Happy Halloween every one

Mr Sulu, fire phasers at those conservatives...

While this was no surprise to Star Trek fans who attend the conventions, I must admit it caught me off guard.

From PlanetOutNetwork:

George Takei, who played Mr. Sulu in "Star Trek," has revealed he is gay in Frontiers magazine, which covers the LGBT community of Los Angeles.
Takei, 68, told the Associated Press that his current stage role as the "very contained but turbulently frustrated" psychologist Martin Dysart in "Equus" was part of what motivated him to disclose his sexuality. The play opened Wednesday in Los Angeles.
The other aspect Takei considered was the current political climate.
"The world has changed from when I was a young teen feeling ashamed for being gay," he said. "The issue of gay marriage is now a political issue. That would have been unthinkable when I was young."
The actor said he has been in a relationship with his partner, Brad Altman, for 18 years.
Takei likened prejudice against the LGBT community to racial segregation, saying he grew up feeling ashamed of both his ethnicity and sexuality.
When Takei was 4 years old, he, along with thousands of other Japanese-Americans, was moved into internment camps while the United States battled Japan in World War II.
"It's against basic decency and what American values stand for," he said.
In 1966, Takei joined the "Star Trek" cast as the starship's helmsman, Hikaru Sulu, a character he played for three seasons on TV and in six films. In 1986, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Star Trek fans, such as Martha Fischer, have posted their feelings on the Internet.
"I have to admit that when I read this story I actually experienced a sharp intake of breath, accompanied by a hand raised to my mouth. Yes, it was a horrifyingly stereotypical female reaction of shock," she wrote on cinematical.com. "George Takei? Gay? Holy crap!"
"Mr. Sulu is, along with his shipmates, really sort of an icon; like it or not, in our weird culture of fandom, what Takei does has a huge impact on 'Star Trek' lovers around the world," she added.
"It took a lot of balls to do what Takei did," Fischer concluded. "More power to him, and hearty congrats to the man. Warp speed and all that."

Cover the land in darkness

Not being a creature of the night, the end of Daylight Savings Time usually fills me with dread. I joke that the sun will now set at 2 pm, which is kind of close. By the Winter Solstice (which is December 21) the sun will be setting around 4:20 in the afternoon.

I like the day light and I hate that it gets so dark so early.

Still, there is that bonus of getting back that lost hour of sleep.

And what, is it in 2006 or 2007 that DST moves up like 3 weeks into March and is extended an extra 2 weeks into November?

How Sweep it is...

The Chicago White Sox's swept the Houston Astros in the World Series yesterday, completing a historic 11-1 post season run and finally put away the demons of the 1919 Black Sox scandle the 1959 loss and winning after an 88 year drought.

While I've always been a North Side fan (yes, that means the Cubs), I bow today in honor of the World Champs. Ozzie and his team -who blew a 15 game lead in their divison in September - proved that they are a force to be reckoned with.

I'm happy and proud today -as most days, though - that I am a Chicagoian.

Though, I find it ironic that all it took was for me to leave the damn state.

Sigh.

Steve Kloves returns to Potter franchise

Screenwriter Steve Kloves, who adapted the first 4 Harry Potter films, is set to return to the franchise after taking time off to adapt The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Warner Bros and producer David Heyman were happy to announce that Kloves will write the screenplay for book 6 in the fantasy series about the boy wizard.

With Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire due in theaters November 18, and with production on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix set to begin filming in February under the helm of director David Yates -which he did not write - Kloves will be back writing for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. With Order schedule to bow in summer 2007, expect Half-Blood to debut in theaters around November 2009.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is taken from Mark Haddon's novel about an autistic teen and his murder investigation. Heyman is producing the film and hopes that Kloves will go behind the camera for the first time since 1993's underrated Flesh and Bone.

Belief

Rosa Parks 1913-2005

For those who say they cannot make a difference; to those who say don't rock the boat. To those who do believe the color of skin makes you less of a human, here lies truth and justice.

