Ahoy mates! Check out this special video edition of Disney In Depth, celebrating the geekiness of Disney Cruise Line.

How would you enjoy your Disney cruise? Recently I had the opportunity to travel aboard the Disney Fantasy, the newest in the fleet of fantastical ships. The Disney geek in me came out in taking advantage of unabashed Disney nerdy fun on the vessel. There are 10 geeky things you can do on a Disney cruise, highlighted in the first video edition of Disney In Depth found below. [...]

The Walt Disney Company claimed a number of momentous milestones and achievements in 2012, such as boasting the highest-grossing film of the year (Marvel’s The Avengers). But as Disney reached some considerable points, they also faced and developed a handful of issues. This special edition of Disney In Depth looks back at the world of Disney in 2012, with my top 10 best in this edition, and “bottom” 10 worst (with some suggestions on how to remedy those problems) in next week’s edition.

Continue reading for the best of list. [...]

‘Tis the season to be surprised with Disney cheer. The gift of the Mouse, or at least the gift from individuals who care about people who love the Mouse, is one that keeps on giving each year. Thanks to the Internet, and specifically YouTube, everyone can enjoy these special holiday moments. Often parents bring their children yuletide joy through bestowing them a Disney present, sometimes as cool as a vacation to one of the magical destinations.

Here below watch some of the funniest and most heartwarming reactions [...]

We see Hollywood remaking everything in sight these days, from beloved classics we once thought untouchable to recent blockbuster franchises (or failed attempts at them) that were seen a decade or less ago. But why stop at just remaking movies? Video game remakes look like they could start becoming more popular, but that makes sense. No, no—we the human race need to start thinking really big in terms of our remakes…like, for example, objects of historical relevance, perhaps? [...]

The video game deal over at Amazon today is Dead Island for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 for only $25 each (that’s 58% off the list price of $59.99) and for PC for only $26.29 (that’s 47% off the list price of $49.99).

Also part of today’s deal is Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension for Nintendo Wii and Playstation 3 for only $19.99 (that’s 50% off the list price of $39.99)

Note, this deal is valid only for today, Tuesday, January 24, 2012, until 11:59pm PST while supplies last [...]

For decades, Trekkies everywhere have surely fantasized about a special place dedicated to the world of Gene Roddenberry‘s legendary creation, Star Trek. A place where they could escape their own boring lives, and become their favorite Trek characters for a day or two.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, just such a place is on its way…though there’s a bit of a catch that comes with it.

As it turns out, Jordan’s King Abdullah II once appeared in a non–speaking role on Star Trek: Voyager while he was still a prince (you can see it here), and he remains to this day a massive, massive Trekkie. So much so that he’s willing and ready to drop a chunk of the jaw–dropping $1.5 billion cost to make the theme park a reality. [...]

Have You Seen The Surfing Trooper?

He’s a stormtrooper on vacation from the Empire who’s surfing around the world.

Visit Surfing Trooper to see photos of his travel adventures so far and be on the lookout for him in your area. You never know when and where he’ll show up!

Chances are, he’ll have a surfboard, but even when he doesn’t, the pics are great, like this one — probably my favorite one of his travels thus far — where he goes to kick some hobbit ass in Hobbiton in New Zealand!!! [...]

I’ve often said this to fellow metalheads, but it’s pretty much true: Bruce Dickinson can make anything interesting. Not only is he the air raid siren vocalist for Iron Maiden, but he is also an accomplished solo artist, professional fencer, author (he wrote a kids’ book!), and of course, a qualified pilot.

In fact, for those who haven’t seen the Iron Maiden: Flight 666 documentary, Dickinson actually pilots Ed Force One, a customized 757 that carries the personnel and crew and gear for Iron Maiden when on tour. It’s pretty mind-blowing seeing that stuff all set up in one single plane, watching Dickinson pilot it out into the skies, land it, and then change into his stage gear to scream it out loud on top of the very gear he just flew across the world. Seeing this in action in the Sam Dunn documentary is damn impressive.

