Hailing Frequencies, Issue #297
6.9.05 - 6.16.05
HELLO
And here's the two hundred and ninety-seventh edition of "Hailing Frequencies."
If you want to be notified when this newsletter is updated, email me to be put on my "notification" list.
Some good stuff this week, and I want my sonic shower NOW!
BATMAN
After losing 67 pounds for his role in The Machinist, Christian Bale packed on 90 pounds of mass and muscle for Batman Begins, causing some concern for his health...No, wait, that's some concern that he wouldn't be beefy enough for Batman. Sigh.
Meanwhile, Michael Caine is playing the beloved Alfred and told SCI FI Wire he has worked with Michael Gough, the actor who played Alfred in the previous Batman films, and called him "very kind." However, for inspiration for the role: "My reference was my ex-sergeant in the army...[and]...My mother was a cook, and so I was always backstairs with the butler and everything. So I knew that relationship, and Christopher is himself very against the master/servant [relationship]. He's very egalitarian, personally. He brought that into Batman, and I knew the lines above which a real butler wouldn't go... Familiarity. It worked perfectly."
Both Bale and Gary Oldman are signed for any sequel, but Caine, Katie Holmes, Morgan Freeman and Christopher Nolan (director) are not.
And you can enjoy about twenty minutes of the Batman Begins scare by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard.
The movie will start hanging out June 15.
FANTASTIC FOUR
Ioan Gruffud (Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic) gave this spoiler to SCI FI Wire: (highlight to read) "We go to space pretty early on [in the film]...We have the accident pretty early on. We do the discovery of our powers in the first third of the movie, and from then on it's how we deal with our powers."
The movie opens July 8.
Check out the latest trailer.
FIREFLY/SERENITY
Blackfilm.com has posted some publicity pix and a synopsis of the movie. And check out the trailer.
GAMING
Majesco's got a contest going to promote its Advent Rising video game, with a million-dollar grand prize. The "Race to Save Humanity" play-and-win contest takes place on Xbox Live. People who buy the first 500,000 Xbox copies of Advent Rising can find hidden "A" icons inside the game and be eligible to win hundreds of weekly prizes and a chance at the grand prize. Those who buy specially marked packages of Advent Rising will receive a free two-month subscription to Xbox Live to participate in the contest, or they may use their existing account. Once a week for six weeks, an Easter egg in the form of the letter A will be downloaded via Xbox Live and hidden within a level of the game. Majesco will publish clues on the contest Web site and distribute to the media the level on which the icon resides. Once the egg is found, consumers will be given a code and prompted to log into the contest Website using their Xbox Live Gamer Tag. The first person to do so is that week's winner. The contest ends Aug. 15.
Universal Pictures and 20th Century Fox might cofinance a film based on Microsoft's Halo video game franchise, according to Variety, but the terms of the agreement, especially distribution rights, aren't going smoothly. Look for it sometime in 2007.
DreamWorks has made a deal with Majesco to become the first studio to provide films for Nintendo's line of GameBoy portable game players, starting with Shrek 2 and Shark Tale, Variety reports.
GARFIELD 2
Nope, I wasn't kidding about this sequel, and it looks like Bill Murray will be back to do the voice. The first film made $75.3 million domestic/plus $123 million overseas, so why shouldn't he? And it's out on DVD now.
HARRY POTTER
In the new Entertainment Weekly (Tom Cruise is on the cover), there's a short article on GoF:
"I'm terribly pleased with the film," says director Mike Newell(Donnie Brasco) of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth movie adapted from J.K. Rowling's series of novels, due Nov. 18. In two weeks, Newell will screen his work (minus completed special effects) for Warner Bros. brass for the first time. Nervous? "Of course!" he says. "This is a story where the kids [are] now teenagers. Is the audience ready for an older Harry Potter? They bought the book--I just hope we present a Harry Potter they want to see." Couldn't have set the stakes better ourselves.
