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Felicia Day to Star in Syfy's Red

Felicia Day GuildFelicia Day (The Guild, Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog) will portray a werewolf-hunting descendant of Little Red Riding Hood in the new Syfy original movie, Red. The film is scheduled to premiere in 2011. Syfy is also developing films around the stories of Aladdin, Sinbad the Sailor and Hansel & Gretel.

In Red, Red (Felicia Day) brings her fiance home, where he meets the family and learns about their business - hunting werewolves. Red' fiance is skeptical until he is bitten by a werewolf. When her family insists he must be killed, Red tries saving him. Red also stars Kavan Smith (Stargate Atlantis) and Stephen McHattie (Watchmen). Red is produced by Angela Mancuso and Vesuvius Productions in association with Chesler Perlmutter Productions.

Posted on March 9, 2010
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Video: Second Trailer for Prince of Persia

The second trailer for Prince of Persia is out and it looks great. Jake Gyllenhaal shows off his English accent and his fighting style. Gemma Arterton shows off a bit of attitude. And the tech team shows off some very impressive CGI. Take a look:



Posted on March 2, 2010
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Trailer Snip: M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender

The full trailer for M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender will air during the Superbowl. Here's a very small clip from the trailer -- it's too short to judge much of anything, but the special effects and sets look awesome. Take a look:



Posted on February 4, 2010
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Avatar, District 9 Nominated for Best Picture Oscar

Screenshots from Avatar and District 9


For the first time ever, two science fiction films have been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. Both Avatar and District are nominated in that category. Avatar is up for nine awards, including Best Director for James Cameron. It did not receive any nominations for acting or writing, however. District 9 also received nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing and Visual Effects. Star Trek received nominations for Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Makeup and Visual Effects.

Coraline, the film based on the bestselling book by Neil Gaiman, is nominated for Best Animated Film. Director Henry Selick said of the nomination: "It's nice to be taken seriously."

You can see the full list of Oscar nominations here.

Posted on February 2, 2010
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Creature From the Black Lagoon Remake Being Considered

Creature from the Black Lagoon


Variety reports that Universal Pictures and Carl Erik Rinsch are talking about a Creature From the Black Lagoon remake.
Strike Entertainment's Marc Abraham and Eric Newman will produce with Gary Ross.

Deal would be the second big U picture for Rinsch, who will make his feature directing debut on "47 Ronin," the epic samurai swordsmen tale that takes place in 18th century Japan, and is set to star Keanu Reeves. That picture is expected to begin production next year.
We will see if they are able to remake Creature From the Black Lagoon without it being campy. 47 Ronin with Keanu Reeves certainly sounds appealing.

Posted on December 14, 2009
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Peter Jackson Talks The Hobbit

Peter Jackson told Syfy that he, Fran and Philippa are working on the second revised script for The Hobbit which he hopes to have done by the end of the year. That would move the production start date back to 2010. The first of the two films should hit theaters at the end of 2011.
"We're still working on the script, and of course it's going to be directed by Guillermo [del Toro]," Jackson said in an exclusive interview with SCI FI Wire. "That's going really well, and in fact we've already delivered the first script to the studio, and they really liked it, so now we're working hard on the second script, and that's going to keep us pretty busy until the end of this year."

*****

Jackson is well known as being a very hands-on filmmaker. So just how involved will he be during The Hobbit's shoot next year? "Well, I'm not intending to be on the set every day looking over his shoulder," he said with a laugh. "It's Guillermo's movie, and he'll be filming it, not me. The reason he's directing it is because I'm a big fan of his movies, and I know he'll do a fantastic job. I know he's the right guy for the project, and I love his amazing sense of visual and imagery. So I won't be interfering with his approach."

Del Toro is also collaborating with Jackson and his team on writing The Hobbit. "We're all on the same page [about the project], and it all starts with a good script," Jackson said. "We're big believers in structured screenplays, and the thing with our screenwriting partnership, with Fran and Philippa, is that we don't have a traditional screenplay deal with the studio. We don't have two drafts and a bunch of revisions. We refuse to put that into our contracts, as we continually rewrite and refine the scripts as we go."
We're still nervous about Jackson not directing. We did enjoy Pan's Labyrinth, but we hope none of the look of that film makes it into The Hobbit. This project is taking so long to get off the ground that it's driving us crazy. There's always some delay: a lawsuit, a rewrite. Or maybe we're just impatient.

Posted on December 2, 2009
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Captain Nemo Movie Dead in the Water

Variety's Mike Fleming reports that the Captain Nemo movie which was to be directed by McG is dead in the water at Disney. The film has been put on hold and McG has moved onto other projects.
The studio confirmed that the studio won't proceed with the film for now, and reps for the director confirmed he has withdrawn. McG will concentrate on other projects that include Dead Spy Running, a Warner Bros. drama that Stephen Gaghan is writing. McG is also attached to Terminator 5, though that movie is on hold indefinitely as the Terminator franchise works its way through bankruptcy court. McG just teamed with Borat helmer Larry Charles on a new NBC comedy.

McG, who last directed Terminator Salvation, had been attached to Captain Nemo: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea since last January. The Bill Marsilli-scripted pic is an origin story about how Nemo constructed his warship, the Nautilus.
No one had been cast as Captain Nemo, although Will Smith was rumored to be up for the part.

Posted on November 17, 2009
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Fringe Ratings Fall Because of World Series, V is a Hit

Ratings for Fringe fell 23% last night, most likely because fans had no idea that it was back on. Many local listings showed the World Series in that time slot. FlashForward has also slipped a bit in the ratings.
While over on Fox, some viewers didn't get the message that no Game 7 meant the return of "Fringe" -- the series hit a dramatic series low. ABC won the night, with its lineup slipping about 4% across the board: "FlashForward" (8.5 million viewers, 2.6 preliminary adults 18-49 rating), "Grey's Anatomy" (13.6 million, 5.0) and "Private Practice" (9.2 million, 3.5). Both medical dramas won their hours.

*****

Returning after a two-week hiatus, Fox's drama lineup had "Bones" (8.5 million, 2.5) down 11%. At 9 p.m., "Fringe" (5 million, 1.7) hit a serious low, falling 23%. On the CW, "Vampire Diaries" (4.2 million, 2.0) admirably retained its recent gains. "Supernatural" (2.7 million, 1.2) continues to pretend like its not paired with a hit show, falling 14% this week.
ABC's V has been a surprise hit for the network, drawing in a whopping 14.3 million viewers for its debut, despite mixed reviews from critics. Can it keep up the pace? Week two will be crucial.

