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Hailing Frequencies #370
7.26.07
HELLO
And here's the three hundred and seventieth edition of "Hailing Frequencies."
If you want to be notified when this newsletter is updated, email me to be put on my "notification" list.
Okay, check out my old stomping ground at http://scifi.about.com. The new guy looks good!
Over the next few days weeks I'll be reposting my About stuff at this site. Pardon the inconvenience. (said in letters of flame)
AVATAR
Ubisoft acquired the video game development and publishing rights to 20th Century Fox's and James Cameron's Avatar. Movie and game will premiere May 2009.
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
SCI FI's 2007/2008 new original programs are gearing up. We've got the Battlestar Galactica "mini-sodes" (eight-week series of 2-3 minute promotional shorts with original content) which will premiere in October to lead up to the November 24 premiere of BSG: Razor, which in turn will give background on the fourth a final season of BSG to air next year. Written by Michael Taylor, and directed by Wayne Rose and Felix Alcala, these shorts will provide a sneak peek into the original Cylon War, when young pilot William Adama (Nico Cortez) discovers a dangerous Cylon weapon. (These mini-sodes will be included in the unrated Universal Home Video release of Razor and will be archived on SCIFI.COM) Battlestar Galactica: Razor is about Lee Adama's (Jamie Bamber) first mission as commander of the Battlestar Pegasus and will reveal the story of how Admiral Cain (Michelle Forbes) served her ship during the original Cylon attack on the Colonies.
EMMYS
The SCI FI Channel got seven Emmy noms, four of them going to Battlestar Galactica, two for that Lost Room miniseries, one for Eureka.
BGS
- Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series
- Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series
- Outstanding Sound Editing For A Series
- Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Series
(That's right. Nothing for acting. Maybe they should get some good actors for that show, eh?)
The Lost Room
- Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Miniseries Or A Movie
- Outstanding Main Title Design
Eureka
- Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Series
FALL LAUNCH DATES
CBS:
Mondays:
- 8p How I Met Your Mother 9/24
- 830p The Big Bang Theory 9/24
- 9p Two and a Half Men 9/24
- 930p Rules of Engagement 9/24
- 10p CSI: Miami 9/24
Tuesday:
- 8p NCIS 9/25
- 9p The Unit 9/25
- 10p Cane 9/25
Wednesday:
- 8p Kid Nation, 9/19
- 9p Criminal Minds 9/26
- 10p CSI: NY 9/26
Thursday:
- 8p Survivor: China 9/20
- 9p CSI 9/27
- 10p Without a Trace 9/27
Friday:
- 8p Ghost Whisperer 9/28
- 9p Moonlight 9/28
- 10p Numb3rs 9/28
Saturday:
- 8p & 9p Crimetime Saturday 9/29
- 10p 48 Hours Mystery 9/29
Sunday:
- 7p 60 Minutes 9/23
- 9p Cold Case 9/23
- 10p Shark 9/23
Thursday: October 18
- 10p Viva Laughlin (special preview)
Sunday: October 21
- 8p Viva Laughlin (time period premiere)
NBC
Monday:
- 8p Chuck 9/24
- 9p Heroes 9/24
- 10p Journeyman 9/24
Tuesday:
- 8p The Biggest Loser 9/11
- 930p The Singing Bee 9/25
- 10p Law & Order: SVU 9/25
Wednesday:
- 8p Deal or No Deal (Wed. debut) 9/26
- 9p Bionic Woman 9/26
- 10p Life 9/26
Thursday:
- 8p My Name Is Earl 9/27
- 830p 30 Rock 10/4
- 9p The Office 9/27
- 930p Scrubs 10/25
- 10p ER 9/27
Friday:
- 8p Deal or No Deal (new day) 9/28
- 9p Las Vegas 9/28 (then moves to 10p)
- 9p Friday Night Lights 10/5
The CW:
Monday: October 1
- 8p Everybody Hates Chris 10/1
- 830p Aliens in America 10/1
- 9p Girlfriends 10/1
- 930p The Game 10/1
Tuesday:
- 8p Beauty and the Geek 9/18
- 9p Reaper 9/25
Wednesday:
- 8p America's Next Top Model 9/19
- 9p Gossip Girl 9/26
Thursday:
- 8p Smallville 9/27
- 9p Supernatural 10/4
Friday:
- 8p Friday Night Smackdown 9/21
Sunday:
- 7p CW Now 9/23
- 730p Online Nation 9/23
- 8p Life is Wild 10/7
FARSCAPE
They're not letting out a lot of the details yet, but SCIFI.COM has ordered a 10-part "Webiseries" of Farscape. It will continue to be exec prod by Brian Henson and Robert Halmi, Jr., and produced by The Jim Henson Company, in association with RHI Entertainment. The Webiseries will "revive and expand" the Farscape universe, so we'll have to see what that means.
