What's the appeal of horror films?

Interesting article in this weeks Entertainment Weekly, talking about horror movies and their impact on the box office and why, more and more, they are becoming the norm.

The sad part is they are highly lucrative -the last four horror films this year: Descent, The Hills Have Eyes, Hostel, and Saw II have grossed over $200 million. The impressive thought here, is all four films together cost less than $35 million to make.

All of this means, with October now here, we’ll see more of these sick genre films. Apparently, because this is what the audience really wants, or so says Hostel director Eli Roth: “People want something that’s visceral, grisly, violent, and realistic.”

I question the sanity of some one who pays for and then watches a film so they can get off watching people cut off body parts to escape a serial killer.

Do these films represent everyday peoples fear? And that going to them some how makes those fears go away? I can’t say I have a fear of having to cut off my leg because its caught in a bear trap. It’s not a realistic in any sort of the way, because I know its never going to happen.

I like a good scare (the original Halloween scared the pants off me, but you never saw a drop of blood), but what’s with the gore? Is it necessary to show this type of violence (especially towards women, even though Hostel turned the corner on that mainstream philosophy)? Or is this a pure masturbation fantasy of straight teen males (who make up the majority of the box office totals for these films, along with DVD sales)?

While, I guess, there is a need for cheap films that make a great return for its investors, does anyone question the disturbing minds behind these films? Eli Roth, Rob Zombie (The Devil’s Rejects) and James Wan (Saw) are all making sequels to their films, all pushing the violence and gore up a notch, “There’s a bit of a pissing contest between directors to try and get the most blood in their movies,” Roth told EW.

And before someone says what about the violence in, say, Lord of the Rings or even the old Warner Bros. Bugs Bunny cartoons, I’ll say that is all it is: cartoon violence. They never reveled in that type of violence.

If I may paraphrase Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park

Today’s horror film dress themselves in blood and gore simply because they can. If I may paraphrase Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park , the studios and directors are so preoccupied with whether or not they could {get more gory) , they don’t stop to think if they should.

Kidnapped cancelled; NBC picks up Heroes and Sci Fi renews Eureka!

The winner for first show to get cancelled is NBC's Kidnapped. The serial drama has scored way below the peacock networks expectations. And my guess is the show is very expensive, so if the ratings are not there to match the cost, you'll not last long.

But, NBC still has some love for the show, stating that they will air all 13 episodes ordered and that it will tie-up all its loose ends so the fans will not be totally disappointed. Then again, if the show continues to loose viewers, NBC may drop the show in favor of two shows that are waiting in the wings: Medium or Crossing Jordan.

Meanwhile, even as NBC announced this, they confirmed they have given the green light for the back nine of Heroes, which next to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, are two best new shows on the network.

Finally, the Sci Fi Channel has picked up Eureka for a second season of 13 episodes. The offbeat show has scored very well for the cable channel, the first original series since the success of Battlestar Galactica.

So, one serial drama in the 24 tradition gone, but two genre shows are continuing.

Not bad.

Emma Watson dropping out of the final two Harry Potter films?

Emma Watson is hinting that she may not return to play Hermione Granger for the final two Harry Potter films. The now 16 year-old, filming Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, has stated that she's unsure if she'll commit to The Half-Blood Prince or the final, yet un-named 7th film. "I don't know yet. Every film is so huge and it's a long time. I love to perform but there are many other things I love doing."

Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint have made it known they are in for the long haul, returning for all seven films.

While I can understand her concern -after all she'll be 20 by the time the series is finished - on other hand, I can't see why she would give up this great gig. One that has set her up for life.

Still, I suppose, as an actor you need to explore new roles and new challenges. She's already commited 6 years of her life to the franchise, with at least 4 more years to go. At 10 years, that is a long time playing one role and the down time between films is so short, she and the rest of the actors have little chances to do other things.

This might be a ploy, but if it is, I'm unsure of her strategy. Warner Bros. could loose millions if she chooses not to return; fans could be turned off by a new actress playing a beloved character.

But if she is holding out for more money, I'm sure the studio would be willing to throw caution to the wind and re-cast the role.

This bares watching.

Movie Review: Brick

Dubious of PK’s choice of movie, I was surprised when Brick turned out to be one the best movies I’ve seen this year. Which, I guess, I should have known. As a fan of independent films, ones that are story and character driven, they are usually thousands of times better than half the films the major studios produce, even the ones they save for Oscar season.

This debut film from writer and director by Rian Johnson, is a stylized and clever film noir, where the teenaged cast speak in the jargon of the classic black & white films of the 1940's.

Levitt-Gordon plays Brendan, a teen who is an outsider who wants to be just that, with his floppy hair and round glasses, that makes him look like a cross between Harry Potter and Jared Padalecki from TV’s Supernatural. When his ex-girl friend contacts him unexpectedly, sobbing about how she’s screwed up every thing, and then disappears he becomes consumed with finding her.

But to do it, he must submerge himself within the dangerous drug culture of southern California. He contacts The Brain, his one and only peer, who can get him information on socialite girls, a dangerous thug named Tugger, a girl named Kara and school’s quarterback Brad. In doing so, Brendan also comes into orbit of The Pin, a drug kingpin of the area.

When Lukas Haas turns up late in the film, as the baroque Pin (looking like Jonathan Frid from Dark Shadows fame) he steals the film.

At first, I found the florid dialogue a bit distracting, it reminded me of the updated Romeo and Juliet from a few years ago - set in present day, but using the Shakespearean talk. But after a while, the story sucked you in, along with Gordon-Levitt’s and Haas performances.

A winner of a film.

Jericho: The Day After will be filled with cliches

Jericho's second episode continues to hit all the cliche buttons and thus, I'm losing interest. Now the guy who will become the new sheriff has a troubled marriage -which maybe the reason he brought his family to Jericho.

This is one of many reasons why broadcast TV is falling down. A current article in Entertainment Weekly talks about the down trend in TV comedy, where shows like Two and Half Men are considered funny shows, despite the obvious that they are trite and about as humerous as a cold sore.

Networks seem afraid to create anything that will stimulate the mind, using the age old acorn that viewers would rather have endless retreads of comedy and cop drama's, three CSI and three Law & Order shows than support a drama or a comedy show that is more character driven.

This MTV style of programming, this idea that 18-49 year-old people (which, in reality is more like 12-24 year-olds) are more important than anyone older -and who would watch more TV if the networks stopped pandering to them so much -is causing this schism. Teenagers are not appointment bound TV viewers, but a rather ficjkle bunch of kids who do not really understand what they want.

Advertisers like this demographic, because they spend money willy-nilly, but these kids are becoming as shallow as the spoiled rich kids featured on MTV. And they are ruining TV and movies, because they have this attitude.

Now, I'm not saying that there is no room for such B craptacular stuff as the Grudge 2 and The War at Home. But its become the norm and not the exception it should be. TV can be good, and at times, even great. But today's TV is fallow, with only a handful of shows worth my time. And movies, well, movies are mostly dead to me. A lot has to do with the turnaround from the theaters to DVD -which a lot of people are doing these days. Another has to do with with the audience, as everyone is so used to seeing movies at home, talking during the film, distracted by their kids and the phone, that when they go to the theaters they can't seem to shut and just watch those flickering images on the white screen.

And theater chains, unwilling to anger any goer -even if they are part of the problem, will usually turn the other cheek. So when I do go to movies, its usally a mantinee. It can be cheaper and is usally less filled.

Anyway, I might chance to watch an episode of Jericho again, but how many more cliches will they cart out?

Past Prologue

Funny, how things work out.

I had two very close friends when I was growing up, one whom I've known for close to 40 years and another for 26 years.

And I regret that over the years, as sometimes happens, I lost contact with them. It's like those old school mates; you spend at least 8 years with them -from kindergarten through 8th grade - and then if your lucky, another four during High School. Then college -or no college - seperates you, even after you promised you would stay in touch.

Dennis and I had a long time friendship that survived, at times, many ups and downs and a few years when he lived in Colorado after his parents split. He spent four years in the National Guard and, yet, when we got together, it was as if no time had passed. And while Dennis and I had little in common, we still had a bond of friendship that trumped everything else.

After our little adventure in the Bay Area working for the now defunct United Artist Theater chain, I relationship shifted. He was back in the midwest, doing his sports medicine stuff. Even after I returned to Chicago, we spent no time together. As a matter of fact, I think 4 years passed before I saw him again. After that, another 2 years passed before I contatced him again, and we spoke over the phone. It was not helpful.