Posted on November 6, 2009
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James Cameron, Benevolent Tyrant

The New Yorker has a long piece about director James Cameron and his tyrannical ways on the set of his new SF film, Avatar.
The director James Cameron is six feet two and fair, with paper-white hair and turbid blue-green eyes. He is a screamer—righteous, withering, aggrieved. "Do you want Paul Verhoeven to finish this motherf*****?" he shouted, an inch from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s face, after the actor went AWOL from the set of True Lies, a James Bond spoof that Cameron was shooting in Washington, D.C. (Schwarzenegger had been giving the other actors a tour of the Capitol.)

Cameron has mastered every job on set, and has even been known to grab a brush out of a makeup artist's hand. "I always do makeup touch-ups myself, especially for blood, wounds, and dirt," he says. "It saves so much time." His evaluations of others' abilities are colorful riddles. "Hiring you is like firing two good men," he says, or "Watching him light is like watching two monkeys f*** a football." A small, loyal band of cast and crew works with him repeatedly; they call the dark side of his personality Mij--Jim backward.
Mij -- he sounds kind of like Sybil, only he only has two different personalities. Avatar has had so much hype that we are really wondering if it can really live up to the colossal expectations. It is costing around $230 million to make and will hit theaters on December 18. We can't wait to see it, of course.

Posted on October 19, 2009
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More Dollhouse Action Means More Stunts For Eliza Dushku

Dollhouse has stepped up the action this year which means more stunts for lead actress Eliza Dushku. TV Guide says she has sustained injuries including cracked toe, chipped teeth, burnt hair and a broken nose. That's seems like quite a few injuries but the action this season has been great. TV Guide also reveals some of Eliza's sexy photos from her recent Complex photo shoot. Take a look:



Posted on October 4, 2009
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Summit to Reboot Highlander Franchise

Summit, the producer of the Twilight films, is going to reboot the Highlander films. No, really.
Summit Entertainment is going to reboot the popular Highlander film franchise by handing the reins to Justin Lin, director of Fast & Furious. He will direct from a script to be written by Iron Man writers Art Marcum and Matt Holloway.

The reboot will reportedly deal with an immortal Scottish swordsman who must confront a murderously brutal barbarian, who lusts for a fabled prize (or Prize?). Unclear how much, if any, of the previous franchise's mythology will figure into the reboot.
We can't even imagine how this is going to sort out. But the Highlander films have a long and troubled history. The TV series became the best part of the franchise, mostly due to Adrian Paul's portrayal of Duncan McCloud.

Posted on September 22, 2009
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Tron Legacy Gets Release Date

Tron: Legacy has a release date now: it's December 17, 2010. That's a bit earlier than expected. Reelzchannel says that weekend will also see the opening of The Green Hornet and The Smurfs.
Green Hornet was recently pushed back into the December 17 slot, and considering Sony owns both Hornet and The Smurfs, it's likely that one might be moved to another weekend.

Tron: Legacy is the sequel to the 1982's Tron, which starred Jeff Bridges as a computer programmer sucked into a video game to fight the master control program. Legacy will follow Bridges's son (Garrett Hedlund) as he is sucked into the video game to fight the program alongside his father.
We can't wait to see Tron: Legacy. Putting it up against The Green Hornet seems unwise, although we'll take Tron over Seth Rogan playing a superhero any day.

Posted on September 8, 2009
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True Blood is a Ratings Winner for HBO

True Blood had its highest ratings yet for its Sunday night episode. HBO is quite happy with the breakout vampire hit, based on the series of novels by Charlaine Harris. Variety reports:
Over at HBO, "True Blood" surged more than 20% week to week to set series records (2.8/8 in 18-49, 5.33 million viewers overall). In the demo, the vampire skein ranked third among all primetime programs for the week.

The premiere telecast was the first HBO series episode to top 5 million viewers since the finale of "The Sopranos" drew 11.9 million in June 2007. And excluding "Sopranos," it's the largest premiere-night audience for an HBO series since 5.4 million tuned in for the fourth episode of "Deadwood" (which aired behind "Sopranos") in April 2004.

"True Blood" is opening up some distance on skedmates "Hung" (1.7/5 in 18-49, 3.28m) and "Entourage" (1.9/5 in 18-49, 3.18m), although they were both up as well.
Vampires are still bringing in the viewers. It makes us realize how incredibly ahead of its time Buffy the Vampire Slayer really was.

Posted on August 25, 2009
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Echo in Season 2 Dollhouse Promotional Photos

Echo Cape Dollhouse


There are some new promotional photos out for Season 2 of Dollhouse and they look great. Eliza Dushku as Echo is pictured above in all black. Below Echo is wearing all black and standing in a brightly colored room holding a gun. You can see more of the promo pictures here.

Echo Brightly Colored Room Dollhouse


Posted on August 24, 2009
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Avatar Trailer Hits Internet

The long-awaited trailer for James Cameron's film Avatar is here. Tomorrow has been dubbed Avatar Friday and some fans will get to see a 15-minute long glimpse from the upcoming film. The Telegraph says Cameron promises film is more complex than mean humans killing the blue Navi aliens.
"But something that has this spoonful of sugar of all the action and the adventure and all that, which thrills me anyway as a fan, but also wanting to do something that has a conscience, that maybe in the enjoying of it makes you think a little bit about the way you interact with nature and your fellow man."

It may seem like a simple story about "nasty" humans fighting with "those beautifully, spiritually evolved Navi," he said. "But it's really not, because we make science fiction as human beings for human consumption."