HARRY POTTER
A lot of muggles tried to spoil the fun, but reports of online piracy and plot spoiling didn't prevent Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows from selling over 8.3 million copies in the US alone during its first 24 hours (and over 11 million including USA, Canada, and Briton), which is over 300,000 copies an hour.
The AP reports that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix took in $77.4 million domestic its first weekend, and that's $140 million if you include Wednesday-Sunday.
J.K. Rowling has an article up saying she's already writing new things in the wake of Harry Potter's finale. "I'm sort of writing two things at the moment," she said. "One is for children and the other is not for children." (The article has SERIOUS spoilers. Don't click unless you've finished the last book!) When asked if she thinks the popularity of the books will last, she answered: "In 50 years' time, if people are still reading them, they deserve to be read, and if they're not, then that's okay."
For those of you who haven't gotten this email forward yet:
iRobot Roomba Discovery SE by Wootbot
As we all know, the new Harry Potter book is finally on the shelves, and the whole world is amazed at the discovery that Hermione was working for Voldemort since the third book. Another great discovery is the iRobot Roomba Discovery SE 4220. With a 31 cubic inch dustbin and multiple cleaning modes this little baby hunts down dirt with the fury of someone who accidentally heard about the part where Harry strangles Snape with his bare hands after discovering that Dumbledore had been his father in disguise.
And the iRobot Roomba Discovery SE 4220 knows when to go home and relax, recharging in under three hours, just like Hagrid should have instead of getting in that fight with the Ministry of Magic after Voldemort's mind control jelly beans turned him evil and cost him his life. Also there is stair-sensing technology, which is so close to magic it could easily be one of the final spells that Voldemort unleashes on Harry, causing him to collapse into a bloody mass in the arms of his best friend Ron, who has secretly been the real chosen one all along.
Just as sure as the last twenty pages feature Ron vanquishing Voldemort and taking his place at the side of the Tribulation Force from the Left Behind series, the iRobot Roomba Discovery SE 4220 will turn cleaning into a task that is fun for the whole family. Would we lie to you?
J.K. Rowling bitch-slapped The New York Times for published a review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows two days before its official release: "I am staggered that some American newspapers have decided to publish purported spoilers in the form of reviews in complete disregard of the wishes of literally millions of readers, particularly children." -- Thanks, Reuters news service.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has a tentative opening date of November 21, 2008.
HEROES
Tim Sale is the artist who does those graphic paintings for Isaac Mendez, and he's told SCI FI Wire that he's doing some more for season two, but he doesn't know why.
And speaking of Heroes, Dana Davis (The Nine) will join up as a new hero regular
The first season of Heroes comes out on DVD August 28, from Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Universal Studios Digital Platforms. The seven-disc DVD set includes five featurettes, about 50 deleted scenes, and a 73-minute director's cut of the premiere. SRP $59.98.
INDY 4
Through a live video appearance at Comic-Con International in San Diego on July 26, Steven Spielberg confirmed that Karen Allen will play Marion Ravenwood again in the fourth movie. Cool.
JERICHO
In "no friggin' duh" news, President of CBS Entertainment Nina Tassler told reporters that it was maybe it wasn't good for the show" Jericho to put in on a month-long hiatus right the in middle of season one. This, she says, is "why we reconsidered and are putting the show on in midseason. We said, 'Look, maybe that did have an impact.'"