Now eight years later, I have no idea where he's at, though I suspect he still lives on the south side of Chicago. It pains me that he has never tried to find me, or seemed even concerned that I am alive.

Then there was Michael, a guy I met when I was working for K Mart in 1980. While Mike and I did not become friends until about two or three months later, we none the less hit it off. Like my roommate Bill here, Mike and I shared the same interest; science fiction.

We had a great friendship during the 1980's, and even though we had some rough patches from time to time, it could always be the typical thing real firends go through.

But time and tide seemed to effect us towards the end of the 80's. Mike was dating Kathy and I moved to California for 18 months. After my return, Mike and I saw little of each other, as he was working a great job and was planning (and eventually) married Kathy.

I think the last time I saw Mike was at his fathers funeral. Though I might have faulty memories on that. I remembered spending time at his home in Bartlett, but I can't recall if it was after or before.

Anyway, Mike was a big collector of music and during our mad and wild days of the 1980's, he made me loads of audio tapes of music, well over a hundred by 1992. I still have them and while some have been abused by me, I have almost all of them. Plus, as mentioned above, our love of sci fi such as Dr. Who and Star Trek gives me more sweet, sweet memories. All those Sunday nights watching Monty Python, Dave Allen and then Doctor Who on the PBS station there; standing in line to see Return of the Jedi.

So, last night, after a few weeks of intense wondering where he was, I tried to find him. I knew he no longer lived in Bartlett, but I was unsure where he was, if he even still lived in Illinois.

Thge internet can be a wonderful thing, and it took me a couple of hours going through endless searches, but I think I found him and his wife in West Chicago. I found an email address and on a whim, and wing and a prayer, I sent one off.

Surprise!!

It was him and he sent such a kind and wonderful bundle of memories back in the email. I was so happy and so shocked.

Of course, I sent a new email back to him, giving him the update of my life. Well, sort of, anyway. I can't remember if I told him I was queer. That should be interesting. God knows, I hope he dosen't freak out like Dennis did.

Hopefully, he'll send one back. I also gave him my mobile number, so we'll see if he calls.

Thanks, Fate.

I hope we'll never lose this time again.

Jerry Falwell's attack on Freedom and Madonna

I could give a rats ass about Madonna these days, with her crazy stunts that piss of censors across the globe and her latest CD and her fake British accent.

Lately, she has survived protesters and censors in Russia, Germany and even the Vatican City (some of those countries which are not known for "freedom of speech") so she could perform her crucifixion number, Live to Tell in concert.

NBC, which will air the concert in November, has bowed to pressure from the likes of Jerry Falwell and the American Family Association and will cut that number from the special.
America is the cradle of democracy and the birthplace of something called the First Amendment rights, and I find this step by NBC -who by the way, still aired The Book of Daniel earlier this year after threats from AFA - very disturbing. I mean, despite those protests mentioned above, she still was able to perform that portion of the concert because her artistic freedom needed to be preserved.

So, smug Falwell can claim a victory for NBC dropping the segment, but once again what the real story is our freedoms are under attack not from Islamic fundamentalism, but psychotic Christians and right wing muckrakers who are using fear to keep America in a war that a good percentage (those who get their news from other sources other than FOXNews) of us now realize is un-winnable.

In Jerry Falwell’s world, freedom of speech and artistic freedom are wrong and must be crushed so the glory of Jesus can shine through.

What an ass.

It's official: The Class is dumb, but Heroes shines

Have no idea how CBS convinced these critics to praise this show, but The Class is about as funny as a heart attack. All the characters are pathetic whiners and the plots are as thin as the Olsen Twins.

While this has got to be series 47 for Adrian Pasdar (but, damn he's a whiny egosentric), Heroes startes off great, with everyone of their characters beginning to sense the change overcoming them. The spooky powered one is the artist. I would be freaked out if pictures I paint started becoming real.

Only one problem (though, I don't know why, so much) with it, since it was shot as a 2 hour opener, it takes a bit to meet all the hereos. But I was not expecting the cliffhanger, though.

Surprise.

Hidden Frontier shoot: 09/24.

Today, filming continued on Hidden Frontier's final season. We're still in the midst of epsiode 705 -The Widening Gyre - and 706, Things Fall Apart. This shoot was easy by far, no drama and we wrapped on time. The next shoot is October 21 and next was suppose to be the 28th, but now we'll film on 22nd as well. Saturday and Sunday shoots are a challenge, plus we'll have so many people coming and going that we'll never wrap on time on either of those days..

Of course, its about the talents availability. Everyone of the actors schedules are causing this bottlenecking.

There was a cute 18 year-old boy who knows JT via through his myspace, and as it turns out, just a stones throw from Rob's. So he was there watching us film, flirting with Rob. He's adorable and can't say I did not feel something for him, but he's way too young.

Still...

Anyway, all is coming together. However, the fans will have to have mor patience, as The Widening Gyre will not be released until the end of October or the first Monday in November.

grr.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip best new show of the season?

I never watched The West Wing, if only because it was usually opposite something I usually watched. Plus, I've never been a big fan of Martin Sheen.

The there was Aaron Sorkin, an admitted drug addict. I felt I should not support him. Brilliant of writer that he is, I just felt I would be enabling him. So, I passed on it.

This past week, his newest show debuted on NBC. I watched it just a few moments ago, and found it well written, with a great cast. So far, if I was to say what was the best new show so far this TV season, this would win.

Because Studio 60 refuses to pander to its audience. And Sorkin makes it very clear, he'll not do this with this show, as the teaser was a brilliant rant at network TV ands its inability to be original because certain groups of a conservative nature will force a blockade. It's a risky too, as shows-within-a-show filled with inside jokes and self-mocking humor may turn off a large group of people who think Two and Half Men is the funny.

For me, this is what I want from my TV show. I don't want it dumb down, and I don't care if teens are not watching it. The networks failure to understand this means we'll be stuck with lame comedy shows like Two and Half Men, and endless reality shows.

FOX, once thought as nothing but fluff, has several shows on their schedule that have proven successful with out lowering brain cells (which Las Vegas does in spades), even though we are stuck with Law & Order franchise and that cheap game show, Deal or No Deal. NBC, stuck in 4th place, is fianlly doing something about that. Studio 60, My Name is Earl and The Office will be on my NBC watch list.

Over at CBS, The Class has potential, its just that I would not want to spend any time with these guys. They are boring and the premise, at best, is silly. Still, I'll give it another try, as there is nothing else worthy to watch on Monday's at 8 (besides I kind of like How I Met Your Mother and The New Adventure of Old Christine). Same goes for Jericho on Wednesday. I'll give it one more try before either recording it so I can watch Bones over at FOX, or abandon it althougher to record 30 Rock when it debuts, 'cause I love Bones.

I'm looking forward to Ugly Betty, The Nine and Heroes. And, of course, Lost and Desperate Housewives.

Gay Witch Hunt -The Office's funny season opener

While The Office has diverged from the British verison it is based on, it none the less, has become a funny show that pokes more fun at corporate America than Dilbert ever could. Its season opener this past Thursday, The Gay Witch Hunt, show cased to the straight viewer how inappropriate the word "fag"is, and hopefully educated them as well.

For Michael, the boss of this team who has suffered from a chronic case of foot-in-mouth disease in the past, accidently outs office accountant Oscar after trying to make amends to him for referring to Oscar as "faggy."

Like so many straight Americans, the word "fag" or "so gay" is supposed to mean lame, and Michael goes on the defensive by saying he would never call a retarded person a "retard", let alone a gay person "faggy."

And while the episode -and Oscar - try to point out how that comparison isn’t any better, The Office’s attempt to explain why the phrase is so wrong and is one reason why this show is a suitable replacement for the now cancelled (and much more brilliant) Arrested Development as one the funniest shows on TV.

For Michael, and for millions of slightly unenlightened Americans who bandy the word "gay" around like candy during Halloween, he never meant it in a cruel way. For him, gays are found in large cities, or as noted on the episode: the Bravo show, "Project Runway." Its hard for him to wrap his brain around the concept, as he sees his co-workers as being just like him. He never thought that words could harm someone he cares and knows about.

