Iron Man & Transformers at Comic Con...

Comic Con 2009
San Diego, CA

While Comic Con started as a comic book convention 40 years ago today TV and movie studios turn out in large numbers every year to show off new products to thousands of fans. Most of the major TV and movie studios had booths on the exhibit hall floor displaying current shows or upcoming movies. Syfy channel was missing from the exhibit hall this year choosing to instead take up space in the Hard Rock Hotel across the street from the Convention center. They took over the cafe and re-branded it Cafe Diem after the cafe from "Eureka". Fox, Warner Bros and MGM held signing in their booths on the exhibit hall floor.

MGM's Stargate

Hasbro Booth
GI Joe

Marvel Booth
Iron Man

Hasbro Booth
Transformers

Comic Con Costumes and More....

Comic Con 2009

San Diego, CA

The following pictures are a look around the exhibit hall at this years Comic Con. Comic Con sold out 3 months before the con with over 125,000 people in attendance.

Comic Con Logo
Hanging in the main hall way of the San Diego Convention Center

Michael Shanks
moderated the Burn Notice panel and then was at the Fox
booth in the exhibit hall signing autographs later in the day

BBC America Dalek

DC had a line of costume characters
lined up behind their booth

Star Wars Costumes

Storm Trooper posing for a picture

Dragon Rider

Stargate Universe does Comic Con...

Stargate Universe Panel
Comic Con 2009

MGM new show in the Stargate series Stargate Universe made it's Comic Con premiere in Hall 20 on Friday July 24th to a near capacity crowd of 4,200 people. While yes there were people there to see some of the panels scheduled in the hall later that day such as "24" judging by the fact that close to half the people in the room left after the Stargate panel ended it would be safe to say that many of those in attendance were there to get a first look of the new Stargate product.

Stargate Universe premieres on Syfy on October 2nd. The Comic Con panel started with a a brand new never before seen trailer. At which point Brad Wright came on stage to moderate the panel and introduce the stars.

Alaina Huffman
Alaina described her character T.J. as strong
and intelligent but also has flaws and weaknesses.
That's what makes her a whole woman.

Alaina Huffman, David Blue, and Robert Carlyle

Brian J Smith -
Brian did a lot of research on the military
for his role of Matthew Scott.

Elyse Levesque

David Blue
David has seen all episodes of Stargate SG1 & Atlantis.
Brad Wright said that with David they not only got and actor
but a technical adviser

Jamil Walker Smith and Alaina Huffman

Ming - Na
described Camille Wray as a strong,
intelligent lesbian

Robert Cooper
“Big things are going to happen very quickly,” Cooper said, as in the first 10 episodes. “You are going to find that if you do skip an episode you might miss something huge. There will be major revelations in terms of what’s going on with these characters and the storylines."

Robert Carlyle
said the only time he saw sets as high a quality as what the SGU
sets was on the Bond movies. The SGU sets are that good.


Robert Carlyle & Ming-Na

Brad Wright & Robert Cooper
Both Brad and Robert said that SGU would
be accessible to new fans.

Brad Wright
Had Jamil Walker Smith and Elyse Levesque tell a story about their first visit to the Stargate booth upon their arrival in San Diego, at which point they were approached by a booth worker and offered a chance to enter the contest to win a guest appearance on Stargate Universe! Brad said they both WON!

General Patton...

General Patton Memorial Museum

Chiriaco Summit, CA

Off on I-10 in Southern California sits a museum opened in 1988 to honor all veterans. Named after General George Patton and with a statue of Patton out front. I found the museum by chance when I pulled off the Interstate to get something to drink on my way home a few weeks ago. I arrived just after the museum closed at 4:30 pm. However there are several parts of the exhibit that are outside and therefore available to see.

Entrance and Main Building

General Patton Statue

West Coast Vietnam Wall

Tank Yard Exhibit

For more information on the Museum and its location go to the General Patton Memorial Museum web site.

Astronauts favorite soft drink...

World of Coca-Cola
Atlanta, Georgia

Coke an astronauts favorite soft drink. In yesterday's post is a picture from the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, of a coke for astronauts. If you go to the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta, GA you can see the machine that fills cokes for astronauts.

While in Atlanta recently I visited the World of Coca-Cola. They currently have a pop art special exhibit. At the museum you can taste over 60 different coke products from around the World. You will see a fully-functioning coke bottling line and take home an 8 ounce bottle of Coke. Plus see Coke memorabilia from the past and present.

For more information on The World of Coca-Cola check out their web site, better yet next time you are in Atlanta check out the museum.

Coca-Cola Store Sign

Entrance to The World of Coca-Cola

Dr. John S Pemberton invented
Coca-Cola in 1886

Pemberton Statue in front of The World of Coca-Cola

The Eagle has Landed...

Chicago Museum of Science and Industry

NASA is celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the first landing on the Moon. On July 20, 1969 Neil Armstrong stepped out of the lunar module and took "one small step" in the Sea of Tranquility.

Check out NASA's web site for detailed information on the Apollo Space Program.

Modules of NASA Space ships

Space Shuttle and Apollo Rocket

Apollo Engine

Space Suit

Astronauts favorite soft drink (COKE)

Project: Apollo

Lunar Module

"I believe we should go to the Moon."
John F Kennedy

Inside the Lunar Module

"One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind"
Neil Armstrong

Mission Control Panel

Splash Down
Apollo Command Module

Museum of Science and Industry...

Chicago Museum of Science and Industry

I went to the Museum of Science and Industry while in Chicago this past June primarily to see the Harry Potter Exhibit. As cool as it was to see over 200 items from the Potter films the museum itself was a fun fascinating place to visit. Cameras are not allowed in the Potter exhibit but as for the rest of the museum there are no restrictions on photography. So below you will find a few pictures I took at the museum.

Check back in a day or two for pictures of the NASA portion of the museum.

Mailbox outside the museum

R2D2 the mailbox

Harry Potter Exhibit Banner outside the museum

Potter Exhibit Banner inside the museum

The one Potter exhibit that was in the main
hall of the museum where pictures are allowed

Hall outside the entrance to the Potter Exhibit

Transportation Hall

Door outside Potter Exhibit

Spirit of America
Jet propelled, record breaking car

Plane, Trains and Automobile?

Underside of German Plane

Texaco Plane

Steam Train

Train whistle

Inside the Steam Train

What a BIG BEAN....

Millennium Park
Chicago, IL

What is now Millennium Park was first conceived in 1998. It was built to transform the railroad tracks and parking lots along the lakefront.

Cloud Gate

Cloud gate was designed by British artist Anish
Kapoor. The 110 ton elliptical sculpture is made of
seamless series of highly polished stainless steel plates.

I loved watching how children are fascinated with Cloud Gate.

Because of the shape of Cloud Gate you often hear
people refer to it as "The Bean".

The Chicago Skyline as seen in Cloud Gate.

Looking up under Cloud Gate.

The Crown Fountain

Designed by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa

Like their fascination with Cloud Gate, children love
playing in the water under the Crown Fountains.

Jay Pritzker Pavilion

Frank Gehry designed this outdoor concert venue.