Esai Morales will have a recurring role in six of the upcoming seven midseason episodes.
LOST
Spoiler (highlight to read): Harold Perrineau (AKA Michael) is coming back next season.
Lost - The Complete Third Season
is coming December 11 on DVD and Blu-ray disc as a 23-episode,
seven-disc set, including an interview with star Matthew Fox, a
featurette on "The Others," a behind-the-scenes documentary, and some
deleted scenes.
MISC...
- Variety says Johnny Depp has agreed to star in a feature version of the 1960s vampire soap opera Dark Shadows.
- Universal Pictures has changed some release dates, and now The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor will come out August 1, 2008. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army will bow July 11, 2008.
- An update on the remake of Disney's Escape to Witch Mountain (1975): the new title is just Witch Mountain, to be directed by Andy Fickman (who will also being directing the remake of Fame.
- Responding to Blockbuster's aggressive pricing moves, Netflix is lowering the price of its most popular movie rental plans by $1 per month. Three DVD rentals at a time will now cost $16.99 while two will drop to $8.99.
- Gavin Hood will direct Twentieth Century Fox's X-Men spin-off Wolverine, starring Hugh Jackman. The movie goes to the cameras this November for a 2008 (summer or Christmas) release
- Next season, starting September 24, NBC will air Chuck Mondays 8 PM, followed by Heroes at 9 and Journeyman at 10, which will be three sci-fi shows in a row.
- CBS will air its vampire detective series Moonlight Fridays at 9 PM, starting September 28, following the third-season premiere of Ghost Whisperer at 8.
- AHAHAHA
- Lucy Hale will play Jaime Sommers' little sister in NBC's redo of Bionic Woman.
- And here's a lot of SCI FI Channel news: Production is also underway for the animated series The Awesomes, which SCI FI is calling "SuperFriends meets The Office." A team of past-their-prime superheroes are looking to get back onto the justice enforcement A-List. The show comes from Broadway Video Television in association with Universal Media Studios. Seth Meyers and Michael Shoemaker are executive producers/writers; Lorne Michaels is executive producer; Andrew Singer is producer.
- SCI FI's got two new miniseries in the works. One's from Thomas Jane and Steve Niles. There's no title yet, but it's an "epic" set 30 years from now about a shuttle pilot who gets stranded on an alien world. The other, Going Homer, comes from Ben Browder and Andrew Prowse, and explains that Greek and Roman deities walk among us, but only twelve-year-old Homer Ulysses Jones can see them for what they truly are.
- New series for SCI FI include God, Inc., about corporate politics where God works (from the UTube short), another series about time travel, a reality competition called Run for Money, a comedy series about satellite technology called Brain Trust, a show about new technology called What Can't it Do?, and, in the tradition of Ghost Hunters, we're gonna get UFO Hunters.
- Do you like to sniff the ink when you're using that felt-tip pen? Then you'll love aeromatherapy pencils.
- Looks like rumors are true that exec prod Russell T. Davies will eave at the end of the fourth season of Doctor Who.
MOONLIGHT
Jason Dohring plays the 400-year-old "vampire playboy" Moonlight, from CBS and producer Joel Silver. Alex O'Loughlin stars as Mick St. John, a vampire PI in LA, and Sophia Myles as a reporter, and Shannyn Sossamon as Mick's ex-wife, who turned him into a vampire on their wedding night.
Dohring told SCI FI Wire: "...it's cool to have a chance to work with Joel again and make something good. And I think we can make this an unbelievable show." As for his character, he adds: "'What would that really be like, to have billions of dollars, and you do whatever you want?' You have women all around. You start to just grow certain ideas or whatever and kind of just assume the guy, what it's like, or whatever. And you just have fun. ... This guy has a lot of fun killing people.
Moonlight premieres September 28, 9 PM. 
RANDOM DIALOG QUIZ
Can you name the movie? "You must be 'Uncle!'"
