The Real-Life "UP"

Have you ever wondered if Disney/Pixar’s movie, “Up”, were possible (minus the talking dog, of course)?  A group of scientists, balloon pilots, and engineers have made it a reality.

In about two weeks time, a wooden house 16 x 16 feet was built for flight.  Once constructed, 300 helium-filled balloons were attached to the structure, and we have lift off!

For more photos, go to the National Geographic Channel’s website.  For a more in depth look on the project, check out the series “How Hard Can It Be” on the National Geographic Channel this Fall.

10-Year-Old Film Critic Predicts The Oscars

Still in elementary school, Perry Chen, the incredible 10-year-old film critic, manages to find time to make his own movies, sculpt, draw, write film reviews, and still has time to do his homework.

The 5th grader is in a class all his own, and the next “Ebert in Training” is seen as the spokesperson for his generation — and now Perry has just predicted who will win the Best Animated Feature at Sunday night’s Oscar telecast.

Of the three films nominated, Perry knows that the race is really between “Toy Story 3″ and “How To Train Your Dragon.” Perry gave each one a very high score on his patented starfish rating system.

“They all got 4.5 out of 5 starfish, they’re all great, but the crowd favorite is ‘Toy Story 3′ — it’s the top animation film of all time and its been getting a lot of Oscar buzz,” says Perry confidently, who primarily reviews only  G and PG-rated films.

Tune in on Sunday night to see whether 10-year-old film critic Perry Chen’s prediction comes true!

To see pictures from the whole story, click here.