Randy Pausch has died....
Here is the video of his speech:
Here's his story:
Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon computer science professor whose last lecture became an Internet sensation and bestselling book, has died of pancreatic cancer. He was 47.
Dr. Pausch, whose proudest professional achievement was creating a free computer programming tool for children called Alice, was an improbable celebrity. A self-professed nerd, he pushed his students to create virtual reality projects, celebrated the joy of amusement parks and even spent a brief stint as a Disney “Imagineer.'’
Last September, Dr. Pausch unexpectedly stepped on an international stage when he addressed a crowd of about 400 faculty and students at Carnegie Mellon as part of the school’s “Last Lecture” series. In the talks, professors typically talk about issues that matter most to them. Dr. Pausch opened his talk with the news that he had terminal cancer and proceeded to deliver an uplifting, funny talk about his own childhood dreams and how to help his children and others achieve their own goals in life. He learned he had pancreatic cancer in September, 2006.
See the complete article at: 'Last Lecture’ Professor Randy Pausch, 47, Dies
Friday, July 25, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
OT - a bald cardinal
In my back yard for the last two weeks there's been a bald cardinal.... which apparently is not uncommon.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Avengers screencap gallery
The Avengers is a classic TV show from the 1960s.
Although male and female characters as equal partners are rather commonplace today (Mulder and Scully in the X Files, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Remington Steele, Bones, etc.) it was The Avengers that paved the way with that groundbreaking partnership.
Cathy Gale (the original Avengers "girl") and Emma Peel remain excellent role models to this day.
To that end, The Thunder Child is now the host to the Avengers Screencap Gallery.
http://thethund.ipower.com//Avengerous/MurderMarket.html
and for kicks, check out:
Emma Keeps Her Kools
and a Quiz Pic (identify the scene):
http://thethund.ipower.com//Avengerous/QuizPic.html
Although male and female characters as equal partners are rather commonplace today (Mulder and Scully in the X Files, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Remington Steele, Bones, etc.) it was The Avengers that paved the way with that groundbreaking partnership.
Cathy Gale (the original Avengers "girl") and Emma Peel remain excellent role models to this day.
To that end, The Thunder Child is now the host to the Avengers Screencap Gallery.
http://thethund.ipower.com//Avengerous/MurderMarket.html
and for kicks, check out:
Emma Keeps Her Kools
and a Quiz Pic (identify the scene):
http://thethund.ipower.com//Avengerous/QuizPic.html
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Boris Karloff
In honor of just uploading Steve Vertlieb's retrospective on Boris Karloff to The Thunder Child, I thought I'd share here some clips from YouTube of the TV shows Steve mentions in his article:
Carol Burnett and Boris Karloff
You'll Find Out
Karloff on Rosemary Clooney Show
The Raven - Karloff, Price, Lorre
Carol Burnett and Boris Karloff
You'll Find Out
Karloff on Rosemary Clooney Show
The Raven - Karloff, Price, Lorre
Saturday, July 12, 2008
SF & Fantasy events July 13
Harrison Ford was born on July 13, 1945... and Frank Maher (stuntman, The Prisoner and Blakes 7) died on July 13, 2007.
I'd like to introduce a new feature at The Thunder Child, called The Book of Days.
Births, deaths, movie debuts, book publications, etc. will be listed there from now on.
There's only one page so far...:
http://thethunderchild.com/BookofDays/July13.html
I'd like to introduce a new feature at The Thunder Child, called The Book of Days.
Births, deaths, movie debuts, book publications, etc. will be listed there from now on.
There's only one page so far...:
http://thethunderchild.com/BookofDays/July13.html
Friday, July 11, 2008
Atom Vision 6
I just got a delivery of some sf and fantasy magazines from someone who was getting rid of their collection (always sad when that happens), and I will share them and their table of contents here. I'll be using these as reference works for articles for my Thunder Child webzine.
First, here's the table of contents from a French Science Fiction magazine, Atom Vision, number 6. (1997)
"Le zine qui fait revivre le fantastique du passe"
The magazine that revives the classic fantasies - that's as good as my French gets!
Here's the table of contents:
1. Courrier des lecteurs (letter page)
2. Voyage dans la Prehistoire (1954) Journey to the Beginning of Time
3. La Main Rampante vous Parle: un entretien avec le producteur Joseph Robertson - interview with Joseph Robertson
4. Destination Altair IV: Planete Interdite (Forbidden Planet)
5. George Wallace: Commando Cody vous Parle (Interview with Commando Cody)
6. Cody et les hommes-fusee de la "Republic"
7. Prehistoric Hammer
8. Les roles fantastiques de Joseph Cotten: (The Portrait of Jennie, From the Earth to the Moon, The Abominable Dr. Phibes), Soylent Green
9. Zinoscope
10. Kiss Meets the Phantom
11. Annonces (Announcements - Ads)
12. Doctor X - with Lionel Atwill
13. A la recerche de las cassette perdue (Les nuits de L'epouvante), aka La Lama Nel Corpo (1966)
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
SF & Fantasy July 8
Births
Jeffrey Tambor was born on 8 July 1944, in San Francisco, California.
Appeared in both Hellboy and Hellboy II, as well as Superhero Movie - 2008, Slipstream - 2007 (with Anthony Hopkins), Muppets from Space (1999) - K. Edgar Singer,
TV
The New Twilight Zone (Australia)
- The World Next Door (1986) TV episode - Milton
- Dead Woman's Shoes/Wong's Lost and Found Emporium (1985)
Deaths
Ben Chapman was born on December 25, 1908, in Oak Park, Illinois, USA and died on July 8, 1991, in Orange, California.
He is most famous for playing the Creature from the Black Lagoon - on land - in the movie of the same name. (In the water, it was Ricou Browning.)
Gene L. Coon was born on January 7, 1924 and died of lung cancer at the age of 49 on July 8, 1973, in Los Angeles, California. He produced 34 episodes of Star Trek and came up with the idea for the Klingons.
Jeffrey Tambor was born on 8 July 1944, in San Francisco, California.
Appeared in both Hellboy and Hellboy II, as well as Superhero Movie - 2008, Slipstream - 2007 (with Anthony Hopkins), Muppets from Space (1999) - K. Edgar Singer,
TV
The New Twilight Zone (Australia)
- The World Next Door (1986) TV episode - Milton
- Dead Woman's Shoes/Wong's Lost and Found Emporium (1985)
Deaths
Ben Chapman was born on December 25, 1908, in Oak Park, Illinois, USA and died on July 8, 1991, in Orange, California.