"It means the Navi represent something that is our higher selves, or our aspirational selves, what we would like to think we are or maybe what we realise we're losing," he said. "And the humans in the film, even though there are some good ones salted in, represent what we know to be the parts of ourselves that are trashing our world and maybe condemning ourselves to a grim future."
Here's the trailer. Take a look:



Posted on August 20, 2009
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Neil Gaiman Wins Hugo Award For Best Novel

Neil Gaiman won the Hugo Awards for Best Novel for The Graveyard Book (HarperCollins; Bloomsbury UK). Here is a list of the other winners:

- Best Novella: "The Erdmann Nexus", Nancy Kress (Asimov's Oct/Nov 2008)

- Best Novelette: "Shoggoths in Bloom", Elizabeth Bear (Asimov's Mar 2008)

- Best Short Story: "Exhalation", Ted Chiang (Eclipse Two)

- Best Related Book: Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded: A Decade of Whatever, 1998-2008, John Scalzi (Subterranean Press)

- Best Graphic Story: Girl Genius, Volume 8: Agatha Heterodyne and the Chapel of Bones, Written by Kaja & Phil Foglio, art by Phil Foglio, colors by Cheyenne Wright (Airship Entertainment)

- Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: WALL-E Andrew Stanton & Pete Docter, story; Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon, screenplay; Andrew Stanton, director (Pixar/Walt Disney)

- Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Joss Whedon, & Zack Whedon, & Jed Whedon, & Maurissa Tancharoen, writers; Joss Whedon, director (Mutant Enemy)

- Best Editor Short Form: Ellen Datlow

- Best Editor Long Form: David G. Hartwell

- Best Professional Artist: Donato Giancola

- Best Semiprozine: Weird Tales, edited by Ann VanderMeer & Stephen H. Segal

- Best Fan Writer: Cheryl Morgan

-Best Fanzine: Electric Velocipede edited by John Klima

-Best Fan Artist: Frank Wu

- The John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (presented by Dell Magazines): David Anthony Durham

Congratulations to all the winners! You can learn more about the awards at the Hugo Award website.

Posted on August 11, 2009
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Twilight Wins Nine Teen Choice Awards

Twilight Cats


The Hollywood Reporter reports that Twilight - which has a large number of teen fans - won nine awards at the Teen Choice Awards including wins in the choice drama and romance categories. Actors Robert Pattinson, Cam Gigandet, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner and Ashley Green also won awards.
The vampire drama won for choice drama, romance, lip lock, rumble, drama actress for Kristen Stewart, drama actor for Robert Pattinson, villain for Cam Gigandet, fresh face female for Ashley Greene and fresh face male for Taylor Lautner, who will also appear in the upcoming sequel, "New Moon."

"We'll see you guys in theaters Nov. 20," Lautner teased the squealing crowd.

Miley Cyrus also rode a wave at the Teen Choice Awards. The teen queen sailed away with six surfboard-shaped trophies at Sunday's ceremony. Cyrus won for comedy TV actress and comedy TV show for "Hannah Montana," music/dance movie actress and hissy fit for the "Hannah Montana" movie, music single for "The Climb" and summer song for "Before the Storm." She also presented Britney Spears with the ultimate choice award.
You can see a full list of the winners here.

Posted on August 10, 2009
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William Dafoe Signs on for Tars Tarkas Role

Variety reports that Willem Dafoe has joined the cast of John Carter of Mars, a Walt Disney Pictures film based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs novels. Dafoe will play a green Martian warrior named Tars Tarkas.
Dafoe will play the role of Tars Tarkas, a fierce green Martian warrior, who's unusual among his savage race for his ability to love. Tars develops an alliance with John Carter in the first film, which is based on "A Princess of Mars."

He fights battles alongside Carter through the entire series of Edgar Rice Burroughs books, so he will be hanging around for sequels.
This won't be Dafoe's first green role. He did a superb job as the Green Goblin in Spider-Man. A Google image search turns up some images of four-armed Tars Tarkas here.

Posted on July 15, 2009
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Ryan Reynolds Lands Green Lantern Role

Ryan Reynolds The ProposalVariety reports that Warner Bros. has chosen Ryan Reynolds to play the Green Lantern. Ryan Reynolds beat out Bradley Cooper and Justin Timberlake for the role.
After an intense months-long search, Warner Bros. has settled on Ryan Reynolds as its choice to play "Green Lantern," the studio's live-action tentpole based on the DC Comics hero. The film is being directed by Martin Campbell and produced by Donald De Line and Greg Berlanti.

Reynolds and his camp entered negotiations for the part Friday, after the studio held two rounds of screen tests, along with actors Bradley Cooper and Jared Leto. Justin Timberlake also did a screen test.

The studio had holding options on the actors, but, except for Reynolds, those expired Monday. Reynolds' option would have expired end of day Friday.
Ryan Reynolds is a versatile actor. His most recent role was the comedy, The Proposal, but he also played Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Ryan Reynolds is also reportedly getting his own Deadpool film.

Photo: The Proposal

Posted on July 10, 2009
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Vampires Running Out of Blood in Daybreakers

Daybreakers offers an interesting twist on vampire plots. After a plague turns humans into vampires, the vampires quickly become the dominate race and greatly outnumber humans. Because of this they are becoming close to running out of the human blood they need to survive. The film stars Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe and Sam Neill. The film hits theatres in January, 2010. Take a look:



Posted on June 27, 2009
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Robert Knepper is New Heroes Villain

Robert Knepper


The Hollywood Reporter says Robert Knepper has been cast as the new lead villain in Heroes. He will play a charismatic Jim Jones type of character for at least six episodes in season 4.
In at least six episodes of the series' fourth season, Knepper will play Samuel, a Jim Jones type -- charismatic but evil, with a twisted sense of humor -- who will veer into the lives of all heroes. The character had been referred to as "Carnival Barker" in the series breakdown released last month.

"Heroes" is slated to return in the fall for a "Lost"-style all-original run in a new time slot at 8 p.m. on Mondays. The sci-fi drama -- which enjoys a strong online following -- will share its time period with another fan favorite, "Chuck," which will take over in midseason.

Production on the UMS-produced "Heroes" is scheduled to begin later this week.
He sounds like an interesting villain. We are very glad Chuck is returning as well.

(via Newsarama)

Posted on June 24, 2009
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Bodybuilder Roland Kickinger Could Be Next Conan

Conan 2009


There are rumors (see here, here and here) that bodybuilder Roland Kickinger could get the coveted Conan the Barbarian role.

Trying to replace Arnold Schwarzenegger will not be easy but Risky Biz Blog points out that the two actors have a few similarities.
Like Schwarzenegger, Kickinger is a bodybuilder-turned-actor from the Central European country.

Like the California governor, he also had a role as a T-800 in the "Terminator" franchise (in Warner Bros.' current "Terminator Salvation").

And in a you-can't-make-this-stuff-up turn, Kickinger actually played a Conan-era version of Schwarzenegger in "See Arnold Run," the 2005 A&E biopic about the actor-turned-politician.
Some blogs are already trying to quash the rumor. Time will tell who the next Barbarian is.