Oh, and just a little fate. God bless you, Rosa Parks. You became a hero to generations, even though you did not ask or want it.

We will never forget you.

Peace

For the first 4 seasons of Smallville, it aired opposite of what I was watching. And having decided years ago to avoid recording shows because basically, I would never find the time to watch them, I missed a lot of it. Though, when it aired on Tuesdays, I would catch an episode or two. Plus, while season one is fairly good, the bad guy (or girl)/ monster-of-the-week got boring after a while.

From then on, I would watch and occasionally record an episode. Mostly it was because Tom Welling was shirtless and while the show was supposed to be wholesome, Welling and a lot of the guest stars -like future Desperate Housewife co-star Jesse Metcalf -seemed to always be running around half naked.

Now that the show is on Thursday, I get a chance to watch it more, especially since I hate Survivor and think Joey and once brilliant Will & Grace have leached the humor out of the sitcom. The October 20th episode featured the appearance of Aquaman, played by some buffed guy named Allan Something or other. Anyway, his first appearance was at the beach, and while Welling still looks great shirtless and I could spend a month just looking at those bedroom eyes, I swear Welling looked pissed as all the girls swooned over AC.

For me, Smallville always looked campy, with the Clark and Lex relationship. These two actors work well together, they have chemistry and you so expect them to start snogging, especially in the heat of their arguments.

Well, despite Clark and Lex’s strange relationship, on that episode, when Lex is talking to the bound up Aqua Boy -who’s shirtless (of course), man I thought Lex was going lean over and kiss him. Or maybe, I just hoped he would.

Still, this Aquaman guy -who made an appearance on the last season of American Idol - has very little talent as an actor. But, I guess with a chest and ABS like he has, who really pays attention -beside me, who notices both - to his "acting". Ambercrombie will make him a household name before he’s remembered as an actor.

Of course, that’s what I said about Ian Somerhalder, but I got lost in those beautiful eyes and his way too perfect body and cheekbones you could grate cheese on.

Sigh.

Interesting Kansas ruling

Win one for the gay boys.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/po/20051022/co_po/highcourtnixeskanteensodomycharge

Got this from another Blog

YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2005 when...

1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.

2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.

3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers for your family of 3.

4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.

5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.

6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.

7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.

8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.

10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.

11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )

12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.

13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message, you are going to hit the little icon below this and email it to someone.

14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.

15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.

*****Spoilers ahead*****

Further information has come out concerning Casino Royale, the 21st James Bond film which begins lensing in January. According to CommanderBond.net, the debut performance of Daniel Craig as 007 will follow fairly close to Ian Flemings original 1953 novel.

Still, the film will be updated for the 21st Century as the Baccarat plot line will now become poker and the Russian Soviet spy -who is gambling to help, via SMERSH, in its attempt to crush England, will now be gambling to help fund terrorism.

But it won’t be al Qaeda Bond will be stopping, but an unknown, fictitious country. And its suggested that this terror organization -a possible continuation or variation of SPECTRE (though a history of legal problems with the word may prevent it from actually being called that) - may become a recurring threat in future James Bond, returning the franchise to its roots.

Casino Royale will be released on November 17, 2006.

www.commanderbond.net

Which superhero are you?

What I like

Music, for me at least, leaves me mostly with a bad taste in my mouth. Generally, today's music sucks and will be forgotten by next week. "Singers" such as Mirah Carey, Brittney Spears and Jennifer Lopez will never be remembered the same way as Elvis, BB King, Ella Fitzgearld or The Beatles are today.

20 or 30 years from now, it will be Jennifer who?

So, every once in a while, a singer will come along and just sweep me off my feet.

Mike Doughty, the former lead singer for Soul Coughing, is my latest cannot stop listening to CD. His debut solo CD, Haughty Melodic, is a wonder to listen to. His voice and lyrics come off each track and make you feel good.

