‘Space Battleship Yamato’ Live Action Movie Trailer – Awesome!

Here’s the good news—we just saw the new trailer for Space Battleship Yamato, and it looks like director Takashi Yamazaki’s 2.2-billion-yen budget was well spent. Space Battleship Yamato could surprise us all by being one of the best sci-fi movies of the year.

But here’s the bad news—the film, a live-action adaptation of the original anime TV series, doesn’t have a U.S. release date, so for now the only way to see it when it opens Dec. 1 is for those of us who don’t already live there to head to Japan. Read more

Karen Gillan Cast As New ‘Doctor Who’ Companion

After months of rumors and endless speculation, the BBC has announced that 21-year-old actress Karen Gillan will be the new companion when “Doctor Who” returns for its fifth series next year.

Gillan appeared on “Doctor Who” in series four as one of the soothsayers in “The Fires of Pompeii.”

“The show is such a massive phenomenon. I can’t believe I am going to be a part of it,” Gillan said. “Matt Smith is an incredible actor and it is going to be so much fun to act alongside him. I can’t wait!”

“We saw some amazing actresses for this part, but when Karen came through the door the game was up,” said producer Stevan Moffat. “Funny, and clever, and gorgeous, and sexy. Or Scottish, which is the quick way of saying it. A generation of little girls will want to be her. And a generation of little boys will want them to be her too.”

There is no word yet on character details or the name of the new companion.

Source

Starlog Magazine Ends 33 Year Run In Print

After 33 years, Starlog magazine has ceased publication, according to an announcement on its Website. Issue #374 will be the final issue. “It is also at this time that we announce the temporary cessation of the current run of Starlog as a print magazine,” the announcement said. “After 33 years, and considering the present state of the economy, we feel it’s time for a major revamp and will be temporarily discontinuing publication while the model and redesign of the magazine are contemplated and executed.”

The Starlog Website will continue, and Fangoria will continue to be published. The company has also announced that it will soon begin offering digital editions of the entire run of Starlog magazine. It has been unable to offer back issues since a Kable News warehouse fire in 2007 destroyed its entire inventory of back issues.

Starlog was founded in August 1976 by Kerry O’Quinn and Norm Jacobs, who ran the magazine for decades (along with EVP Rita Eisenstein). Starlog, Fangoria, and other assets were acquired by Creative Group in 2005. Creative Group filed bankruptcy last year, and Starlog and Fangoria ended up in the hands of The Brooklyn Company, run by longtime Fangoria President Thomas DeFeo.

Recognizing that its fortune was tied to finding the hardcore fans that wanted its content, Starlog was one of the first publishers to sell to the then nascent comic store distribution network in the 70s, and supported its growth through the late 70s and the following decades.

Source

Michael Whelan, Others To Enter SF Museum Hall of Fame

The Science Fiction Museum and SF Hall of Fame have announced that the 2009 Hall of Fame inductees will be Edward L. Ferman, Frank R. Paul, Michael Whelan and Connie Willis.

The Hall of Fame ceremony will take place at 8 p.m. on June 27 at the Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum in Seattle as part of the Science Fiction Awards Weekend. Christopher Moore, author of the vampire novel You Suck: A Love Story, will act as emcee.

Edward L. Ferman published The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction from 1970-2000, and also acted as its editor from 1964 through 1991. He won the Hugo Award for Best Professional Editor from 1981 through 1983.

Frank R. Paul‘s artwork appeared on the cover of the first issue of Amazing Stories in 1926, and he drew dozens of other covers for the magazine during the 1920s. He was also the cover artist of 1939′s Marvel Comics #1, the first-ever Marvel Comic.

Michael Whelan‘s artwork has appeared on hundreds of book and magazine covers, for which he has won 16 Hugo Awards, 11 Chesley Awards and countless other honors. Among his notable covers are those for Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series, Michael Moorcock’s Elric books and Piers Anthony’s Incarnations of Immortality series.

Connie Willis is the author of the Hugo Award-winning novels Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog. She has won 10 Hugo Awards and six Nebula Awards.

Check the Science Fiction Museum website for further information on the Hall of Fame Awards ceremony and to purchase tickets to the event.

Source

Morena Baccarin Joins Cast Of ‘V’ Plus More ABC Castings

The Visitors of ABC’s V reboot have found their leader, and her face is familiar to sci-fi fans. Morena Baccarin (aka Firefly’s Inara and Stargate SG-1′s Adria) has landed the lead role of Anna, the frontwoman for Earth’s very special guests, says the Hollywood Reporter. Previously announced V castings include Scott Wolf and Morris Chestnut.

In other ABC pilot news, Emmy winner Tammy Blanchard (Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows) has joined Empire State, playing a gal pal of the blue-collar guy at the heart of this modern-day Romeo and Juliet tale, while Eliza Coupe (Scrubs) is a baddie with the ability to turn invisible in No Heroics, a comedy about B-list superheroes.

Also at the Alphabet network, Rupert Penry-Jones (MI-5) has landed the lead in an as-yet-untitled Jerry Bruckheimer drama, playing a former cop who leads a group of amateur detectives.

