23 years of this site still chugging along...
Paramount’s Galaxy Quest series lands at Amazon
by Doc on Aug.27, 2015, under Movies, Television
We knew Paramount was looking for a movie-to-series adaptation of Galaxy Quest a few months ago and was shopping it around…now EW reports that the project has landed at Amazon Studios, where it will undergo further development.
Beyond that, little is known, other than the production crew will look the same. Co-writer Robert Gordon, director Dean Parisot and executive producers Mark Johnson and Melissa Bernstein are all back and will do the same for the pilot, with the Gordon and Parisot also exec producing.
It’s still a long ways off…but never give up…never surrender…
Latest Star Wars teaser…short but HUGE
by Doc on Aug.27, 2015, under Movies
There has been an awakening…
It looks like we are getting teased what may be a big part of this movie…but Finn looks rather unprepared…
Dark Matter preview: Episodes 12 and 13 (Season Finale)
by Doc on Aug.24, 2015, under Television
In Episode 12, a retrieval op at a remote research facility becomes a dangerous and surprising homecoming for one member of the crew. Guest Starring Wil Wheaton!
And in Episode 13, personalities clash, long-held secrets are revealed, and the crew is rocked by a shocking betrayal.
It all starts at 9/8c Friday night on Syfy!
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2015 Hugos conclude with 5 “No Award” results
by Doc on Aug.23, 2015, under Awards, Conventions
The 2015 Hugo Awards, given at this weekend’s World Science Fiction Convention in Seattle at Sasquan, saw controversy even before the nominations were out, with the group “Sad Puppies” attempting to influence the nomination and voting process to correct what they perceived as the infiltration of the genre by women and minorities, where it was formerly “ruled” by white males. Sounds like the same mentality that led to Gamergate…but in the end, the Sad Puppies lost out, and may have resulted in perhaps deserving winners winding up as collateral damage due to the Puppies support. 5 categories – Best Novella, Best Short Story, Best Related Work, Best Editor, Short Form, and Best Editor, Long Form all resulted in “No Award” winning, with four others having No Award in second place, as well as the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer also coming in second. In fact, in the cases where “No Award” won, it did so by a far margin on the first pass of ballot. This seems to be a resounding defeat of the Sad Puppies movement.
The winners that did come away with a rocketship:
Best Novel: [asin=0765377063]The Three Body Problem[/asin], Cixin Liu, Ken Liu translator
Best Novelette: The Day the World Turned Upside Down, Thomas Olde Heuvelt, Lia Belt translator
Best Graphic Story: [asin=0785198288]Ms. Marvel Volume 1: No Normal[/asin], written by G. Willow Wilson, illustrated by Adrian Alphona and Jake Wyatt
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: Guardians of the Galaxy, written by James Gunn and Nicole Perlman, directed by James Gunn
Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Orphan Black: “By Means Which Have Never Yet Been Tried”, ” written by Graham Manson, directed by John Fawcett
Best Professional Artist: Julie Dillon
Best Semiprozine: Lightspeed Magazine, edited by John Joseph Adams, Stefan Rudnicki, Rich Horton, Wendy N. Wagner, and Christie Yant
Best Fanzine: Journey Planet, edited by James Bacon, Christopher J Garcia, Colin Harris, Alissa McKersie, and Helen J. Montgomery
Best Fancast: Galactic Suburbia Podcast, Alisa Krasnostein, Alexandra Pierce, Tansy Rayner Roberts (Presenters) and Andrew Finch (Producer)
Best Fan Writer: Laura J. Mixon
Best Fan Artist: Elizabeth Leggett
The John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer: Wesley Chu
Dennis Haysbert, David Hewlett and Ian Tracey join Syfy’s Incorporated
by Doc on Aug.19, 2015, under Television
Syfy today announced that Golden Globe nominee Dennis Haysbert (24), David Hewlett (Stargate Atlantis) and Ian Tracey (Wayward Pines) have joined the cast of the channel’s new futuristic espionage thriller pilot Incorporated from Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s Pearl Street Films, CBS Television Studios and Universal Cable Productions.
Set in a world where companies have unlimited power, executive Ben Larson (Sean Teale, Reign) is forced to change his identity in order to infiltrate a cut-throat corporate world at SPIGA and save the woman he loves. In the process, he will take on the entire system — with deadly consequences.
Dennis Haysbert plays series regular Julian, Head of Security and probably the most feared person at SPIGA headquarters. Part detective and part grand inquisitor, Julian is a tenacious investigator with an uncanny ability to sniff out moles and traitors in the company. Haysbert’s numerous credits include Major League, The Unit, Absolute Power, Jarhead and Ted 2.