He is most famous for playing the Creature from the Black Lagoon - on land - in the movie of the same name. (In the water, it was Ricou Browning.)
Gene L. Coon was born on January 7, 1924 and died of lung cancer at the age of 49 on July 8, 1973, in Los Angeles, California. He produced 34 episodes of Star Trek and came up with the idea for the Klingons.
SF & Fantasy Events July 7, 2008
Births
Adam Byrne was born on July 7, 1977, Orange County, California. He is an illustrator on World of Warcraft and Spellbound.
Bill Campbell was born on July 7, 1959, Charlottesville, Virginia. He has not done a great of science fiction. He starred as Cliff Secord in The Rocketeer.
TV
"Star Trek: The Next Generation" - Capt. Thadiun Okona (1 episode, 1988)in The Outrageous Okona.
Movies
Call from Space (1989) - Young Man
The Rocketeer (1991) - Cliff Secord
The Cold Equations (1996) (TV movie) - Lt. John Barton
Menno's Mind (1997) - Menno
Max Q (1998) (TV Movie) - Clay Jarvis
Robert Heinlein was born on July 7, 1907, in Butler, Missouri, USA and died on May 8, 1988 in Carmel, California.
He was one of the Big Three of science fiction writers.
Jon Pertwee was born on July 7, 1919, in Chelsea, London, England, and died
on May 20, 1996, in Timber Lake, Connecticut of a heart attack.
He was the third Doctor Who.
Deaths
None known at this time.
Adam Byrne was born on July 7, 1977, Orange County, California. He is an illustrator on World of Warcraft and Spellbound.
Bill Campbell was born on July 7, 1959, Charlottesville, Virginia. He has not done a great of science fiction. He starred as Cliff Secord in The Rocketeer.
TV
"Star Trek: The Next Generation" - Capt. Thadiun Okona (1 episode, 1988)in The Outrageous Okona.
Movies
Call from Space (1989) - Young Man
The Rocketeer (1991) - Cliff Secord
The Cold Equations (1996) (TV movie) - Lt. John Barton
Menno's Mind (1997) - Menno
Max Q (1998) (TV Movie) - Clay Jarvis
Robert Heinlein was born on July 7, 1907, in Butler, Missouri, USA and died on May 8, 1988 in Carmel, California.
He was one of the Big Three of science fiction writers.
Jon Pertwee was born on July 7, 1919, in Chelsea, London, England, and died
on May 20, 1996, in Timber Lake, Connecticut of a heart attack.
He was the third Doctor Who.
Deaths
None known at this time.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
SF&Fantasy events July 6
Born
Geoffrey Rush was born on July 6, 1951, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia.
No science fiction, but has created the iconic character Captain Barbosa in the fantasy films Pirates of the Caribbean I, last bit of II, and III.
He also played Casanova Frankenstein in Mystery Men (1999).
John Byrne is a comic book artist who was born on July 6, 1950, Walsall, England, UK. Wrote and drew the X-Men.
Deaths
Buddy Ebsen was born on April 2, 1908, in Belleville, Illinois,and died on July 6, 2003, in Torrance, California. Most famous as Jed from The Beverly Hillbillies and Barnaby Jones, he was the first choice for The Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz, but the aluminum paint that was used on him made him so ill he almost died, and he was replaced while in hospital by Ray Bolger.
He was also the telekinetic cook in the Twilight Zone episode, Prime Mover.
Cameron Mitchell was born on November 4, 1918, in Dallastown, Pennsylvania,and died on July 6, 1994.
In a long career, he made only a handful of SF appearances:
Movies
Space Mutiny (1988) - Cmdr. Alex Jansen
Frankenstein Island (1981) - Clay Jayson
Flight to Mars (1951) - Steve Abbott
TV
Project U.F.O." - Donald Worth in The Pipeline Incident (1978)
(aka Project Blue Book)
Death in Space (1974) (TV)
Malcolm Hulke (Doctor Who and Avengers scriptwriter), born in 1924, died on July 6, 1979.
From Wikipedia:
His first major television work was a series of 1950s children's science fiction serials - Target Luna, Pathfinders in Space, Pathfinders to Mars, and Pathfinders to Venus - which he co-wrote with Eric Paice for the British ABC network. The producer of the series was Sydney Newman, who was later responsible for the creation of Doctor Who as Head of Drama at BBC Television.
In addition to the Pathfinders series and Doctor Who (which he started writing for in 1967) Hulke contributed scripts to The Avengers, The Protectors, Danger Man, Crossroads, football soap United! and Gideon's Way.
His scripts for Doctor Who were noted for avoiding black-and-white characterisation and simplistic plotting. Military figures are usually presented unfavourably - Invasion of the Dinosaurs and The Ambassadors of Death both have a general as the ultimate villain. One of his best-known contributions to the series is Doctor Who and the Silurians, which depicts an encounter between the human race and the remnants of a technological reptilian race that ruled Earth in prehistoric times in a way that avoids casting either side as heroes or monsters. Hulke's "Silurians" are the first non-human creatures to be presented as having individual personalities in Doctor Who since the un-named antagonists of his own The Faceless Ones more than three years before. Outside of Hulke's work they are the first since the Menoptra in 1965's The Web Planet.
He also contributed to Target Books' range of Doctor Who novelisations, adapting all but one of his scripts before his death, as well as 1973's The Green Death. Unlike many Target novelisations, which tended to offer little that wasn't in the camera script apart from the words "he said" and "she said" in the appropriate places, Hulke's novelisations were noted for providing a wealth of additional background detail and character depth.
He was a friend and mentor to Terrance Dicks, with whom he collaborated in 1962 on The Avengers episode "The Mauritius Penny", which was Dicks' first television credit; The War Games, Dicks' first Doctor Who script, and on the non-fiction book The Making of Doctor Who.
Geoffrey Rush was born on July 6, 1951, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia.
No science fiction, but has created the iconic character Captain Barbosa in the fantasy films Pirates of the Caribbean I, last bit of II, and III.
He also played Casanova Frankenstein in Mystery Men (1999).
John Byrne is a comic book artist who was born on July 6, 1950, Walsall, England, UK. Wrote and drew the X-Men.