Here's a quick list of some other CD's that I find brilliant (some old, some new):

American Idiot - Green Day (THE BEST album of 2004, bar none)
Hopes and Fears -Keane
Devils + Dust -Bruce Springsteen
Chariot -Gavin DeGraw
O -Damien Rice
Wandering Eyes -Dylan Rice (a Chicago gay boy who sings great)
Hot Fuss -The Killers
Van Lear Rose -Loretta Lynn
and

anything by Rufus Wainwright

Were is Who?

The BBC has announced that they will be releasing the first season of the new Doctor Who TV series on Region 1 DVD on February 14, 2006. The only problem is, that it won’t be released in the United States. Canada, which shares the same region code with the us and who actually airs the show, will get it.

When the BBC announced the shows return they also said that the new show would not be shopped to the PBS stations that have supported the show since it was imported in the late 1970's. Even the few stations that still aired the show were notified by the BBC that they will not be renewing their contracts. The British network were going to try and shop the show to a major cable network, but I think this is were they stumbled.

One of the conditions any network would have to make in purchasing the new show is they would also have to buy the Original series. The problem they apparently saw in that, was the first 6 seasons are in black & white, and, well, would savvy Americans, brought up on a diet of low budget sci fi shows with better visual effects, actually watch the older show?

While I can understand the BBC’s motives, they have been releasing various episodes of the shows first 26 seasons on DVD here in the states. Why make the conditions of the new show be you had to air the old ones? So, while other countries snatched up the rights, including the good folks north of the border, the US networks frowned. And as of this writing, no US network -cable or broadcast - are willing to air the show.

But all is not lost, as it’s a good chance most American Doctor Who fans who can figure out how to use the internet, will be able to get the Region 1 versions. Of course, for about $60 or $70 you can buy a region free DVD player and then purchase the PAL versions of Doctor Who right off the BBC Website or the British version of Amazon.

BBC 3 spins-off Doctor Who

In a surprising move on October 17, the BBC announced that they will be spinning off a new series from Doctor Who. Called Torchwood, the 13 part drama/sci-fi hybrid was created by current Who show runner Russell T. Davies and executive producer Julie Gardner. Actor John Barrowman, who played the bisexual Captain Jack Harkness (and who is openly gay) -the time traveling agent on the final 6 episodes of the new Doctor Who series that aired this past spring- will reprise the role for the spin-off, set to air in the fall of 2006 in Britain.

Davies calls the new show as a "British sci-fi paranoid thriller, a cop show with a sense of humor. It's dark, wild and sexy, it's the X Files meets This Life (described {from tvtome.com} as a British thirtysomething, Friends, and Ally McBeal all rolled into one). It's a stand-alone series for adult audiences which will have its own unique identity. I have just begun working on the scripts with a team of writers and cannot wait to see the results."

The show will film in Cardiff, Wales, where the current Doctor Who show is being lensed and will carry on from the events of the up coming Doctor Who special The Christmas Invasion (which will air on BBC 3 on the holiday) and Who’s second season. Tourchwood concerns a group of renegade investigators (and is an anagram of Doctor Who, but it isn’t a plot point), as Davies calls them. And though the show will use the Christmas episode as a launching point , don’t expect the two shows to crossover, as Tourchwood -while using Who’s concepts - will be independent of its parent show. And while the updated version of Doctor Who is aimed (more or less) to children, Davies says that this spin-off is geared towards Who’s adult audience.

Says Stuart Murphy, Controller of BBC Three, "The renegades investigate human and alien crime, as well as alien technology that has fallen to Earth. Torchwood is sinister and psychological – Russell was really keen to play with your head – as well as being very British and modern and real. But at the center of the drama are warm, human relationships and the overcoming of adversity."

Barrowman was originally thought to be returning to Doctor Who for its second season (even though he "appeared" to die in the season ender), and made several comments to the press that he would be back "later" in the new season. Says Barrowman of returning to the role, "I'm absolutely thrilled about Torchwood. It's going to be a dark, wild and sexy roller-coaster ride. Working again with Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner and the BBC is like hooking up with family again. I can't wait to explore Captain Jack even more."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/10_october/17/torch.shtml

Here's a cool, fan produced Star Trek web series

http://www.hiddenfrontier.com/index.html

Sean Faris...Yum

Thanks to http://justjared.blogspot.com/ via www.tottlyworld.blogsot.com

RIP Charles Rocket

http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/TV/10/17/comedian.suicide.ap/index.html

Another former SNL star dies way too early. Click to see it from CNN.

