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Originally published at Better Living Through Science Fiction. Please leave any comments there.

We’re all still recovering from Comic Con San Diego. Ice, raw eggs, plenty of sleep and aspirin. Be back very soon!

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Originally published at Better Living Through Science Fiction. Please leave any comments there.

Anime After Dark, presented in part by our notorious artistic director Dekker, is kicking off in Boston with a 12 hour marathon of animated goodness. The date is 10.18.2008 and more information will be coming as we get closer to game day. Check our Anime After Dark’s website for updates.

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Originally published at Better Living Through Science Fiction. Please leave any comments there.

If anyone is in the NYC area our own Dekker Dreyer is going to be co-hosting Sci-Fi Screening Room in one week!

Thanks to everyone who came out for BATMAN NIGHT, next at the the Sci Fi Screening Room we’re showing 1983’s ROCK & RULE.

Co-hosted by Kevin Maher and Dekker Dryer (founder of Illusion TV)

We’ll have sci-fi shorts, trivia, drinking games, prizes and cheap beer.

After the show, the evening continues with a glam-rock party at Beauty Bar (231 East 14th Street btw 2nd and 3rd Aves). DJ Joey Nova is playing more from the artists of ROCK & RULE — Stooges, Velvet Underground, Blondie and more! Makeup artists offer glam makeovers and glitter manicures to get you feeling like a futuristic glam-pop super-star.

WHEN: Wednesday, July 2nd @ 7 PM

WHERE: UNDER St. Mark’s
94 St. Mark’s Place, btw 1st Ave and Avenue A
L-train to 1st Ave, F/V to 2nd Ave, R-train to 8th St, 6 to Astor Pl.

HOW MUCH: just seven bucks

THE SCI FI SCREENING ROOM has been an editor’s pick in Time Out NY, Gothamist, Village Voice, The New York Post, and the New York Times’ Urban Eye.

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Originally published at Better Living Through Science Fiction. Please leave any comments there.

For all of our viewers who like a little horror with their sci-fi check out the new mobile video network Fright Mobile. With this week’s official launch you can check out clips and original series like Potter’s Field all on your mobile phone. “There’s Nowhere to Hide”.

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Originally published at Better Living Through Science Fiction. Please leave any comments there.

Let’s all welcome the amazing new anthology Stranger Things to our network! Welcome about guys.

Check out out new Stranger Things forums HERE

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Originally published at Better Living Through Science Fiction. Please leave any comments there.

Just an FYI for anyone attending Balticon 42 this weekend, Dekker is going to be a guest speaker on Sunday with Earl Newton and the crew from Stranger Things. If you’re in Hunt Valley this weekend check it out.

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Originally published at Better Living Through Science Fiction. Please leave any comments there.

Kevin Maher from AMC’s Sci-Fi Department is doing another installment of Sci-Fi Screening Room tomorrow and anyone in the area who can make it down is required to attend.

Fom Kevin:
After the success of HULK NIGHT, The Sci Fi Screening
Room returns with KISS NIGHT!

The evening starts with the 1978 made-for-TV movie
KISS MEETS THE PHANTOM OF THE PARK and continues with
an all-night party at LIT LOUNGE (including free KISS
Makeovers, the KISS-cover band Creatues of the Night,
an open vodka bar from 11 to midnight, and a KISS
costume contest at 2 AM)

KISS NIGHT! is a TIME OUT NY BEST BEST and a VOICE
CHOICE

Tuesday, March 11 @ 7 PM

The Theater Under St. Mark’s
94 St. Mark’s Place (between 1st Ave and Avenue A)

7 bucks (free if you wear KISS make-Up)

I’m co-hosting the show with Rob Gorden (host of Spike
TV’s Geek Ray Vision) and presenting trivia, prizes,
KISS Haikus, free snacks and cheap beer.

I was at Hulk Night and it was great! This one looks to be just as much fun.

See you there.

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Originally published at Better Living Through Science Fiction. Please leave any comments there.

As you may know we co-hosted part of the Boston Science Fiction Marathon last weekend and we’re very happen to announce that many of the shorts we programmed for the festival have been acknowledged by the good people at Variety.

The Boston audiences couldn’t have been better and I’m glad that we were able to bring some good films together with an amazing audience at a spectacular event.

Variety Article Link 

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Originally published at Better Living Through Science Fiction. Please leave any comments there.

Hey Illusion visitors! We want to apologize to our forum users. Over the past week we’ve had to semi-lock new registrations. We’re sad to say that every time we unlock this function we’ve been hit by porn and pill pushers. We’re working very hard to resolve the issue, but until we can we’ve locked the forums from use. This is only temporary and we’ll relaunch very soon!

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Originally published at Better Living Through Science Fiction. Please leave any comments there.

American politics are not always interesting compared to the goings-on of the Galactic Senate, but as viewers and fans of television, it’s important we pay attention to the bodies that control not only what we watch on television, but how we watch it. The US House Energy and Commerce Committee has announced that it has launched a probe to determine how transparent, fair and open the FCC has been in determining policy. The controversy stems from an ongoing debate about a 35-year-old policy preventing companies which own a news channel in a city from owning newspapers in the same city.  The FCC ignored a government request to delay a vote which resulted in the lightening of those restrictions (Click the picture above for the full article).