Then, after all is explained to him, Michael goes out of his way to make amends, by calling everyone into the conference room. The episode goes from great to outstanding as Michael lets Oscar know that he’s accepted and embraces him and plants one of the most awkward kisses seen on TV since Michael Jackson planted one Lisa Marie Presley.

And for Oscar, who never wanted to out at work and who has kept his private life just that, becomes nobody’s fool, either. He is portrayed not as a gay stereotype, but as real character and who, at the end of the day, is just like everyone else: he’s mediocre at best and seems to give the impression he would rather be somewhere else than at work.

One the other aspects of this episode is that Oscar wants to quit, but we found out that he stays only because, as most people would do, he can be bought. The company gives him three months paid vacation and a company car. Which just goes to prove that the character is fully human, with many foibles and not the butt of any ones joke. There are few TV shows who make this valiant attempt to show that gay people are just one of the gang.

Birthday wishes to Jinx Titanic and Marc

Happy Birthday to these wonderful guys.

XXOO

Sarah Jane Smith returns in 2nd spin-off of Doctor Who

With the third season of the revamped Doctor Who series set to air next spring and the first spin-off show Tourchwood expected this fall, the BBC and series show runner Russell T Davis are gearing up another series featuring, perhaps, the best known companion the Time Lord known only as the Doctor ever had.

Elizabeth Sladen, who portrayed the intrepid reporter Sarah Jane Smith on the classic series from 1973 to 1976, is set to come back in the Sarah Jane Adventures, a BBC production for Children’s British Broadcasting Company (CBBC).

Set in present day, the series will focus on Sarah and a 13 year-old neighbor girl named Maria (Yasmin Paige), who team up to fight evil alien forces at work in Britain and the scheming Ms Wormwood -to be played by Samantha Bond (Miss Moneypenny in recent James Bond films of Pierce Bronsan). A 60 minute special -written by Davies -will go before the cameras next month, with a series set to lens next spring.

Sladen has become a fan favorite over the years and is cited by many both here in the US and in Britain to be the best companion the franchise ever had and was Davies favorite when he watched the show as a kid. When he was hired to helm the revamp, it was her character he wanted to bring back especially. And while it took a season, Sladen none the less came back in season two’s School Reunion.

K9, who also returned in with Sarah Jane in Reunion, will not be part of the show (as there is rumored an animated series in the works featuring the robotic dog), but will appear in the "pilot."

Birthday

Strange, that as I turn 44 today, how I feel so much older.

On the outside, most people look at me and usually are surprised to find out that I am in my 40's. Which is fine, as I don't act my age anyway. My gray hair betrays me when I don't color it, but I'm getting tired of doing it. So, I guess, now I'll look like I'm in those 40's.

Oh, well, I'm also very low-key about my birthday. I actually like going to other peoples birthdays than mine. They are - at some point -just another day.

And mom sent me $25, which was cool, and I'll use it, but had she just sdent the card, I would've been happy.

But at 11:30, only Donna and Mom have called. I'll be surprised if I hear from Dawn -even though Steven's birthday is tomorrow. She forgets. Brian, well, if he was not married to Karen, I would not hear from him on my birthday. It's his thing.

Books of 2006, part 12: Gil's All Fright Diner

Gil's All Fright Diner

by

A. Lee Martinez

In what could be the start of a potential series of novels, A. Lee Martinez Gil’s All Fright Diner jumps into the world mined by the late Douglas Adams. But instead of poking fun of science fiction, the author takes on the horror genre. Here’s a universe where a vampire named Earl and a werewolf named Duke travel together and where, after stopping off in a one stop sign town of Rockwood, encounter it being overtaken by zombies.

At first reluctant to help, they become involved with Loretta -who is running Gil’s All Night Diner after the mysterious disappearance of Gil - and Sherif Kopp to find out why the zombies find Gil’s so interesting.

Along the way, they encounter Tammy (AKA Lilith, Queen of Night) and her dopy boyfriend, Chad. Tammy needs to get into Gil’s, but now that Loretta has Earl and Duke, her plans to take over the world become more complicated. But when Earl becomes distracted by an amorous ghost, Tammy sets in motion her dreaded plan. Only if her dad and school work doesn’t interfere.

*************************************************************************************

During the heyday of the 1980's when I read many humorous fantasy novels, not much came close to the brilliance of Douglas Adams. Piers Anthony came near enough, but after the sixth Xanth novel, the series became dull and lifeless, with way too many puns. And I never like how he jumped ahead in the Xanth universe, regulating most of my favorite characters to cameos. Robert Asprin’s Myth series I liked, but found the series running quickly out of ideas, which included a brief bout of writers block by the author that effected the series in general - beyond his later battles with tax’s and his ex-wife.

This novel works like the Buffy and Angel universe, with jokes and one-liners between some good ideas. But I must becoming cynical in my older age, as I found the book funny, but nothing as brilliant as the all the Adams work. But then, what could?

I guess while the book is entertaining and worth the price, its just not as original. Which is what is wrong on TV, the movies and books. But I watch and, occasionally, read. That maybe why I’m drawn more and more these days to non-fiction and why I still have a desire to re-read such books as the entire Lord of the Rings series for the umpteenth time.

Of the fantasy genre I used to love so much 20 years ago, I’m finding no one interesting to read. There is Tad Williams, maybe. The Robert Jordan endless Wheel of Time series lost me around the end of book 3 and the so horrible I never finished it book 4. Harry Potter is still good, and have been tempted to go back an re-read the entire first 6 books.

I have a box or more of books I’ve yet to read. Sometimes, I feel I wouldn’t mind being the Bergess Meredith character Henry Bennis in that Twilight Zone episode Time Enough at Last. Of course, I don’t want a nuclear war to come, but it would be great to be able to put a year or two away of no worries of money food and housing and just read all the books I’ve yet to get to sitting in storage and the ones on the book shelves I’ve yet to buy.

After all, I still have that Confederacy of Dunces to read. I’m just glad I don’t need glasses to read.

Five Years Later: 9/11

September 11, 2001

Heroes

Books of 2006: Part 11: Mayflower By Nathaniel Philbrick

 

I began reading Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower with the same curiosity he did: learning how Thanksgiving began. Of course, as a holiday, Thanksgiving did not begin until 1863 as a "cathartic celebration of nationhood". True, the Pilgrims would’ve been probably horrified by it, seeing that most of their puritanical ideas would not allow for such a baffling notion; heck, they did not even celebrate Christmas.

When the Pilgrims reached the shores of America in 1620, they knew not what to expect, but they were trying to escape religious persecution in England. They felt that church had become corrupted by "centuries of laity and abuse". They believed that if something was not in the scriptures, it was man-made, and thus a distortion of what God intended (even though the Church of England was already super conservative). These Puritans had no use for the Book of Common Prayer, since they felt it tampered with the meaning of the Bible and prevented "spontaneity", which they felt was "essential to attaining" the "divine".

But if I could time travel back to those early years, when nearly half of the original travelers on the Mayflower lost their lives, I would tell them that they needed to tell their kids and grandchildren the basic need to understand each other. Even the leaders of the Pilgrims realized early on that if they were going to survive beyond the first year, they needed the "Strangers" to help them, and that meant loosening some of Puritanical ideals.

So while the first years were hard, with many misunderstandings between them, the Native Indians and the folks from England, they were able to balance out a life.

History, sadly repeats itself, and it would be the next generation of Strangers, more Pilgrims, that would cause a war between them. After 50 years, a conflict would grow as additional people arriving to the New World felt it was God’s divine right to strip the natives of their land and kill them. Of course, the Indians were no so innocent themselves, but it seems to me that they were wiped out for no other reason than they were a nuisance to America’s westward movement.

Even today, with our current conflict in Iraq, we are still fighting a war based on race. For today we see people like Samuel Moseley who coined the phrase "the only good Indian was a dead Indian" and felt that once you got mad at them, you got even with them.

Then there was Benjamin Church, who felt that instead of hating your enemy, you learn as much as possible from him; that instead of killing them, you tried to bring them around to your way of thinking.

And "first and foremost, you treat them like human beings".

Because the one lesson that can be learned by King Philip’s War of 1674-75 is that "unbridled arrogance and fear only feed the flames of violence.”

Arrested Deveploment: Season 3 on DVD

The final season of the best comedy in decades came out yesterday.