Highlight to read the answer: Enemy Mineo
STAR TREK
From The Official Site:
J.J. Abrams and his creative team for the new Star Trek movie wowed the audience at Comic-Con in San Diego this afternoon as they revealed a casting coup: Heroes star Zachary Quinto [Sylar] will be playing Spock!
And, to the delight of all 6,500 in the capacity crowd, Leonard Nimoy joined Quinto on stage as Abrams confirmed the elder Spock's involvement in the new film.
We've been waiting for over a year now since the next Star Trek movie was originally announced, but there hasn't been any real hard news other than who is writing and directing. But now, we have something to go on! Abrams also revealed new artwork for the second teaser poster. The lettering may be familiar — and once again we get an Original Series look — but this time the logo is inverted and written with starry letters, all on a white background.
More here.
And speaking of The Original Series, they're bring it to DVD! What? They already did that? Well, this time it's remastered.
What? They already did that?
Well, this time it's on HD-DVD, remastered using the original negatives and new computer-generated effects! There! That's news! Nah nah nah
Read more here about the 10-disc HD-DVD/DVD combo-disc set with new features and featurettes. SRP $217.99.
X-FILES
Hey, remember that second X-Files movie they were gonna make one day? Well, David D. himself told reporters that the project is moving forward with a script from Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz. Gillian Anderson is also "on board." We'll see.
TOP US MOVIES TODAY FROM THE NUMBERS
1 I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry........$48,720,090
2 Harry Potter...Phoenix.............................$220,998,765
3 Hairspray................................................$40,172,000
4 The Transformers...................................$270,721,514
5 Ratatouille.............................................$170,803,117
6 Live Free or Die Hard...............................$118,948,800
7 License to Wed........................................$39,946,847
8 Evan Almighty.........................................$94,785,705
9 1408......................................................$68,476,861
10 Knocked Up..........................................$143,632,365
Weekend Box Office Estimates: July 20-22, 2007
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (Universal) $34.8 million - opening weekend
Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix (Warner Bros.) $32.2 million - 2 wk total $207.5m
Hairspray 2007 (New Line) $27.8 million - opening weekend
Transformers (Paramount/DreamWorks) $20.5 million - 3 wk total $262.9m
Ratatouille (Buena Vista) $11.0 million - 4 wk total $165.6m
Live Free or Die Hard (Fox) $7.3 million - 4 wk total $116.5m
License to Wed (Warner Bros.) $3.7 million - 3 wk total $38.7m
1408 (MGM/Weinstein) $2.6 million - 5 wk total $67.5m
Evan Almighty (Universal) $2.5 million - 5 wk total $93.5m
Knocked Up (Universal) $2.3 million - 8 wk total $142.7m
Source: Box Office Mojo
(Notice that HP isn't number one on the list? Theory is, would-be movie-goers were home reading the book. Personally, I got it Saturday, 4:25 PM and finished it 12:35 AM.)
TOP BOOKS SCI-FI/FANTASY @ Amazon, 6.7.07
1. Harry
Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling
2. Harry Potter Paperback Box Set (Books 1-6)
3. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
4. The
Children of Hurin: Deluxe Edition
,
Christopher Tolkien (from his dad's notes)
5. His Dark Materials Trilogy
, by Philip Pullman
6. The
Time Traveler's Wife
,
by Audrey Niffenegger
7. Fahrenheit 451
, by Ray Bradbury
8. Slaughterhouse-Five
, by Kurt Vonnegut
9. 1984,
by George Orwell
10. The
Harlequin: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel
,
by Laurell K. Hamilton
TOP DVDs
SCI-FI/FANTASY @ Amazon, 6.7.07
1. 300
,
by Frank Miller
2. The Secret (Extended Edition)
3. Resident Evil - Apocalypse [Blu-ray]
4. Stargate SG-1 - Season 10
5. Heroes - Season 1
6. Lost - The Complete Third Season
7. Babylon 5 - The Lost Tales
8. Stargate Atlantis - The Complete Third Season
9. The Last Mimzy (Widescreen Infinifilm Edition)
10. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Two-Disc Special Edition) (Harry Potter 3)
TOP SCI
FI NETWORK SHOWS - Nielsen Galaxy Report, 7.2-7.8.07
Ghost Whisperer 3.6
Jericho 3.1
Kyle XY 1.8
Smallville 1.3
Supernatural 1.3
OTHER RATINGS
- TNT's premiere episode for Saving Grace, 6.4 million
- Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law (final episode), 659,000 A18-34 viewers and 465,000 M18-34 viewers
INSANE TREK TRIVIA
This Week's Question: Who tried to get a war going between the Federation and the Tzenkethi?