Work has begun on the fifth film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. British TV veteran David Yates will direct,and screenwriter Michael Goldenberg follows Steven Kloves. Harry is still good to go. "My enthusiasm has absolutely not gone down," says Daniel Radcliffe, 15, who wouldn't rule out doing a non-Potter film before starting part 5 in January. "But it would be a mistake to want to show you can do stuff other than Harry Potter so badly that you just rush into something."
Check out the trailer!
Goblet of Fire's coming to theatres November 18, and
Half-Blood Prince will be available July 16. German edition will be released on
Oct. 1, 2005. Amazon.de is selling it at 22.50 Euros.
Check out the deluxe cover here.
INDY IV: BLOOD FROM A STONE
Last week's poll:
Okay, what are the chances, you think, that INDY IV could be good?
No way. 2%
Doubtful. 18%
Possible. 44%
Probably. 11%
It will rock! 23%
LOST
Variety says: (spoiler, highlight to read) Michelle Rodriguez, Ana-Lucia Cortez -- the girl we saw Jack talking to in the airport -- will be back next season in a regular role.
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD...SORT OF
Now that George Romero's Night of the Living Dead is in the public domain, people can do whatever they want to it...people like Dean Lachiusa, who has done up a fan version he calls Night of the Living Dead: Survivor's Cut. There's a new beginning, flashbacks, and other expanded character development. Check it out, if you like, in Real format or download it here.
PHREEX
John H. Williams, a producer on Shreks 1 & 2 & Puss 'n Boots, is doing another CGI movie, scripted by Matt Corman and Chris Ord, entitled Phreex and described as a "big, broad comedy" about "a group of rejected lab animals." I can taste the hilarity from here. "Hey, Joe? Does your second head want a cigarette?"
At some point, the animals find an animal sanctuary run by a Bill Gates-type man. My guess? He'll be a bad guy, and the animals will have to flee him, only to land in the loving arms of Big Gay Al.
In related news, the incoming chief exec at Disney, Bob Iger, is trying to get a good relationship back between Disney and Pixar.
SMALLVILLE
Krypton Site says that John Schneider might be leaving soon under the old "heart attack" plot point. He doesn't want to go, so write your producer today!
STAR TREK
ENT is heading for syndication. Starting on the 17th of September, the first season of Enterprise will begin airing on Saturdays and Sundays across the U.S. The actual broadcast times will be determined by local stations.
In a recent interview with David Bassom for Star Trek Magazine (posted on Scifipulse) Manny Coto once again made it clear ENT would have done better if he'd been a part of the show sooner:
“If we had gotten a fifth season, it would have been about the real meat of the Federation being founded...I would have melded that to a bit of a return to the exploration theme of the show. We would have found new members to join the Federation and watched it come together in a series of episodes that would have spanned the entire season.”
“Star Trek has been around for 18 years in this incarnation and it's the same old [format] – we're on the Bridge, here's the captain and the same kind of crew composition and interactions. When something fresher comes along like the new Battlestar Galactica, I can see the urge to tune in and see what else is new out there.”
“There's no doubt a re-imagining of the Original series would be fun, but it would close you off to a number of possibilities, and unnecessarily so. I would argue that the best thing would be to go to the 25 th Century. I would go foreword, and leave it open ended.”
That "reimagining" of Trek is a reference to J. Michael Straczynski, who wants to redo the original Star Trek series a la Ron Moore's treatment of Battlestar Galatica. At a recent WizardWorld con, the B5 creator stated that, "They're driving that franchise into the ground because they don't understand what it is."
TheFandom.com has a great audio interview with Marina Sirtis and Chase Masterson and the "good old days."
Patrick Stewart says that despite "overhyped" news of his recent hospital visit, he feels fine.
Dionne reminds us to watch for Alexander Sidding in Kingdom of Heaven.
Lou requests the purchase of the complete
collection of TOS DVDs, preferably all three seasons, but "I will buy only
one if you have only one." Anyone out there?