I struggle to find words as to why this show failed. Perhaps it was just too clever and too sly, and too bold for Joe American. And I've said for years that satire is lost on mainstream American's, so that could be it also.

So, the final insult that FOX could give this show was only ordering thirteen new episodes for the fall 2005-06 season, airing only 3 episodes in September before yanking it for a month of baseball in October. Then they aired only 2 episodes (back-to-back) in November followed by 3 in December -when people are out shopping for Christmas and when, generally, most of the networks run repeats. FOX then aired only one show in January before taking it off for 6 weeks and finally aired the final 4 episodes on one night, a Friday; against the always highly rated opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics.

While TV comedies are at an all time low, and such lame series as Two and Half Men are nominated for Emmy's as best comedy show (which went, this past Sunday, to My Name is Earl -which while a funny and clever show, pales to Arrested Development and even the highly underrated Scrubs), the loss makes me wonder where next great comedy series will come from.

I sense that in a few years -maybe even 10 - Arrested Development will become a classic - and people will wonder why such a brilliant show died so soon.

I know why, at least I think I do.

But I want to thanks series creator Mitch Hurwitz and the entire cast of AD for giving me some the best laughs in years. The show will long live in DVD for me and I will giggle at all the shows, even when I've watched them over and over again.

Long live Arrested Development.

California: One year later...

One year ago today, I arrived in California.

A whole year has gone by. The thing is, my life has really not changed too much. Still working for Borders, still trying to live paycheck-to-paycheck, still single -with no boyfriend prospects on the horizon.

I'm happy, in some ways. There are only a few minutes of a day that I miss Chicago and the family. I certainly don't miss the weather -especially last Thanksgiving when it was 70 here and 2 below in Antioch.

True it gets hot here -and it is a dry heat (lol) - but its so much better than the wickedly humid days and bitter cold I grew up with there.

And since February, I've been working with the Hidden Frontier crew, which is such a huge bonus, I can't even say. Rob and his crew have been so supportive and so kind and have honored me by allowing this boy to play in their toy box.

But I would be lying if I said I'm more happier here than in Chicago. I guess, I even hoped, that by now I would have a new job making -realistically - the same amount I was when USG fired me in January '05.

But as the song goes, God just laughs at my plans. I seemed doomed to live a dull, prosaic life filled with fears of not being able to buy food or pay the rent. What did I do in a past life that I'm paying for now?

I know this woe is me bullshit is not pretty, and I know there are many, many people worst off than me -like most of the Katrina victims from one year ago, and the handicapped and the real poor - but why can't I just find a fairly decent job that can take away these worries?

Sure, I sleep fine, but my stress level continues to go up, as my hair continues to fall out, and get grayer. I want to have a life such as Rob and my friend Marc back in Chicago. Where everything they touch turns to gold -and with no effort what so ever.

Why can't I?

Warner Bros. announces release date for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

With Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix still 11 months from hitting theaters, Warner Bros. is wasting no time in scheduling the penultimate entry, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince for November 21, 2008.

This means the final film of book series should hit theaters in July 2010. That is if Rowling can get that last book out. Already she's making hints during some British chat shows that at least three main charaters will die in that final tome. This has sent a flurry of authors like Stephen King to send public letters to Rowling requesting she not kill off Harry.

While no release date has been announced for that last book -or even a title - I suspect that we'll have it in our hands in June or July of next year.

Doctor Who returns to Sci Fi on September 29

Outpost Gallifrey is reporting that Doctor Who’s second season -starring David Tennant and Billie Piper - will return on September 29 to the Sci Fi Channel. While it has not been “offically” announced, according to an NBC/Universal release (which is was published as a PDF form on the web site) for Sci Fi shows that Doctor Who returns to the schedule on that evening starting at 9pm EDT. It appears that Sci Fi will air two episodes that night -and then repeat them two hours later, which is their usual pattern.

The question is, will The Christmas Invasion be included? That special holiday episode runs 59 minutes, some 15 minutes longer than a standard Who episode. So either is could be skipped and shown at a later date, or with it heavily edited to fit the time. Sci Fi could extend it to 90 minutes, by adding an extended trailer for season 2, but there remains nearly 13 minutes unaccounted for. Still, Sci Fi has altered its schedule in the past, but it’s a good bet that the 2 episodes that premiere on September 29 will be New Earth and Tooth and Claw.

Kyle XY picked up for a second season

One of the few scripted shows in a summer glutted with reality crap, Kyle XY on ABC Family (along with Sci Fi's Eureka) has earned a place on my must watch list. This charming (and sometimes hokey) funny hybrid of family drama tinged with sci fi is far from original, though. But that's not a bad thing, either.

Its a series about a teenage boy (played with great gusto and believeability by Matt Dallas) who wakes up naked in the forest, with no memory of who he is and where he comes from. After wandering into a nearby town, the boy is taken into custody, but the police find they have a conundrum on their hands, as the boy seems not to able to talk.

And while a he seems healthy as an ox, the local doctors are at a loss why he can't speak or why he has no bellybutton.

But soon, the young man displays a savant-like intellect, learning things like talking, math and other things in a swift time. Baffled, he is put in the care of a psychologist (Marguerite MacIntyre), given the name Kyle and settles in with her family, including her husband and teenage son and daughter (Bruce Thomas and Jean-Luc Bilodeau and April Matson).

While he is prodigiously intelligent, he is also deeply naive - much like a real teenager.

Anyway, the series has done well on the cable net, averaging 2.1 million views, becoming their most-watched original program. Repurposed on sister network ABC, it has an audience of 4.6 million, which has been a sizeable increase from a year ago. Now, ABC Family have announced that the show will return for a second, most likely airing next summer.

I like this show alot, despite some of the by-the-book teenage angst that grips all three young stars. And while this show resembles Starman in many ways, it has more wit and heart. Dallas, in a truly break-out performance, is able to show incredible emotion in his face and eyes, and its a marvel at the way he can take an every day object and make it look like its the first time he's seeing it.

The mythology of the show is who or what is Kyle. Why does he have no memory, why does he have no bellybutton and is he connected some how to a mysterious murder? Kyle also has a shadow, a man who watches his all his moves. Nicholas Lea, last seen as bad guy FBI agent Alex Krycek on FOX's The X Files, plays an equally mysterious watcher. But all we 've seen him do is a lot of stalking, and reporting to a mystery person on the phone.

Its a wonderful show, despite the 7Th Heaven teen troubles, and Matt Dallas holds all of this together. He's a talent and should be watched.

And since he's pretty on the eyes, that won't be too difficult to do.

John McClane returns for Die Hard 4

Bruce Willis will play Detective John McClane, who seems to keep landing in one wacky situation after another, one more time in Live Free or Die Hard next summer, as 20th Century Fox has announced a June 29th 2007 release date.

The script is by Mark Bomback and Doug Richardson focuses on an evil mastermind who attempts to shut the country down through an attack on the computer infrastructure. Len Wiseman of Underworld fame will direct.

This long planned fourth film in the franchise has been in development for years, and once had a working title of Die Hardest, will come 12 years after Die Hard With a Vengeance.

Now, only if we could get the damn Indy 4 before Harrison Ford turns 70.

James Bond 22 in 2008

In what was reported just as James Bond 21, the reimaged Casino Royale, began production, has now been confirmed, as Sony appears to be returning to the 18 month turn-around in the Bond films. James Bond 22, rumored to have the working title of Risico (a story from Ian Fleming's For Your Eyes Only collection), will be released on May 2, 2008. Roger Michell is rumored to be at the helm.

Meanwhile, Casino Royale will hit theaters on November 21, has signed Audioslave and Soundgarden front man Chris Cornell to sing the title song, You Know My Name.

The Bond films have been known to use popular singers to belt out those opening credit songs, but have failed to generate any big hits since the final Bond films of Roger Moore. None of the four Brosnan films were huge hits, and the two Dalton ones remain unmemorable.

Whether this new song can be as huge as For Your Eyes Only, Nobody Does it Better or even the cement mixer song by Duran Duran for A View to a Kill, only time will tell.