Deaths
Buddy Ebsen was born on April 2, 1908, in Belleville, Illinois,and died on July 6, 2003, in Torrance, California. Most famous as Jed from The Beverly Hillbillies and Barnaby Jones, he was the first choice for The Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz, but the aluminum paint that was used on him made him so ill he almost died, and he was replaced while in hospital by Ray Bolger.
He was also the telekinetic cook in the Twilight Zone episode, Prime Mover.
Cameron Mitchell was born on November 4, 1918, in Dallastown, Pennsylvania,and died on July 6, 1994.
In a long career, he made only a handful of SF appearances:
Movies
Space Mutiny (1988) - Cmdr. Alex Jansen
Frankenstein Island (1981) - Clay Jayson
Flight to Mars (1951) - Steve Abbott
TV
Project U.F.O." - Donald Worth in The Pipeline Incident (1978)
(aka Project Blue Book)
Death in Space (1974) (TV)
Malcolm Hulke (Doctor Who and Avengers scriptwriter), born in 1924, died on July 6, 1979.
From Wikipedia:
His first major television work was a series of 1950s children's science fiction serials - Target Luna, Pathfinders in Space, Pathfinders to Mars, and Pathfinders to Venus - which he co-wrote with Eric Paice for the British ABC network. The producer of the series was Sydney Newman, who was later responsible for the creation of Doctor Who as Head of Drama at BBC Television.
In addition to the Pathfinders series and Doctor Who (which he started writing for in 1967) Hulke contributed scripts to The Avengers, The Protectors, Danger Man, Crossroads, football soap United! and Gideon's Way.
His scripts for Doctor Who were noted for avoiding black-and-white characterisation and simplistic plotting. Military figures are usually presented unfavourably - Invasion of the Dinosaurs and The Ambassadors of Death both have a general as the ultimate villain. One of his best-known contributions to the series is Doctor Who and the Silurians, which depicts an encounter between the human race and the remnants of a technological reptilian race that ruled Earth in prehistoric times in a way that avoids casting either side as heroes or monsters. Hulke's "Silurians" are the first non-human creatures to be presented as having individual personalities in Doctor Who since the un-named antagonists of his own The Faceless Ones more than three years before. Outside of Hulke's work they are the first since the Menoptra in 1965's The Web Planet.
He also contributed to Target Books' range of Doctor Who novelisations, adapting all but one of his scripts before his death, as well as 1973's The Green Death. Unlike many Target novelisations, which tended to offer little that wasn't in the camera script apart from the words "he said" and "she said" in the appropriate places, Hulke's novelisations were noted for providing a wealth of additional background detail and character depth.
He was a friend and mentor to Terrance Dicks, with whom he collaborated in 1962 on The Avengers episode "The Mauritius Penny", which was Dicks' first television credit; The War Games, Dicks' first Doctor Who script, and on the non-fiction book The Making of Doctor Who.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Twilight Zone episode checklist
FREE DOWNLOAD
volcanoseven.com/TheThunderChild/Downloads/TwilightZonesEpisodes.html
A 9-page PDF featuring the 156 episodes, original air dates, main actors, and a column to check off which episodes you've seen/taped/own.
SF & Fantasy Events, July 5
Births
Jean Cocteau was born on July 5, 1889, in Maisons-Lafitte, Yvelines, Île-de-France, France and died on October 11, 1963, Milly-la-Forêt, Essonne, France.
Director and producer of Beauty and the Beast starring Jean Marais.
Philson Ahn, the brother of Philip Ahnn, was born on July 5, 1912, in the USA and died on May 23, 2001, Los Angeles, California. Of Korean/American ancestry.
Only made a handful of films before retiring from the screen. Played Prince Tallen in Buck Rogers (1939), starring Buster Crabbe.
Deaths
Kerwin Matthews was born on January 8, 1926, in Seattle, Washington, and died on July 5, 2007, in San Francisco, California.
Starred in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and The 3 Worlds of Gulliver.
Also played Major Caldwell in one episode of Space Patrol, "The Escape of Mr. Proteus." in 1954.
Jean Cocteau was born on July 5, 1889, in Maisons-Lafitte, Yvelines, Île-de-France, France and died on October 11, 1963, Milly-la-Forêt, Essonne, France.
Director and producer of Beauty and the Beast starring Jean Marais.
Philson Ahn, the brother of Philip Ahnn, was born on July 5, 1912, in the USA and died on May 23, 2001, Los Angeles, California. Of Korean/American ancestry.
Only made a handful of films before retiring from the screen. Played Prince Tallen in Buck Rogers (1939), starring Buster Crabbe.
Deaths
Kerwin Matthews was born on January 8, 1926, in Seattle, Washington, and died on July 5, 2007, in San Francisco, California.
Starred in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and The 3 Worlds of Gulliver.
Also played Major Caldwell in one episode of Space Patrol, "The Escape of Mr. Proteus." in 1954.
July 4 Events
Births
Carlton E. Morse, radio scriptwriter. Creator of I Love A Mystery.
Born on July 4 1901, in Jennings, Louisiana, USA and died on May 24, 1993
Deaths
Marie Curie was born on November 7, 1867, in Warsaw, Poland and died ob July 4, 1934, in Sallanches, France of leukaemia. One of the iscoveriers of radioactivity.
Carlton E. Morse, radio scriptwriter. Creator of I Love A Mystery.
Born on July 4 1901, in Jennings, Louisiana, USA and died on May 24, 1993
Deaths
Marie Curie was born on November 7, 1867, in Warsaw, Poland and died ob July 4, 1934, in Sallanches, France of leukaemia. One of the iscoveriers of radioactivity.
July 3 SF and Fantasy Events
Births
George Sanders was born on July 3, 1906, in St. Petersburg, Russia and died by suicide on April 25, 1972.
He is more famous for his detective movies (The Saint, The Falcon) than anything else, but he was in a bit of science fiction:
Movies
Doomwatch (1972) - The Admiral
Village of the Damned (1960) - Gordon Zellaby
From the Earth to the Moon (1958) - Stuyvesant Nicholl
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) - Miles Fairley (fantasy)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) - Lord Henry Wotton (fantasy)
TV
1) Mr. Freeze in Batman, "Instant Freeze " and "Rats Like Cheese" (1966)
2) Fenton in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, "The Traitor" (1965)
Deaths
Ross Martin
Born in Poland on March 22, 1920, in Grodek, Poland, died on July 3, 1981, in Ramona, California of a heart attack.
