Exclusive interview with Chris Preksta, Curt Wootton, and Mark Tierno of The Mercury Men
Interviewed by Jamie Ruby, Karen Moul, AJ Grillo, and Kati Krieger
Written by Jamie Ruby

The Mercury Men, the new web series airing on Syfy.com, started out as a short concept film by Christopher Preksta. Preksta is known for writing and directing the web series Captain Blasto, which starred himself alongside Curt Wootton and Mark Tierno, who also star in The Mercury Men.

The Mercury Men short, which was featured at Comic-Con in 2008, and was later expanded into the web series, was inspired by the same retro serials that inspired such films as Star Wars and Indiana Jones. The black and white series is made up of ten episodes, each approximately seven minutes in length.

Besides being released as a web series, other media elements have been released, such as behind-the-scenes footage, as well as unique digital props for viewers to delve deeper into the universe that is The Mercury Men.

Preksta, Wootton, and Tierno sat down recently in an exclusive interview with SciFi Vision to discuss the release of The Mercury Men.

 

This weekend marked the end of an era for a lot of fans. The Harry Potter film series, based on J.K. Rowling's novels, came to an end with the last installment - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - last Friday, July 15. The movie was sold out across the country Thursday night, most places weeks in advance as many fans waited to see the conclusion.

The midnight opening of the film broke records as it did for largest opening day. On Friday alone, which was the biggest Friday opening in the history of Hollywood, the movie grossed an estimated $92.1 million, beating out the current opening day record of The Twilight Saga: New Moon with $72.7 million. The midnight screenings accounted for close to half of the revenues at $43.5 million! This also beat out The Twilight Saga: Eclipse midnight record of $30 million. As a bigger record still, the film broke weekend grossing records by bringing in $169.2 million, beating out The Dark Knight which previously held the record at $158.4 million.

Exclusive interview with Ashley Eckstein of Her Universe and Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Interview by Jamie Ruby and Karen Moul
Written by Jamie Ruby

For years many people have thought that science fiction was for guys, but that's simply not true. Nearly half of all science fiction fans are female and we want our voices heard.

For the second year, Ashley Eckstein, founder of Her Universe and voice of Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, will be hosting a panel at Comic-Con. The panel, "Her Universe: What Women Want in Their Female Sci-Fi Heroes," will take place on Thursday and will feature an all-star group of panelists.

Exclusive interview with Laura Mennell of Alphas - July 11, 2011
Interview by Jamie Ruby
Written by Jamie Ruby

Laura Mennell, one of the stars of the new series Alphas, which airs Mondays on Syfy, is not new to science fiction. Fans will recognize her from her work on such television series as Sanctuary, Eureka, Fringe, and Supernatural, to name just a few. She also starred in the supernatural thriller 11:11 and played the part of Janey Slater in the movie Watchmen.

Mennell recently took some time to talk about her new role in an exclusive interview with SciFi Vision.

By Jamie Ruby

ABC Family's new series, Switched at Birth, follows two teenage girls who as newborns were acidentally switched. The first girl, Bay Kennish (Vanessa Marano), grew up in a two-parent home with a brother, and the other, Daphne Vasquez (Katie Leclerc), with her single mother, played by Constance Marie. Due to meningitis, Daphne lost her hearing as a child. Now aware, both families must learn to deal with the situation.

Marie recently took time to talk to journalists about the new series, which airs Mondays on ABC Family.

By Jamie Ruby

Cyberbully follows the character Taylor Hillridge, played by Emily Osment, a teenager who is digitally harassed on a popular social website.

The movie is being presented as part of a campaign by ABC Family partnered with Seventeen magazine to make people aware of cyberbullying and abuse. The initiative is called Delete Digital Drama and will appear in the August 2011 issue of the magazine as well as on ABC Family this summer.

There will also be a PSA aired during the movie featuring Osment that will direct viewers to the website StompoutBullying.org.

You can learn more about the initiative and how to get a Delete Digital Drama Twibbon as well as other ways to Delete Digital Drama.

Emily Osment recently sat down with the digital media to talk about the film, which airs Sunday, July 17 on ABC Family.

By Jamie Ruby

ABC Family's The Nine Lives of Chloe King, based on the book of the same name by Liz Braswell, follows the life of Chloe King, who finds out she is a descendent of the ancient race of Mai. She discovers she has strange heightened abilities and is to be the "uniter," or protector, of the Mai.

Chloe is helped through her changes and discoveries by two students, who are also Mai - Alek, played by Benjamin Stone, and Jasmine, played by Alyssa Diaz.

Stone, who is also known for his role on the series 10 Things I Hate About You as well as his voice work in four of the Harry Potter video games, sat down with the media to discuss his life and The Nine Lives of Chloe King, which airs Tuesdays on ABC Family.

By Jamie Ruby

Legend Quest is the newest unscripted reality show on Syfy. The action-adventure series follows archaeologist Ashley Cowie as he searches the world for strange artifacts, such as the Holy Grail.

In the pilot episode Cowie and his team search for the Ark of the Covenant and the Talking Cross.

Cowie recently talked to the media about his exploits and his new series, which airs Wednesdays nights on Syfy.

The Mercury Men, the upcoming Syfy web series, will be screening at Comic-Con, with appearances by Curt Wootton and Chris Preksta, as well Syfy's Eureka and Haven, with a special appearance by Eric Balfour. Be sure to add this to your itinerary!


Stay tuned to SciFi Vision for exclusive interviews for The Mercury Men, coming soon.

By Jamie Ruby

Syfy's Haven follows FBI Agent Audrey Parker, played by Emily Rose, who first came to the town of Haven, Maine last season to investigate strange occurancances in the town. Many of the town's residents, including the local cop she teams up with, Nathan Wournos (Lucas Bryant), are afflicted with "troubles." They are also joined by Duke Crocker (Eric Balfour), the local smuggler who seems to know more than he lets on. Audrey struggles to find answers about her mother and even about herself.

Rose is known for such television series as Brothers & Sisters, Jericho, and ER. She also stars as Elena Fisher in the popular video game series Uncharted.

Emily Rose talked to the media recently about her return to Haven, which airs Fridays on Syfy.