Past, like grains of sand

This is me (holding my little sisters stoller) and my older sister and brother, and my late Dad on Easter 1965.

Borrowed thid from Randy in Chicago.

http://lilrandys.blogspot.com/

My name is Craig, Daniel Criag

Well, it's official, British actor Daniel Craig becomes James Bond #6 -he's beginning to rival that famous Time Lord from Doctor Who.

Anyway, after months of speculation the team at Eon Productions, led by Barbara Broccoli and producer Michael G. Wilson, announced that Craig will take over for the pink slipped Pierce Bronsan in the 43 year-old franchise. The 37 year-old actor is not know here in the States much, though he was seen in the low-budget action film Layer Cake this past spring, and had roles in the first Tomb Raider film and Road to Perdition.

James Bond 21 will be a serious version of Casino Royale (there was a 1968 parody version done, and until about a year ago, was the one title that Eon did not own). Neil Purvis and Robert Wade will script the movie (and are already reported to be working on Bond 22, giving the imperession that they could be returning to the 2 years between films and this, despite that Wilson had brought in Oscar nominated writer/director Paul Haggis in to pump up the dialogue), and its reported to deal with Bond getting involved in a no holds barred game of Texas hold'em that somehow threatens the world.

Oh, please.

But one would be remiss not to mention why Bronsan was not asked back to play Bond for a fifth time, and it had nothing to do with money. Both Broccoli and Wilson claim that they feared a stagantion with franchise, as market research was showing that the Bond films teneded to have the oldest demographic of any action-adventure series. And in a world where young males were Bonds bread and butter and thus were moving away from the franchise, they needed to find away to get them back. Sure the video games were doing well, but apparently that was not translating so much into box office dollars.

As early as April of this year, Brocolli was already settled on Craig, when the sale of MGM/UA slowed everything down. Once Sony Pictures accquired the studio casting needed to go through Amy Pascal, who heads Sony's motion picture division. So demographics, one word actors and actresses hate, played a key role in dumping Bronsan beyond everything else.

Martin Campbell -who directed Bronsan in his debut as Bond back in 1995 - will return to helm Casino Royale. But, as Harry Knoweles says over at www.aintitcoolnews.com, "Campbell plays to all the worst aspects of the Bond franchise. He's safe, risk-free and ultimately boring. The early word on his return to ZORRO is that it is two yawns and a snooze away from Naptime entertainment. Now, imagining someone like Matthew Vaughn (who directed Layer Cake) teaming back up with Daniel Craig and being set loose to adapt this material the way it should be handled... dangerous, deadly and cold. Man, that's the BOND I'm dying to see. Alas - we're stuck with one of the most boring "action" directors working today."

So its same old/same old, as neither Broccoli or Sony appear NOT to want to actually take a risk with Bond. But then, that's what's wrong with Hollywood in general. They want movie stars in their films, and not actors. They don't want to shake the tree, as they fear too many monkeys will fall out.

Move along, folks.

Tab Hunter Confidential

I was picking up my drink order at Starbucks the other night, my book in hand, when the Barista asked my what I was reading. I showed her the book and told her it was about Tab Hunter. Her face fell a bit, unsure what to say. I then asked her if she had even heard of him, and she admitted she had not. I quickly explained to her that he was the one of the first pretty-boy screen idols of the 1950's, a sort of Ashton Kutchner (a sad comparison, I know) of his day. I showed her the pictures in the book of the handsome "Sigh Guy" and she suddenly understood what the book was all about.

While I’ve seen very little of Hunter’s work, I’ve always been fascinated by him. But he was also part of the old Hollywood that I love so much. And he was just so damn good looking.

