EPBOT

 I love the smoke stacks on top, and that bubble porthole. (It says "SteamPlanet" on the side, in case you're wondering.) Lots more detail shots and information here. 

Audrey A. spotted a lovely steampunk wedding "inspiration" shoot (meaning it's not a real wedding, but it plays one on the Internet):



Anyway, head over to Emmaline Bride for all the steamy eye candy - including a ruffly gear cake! (The cake is ruffly, I mean. Not the gears.)

Take this guy, for example:


Even more surprising, I spotted another girl in a Slave Leia bikini at one point - and she was definitely a guest. Maybe Disney relaxed their policy for the Weekends?

Here's an example of a photo quick draw:

She came striding around a corner, and her costume billowing out in the wind was just gorgeous.

It's hard to tell with the slight motion blur, but her nails are an amazing metallic pink foil.


 

Those autograph books are *everywhere* at Disney, and often provide the only time you can snap a good close-up of the characters. (When they're not signing they're posing with guests, so it's hard to get them alone.)


Of course, the king (Sith lord?) of guest interactivity has to be Darth Maul:



We camped out in front of his photo spot for a while, watching him give guests a hard time about those autograph books:



After glaring at the offending person for ages, he'd snatch the book and sign it with his back turned. He also did some hysterical poses for the camera:

I later learned through some friends-of-friends that this Darth is a big cosplay enthusiast, and I *think* I've even seen him in an epic God of War costume at MegaCon or D*C before. It's awesome to know these guys are doing what they love, don't you think?


My favorite character at SW Weekends, though, is Zam Wessel:


I took nearly a dozen shots from two different angles, and for every one she was looking straight at my camera and seemed in no hurry to leave. Stuff like this makes me positively giddy. I mean, c'mon, LOOK AT THIS SHOT:

I kept seeing references to a new "Ghostbusters NY tour" last week, but it wasn't until Karilee S. posted the vid on the Epbot FB page that I learned what all the buzz was about. If you're a die hard ghosthead like me, then prepare to have a giant goofy grin on your face for at least the next seven minutes:

- Any Animaniacs fans out there?

 If so, then you'll love this Mental Floss article: More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About Animaniacs

*sigh* Man, I wish that show was available on Netflix streaming.


 - Why Nikola Tesla Was the Greatest Geek Who Ever Lived - a funny but extremely informative comic by The Oatmeal. (When I was a kid I once had to pick a historical figure to write a paper on. My dad immediately suggested Tesla, because he was "the most fascinating man you'll ever study in school." Dad was right.)


- 65 Behind The Scenes Photos from Back to the Future (found via ThinkGeek)

In case you've forgotten how eminently crush-worthy Michael J. Fox is.  :)


- For my fellow Netflix-streaming subscribers, did you see they've added all of the Jem episodes?!
So far I've watched the first 6 or 7, but only when John's not around; he keeps snickering during the songs. (HARUMPH.) Here's hoping they keep adding more cartoon series like this; In addition to Animaniacs, I'd love to see ThunderCats, SilverHawks, The Tick, Tiny Toons, DuckTales, TMNT, etc, etc. (Mmmm....childhood nostalgia....)

Oh, and if you're one of those Doctor Who fans who's never seen any of the old stuff, then go watch City of Death on Netflix streaming right now. I'll wait.

Ok, no I won't - but I just watched it the other night, and it's a fabulous example of Tom Baker (AKA "the one with the scarf") and my favorite assistant, Romana as played by Lalla Ward. She's smart and strong and awesome, and I just love seeing Baker with an assistant who's more of an equal than someone he has to bail out or boss around all the time.

PLUS, City of Death features a funny cameo from Monty Python's John Cleese:



...AND the villain is the actor who played Mr. Humphries on Are You Being Served. (Loved him!) So, yeah, lots of awesomeness happening there. GO SEE.


[CORRECTION: It's *not* Mr. Humphries. It's the guy from Indiana Jones that kinda sorta looks like Mr. Humphries. Oops. Sorry, guys! But if it helps any, I also learned in the comments that Douglas Adams of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy fame penned most of the script. Does that help make up for it? :)]