose Reprise

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:50:31 PST

Billie Piper will be reprising her role as companion Rose Tyler in the upcoming season of Doctor Who.

According to a report in the Daily Mirror, today confirmed by the BBC, Piper will appear in at least three episodes towards the conclusion of the fourth season, which is currently being filmed in Cardiff. The 25-year-old actress will star alongside Catherine Tate's Donna Noble, and the returning Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones.

Since leaving the hit time-travelling show in 2006, following two hugely successful seasons and numerous awards, Piper has starred in ITV2's Secret Diary Of A Call Girl and as Philip Pullman's heroine Sally Lockhart in a BBC adaptation of The Ruby In The Smoke.

Santa Sec

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 08:38:23 PDT

What to get your favourite little consumer this Christmas? What do you mean you had barely even thought about it? It's already mid-October for goodness' sake!

It will drive the rest of the family to distraction within minutes of being unwrapped, but a new Dalek mask made of flesh-pink ribbed plastic will be one of the "must-have" toys this Christmas, retailers predicted yesterday.

The mask, modelled on a one-eyed Dalek-human hybrid which appeared in the episode Daleks in Manhattan, changes the voice of the wearer to the metallic scream of the doctor's mortal enemies. Games based on films and TV characters will fill Santa's sack this year, according to toy manufacturers who made their annual prediction of Christmas best-sellers yesterday.

The Movie Hero

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:44:21 PDT

Ultimate Bumblebee has eclipsed my modest expectations! Here he is, case fresh, direct from Hasbro UK's warehouse!

Ultimate Bumblebee elicits the kind of gadget-geek excitement once reserved for Tomy's Omnibot! It's no wonder he's made it into this year's Toys R' Us Fabulous Fifteen and among the toys chosen as "12 Best toys of 2007" by Parija B. Kavilanz, senior writer at CNNMoney.com. Or was it the profit margin?

Fiscal matters aside. Ultimate Bumblebee is one cool electronic toy for boys and girls of any age! Omnibot who?

The Sarah Jane Adventures

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:26:17 PDT

First appearing with Jon Pertwee then Tom Baker, Sarah Jane Smith is one of the most popular Doctor Who companions in the show’s history – the perfect choice for a new spin-off series from CBBC aimed at younger fans, but terrific fun for older viewers too as Sarah Jane uses her experiences from her TARDIS days to investigate alien mysteries right here on Earth.

Transforming Scribes

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 14:30:34 PST

Dorling Kindersley (DK) and myself are offering one lucky reader a chance to win a copy of the terrific Transformers: The Movie Guide book, which sports an eye-catching lenticular hologram morphing from Autobot insignia to Optimus Prime.

This hardback book is a backstage pass to the "Transformers" movie. Get under the metal and discover more about the Robots in Disguise in this spectacular guide to the earth-stopping film.

Packed with incredible images, this book enables you to check out transport and locations from the Transformers universe and come face-to-mask with all your favourite characters from Optimus Prime to Megatron. Plus, get a fascinating insight into all the bots and take a serious look at their unstoppable powers (but keep your distance!).

To enter for a chance of winning this prize, please leave a comment. Good luck. Special thanks to DK for supplying the competition prize.

Explore the Star Wars galaxy through DK books.

About DK books
Since 1974, Dorling Kindersley has published an extensive range of internationally acclaimed titles in 51 languages for adults and children. As the UK's market leader in illustrated non-fiction, we pride ourselves on creating books that combine comprehensive information and superb design.

Over the years, as the world's leading family illustrated publisher, we have inspired and informed readers who find DK books to be educational, distinctive and of consistently high quality. We value this reputation and will continue to create reference titles that are, without question, exceptional.

Pimp Daddy Destro (PDD)

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 03:13:04 PDT

In the early hours I successfully made an offer on SDCC 2007 Exclusives: Alternator Rodimus and Titanium Menasor! The eBay seller agreed to sell both limited edition Transformers, highly prized by collectors, for £39.99! That's a bargain given that Alternator Rodimus has been fetching over £50 and UK importers are charging £29.99 for Titanium Menasor!

Now I'm on the look out for the SDCC 2007 Exclusive Pimp Daddy Destro or PDD as he's known in the collecting community.

Destro (originally known as Red Jackal - a member of The Red Shadows - in the UK) remains one of my all-time favourite action figures. Again, if readers could help me with acquiring either a gold or silver variant, I'd be most grateful. Thank you.

Requesting SDCC Exclusive Alternator Rodimus

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 10:03:53 PDT

This author needs your help!

Can someone please assist me in procuring a Transformers Alternator Rodimus, which was an exclusive at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2007 and only sold at HasbroToyShop.com?

Hasbro has sold its entire online consignment and eBay prices are, invariably, too high!

Any tips, suggestions and assists regarding acquiring an Alternator Rodimus, leave a comment.

