If the date 12/21/12 held any other significance other than "The End Is Nigh", then is is certainly GOOD NEWS for fans of the classic 1966 Batman show!
Via a report from Superherohype and this month's issue of License! Global magazine, Mattel confirms that the classic 1960's Batman series will be getting the toyline treatment, meaning that star and legendary actor Adam West will FINALLY be getting an action figure! This comes on the eve of reports of 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. negotiated a deal to finally release the long desired superhero TV show in home media, so it's certainly a good way to tie-in and reintroduce fans to a legendary franchise with a new toyline!
Batman 1966 Intro
With Mattel's popular DC Universe Classics/ All-Stars line receiving figures with multiple points of articulation, this is certainly good news for Batfans who have wanted the campy but iconic version as part of their collection! Related DC action figure news also sees the "DC Super Friends" toyline continuing, as well as the release of the new "Beware The Batman" and "Man Of Steel" tie-in figures. For more info, visit the source post at License! Global's website and SHH!
So watch out old chums and collectors, Adam West/ Batman's making a comeback!
To contact us Click HERE Wrapping up the first half of Season 3 early this month and returning next year on February 10, AMC has officially confirmed that their popular zombie drama series "The Walking Dead" will be getting yet another season, which will mean more adaptations and new plot threads based on the comic book series penned by Robert Kirkman!
The announcement of Season 4 doesn't come as a surprise, considering how good Season 3 has been so far and the pacing the show has steadily built with its audience. However, some bad news also came to light prior to the announcement, as current series showrunner Glen Mazarra is stepping down. After original showrunner and series developer Frank Darabont was fired in 2011, Mazarra stepped in to continue on, though he will be leaving after Series 3 wraps up. It remains to be seen who will be named as the new lead figure behind The Walking Dead TV Series, but it's safe to assume that it will happen soon down the line when development for Season 4 begins. For more information, visit the source post at Spinoff Online/ Comic Book Resources!
So, those looking forward to more Rick Grimes, Michonne, and Daryl Dixon (pending what happens in Season 3 of course!) zombie slaying action, there's more coming! Stay tuned!
The Walking Dead to TV returns on February 10, 2013!
To contact us Click HERE Prepare for something else from Elijah Wood, and it isn't looking pretty at all.
Better known to all as Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Wood now presents in a more maniacal role quite literally in the remake of the 1980 film "Maniac" (similar to his role as Kevin in Sin City). Playing a disturbed shopkeeper turned serial killer named Frank Zito, the new adaptation of William Lustig's original slasher flick has an unspecified release date, and also stars Nora Arnezeder.
Check out a clip of this disturbing flick based on a cult horror classic, which sees release internationally soon. For more info, visit the source post at Coming Soon.
To contact us Click HERE Sure to be remembered as the blockbuster hit that it is and was, The Avengers definitely stands as one of the best (if not THE BEST) movies that have been released this year alone. As we come closer to the end of 2012, a few more extras that fans can glance and get excited over have come online, including this new featurette that spotlights one of the most exciting sequences in the film - The big Team Fight scene.
The Avengers: Team Fight Featurette
So after seeing this interesting look inside one of the best superhero flicks of all time, I can't help but reminisce on how awesome this film was, and how director Joss Whedon managed to bring together Earth's Mightiest Heroes successfully on the big screen! There's definitely more to look forward to when Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe begins next year with Iron Man 3, and it'll be a blast to be there for the ride! For more info on the Avengers featurette, check out the source post at Screen Rant!
Relive the excitement of The Avengers assembling by getting it on home video!
To contact us Click HERE Time for another year in review post... This time for the year 2012~! It's been a stellar year for movies, comics, games, and yes even music, and there's a lot I'd like to nominate from the circle of great choices that have made this a memorable time for all things popculture.
Now, before we sign off 2012 and get to the picks, here's a Happy New Year greeting to you all!
COMICS: Batman - Death of the Family Still ongoing at the moment but promising to spiral down into a story Batfans will never forget, Scott Snyder has followed up on his epic "Court of Owls" run of The New 52 Batman series with the return of The Dark Knight's epic nemesis The Joker in a very sinister and gruesome form. Last seen in the pages of last year's relaunch of Detective Comics #1, the Clown Prince of Crime had his face removed and has finally returned... Targeting Batman and his allies in a way that will change them forever when all is said and done. This is sure to be a classic fans will never forget!
