23 years of this site still chugging along...
Doctor Who Season 2 DVDs in January in U.S.
by Doc on Sep.22, 2006, under General News
BBC Worldwide Americas told SCI FI Wire that the second season DVD release of the new Doctor Who will hit the streets on January 16th, right after the second season finale airs on the SCI FI Channel. The release will be identical to the UK release (to avoid jealousy, apparently, on either side of the pond), although the packaging may differ. Pre-order links when available, and hopefully a review when it comes out.
Spaceballs gets animated
by Doc on Sep.21, 2006, under Television
G4 and MGM TV have gotten together and are producing an animated series based on Spaceballs, Mel Brooks’ cult-hit spoof of Star Wars. A one-hour pilot and 13 half-hour episodes are ordered, and will air in the U.S. on G4. Brooks will reprise his roles in voice, and helped write the pilot.
BBC keeps Who Earthbound
by Doc on Sep.21, 2006, under Television
Russell T. Davies is explaining why the Doctor doesn’t get into space much. Despite last season’s two-parter of “The Impossible Planet/Satan’s Pit” being set around a black hole, Davies says about episodes like that, “They’re hugely expensive,” and “The programmes that do show alien planets are not prime-time programmes.” Apparently the BBC hasn’t seen fit to give the show its deserved budget.
New Tolkien book to be released
by Doc on Sep.19, 2006, under Books
Christopher Tolkien, son of the late J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and other books set in his mythical Middle Earth, spent the last 30 years editing an abandoned tale of his father’s called “The Children of Húrin”. Although it has appeared in excerpt form in other books, it is now being released as its own novel. The story refers to the tragic tales of the descendants of Húrin, a captive of Morgoth. In particular, his son Túrin and daughter Nienor, in a story with Elves, Dwarves, and even a dragon (Glaurung, Father of Dragons). The book is set to be published in the Spring of 2007.
The Dead Zone gets 6th season
by Doc on Sep.18, 2006, under Television
The Dead Zone, which some say was unlikely to get renewed due to increasing costs, gets a reprieve, albeit a short one. USA Network has ordered up 13 more episodes.
New Doctor Who spinoff- The Sarah Jane Adventures
by Doc on Sep.14, 2006, under Television
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.
Cult Podcast
by Doc on Sep.12, 2006, under Audio
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.
Remastered Trek preview and station list
by Doc on Sep.12, 2006, under Television
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.
The Hobbit as two films?
by Doc on Sep.11, 2006, under Movies
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.
Who series 4 takes shape, as does Shakespeare
by Doc on Sep.09, 2006, under Television
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.