Fletch is coming back to the silver screen

Chevy Chase was never great at picking his film roles. Beyond his first feature, Foul Play, his only other good films was co-starring roll in Caddyshack and the first Vacation film. But there was two other films he did, little seen these days, but I liked them. In 1985, he starred as Fletch, the scrappy invesitgative reporter in the novels of the great Gregory McDonald. Brought to the big screen by the late director Michael Ritchie, Chase was at his best as the wise cracking, disguise loving LA reporter out to expose a drug ring. The 1989 sequel, Fletch Lives, was not that great, but still showcased Chase's best talent: slapstick and nonsequtior humor and many, many mocking wise-cracks.

Since then, the film series has remaind in limbo, but it has been announced that Bill Lawrence, creator of one my favorite shows, the under appreciated Scrubs, has signed on with the Weinstein Co. to write and direct a new film, Fletch Won.

While no casting has been announced, Lawrence seems to want only one person to play the irreverant reporter/slueth: Zach Braff, the star of Scrubs. Lawrence told Reuters that Braff "is perfect for the role. I'm going to use all my pull trying to make him do it." Lawrence aims to give this entry, an origin tale based on 1985's Fletch Won, more edge, likening it to Beverly Hills Cop, where there was a real sense of jeopardy."

Monster House

A long time ago, Disney held the mantel when it came to animation. During the late 1970's and 1980's, it went to pieces, but there were not many studios producing the quality films. Disney, of course, regained it back in 1991. But those years are behind them again. Still, with the aide of Pixar, Disney has maintained a high profile. However, with out the CGI company, Disney continues to fall behind.

For the most part, the reason it has failed to get a hit is because they’ve lost the ability to tell a story. They’ve let the bottom line and investors run the company, parading out direct-to-DVD sequels to their most classic films like candy in a vending machine, failing to understand that what makes a movie -animation or live action - is the story.

That leads to Monster House, one of the best, funniest and well written story not to come from Disney. This animated film uses the same technology as Polar Express, but the motion capture and the other technology in the film is not as important as the story and believability of the kid actors. This solid story telling is what makes the film so entertaining.

The voice talent is excellent, led by Mitchel Musso, Sam Lerner and Spencer Locke, with supporting rolls going to the excellent Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kevin James, Nick Cannon, Fred Willard, Catherine O’Hara, Kathleen Turner and John Heder. Directed by Gil Kenan, the film never drags and will keep kids, and adults, entertained.

Executive Produced by Robert Zemekis and Steven Speilberg, I did pickup on at least three “in jokes” from previous Zemekis films (Forrest Gump, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Castaway), but unlike, say the Shrek films which rely on many pop culture references, this film has little or none at all.

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

Warner Bros. has officially announced -along with the 8 disc box set of the first 4 Superman films - the alternate (or true version, depending on your point of view) of Superman II. In a seperate release, the new 122 minute version, supervised by director Richard Donner, will be the original take on what Superman II was intended to be.

Long story short, Donner was fired before he could finish the sequel. But because of DGA guide lines -because so much of the sequel had been filmed- Donner's name would still have to be on it. The Salkind's decided to scrap what had been filmed and reworked the script with Richard Lester now at the helm. But they ran into trouble when actor's Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman and John Williams, who created the memorable theme, pulled an audible and refused to return to refilm their scenes and score the film (and along the way, Director of Photography GefforeyUnsworth died, also, meaning a loss of residuals to his family).

Forced to keep the Donner directed Hackman in the film due to the script, Marlon Brando was dropped and his lines went to Susanna York. Williams Superman theme was used, but the score was done by Ken Thorne.

Now, after years of being kept hidden, Donner's version will see the light this fall.

According to the press release, Donner's cut will finally restore Brando's role, which was filmed and cut from the film, that deepened the bond between father and son. Also included will be scenes that amplify the legend and lore of Superman, including a variety of Lois Lane schemes to unmask Clark Kent as Superman. Included in this version will be enhanced and completed visual effects and a newly-recored commentary by director Richard Donner and creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz. There is also a new featurette -Superman II: Restoring the Vision - and several additional scenes not included in the new cut.

Both DVD boxed set and Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut will be released on November 28, along with the new film, Superman Returns (which will be the theatrical version. Director Bryan Singer has said, an extended version -amounting maybe close to 45 minutes, will released sometime in the future).

Books of 2006: Part 9 and 10: Icon and Valley of the Dolls

So, I finished Icon a long time ago, and basically waited to post a note about. So sue me. Anyway, liked Icon, but found the book took a long road to get to its point. It was also marketed in the same catagory as The Da Vinci Code, but really its just an old-fashion World War II thriller set in 2000.

I have always wanted to read Valley of the Dolls, if only because the movie version -considered by many to be a misfire - was camp at its highest.
Still, Susann is credited for starting the whole mass-market approach to book publishing, writing a scathing look at Hollywood. Its been reported that Susann based her three main female characters on Judy Garland (Neely), Grace Kelly (Anne) and Marilyn Monroe (Jennifer) and after learning of that, it really made the book interesting for me. Plus, while it was published 41 years ago, its tale of drug addiction, bed hopping and stars out of conrtol is still revelant today.

Still, I could see why many were shocked with what happenend in this book. While we were coming out of golden years after the end of World War II and sexual reveloution was upon us, 1965 was still, for some, a halcyon days. It was decades ahead of its times, really. No one in 1965 thought things like that happened, but they did and continue the same way today.

Her book, in 2006, is not as shocking, not as surprising, but it is a terribly good read. This is the grandmother of all beach books, but it is also a brilliantly written book that shines the light into the dark corners of fame.

Meeting Ed Sanders at my Borders Book Store

So, the other day I'm getting ready to leave work, and end up helping a guy find a book. While I'm doing that, I see another customer close by, looking around, obviously trying to find a section. As I take the other person to where his book is, I tell the second guy who's looking around that I'm be right with him.

And when he speaks, it confirms with his accent that I know who this second guy is.

Ever since I relocated to California, my family asks if I've met anyone famous. No, being close to LA, I always thought it was a possability, but out in Rancho?

With my roommate, I've meet several stars at autograph signings. These people are mostly the ones who were popular during the 70's and 80's with some thrown in from the 90's.

I mean, a few weeks ago I met the very nice parents of sci fi author Barbara Hambly, who I met 20 years ago.

Anyway, back to Wednesday. So, after helping the first guy out, the second guy -who I now know is Ed Sanders from ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - as about some interior decorating books, as he's building a home in a nearby town.

I show Ed the section, but on the way I ask him how the show is doing and are they filming for the next season. We chat and explains production was beginning in a few days and this would be his last season on the show. I asked about the schedule, and he said that was the main reason he was making this coming season his last. Gone for 10 months out of the year, he said he's missing his son growing up.

He said he was an actor, and wanted to get back to that. First thing I noticed was that Ed is taller than most actors I've met ove the last 10 months. I'm tall, about 6'3" and usally tower over many of these actors. I'm one of the tallest in the crew of Hidden Frontier.

Plus, he was just as hot in real life as on TV. Dressed in a T Shirt and shorts with his sexy feet in flip flops. And just as sweet. While we did not have the book he was looking for, I did find him some that was close. I left him to his search.

So, my real first in counter with a current Hollywood TV personality.

Star Magazines' pointless cover story

So, I'm at Stater Bros. yesterday, buying some groceries. Now, I generally pay little attention to the rags at the check-out. People Magazine, US Weekly and the tabloids are all nothing but useless trash. The lady in front of me -who was with her 20 something daughter -had just bought a People Magazine and while the groceries are more important, all the daughter was concerned about was the People.

Anyways, the tabloid mag, The Star had a front cover ddevoted to skinny Hollywood girls, and pointing out the obvious that nimrods like Nichole Ritchie are so thin they look like corpses.

I picked it up, for no reason really. Then I opened the cover to the first page, and there the Star is showing a picture of Reese Witherspoon with her kids, and complaining on how heavy she is.

WTF?

These damn, stupid, pointless magazines, that damn , stupid teenage girls think are their bibles, read this and see a conflicting image. And the Star -which looks to be trying to make a statement about skinny actresses - then says another actress is too heavy seems to defeat its purpose of the cover story.

Superman Returns: A review

I’ve spent almost 24 hours thinking about Superman Returns. Something has bothered me since I left the theater yesterday afternoon, and I think I know why: the writing is really bad. Don’t get me wrong, the cast was universally good, with Routh and Spacey doing great in their roles. Bosworth is fine, though no Margot Kidder. And the supporting cast, led by the always good Frank Langella, are good with what is given them (though Parker Posey and Kal Penn are wasted). The visual effects are great, with the spectacular plane sequence the best set piece of the film. John Ottman’s score is good -and he works in John Williams Superman theme to great effect. And Singer’s direction is flawless, as usual.