MOVIES:The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises
This is a tie, certainly because one ushered in the BIGGEST blockbuster superhero team-up movie ever and the FINAL CHAPTER of Christopher Nolan's epic Dark Knight Trilogy! Both movies took in a lot of Box Office Returns for 2012, but The Avengers clearly stood out on top between the two thanks to the sheer number of heroes gathered in the film.
On the other hand, The Dark Knight Rises also wrapped up the trilogy pretty well... A feat rarely accomplished by most superhero movies. The tale of Bruce Wayne's journey was weaved together well by Nolan and his team, and it will certainly go down as one of the best superhero movie adaptations ever based on realism and detail.
ANIMATED MOVIE: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part I Long awaited and highly anticipated an animated adaptation, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part I certainly gave comic book fans who remember Frank Miller's seminal work a good treat of finally seeing an aged Batman returning from a 10 year self-imposed retirement to fight crime once more. It's missing some of the dialogue from the books that made it noteworthy but it's still fun as heck, especially with casting legendary Robocop actor Peter Weller as Bruce Wayne/ Batman! January will see Part II out in the market, and if you get a chance to pick this up in home video, do so.
GAMES: The Walkind Dead: The Game
Nominated as "Game of the Year" at this year's Spike TV Video Game Awards, I only recently played and finished the retail edition of The Walking Dead: The Game, and I can totally see why it earned that award hook, line, and sinker. Telltale games has crafted a compelling tale that tests your choices, your humanity, and how you can survive the zombie apocalypse with a band of other survivors and a little girl under your care. It's worth checking out, and very easy to play at that. In fact, the first episode that makes up this 5 episode season is free for the iOS and Xbox Live Marketplace.
TV SERIES: The Walking Dead - Season 3 and Arrow
Still at its mid-season hiatus, The newest season of The Walking Dead has proven that it has comeback strong and hard in presenting an action-packed drama full of zombies and humanity going head-to-head amidst the apocalypse. Rick Grimes and crew face tougher choices this season, and it's sure to be a memorable ride once it returns this February.
Arrow, the CW's newest superhero show based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow, feels a lot like Smallville and Batman Begins meets Lost, with Oliver Queen coming back to his hometown of Starling City and cleaning up crime based on a list his father gave to him. It's also on mid-season break til January, and is chalk full of guest appearances by other DC Characters that make this a good comic book show to check out.
MUSIC: Gangnam Style by PSY
Gangnam Style - PSY
I think it's pretty much self-explanatory why this became the music pick of 2012... PSY has exploded everywhere... A billion hits in YouTube!
And that wraps up what I like about 2012! Happy New Year, and looking forward to 2013!
For almost a decade, Sir Michael Caine has immortalized himself as an iconic presence in Christopher Nolan's Batman film trilogy, playing the invaluable role of Bruce Wayne/ Batman's butler and trusted father figure Alfred Pennyworth in the big screen. Now that the movies have wrapped up, a new video interview has surfaced online courtesy of Warner Bros. UK YouTube channel, with the legendary British actor giving his thoughts on working with Nolan and talking more about Alfred Pennyworth and his backstory. Check out the video interview clip after the jump!
The Dark Knight Rises - Michael Caine interview clip 3
Thanks goes to Batman-News for the scoop, and more details can be found in the source post!
The Dark Knight Trilogy is now available in Home Video!
To contact us Click HERE Via Superherohype, new images and the 2 covers for the latest issue of Empire Magazine spotlighting J.J. Abrams upcoming Star Trek sequel "Star Trek Into Darkness" have gone up online, showing more of what to expect in the next adventure of Captain Kirk and his crew of the U.S.S Enterprise.
The two new covers, featuring Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk and Benedict Cumberbatch as the unknown enemy of Starfleet show that the new film is going to be as serious as it goes. In addition to a big threat that'll threaten Kirk and his ship, Starfleet will also be in big danger, and no one knows what kind of sacrifices the Enterprise and its crew will make. For more information and pics, visit the source post at Superherohype!
Star Trek Into Darkness flies into theaters on May 17, 2013!
To contact us Click HERE Warner Bros. is on the trail with the Oscar campaign for Christopher Nolan's final entry in his Dark Knight Trilogy saga, The Dark Knight Rises, by releasing a couple of promotional stuff to promote their chances in next year's Academy Awards. To that end, they've released a new iBook App that shows a couple of info notes on the movie, TV Spots, and a Behind-The-Scenes Trailer video. Apple users can pick it up over at iTunes to check it out, or visit the source post at Batman-News for more details.
