Science Fiction

Ellison Gets Clipped

Five Nerdy, Inspiring Documentaries You Should Watch Right Now

See also: *Dragon*Con vs. San Diego Comic-Con: Which Convention Should You Attend? *Stan Lee Has His Own Convention Now: Stan Lee's Comikaze A good documentary can do more than entertain or educate the audience. These non-fiction films can be a wealth of inspiration too. They can lend insight into ... More >>

NASA Gives Grant to Create 3-D Food Printer

The future very rarely produces what we expect it to, or what we are lead to believe it might produce by science fiction writers. Where are the flying cars? The teleporters? But instant, from-the-ether food might be on its way (a-la Star Trek's replicator or the Jetson's food machine), thanks to a c ... More >>

With Star Trek Into Darkness, J.J. Abrams Boldly Goes Back to Khan

George Takei: He Boldly Goes

One of the fascinating Angelenos featured in L.A. Weekly's People 2013 issue. Check out our entire People 2013 issue here. At 76, George Takei is in the prime of his life: The Star Trek actor and L.A. native is now a social media maven, a theatrical producer and, with his husband, the former Brad Al ... More >>

Retro Sci Fiction/Fantasy Convention BlasterCON Debuts with Small Crowd and Big Ideas

Tucked into a corner of the Warner Center Marriott, a mid-sized room has been transformed into The Cantina. For three days beginning Friday, the place was open 24 hours a day as part of a new fan convention called BlasterCON. The Cantina was lined in retro video games: Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Gau ... More >>

A LACMA Series Shows How Stanley Kubrick Influenced Science Fiction

Role models

Michael Golamco Became Obsessed With World of Warcraft for His New Video Game Play Build

When Michael Golamco began researching Build, his play about two frazzled, lonely guys on the brink of releasing a revolutionary video game, the writer bought a book on how to program MMORPGs -- massively multiplayer online role-playing games, which you play with other people on the internet. He rea ... More >>

Whited-out activism

InvaderCon II: DOOMCON: Animated Series Invader ZIM Was Canceled a Decade Ago, But Fans Still Want to Bring It Back

It's Saturday afternoon and nearly 1,000 people are at the Torrance Marriott South Bay celebrating a cartoon that was canceled ten years ago. Fans of Invader ZIM, the short-lived, sci-fi animated series from famed comic book creator Jhonen Vasquez (Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, Squee) have traveled f ... More >>

Nerd's the Word

Apocalypse Then

William Shatner Interview Outtakes: Star Trek Star on His Solo Show, Horses and Starbucks

William Shatner, as you can imagine, has a lot to say. Now 80, the Star Trek legend opens his one-man show, Shatner's World: We Just Live in It, on Broadway Feb. 16, before launching the national tour at the Pantages on March 10. Here are some outtakes from our William Shatner interview we feature ... More >>

Close Encounters of the Wookie Kind

Loscon 38: Robots, Filking and a Look at the Work of Philip K. Dick

Shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, a small conference room in the basement of the LAX Marriott filled to the brim. The science fiction fans attending this year's Loscon crowded together in tightly packed seats for a discussion of the life and work of Philip K. Dick led by noted authors T ... More >>

Best Has-Beens

InvaderCON II: DOOMCON to Bring Invader ZIM Creator Jhonen Vasquez to Torrance in July, 2012

Shannon Cottrell​Shortly before this year's Dragon*Con event, convention entertainment group Wasabi Anime/Green Mustard Entertainment announced that InvaderCON II: DOOMCON would take place "near" Los Angeles. Today, the team behind the only convention dedicated to Jhonen Vasquez's short-lived ... More >>

Hammer Conversation

Paul: Planet of the Aping

Too many sci-fi references, not enough Kristen Wiig

Top 5 Absurd But Adorable Kitchen Gadgets

Like Alton Brown, we abhor single-use utensils, but the science of kitchen gadgetry (not to mention the power of advertising) is all about convincing you to buy useless products to solve problems you don't really have. In that vein, we present our version of a holiday gift guide, for the person in y ... More >>

I WAS A STEAMPUNK BEFORE YOU WERE A STEAMPUNK

One Man's Journey: A Conversation with George Takei

WHEREFORE ARTEMIS?

'Star Wars', 'Star Trek' or 'Battlestar Galactica'? We Ask at Wumpskate's 'Star Skate'

Monday night, fans of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Spock, William Adama and more outer space heroes congregated at monthly roller rink party Wumpskate for "Star Skate." The theme party brought together science fiction tunes (S.P.O.C.K.'s "Dr. McCoy," The Timelords "Doctorin' the Tardis") with costumes and dozens ... More >>

Star Trek: The Motion Pictures

Reevaluating the Enterprise enterprise, midnights at the Royal

WHO'S STARRY NOW?

