Take Lucas Murray for example, aka BATBOY, so nicknamed for being the first blind person in the US to “see” with his ears. Using the same abilities that bats use to fly at night, Lucas visualizes his surrounding by making clicking sounds with his tongue and listening for the echoes the sound makes as it bounces off objects. It’s an amazing ability that allows Lucas to move almost independently. He can even play basketball and shoot hoops!

Watch the video and be amazed. Let’s see if Batman can do this!

By the way, the character Deanne  Bray’s character on HEROES, hearing-impaired Emma, was referred as possibly having an echo-location ability too.

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Check this one at the lot…

The Heroes booth (sponsored by Nissan) will give away one Nissan Cube each day from Thursday to Sunday. All you have to do is go to the booth, get your badge scanned and you are entered to win. … come to San Diego for the panels, leave with a car!

Also, Heroes has a Carnival (sponsored by Sprint) outside the Gaslamp Hilton just across from the convention center. There will be games, food, a bungee trampoline and many more goodies!  There are exclusive footage and photos from “Heroes: Redemption” being unveiled there.

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So, if you’re a Heroes All-Access fan and you haven’t heard the news yet, here’s the invite –

Event: Heroes All Access fan club party at Comic-Con!
       "Autographs, activities, fan club merch., general awesome!"
What: Club Party
Host: Heroes All Access
Start Time: Friday, July 24 at 3:00pm
End Time: Friday, July 24 at 5:00pm
Where: House of Blues

RSVP at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=104152689834

Now if you’re into “Heroes” but haven’t discovered ALL-ACCESS yet, it’s the exclusive membership that gets us access to Heroes events and experiences, and some really cool gear to boast too! Yep. Already have mine..

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Heroes – Season Three (DVD)and  Heroes: Season 3 [Blu-ray] will be released on September 1, 2009, and both are available for pre-order at Amazon.com.

The five-disc set will contain two volumes – Villains and Fugitives plus some behind-the-scenes and bonus features. As of today, there is nothing specific about the disc contents just yet, but I’m sure that will come out. Who knows it might be right before the San Diego Comic Con.  I’ll update this post once I get specifics.

Image: Amazon

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Heroes gets a nod for Outstanding Art Direction For A Single-Camera Series for the season 3 episode “Cold Snap”. This was where Tracy Strauss froze a whole entire parking garage and several government agents who went after her.

Another nomination for "Heroes” is for Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Series  for the volume 3 (Villains) premiere episode “The Second Coming/The Butterfly effect”. This was the episode that involved a speeding Daphne leaving dust flying all around.

Yey!  You guys, rock! And special mention to the crew who make all the inanimate problems are called in.

Image: NBC/Chris Haston

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I saw “Star Trek” on IMAX and was so blown away I can’t wait for the disc to come out, especially since the Blu-Ray has three discs worth of cool features!

Says J.J. Abrams – “The behind-the-scenes features on the DVD — and especially the Blu-ray — give a wonderful look at the crazy hard work and incredible fun that went into making this movie. The cast and crew were truly extraordinary to work with — watching these special features, you’ll see why.  And for people who didn’t catch Star Trek in the theater, I hope they do now, as Paramount has done an exceptional job with this release; the picture and sound quality are both excellent.”

Uhm.. I guess there are still people who missed the movie?!

So the STAR TREK DVD and Blu-ray discs include an indepth exploration of how the franchise was re-imagined, commentary by J.J. Abrams, the writers and producers and bloopers! The second disc for both DVD and Blu-ray is a digital copy and deleted scenes including a side story of Nero, and free-trial games of STAR TREK. The Blu-ray has sensational bonus footage and features on the starships, props, costumes and sounds, as well as access to the latest NASA news about real-life exploration.

But the coolest thing I read is an augmented reality technology. “Using a webcam, a Star Trek visual cue will morph into a 3D holographic tour of the U.S.S. Enterprise on the screen, providing a unique immersive and interactive experience.”

Specifics of each discs appear after the cut.

Courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment:

DVD:
The STAR TREK two-disc DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround with English, French and Spanish subtitles.  Special features are as follows:
Disc 1:
       •    Commentary—By director J.J. Abrams, writers Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman, producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Bryan Burk.
     • A New Vision— J.J. Abrams’ vision was not only to create a Star Trek that was a bigger, more action-packed spectacle, but also to make the spectacle feel real.  Every aspect of production—from unique locations to the use of classic Hollywood camera tricks—was guided by this overall objective.
        •    Gag Reel—Bloopers featuring the entire principal cast.
Disc 2:
        •    Digital Copy
        •    Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary
            o    Spock Birth
            o    Klingons Take Over Narada
            o    Young Kirk, Johnny and Uncle Frank
            o    Amanda and Sarek Argue After Spock Fights
            o    Prison Interrogation and Breakout
            o    Sarek Gets Amanda
            o    Dorm Room and Kobayashi Maru (original version)
            o    Kirk Apologizes to the Green Girl
            o    Sarek Sees Spock
        •    To Boldly Go— Taking on the world’s most beloved science fiction franchise was no small mission. Director J.J. Abrams, writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, producer Damon Lindelof, and executive producer Bryan Burk talk about the many challenges they faced and their strategy for success.
        •    Casting— The producers knew their greatest task was finding the right cast to reprise these epic roles. The cast, for their part, talk about the experience of trying to capture the essence of these mythic characters. The piece concludes with a moving tribute to Leonard Nimoy.
        •    Aliens— Designers Neville Page and Joel Harlow talk about the hurdles they faced creating new alien species, recreating the Romulans and Vulcans, and designing the terrifying creatures on Delta Vega for the new Star Trek.
        •    Score— As a fan of the original series, composer Michael Giacchino embraced the challenge of creating new music for Star Trek while preserving the spirit of Alexander Courage’s celebrated theme. 
        •    DVD-Rom:
            o    STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for XBOX 360®
            o    Weblink to the STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for PC
            o    Weblink to the STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for PlayStation® Network
Blu-ray
The STAR TREK three-disc Blu-ray is presented in 1080p High Definition with English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.  Special features are as follows:
Disc 1:
        •    Commentary—By director J.J. Abrams, writers Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman, producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Bryan Burk.
        •  NASA News— This BD-Live feature gives viewers access to the latest NASA news about real space exploration.  Learn about new mission developments and check out featured imagery from around the universe.
Disc 2:
        •    To Boldly Go—See description above.
            o    Branching Pods:
                •    The Shatner Conundrum
                •    Red Shirt Guy
                •    The Green Girl
                •    Trekker Alert!
        •    Casting—See description above.
        •    A New Vision—See description above.
            o    Branching Pods:
                •    Savage Pressure
     • Starships—Abrams and production designer Scott Chambliss were careful to pay tribute to the design of the original Enterprise, but they also wanted to make it futuristic and cool for a modern audience. This chapter focuses on the unique stories behind the creation of the film’s starships.
            o    Branching Pods:
                •    Warp Explained
                •    Paint Job
                •    Bridge Construction Accelerated
                •    The Captain’s Chair
                •    Button Acting 101
                •    Shuttle Shuffle
                •    Narada Construction Accelerated
        •    Aliens—See description above.
            o    Branching Pods:
                •    The Alien Paradox
                •    Big-Eyed Girl
                •    Big Bro Quinto
                •    Klingons
                •    Drakoulias Anatomy 101
        •    Planets— >From the frozen landscape of Delta Vega to the desert plains of Vulcan, Scott Chambliss and the art department had a number of radically different planets to create. Abrams’ desire to shoot on real locations whenever possible led the production team to a number of strange and surprising locations.
            o    Branching Pods:
                •    Extra Business
                •    Confidentiality
        •    Props and Costumes— Property master Russell Bobbitt had the unique challenge of designing props that were both true to the original series and pertinent to today’s technology.  Likewise, costume designer Michael Kaplan talks about how he designed costumes that paid homage to what came before yet were relevant and timeless.
            o    Branching Pods:
                •    Klingon Wardrobe
        •    Ben Burtt and the Sounds of Star Trek— When famed sound designer Ben Burtt was hired to create sounds for the first Star Wars film, he took his inspiration from the original “Star Trek” series. Burtt jumped at the opportunity to pay tribute to the sounds that sparked his career with the sounds he created for the new Star Trek.
        •    Score—See description above.
     •  Gene Roddenberry’s Vision— J.J. Abrams, Leonard Nimoy, previous Star Trek writers and producers, and scientific consultant Carolyn Porco describe and commend the optimistic and enduring vision of Gene Roddenberry.   
        •    Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary—See details above.
        •    Starfleet Vessel Simulator—Explore extensive data on the U.S.S. Enterprise and the Romulan ship, the Narada. Submerse yourself in breathtaking 360° views and close-ups and review detailed tech information.
        •    Gag Reel—See description above.
Disc 3:
        •    Digital Copy
        •    STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for XBOX 360®
        •    Weblink to the STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for PC
        •    Weblink to the STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for PlayStation® Network
The STAR TREK single-disc DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround with English, French and Spanish subtitles.  The single-disc DVD includes the commentary, “A New Vision” and the gag reel.