The Dark Knight Rises is now available in home media.
In celebration of the holidays and to promote cheer and anticipation for next year's Iron Man 3, Marvel Studios has released this little Holiday Greeting pic featuring Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, watching the snow fall down on him and fitting the mood of the season!
Happy Holidays indeed from Tony Stark, and look forward to more Iron Man goodness next year! For more info, visit the source post at Marvel.com and Superherohype!
To contact us Click HERE True to form and since its release early this week in time for the holidays, Marvel and writer Dan Slott weren't kidding when they said "Things would change" with the release of the final issue of the long-running webslinging series - The Amazing Spider-Man #700. Since the twist was revealed at issue #698, earth-shattering changes were placed and the seeds were planted for the setup of a new series - namely next month's "The Superior Spider-Man #1". Reactions have spilled online from postive to negative, and seen in such comic book news sites as Newsarama and Superherohype.
What exactly went down with Peter Parker and how did it cause the entire fanbase of the Marvel Universe and beyond to be divided? SPOILERS be present below, and note that is you haven't read issue #700, it's pretty much sold out by now...
Peter Parker is dead. Long live... The Superior Spider-Man.
In a plot that's as controversial as it was years in the making, Dan Slott did the unthinkable... He "killed" Peter Parker and remade Spider-Man anew... By swapping the minds of the former Amazing Spider-Man and one of his greatest enemies, Otto "Doctor Octopus" Octavius. Revealed on the pages of ASM #698, Spider-Man's mind was successfully exchanged thanks to a "blueprint" the wall-crawler unwittingly left behind during one of his last encounters with Doc Ock (which took place in issue #600). Stuck in the body of a dying Octavius, a desperate Peter Parker struggles to reclaim his body from Otto, who has the memories and abilities of Peter and successfully restarts his "relationship" with Mary Jane Watson.
Unfortunately, issue #700 doesn't end the way anybody expects. Peter remains stuck and dies in Ock's frail and weak body. Before he passes however, he is able to pass on his memories and values to Doc Ock, which changes the villain's psyche entirely and makes him empathetic for his former enemy. As "Doc Ock" passes on, a renewed "Spider-Man" vows to become even better than his predecessor... A Superior Spider-Man if you will.
So there you have it... The NEW Spider-Man status quo revealed.
And here's the 2nd Printing cover by Humberto Ramos, courtesy of Marvel and Comic Book Resources.
SPOILER ALERT be here while channeling Todd McFarlane's classic Spidey cover. Come January, a bold new direction awaits Spider-Man with The Superior Spider-Man #1. If you have the chance, pick up the issue while you can at your local retail comic book shop.
To contact us Click HERE After a buzz of speculation of classic X-appearances would happen in the next X-Men film helmed by Bryan Singer, it's been officially confirmed that Hollywood star Hugh Jackman will be reprising his role once more as Wolverine in the next X-Flick, X-Men: Days of Future Past! Based on the classic 80's storyline by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, the new X-Flick is a sequel to the 2011 hit X-Men: First Class, and sees the mutants time-hopping to a dystopian future featuring their older selves!
Singer, who was the X-Men and X2 director, returns to the franchise he started, and made the announcement via his official Twitter, and will see the Australian actor back in action as the feral mutant. Going back into action as Logan (with next year's The Wolverine marking his sixth time), Jackman will be alongside other X-Men film alum, namely James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender who return as Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr, and also Patrick Stewart and Ian Mckellen, who also reprise their roles as the older Professor X and Magneto! For more information, check out the source post at Superherohype!
X-Men: Days of Future Past is set for a July 18, 2014 release!
To contact us Click HERE If you haven't tried out The Walking Dead: The Game yet, you're clearly missing out on what is one of the best zombie video game experiences out there, not to mention the 2012 "Game of the Year" chosen at this year's Spike TV Video Game Awards! To celebrate the latter achievement, developer Telltale Games has released the first episode, A New Day, ABSOLUTELY FREE on iTunes and the App Store. Be sure to visit the link here to download ASAP.
If you still need convincing why this game is great and why The Walking Dead trend is something you should be paying attention to, here is a trailer to serve as a reminder.
The Walking Dead: The Game Trailer
Now also available in retail form, get the complete first season of Telltale Games' The Walking Dead: The Game, either online or in your local video game shop!