David Hewlett has joined the cast of the pilot as Chad, a high-level executive at SPIGA, the all-powerful company in Incorporated, who has reached his position by appeasing his superiors and taking credit for the achievements of his subordinates. Hewlett has appeared in SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, Stargate Universe, Dark Matter and Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
Ian Tracey has joined the cast of the pilot as Terrence, a corrupt businessman who quickly becomes a benefactor to Theo (Eddie Ramos, Parenthood), but could also become a threat to Ben’s plans for SPIGA. Tracey has starred in Intelligence, Rogue and Bates Motel.
The pilot will also star Georgina Haig (Once Upon a Time), Eddie Ramos (Teen Wolf) and Julia Ormond (Mad Men).
Incorporated is created by David and Alex Pastor (Selfless, The Last Days), who wrote and will direct the pilot. Ted Humphrey (The Good Wife) will serve as executive producer/showrunner, with Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Todd also executive producing. Pearl Street Film’s Margaret Chernin will serve as associate producer.
Yvonne Craig, 1937-2015
by Doc on Aug.19, 2015, under Obituaries, Television
Actress Yvonne Craig, best known for her pioneering role of Batgirl in the original Batman TV series, died on Monday in her home at the age of 78 after a two year long battle with breast cancer.
Craig’s foray into acting came quite accidentally. While working as a dancer, she had dinner with a producer who wanted to get her into films, but she was uninterested. But another man passed by her table and asked if she was an actress. The producer said, “Yes she is, and I’m her manager…” The man was Patrick Ford, the son of director John Ford, and was looking for a new leading lady to star opposite Patrick Wayne (John Wayne’s son) in The Young Land. And thus the dancer became the actress.
But it was when ABC wanted them to add the Batgirl character to Batman‘s third season that she was forever enshrined in genre fan’s memories. The purple-suited, motorcycle-riding female superhero (one of the first such live action roles), who’s real identity was a mystery even to Batman himself but was in reality Commissioner Gordon’s daughter Barbara, the librarian, helped ABC’s decision to pick up the show for a third (and final) season.
Star Trek fans will also remember Craig as the beautiful (but insane) green-skinned Orion slave girl Marta in the episode “Whom Gods Destroy”.
Private services are planned but not set. Her family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the cancer research and treatment center, the Angeles Clinic Foundation.
Dark Matter preview: Episode Eleven
by Doc on Aug.18, 2015, under Television
On the next episode of Dark Matter, the crew plots to retake the ship from a group of ruthless mercenaries hell-bent on delivering them to the Galactic Authority. Tune in Friday at 10/9c on Syfy!
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Syfy officially cancels Haven
by Doc on Aug.18, 2015, under Television
We were waiting for the axe to drop, and now it finally has – Syfy has officially canceled Haven after 5 seasons, although 13 episodes remain to air. Syfy had previously said they would wait for the second half of Season 5 to air before making a decision, but when the airing got pushed on the schedule to October, a year after it was filmed, it seemed more and more likely that it would not get renewed.
There were a number of factors working against it. Earlier this year the Nova Scotia government voted to significantly cut the film tax credit given to productions in the province, where Haven was filmed. While this may not have been a direct factor, it would have made the cost of production increase even more.
Also, production typically took place during the summer, where an ice rink in Chester served as the primary studio, with external shots typically taking place around Chester and Lunenburg. When the double-sized season was ordered last year, it meant that production would extend past their typical August end date into December, and Chester needed their ice rink back. So they used a vacated warehouse in Halifax for the second half. If they continued production at this late date, they would still need an alternate studio location.
Plus, contracts for actors, production, storage, etc. only last so long.
I was in Nova Scotia this past week, and people were still hopeful production would begin again. Haven brought $28 million to the province and $1 million just for Chester in local spending.
Fortunately for fans, as mentioned there are still 13 episodes yet to air and they will starting October 8th. And if there is never to be more Haven, they will wrap things up nicely, but the door is still open…TheWrap has a nice interview with showrunner Gabrielle Stanton about the ending. And fans have already started #SaveHaven in the hopes more can be done.
Killjoys season finale preview: “Escape Velocity”
by Doc on Aug.17, 2015, under Television
As peace in the Quad hangs in the balance, our Killjoys are finally compelled to choose a side. Tune in for the season finale, “Escape Velocity”, Friday at 9/8c on Syfy!
Disney confirms Star Wars land expansions for Walt Disney World and Disneyland
by Doc on Aug.15, 2015, under Fun Stuff, Movies
Check out the article on our sister site for details, but if you have been waiting for a bigger theme park experience than Star Tours, you’re going to be very happy…