STAR WARS
CNN reports on the lifetime achievement award ceremony honoring George Lucas. Highlights include:
Fisher and Hamill -- Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker of the first three "Star Wars" movies -- ribbed Lucas for the merchandizing empire the films created, including Pez dispensers, shampoo bottles and electric toothbrushes based on their characters.
William Shatner -- Capt. Kirk from another great space saga, "Star Trek" -- offered a musical number "from one star voyager to another." He performed a variation of "My Way," telling Lucas "you did it your way" while dancers in "Star Wars" stormtrooper costumes did a chorus line routine.
"Live long," Shatner told Lucas. "You've already prospered enough."
ComingSoon.Net reports that all six movies will be out in "new" DVD releases November 1st, separately and as a mondo box set:
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (Widescreen)
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (Full Screen)
Star Wars Episodes I-III (Widescreen)
Star Wars Episodes I-III (Full Screen)
Star Wars Episodes I-VI (Widescreen)
Star Wars Episodes I-VI (Full Screen)
STARGATE
Gateworld has an interview with Joe Flanigan that talks about the episode he scripted, "Epiphany." Spoiler warning!
Lexa Doig is joining Stargate SG-1 in the recurring role of Dr. Carolyn Lam.
June 7th saw the release of the Stargate Atlantis pilot episode on DVD.
X-MEN 3
Brett Ratner is taking Matthew Vaughn's place as director of the third film in the series. Vaughn sited "family reasons" for his exit, but Ratner told MTV.com: "Bryan Singer left [X-Men 3] because he didn't like the material." Ratmer also said, "I don't think this movie is tainted; I think it is fantastic, and the script is amazing." As for the fans, Ratner said with a laugh: "[They think] I'm the Antichrist!" But, he added, "I don't think about it." "I'm not Joel Schumacher," he said of the fan-despised director behind the last Batman sequels. "I'm Brett, and all I know is what I know, what I can do and what I have to work with."
Meanwhile, Hugh Jackman and John Palermo's new company, Seed Productions, will be doing Wolverine, scripted by David Benioff.
NOT SCI-FI NEWS BUT SOUNDS LIKE IT
Real science! BBC News has a fun article up about what sorts of sci-fi things may soon be in our homes, including robots, smart food packaging, and sonic showers.
NEWS BITS
INSANE TREK TRIVIA
This Week's Question: Whose hat is this?
Send your answer to scifi@about.com. All correctly answering trivia maniacs will have their names mentioned in the next letter. The first winner gets to make a request, anything they like -- within reason -- for the next "Hailing Frequencies" Issue. Please let me know if you don't want me to post your email address if you win.
Last Week's Question: The Tarkakian Incident turned out to be a plot by what other alien race?
Answer: The Borg.
No winners AGAIN, you wusses.
CAPTION CONTEST
Send in your best caption for the picture below. The best (as in, my favorite) entry will appear in next week's issue.
[Insert caption here.]
Honorable Mentions...
“Pity me, puny humans! I have this massive horn and such tiny little arms…” - Raymond
"Next up on Animal Planet: a mastiff with a bad case of cherry-eye." - BTCHONWHLS
"Ha! I'm giving you 'the horn'!" - evay
Winner of the ugly sock puppet contest... - sexualuniverse
God dropped his reefer. - sexualuniverse
Can you imagine the butterfly that thing's gonna become? - sexualuniverse
"Whoa. The Green Giant's got a major foot fungus problem!" - sexualuniverse [ew]
All tourists love the Eiffel Tower. - sexualuniverse
"Beware, humans, it's MATING SEASON!" - Tony
"LETTERS TO THE EDITOR"
This week's topic: Fifty years from now, which of the Star Trek series do you think will generally be considered the best?
