They are Taking Over Film and Television!

Has anyone else noticed that it is hard to turn on the television or watch a movie today that does not involve vampires in one way or another? I mean they really are taking over. Vampires have always been one of the more popular supernatural figures, but thanks to the Twilight franchise, their popularity has skyrocketed.

Twilight paved the way for two very successful television shows. First there was "True Blood" on HBO and now there is "The Vampire Diaries" on The CW. There have also been vampires on the show Supernatural as well as in several movies such as Daybreakers and Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant. We won't even go into all of the books that have come out about vampires. I think Barnes & Noble even has a vampire section.

One thing I find interesting about these vampires is that they are not all the same and they tend to poke fun at each other. Most of them have fangs...except for Twilight...and most of them will die with prolonged exposure to sunlight...except for Twilight. The Vampire Diaries vampires are able to walk around in the sunlight, but only because of some special talisman. The way that they can be killed or weakened also differs. In Twilight they have to be ripped apart. For most of the others, a stake through the heart, beheading them, or burning them tends to do the trick.

It's interesting to see how many different types of vampires there are. If you think back to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", From Dusk Till Dawn, Van Helsing, and Interview with the Vampire. All of the vampires are different in someway or another. And, even though I enjoy a good vampire story as much as the next person, I hope they lighten up on them soon. I'm getting tired of them.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter finally has an opening date! Universal just recently announced that the new theme park will open June 18, 2010. This is very exciting new--at least it is for me, as a big fan of the franchise and theme parks.

Incase you have no idea what I am talking about, Universal Studios in Orlando has a new addition to its already wonderful theme parks. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will be a new island inside Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. The park will feature several places from the books and movies including Hogwarts and Hogsmeade.

The park will be home to three rides. According to Universal, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey--which is housed within Hogwarts castle--is the heart of the new park. The ride combines a powerful story line with new technology. It is suppose to be unlike any other ride currently in existence. The Dragon Challenge is a roller coaster based on the Tri-Wizard Tournament. It's basically the Dueling Dragons roller coaster that used to be at Universal reworked into the Harry Potter story line. The last ride is the Flight of the Hippogriff. This coaster is suppose to be more kid friendly, and less intense than the the Dragon Challenge.

Hogsmeade will house several of the shops and food stops that it houses in the books and movies. The Three Broomsticks will be an actual restaurant that serves Butterbeer (a drink featured in the books). Other familiar stores include Honeydukes (a sweets shop), Ollivanders, as well as Dervish and Banges.

I am very excited to visit this park sometime in the future. I will not be going over the summer though. Orlando is much too hot and crowded during that time of the year.