To contact us Click HERE What do you get when you mix the world of bodybuilding with some serious Michael Bay action, explosions, and comedy? PAIN & GAIN of course, and the newly released international trailer shows that stars Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson are going to pump up and take things to the next level... And the trailer shows that their plans may not be the best laid out ones when the law is after them! The film also stars Ed Harris and Tony "Monk" Shalhoub, so this has the makings of a action buddy flick that's literred with all kinds of gains!
Pain & Gain International Trailer
Catch the hilarity and adrenaline rush when Pain & Gain opens in theaters on April 26, 2013!
Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor unveiledher wax statue at the Madame Tussauds museum.
"It is an honour and a privilege for me tohave my own wax figure at Madame Tussauds Blackpool and even more so to launcha global Bollywood exhibition. This is a moment of pride for the Indiancinema," Kareena said.It took four months to create the wax statue,which cost £150,000.
"The figure looks incredible and is solife-like. I had to do a double take when I saw myself - they have really donea superb job at capturing my essence," she added.
The unveiling of Kareena's wax figure also flaggedoff a global exhibition, where the statues of Bollywood stars will be taken tosix major cities around the world to be exhibited, before they are brought backto Blackpool in January next year.
Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Amitabh Bachchanand Aishwarya Rai too have their wax figures in Tussauds'.
TheBermudaTriangle, also known as theDevil'sTriangle, is a region of the northwesternAtlantic Oceanin which a number ofaircraftandsurface vesselsare alleged to have disappeared. Somepeople have claimed that these disappearances fall beyond the boundaries ofhuman error, equipment failure ornatural disasters. Popular culture hasattributed some of these disappearances to theparanormal, a suspension of thelaws of physics, or activity byextraterrestrialbeings.Though asubstantial body of documentation exists showing numerous incidents to havebeen inaccurately reported or embellished by later authors, and numerousofficial agencies have gone on record as stating that the number and nature ofdisappearances is similar to any other area of ocean, proponents of paranormalphenomena claim that many have remained unexplained despite considerableinvestigation. The Triangle AreaThe boundaries of the Triangle vary with the author; some statingits shape is akin to atrapezoidcoveringtheStraits of Florida,theBahamasandthe entireCaribbeanislandarea and the Atlantic east to theAzores; others add to ittheGulf of Mexico. The more familiar triangularboundary in most written works has as its points somewhere on the Atlanticcoast ofFlorida;San Juan,Puerto Rico; and the mid-Atlantic island ofBermuda, with most of the accidentsconcentrated along the southern boundary around the Bahamas and the FloridaStraits.The area is one of the most heavily-sailed shipping lanes in theworld, with ships crossing through it daily for ports in the Americas,Europe, and the Caribbean Islands. Cruise ships are alsoplentiful, and pleasure craft regularly go back and forth between Florida andthe islands. It is also a heavily flown route for commercial and privateaircraft heading towards Florida, the Caribbean andSouth Americafrom points north.
History of the Triangle story
Origins
The first article of any kind in which the legend of the Trianglebegan appeared in newspapers by E.V.W. Jones on September 16, 1950, through theAssociated Press. Two years later,Fatemagazine published "Sea MysteryAt Our Back Door", a short article by George X. Sand covering the loss ofseveral planes and ships, including the loss ofFlight 19, a group of fiveU.S. NavyTBM Avengerbombers on a training mission. Sand'sarticle was the first to lay out the now-familiar triangular area where thelosses took place. Flight 19 alone would be covered in the April 1962 issue ofAmerican LegionMagazine.It was claimed that the flight leaderhad been heard saying "We are entering white water, nothing seems right.We don't know where we are, the water is green, no white." It was alsoclaimed that officials at the Navy board of inquiry stated that the planes"flew off to Mars." This was the first article to connect thesupernatural to Flight 19, but it would take another author, Vincent Gaddis,writing in the February 1964Argosymagazine to take Flight 19 togetherwith other mysterious disappearances and place it under the umbrella of a newcatchy name: "The Deadly Bermuda Triangle";he would build on that article with amore detailed book,InvisibleHorizons,the next year.Others would follow with their ownworks: John Wallace Spencer (Limbo of the Lost, 1969, repr. 1973);Charles Berlitz(The Bermuda Triangle, 1974);Richard Winer(The Devil's Triangle, 1974), and many others, all keeping to someof the same supernatural elements outlined by Eckert.