Most famous as Artemus West in Wild, Wild West.
Guest-starred in various sf shows including Mork and Mindy, The Invisible Man,
Sealab 2020 (1972) TV series (voice of Dr. Paul Williams ), two eps of The TWilight Zone: Death Ship (1963)as Lt. Ted Mason, and The Four of Us Are Dying (1960) as Johnny Foster, a musician.
Johnny Jupiter played Dexter Spiegelmacher in one episode in 1953: Duckweather and the Professor
Movies
The Colossus of New York (1958) as Dr. Jeremy 'Jerry' Spensser
Conquest of Space (1955) as Andre Fodor
George Sanders was born on July 3, 1906, in St. Petersburg, Russia and died by suicide on April 25, 1972.
He is more famous for his detective movies (The Saint, The Falcon) than anything else, but he was in a bit of science fiction:
Movies
Doomwatch (1972) - The Admiral
Village of the Damned (1960) - Gordon Zellaby
From the Earth to the Moon (1958) - Stuyvesant Nicholl
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) - Miles Fairley (fantasy)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) - Lord Henry Wotton (fantasy)
TV
1) Mr. Freeze in Batman, "Instant Freeze " and "Rats Like Cheese" (1966)
2) Fenton in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, "The Traitor" (1965)
Deaths
Ross Martin
Born in Poland on March 22, 1920, in Grodek, Poland, died on July 3, 1981, in Ramona, California of a heart attack.
Most famous as Artemus West in Wild, Wild West.
Guest-starred in various sf shows including Mork and Mindy, The Invisible Man,
Sealab 2020 (1972) TV series (voice of Dr. Paul Williams ), two eps of The TWilight Zone: Death Ship (1963)as Lt. Ted Mason, and The Four of Us Are Dying (1960) as Johnny Foster, a musician.
Johnny Jupiter played Dexter Spiegelmacher in one episode in 1953: Duckweather and the Professor
Movies
The Colossus of New York (1958) as Dr. Jeremy 'Jerry' Spensser
Conquest of Space (1955) as Andre Fodor
Friday, July 04, 2008
The one thing cable has over satellite
I've been DVD-R-ing the Twilight Zone marathon all day yesterday and today... except now at 11:37 pm I can no longer do it because it is raining here in torrents...
And the rain is preventing the satellite signal from reaching my satellite receiver...
So all I have on my delightful TV is the blue box of the DirectTV logo bouncing up and down and around!
And some of my favorite episodes were coming up, too!
Not that it's a complete loss.
These programs, being shown on the Sci Fi Channel, have had bits and pieces cut out of them, in order to make room for all the extra commercials that are being shown.
If you've never seen the originals, you might not know what you're missing, except there'd be a little bit of a disappointment in each episode, a little resonance that is lost... but if you have seen the originals then you know you've been cheated!
ANother thing that annoys me about the Twilight Zone marathon is that, although it's done every year for the 4th of July, they never, ever show them in chronological order. And I'd love to see them in chronological order, with the progression in the types of stories done and in the sophisticatedness of the plots, which you miss when they jump all around like this.
Which is why if you've got the moolah, you should buy the complete set, from Amazon.com
28 discs, ....
Oh, it just came back... halfway through The Lonely, in which convicted murderer Jack Warden is presented with an android, played by Jean Marsh, with human feelings and emotions... whom they leave behind when he's picked up at the end of the episode...
The Rocket Man Returns
I received a demo DVD a few months ago, called Thirty Second Doom, which for various and sundry reasons, I haven't had a chance to do anything with until now.
So, let me do something with it - such as suggest that you all check it out!
Their website is: www.rocketmania.com
A bit of the first chapter (of a four part serial) is available on Youtube right now:
The sci-fi serial, Thirty Second Doom, is scheduled to be screened at Wonderfest 2008. Wonderfest takes place on July 19th and 20th in Louisville, Kentucky. The 2008 Wonderfest Convention
Stay tuned for another chapter of this review tomorrow
Ancient City Convention
I just received the info for a new convention, and thought I'd share it here:
Ancient City Convention
A Northeast Florida convention for fans of Science Fiction, Fantasy. Anime, Comics, Collectibles, & Gaming.
The 2008 convention will take place on August 2nd & 3rd at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront in downtown Jacksonville, FL.
Please direct all correspondence to the Convention Coordinator
Their website is www.ancientcitycon.com/
Their deadline for pre-registration is July 19, 2008.
July 2 SF & F events
Births
Yancy Butler
was born on July 2, 1970, New York, New York, USA.
She starred as Sgt. Eve Edison, in Mann and Machine, as a female android, from 1992, a series that was cancelled after 9 episodes.
She also starred as Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini in 23 episodes, 2001-2002, of Witchblade.
Brock Peters
Born on July 2, 1927, New York, New York, USA and died on August 23 2005, in Los Angeles, California, USA of pancreatic cancer.
Perhaps most famous as Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird , he had a long television career, with his later outings in science fiction. He played:
Battlestar Galactica: Chief Opposer Solon in "Murder on the Rising Star" (1979)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) .... Admiral Cartwright
Joseph Sisko in 9 episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1996-98)
and a variety of voices for cartoons and audio, including Darth Vader in the radio adaption of Star Wars.
Deaths
James Stewart was born on May 20, 1908, in Indiana, Pennsylvania and died on July 2 1997 in Los Angeles, California of cardiac arrest and pulmonary embolism following respiratory problems.
He made no science fiction films, but two favorite fantasy films, It's A Wonderful Life and Harvey.
Yancy Butler
was born on July 2, 1970, New York, New York, USA.
She starred as Sgt. Eve Edison, in Mann and Machine, as a female android, from 1992, a series that was cancelled after 9 episodes.
She also starred as Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini in 23 episodes, 2001-2002, of Witchblade.
Brock Peters
Born on July 2, 1927, New York, New York, USA and died on August 23 2005, in Los Angeles, California, USA of pancreatic cancer.
Perhaps most famous as Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird , he had a long television career, with his later outings in science fiction. He played:
Battlestar Galactica: Chief Opposer Solon in "Murder on the Rising Star" (1979)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) .... Admiral Cartwright
Joseph Sisko in 9 episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1996-98)
and a variety of voices for cartoons and audio, including Darth Vader in the radio adaption of Star Wars.