Posted on June 19, 2009
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Sorcerer's Apprentice Gets a Release Date

Disney has set a release date for the family film, The Sorcerer's Apprentice. The film will be released on July 16, 2010. Jerry Bruckheimer is producing.
Also on Thursday, Warner Bros. made additions and changes to its 2009 calendar. Studio will open James McTeigue's "Ninja Assassin," instead of horror pic "The Box," on Nov. 25, with "The Box" now bowing Oct. 30. Studio originally intended to open "Ninja" in 2010. Dating of "Sorcerer's Apprentice" gives the Mouse House three event pics in summer 2010. The other two are "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" (May 28) and "Toy Story 3" (July 18).

Jon Turteltaub is directing the live-action pic, based on the famed "Sorcerer's Apprentice" segment in Disney's "Fantasia." Modern-day update stars Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel. Lensing begins this month.
They say it's based on the Sorcerer's Apprentice section of Fantasia (which is based on the Goethe poem about the apprentice who gets in over his head with magic). So how does Jerry Bruckheimer approach this kind of source material? We're thinking there will be lots of exploding brooms and perhaps some exciting chase scenes around sorcerer's workshop.

Posted on March 23, 2009
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Trailer for Warehouse 13

The Sci Fi Channel is launching a new series in July called Warehouse 13, which seems like The X-Files meets Friday the 13th. Take a look:



Posted on March 21, 2009
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Benjamin Button Gets DVD Release Date of May 5th

Brad Pitt Benjamin ButtonThe Hollywood Reporter reports that the Oscar nominated movie, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, will be released on DVD and blu-ray on May 5th. The release date is a over a month after Slumdog Millionaire comes out on March 31st.
The "Button" plans were sewed up during the weekend, and Paramount will announce the home-entertainment release date Thursday. The Brad Pitt-Cate Blanchett starrer won three Academy Awards and is among the last of the high-profile Oscar pics to set a debut on home video.

Fox Home Entertainment will release Oscar best picture winner "Slumdog Millionaire" on March 31.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment's "Milk," for which Sean Penn copped a best actor statuette, hit retail shelves March 10. USHE has set an April 21 street date for its political drama "Frost/Nixon," which, like "Button" and "Milk," was a nominee for best picture.

The fifth nominee -- the Weinstein Co.'s Nazi-themed drama "The Reader," for which Kate Winslet was voted best actress -- will be released by Genius Products on DVD. No date has been set.
Usually the studios don't want to wait too long before releasing Oscar films on DVD. The single disc Benjamin Button DVD will have a retail price of $29.99. Two-disc DVD and Blu-ray set will retail for $39.99. Discounting generally pushes the price much lower.

Posted on March 18, 2009
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Morena Baccarin to Star in V Remake

Morena Baccarin


Morena Baccarin, who has starred in Firefly, Serentiy and Stargate SG-1, is going to be in the remake of V. Morena will be playing the lead role, a character named Anna reports TV Guide. Anna is described as the "the leader of the Visitors who is remarkably knowledgeable about human culture and media manipulation."
The Visitors of ABC's V reboot have found their leader, and her face is familiar to sci-fi fans. Morena Baccarin (aka Firefly's Inara and Stargate SG-1's Adria) has landed the lead role of Anna, the frontwoman for Earth's very special guests, says the Hollywood Reporter. Previously announced V castings include Scott Wolf and Morris Chestnut.
The leader of the aliens in the 1983 V was Diana, played very well by actress Jane Badler.

(via Newsarama)

Photo: 20th Century Fox

Posted on March 13, 2009
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Philip Jose Farmer Dies at Age 91

Philip Jose FarmerScience fiction legend Philip Jose Farmer has passed away at age 91. The following message was left on his official website.
Philip José Farmer passed away peacefully in his sleep this morning.

He will be missed greatly by his wife Bette, his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, friends and countless fans around the world.

January 26, 1918 - February 25, 2009. R.I.P.

We love you Phil.
The official website also contains a great roundup of obits and reactions to Farmer's passing from around the Web including Locus, SFScope and The Stranger. Author Neil Gaiman also tweeted the following message: "Was just told that Philip Jose Farmer died. He was 91, wrote many wonderful things. A worldbuilder, of influence and some real magic. Sigh."

The AP, Guardian, New York Times and CNN have posted obits.

RIP, Philip Joes Farmer.

Posted on February 26, 2009
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Emily Blunt Out of Iron Man 2

Emily Blunt is officially out of Iron Man 2.
Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau told E! that Emily Blunt is definitely out of the superhero sequel and that Mickey Rourke hasn't been officially cast but is a fan, according to a report on Playlist.

Favreau made no mention of Scarlett Johansson, who is rumored to be in line for Blunt's role of Russian superspy Natasha Romanoff, who doubles as Black Widow. On E!'s post-Oscar show, Favreau reportedly said that Fox exercised its [Gulliver's Travels] option on Blunt, preventing her from appearing in Iron Man 2.
The rumors are all over the place that Scarlett Johansson has been signed for the film, but so far no one's confirming the casting.

Posted on February 24, 2009
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Unpublished Work by J.R.R. Tolkien Due Out in May

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt will be publishing a book by J.R.R. Tolkien called The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun in May. The book predates Tolkien's The Hobbit and LOTR series. The book is a retelling of old Norse epics in verse. It will contain commentary from commentary from Tolkien's son Christopher Tolkien. The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun was written while Tolkien was a professor at Oxford University.

Posted on February 18, 2009
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Joss Whedon to Receive SFWA Bradbury Award

Joss WhedonJoss Whedon, the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Dr. Horrible and Dollhouse, has been named recipient of the Bradbury Award for excellence in screenwriting. The award will be presented by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) at Nebula Awards weekend in Los Angeles, Calif., April 24-26..
"Like everyone who picks up a pen, I was a rabid Bradbury fan and as greatly influenced by him as any other writer I read," Whedon said. "To receive the award named for him is an honor I'd not dreamed of. In my defense, it didn't exist back then. What did exist were the very lovely, very twisted and very human stories that warped my impressionable mind, and that I have tried, in whatever medium they will let me, to measure up to."

