Archive for June 2012

Have a Cat From Hell? Jackson Galaxy Can Help

June 29, 2012 | by kdelmonico

Is your cat driving you up the wall? Enter Jackson Galaxy, also known as the “Cat Daddy”. On Animal Planet’s very aptly named My Cat From Hell, Jackson works with pet owners whose feline friends are making their lives miserable. These aren’t run of the mill pets behaving badly – on Saturday’s season premiere, Justin and Susanne’s Bengal cat continually attacks Susan and Emile and Mike’s feline duo constantly get into bloody cat fights. In Jackson’s words: “I help cats, man. It’s just what I do.”

Check out a sneak peek of these misbehaved pets below and don’t miss the premiere of My Cat From Hell on Animal Planet, Saturday at 8pm ET/PT.

Discovery Education and 3M Name Young Scientist Challenge Finalists

June 28, 2012 | by aharris

Science rocks! Student scientists across the country challenged themselves to think outside the box when they entered the 14th annual Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge in January, and today Discovery Education and 3M have announced the 10 finalists. Discovery Education teamed up with 3M to get students in grades 5-8 to create a new innovative object that facilitates a problem in everyday life, and they are offering a $25,000 prize to the winner.

This summer, the 10 finalists have the opportunity to work with a 3M scientist in a mentorship program and create a prototype of the invention they described in their submission videos. The competition will culminate at 3M Headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota in October, where students will individually present the problem they identified in everyday life and their prototype. The winner will receive $25,000, a trip from Discovery Student Adventures and the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist.” Congratulations to the finalists!

The finalists are:

  • Aidan Dwyer, Northport, N.Y., Northport Middle School
  • Naren Gaurev, Beaverton, Ore., Meadow Park Summa Middle School
  • Brandon Gong, Garden City, N.Y., Garden City Middle School
  • Carolyn Jons, Eden Prairie, Minn., Central Middle School
  • Deepika Kurup, Nashua, N.H., Fairgrounds Middle School
  • Chase Lewis, Chapel Hill, N.C., Homeschool
  • Gabriel Mesa, Canton, Conn., Canton Intermediate School
  • Anin Sayana, Cupertino, Calif., Challenger School
  • Patrick Shea, Jacksonville, Ill., Our Saviour School
  • Anishaa Sivakumar, Murrysville, Pa., Franklin Regional Middle School

 

He’s Baaaack! Chompie Returns to Discovery HQ in Silver Spring

June 27, 2012 | by aharris

The 25th anniversary of Discovery Channel‘s Shark Week (returning August 12) is going to have more bite than ever this year — on TV, online, across social media…and in Silver Spring! Fan-favorite Chompie, a 446-foot long inflatable shark, will be returning to Discovery Communications‘ headquarters next month in anticipation of the longest-running cable event. Local residents should stay tuned for additional Shark Week festivities coming to the D.C. area later this summer.

As our friend Tracy Jordan says, “Live every week like it’s Shark Week.”

Chompie on Discovery Communications Headquarters in 2010

Chompie on Discovery Communications’ Headquarters in 2010

Fast Facts About Chompie

  • Chompie is 446 feet long from the tip of his nose to the back of his tail, 113 feet tall from his belly to his dorsal fin and 200 feet wide from tip to tip of his side fins. If he were a real shark, he would weigh 84,000 pounds!
  • It took 11,720 yards of fabric to make the shark – that’s 6.65 miles of fabric! It also took 36.7 miles of thread and 3/4 of a mile of seatbelt webbing to build the shark. The only non-fabric part of the inflatable shark is the rings that are used to attach the shark to the building.
  • The five pieces (head, two side fins, dorsal fin and tail) will be hoisted into place by a crane and tied down by cables and ropes.
  • Chompie must be continuously inflated by air while he is installed. It takes 10 air blowers blowing 2,000 cubic feet of air per minute to keep the five pieces inflated.

TLC Gets Crafty with Tori Spelling & ‘Craft Wars’

June 26, 2012 | by aharris

What do you get when you have three crafters, two competitive rounds of do-it-yourself projects and one $10,000 prize? Craft Wars! TLC‘s new series re-defines the art of crafting by showcasing imaginative contestants who put a modern spin on an long-treasured American pastime. Contestants will have access to a fully stocked craft closet designed to give them all the supplies and inspiration needed to create their crafts.

Actress, designer and avid crafter Tori Spelling is the series’ host and executive produce, serving as both a guide for the audience and a mentor to the contestants. Expert judges Stephen Brown, Erica Domesek and Jo Pearson will critique contestants on their creations and will decide who continues to the next round of competition.

Check out a preview below and don’t miss Craft Wars tonight at 10pm ET/PT on TLC.

Mafia Secrets Revealed on New Discovery Channel Series ‘Mobster Confessions’

June 25, 2012 | by aharris

What would you do if you knew the Mafia’s secrets – would you protect the men involved despite their criminal lifestyle, or would you risk being hunted by the Mafia to bring an end to its violence?  And, what if you only knew the Mafia secrets because you were born into a Mafia family? This is the gut-wrenching decision six Mafia informants had to make on Discovery’s new series Mobster Confessions.  These men, born into some of the most notorious mobster families in the country, put their lives on the line for justice after seeing just how brutal this violent world of crime could be.

The six-part series features the bone-chilling testimonies of New York, Philadelphia and Las Vegas mobsters who risked their lives to dismantle the Mafia.  Viewers will get a behind-the-scenes look into the inner-workings of the mob – and what turned these Mafia-born gangsters to informants – tonight on Discovery Channel at 9pm ET/PT.

 

‘Oddities’ Invades the West Coast Saturdays on Science

June 22, 2012 | by kdelmonico

It’s one of the oldest sayings in the book: one man’s trash is another man’s two-headed stuffed pigeon. When it comes to the wares sold at Loved to Death, the setting of Science’s Oddities: San Francisco, “unusual antiques” might be a mild descriptor. But, as we know from the original Oddities, there’s certainly a market for mummified cats and pickled hearts among the eccentric.

Loved to Death has been open for three years in the heart of the Haight-Ashbury District in San Francisco. Owner Audra and her staff Korri, Wednesday and Corrinne sell their medical oddities, unique taxidermies and more to clients ranging from street performers to intrigued tourists. After getting to know the Obscura gang, I can only imagine what’s in store when we head out to the West Coast for Oddities: San Francisco, premiering tomorrow at 9pm ET/PT on Science.