Most of the time the FCC comes under fire from show creators and fans because they regulate content on shows, but there isn’t a lot of commentary out there on how the FCC and other government agencies regulate the industry. I don’t want to criticize one way or another, because the FCC has always been pretty fair with us, but we would like to raise awareness among our fans that our government representatives, who often have very good intentions, can do more than limit the number of swears on an episode of “South Park.” Look into the Family and Consumer Choice Act of 2007 if you want an example.

So what does all this mean? That’s anybody’s guess, but I had a hard time finding this article anywhere other than industry publications and felt that it should be shared. ”Friction” between the FCC and Congress could in the short term mean they’ll have just a little less time to regulate onscreen content, but in the long term we could see big changes in everything from what you watch on TV to how much choice you have in what you get to watch.

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Originally published at Better Living Through Science Fiction. Please leave any comments there.

Illusion’s newest image gallery is a retrospective of giant monsters! Check it out here LINK 

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Originally published at Better Living Through Science Fiction. Please leave any comments there.

Illusion counts down the Top 10 Christmas Horror Movies in our Top Lists section! Find out who made the top of the list of yuletide baddies. Was it the Gremlins? Chucky? Tim Allen? Find out on the list.

LINK

Top 10 Christmas Horror Movies

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Originally published at Better Living Through Science Fiction. Please leave any comments there.

Doctor Who fans rejoice! Classic Who is returning to American television on Illusion! Beginning with Tomb of the Cybermen Illusion is airing some of the best Who storyline of all time.

The Doctor’s page on our site has gone live with clips, quizzes, pictures and a Doctor Who buying guide. So teleport your TARDIS down in front of the TV and enjoy some classic Doctor. The adventure begins on Illusion!

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Originally published at Better Living Through Science Fiction. Please leave any comments there.

We’ve taken a look at some our favorite things based on retro sci-fi. Check out all of the different flavors of Gort and Godzilla in our Retro Sci-Fi Buying Guide!

LINK

Retro Sci-Fi Buying Guide

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Originally published at Better Living Through Science Fiction. Please leave any comments there.

It’s that time again. We’ve put together a gallery of sci-fi matter transporters for our “In-Pictures” section. Take a look and be amazed by the technology that never was.

LINK

Matter Transporters 

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Originally published at Better Living Through Science Fiction. Please leave any comments there.

We get a lot of mail asking us what the deal is with Shadowstar Narutaru, so we’re going to give everyone a recap.

Shadowstar (Mukuro Naru Hoshi Tama Taru Ko) centers around a young girl named Shiina Tamai who bonds with a mysterious dragon that she calls Hoshimaru. In the Shadowstar universe powerful, and often evil, dragons bond themselves to children for mysterious reasons.

The series depicts a frank and sometimes gruesome take on childhood sexuality and feelings of violence. Shadowstar is occasionally branded as an adult-oriented counterpart to series like Pokemon or Zach Bell.

Responsibility, dealing with suicidal thoughts, understanding the process of growing in to an adult… learning who to trust… these are keys points in the Narutaru anime and manga; shadowstar  isn’t for young children, but offers a uniue adult insight in to some of the common themes portrayed in Shojo and magical girl series.

Make sure to watch Shadowstar Narutaru on your local cable lineup with Illusion on Demand.

Watch clips in our broadband player and download Wallpapers and Avatars in Illusion’s Anime Zone.

LINKS

Official Illusion Shadowstar Narutaru site

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Originally published at Better Living Through Science Fiction. Please leave any comments there.

We’ve added a new quiz to Illusion’s stable. Check out the Buckaroo Banzai quiz and test your cult sci-fi skills.

LINK

Buckaroo Banzai Quiz 

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Originally published at Better Living Through Science Fiction. Please leave any comments there.

Our newest featured site is Metal Park, makers of unique sci-fi sculpture art. I first found them last year in the Bryant Park holiday festival here in NYC. I loved the concept of familiar sci-fi characters crafted in original and artistic ways from scrap metal. In my collection I now have two pieces and I urge anyone looking for cool sci-fi inspired art gifts to check them out.

LINKS 

Metal Park Art

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Originally published at Better Living Through Science Fiction. Please leave any comments there.

Just a reminder that there’s still time to take a look at Illusion’s 2007 Holiday buying guide. It’s full of some sweet sweetness for geeks of all ages. The staff loves Spi-Dog and I’m personally fond of the Gort Wind-Up Robot.

LINKS

2007 Geek Holiday Buying Guide

Also check out our, AVP Buying Guide

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Originally published at Better Living Through Science Fiction. Please leave any comments there.

We’ve launched our new Quiz Section with a Tranformers Generation One trivia extravaganza! If you think you know your G1 Transformers test your skills.

LINK

Transformers Quiz

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