Thank you in advance.

"Underwater, no one can hear you scream."

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:33:18 PDT

Nerd alert!

Spent a pleasant afternoon basking in the sunshine on Exmouth seafront and envisaging Transformers Seacons, an aquatic team of Decepticons that combined to form Piranacon (known as King Poseidon in Japan), harassing swimmers, jet skiers and kite surfers! Old habits die hard, blame Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975) and the recent media moral panic surrounding alleged Great White shark sightings off of the Cornish coast!

A monolithic menace. The diabolical combination of the five Seacons who comprise him. Master at undersea warfare. Few Autobots can outdistance him or escape his evil clutches. Destroys everything in his path with ghoulish glee. A troublemaker and malcontent. Rarely follows orders. Fellow Decepticons are unable to control him. Capable of creating colossal tidal waves over 300 feet high. Because of his incredible size, Piranacon's reflexes are impaired out of water. Armed with the Seacons' entire arsenal of firepower.

Hmm...

Bot-Bast

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:52:23 PDT

It is a world Transformed. Where things are not what they seem. It is the world of The Transformers. A world of Heroic Autobots and Evil Decepticons.

I'll presage this review with the following caveats. Transformers are one of my all-time favourite toy lines (an admission made in many a previous post)! The notion of a live-action movie, directed by Michael Bay, left me apathetic. I really enjoyed The Island (2005)!

Knowing that this movie was going to be big on excess, I hadn't foreseen that the regular Pepsi, I'd purchased in the cinema foyer, would be super-sized too! Fellow Star Wars fans maybe interested to learn that a very cool Nintendo Wii redemption machine spouted sound effects and dialogue from our beloved saga! At first I thought I was hallucinating - RD-D2 beeps and Obi-Wan Kenobi intoned "Trust your feelings!"

Not since Jurassic Park (1993) has an audience (myself included) been so willingly caught up in movie mayhem - like osmosis. This happened during Saturday evening's showing of Transformers at the Odeon, Colchester. Incidentally, I watched Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) and For Your Eyes Only (1981) at this venue.

Unlike Steven Spielberg's deft (if no less commercial) decision to delay the dinosaur reveal in Jurassic Park for up to an hour. Michael Bay, aided and abetted by Spielberg's distrust of a generation exposed to instant gratification, thrusts us, tumbling, into the action!

Blackout, a monstrous Decepticon, and the first Transformer introduced, makes a bombastic entry; heralded by a cacophony of sonic booms that would delight even the most demanding fan of James Cameron tech noir. Keep your ears peeled for the classic Transformers transformation sound, taken from the original Marvel cartoon series, now amped-up to deafening levels and with no signs of distortion. This sent chills of excitement down my spine!

There's much to enjoy not least the attention to detail lavished on the Transformers, themselves, by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). Whether watching charismatic lead Sam Witwicky (played by Shia LaBeouf) whose empathy with Bumblebee, an Autobot scout, recounts Elliot's friendship with E.T. (1982) or an Autobot titan emerge from a suburban swimming pool and step over a young girl carrying a plush My Little Pony (another successful Hasbro franchise, which shared names with Transformers and G.I. Joe. For example, Beachcomber, Cosmos, and Seaspray were both My Little Ponies and Transformers characters, and Firefly was both a My Little Pony and a G.I. Joe character).

There's humour too! And laugh-out-loud you will! Sam Witwicky astride his mother's bicycle and pursued by Bumblebee, brought the house down and could have been taken from any number of popular Spielberg produced movies such as The Goonies (1985) or Explorers (1985). Frenzy (the original toy was an audio tape cassette and one of the earliest Transformers I owned), an impish switchblade endoskeleton of a Decepticon, delights in Gremlins (1984) mayhem, droid-like discourses and an homage to John Carpenter's The Thing (1982). Diagetic and non-diagetic sound is used to underscore the comedy too.

Enter Optimus Prime. Of all the Transformers, Optimus Prime is held in greatest reverence (on a personal note my late mother bought me the original Optimus Prime - as a surprise gift - whilst I was off, sick, from school in 1984). No longer a Freightliner Cab-over-engine. Prime's alternate mode, a Peterbilt 379, replete with stylish flame decals, reminded me of Kenner's M.A.S.K Rhino toy (Kenner merged with Hasbro in the early 90's). When he gracefully transforms into a gleaming god-like mecha I gulped and wiped tears from my eyes!

Advertising aplenty! A movie about toys wouldn't be ironic sans product placements! And Transformers is filled to the max with Hewlett Packard, Apple and endless eBay expositions.

Aside from the usual gripes levelled at Michael Bay - disorientating camera angles propelled by dizzying editing and jarring slow-mo, which culminates in a palpable sense of nausea (taking the roller coaster metaphor too literally). All-in-all Transformers transported me back to a galaxy, far, far away and left me smiling from ear-to-ear.