The genetic perfect, you love them and hate them. Art Gelien won the genetic lottery and like so many "movie stars" of today, became a hit -even if they had no talent. Still, Tab Hunter turned out not be just another pretty face. Even he knew that his rise to fame came because he had perfect cheekbones and looked very, very, very good shirtless. But unlike today’s pretty-boys, Hunter knew he could be better and was determined to show the world that there was something below the surface.

Tab Hunter Confidential is perhaps the best autobiography of Hollywood superstar I’ve read. With honesty and a great sense of humor, Hunter takes us on a glorious ride through old Hollywood, when the studio ways were ending. Where movies began to be pitched towards teenagers instead of adults, where character pieces and epic story telling were pushed aside for empty, marshmallow war dramas and beach films.

And where being gay was almost as bad as being a communist.

I don’t remember where I first saw a picture of Hunter, but I had heard of him from my mother, who, while 4 years younger than him, was the demographic the his films vied for. And, when I first saw Polyester back in the 80's, I knew deep down in me that Hunter was gay. After all, it took one to know one. Still handsome, I would look through old Hollywood books and see his picture and sort of think that had I been around during his popularity, I would’ve been one of his biggest fans.

Years later, when I saw his striking image on the cover of Shirtless! The Hollywood Male Physique in 2001, I drooled all over it. The sad thing is I never bought the book for myself, but did give it as a birthday present to a good friend who loved these guys as much as I did.

But I love old Hollywood, as I’ve read many books by the men and women who starred in those great films, to the biography’s of the men who made Hollywood. The sad, one striking thing that remains, is Hollywood’s treatment of gay actors and singers who cannot live openly due to the parochial, conservative attitudes that has run rampant over the last 20 years since AIDS.

For every Rupert Everetts, there are 10 or more who still need to live in the closet because coming out could STILL destroy their careers. Because while this December’s Brokeback Mountain will be one of the first Hollywood films to portray a gay romance, its still played by two heterosexuals (as the studios think that while gay men will see the film, the straight women who take their husbands and boyfriends need the leads of a gay love story to be straight; lest otherwise their fantasies of Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger be taken away. Like every straight man’s dream of being with two women at the same time, I think every straight women’s dream is make a gay man like women).

While Hunter is satisfied with being "forgotten", I will always remember him, if only because of Polyester, Lust in the Dust and the horrible-its-so-good campfest that is Grease 2. Still, he does deserve to commended for surviving the 1950's tabloid years with all his gears in tact. He took his God-given good looks and tried to mold himself into a better person and actor in a time when the word "actor" being replaced by movie stars.

Even at 74, he remains as handsome and charismatic as he was during his golden years. If I ever get a chance to meet him, I would love to tell him that he will always be remembered by me. That sounds a bit creepy, but I say it only because he is someone to be admired and respected. And he deserves much more than a footnote in history as just the Sigh Guy.

David

So when will you die?

http://www.okcupid.com/death

According to this, I should die in june 0f 2042, three months shy of my 80th birthday.

Who 2005

Time can heal wounds it is said. And After a 16 year gap, Doctor Who returned to the BBC in March of 2005. Here in America, the new show has yet to air. But in England, the show has become the new hit of the BBC and had already been picked up for a second and third season long before the first season was complete. Of course, it had problems. Mainly from its new Doctor, played by Christopher Eccleston. He would bow out after just 13 episodes.
While rumors of his departure are blamed on many things -from typecasting to Eccleston just being exhausted - the BBC had finally brought back its most lucrative franchise.
I had a chance to see the first two episodes now, Rose and The End of the World, by series showrunner Russell T. Davies. The show is no longer the clunkly, low-budgeted produced drama that plagued the series before its demise back in 1989. Higher production budget, location shooting and very little pandering to the fans has impressed me. Sure, it’s a kids show, but it is the Doctor Who I remembered first watching in the summer of 1979 on WTTW Chicago.
Eccleston plays the Doctor with charm and humor and is obviously having fun. Billie Piper - a former British pop star who I heard terrible things about -is actually good. A companion who is smart and not easily frightened like past companions.
I look forward to seeing the rest of the show. I just hope that I don’t have to get a bootlegged cut of it like I did of these first 2 episodes. I mean, if no network here in the States is willing to air the show, then the BBC should be smart enough to release a region 1 version here. It's money in the bank.