Artwork: Star Trek/ Paramount Pictures 2009

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Season 8 marked the time in Clark’s life when he moved up to Metropolis, becoming a prototype of the Daily Planet reporter we know him to be as Superman’s alter-ego. After spending an eternity at The Farm, Clark found his place… and space… opposite Lois Lane, who is also becoming one of the Planet’s star reporters. And in these settings, Clark met his future arch-enemy Doomsday, and a host of other aliens good and bad up to the very last scene of the season!

Season 8 introduced Cassidy Freeman as Lex Luthor’s replacement Tess Mercer. She followed big footsteps but totally carried herself. At the end of the season, no one missed Lex! Also new last season was Sam Witwer, who played the haunted paramedic Davis Bloome (aka Doomsday). Witwer gave such a stellar performance in every episode he was in that Davis’ character became larger-than-life.

Smallville also bid goodbye to four of Smallville’s regulars (and I won’t spoil it for you) and each closure episode was classic Smallville hangers …. “you just never know”. Certainly not let-downs! Rather, the twists are so crafted that they were shockers, to say the least.

“Smallville: The Complete Eighth Season ” will be released as DVD and Blu-ray on August 25, 2009.

The DVD-set includes

• 22 episodes plus commentaries from directors and cast.
• A featurette titled “Smallville’s Doomsday: The Making of A Monster”
• A featurette titled “In the Director’s Chair: Behind the Scenes and Calling the Shots with Allison Mack"

So pre-order your copies today of “Smallville: The Complete Eighth Season"!!!

Image: Amazon

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“Berserker” is a very graphic and brutal series about Americans who seem to have inherited the Viking warriors’ abilities to have uncontrollable rage. Said Milo in an interview with Top Cow, the story of “Berserker” centers around two modern-day warring families that lead up to a huge battle called Ragnarok.

The first issue came out with a limited signed (by Milo) variant cover to support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

Have you guys read “Berserker”?

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So, after 209 entries, two winners have been randomly chosen!

• Helen at gmail
• Elena at gmail

Congratulations, ladies! I’ll email the details for getting the prize. Stay tuned!

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As part of the give-away for a Star Trek messenger bag, I asked readers to vote for their favorite Star Trek character. Picard and Data, my personal faves, were distant runner-ups.

But anyhow, on to the real winner of the give-away! Congratulations to –

Roxann aka ladyt64

Way to go, Roxann! I’ll email you the instructions for receiving the prize.

And to the rest, thanks for joining the give-away! Sorry you didn’t win but I do have another give-away running until April 5, 2009 – KEDS Green Label Shoes – so c’mon over. Who knows maybe you’ll win at this.

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