***
Let me begin by saying that I am a die-hard fan of ST:TNG. I remember, at the tender age of eleven, sitting riveted in my parent's family room as Patrick Stewart's voice rumbled out of the TV. How thrilled I was that his speech ended with "to boldly go where no one has gone before." I have seen literally every episode at least twice (and some more than ten). I have the full DC comic series. I have the first forty-seven of the Pocket Books. I have seen every movie in the theatre. And therein lies the problem. As much as I, and others, love ST:TNG the original Star Trek will always be remembered as the best Star Trek because ST:TNG's movies were all flops.
When Gene was alive his passion and furvor and creativity infused each and every Star Trek film. I love the original Trek for its solid characters and unabashed camp, but the movies are brilliant. (Except number 5, but five out of six ain't bad!) If ST:TNG's movies had repeated the jump in improvement that occured from the orginial Trek t.v. show into film, imagine how great those movies would've been! Surely Patrick might've gotten a best picture nod!
But instead, ST:TNG's movies dealt with odd, wishy-washy villans and loose
plots. The supporting cast wasn't given anywhere near the screen time permitted
to Sulu, Scotty, Uhura, and Chekov. To top it off, selfish individuals looking
to keep a job have flooded the market with different Trek enterprises (no pun
intended) ever since. I have nothing against DS9, Voyager, or Enterprise.
I have watched and enjoyed them all. But the fact is that Star Trek has
been steadily on the air for the past eighteen years and the market just can't
take any more Cap'n!
If UPN had any sense, it would've stopped Berman before he started creating
things that Gene Roddenberry clearly stated he did not want to happen in Star
Trek. Yes there could be danger, yes there could be evil, but there was
never a sense--in Roddenberry's universe--of cynicism or hopelessness. Berman
is one of those corrupt *bleeps* that doesn't believe in the better higher nature
in man, and the good future possible for mankind. No, he thinks there has to
be a sinster evil in the hearts of the Federation and Star Fleet somewhere.
So that is the answer, when all is said and done. The original Star Trek will always be the best because Rick Berman wasn't around to screw things up.
***
I thought they were all one big spectacle? Seriously, I think that special effects will be so advanced in fifty years, assuming tv survives that long, that they will be able to cut and splice scenes together seamlessly and create CGI so perfect that it will seem like all the different incarnations will be one single series called, simply, Star Trek, with a cast of thousands. I also believe that, as Star Trek has a reputation for trend setting and technology promoting, the future will see people having cosmetic surgery with as much ease as getting something pierced today, and Klingon foreheads and Vulcan ears will become a fashion statement. Genetic engineering will breed a cat with a sea sponge and get a tribble. Furthermore, there will be purist factions fighting clan wars over which series was the best, who was the coolest captain and whether or not the Enterprise ever had a bathroom. Therefore, the question of which series would be considered the best is not as important as how many members and how much power each sect of true believers will possess. Of course, there will be those who seek a more enlightened unifying approach to the whole Star Trek philosophy, but they will be called nuts by those with narrow minds and big mouths. The future Star Trek promises to bring will not be one of cooperation, but of a struggle to maintain a balance of power between the Gold Command Shirts, the Blue Command Shirts and the Red Command Shirts. A cold war of intelligence gathering, member recruitment and phaser rattling will ensue, and only after someone invokes the spirit of the Rodenberry will there be peace. Till that day, we can look forward to people saying things like: "Today is a good day to die" and "Is that your antenna or are you just happy to see me?" True there will be emissaries of peace and ambassadors of good will attempting to forge alliances, but in the words of Mr. Spock, "The purpose of diplomacy is to prolong a crisis", and so it probably will, if today's politicians are any example. The only hope our world has is for Star Trek to remain alive and on the big and little screens, so as to forestall the inevitable development of rifts between the faithful with lots of cross-over episodes, uniting the series with time travel, holodecks, and alternate realities because that's all they've really got. If we can unite the franchises, create new ones, and force the actors to continuously reprise their roles till they're so old that all they can do is beep once for yes and twice for no, then maybe there's hope for the future and we can avoid the bloodshed. World War III, the War of the Trekkies, need not ever happen. All we need is a new series. In the cause of galactic peace, petition the powers that be to resurrect the franchise, or we are all surely doomed. Cue "Amok Time" music here.
