23 years of this site still chugging along...
Saruman in The Hobbit?
by Doc on Jun.04, 2008, under Movies
Could Saruman appear in the upcoming Hobbit movies? Christopher Lee is hoping so. He understands that to fill out two movies, the material will need to be expanded – and he has a wealth of knowledge about Middle Earth and the Istari (Wizards). “I’d be interested in seeing how that transition from good to evil occurred and, yes, of course I would return to the role if I was asked.” Saruman does not appear in the book, but both he and Radagast the Brown would be around at the time.
Milky Way loses its arms
by Doc on Jun.04, 2008, under Science
After a bit of scientific amputation, astronomers have again reevaluated the shape of the Milky Way based on data from the Spitzer Space Telescope, and reduced the number of spiral arms from four to two. Back in 2005 Spitzer revealed that the Milky Way was in fact a barred spiral, as opposed to a “perfect” spiral as previously thought.
Star Trek producer Justman passed away
by Doc on Jun.02, 2008, under General News
It’s been a particularly bad couple of weeks for crew of the Enterprise. Star Trek producer Robert H. Justman, who worked on the original series as well as Star Trek: The Next Generation (and was instrumental in getting Patrick Stewart cast) passed away Wednesday due to complications of Parkinson’s Disease. He was 81. I’ll leave off the transporter jokes that are being done to death, but I like this quote from his son: “There seems to be a big ‘Star Trek’ convention and everyone is going,” Jonathan Justman said. “Everyone is getting beamed up.”
Reboot back as as comic
by Doc on May.30, 2008, under Comics, Television
The mystery wait is over. Reboot has come back as a comic book, but it includes fan involvement, with the fans apparently acting as consultants. “The ReBoot saga continues with this first installment of the Code of Honor storyline: Paradigms Lost. Two mortal enemies set aside their differences to battle a viral outbreak that threatens the stability of cyberspace. Will the unlikely allies cooperate… or stab each other in their backups?” There are still plans for three feature-length films though, produced wholly in-house, and previously described as a “reboot” of the franchise.
Details on Abrams’ Fringe
by Doc on May.30, 2008, under Television
SCI FI Wire has details about J.J. Abrams’ upcoming Fox series Fringe (warning: some spoilers in the article). The pilot contains elements of Alias and Lost (both Abrams shows) along with X-Files. Anna Torv’s character, FBI special agent Olivia Dunham, is described as a cross between Dana Scully, Sydney Bristow and Kate Austin.
Star Trek composer Courage passed away
by Doc on May.29, 2008, under General News
Alexander “Sandy” Courage, who composed the infamous fanfare theme for Star Trek, passed away May 15th at the age of 88, after years of declining health. He shared an Emmy in 1988 for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction on Julie Andrews: The Sound of Christmas, had two other nominations and two Oscar nominations as well.
Star Trek director Pevney passed away
by Doc on May.29, 2008, under General News
It was announced today that Star Trek director Joseph Pevney passed away May 18th at the age of 96. Pevney directed 14 episodes of the original series including some of the classic episodes like “The City on the Edge of Forever” and “The Trouble With Tribbles”. He also directed episodes of many action-oriented shows, like The Incredible Hulk, Adam-12, and Emergency!, and movies such as Tammy and the Bachelor.
Firefly Blu-Ray pre-orders now being taken
by Doc on May.29, 2008, under Video/DVD
Amazon has started taking pre-orders for the upcoming Firefly Blu-Ray Edition – even though a release date hasn’t been set, or details on features. The price point is a bit high as well, but it could come down before release when more information is known, and Amazon will guarantee that you will only pay the lowest price they offer it between now and the release date.
Andromeda Strain miniseries/DVD review
by Doc on May.28, 2008, under Television, Video/DVD
The miniseries just aired on A&E, and the DVD will be released next Tuesday. Remaking a classic (albeit dated) movie is always a risky business, so the obvious question is – did they do a good job? Alas, not really – but they could have…
Transcript from Jackson/del Toro Hobbit chat available
by Doc on May.27, 2008, under Movies
The previously announced chat with fans done by Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro about the upcoming The Hobbit and its unnamed sequel is now available. 6000 fans tuned in, and asked a whopping 7000 questions – no, they didn’t answer ALL of them…