Deaths
James Stewart was born on May 20, 1908, in Indiana, Pennsylvania and died on July 2 1997 in Los Angeles, California of cardiac arrest and pulmonary embolism following respiratory problems.
He made no science fiction films, but two favorite fantasy films, It's A Wonderful Life and Harvey.
Theatre: The Brain From Planet X
Bruce Kimmel (who used to produce movie soundtracks at Sarabande, then moved on to Fynsworth Alley and Broadway shows, and now has the label Kritzerland) co-wrote a 1950s sf movie spoof, the Brain from Planet X, that has been making the rounds of theatre festivals.
Here's the opening number. Lots of references to 1950s sci fi!
Here's the opening number. Lots of references to 1950s sci fi!
Lobby cards from Message From Space
What are lobby cards? you're asking yourself. (If you're younger than a certain age.) And what is Message From Space, you're probably asking yourself, regardless of how old you are.
Way back before the Internet, before the IMDB, before satellite or even cable TV, the only way that the movies could advertise their wares was via posters, stills and lobby cards, which theaters put in their lobbies for people to look at, so that they'd hopefully decide to see the film the next week, or whenever it was coming to town.
Now that the Internet can disseminate photos, trailers, etc., there's no need for movie companies to make lobby cards or stills, and they've fallen by the wayside.
For the collector of this ephemera...such as myself...it's sometimes interesting to see just what the "powers that be" at a movie company's publicity/marketing department thought were "good" stills - captured scenes from a film that would actually draw people in to see the movie.
As an example, here are 5 lobby cards from Message From Space, a film made in Japan with Vic Morrow (Combat) as the star. Pretty much a Star Wars ripoff, as was common at the time.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Gene Roddenberry's Spectre
I've just added to my webzine, The Thunder Child, a page on Gene Roddenberry's Spectre, a TV-movie which debuted in 1977.
Check out all the photos at : TheThunderChild/TV/Spectre/Spectre.html
It starred:
Robert Culp ... William Sebastian
Gig Young ... Dr. Ham Hamilton
John Hurt ... Mitri Cyon
Gordon Jackson ... Inspector Cabell
Ann Bell ... Anitra Cyon
James Villiers ... Sir Geoffrey Cyon
Majel Barrett ... Lilith
Jenny Runacre ... Sydna
Angela Grant ... Butler
Penny Irving ... First Maid
Vicki Michelle ... Second Maid
Lindy Benson ... Third Maid
Sally Farmiloe ... Fourth Maid
Michael Latimer ... Co-pilot
The Hulk
I used to watch the original TV series, The Incredible Hulk, starring Lou Ferrigno and Bill Bixby. I liked it, even though it was pretty much a rehash of The Fugitive, except the pursuer was the reporter, and Dr. David Bannister had the capability to turn into a hulking green man whenever he got angry.
It was "believable," or at least one was willing to suspend one's disbelief, because the Hulk was played by a real person.
Then we got the movie a few years ago, in which the Hulk was not played by a man, but by a CGI entity.
Now, CGI entities can be made to look real. The dinosaurs in the first Jurassic Park, for example...you'd be prepared to believe they were real...
Yet the commercials for the Hulk showed his as just this cartoon character...nothing real looking about him.
And nothing seems to have changed for the new Hulk movie. And now they've added another CGI character, The Abomination, and he looks just as unsubstantial.
So I'm undecided if I'm going to see it...
But, when I went to see Wall-E a few days ago, the theater was handing out Hulk posters, and I thought I'd share photos of them here.
There may yet be hope for London After Midnight
London After Midnight is a lost film, not the only lost film by any means, but a rather famous one amongst a certain subsection of fans - fans of Lon Chaney Sr, and of classic horror movies. Every April 1, there usually appears at least one story saying that footage of the movie has been found in some collector's vault.
Well, something of almost the same nature has now occurred for real - almost 27 missing minutes from the classic German science fiction movie Metropolis have been found - in the collection of a film museum in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Or, to be more accurate - a complete print of the film, with those 27 minutes still in it - has been found.
It remains to be seen when the new footage will undergo restoration - and apparently there are scratches on the film that will remain even after this is done - and once it has undergone restoration, how long it will take before the new version will be released on DVD.
Among the footage that has now been discovered, according to the unanimous opinion of the three experts that ZEITmagazin asked to appraise the pictures, there are several scenes which are essential in order to understand the film: The role played by the actor Fritz Rasp in the film for instance, can finally be understood. Other scenes, such as for instance the saving of the children from the worker's underworld, are considerably more dramatic. In brief: "Metropolis, Fritz Lang’s most famous film, can be seen through new eyes.", as stated by Rainer Rother, Director of the Deutsche Kinemathek Museum and head of the series of retrospectives at the Berlinale.
Read the articles at:
Key scenes rediscovered
and
Rediscovered"! Metropolis.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Will The Prisoner go the way as Kolchak?
Note, in the following press release, the word "re-interpretation" in front of the title The Prisoner.
Caviezel and McKellen to Star in The Prisoner
Source: AMC June 30, 2008
AMC announced today that acclaimed film actors Jim Caviezel (The Passion of The Christ) and Ian McKellen ("The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "X-Men" films) have signed on to star in the network's reinterpretation of the highly influential 1960's cult classic, "The Prisoner." AMC is co-producing the six-part mini-series with ITV Productions and Granada International, with a worldwide premiere slated for 2009. "The Prisoner," AMC's second original mini-series, combines a wide range of genres, including espionage, thriller and Sci-Fi, into a unique and compelling drama, and expands upon the network's distinctive cinematic approach to creating high-quality programming.
Caviezel will play the title role of "Number Six," a part that was originally made famous when played by Patrick McGoohan. McGoohan also served as the creator, producer, writer and director of the 1960's series, which has become widely regarded as one of the most famous and intriguing cult TV series ever created, permanently altering the scope of the fantasy genre. Two-time Oscar nominee Ian McKellen will co-star playing the role of "Number Two."
"Jim Caviezel and Ian McKellen bring an incredible level of talent to the project, and we're honored they are taking on these important roles. We look forward to this production revitalizing a classic and bringing Patrick McGoohan's brilliant and captivating story to an entirely new generation of viewers," stated Charlie Collier, AMC's general manager and executive vice president. "The caliber of Hollywood talent AMC is attracting further validates our programming vision and our successful strategy of producing quality cinematic originals that stand alongside our library of iconic movies."