The two places -or maybe three - were things fall apart is the story; the editing and Tristan Lake Leabu. First off, I had issues with Lex Luthor’s motives; granted most had been set up long before he knew Superman had returned to Metropolis. But after five years in prison, Lex’s revenge was the same one for the first film, a land grab? Besides, as he grows the new land mass, he gleefully says billion will die. If he destroys most of the North America and kills so many people, who is going to be alive to buy the land?

Of course, once he knew that Kal-el was back, he modifies his plan by adding green Krytonite to the crystal’s he stole from the Fortress of Solitude thus making the new continent bad for Superman, but it still seemed less than a great idea for a $200 million plus film. And I was a wee bit disappointed that Superman and Lex’s meeting took two plus hours to happen.

The editing seemed choppy, with many cutting away from the Superman’s return and Lex’s plan seemed almost oddly misplaced and badly mistimed.

While Tristan Lake Leabu’s performance was okay, it was here the other part of the story went no where for me. So Jason is Clark Kent’s son. And it shows when he rescues his mother. But then a short time later, when they are locked in the pantry, Lois asks Jason for help and he says he can’t. Then when Richard, Lois and Jason are trapped on the sinking boat, and you think that Jason is going to save them all, he fails again. Then, towards the end of the film, Jason and Lois visit Superman in the hospital. You are given the impression that Jason is going to help the ailing super hero, but for the third time, nothing comes of it. That was frustrating.

I’m unsure at this point, what Singer and his writers, Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris, were trying to say. Was all this a set up for a sequel?

Anyway, I did feel the film was a bit long at a 2:37 minutes (and Singer claims he shed 20 minutes to get it down to that time), but I loved all the homages that Singer put into SR. Anyone who’s seen Richard Donner’s Superman as many times as I have, will pick up on most of them. And while Brandon Routh does good, and comes off a fair take on Christopher Reeve, he does make it his own. Kevin Spacey is just as good as Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor, but a bit more ruthless and mean.

Overall, this is a better picture than say X Men III, if only because the performances were good, the direction and visual effects were spectacular. It should preform adequately, both here and overseas (once the World Cup is done), but it is not what I had hoped for.

Still, it makes a fine end piece to Superman and Superman II (and I’m looking forward this fall for Richard Donner’s true version of Superman II). Singer’s love for the first film, with archival footage of the late Marlon Brando, John William’s memorable score (with an “almost” same style opening credits -hip and new back in 1978, but something anyone can do now) and the many, and the many, many homages through out the film make it worth the time and money.

And while the Christ images are obvious, I was not bothered so much by them. That analogy, along with the gay one, has been part of the lore of Superman -and in many ways, all super heroes - since its beginning. You take what you want, I say.

My ratings: B+

Rowling hints about deaths in the final Harry Potter book

"I have to say two die that I didn't intend to die," JK Rowling said this past Monday. "A price has to be paid. We are dealing with pure evil here. They don't target extras do they? They go for the main characters. Well, I do."

Rowling seems to be getting the pre-publicity machine going for the last volume of her bestselling Harry Potter series, and while there is still no release date -though a few months back I speculated next summer as the logical release date, but it could be delayed until 2008 due to the release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix next July - she is dropping hints on what might be the fate of some characters in the popular series.

She claims she has known since 1990 how the series was going to end, but admits now at least 2 main characters will die and one, who apparently did die, will get reprieve.

The series, which has gotten darker and darker with each conservative book, has become so popular that many adults await each new release as much as their kids.

But the big question remains, will she kill off Harry Potter himself? She admitted that she has been tempted too, basically saying that as a popular character he is, if he’s killed off, no one can take up the mantel long after Rowling has shuttled off this mortal coil. But I don’t think she will, but of course those “deaths” depends on how you describe “key characters”.

I’m convinced that Dumbledore survived his attack in the last book, The Half-Blood Prince. I can’t explain why I feel this way, but I do.

But Hagrid seems logical to kill off, as he’ll become a hero that Dumbledore always though him to be. And it good chance that Severus will die also, as I’ve felt since the start of the series, he is not as evil as portrayed. Out of the three main characters, I think Harry will survive, but as a logical procession of the story, either Ron or Hermione could be killed off.

It would bother many fans have any of the three died, but from a story progression -which Rowling has kept true too -it is logical one will die.

Rowling admits that she’s not done with the book, but if she (and Scholastic) want the book out next summer, expect a December announcement. The only wrench in this, maybe the Order of the Phoenix. Will Warners want a book competing with their film version of book 5 and vice versus?

Scholastic will want a summer release for the last volume, as Half-Blood did so well in 2005. Kids are out of school and that will prevent said kids (and adults) from ditching things like school work and just every day work.

But the wait, no matter what is damn annoying...

Futurama Returns

Three years or so ago, FOX pulled the plug on the animated series Futurama after 72 episodes. This smart, funny show came from The Simpsons creator Matt Groening. But -as typical with FOX -it had no idea what to do with, mostly because the humor was satirical in nature, and American's have proven that most satire goes over their heads; witness the nomadic life of Arrested Development or killed after two airings: the brilliant Wonderfalls (among many others).

But like most demographically minded people, the executives at FOX were caught off guard when the show -like Family Guy before it - began to outsell all expectations on DVD. Units of the series -plus reruns on Comedy Central and Cartoon Network - made the show more popular than when it was airing on the network.

But why? The show is still full of satire and sly sci fi jokes. Maybe because Comedy Central's core audience, usually made up of more adult and educated people, seemed to understand and appreciate the adroit humor. Or maybe its just dumb luck. But, since the debut of CN's late-night animated block Adult Swim, the network has seen a huge rise in viewer ship who are generally older than the typical demographics that advertisers usually go after.

With that knowledge behind them, FOX pulled a reverse and revived Family Guy, but still was cautious about bringing back Futurama, which was more expensive to produce than FG.

Now, after rumors that started nearly a year ago, its been confirmed that Comedy Central will bring the show back with 13 new episodes. Expect the voice talent of Billy West, Katey Sagal and John DiMaggio to return.

This is the third FOX show, by the way, to be revived. Beyond Family Guy and Futurama. IFC has also ordered new episodes of Greg The Bunny (another great, clever comedy that went before its time).

New episodes of Futurama will air on Comedy Central in early 2008.

Now listening too: Keane: Under the Iron Sea

Why does "official" Star Trek avoid gays?

After the recent press Hidden Frontier is getting about its gay characters, I decided to post something I wrote back in early 2003. I had spent a good few years collecting articles on Trek and this one was prompted when Star Trek: Enterprise was going to an AIDS allegory episode. I’ve updated it a bit.

Since it's beginning in 1966, series creator Gene Roddenberry sold the Star Trek universe as time were humans had long ago put away their prejudices and learned to live in peaceful harmony; a utopian life where in quadrants that were Federation based, everyone seemed to be well-adjusted, happy people. Even religion appeared to no longer exist (as well as television), as everyone looked as though to be a sort of secular humanist. Like Rod Serling, creator of the Twilight Zone, Roddenberry used allegory stories to inform the public about current issues, with racism and anti-war being the original series (TOS) bread and butter. But in later years, as times changed, one thing that Trek seemed to always stray away from was homosexuality and as early as 1987, AIDS.

Back in early 1986, after it had been announced that Trek was returning to TV in the fall of 1987, Roddenberry was asked by a fan at a convention in Boston if a gay character would be part of the show. After all, it could be reasoned, that after TOS inclusion of black and Asian characters in their ensemble cast, adding a gay character seemed logical, if you can excuse the pun. It was reported by writer David Gerrold, to Jonathan Kay in a Salon.com interview in 2001, that after the question was asked, Roddenberry acknowledged that it could be possible that TNG might explore those issues.

For most long-time fans of Trek, Gerrold’s name brings up memories of one TOS favorite episode, The Trouble with Tribbles. The writer was only 19 when he sold that story to the NBC series, and 40 years later is remains one of the most popular episodes of the series. As proof of its prevalence, when Star Trek celebrated its 30th Anniversary in 1996, the second spin-off show Deep Space Nine did an amazing tribute/sequel to it called Trails and Tribble-ations. It featured the crew of DS9 traveling back in time to revisit that episode. And it featured a brief cameo by the writer himself.