Right?

Sci Fi Buzz

At first, it looked like Nicole Kidman had signed on for the third big screen remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers - a tale about an epidemic of extraterrestrial origins invading the bodies of innocent people. Sounded like a remake to most. But now, Warner Bros is going all out to tell the press that this is an "original sci fi" idea. The trade papers have taken great pains to emphasize that while Warner’s initially commissioned David Kajganich's script, and that the project was intended as the latest in a long string of Body Snatchers remakes, somewhere along the line, it became something new and different. Now just simply called Invasion (with no relation to ABC’s new drama), it will be helmed by German director Oliver Hirschbiegel (Deadfall). Kidman will play a Washington DC based psychiatrist who uncovers a conspiracy when she discovers people are beginning to change, and some how she and her son hold the key to preventing an alien invasion. Jack Finney wrote the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers as a magazine serial and then turned it into a novel that legendary director Don Siegel made into the classic film in 1953. In that version, Siegel spun the story as an allegory of McCarthy-era fears of communism. The 1978 remake, directed by Phillip Kaufman, cooked up the tale as a commentary on pop psychology and New Age cults, while the mostly forgotten 1993 version (also produced by Warner Bros.) directed by Abel Ferrara worked in the themes of AIDS.
New Line Cinema has tapped up-and-coming British director Anand Tucker to helm the first installment of Philip Pullman’s fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials. Tucker is also the director of the upcoming fall film Shopgirl (though it was filmed in 2003), based on the novel by funny man Steve Martin. Chris Weitz, who adapted the book, was slated to direct but withdrew in December. For the past half year, more than four dozen filmmakers have been considered for the job with the studio finally locking in Tucker. With His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass, New Lines begins its boldest and biggest project since The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
20th Century Fox is planning a trilogy of films based on the Eragon fantasy novels by 21-year-old Christopher Paolini, Variety reported. The first film, Eragon, will commenced production in August, with a cast that includes Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Djimon Hounsou and 17 year-old British actor Ed Speleers as the title character. The story centers on young Eragon, who one day finds a blue stone he believes he can sell for enough food to last his family through the winter. But the stone is actually an egg, and when a dinosaur hatchling emerges, Eragon is suddenly caught up in a world of destiny, power and magic. Sooner than he thinks, Eragon must become a Dragon Rider and battle the evil King Galbatorix, the trade paper reported. Veteran visual-effects supervisor Stefen Fangmeier (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events) will direct, from a script by Peter Buchman (Jurassic Park III), which was subsequently rewritten by the Planet of the Apes team of Larry Konner and Mark Rosenthal. Fox is eyeing a June 16, 2006, release.
Hollywood’s fascination with remakes continues as 20th Century Fox is fast-tracking a redo of 1976's horror classic The Omen. John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines) will helm the film, from a contemporized script by Dan McDermott. Richard Donner (Superman) directed the original, which starred screen legend Gregory Peck as an ambassador who allows his wife’s dead baby to be switched at childbirth with another, only to discover that his new son will give a new meaning to the word "hell raiser." The film is scheduled to go before the camera’s in October, which could put the remake out for late spring release in 2006.
She returned, somewhat to Doctor Who, in 1981 after almost 5 years in a one-off special called K9 & Company. She played Sarah Jane Smith again in the 1983 20th Anniversary episode, The Five Doctors. Now, 22 years later, Elizabeth Sladen is returning to Doctor Who as Sarah Jane, in an upcoming second season episode called School Reunion. Also on hand is K9, voiced by actor John Leeson. The Doctor’s robot dog will be killed off in the episode, saving the Earth, but weep not, as a new K9 will be given to Sarah at the end of the episode. Also on hand for that episode will be Anthony Stewart Head, who was Giles on Buffy, playing the school’s Head Master. The second season of the new Doctor Who series begins in the spring of 2006 in Britain, but there will be a special holiday episode called The Christmas Invasion, which will air in Britain on Christmas Day. Still, there is no plans to air the new series in the States.
While its unofficial, expect the Sci Fi Channel to announce that they are picking up both Battlestar Galactica and Stargate: Atlantis for third seasons. While the network would wait until January to announce this, word has leaked that will give green lights for both of the shows. It’s also expected that the cable network will also renew Stargate: SG1 for an unprecedented 10th season.
Tim Allen will return one more time as St. Nick, as Disney is getting ready to sign Martin Short as the villainous Jack Frost in The Santa Clause 3...DreamWorks has penciled summer 2008 for Madagascar 2, while the scene stealing penguins will have their own direct-to-DVD movie in 2009.
Legacy:
Director Robert Wise, who helmed the Oscar winning The Sound of Music, died September 14 of heart failure. He was 91. Wise’s career started as an editor of the classic 1941 Orson Wells film Citizen Kane, where he went on to helm a bunch of B films before he hit it big with the classic sci fi film The Day the Earth Stood Still. He would later go on to helm the 1971 adaptation of Michael Crighton’s novel The Andromeda Strain and would help launch the big screen version of Star Trek in 1979. But, perhaps, his greatest legacy will be The Sound of Music and West Side Story, two of the most beloved movie musicals of all time.