When Fandoms Collide: Nine Great Pop Culture Mash-Ups

Just because we seem to be constantly listening to music and hitting up concerts here at West Coast Sound doesn't mean that we aren't also reading comic books or taking nights off to re-watch Star Wars Episodes IV-VI. So, when our interests collide, be it in song or on the small screen, we get a lit ... More >>

Trekkies Storm Hollywood & Highland "Star Trek: The Exhibition" for Abrams' DVD Release

Nicole CamposRod Roddenberry, posing with a key piece of Trek legacy, Captain Kirk's original uniform.​It's one thing to wait for a big DVD release, run out, grab the disc, run home and watch it on your killer entertainment system; it's quite another to watch it on the bridge of the Enterprise ... More >>

LA to Double as L.A.

Talk about runaway production -- L.A. can't even land a role to play itself in the movies these days. A news item working through the pipeline today notes that Battle: Los Angeles (no, it's not about budget fights), will be filmed in Baton Rouge and elsewhere in Louisiana. The Associated Press descr ... More >>

Fullmetal Trekkie: Voice Actor Vic Mignogna to Direct Star Trek: Phase II Episode

You probably wouldn't recognize the actor as he sits down to eat a burger at Mel's Diner, but if youYoung Vic Mignogna in Star Trek cosplay watch enough late-night TV, you might recognize Vic Mignogna's voice from many an English dub anime. The recent LA transplant has voiced characters in over 100 ... More >>

'Star Trek' Disappoints Some Latino and Gay Fans

Heard in the Laemmle Grande lobby downtown after a Star Trek screening got out Saturday night:"Scotty was Irish -- no, Scottish. He was Celtic. But how come no Latinos?! Que pasa?!!!"The man's exasperated comment echoes frustrations by Latino trekkies who love the movie but wonder why the Enterprise ... More >>

Cobrasnake Gives Star Trek Some Love, Gives You Limited Editon T-Shirt... If You Act Fast

Mark "Cobrasnake" HunterFor those who saw our recent "Cobrasnake: Star Trek Dance Party" slideshow, you know that nightlife photographer Mark "Cobrasnake" Hunter -- a longtime Star Trek and JJ Abrams fan -- recently stormed the club circuit with a series of Trek-themed parties that featured photo bo ... More >>

Forry, We Hardly Knew Ya: Forrest J Ackerman Tribute to Be Held Sunday at Egyptian Theater

When Forrest J Ackerman passed away last December science fiction lost a tireless, shameless promoter who helped transform the genre from a suspect niche market into a thriving industry. A true Los Angeles original, Ackerman grew up when the town really was just that -- a place that was as big as a ... More >>

Let's Forget About the Tongue-Tied Lightning: Battling Britney Spears and Gilbert Arenas for 2008 Weblog Awards

Sunday afternoon, my editor e-mailed me and asked how I was doing in the 2008 Weblog Awards, where I'm nominated for Best Celebrity Blogger, alongside blogging heavyweights Gilbert Arenas and Britney Spears. Yes, you read that correctly. "I think I'm going to lose to Britney Spears," I wrote back. ... More >>

Star Trek's Number One Dies

Majel Barrett, the tall beauty who appeared in 33 episodes of the original Star Trek series, died of leukemia today in her Bel Air home; she was 76. After portraying the ill-starred Captain Christopher Pike's Number One officer in the show's pilot, Barrett more often played USS Enterprise Nurse Chri ... More >>

Gods and Monsters: Forrest J Ackerman, 1916-2008

Forrest J Ackerman, who passed away last week from heart failure at the age of 92, may  end up best remembered as the man who coined the term "sci-fi." That's no small legacy in a culture often chronicled in shorthand - Jack Kerouac's "beat generation," comes to mind, or Herb Caen's more reduc ... More >>

Star Trek Fashion Smackdown: Old vs. New, Plus New Movie Trailer

New Star Trek Trailer: Who had better style? The old 1960s Star Trek crew members or the new 2009 Star Trek crew members? By "new" I mean "new version of the old." The movie drops next year. I know you're already in line. Here are some fashion-related things to think about while you're setting up ... More >>

Fly off the Wall

The Final Frontier

Star Trek: The Tour

Masters of Science Fiction

Saturday night exiles

Sound at the Schindler House

Things That Make You Go "Whoa!"

The 4400 among us

Sister From Another Planet

Remembering Octavia Butler, June 22, 1947 – February 25, 2006

Fangs for the Memory

Buy Me a Liver

Clones, conformity and giant iron dumbbells in The Island

Dangerous Visionary

Samuel R. Delany

Northern Exposer

Margaret Atwood on women and power, five inventions that will change the world and the Booker Prize

Treks For Techs

Finding a corner of the cyberuniverse