The Anti-Gravity Room

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The Anti-Gravity Room was a weekly Canadian television program of the mid-late 1990s, spotlighting comic books and video games, and hosted by Nick Scoullar and Phil Guerrero. It was produced by YTV in Canada, and was carried in the United States on the Sci-Fi Channel. It featured interviews with international comic creators, coverage of comic events, reviews of video games, and guest hosts such as Ben Stiller and Kevin Smith.

History

Nick started his first show, TALKCOMICS, in 1993 with his best friend Milan Dale. It was a call-in show which aired on the public-access television station Manhattan Neighborhood Network(MNN).[1][2] Viewers would call in with questions on comic books and host Nick Scoullar would answer them.

Word of the show got around and it was jointly picked up by Canada's YTV, America's Fremantle Corporation and Sci-Fi channel, and turned into The Anti-Gravity Room. The show was expanded into more of a news/information show that still covered comics, but also more literature, games, movies and music. Two more hosts were added: Phil Guerrero and Shashi Bhatia. Nick was based in New York City, Phil in Toronto and Shashi in Los Angeles.

Shashi would later be replaced by Jaimy Mahlon over the course of the series' four-year run. Other hosts included Eugenie Vincent, Aashna Patel, Patricia Ribeiro and Jackie Farry.

The fifth and final season of The Anti-Gravity Room only aired on YTV, as the Sci-Fi Channel decided to cancel the series early.[3] [4]

It was followed with the spiritual-sequel series, Warp, which premiered on September 17, 1998 on YTV. Unlike The Anti-Gravity Room, which was focused on comics, Warp covered a range of topics in sci-fi, pop-culture, television, movies and technology. Phil continued as host and was joined by fellow YTV personality Paul McGuire. Nick continued to host some segments. Jennifer Racicot (aka PJ Katie) hosted segments called Real Warped which highlighted movies. [5]

References

  1. ^ Scoullar, Nick (March–April 1994). "Going Public: How I Started My Own T.V. Show". www.zuzu.org. ZuZu. Archived from the original on 18 April 1997. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  2. ^ "A Show Without Gravity". Television Business International: 42. November 1994.
  3. ^ "YTV - the Anti Gravity Room - EPISODES". 11 February 1998. Archived from the original on 1998-02-11. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  4. ^ "Syfy Channel schedule listings - Inner Mind". www.innermind.com. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  5. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "YTV Warp - Directors". YouTube. 28 August 2016.