Anyway, Dickinson recently recorded a training video called Safety in the Balance for the UK Civil Aviation Authority. The premise of the clip is to discuss the precise requirements in load and balance on aeroplanes, and emphasizes the importance of the mathematical precision to ensure that aircraft, ground staff, crew, and passengers are kept safe [...]

Disney announced today the addition of three new ports and unique itineraries for the Disney Cruise Line that will open in 2012.

The new port cities are New York, NY; Seattle, WA; and Galveston, TX. The Disney Magic will sail 20 cruises from NY beginning on May 25, 2012 and will have three itinerary options. The Disney Wonder will sail 7-night Alaskan cruises from Seattle beginning May 28, 2012; and beginning September 22, 2012, the Disney Magic will sail 7-night cruises from Galveston to the Western Caribbean.

See below for more details on the itinerary options. Bookings for the new 2012 itineraries open on April 8, 2011 by phone [calling Disney Cruise Line at (888) DCL-2500] and through disneycruise.com [...]

News has been a little quiet on the Doctor Who front lately, but we do know that production is continuing on the three main shows, Doctor Who, Torchwood: Miracle Day, and The Sarah Jane Adventures. Meanwhile, we came across some cool info on the web that the official TARDIS prop is on display in front of a classic medieval castle in Wales.

In South East Wales, the Doctor’s TARDIS will be on display in front of Raglan Castle during the February half-term (for those of us not in the UK, half-term is a little vacation halfway through the school term — thanks, Terr, for the clarification) [...]

We’ve read and seen many things for Guy Ritchie‘s upcoming new vision of Sherlock Holmes, which is finally preparing to be released tomorrow on Christmas Day. To celebrate the release of this new movie as well as the history of the cherished Arthur Conan Doyle character itself, Londonist went above and beyond the above and beyond to bring us a very cool new look at the actual locations within the world surrounding Holmes: London. The beloved England city is as much a character of the Sherlock Holmes mythology as Watson is, and now you can visit the places and general locations that the crime solving duo visit with this detailed mapping. Head on over to the website to check out their handy work!

The impressive thing about this interactive map is that they didn’t half-ass it at all; the website went ahead and re-read all of the old Sherlock Holmes stories and put together all of the locations to map out. It comes handy with a key that specifies precise locations, general locations, actual Holmes-related locations, and paths that were traveled. No word yet on how many of these locations will be featured in this latest Sherlock Holmes adventure. [...]

Disney has put together a fairly interesting little promotional venture which will involve a train making its rounds on a United States tour for the upcoming motion-capture rendition of the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, which stars Jim Carrey in many of the roles.

The tour will span 40 cities with a four-car museum-like exhibit along with mood-setting additions to surround it. To find out when it will be in a city near you, check out the schedule at USA Today.

When you arrive, there will be a portable theater where you’ll be able to see early footage of the movie. You’ll then walk into a Christmas world with carolers, decorations, and even artificial snow. When you get inside the actual exhibit, you’ll find all sorts of cool things, including: digital portraits of the characters that begin from the concept and morph along to the finished character; a display that teaches people about how motion-capture technology works; interactive games with a photo booth that allows people to become Scrooge; and even some artifacts from the Charles Dickens Museum, including a copy of one of the first editions ever printed of A Christmas Carol. [...]

Big Boondock Saints fan? Live within grasp of Toronto? Wanna be in a movie?

Our favorite production diary videos now include a new one that has all the juicy details for how you can go and be a part of Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day in Canada.

No real complications or catches, just show up at the time and place, ask for the dude, and have at it! Just remember all paperwork and don’t try and stock your trunk full of Canadian goodies. Now they just need to move filming to Boston and do this. Check out the video below for all the information.

Oh, and one more little added bonus for fans of Boondock Saints, here’s a short, silly video of the brothers, Connor and Murphy, testing out some martial arts tricks that they’ve learned on their adventures. God bless the unfortunate film crew they tried them out on [...]

Watch the new trailer for the upcoming CG-animated Star Wars movie, arriving in theaters this August!

In a town better known for demolishing resorts rather than converting them, Las Vegas’s Aladdin gets a Planet Hollywood conversion.