Sci-Fi Storm

Elisabeth Sladen is getting a second chance at a spinoff series – The Sarah Jane Adventures was announced for the CBBC with a 60-minute special early in the new year, and a series later in the year. Joining her is Yasmin Paige (The Misty Show) as her 13-year-old neighbor, Maria. They join together to fight alien forces within Britain. Update: For those that are unaware, they tried to spin Sarah Jane off before in 1981 with K9 and Company, which also explains how she had a version of K9.

Dexter writes “Launching Cult Conversations and Cult Podcast

‘A fresh voice in Cult Entertainment’

Cult Conversations is a new website specialising in interviews with personalities from the Cult TV Industry that can be downloaded and brought on CD. Cult Conversations aims to showcase mainstream shows alongside the lesser niche television programmes, what fall under the cult genre.

We are currently planning a season of interviews with cast members of ‘The Tomorrow People’, ‘Doctor Who’ as well as other actors and creative talents behind some of the UK’s most influential television series.

The Cult Podcast will be posted monthly and will feature reports from the latest Cult television and film events. The podcast’s are available to downloaded from Cult Conversations free of charge.

The first Podcast features interviews with Gerald Harper, Juliet Harmer, Kim Newman, Peter Halliday, Kevin Davies and Michael Hayes and more, recorded at this years ‘Adam Adamant Lives!’ & ‘A for Andromeda’ DVD launch at the NFT. The Podcast is now available to listen to via www.cultpodcast.co.uk

More Podcasts have already been recorded with a report from the Summer
Memorabilia show at the Birmingham NEC, which includes sound bites from Allo Allo’s Guy Siner, Sue Hodge, Arthur Bostrum and Sam Kelly as well as Leslie Grantham (Dirty Den from ‘Eastenders’) and Anna Karen (Olive from ‘On the Buses’).

An uncut version of the podcast is also available on CD (from the website) including 15 minutes of unbroadcast material.

www.cultconversations.co.uk“

The Trek Movie Report has some video previews as well as a list of stations that will be airing the newly remastered original Star Trek. Also interesting: Apparently none of the stations will get a true HD copy to air. CBS sites lack of storage capacity at the stations and few of them HD-capable, and claim they would when “enough stations” have upgraded – but the stations are saying they want it in HD.

I guess the production vs. distribution rights haven’t quite been settled yet. MGM is talking about “tentpole” films – ones that “prop up” the studio for the entire year – and mentioned The Hobbit having possibly “one or two installments”, and hoping that Peter Jackson will direct. However as previously reported, New Line Cinema owns the production rights – so I’m not sure how this one is working out. Update: Apparently the two studios may have reached an agreement.

Producer Russell T. Davies says they are already planning the 4th series – with a just a drive to Manchester, 9 episodes were already planned. In addition, the actor who will play William Shakespeare has been announced: Dean Lennox Kelly, recently of British shows Sorted and Shameless.

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the airing of “The Man Trap”, the first aired episode of the original Star Trek. It aired right after Daniel Boone on NBC. Ironically, Star Trek is now owned by CBS. I’m not aware of anything planned for tonight…please post if you do. There is more info about the re-rendering of the original special effects – notably the opening – for the 40th anniversary syndication edition on SCI FI Wire, which should begin airing on local stations on Sept. 16th.

Again, for a limited time, you can download the Season 3 trailer (5MB, WMV) for Battlestar Galactica. Be kind – please only download once and save, send it to friends, etc. Update: Link removed.

This is a suprise: As part of a restructuring at MGM Worldwide Television Distribution Group, it was mentioned that the group would handle distribution of 4 sequel films – including Species 4 and War Games 2. The followup to the 1983 hacker’s dream War Games will start shooting in November, and deal with what happens when they try and dismantle the WOPR. Time for everyone to dig out their IMSAI computers and hook them up…

Anonymous Coward writes “This is a great interview with James Callis and talks about season 3 of Battlestar without giving too much away:

http://www.ifmagazine.com/feature.asp?article=1659“

From the Whedonesque blog: The SCI FI Channel will run 11 episodes Firefly series on September 18th starting at 8am. I wonder if anyone keeps records of the “most watched cancelled show in history”…