Kusche's research
Lawrence David Kusche, a research librarian fromArizona State Universityand author ofThe Bermuda Triangle Mystery:Solved(1975)has challenged this trend. Kusche's researchrevealed a number of inaccuracies and inconsistencies between Berlitz'saccounts and statements from eyewitnesses, participants, and others involved inthe initial incidents. He noted cases where pertinent information wentunreported, such as the disappearance of round-the-world yachtsmanDonald Crowhurst, which Berlitz hadpresented as a mystery, despite clear evidence to the contrary. Another examplewas the ore-carrier Berlitz recounted as lost without trace three days out ofanAtlanticport when it had been lost three daysout of a port with the same name in thePacificOcean. Kusche also argued that a largepercentage of the incidents which have sparked the Triangle's mysteriousinfluence actually occurred well outside it. Often his research wassurprisingly simple: he would go over period newspapers and see items likeweather reports that were never mentioned in the stories.Kusche came to a conclusion:§Thenumber of ships and aircraft reported missing in the area was not significantlygreater, proportionally speaking, than in any other part of the ocean.§Inan area frequented bytropicalstorms, the number of disappearances that did occur were, for the most part,neither disproportionate, unlikely, nor mysterious; furthermore, Berlitz andother writers would often fail to mention such storms.§Thenumbers themselves had been exaggerated by sloppy research. A boat listed asmissing would be reported, but its eventual (if belated) return to port may nothave been reported.§Somedisappearances had in fact, never happened. One plane crash was said to havetaken place in 1937 offDaytonaBeach, Florida, in front of hundreds of witnesses; a check of the local papersrevealed nothing.Kusche concluded that:The Legend of the Bermuda Triangle isa manufactured mystery… perpetuated by writers who either purposely orunknowingly made use of misconceptions, faulty reasoning, and sensationalism. Further responsesThe marine insurerLloyd's of Londonhas determined the Triangle to be nomore dangerous than any other area of ocean, and does not charge unusual ratesfor passage through the region.United StatesCoast Guardrecordsconfirm their conclusion. In fact, the number of supposed disappearances isrelatively insignificant considering the number of ships and aircraft whichpass through on a regular basis.The Coast Guard is also officially skeptical of the Triangle,noting that they collect and publish, through their inquiries, muchdocumentation contradicting many of the incidents written about by the Triangleauthors. In one such incident involving the 1972 explosion and sinking of thetankerV.A. Foggin the Gulf of Mexico, the Coast Guardphotographed the wreck and recovered several bodies in contrast with oneTriangle author's claim that all the bodies had vanished, with the exception ofthe captain, who was found sitting in his cabin at his desk, clutching a coffeecup.
Supernatural explanations
Triangle writers have used a number of supernatural concepts toexplain the events. One explanation pins the blame on leftover technology fromthe mythical lost continent ofAtlantis. Sometimes connected to the Atlantisstory is the submerged rock formation known as theBimini Roadoff the island ofBiminiin theBahamas, which is in the Triangle by some definitions. Followers of thepurported psychicEdgar Caycetakehis prediction that evidence of Atlantis would be found in 1968 as referring tothe discovery of theBimini Road. Believers describe the formationas a road, wall, or other structure, though geologists consider it to be ofnatural origin. Other writers attribute the events toUFOs.This idea was used bySteven Spielbergfor hisscience fiction filmCloseEncounters of the Third Kind, which features the lost Flight 19as alien abductees.Charles Berlitz,grandson of a distinguished linguist and author of various additional books onanomalous phenomena, has kept in line with this extraordinary explanation, andattributed the losses in the Triangle to anomalous or unexplained forces.