Created in 1992 by then-President Ben Bova and named after famed author and screenwriter Ray Bradbury, the Bradbury Award is a special president's award presented for outstanding genre-themed work in a dramatic medium. Previous Bradbury Award winners are James Cameron for Terminator 2 (1992), J. Michael Straczynski for Babylon 5 (1999) and Yuri Rasovsky and Harlan Ellison for 2000X - Tales of the Next Millennia, a National Public Radio series (2001).

"I'm very excited to be giving this honor to Joss Whedon in recognition of his substantial and superior body of work, including Buffy, Angel, Firefly and the Serenity film, as well as Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog," said SFWA President Russell Davis. "His impact as a writer, producer and director on the science fiction and fantasy film and television landscape is undeniable, and he is more than deserving of this recognition from our organization."
Congratulations to Joss Whedon! He is certainly worthy of the honor for his terrificly entertaining shows.

Photo of Joss Whedon by Jo Anslow

Posted on February 17, 2009
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Reaper Returns March 3

Reaper


CW's devil comedy Reaper will return on March 3rd for 13 straight episodes reports Hollywood Reporter.
he move puts "Reaper" at 8 p.m. Tuesdays followed by "90210," a shake-up that protects the teen soap from Fox's "American Idol." "Reaper" will still air its 13 episodes straight, through without repeats as originally planned.

To make way for "Reaper," the CW also advanced its first-season finale date for "Privileged." The show will conclude Feb. 24, having aired fewer repeats than originally planned. The network has not yet decided whether the drama will return next season.

"90210" has been wrestling with "Idol" in recent weeks. Yet it and "Privileged" enjoy the highest percentage of DVR gains among any show on any network.
CW's Reaper website can be found here.

Posted on February 3, 2009
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Fox Takes Over Narnia Series From Disney

NarniaTwentieth Century Fox has agreed to step in and co-finance the third movie in the Narnia series after Disney dropped out. The plan is to release the film in the 2010 holiday season. The L.A. Times says The Voyage of the Dawn Treader will have a budget of around $140, which is less than Prince Caspian's budget was.
Fox is taking a financial gamble that Disney was unwilling to wage despite helping bankroll the first two films in the "Narnia" family franchise. Walden, owned by entrepreneur Phil Anschutz, was forced to seek a new financial partner on "Dawn Treader" after Disney balked at the cost and opted out.

Fox was the most likely partner because the studio already markets and distributes Walden movies under its Fox Walden label.

Over the last few weeks, Walden chief David Weil and "Narnia" producer Mark Johnson have held a series of meetings with top Fox executives, including movie chiefs Tom Rothman and Jim Gianopulos, to discuss script revisions and the movie's cost.
It's good to see the series will continue. The last film, Prince Caspian was fun to watch but it wasn't as good as it could have been. There is a lot of potential for a sequel.

Posted on January 29, 2009
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Lara Croft May Return to the Big Screen

Lara Croft has been on plenty of missions in the video game world but she hasn't been on the big screen since 2003. The Hollywood Reporter says the film series may soon get a reboot.
Warners Bros. and producer Dan Lin are in early development on a a reboot of "Tomb Raider," the popular video game action franchise.

"Tomb Raider," which was published in 1996 by a London-based video game company called Eidos, was a wildly popular game that involved the daredevil archaeologist Lara Croft on a series of global missions. Several spinoff games have been published since, with a 10th-anniversary edition of the game released in 2006.

Paramount previously made the two movies based on the game, but the rights have since reverted to Eidos. When Time Warner upped its stake to 19.92% in Eidos in December, films rights to the property were included as part of the deal.

Lin will produce the project via his Lin Pictures banner while Stephen Gilchrist will co-produce; Ian Livingstone of Eidos will exec produce. Matt Reilly is overseeing for Warners. Lin is the producer behind Warners' upcoming Guy Ritchie-directed update of "Sherlock Holmes" and the adventure film "Jonny Quest."
The Hollywood Reporter says planning for the film is still in its early stages and an actress to play the Lara Croft role won't be named until a writer and director are attached to the project.

British gymanst Alison Carroll is currently the face of Lara Croft's video games. Take a look:



Posted on January 28, 2009
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Casting Rumor: Vanessa Hudgens Auditions for New Moon

Vanessa HudgensThere's a casting rumor going around the Vanessa Hudgens has auditioned or is auditioning for a role in New Moon. Actress Ashley Greene, who plays Alice Cullen in the Twilight films, told MTV that she thought Vanessa Hudgens would be great in the role.
With all the "New Moon" casting rumors that have been floating around since "Twilight" hit theaters, we were especially wondering who would play werewolf Leah Clearwater, Jacob Black's feisty and heartbroken frienemy.

Well, one of the rumored actresses in the running — "High School Musical" starlet Vanessa Hudgens — has apparently taken the next step and auditioned for the role, according to "Twilight" actress Ashley Greene.

We ran into Alice herself at a Golden Globes afterparty, and she told us she'd be happy to co-star with Hudgens. "I think she'd be great," Greene enthused.
Some of the comments on another MTV article here indicate there are many Twilight fans who don't want Vanessa Hudgens to get the job. These fans might be misguided. Just be she starred in the High School Musical movies doesn't mean she can't play any other character. She would also bring a lot of star power to the sequel. But it's still just a rumor and unclear whether Vanessa is really even auditioning.

Posted on January 12, 2009
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Ian McKellan Talks The Hobbit

Ian McKellan told reporters that he definitely will be involved in The Hobbit film. He was just heading off to dinner with director Guillermo del Toro.
"I'm having supper with Guillermo del Toro this evening," McKellan said in a group interview on Jan. 8 in Universal City, Calif. "You're asking me about 12 hours too early."

Preproduction on The Hobbit is underway. "I've been promised I am [going to be involved]," McKellan said while promoting his upcoming AMC miniseries The Prisoner. "And as Guillermo del Toro's directing it, I should be so lucky. And in New Zealand, a place I love, so it's almost an ideal job for me."

Though it may have been too long since McKellan's last book report to quote specific passages from The Hobbit, he still can't wait to speak wizard again. "He's got the best lines, hasn't he?" McKellan asked.
We can't wait to see McKellan reprise his role as the wizard Gandalf once again.

Posted on January 9, 2009
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Disney Ditches Next Narnia Film

Disney has bailed on the next Narnia film, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Walden Media will still produce the film, but Disney wants out because of financial concerns.
A Disney spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday that the Burbank studio decided not to exercise its option to co- finance the third movie in the franchise based on C.S. Lewis' classic children's books because of "budgetary considerations."