***
[on another topic]
OK, I know he must be about a hundred by now but could Mr. Ellison have some small bit of a point here? (and I'm not just saying this because he was nice enough to sign a copy of Day Of The Daleks for me at A Change Of Hobbit bookstore in Westwood in about 1977 - after all, I found most of his books pretty weak even at the height of my scifi reading during high school during which I listened strictly to 93KHJ) I have to admit that I have been pretty disappointed with, well, pretty much everything Spielberg has done since Jurassic Park. And A.I. and Minority Report were downright drivel. Please note that I bought both these DVD's as I subscribe to the Hailing Frequencies thought that we should support all scifi rather than pick apart details in public, but we're not in public so I think I can tell you the truth.
I'll give you that bringing Kurosawa into the conversation might be a little, er, "elitist" and a pretty trendy reference for a crotchety old man. Since we're talking about scifi maybe a better comparison might be Hayao Miyazaki or even Joss Whedon (are you just dying to see Serenity? I'm just watching the Firefly DVD's and they are GREAT!). I have found renewed fascination in fantasy-scifi with each new Miyazaki DVD (except Porco Rosso - what was that anyway?) and I watch them regularly. I don't think it would be possible to sit through either A.I. or Minority Report again. While we're on the subject, if not the director, I, Robot was fun on it's own ... unless you read the book. Oops! Wandering too much.
So, once again, could there be some validity to Ellison's comment?
RK
***
Next week's topic:
***
Send me something if you've got something to say. It can be about anything that's on your mind! (Please let me know if you don't want your email address to accompany your name in either contest or for the LTE.)
TOP MOVIES FROM THE NUMBERS
1 Madagascar....................................$108,377,310
2 Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith........$314,971,587
3 Longest Yard, The..........................$102,516,168
4 Cinderella Man.................................$23,366,510
5 Sisterhood of the Traveling Pant........$16,868,911
6 Monster-in-Law...............................$73,145,000
7 Lords of Dogtown, The......................$7,110,000
8 Crash..............................................$42,060,288
9 Kicking and Screaming.....................$48,506,155
10 Interpreter, The..............................$70,693,865
TOP SF/F NETWORK SHOWS, NGR, 5/16 - 22/05
1. Desperate Housewives 18.7
2. Lost 11
3. Alias 5.5
4. Revelations 5.3
5. Smallville 3.4
6. Charmed 2.3
TOP SF/F SYNDICATED SHOWS, NGR, 5/2 - 5/8/05
1. Stargate SG-1 1.7
2. Andromeda 1.5
3. She Spies 1.5
4. Twilight Zone 1.3
5. Mutant X 1.2
6. The Outer Limits 1.2
7. The X-Files 1.2
8. Angel 1.1
9. Buffy 1.1
10. Ripley's 0.8
TOP SCI-FI/FANTASY BOOKS, Amazon - 6/2/05
1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
2. Black Rose (In the Garden)
3. A Treasure's Trove
4. The Da Vinci Code
5. Eldest (Inheritance 2)
6. The Time Traveler's Wife
7. Angels and Demons
8. The Opal Deception (Artemis Fowl 4)
9. The Chronicles of Narnia
10. A Feast for Crows (Song of Ice and Fire)
TOP SCI-FI/FANTASY DVDS, Amazon - 6/6/05
1. Star Wars trilogy
2. The 4400 season one
3. Phantom of the Opera
4. Star Wars: Episode I
5. Star Wars: Episode II
6. Team America: World Police
7. The Incredibles
8. Lois & Clark season one
9. Lost season one
10. Firefly complete series
HAILING FREQUENCIES CLOSED
Visit the "Hailing Frequencies" Archive
http://scifi.about.com/blhailarchive.htm
Julia Houston
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Guide @ About.com
scifi@about.com