Gerrold had been hired to help pen stories for TNG and had written an allegory tale about AIDS called Blood and Fire, but as production on TNG began, the writer found his script was not going to be produced. The story had the Enterprise answer a call from a distressed medical research vessel. When the mission team beams over, it finds that the ship's crew is infected with "Regulan blood worms," an apparently incurable pathogen so deadly that Starfleet has orders to destroy any ship that is contaminated. Aside from its obvious reference to AIDS, the script also contained a casual nod to homosexuality, with a pair of male officers who had been a couple since their academy days.

"This was during one of the worst parts of the AIDS crisis," Gerrold told Kay of Salon.com "Before protease inhibitors, before AZT. AIDS was not a treatable condition; it was a fatal disease. And the fear of it was widespread, so much so that blood donorship had reached critically low levels." It was also a more personal issue for Gerrold, as Michael Minor, art director for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Merritt Butrick, who played Kirk's son in Trek II and III had succumbed to the disease in 1987 and 1989, respectively.

In Gerrold's script, curing the disease required a complete blood transfusion. To treat the infected, the Enterprise crew was asked to donate blood. "I felt this plot point would raise the consciousness of 20 million Star Trek fans overnight," says Gerrold. But after a series of arguments with Roddenberry's underlings, Gerrold quit the show, and the episode was permanently shelved. Gerrold told Kay , half-joking, that the script got caught up in "orifice politics."

Gerrold also told Kay that part of the issue was Roddenberry’s health. Even before his death in 1991, it had been reported and rumored that Roddenberry was nothing but a figurehead during the first few years of TNG. Writers on the first season came and went, many, like Herb Wright, where fired. Gerrold says. "He didn't have the physical strength he needed -- and he was experiencing mental lapses as well." Gerrold says that some of Roddenberry's collaborators stepped in and began to make decisions about the show. Roddenberry's lawyer, Leonard Maizlish, even went so far as to write story memos and rewrite scripts. And Maizlish was hardly sensitive to the gay issue. "The last time I saw [Maizlish] I was helping Herb Wright pack up his office," says Gerrold. "The lawyer came to make sure we weren't stealing anything. To my face, he called me 'an AIDS-infected cocksucker. A fucking faggot.'"

But Trek archivist Richard Arnold defended the reason why the story was put aside, in related story from the Trektoday website: "I knew Gerrold from 1972, and I'd read all his books up to that point. Blood and Fire was not his best work. I was almost offended by the stereotypes. The scene I remember particularly was when the gay couple was having a sort of lover's dispute. The one we could call the wife was expressing concern to the other about getting into dangerous situations. He was saying stuff like 'You know how much I worry about you when you're away.' I mean, come on. This was absolutely ridiculous - for Starfleet officers or for gay men."

In 2003, Enterprise aired an episode called Stigma, which had the Vulcan character of T'Pol acknowledge that she is suffering from an incurable degenerative blood disease, ala HIV/AIDS. T’Pol can not reveal she has this illness because that knowledge would forever stigmatize her among her people. According to Rick Berman, who wrote the episode with co-creator Brannon Braga, he told Gannett News Service that: "What we would most likely deal with is T'Pol's desire to educate the Vulcan people and destroy this sense of prejudice held against [mind melders who are the majority of who suffer from it]"

Sadly, the episode never achieved what many gay Trek fans had wanted. The story line would only pop up again once or twice during the rest of the series run because by then, as typical in Trek’s later series run, when their parable became too complex, they would abandoned it.

So, once again, Trek was able to skirt the whole gay issue.

But just once, though, it would be nice to hear that gay people exist in the Star Trek universe. I mean, even Babylon 5 indicated that homosexuality endured in their universe (in the episode, two male characters have to go undercover as a honeymooning couple to contact some local resistance group on Mars). And while it was essentially a throw away line and not important to the plot, it was really the first modern science fiction show to make it clear that it would be perfectly normal for a male couple to be honeymooning.

In an article from fandom.com in February 2000, former writer TNG and DS9 writer Ronald D. Moore confirmed that there is a conservative view against homosexuality in Trek and why there is no gay characters in the franchise. Moore said to them: "This is one of those uncomfortable questions I hate getting when I was working on the show, because there is no good answer for it. There is no answer for it other than people in charge don’t want gay characters in Star Trek, period." Later in the article, though, he appears to exonerate Paramount: "That’s one of the great things about Paramount. Paramount left us alone. They always left us alone. They let TNG do whatever it wanted. God knows it let Deep Space Nine do whatever we wanted. It lets Voyager do whatever it wants. The studio is not the problem here. The studio is going to let you go wherever you want to go, as long as they believe that this is quality, as long as they believe it’s good work. You’ve just got to come up with something good."

So you don't have to be a brain trust to realize that if what Moore says is true, that if Paramount leaves Trek alone to do what it wants, then Rick Berman -who was, and still is, in charge of the Star Trek franchise -is the sole reason there is a complete absence of any gay character in Star Trek. Further evidence of this, came in an August 2001 story on Enterprise, in which TV Guide writer Michael Logan confronted Rick Berman with that rumor that Enterprise would feature a gay character, only to get the usual denial. Reportedly, Berman said "That's totally untrue. Well I shouldn't say totally untrue. It has not been discussed. One of these characters may turn out to be gay. We've just decided not to make an issue of it for the time being (at the time, it was thought that Lt. Malcolm Reed, the ships chief of security, was going to be gay)."

And after years of seeing Trek do away with some of its sexist attitudes that haunted TOS, with Enterprise, Berman and Braga revived them. Since the first episode where we see Trip and Maryweather drooling like 18 year-old modern day adolescents over female (note, no male) dancers, we've seen T'Pol become the Seven of Nine replacement as the resident sex kitten. As proof of Trek's return to it's old ways when dealing with women and sex, Braga told Cinescape Online back in March of 2002 that: "Rick and I have been allowed to bring our own sensibilities to the show in a more natural way, which we haven't been allowed to do in some of the other shows."

If all of this true, then it would appear that Star Trek being written, produced and marketed solely for heterosexual males.

NBC's Today Show does a story on Hidden Frontier

http://hiddenfrontier.homelinux.com/TodayShow.mov

The Dark Tower Family Tree

This July sees the final book, in paperback, of Stephen King's most popular series come to a conclusion. Here is a brief look at how most of King's books published over the last 25 plus years are somewhat connected to that universe.


The Dark Tower Family Tree

The Gunslinger

The Gunslinger
"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."
Thus the reader is introduced to Roland of Gilead, the last gunslinger from a dying world. His pursuit of the man in black is only the first step in the epic that is the journey to the Dark Tower, the axis upon which infinite worlds revolve.
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The Stand/Eyes of the Dragon
(These books have a significant place in the narrative arc of the Tower series, providing background information, and early appearances of the major series antagonist's -Randall Flagg and the Crimson King.) In the final pages of The Gunslinger, Roland catches up with the man in black, and through their encounter it is revealed to Roland in a prophetic form that in order to fulfill his destiny he must do battle with a powerful wizard.
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Insomnia/Black House/Hearts in Atlantis
From the pages of The Gunslinger, the prophecy regarding Flagg also states that Roland must get past The Beast, the keeper of the Tower. In Black House we learn that The Beast is a character we've met before, called the Crimson King (Hearts in Atlantis/Insomnia), and that his actions are ultimately what has put the Tower in danger and prompted Roland's quest. Ralph Roberts, the protagonist of Insomnia, and readers alike first encountered the Crimson King in that book's climax, where in a climatic battle, Ralph gouges out one of the King's eyes. Soon after, the book cuts to an image of Roland lying on the beach of his world, sleeping easier because for the moment, the King's plans have failed and the Tower is still safe.
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Eyes of the Dragon/The Stand
The encounter with Flagg that will take place over the pages of these final three books (The Wolves of Calla, The Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower) is one that Stephen King readers have been wanting for since 1978. They were promised that this would be "another tale, for another day" in Eyes of the Dragon and reminded again with the revelation of Flagg's survival at the end of the updated The Stand. Flagg is at the center of that promise, and along with the Crimson King, the revelation of their back-stories in these other books is what has allowed the series as a whole to exist on such an epic level, without having to pause its narrative to develop and explore players outside of the ka-tet.