Though the budget of the movie came in significantly below the $200-million cost of "Prince Caspian," the second film in the "Narnia" series, it could still escalate during production, and that made Disney wary, according to a person close to the movie. Disney was partner with Walden Media, which owns the rights to the books, on the first two "Narnia" films.

*****

One person close to the matter said there were also "creative" differences between Disney and Walden, and that the two disagreed on when to release the film in 2010. Walden said Wednesday that it hoped to find a new financial partner and proceed with plans to shoot the film in the first quarter of next year with director Michael Apted. "We're disappointed that Disney has decided not to go forward," said David Weil, chief executive of Walden's parent company, Anschutz Film Group. "But we regard 'Dawn Treader' as an extremely valuable property and remain committed to the franchise."

Getting a new partner to take on half the risk could prove a challenge for Walden given that "Prince Caspian" fell below expectations when it was released in May. The film generated $419 million in worldwide ticket sales, far less than the first "Narnia" movie, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," which grossed $745 million in 2005.
The original budget for Dawn Treader was much higher and involved lots of locations shoots. Now the film is being shot solely in Mexico with a stripped down budget which will certainly hurt the story. Dawn Treader is a book that's perfect for adaptation to film. It's adventure after adventure, with a nice tidy ending. But it really will suffer from the lack of exotic locations. As for Caspian's box office: it's going to make a fortune in DVD sales over the years.

Posted on December 29, 2008
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Animated Fantasy Flick Delgo Bombs at Box Office

Delgo BombWhat happened with the animated fantasy film Delgo? The Chicago Tribune reports that Delgo set a record for the least-attended film ever to open on over 2,000 screens. Freddie Prinze Jr., Jennifer Love Hewitt and Chris Kattan were some of the voice actors for the film.
A philosophical question: If a film bombs at the box office, but almost no one is there to see it, is it still a bomb?

The answer is "yes" if that movie is "Delgo," a stiffly animated fantasy in the storytelling tradition of "Lord of the Rings." The film secured a special place in cinema history over this week as the least-attended film ever to open on more than 2,000 screens.

Only two people--including this reporter--attended the 1:50 p.m. showing of "Delgo" on Tuesday at AMC Loews 600 North Michigan 9. The other patron snored through half the film, obscuring the vocal talents of Freddie Prinze Jr., Jennifer Love Hewitt, Chris Kattan and the late Anne Bancroft.
Box Office Mojo also notes the film's incredibly low attendance.
Meanwhile, Delgo had by far the worst opening ever for a movie playing at over 2,000 theaters. The computer-animated fantasy scrounged up $511,920 at 2,160 sites, far less than the already record low $916,000 the movie's distributor estimated on Sunday.
Delgo can't be that bad. It must have been extremely under marketed. It's likely that most people are hearing about this film for the first time only because it become a record setting bomb. Either that or exactly the same people who would go and see a film like Delgo went to watch The Day the Earth Stood Still instead.

Posted on December 17, 2008
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True Blood Garners Golden Globe Nominations

The Golden Globe nominations were announced and there was a surprise. The new vampire drama, True Blood netted a nomination for Best Drama Series and a Best Actress nod for Anna Paquin. Not surprisingly, Lost and Battlestar Galactica were totally overlooked.

Posted on December 11, 2008
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Trailer for The Hero of Time

This is a trailer for The Hero of Time, a feature length independent Zelda film based on the video game, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time. It's not an official Legend of Zelda movie but an independent fan-film from BMB Finishes. You can find more about the film at TheHeroofTime.com. The website says, "We are still figuring out the best way for the general public to view the film" so it's unclear when and how the movie will be available.



Posted on December 6, 2008
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Screaming Teens Stoke Twilight Mania

The Twilight madness continues. Every teen in the Westwood area of Los Angeles was hounding her parents for tickets to the Twilight premiere. They eventually allowed 2,000 screaming teens to see the flick. No, really. They were actually screaming.
Last night, the way to show you were a big shot in Hollywood was to get tickets for your daughter and all her friends to the "Twilight" premiere. The preem had what one exec called "the nag factor": many, many teenage girls telling their parents they had to attend or they would die. To accommodate demand, Summit Entertainment filled both the Village and Bruin theaters with 2,000 attendees. "It reminds me of the 'Batman' premiere in 1989," said Summit co-chair Rob Friedman, who was an exec at Warners at the time. "I haven't felt this energy in Westwood since then."
There has been a lot of screaming associated with Twilight, most of it directed at the film's star Robert Pattinson. Pattinson himself seems a bit bemused by all the attention, but has gamely been giving lots of interviews and showing up at premieres with a phalanx of bodyguards. After all, there's nothing more frightening that a horde of hormonal pre-teens screaming your name.

Posted on November 17, 2008
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Ursula Le Guin Reads Latin

Bestselling author Ursula Le Guin talks to Locus in its October issue. In this excerpt she talks about reading The Aeneid in Latin, which is most impressive.
"Reading The Aeneid in Latin –- very slowly! -- I got fascinated with the second half of the book, especially the character of Aeneas. And what are all these battles? Did Vergil just include them because he's writing an epic? No, he's too good a poet for that. He had to have some reason. And the battles are horrifying. Homer's battles are kind of fun: everybody chops everybody's head off, and whoopee! Homer seems to enjoy it, and Vergil does not. So I got totally intrigued by what he was doing. Then the idea of looking at it from the girl's point of view appeared. In the poem, she doesn't have a line; she just watches. What does Lavinia, the little Italian girl, think of it all? So there's my book.

"Ploughing through it in Latin isn't exactly reading -- it's translating very slowly. (There's the English on the right-hand side of the page to help you figure out the more complicated bits.) I was reading about 10 lines a day, 15 on a really good day, but when you read something like that it really gets into you!
Ursula, who is best known for her Earthsea series, is a SFWA Grand Master and the holder of a shelf-ful of the fantasy world's top awards, including five Hugos, five Nebulas and two World Fantasy Awards. You can visit Ursula's website here.

Posted on November 13, 2008
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Legend of the Seeker Debuts This Weekend

Legend of the Seeker


Legend of the Seeker - a new Fantasy series based on the Terry Goodkind's bestselling The Sword of Truth novels - debuts this weekend. The series comes from the creators of Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Reuters dubs the series "cheesy" but we though Hercules and Xena were great fun.
Perhaps this proves that we're all still suckers for witches and warlocks and gargoyles and elaborate visual effects and guys with six-pack abs pretending not to be attracted to hot babes with abundant cleavage.