"For those of us who were watching grown-up TV in the 60s, 'The Prisoner' was dangerous, exciting and challenging TV. For those of us who were too young to stay up to watch the series, it casts a long shadow. You don't embark on something this iconic without the best team around to do it justice for a whole new era. With Bill Gallagher as writer, Trevor Hopkins as Producer, Michele Buck, Damien Timmer and Rebecca Keane as the UK Execs, AMC as production partners, ITV as UK Commissioners, and Jim Caviezel and Ian McKellen leading the cast, we have that team on board. I can't wait," said John Whiston, Director of ITV Productions.
"Bill Gallagher's new version of 'The Prisoner' is an enthralling commentary on modern culture. It is witty, intelligent and disturbing. I am very excited to be involved," said Ian McKellen.
While the original series, which debuted in 1967, was a riff on Cold War politics, AMC's reinterpretation will reflect 21st Century concerns and anxieties, such as liberty, security, and surveillance, yet also showcase the same key elements of paranoia, tense action and socio-political commentary seen in McGoohan's enigmatic original.
"'The Prisoner' spawned an enormous group of zealous fans who thrived on each week's psychological twists and turns. AMC's version brings 'The Prisoner' back to primetime, and we're tempted to discuss more details, but in the spirit of the series, what you DO know, may hurt you," said Christina Wayne, SVP of scripted original programming.
"The Prisoner" mini-series is a co-production of AMC and ITV Productions; the deal was brokered by Granada International, which holds international distribution rights. Bill Gallagher serves as writer and executive producer, along with Michele Buck, Damien Timmer, Rebecca Keane, and AMC's Charlie Collier, Christina Wayne and Vlad Wolynetz. It is produced by Trevor Hopkins, and directed by Jon Jones.
Caviezel and McKellen to Star in The Prisoner
Source: AMC June 30, 2008
AMC announced today that acclaimed film actors Jim Caviezel (The Passion of The Christ) and Ian McKellen ("The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "X-Men" films) have signed on to star in the network's reinterpretation of the highly influential 1960's cult classic, "The Prisoner." AMC is co-producing the six-part mini-series with ITV Productions and Granada International, with a worldwide premiere slated for 2009. "The Prisoner," AMC's second original mini-series, combines a wide range of genres, including espionage, thriller and Sci-Fi, into a unique and compelling drama, and expands upon the network's distinctive cinematic approach to creating high-quality programming.
Caviezel will play the title role of "Number Six," a part that was originally made famous when played by Patrick McGoohan. McGoohan also served as the creator, producer, writer and director of the 1960's series, which has become widely regarded as one of the most famous and intriguing cult TV series ever created, permanently altering the scope of the fantasy genre. Two-time Oscar nominee Ian McKellen will co-star playing the role of "Number Two."
"Jim Caviezel and Ian McKellen bring an incredible level of talent to the project, and we're honored they are taking on these important roles. We look forward to this production revitalizing a classic and bringing Patrick McGoohan's brilliant and captivating story to an entirely new generation of viewers," stated Charlie Collier, AMC's general manager and executive vice president. "The caliber of Hollywood talent AMC is attracting further validates our programming vision and our successful strategy of producing quality cinematic originals that stand alongside our library of iconic movies."
"For those of us who were watching grown-up TV in the 60s, 'The Prisoner' was dangerous, exciting and challenging TV. For those of us who were too young to stay up to watch the series, it casts a long shadow. You don't embark on something this iconic without the best team around to do it justice for a whole new era. With Bill Gallagher as writer, Trevor Hopkins as Producer, Michele Buck, Damien Timmer and Rebecca Keane as the UK Execs, AMC as production partners, ITV as UK Commissioners, and Jim Caviezel and Ian McKellen leading the cast, we have that team on board. I can't wait," said John Whiston, Director of ITV Productions.
"Bill Gallagher's new version of 'The Prisoner' is an enthralling commentary on modern culture. It is witty, intelligent and disturbing. I am very excited to be involved," said Ian McKellen.
While the original series, which debuted in 1967, was a riff on Cold War politics, AMC's reinterpretation will reflect 21st Century concerns and anxieties, such as liberty, security, and surveillance, yet also showcase the same key elements of paranoia, tense action and socio-political commentary seen in McGoohan's enigmatic original.
"'The Prisoner' spawned an enormous group of zealous fans who thrived on each week's psychological twists and turns. AMC's version brings 'The Prisoner' back to primetime, and we're tempted to discuss more details, but in the spirit of the series, what you DO know, may hurt you," said Christina Wayne, SVP of scripted original programming.
"The Prisoner" mini-series is a co-production of AMC and ITV Productions; the deal was brokered by Granada International, which holds international distribution rights. Bill Gallagher serves as writer and executive producer, along with Michele Buck, Damien Timmer, Rebecca Keane, and AMC's Charlie Collier, Christina Wayne and Vlad Wolynetz. It is produced by Trevor Hopkins, and directed by Jon Jones.
Media is failing girls - a rant
This is the 96th anniversary of the death of Harriet Quimby. She was the first woman in the United States to get a pilot's license, in 1911. Before that, she was a journalist.
She died in a plane crash only a year later, in 1912... while flying a new plane in which something technical went wrong... a common occurrence in those days.
Aviation was a new field, and hundreds of men and dozens of women went into it. Whenever a man died, it was just, "one of those things." Whenever a woman died, it proved they weren't fit to pilot a plane, and should stay home "where they belonged.
(And of course, it was also other women as well as men who'd say this.)
Point is, this type of media coverage didn't stop other women from becoming pilots themselves. As proof, when the US Army sent out a call for women at the beginning of WWII, to serve their country as transport pilots, thousands of women pilots answered the call. (The WASP, and before them the Women’s Flying Training Detachment (WFTD) and the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS)).
So tonight would have been a nice night for a TV show to make its debut, which featured a couple of female teenage characters whose goal was to become pilots, or even astronauts, and the drama could be because their friends would tease them for having such ambitions, and their boyfriends would dump them because they wanted to spend time with their planes instead of with their boyfriends, and the girls, instead of abandoning their dreams to make sure they didn't lose their boyfriends, let their boyfriends go because they had ambition, and knew that doing what was important to them was better than submitting to someone just because they needed a boyfriend.