Source

R.I.P. Philip Jose Farmer 1918-2009

My first exposure to Philip Jose Farmer was his ‘World Of Tiers’ series, followed by ‘Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life’, and I’ve enjoyed reading his works ever since. To me, his work is very easy to read and I can click with his characters right away. I’m glad he chose to become an author otherwise the world would have missed a great talent.

From his official website:
Philip José Farmer passed away peacefully in his sleep this morning.

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

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

We love you Phil.

ABC Plans Reimagining Of 80s ‘V’ Series – Among Others

I’m all for making a dollar, but in this case I would let sleeping dogs lie…

From the Hollywood Reporter:

The network has given a pilot order to a new take on NBC’s 1980s miniseries about an alien invasion.

Meanwhile, NBC’s comedy pilot “Lost in the ’80s,” originally picked up as director-contingent, has firmed up its order with the hire of “Confessions of a Shopaholic” helmer P.J. Hogan.

Written on spec by Scott Peters, the new “V” will center on a female Homeland Security agent. Peters is exec producing with HDFilms principal Jason Hall.

Two ABC pilots picked up so far this pilot season — “V” and “The Witches of Eastwick” — are reimaginings of 1980s titles. Both are produced by Warner Bros. TV.

Is Bryan Singer’s “Logan’s Run” Remake Still Happening?

Slice Of Scifi has some news regarding Bryan Singer’s remake of Logan’s Run.  I loved the books, hated the movie, and, oh yes…there was a tv series too…

A couple of years ago, director Bryan Singer was ready to update the 70’s sci-fi film, “Logan’s Run.”

However, it appears the project has stalled a bit with Singer taking on variety of other projects.

So, will we see his version of “Run” any time soon?

“At the moment, I haven’t decided. I really don’t know,” Singer told the Los Angeles Times. “I’m taking a genuine break. The last four years have been really busy with the miniseries, the TV and the movies. I’m taking a few months to collect myself and figure out what I’m going to do in that regard. We did a lot of development on that movie and a lot of work. To start it up again, I wouldn’t start it up again without a full commitment. So I have decisions to make. Right now, that’s just hanging around.”

The Los Angeles Times followed up with producer Joel Silver, who was working on the project as well. Right now, there appears to be no hurry to get a remake of “Run” off the ground and up to speed.

So, it looks like you if want to see “Logan’s Run” you’ll have to dust off that DVD copy…

Source:  SliceofScifi.com

Nathan Fillion Talks About A Possible ‘Dr. Horrible’ Sequel

Nathan Fillion, who played Captain Hammer in Joss Whedon’s online musical Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, told reporters that the seeds of a proposed sequel were planted in the original’s DVD. Whedon previously told SCI FI Wire that he is considering a sequel and will explore new forms of media with it.

“There is talk about a Dr. Horrible sequel,” Fillion said in a group interview last week in Universal City, Calif., where he was promoting his upcoming ABC series Castle. “It’s actually in one of the songs on the Dr. Horrible DVD commentary music.” The recently released home-video version of Dr. Horrible featured a musical commentary track.

But Fillion said a sequel won’t happen right away. Fillion is starting a new TV series, and Whedon is working on his own show, Fox’s upcoming SF series Dollhouse. “He’s busy with Dollhouse right now, and I’m a little bit busy with Castle right now, so not in the near future, no,” Fillion said.

Nevertheless, Fillion said he’s eager to do the sequel, as Dr. Horrible was such a positive experience. “What we did was that we all own a piece of it,” he said. “It’s this wonderful, new kind of idea where there are no producers involved, deciding who gets what and taking a huge chunk for themselves. We all own a piece. The contract was half a page, and it’s the sweetest contract I’ve ever signed. I finally get a piece of one of his musicals. They call them ‘Whedonverse trifectas.’ If you’ve done three projects with Joss Whedon, you’re a trifecta. Well, I was up to four, and my musical was the only one I had left. I had wanted to do that musical, and that was my chance.”

As fans know, Fillion starred in Whedon’s Firefly and its movie spinoff, Serenity. He also played a villain in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Firefly/Serenity fans, who call themselves Browncoats, still clamor for more. “[They come up to me] constantly,” Fillion said. “I loved it. It’s the best job I’ve ever had. It was fantastic. But nothing is on the horizon. Not yet.”

Fillion also recorded the voice of Steve Trevor in an animated Wonder Woman movie, part of Warner Brothers Animation’s DC comics series, out on DVD March 3. “They’re actually couriering the DVD to me today, as we speak,” Fillion said. “It might even be on my porch right now, so I can tell you more after today. I had a good time. I’ve done some voice work with those people before. They’re very, very friendly and very, very kind, and it was another opportunity to, although not work alongside Keri Russell [as the voice of Wonder Woman], but work on the same project as Keri Russell.” (Fillion co-starred with Russell in the independent movie Waitress.)

Source: Scifi Wire

Monsters HD Channel Shutting Down

When the Dish Network dropped all channels owned by VOOM last year, Monsters HD took a hard hit as did its fans. Nearly a year later, the beloved horror channel is being buried six feet under. This message appeared on the channel’s official site . "TV’s first and longest-running hi-def horror and creature feature channel will cease operations and mad experiments this month. Thanks for all the screams and support over the years. Fear not – monsters never die…they always come back!"

Our condolences to those who use to work at Monsters HD. It’s still a shame the horror community does not have a wide-reaching channel to tune in to…

Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com

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