Mounted by the creators of "Xena" and "Hercules" and based on the best-selling novels of Terry Goodkind, "Seeker" is both endearingly retro and agonizingly humorless, a kind of poor man's "Lord of the Rings" that, like "Rings," was shot in the breathtaking wilds of New Zealand.

The opening two-hour stanza, adapted from Goodkind's "Wizard's First Rule," is rife with spectacular vistas and dazzling visuals from effects supervisors Dean Clarke and Charlie McClellan and overseen by the esteemed partners Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert and their fellow exec producers.
There should always be a Hercules or Xena type of show on the air. You can read more articles about the Seeker here, here and here. You can find more about the film on the official website at legendoftheseeker.com and on the sword-of-truth.com website.

Posted on October 30, 2008
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Joss Explains the Dollhouse Situation



We just knew it. Joss Whedon's Dollhouse really was in big trouble. Like, the network hated it. Fox thought it was too dark, too complicated and didn't have enough action. But Joss went back to the drawing board, fixed the problems and now everything's great. We hope. Here's what Joss said:
Basically, the Network and I had different ideas about what the tone of the show would be. They bought something somewhat different than what I was selling them, which is not that uncommon in this business. Their desires were not surprising: up the stakes, make the episodes more stand-alone, stop talking about relationships and cut to the chase. Oh, and add a chase. That you can cut to. Nothing I hadn't heard before on my other shows (apparently my learning curve has no bendy part) but frustrating as hell given our circumstances - a pilot shot, scripts written, everybody marching together/gainfully employed... and then a shutdown. Glad I was for the breathing room, but it's hardly auspicious. So back into the writer cave I went, wondering why I put up with this when I can make literally dozens of dollars making internet movies. Why I do put up with this is divided into three parts.

One: They're not wrong. Oh, we don't see eye-to-eye on everything, but wanting the first episodes to be exciting and accessible is not exactly Satanic. Being Satan is, but that's in their free time and hey, there's no judging in the Dollhouse. This kind of back and forth has happened on every show I've done, so if you liked those, chances are that was a part of why. And the need to focus on the essentials of what makes this universe tick - and which wire to cut to make it stop - really does bring up our game. So we as a staff have gone from blinking like unhoused moles to delving in with the same relish we had when we started. The show is really coming together now, in a way that I believe excites us and satisfies the Network. Of course, I have no idea if anybody else will like it, but I have the same faith in the staff, the crew and the remarkable cast that I always did. More, in fact. And what's more crucial:

Two: Nothing essential has changed about the universe. The ideas and relationships that intrigued me from the start are all there (though some have shifted, more on that), and the progression of the first thirteen eps has me massively excited. The episode we're shooting now I wrote as fast as anything I have before, not because I had to (although, funny side-note: I had to) but because I couldn't stop the words from coming. Because I can feel the show talking to me; delighting, scaring and occasionally even offending me. It's alive. Alive! Which is a far cry from how I felt a month ago. It's been hilarious trying to keep up with what's in, what's out, who's met whom and when - we've shot all of the first seven episodes out of airing order - but it's come together in a pretty thrilling way. My huge gratitude to our cast for their precision and patience.

*****

As for what's been changed, well, some things I obviously can't tell you. Some I can, for the record: The original pilot was in fact thrown out. Again, at my behest. Once it became clear what paradigm the Network was shooting for, it just didn't fit at all, even after I'd reshot more than half of it (see above re: despair). To get a sense of how completely turned around I was during this process, you should know there was a scene with Eliza and the astonishing Ashley Johnson that I wrote and shot completely differently three different times, with different characters in different places (actually I wrote it closer to eight times), and none of it will ever see air. Which is as it should be (though I'm determined to get Ms. Johnson back in the future). The scene just didn't belong anymore. Similarly, the character of November has fallen out of the mix, because the show simply moves too fast now for me to do what I wanted with her. Season three, anyone...? Happily, Miracle Laurie is still with us in a new role, playing against (and pining for) Tahmoh's character, Paul Ballard. Their chemistry is deeply nifty. The only other major cast shift is that the Dollhouse head of security, Laurence Dominic (played by Reed Diamond), who was written just for the now-defunct first ep, has stuck like fly-paper, and Reed is very much in the family for the present. (Most of my problems seem to involve my actors making themselves indispensable. This is the good problem kind.)
They made him scrap his pilot. Have we mentioned before that Fox ruined Firefly and that we can't understand why Joss would ever agree to work with them again? Maybe once or twice? Needless to say, we'll be tuning in no matter what.

Posted on October 27, 2008
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Teresa Nielsen Hayden Hospitalized

Teresa Nielsen Hayden was hospitalized following a heart attack. Tests are continuing, but she is reportedly doing well. You can leave get well messages at her and her husband's popular blog. We wish her a speedy recovery and a healthy future!

Posted on September 15, 2008
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Ghostbusters 3 is a Go

Harold Ramis has written the Chicago Tribune to confirm that Ghostbusters 3 is in the works.
"yes, columbia is developing a script for GB3 with my year one writing partners, gene stupnitsky and lee eisenberg. judd apatow is co-producing year one and has made several other films for sony, so of course the studio is hoping to tap into some of the same acting talent. aykroyd, ivan reitman and i are consulting at this point, and according to dan, bill murray is willing to be involved on some level. he did record his dialogue for the new ghostbusters video game, as did danny and i, and ernie hudson. the concept is that the old ghostbusters would appear in the film in some mentor capacity. not much else to say at this point. everyone is confident a decent script can be written and i guess we'll take it from there."

OK, so we're picturing Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson showing the ghost-busting ropes to Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, James Franco and Michael Cera. (Ramis already memorably and warmly played Rogen's dad in "Knocked Up.") Maybe Jason Segel or Craig Robinson fit in there somewhere.
Harold Ramis was great in Knocked Up. And if Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd are also on board, we're on boards. Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters: The New Generation, that's who.