Drawing the way of the Force

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:23:58 PDT

Star Wars Celebration Europe maybe over. However, Dorling Kindersley (DK) and myself are offering four lucky readers a chance to win exclusive signed copies of "Star Wars Complete Cross-Sections" poster prints, signed by artist Hans Jensen, and You Can Draw "Star Wars" book, signed by the author Bonnie Burton and artists Tom Hodges and Matt Busch.

Every fan's dream - step inside over 100 Star Wars vehicles. Open up the cockpit and peel back layers to reveal the weapon systems and construction secrets of over 100 Star Wars vehicles. Four fold-out pages take you right inside a Droid Control Ship, the Death Star, an Invisible Hand and a Republic Gunship in incredible detail. Discover everything you ever wanted to know about every key Star Wars machine from the "Phantom Menace", through to "Return of the Jedi". See inside the elegant Naboo starfighters and relentless TIE bombers and explore their background stories, history and even technical data. All revved up and ready to explore the universe?

Feel the force of the pencil, get creative and bring "Star Wars" to life on the page. Follow the expert tips, tracings, fold out pages and stencils and draw body shapes which pack a punch (or a lightsabre), inspiring action poses, spectacular vehicles, out-of-this-world clothes and futuristic equipment. Put R2-D2, Luke SkyWalker and Darth Vader on the same page and create scenes and battles from your own imagination - if you dare!

To enter for a chance of winning one of these coveted prizes signed by the author and artists, please leave a comment. Good luck. Special thanks to DK for supplying the competition prizes.

Explore the Star Wars galaxy through DK books.

About DK books
Since 1974, Dorling Kindersley has published an extensive range of internationally acclaimed titles in 51 languages for adults and children. As the UK's market leader in illustrated non-fiction, we pride ourselves on creating books that combine comprehensive information and superb design.

Over the years, as the world's leading family illustrated publisher, we have inspired and informed readers who find DK books to be educational, distinctive and of consistently high quality. We value this reputation and will continue to create reference titles that are, without question, exceptional.

Transformers T-Shirts

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 07:02:02 PDT

Today I'm proud to announce a new site sponsor! NerdyShirts.com. They have just released 4 Limited Edition Re-Issue classic Transformers T-shirts to mark the release of the Michael Bay live action movie.

Please read their official press release:

"NerdyShirts.com was launched in 2004 by Myke Armstrong and Jacob Fatoorechi, and was incorporated into the MyFatRobot family of sites in April 2006 by Myke, Jacob, and William Barnes. NerdyShirts offers original funny, nerdy, and nostalgic tee shirts all printed on 100 percent cotton American Apparel shirts. In addition to all original designs, NerdyShirts buys full designs and even design concepts from site visitors or customers, and offers an affiliate program for tee shirt sales. New designs are released every Monday, and most are available in both men's and women's sizes."

Earlier this year, NerdyShirts redesigned its website and has planned a whole string of shirt releases, and we're in the midst of working out both plans. We're the "little guy" of the t-shirt business, but we're growing fast and strong from our nerdy and proud community (just like us!).

Star Wars Celebration Europe

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 12:28:37 PDT

Star Wars Celebration Europe is being held at London's Excel Centre on July 13-15 and I've teamed-up with Dorling Kindersley (DK) to offer two lucky readers exclusive artwork prints taken from their stunning "Star Wars Complete Cross Sections" book. Don't take my word for it, feast your eyes on the TIE Bomber and B-wing starfighter cross sections (not to scale) below.

At Star Wars Celebration Europe DK are running a stand at S12. This will feature signings by the author and the two illustrators of "You Can Draw Star Wars", Bonnie Burton, Tom Hodges and Matt Busch. Plus a competition to win exclusive signed artwork.

Celebration Europe will be the first ever Celebration event held outside the U.S. and will share many of the highlights of Celebration IV in Los Angeles "Star Wars has always been a global phenomenon, and the U.K. has long been our second-largest fan base after the U.S.," Steve Sansweet said. "With the continuing strength of Star Wars, it made sense to extend Celebration to Europe and I'm delighted to be working with one of our top European licensees, Cards Inc., as our partner on the show."

One of the highlights for fans at an official Star Wars event is the chance to buy unique merchandise, and Celebration Europe will not disappoint, with an exciting and comprehensive range of exclusive products being sold.

To enter for a chance of winning one of these coveted cross section prints, please leave a comment. Good luck. Special thanks to DK for supplying the competition prizes.

Explore the Star Wars galaxy through DK books.

Faking It!

cloisterbell@googlemail.com (John Hood) — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:32:55 PDT

My late Grandmother, Louise Farley née Curtis, was an immigrant from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. So, Happy Canada Day to all my readers.

Currently selling Masters of the Universe Faker ToyFare Exclusive on eBay. Happy bidding.