Send your answer to julia.houston@gmail.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: What aspect of Okampan life displays the writers' incredibly flawed math?
Answer: If Ocampans have only one child per person per life, they can't replace their population numbers and will be extinct. Kes, Linnis, and Andrew would have had to have been anomalous single births -- every pregnancy would have to be a litter if Ocampan women can only go into heat once in their lives.
First winner
evay
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.]
THIS WEEK'S WINNER:
"Kurt?!" - Allalongthewatchtower
Honorable mentions...
"I spy with my Borg ocular implant the planet Earth. We will begin the assimilation as soon as someone gets me a tissue for my nose." - Sue
"Will someone please give me a Kleenex!" - ozzygreybeard
"Proof they were right in updating those TOS special effects." - BTCHONWHLS
"A scene from a proposed Star Trek: Enterprise episode in which they visit a planet with a moon, and find out they really do have a man in the moon." - Stephen
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR"
Last week's topic was suggested by evay: Sci-fi actors get recycled within the genre (Scott Bakula in QL and ENT, George Takei in TOS and Heroes, Dominic Keating now in ENT and Heroes, Nathan Fillion in Firefly and Buffy, Christopher Eccleston in Dr. Who and Heroes, etc.). What's your opinion of this recycling of genre-famous faces? Is it distracting to see Sam Beckett in a Starfleet uniform, or are you more likely to watch because you already know the actor? Does it make a difference if the role is one-time-only or a recurring character (like Connor Trinneer on SG:A) vs. a full-time cast member?
***
It doesn't bother me in the slightest. I'm probably more apt to tune in to see a familiar face (on a new show) if I enjoyed the actor's perfomance on a different show I liked.
What does bother me is using the same actor on the same series (or sister series) later on in that series. Case in point: Garwin Sanford. He played Narim in SG-1 a sometime love interest for Carter). Then he played Simon Wallis (fiance of Weir in SGA). Don't they have any other available actors in Vancouver?
***
I like seeing the actors in different sci fi rolls, not so much in regular shows. It 's hard to see someone who's character we loved play an evil role. Or Terry Farrell's "Jadzia Dax" play a diner owner (boring!). Jerry Ryan 7 of 9, a teacher or lawyer. AND let's not forget all the Star Trek stars in Boston Legal. Shatner is a hoot, but Rene, Armin were better as aliens.
I also like listening to the voices of "aliens" in makeup/costumes and realizing who they are like Julie Kaitlan Brown, jeffrey Coombs, JG Hertzler etc.
When shows go off the air after several years , I miss some of the stars that shared my livingroom and to see them again, is like seeing an old friend again.
***
There are 3 parts to casting an actor known for an SF film or TV series in yet another genre film or series. A good deal of it is the fact that a lot of Hollywood execs are lazy and unimaginative. They pigeonhole actors by the roles and genres in which they spotted them. Successful comedy stars have trouble getting accepted for drama; dramatic actors are rarely cast in comedies, etc. Part of it is, no doubt, is hoping to draw fans to a similar project. But a pinch of it might be the recognition that one key to successful fantasy or SF is having an actor who can ground the fantastic. If an actor can help you suspend your disbelief by inhabiting the 31st century as a native or alternately reacting to the uncanny in a way that resonates with the average person, that is a real talent.
***
Next week's topic: Okay, it's official now that the next Star Trek movie is definitely going to be about the early adventures of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, with new actors. Opinions, please?
***
Send me something if you've got something to say. It can be about anything that's on your mind!
HAILING FREQUENCIES CLOSED