Natural explanations
Compass variations
Compassproblemsare one of the cited phrases in many Triangle incidents. While some have theorizedthat unusual local magnetic anomalies may exist in the area, such anomalieshave not been shown to exist. It should also be remembered that compasses havenaturalmagnetic variationsin relation to theMagnetic poles. For example, in theUnited Statesthe only places wheremagnetic (compass)northandgeographic (true) northare exactly the same are on a linerunning fromWisconsintotheGulf of Mexico. Navigators have known this forcenturies. But the public may not be as informed, and think there is somethingmysterious about a compass "changing" across an area as large as theTriangle, which it naturally will.Deliberate acts of destructionThis can fall into two categories: acts of war, and acts ofpiracy. Records in enemy files have been checked for numerous losses; whilemany sinkings have been attributed to surface raiders or submarines during theWorld Warsanddocumented in the various command log books, many others which have beensuspected as falling in that category have not been proven. It is suspectedthat the loss of USSCyclopsin 1918, as well as her sister shipsProteusandNereusinWorld War II, were attributed to submarines,but no such link has been found in the German records.Piracy, as defined by the taking of a ship orsmall boat on the high seas, is an act which continues to this day. Whilepiracy for cargo theft is more common in the western Pacific and Indian oceans,drug smugglers do steal pleasure boats for smuggling operations, and may havebeen involved in crew and yacht disappearances in the Caribbean. Historicallyfamous pirates of the Caribbean (where piracy was common from about 1560 to the1760s) include Edward Teach (Blackbeard) andJean Lafitte. Lafitte is sometimes said to bea Triangle victim himself.Gulf StreamTheGulf Streamisan ocean current that originates in theGulf of Mexico, and then through theStraits of Florida,into the North Atlantic. In essence, it is a river within an ocean, and like ariver, it can and does carry floating objects. It has a surface velocity of up toabout 2.5 metres per second (5.6 mph). A small plane making a waterlanding or a boat having engine trouble will be carried away from its reportedposition by the current, as happened to the cabin cruiserWitchcrafton December 22, 1967, when it reportedengine trouble near the Miami buoy marker one mile (1.6 km) from shore, but wasnot there when a Coast Guard cutter arrived.
Humanerror
One of the most cited explanations in official inquiries as to theloss of any aircraft or vessel is human error. Whether deliberate oraccidental, humans have been known to make mistakes resulting in catastrophe,and losses within the Bermuda Triangle are no exception. For example, the CoastGuard cited a lack of proper training for the cleaning of volatilebenzeneresidueas a reason for the loss of the tankerV.A.Foggin 1972. Humanstubbornness may have caused businessman Harvey Conover to lose his sailingyacht, theRevonoc, as hesailed into the teeth of a storm south of Florida on January 1, 1958. Manylosses remain inconclusive due to the lack of wreckage which could be studied,a fact cited on many official reports.
Area51
Area 51is a nickname for a military baselocated in the southern portion ofNevadain thewestern United States (83 miles north-northwest of downtownLas Vegas). Situated at its center, on thesouthern shore ofGroom Lake, is a large secretive militaryairfield. The base's primary purpose is to support development and testing ofexperimental aircraft and weapons systems. The base lies within theUnited States AirForce's vastNevada Testand Training Range. Although the facilities at the range are managedby the99th Air Base WingatNellis Air Force Base,the Groom facility appears to be run as an adjunct of the Air Force Flight TestCenter (AFFTC) atEdwards Air ForceBasein theMojave Desert, around 186 miles(300 km) southwest of Groom, nd as such the base is known as Air ForceFlight Test Center (Detachment 3) Other names used for the facility includeDreamland,Paradise Ranch,HomeBase,Watertown Strip,Groom Lake,and most recentlyHomey Airport.The area is part of the NellisMilitaryOperations Area, and the restricted airspace around the field isreferred to as (R-4808N), known by the military pilots in the area as "TheBox."The intense secrecy surrounding the base, the very existence ofwhich the U.S. government barely acknowledges, has led it to become thefrequent subject ofconspiracy theoriesand a central component tounidentifiedflying object(UFO)folklore. GeographyArea 51 shares a border with theYucca Flatregionof theNevada Test Site(NTS), the location of 739 of the 928nuclear tests conducted by theUnitedStates Department of EnergyatNTS.TheYuccaMountain nuclear waste repositoryisapproximately 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Groom Lake.The same "Areaxx"naming scheme is used for other parts of the Nevada Test Site.The area is connected to the internal NTS road network, with pavedroads leading south toMercuryandwest to Yucca Flat. Leading northeast from the lake, the wide andwell-maintained Groom Lake Road runs through a pass in the Jumbled Hills. Theroad formerly led to mines in the Groom basin, but has been improved sincetheir closure. Its winding course runs past a security checkpoint, but therestricted area around the base extends further east. After leaving therestricted area, Groom Lake Road descends eastward to the floor of the TikabooValley, passing the dirt-road entrances to several small ranches, beforeconverging withState Route 375,the "ExtraterrestrialHighway", south ofRachel.
