23 years of this site still chugging along...
Author Michael Crichton passes away
by Doc on Nov.05, 2008, under Obituaries
SF author, director and producer Michael Crichton, who wrote Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park and more, and created the long running TV drama ER, passed away at the age of 66 after battling cancer.
Planet of the Apes Blu-Ray review
by Doc on Nov.04, 2008, under Video/DVD
For the 40th anniversary of the release of Planet of the Apes, 20th Century Fox re-released all the movies on Blu-Ray today, including the original with a slew of extras, and a box set of all five films. Here is a review of the Blu-Ray release of the original movie. See the Sci-Fi Movie Store for all the individual movies (and DVD releases as well).
Defying Gravity to be produced by Fox TV Studios
by Doc on Nov.04, 2008, under Television
Defying Gravity, a 13 episode series, is set to go into production in Vancouver January 19th by Fox TV Studios – but isn’t sold to a U.S. outlet yet. Gravity is more of an international production, and won’t be shopped to networks in the U.S. until it is completed. The series stars Ron Livingston (Office Space)and German actress Florentine Lahme (Impact), and is about eight astronauts from five countries who take on a mysterious six-year mission through the solar system. Executive producer Michael Edelstein says the inspiration came from the BBC docudrama Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets.
Lando vs. Palpatine for Emperor?
by Doc on Nov.04, 2008, under General News
Tired of the same old same old? Stormtroopers stopping you on the street? Empire taking all your hard earned credits? Economy stopping you from taking that ski vacation on Hoth? Perhaps you should vote for Lando Calrissian!
Heroes producers let go or fired
by Doc on Nov.03, 2008, under Television
Depending on who’s report you read, Heroes producers Jesse Alexander and Jeph Loeb were either fired or left over creative differences. Either way, ratings of the show have continued to slide, probably not helped by the complex storyline this season.
JMS writing Forbidden Planet remake
by Doc on Oct.31, 2008, under Movies
J. Michael Straczynski, who’s The Changeling opens in wide release today, is currently working on a remake of the classic 1956 movie Forbidden Planet for Warner Brothers, which has long been in development – last I heard was in 2001 when New Line got the rights, and apparently Dreamworks has had it since until last year. I wonder if Robby the Robot will come out of retirement?
Death Stars and Combat Robots at the Phoenix Comicon
by Doc on Oct.30, 2008, under Conventions
Kate Davids writes “Mesa – The Phoenix Comicon has added two more sci-fi guests. They are Richard LeParmentier (‘Admiral Motti’ from ‘Star Wars’) and Marjean Holden (‘Sheeva’ from ‘Mortal Kombat: Annihilation’). “Don’t mess with these people,” said Amy Black, Guest Liaison Director, “One is an Imperial Officer and the other a killing robot, so be on your best behavior!”” Read More for more details.
The Asimov Project : free PDF, free contest
by Doc on Oct.30, 2008, under General News
The Thunder Child writes “Isaac Asimov wrote hundreds of essays, many of them for the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. These were collected into anthologies, and we have put together a 121-page, annoted index, in a free PDF, which you may download by going here. It lists every name Asimov ever mentioned, his description of them, and their birth and death dates.
Then, have a bit of fun with our “To Be Sure” contest. “To be sure” was one of Asimov’s favorite phrases, and if you’ve got a collection of his essay anthologies, and care to play the game, there’s prizes at the end of it. See more details here“
David Tennant leaving Doctor Who
by Doc on Oct.29, 2008, under Television
Shortly after Doctor Who won Best Drama and David Tennant won Outstanding Drama Performance at the National Television Awards, David announced that he is departing the show after the 4 specials are completed, which will air through 2009 to early 2010. “”I’d always thought the time to leave would be in conjunction with Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner who have been such a huge part of it all for me,” he said. “Steven Moffat is the most brilliant and exciting writer, the only possible successor to Russell and it was sorely tempting to be part of his amazing new plans for the show. I will be there, glued to my TV when his stories begin in 2010.” More rumors about his successor should be showing up any moment…
Downey, Favreau confirmed for more than just Iron Man 2
by Doc on Oct.28, 2008, under Movies
Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. and director Jon Favreau, already confirmed on Iron Man 2, will be working on more in the franchise. Downey has agreed to a retroactive 4 picture deal with Marvel Studios, which now includes Iron Man 3 and The Avengers, and Favreau is confirmed to executive produce The Avengers. In addition, Don Cheadle, who takes over the role of Jim Rhodes, is also signed to appear in The Avengers.