Sci-Fi Storm

March 18th will finally see the release of Season 3 of Battlestar Galactica. Several new classic Doctor Who episodes have also been added to the release list: “Planet of Evil”, March 4th (I may have missed this previously); “The Time Warrior” and “Timelash”, April 1st; and “The Silurians”, “The Sea Devils” and “The Warriors Of The Deep”, all on June 3rd. Those last three can also be had in a single box set called “Beneath The Surface”, also on June 3rd.

Author and editor Michael Moorcock, perhaps best known for his fantasy novel series Elric of Melnibone, will receive the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award for 2008 at this year’s Nebula Awards in April.

I hereby coin the term “DVDequel” (I did a Google search with no hits). Get Smart, starring Steve Carell (40 Year Old Virgin) and Anne Hathaway (Ella Enchanted) and opening June 20th, will get a “sequel” of sorts that will go direct to DVD – and come out around the same time. Get Smart’s Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control will focus on the minor characters of Bruce (Masi Oka, Heroes) and Lloyd (Nate Torrence, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip). Carell does not appear in it, nor is it directed by Get Smart‘s director, Peter Segal. Warner Brothers is apparently experimenting with a new idea, which will allow you to see a movie in a theater and then get a quick fix for more at home.

Anonymous Coward writes “Dinosaurs: Return to Life? is airing again Discovery Channel Saturday March 1 at 9 pm and Sunday March 2 at 11 am.” Alert for those who missed it the first time…

The Oscars apparently didn’t garner as good ratings as it has in the past, and some said it was due to the dark, artsy nature of most of the leading contenders and no super-blockbuster films, or the lingering effects of the writers strike. Anyways, a few genre (or near-genre) films did get some technical nods. Disney/Pixar’s Ratatouille (DVD/Blu-Ray. available now) scored a second Best Animated Feature Oscar for Brad Bird, who previously scored with 2004’s The Incredibles, and The Golden Compass (DVD/Blu-Ray, April 29th) won for Visual Effects.

Got a hankering for some of the classic, campy sci-fi of the 70s, or other shows of the era? Check out NBC.com’s Way Back Wednesdays, and catch episodes of Buck Rogers and Battlestar Galactica, along with other classics like The A-Team, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Miami Vice, Night Gallery (which frightened the bejesus out of me as a young kid on a sleepless night), and a personal fave, Emergency! NBC Universal sister sites SCIFI.com, CHILLERTV.com, SLEUTHCHANNEL.com are also taking part with some additional series, such as TekWar, Kojak, and more…Read More for the press release with all the series.

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David Grauberger writes ”
Press Release – It was only a matter of time…Launch of Torchwood: The Official Magazine

Critically acclaimed sci-fi drama Torchwood has become the biggest hit in the history of BBC AMERICA with over 1.6million viewers watching the first episode alone. Following on that success, Titan Magazines presents Torchwood: The Official Magazine ? the essential guide to the adrenalin-fuelled exploits of Captain Jack Harkness and his team of investigators who use alien technology to solve crime.”

Read More for the rest of the release. Looks like the magazine is as of yesterday available in the United States as well.

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The new Knight Rider telefilm got the best demographics for a TV movie in nearly three years, scoring a 5.0/12 overall and showing a broad demographic. Looks like we will be seeing more of the new K.I.T.T. – but will we see more of the Hoff, or will they try and let the series stand on its own?

In a stunning mirror image of the Great VCR Wars, Sony has emerged the victor with its Blu-Ray Disc technology, now that Toshiba has thrown in the towel. Shipments of players to retailers should stop by the end of March, but I don’t see anyone buying them now. No word on how long it will take Paramount, DreamWorks and Universal to change to Blu-Ray. I will probably pull links from HD-DVD titles on the various store pages soon. Update 2/21: Universal apparently announced shortly after Toshiba that they would support Blu-Ray; Paramount Paramount announced it today, which I believed includes DreamWorks, so the win is complete. No timetable has been given for BD releases though.

The Thunder Child writes “If you’ve missed the first few episodes of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, you can read synopses and reviews at http://thethunderchild.com/Sourcebooks/TerminatorS ourcebook.html. Meantime, our new reviewer Greg Gregoire has done retro reviews of William Gibson’s classic novel Neuromancer at http://thethunderchild.com/Reviews/GabeGregoire/Ne uromancer.html, and of Ursula K. LeGuin’s classic A Wizard of Earthsea at http://thethunderchild.com/Reviews/GabeGregoire/Wi zardofEarthsea.html. Greg will also be our first comic book reviewer, so bookmark his Contributor’s page so you can be sure to see all his writing for The Thunder Child. Other new book reviews are available at our Table of Contents page at http://thethunderchild.com/TableofContents.html.”