The Drawing of the Three

The Drawing of the Three
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Roland's search for the Tower continues, as he gathers the fellowship that will accompany him along the way. Through mystical doors, Roland finds passage to different worlds with in the Tower's realm, each one opened into the mind of those destined to play a part in the fate of infinite worlds.
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Eyes of the Dragon
In The Drawing of the Three, Roland has a brief encounter with Thomas, one of the protagonists from The Eyes of the Dragon, seen in pursuit of Flagg, the antagonist from both The Eyes of the Dragon and The Stand. Thomas's pursuit is a reference to the promise made at the end of Dragon that the final confrontation between the book's heroes and Flagg was still somewhere on the horizon.

The Waste Lands

The Waste Lands
Ka is fate, and a ka-tet is a group bound by destiny. Roland's ka-tet is now complete, and as they follow the path of the Beam, the path to the Tower, they must travel through the waste lands of a dying world. Those they meet on the way are less than friendly, and while a timeless evil (Flagg) makes his presence known, the Tower, its meaning and its fate, keep getting closer.
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The Stand
In The Waste Lands, Stephen King lets Flagg cross over fully into The Dark Tower world and years later, in the final pages of Wizard and Glass, it is confirmed that Flagg and the wizard of prophecy are indeed one and the same.

Wizard and Glass

Wizard and Glass
This is the story of Roland's youth, his original ka-tet of gunslingers, and the continued path along the Beam. In the now, Roland's newest troupe must travel through the land of the Crimson King, a multi-world figure fated to destroy the Tower and rule the ruin, with his ally -an old friend if evil can count itself as such -Flagg. Flagg, the traveling dude with hands free of lines and penchant for worlds in ruin is but one of the many challenges anticipated for Roland and the last gunslingers.
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The Stand
Roland and his ka-tet briefly visit a world ravaged by the same Captain Tripps super-flu virus that devastated the global population in The Stand. The final pages of the expanded edition of The Stand maintain the continuity of the series as a whole by revealing that Flagg survived the book's climax.
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Insomnia/Hearts in Atlantis
The encounter at the end of Wizard and Glass between Flagg and Roland, along with his fellow gunslingers, occurs in the court of the Crimson King, a territory marked by the symbol of a one-eyed King (Insomnia).
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Insomnia/Eyes of the Dragon
In his own words, from the afterword to Wizard and Glass, Stephen King came to the understanding that Mid-World (the world of The Dark Tower) contains all the other (worlds) of my making; there is a place in Mid-World for Randall Flagg and the wandering boys from Eyes of the Dragon and Ralph Roberts from Insomnia and they will meet up in the land of Thunderclap as the saga reaches its climax.

Minor Titles

IT
Prominently features one of the 12 guardians of the Tower's universe, The Turtle. Tower lore reads that the death of the guardians would be the sign of the Towers weakened state. By the end of IT, The Turtle is dead.

Rose Madder
Features a porthole to Lud, one of the Mid-World cities.

Hearts in Atlantis
The novella, Low Men in Yellow Coats, outlines the role of physics (the Breakers) in the Crimson King's plan to destroy the Tower. Expect a revisit of the character Ted Brautigan before the series concludes.

Talisman/Black House
Fully outlines the Crimson King's plan and updates readers as to Roland's progress.

Everything's Eventual
Features a story of Roland set prior to the events of The Gunslinger. It also features a story (the title story) of a man with physic abilities (a Breaker). Stephen King has said that Dinky Earnshaw will have a role at Thunderclap.

Desperation/The Regulators
These books exist in worlds parallel to each other, an illustration of how the Dark Tower universe works. Also, the antagonist, Tak, has been referenced in the Tower books, but what role he plays remains to be seen.

Salem's Lot
The character of Father Callahan was reintroduced in Book V: The Wolves of Calla

Where is Doctor Who's second season?

Back in January, when the Sci Fi Channel announced they had finally picked up the revived Doctor Who series, I pondered the question of whether the cable net would pick up series 2, that is currently airng in the UK.

While ratings for the show were not spetacular, the network did say that the series doubled the ratings in that timeslot from last year, but to be honest, they were airing reruns of their Stargate franchise, and reruns don't usually generate high ratings.

While I'm guessing programmer and all around nutcase Bonnie Hammer will take a wait and see attitude, but there are some who are speculating that the second series will begin airing on in October.

Now this is a purely hypothetical situation:

Beginning in July 14, the cable net will debut the next seasons of Staragte and Stargate: Atlantis. Each will run 10 episodes, putting the mid-season finale around September 15 -barring Sci Fi does not prempt them during the run.

Battlestar Galactica will return in October and its a good bet that IF the network will pick up the second series, that is where it coould air (most likely before BG).

For the most part, I wish the Sci Fi would say they will be airing the show now, which could help build a following. But then agian, they're airing wrestling and Law & Order - but they seem to have pulled Passions. NBC/Universal, which ownes the genre channel has little idea what to do with, evidenced by the adding of such programs.

And while I enjoy BG, I still cannot forgive them for pulling the plug on Farscape.

Star Trek: Hidden Frontier: Where no Trek series has gone before

http://www.afterelton.com/movies/2006/6/hidden.html

Robert Asprin's Myth Adventures for sale

During the late 70s and 1980s, when I was reading almost every fantasy book that came out, I stumbled upon Robert Asprin. While I had always enjoyed the hardcore sword and sorcery work of Stephen R. Donaldson and, of course J.R.R.Tolkien, I also liked the lighter fantasy, such as David Eddings, Piers Anthony and Robert Asprin. And while I enjoyed Eddings, I never got into his later series of books, and Anthony just got too silly as I grew, his Xanth novels seemed to always be too juvenile, never "growing" up.

He created and edited (with his then-wife, Lynn Abbey) Thieves World, a series of shared anthologies. While it was the first project of its type, I never found them interesting. But he also created the comic mis-adventures of Skeeve and Aahz in the Myth Adventures. It followed a demon who had lost his powers who takes on an inept human apprentice. Together they travel through a variety of worlds in pursuit of glory, and, of course, wealth. And like Anthony’s Xanth series, the Myth Adventures were pun driven.

Between 1978 and 1994 he put out 10 volumes in trade paperback. While not all where brilliant, they kept me laughing. Eventually, after some personal problems in the later half of the 90s with the IRS, he would return to Myth books in 2003. I have yet to read them, cause while his name appears on the books, it looks like his "co-author" Jody Lynn Nyle actually wrote them.

Anyway the reason I bring this up is I’m selling all 10 volumes of this series. All are in good condition, all 1st editions. These versions are all out of print, by the way. If anyone wants them, I’m selling them for $10 a piece. Leave a message in the comment field.

Thanks

Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

I miss Douglas Adams

I was one of many fans who were shocked beyond belief when Adams was struck down by a heart attack at the age of 49 in California. What was also the surprise, he was health nut and had been working out when that said heart attack came.

The reason I post about this is that I’ve decided to sell on E Bay, the long out of print, first American edition hardcover of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. Published in 1987, when his popularity with his Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series was still in the minds of fans, it was a departure for him. It’s humor was more stylized and less as broad as the Hitchhiker series. More in line with the typical, dry British sense of humor.

The book is also, in some sort of way, a alternate universe version of the Doctor Who episode Shada. Adams spent a year working on the classic version of the series during the late 1970s and had written two previous episodes, The Pirate Planet and fan favorite City of Death. Shada was to be his last episode for the show (and last serial of that season). But as things happen at the BBC, a planned strike caused a disruption of production on shows then. After the strike was over, the BBC went and looked at what shows could be finished and what shows would be dumped. Sadly, Shada was one of those serials that got the shaft, even though it needed only three more days of studio filming to finish it. Years later, the BBC would release the unfinished show on video (as by now, it became legendary as perhaps the best Who episode in years) with Tom Baker returning to provide “links” between the finished and unfinished parts of the story.

The book is about a detective who goes on the simple search for a missing cat, but uncovers a bewildered ghost, a secret time-traveler, and the devastating secret that lies behind the whole human history and threatens to bring it to a premature end.

Sadly, the cat dies.

I miss him because of his humor, and I miss him because he was taken from this planet long before he should’ve.

But, still, I need the money.

P.S.

The sequel to this book, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul, I also have in its first edition hardcover which came out in 1988. Anyone want that?