Such a show could have perhaps inspired other girls to seek the best in themselves, to have ambition to be pilots, explorers, etc., first, and once they've achieved their goals, then get the boyfriend or the husband who'd complement their dreams.
But what do we get instead?
The Secret Life of the American Teenager, starring Molly Ringwald, in which a young girl - apparently 15 years old, gets pregnant, and of course decides to keep the baby. Question is... will it be the old-fashioned type of show, in which the boy does the "right thing" and marries her, so he can provide for the child, or will it be the new fashioned type of show, where the girl probably doens't even know the father's name, and will of course raise it herself, and agitate for higher welfare payments so she can afford to stick the baby in daycare while she continues to get an education....or will she forget the idea of getting an education altogether?
There was a similar show on a week or so ago, Girl, Positive, about a girl - presumably a straight one, who tests HIV Positive. I didn't watch it and wont watch it, but one wonders if the filmmakers made the point that if she'd worn a condom she might have been able to prevent acquiring the disease?
Teenage pregnancy has been a growing problem in the USA for decades. (Well, it's not just a USA problem, of course, but I'm just making my point specific to the USA, where girls have the ability to do anything they want...and yet all they want is the boyfriend and the baby...) Why is poverty growing in America? Because teenage moms can't work and take care of their babies at the same time, so they go on welfare. And because they don't have good educations they can't get jobs. So their baby grows up in the welfare atmosphere, thinking it's the most normal thing in the world for her, or him, to sit on their butts watching TV and not working while the government pays for everything.
And the media which bombards citizens with these types of messages 24 hours a day, are just as much to blame.
She died in a plane crash only a year later, in 1912... while flying a new plane in which something technical went wrong... a common occurrence in those days.
Aviation was a new field, and hundreds of men and dozens of women went into it. Whenever a man died, it was just, "one of those things." Whenever a woman died, it proved they weren't fit to pilot a plane, and should stay home "where they belonged.
(And of course, it was also other women as well as men who'd say this.)
Point is, this type of media coverage didn't stop other women from becoming pilots themselves. As proof, when the US Army sent out a call for women at the beginning of WWII, to serve their country as transport pilots, thousands of women pilots answered the call. (The WASP, and before them the Women’s Flying Training Detachment (WFTD) and the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS)).
So tonight would have been a nice night for a TV show to make its debut, which featured a couple of female teenage characters whose goal was to become pilots, or even astronauts, and the drama could be because their friends would tease them for having such ambitions, and their boyfriends would dump them because they wanted to spend time with their planes instead of with their boyfriends, and the girls, instead of abandoning their dreams to make sure they didn't lose their boyfriends, let their boyfriends go because they had ambition, and knew that doing what was important to them was better than submitting to someone just because they needed a boyfriend.
Such a show could have perhaps inspired other girls to seek the best in themselves, to have ambition to be pilots, explorers, etc., first, and once they've achieved their goals, then get the boyfriend or the husband who'd complement their dreams.
But what do we get instead?
The Secret Life of the American Teenager, starring Molly Ringwald, in which a young girl - apparently 15 years old, gets pregnant, and of course decides to keep the baby. Question is... will it be the old-fashioned type of show, in which the boy does the "right thing" and marries her, so he can provide for the child, or will it be the new fashioned type of show, where the girl probably doens't even know the father's name, and will of course raise it herself, and agitate for higher welfare payments so she can afford to stick the baby in daycare while she continues to get an education....or will she forget the idea of getting an education altogether?
There was a similar show on a week or so ago, Girl, Positive, about a girl - presumably a straight one, who tests HIV Positive. I didn't watch it and wont watch it, but one wonders if the filmmakers made the point that if she'd worn a condom she might have been able to prevent acquiring the disease?
Teenage pregnancy has been a growing problem in the USA for decades. (Well, it's not just a USA problem, of course, but I'm just making my point specific to the USA, where girls have the ability to do anything they want...and yet all they want is the boyfriend and the baby...) Why is poverty growing in America? Because teenage moms can't work and take care of their babies at the same time, so they go on welfare. And because they don't have good educations they can't get jobs. So their baby grows up in the welfare atmosphere, thinking it's the most normal thing in the world for her, or him, to sit on their butts watching TV and not working while the government pays for everything.
And the media which bombards citizens with these types of messages 24 hours a day, are just as much to blame.
The first Captain Janeway
Kate Mulgrew was not the first choice for Captain Janeway... it was Genevieve Bujold.
There's footage of it at Youtube.
and Behind the scenes, auditions, etc. of various actors:
There's footage of it at Youtube.
and Behind the scenes, auditions, etc. of various actors:
July 1 Events in SF & Fantasy
Births
Well...according to somebody at the IMDB, Robby the Robot was "born" on July 1, 1955.
Also according to the IMDB: Robby was the brainchild of, and designed by Robert Kinoshita, and built in mid-1955 by the MGM prop department, at a reported cost of $125,000.00 from blueprint plans provided by industrial designer, Japanese-American engineer Robert Kinoshita, to 'star' in the epic science fiction classic Forbidden Planet (1956) and its B-movie followup The Invisible Boy (1957) a year later. Robby the Robot has become one of the most popular robot icons in the history of movies and media, as recognizable as George Lucas' erstwhile comedy team of R2-D2 and C-3PO who 'co-starred' in his epic sci-fi fantasy Star Wars (1977).
Robby's voice in Forbidden Planet was supplied by Marvin Miller.
Dan Ackroyd
1 July 1952, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Most famous as a comedian from Saturday Night Live, he portrayed Beldar Conehead on Saturday Night Live and later in the movie of the same name. (1993).
He also played Dr. Raymond Stantz in Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II.
Genevieve Bujold
was born on July 1, 1942, Montréal, Québec, Canada. She actually has no science fiction credits, but I include her because she was to have been the original Captain Janeway. But she withdrew from the project after 1 day of filming and Kate Mulgrew accepted the role in Star Trek: Voyager (1995).
Jean Marsh
was born on July 1, 1934 in Stoke Newington, London, England, UK.