Reading Now

Things that I've been reading:

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman - A funny, Douglas Adams inspired (I think) novel from the American Gods writer (along with The Sandman graphic novel series which I can't read, if only because I think this format -along with the wildly popular Manga franchise -is leading teenagers into illiteracy). While light on plot, it none the less reminds me of how silly English people view Americans and how sometimes even English people see themselves.

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Ahab by Gideon Defore -The sequel to The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists, another Monty Python inspired romp with The Pirate Captain and his unnamed crew as they meet Cutlass Liz and visit Las Vegas (with an inspired nod to 8 Miles) where they meet up with Ahab, the notoriously moody captain who is searching for his white whale inbetween shows and gambling.

And, of course, Entertaiment Weekly. Though, I hate the Photo Issue. Not only is it stupid and smacks of "this must be a slow news week" but it's also a double issue!! Damn, while the magazine is not Premire, it shows its People style origins with this lame issue.

Field Trip

After being in California for a month -and hoping to blog my trip, but decided it was not worth telling - my flat mate Bill dragged me to the Hollywood Collector Show for a day outside the area I now live. Now, Bill is way into getting autographs of his favorite Sci Fi actors (and his favorite female porn stars). I on the other hand, don't really get into it. I mean, I like meeting stars, but getting them to sign something is weird for me.

It was a nice warm Sunday as we drove to Burbank. As we pulled into the Hyatt Hotel, I saw Sherman Hemsley (Mr. George Jefferson) being followed by fans and a film crew from TV Land who are doing something there.

Anyway, paid my $15.00 and walked into geek land. Long time ago when the dinosaurs roamed the Earth, I loved going to sci fi conventions. Especially Dr. Who ones. But somewhere along the line, I stopped going. I realized that while I enjoyed meeting the stars, I was embarassed by these geeks who drooled over these people. I just liked talking to them, about their shows or what ever.

Eventually, my friend Marc would say that I have a healthy obsession with Trek and what not. I'm not the guy who needs to dress up and get his picture taken for the local news, even though it would be cool to tell the world that there are "normal" Star Trek fans out in the big wide world.

Back to the Hollywood Collector Show. I got to meet actor Barry Jenner, who played Admiral Ross on the last two seasons of DS9. That Trek show remains my favorite, and it was a delight to talk to him, while Bill got his autograph.

We talked about why I thought -and he echoed some of it - this show was so much better than VOY and ENT. DS9 is the most character driven of all the shows. Which I love and almost any actor does too.

I also met a few other people, which I'll bring you all later