Posted on September 9, 2008
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Fringe Will Start Off Jumping the Shark

Fringe LogoWired has an article about Fringe, the new show from J.J. Abrams. Abrams says Fringe won't be like Lost and that it will jump the shark right from the start.
On Fringe's slam-bang setup: "When we did the pilot for Lost, we had the monster appear at the end of the first act because we wanted to say to the audience, 'We're jumping the shark now. We're not going to wait. We're doing crazy shit from the beginning.' On Fringe, we very consciously made what is in many ways a preposterous, front-end scientific story choice in order to say to the audience, 'This is what you're going to be getting on the show.' It may be more extreme in some episodes, less so in others."

On the Fringe mythology: "I'm drawn to overarching, long-term stories so there will still be a mythology through the evolution of characters and revelations about what 'the pattern' means. But we're writing the show so it is not as serialized as Lost.

"What made X-Files so great is that they'd do a number of shows that have nothing to do with the mythology. Fringe is closer to E.R. almost, where you have these ongoing relationships and story lines, and yet week to week, when the door bursts open, you're faced with the insane urgent situation of the week."

Science fact, not fiction: "Though you could say it's science fiction, the weird thing about Fringe is that a lot of the stuff is at least in the realm of possibility. It's not sci-fi -- it's just sci.
The show debuts on Fox next Tuesday, September 9th. We will be watching. You can see the Fringe website here. A few other articles about Fringe can be found here, here, here, here and here.

Here's a video with J.J. Abrams discussing Fringe



Posted on September 4, 2008
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DragonCon in Atlanta This Weekend

DragonCon 2008 LogoThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports on the arrival of Dragon*Con in Atlanta this weekend for Labor Day weekend. There are some interesting panels at this Con including "How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse."
It's Labor Day weekend and Dragon*Con is upon us again, the huge pop culture convention where tens of thousands of superfans from all over dress up, act out, and fly their geek flag proudly today through Monday.

The Con, as veterans call it, is always a precarious balancing act between the serious and the silly. "Apocalypse Rising," one of the Con's tracks - groupings of panels and events - shows off that spectrum.

On Saturday, a bloody tongue-in-cheek panel on "How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse" will probably attract an invasion of "real" zombies to spice things up, while on Sunday, Richard Alstatt, an actual rocket scientist, will lecture on the likelihood that Earth will get hit by a giant asteroid.

Other panels will deal with the apocalypse in religion (with the title "My God is Smitier Than Your God," the Con can be a pretty irreverent place) and modern pop culture, where it spreads like a killer virus through movies ("I Am Legend," "Children of Men," "The Road Warrior"), books ("The Host," "Left Behind," "The Stand") and TV ("Jericho," "The Day After").
There are a huge number of authors and actors attending the Con. You can read more about the convention on the official website at dragoncon.org.

Posted on August 29, 2008
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Screenwriters Suing to Stop Release of Death Race

Jason Statham in Death RaceScreenwriter Adam Stone is suing to stop the upcoming Jason Statham film, Death Race. Stone says the producers stole his script, then used it to create the current film.
Stone claims in a copyright infringement lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles federal court that the upcoming Universal thriller is based on a script he pitched to the film's producer-director Paul W.S. Anderson and producer Jeremy Bolt. He seeks a court order stopping the film's release.

Stone claims that after the producers passed, Bolt made and kept a copy of his screenplay, titled "Joust," to use as a "blueprint" for Anderson's revision of the script for "Death Race." While "Death Race" is purported to be a remake of the 1975 film, "Death Race 2000," Stone contends in his lawsuit that it actually is based on "Joust" and that there are at least 39 elements in the soon-to-be released film that mirror his screenplay. Universal, which is a defendant in the lawsuit, declined comment on the lawsuit.

"Death Race," which stars Jason Statham and Joan Allen, is set for release Friday Aug. 22. Stone is asking the court to stop the release of the film. "Experience in other cases has shown that unless such orders are issued, defendants will simply continue to exploit the infringing motion picture in all media and by all methods at their disposal," the lawsuit states.
The Death Race trailers have been playing before almost every movie we've seen for the last three months. Or maybe it just seems that way. In any event, we are mightily tired of seeing the trailer.

Posted on August 20, 2008
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Universal Acquires Film Rights to Wheel of Time Series

Wheel of TimeUniversal Pictures has acquired the film rights to Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. The films will begin with the first book, The Eye of the World.
Rick Selvage and Larry Mondragon will produce for Red Eagle Entertainment, which published graphic novel adaptations of Jordan's books. "The Wheel of Time" follows, among its dozens of characters, Rand al'Thor, the latest incarnation of a force for good called "The Dragon." Rand is born to fight an evil character called Shai'tan.

"Wheel of Time" books have sold 44 million copies worldwide and spawned computer, trading-card and role-playing games; a soundtrack; comicbooks; and numerous fan sites. The four most recent installments have reached No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list.
Jordan died last year at the young age of 58. The last book in the series is being written by Brandon Sanderson, who is working from Jordan's tapes and notes. It is due out in fall of 2009.

Posted on August 13, 2008
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Jason and the Argonauts Heading to the Big Screen

Jason and the Argonauts 1963Screenwriter Zack Penn, who wrote The Incredible Hulk and The X-Men, is writing the script for a feature film version of The Argonauts for 20th Century Fox. But that's not the only sword and sandals epic heading to the big screen. Many more films are planned.
In the wake of the success of "300," sword-and-sandals pics have become a hot commodity. Warner Bros. is moving forward with a "Clash of the Titans" remake, with Louis Leterrier at the helm, as well as a "300" sequel. Joining the chariot race is Relativity Media, which has fast-tracked "War of Gods" about Greek warrior Theseus, who led a fight against imprisoned titans.

And at least three Hercules pics are in development around town, including Universal Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment's "Hercules: The Thracian Wars," which Peter Berg is attached to direct. Meanwhile, Universal also has a "God of War" pic in the works, based on the epic Greek myth-inspired vidgame, with Brett Ratner attached to helm.

Fox's version of "The Argonauts" is based on Penn's original take on the classic Greek tale. In Greek mythology, the Argonauts were a band of heroic sailors who, in the years before the Trojan War, accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. The Argonauts name comes from the sailors' ship, the Argo.
We can't believe there are going to be three Hercules films all coming out around the same time. That seems quite ridiculous. Still, we do like Hercules. But it's one of those stories that lives or dies with two things: the casting of the main character and the script. Mess those up and you get something totally ridiculous.

Photo: Scene from the 1963 version of Jason and the Argonauts directed by Don Chaffey.

Posted on August 12, 2008
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