Operations at Groom Lake
Groom Lake is not a conventional airbase, as frontline units arenot normally deployed there. It instead appears to be used during thedevelopment, testing, and training phases for new aircraft. Once these aircrafthave been approved by theUnited States AirForceor otheragencies such as theCIA,operation of that aircraft is generally conducted from a normal air force base.Groom is reported, however, to be the permanent home for a small number ofSoviet-designed aircraftwhich are analyzed and used fortraining purposes.Soviet spy satellites obtained photographs of the Groom Lake areaduring the height of the Cold War, and later civilian satellites produceddetailed images of the base and its surroundings. These images support onlymodest conclusions about the base; they depict a nondescript base, longairstrip, hangars and the lake, but nothing that supports some of the claimsabout underground facilities. Though noICAOidentifier for the base appears on anyofficial document, in December 2007, airline pilots noticed that the base hadappeared in their aircraft navigation systems' latestJeppesendatabaserevision as "KXTA".
U-2 program
Groom Lake was used for bombing and artillery practice duringWorld War II, but was then abandoned untilApril 1955, when it was selected byLockheed'sSkunk Worksteamas the ideal location to test the forthcomingU-2spyplane.The lakebed made an idealstrip from which they could operate the troublesome test aircraft, and theEmigrant Valley's mountain ranges and the NTS perimeter protected the test sitefrom prying eyes and outside interference.Lockheed constructed a makeshift base at the location, then knownas Site II or "The Ranch", consisting of little more than a fewshelters, workshops and trailer homes in which to house its small team. In onlythree months a 5000-foot runway was constructedand was servicable by July 1955. TheRanch received its first U-2 delivery on July 24, 1955 from Burbank on aC-124 Globemaster IIcargo plane, accompanied by Lockheedtechnicians on aDouglas DC-3. The first U-2 lifted off from atGroom on August 4, 1955. A U-2 fleet under the control of theCIAbegan overflights ofSovietterritoryby mid-1956.During this period, the NTS continued to perform a series ofatmospheric nuclear explosions. U-2 operations throughout 1957 were frequentlydisrupted by thePlumbbobseries of atomic tests, whichdetonated over two-dozen devices at the NTS. ThePlumbbob-Hoodexplosion on July 5 scatteredfalloutacrossGroom and forced a temporary evacuation.
Blackbird programs
Even before U-2 development was complete, Lockheed began work onits successor, theCIA'sOXCARTproject, aMach-3 high altitudereconnaissanceaircraft, a later variant of whichbecame the famed USAFSR-71 Blackbird. The Blackbird's flightcharacteristics and maintenance requirements forced a massive expansion offacilities and runways at Groom Lake. By the time the first A-12 Blackbirdprototype flew at Groom in 1962, the main runway had been lengthened to 8,500ft (2,600 m), and the base boasted a complement of over 1,000 personnel. It hadfueling tanks, a control tower, and abaseballdiamond.Security was greatly enhanced, the small civilian mine in the Groom basin wasclosed, and the area surrounding the valley was made an exclusive militarypreserve. Groom saw the first flight of most major Blackbird variants:A-12, the abortiveYF-12interceptorvariant, and theD-21Blackbird-baseddroneproject. The A-12 would remain atGroom Lake until 1968. (TheSR-71firstflew at Palmdale, California.)
Have Blue/F-117 program
TheLockheed Have Blueprototype stealth fighter (a smallercousin of theF-117 Nighthawk) first flew at Groom inDecember 1977.Testing of aseries of ultra-secret prototypes continued there until mid-1981, when testingtransitioned to the initial production of F-117 stealth fighters. In additionto flight-testing, Groom performed radar profiling, F-117 weapons testing, andwas the location for training of the first group of frontline USAF F-117pilots. Subsequently, the still highly classified active-service F-117operations moved to the nearbyTonopah Test Range,and finally toHolloman Air Force Base Area51 border and warning sign stating that "photography is prohibited"and that "use of deadly force is authorized" under the terms of the1950McCarranInternal Security Act. A government vehicle is parked on thehilltop; from there, security agents observe the approach to Groom Lake.Commuter service is provided along Groom Lake Road by a bus,catering to a small number of employees living in several small communitiesbeyond the NTS boundary (although it is not clear whether these workers areemployed at Groom or at other facilities in the NTS). The bus travels GroomLake Road and stops atCrystal Springs,Ash Springs,andAlamo, and parks at the Alamo courthouseovernight.
Runways
The airbase, given theICAOairport identifier code of KXTA andlisted as "Homey Airport"inaviationGPSdatabases, has sevenrunwaysincludingone that now appears to be closed. The closed runway, 14R/32L, is also by farthe longest with a total length of approximately 7,100 meters (23,300 ft), notincluding stopway. The other runways are two asphalt runways, the 14L/32R witha length of 3,650 meters (12,000 ft) and 12/30 with a length of 1,650 meters(5,400 ft), and four runways located on the salt lake. These four runways are09L/27R and 09R/27L, which are both approximately 3,500 meters (11,450 ft), and03L/21R and 03R/21L, which are both approximately 3,050 meters (10,000 ft). Thebase also has a helipad.The probably-inadvertent release of the airport dataled to advice by theAircraftOwners and Pilots Association(AOPA)that student pilots should be explicitly warned about KXTA, not to consider itas a waypoint or destination for any flight even though it now appears inpublic navigation databases.
Portrayal in media and popular culture
Popular culture often portrays Area 51 as a haven forextraterrestrials. The numerous conspiracytheories surrounding Area 51 have granted it a fairly high profile in popularculture, specifically in the area ofscience fiction. Dozens of films andtelevision programs deal with fictionalized events at the site. The followingis list of such media:§Themost widely seen example is the1996actionfilmIndependence Day,in which the complex is shown to have been studying the crashed scout ship fromtheRoswell UFO incidentof 1947. The heroes of the film latermake their final attack from the airstrips at the base, and in a nod toestablished fact,Randy Quaid's character Russell Casse at onepoint refers to the base not being shown on a state map of Nevada.§Thetelevision seriesSeven Daystook place largely inside the Area 51complex itself, with the base depicted as being run by a covertNational SecurityAgency(NSA) operationwhich usedtime travelmadepossible by alien technology recovered from the 1947 Roswell incident.§Lara CroftinfiltratesArea 51 inTomb Raider 3. She must find a specialstone called "Element 115."§Joanna DarkinfiltratesArea 51 in the multi-million sellingfirst person shootervideo gamePerfect Dark. Her objectives are to meetup with a fellow secret agent, find the autopsy lab of the assumed to be deadalien named Elvis, and to get out successfully.§Inthe beginning ofIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,"Hangar 51" is revealed to be the location of thegovernment warehousewhere theArk of the Covenantwas stored at the end ofRaiders of the LostArk, and whereKGBagents go to recover the remains oftheRoswellalien,eventually revealed to be an interdimensional being with acrystallineskeleton.WriterDavid Koeppacknowledged the number 51 as areference to popular beliefs about the connection between Roswell and Area 51. §Inthe television seriesStargate SG-1, Area 51 is used as afacility for storage and research of technology brought back toEarthfrom other planets.§IntheMetal Gearseries, Area 51 turns out to be one ofthe headquarters of theIlluminatigroupknown asThe Patriots,who manipulate the government, public, and economy from behind the scenes. ThecharacterRaidenis injured during an attempt to rescueSunny.§Inthe comicSuperman: Red Son,Abin Sur's body is stored in Area 51 by orderofJ. Edgar Hoover.John F. Kennedylater givesLex Luthoraccess to the base to developweapons to defeat theSoviet Union.§Forthe finale of thedocumentarytelevisionseriesUFO Hunters,Season Two, Area 51 was filmed in October 2008. Thehigh definitionfootageaired February 25, 2009 on theHistorychannel.
To contact us Click HERE Fans of The Walking Dead who are itching to see more of the zombie survival horror drama series are in for a treat. In an effort to garner new interest and harken back to the days of old school horror flicks, AMC will be re-releasing the entire first season and part of the second season in complete "Black and White" format. This was first attempted with the pilot episode "Days Gone Bye", where former Walking Dead showrunner and legendary director Frank Darabont brought on the idea for a complete "B/W transition" ala George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" - a film that greatly inspired the zombie genre as we know it today.
The Hollywood Reporter reports that the B/W reruns of The Walking Dead will start on February 14 next year. For more information, visit the source post at THR and Bleeding Cool.
The Walking Dead returns to AMC with the second half of Season 3 on February 10.
Following up on his impressive LEGO recreation of the second trailer of "The Dark Knight Rises", YouTube user ParanickFilmz has a new one for fans of the wonderful block building toyline and Christopher Nolan's epic Dark Knight trilogy to witness - a LEGO version of the third trailer to TDKR! Thanks goes to Batman-News for scoop, and it's mighty impressive to see this again after the release of The Dark Knight Rises on home media!
The Dark Knight Rises Trailer 3 - LEGO Style
For more Lego inspired works and trailers, check out ParanickFilmz official YouTube page!