--The Twilight ZOne (1959) played Alicia (the robot) in "Only the Lonely" with Jack Warden
--Unearthly Stranger (1963) - Miss Ballard
--Adam Adamant Lives! - Lady Lydia in "Face in a Mirror" (1967)
--UFO - Janna Wade in "Exposed" (1970)
--Goliath Awaits (1981) (TV) - Dr. Goldman
--Return to Oz Nurse Wilson / Mombi - (1985)
--Doctor Who - played Sara Kingdom in Destruction of Time in 1966 (William Hartnell as the Doctor)
played Morgaine in Battlefield in 1986 (Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor)
--The Tomorrow People - Doctor Culex in "The Culex Experiment" (1994)
--Willow -- Queen Bavmorda (1988)
and, of course, the first wife of Jon Pertwee, from 1955-1960.
Deaths
Thea Von Harbou
Born: 27 December 1888, Tauperlitz, Germany, Died July 1 1954, West Berlin, Germany
Married to Fritz Lang before he left Germany, screenwriter for Metropolis, and Frau im Mond, among many other films.
Well...according to somebody at the IMDB, Robby the Robot was "born" on July 1, 1955.
Also according to the IMDB: Robby was the brainchild of, and designed by Robert Kinoshita, and built in mid-1955 by the MGM prop department, at a reported cost of $125,000.00 from blueprint plans provided by industrial designer, Japanese-American engineer Robert Kinoshita, to 'star' in the epic science fiction classic Forbidden Planet (1956) and its B-movie followup The Invisible Boy (1957) a year later. Robby the Robot has become one of the most popular robot icons in the history of movies and media, as recognizable as George Lucas' erstwhile comedy team of R2-D2 and C-3PO who 'co-starred' in his epic sci-fi fantasy Star Wars (1977).
Robby's voice in Forbidden Planet was supplied by Marvin Miller.
Dan Ackroyd
1 July 1952, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Most famous as a comedian from Saturday Night Live, he portrayed Beldar Conehead on Saturday Night Live and later in the movie of the same name. (1993).
He also played Dr. Raymond Stantz in Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II.
Genevieve Bujold
was born on July 1, 1942, Montréal, Québec, Canada. She actually has no science fiction credits, but I include her because she was to have been the original Captain Janeway. But she withdrew from the project after 1 day of filming and Kate Mulgrew accepted the role in Star Trek: Voyager (1995).
Jean Marsh
was born on July 1, 1934 in Stoke Newington, London, England, UK.
--The Twilight ZOne (1959) played Alicia (the robot) in "Only the Lonely" with Jack Warden
--Unearthly Stranger (1963) - Miss Ballard
--Adam Adamant Lives! - Lady Lydia in "Face in a Mirror" (1967)
--UFO - Janna Wade in "Exposed" (1970)
--Goliath Awaits (1981) (TV) - Dr. Goldman
--Return to Oz Nurse Wilson / Mombi - (1985)
--Doctor Who - played Sara Kingdom in Destruction of Time in 1966 (William Hartnell as the Doctor)
played Morgaine in Battlefield in 1986 (Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor)
--The Tomorrow People - Doctor Culex in "The Culex Experiment" (1994)
--Willow -- Queen Bavmorda (1988)
and, of course, the first wife of Jon Pertwee, from 1955-1960.
Deaths
Thea Von Harbou
Born: 27 December 1888, Tauperlitz, Germany, Died July 1 1954, West Berlin, Germany
Married to Fritz Lang before he left Germany, screenwriter for Metropolis, and Frau im Mond, among many other films.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sci Fi on BBC 7
Sunday (and available for 6 more days)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/sunday/
The Darker Side of the Border
The Captain of the Polestar: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's mysterious tale of apparitions on the ice, adapted for radio. A young doctor sails on a whaling ship. Episode 1 of 3
Report on the Barnhouse Effect
A Kurt Vonnegut celebration beginning with an academic who discovers how to control the forces of nature with his mind.
Doctor Who: Commentaries
The Doctor Who cast and crew discuss the latest episode of the current BBC TV series: The Stolen Earth. Episode 11 of 13.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/sunday/
The Darker Side of the Border
The Captain of the Polestar: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's mysterious tale of apparitions on the ice, adapted for radio. A young doctor sails on a whaling ship. Episode 1 of 3
Report on the Barnhouse Effect
A Kurt Vonnegut celebration beginning with an academic who discovers how to control the forces of nature with his mind.
Doctor Who: Commentaries
The Doctor Who cast and crew discuss the latest episode of the current BBC TV series: The Stolen Earth. Episode 11 of 13.
June 30, 2008 events in SF and fantasy
Births
Vincent D'Onofrio was born on June 30, 1959 in Brooklyn, New York. He has not done a great deal of science fiction, and he was practically unrecognizable for most of the one movie he has starred in - playing Edgar/Bug in Edgar Suit in Men In Black opposite Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in 1997. He was also in The Thirteenth Floor (1999).
Leonard Whiting was born on June 30, 1950 in London, England...a stage actor, he has not done a great deal of film work. He played Dr. Frankenstein in Frankenstein, The True Story (1970), with Michael Sarrazin as the Creature. It was the first attempt to tell Mary Shelley's story as originally written (her Creature looks like a man to start with, and can speak intelligently, but starts to deteriorate as time goes on).
Deaths
None
Vincent D'Onofrio was born on June 30, 1959 in Brooklyn, New York. He has not done a great deal of science fiction, and he was practically unrecognizable for most of the one movie he has starred in - playing Edgar/Bug in Edgar Suit in Men In Black opposite Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in 1997. He was also in The Thirteenth Floor (1999).
Leonard Whiting was born on June 30, 1950 in London, England...a stage actor, he has not done a great deal of film work. He played Dr. Frankenstein in Frankenstein, The True Story (1970), with Michael Sarrazin as the Creature. It was the first attempt to tell Mary Shelley's story as originally written (her Creature looks like a man to start with, and can speak intelligently, but starts to deteriorate as time goes on).
Deaths
None
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Wall-E
I just got back from Wall-E, and I enjoyed it.
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/wall-e/
The first half of the movie takes place on a North America covered in garbage...which it is Wall-E's task to clean up. (Other Wall-E's have fallen by the wayside, he alone remains.) (Small children may constantly barrage parents with questions for the first 10 minutes of the movie, as it shows Wall-E cleaning up garbage...left behind by people who shopped huge conglomerate stores called Buy 'N Large.)
A probe ship lands and deposits Eve, a cool, slick, flying robot that Wall-E falls in love with. Wall-e had found a plant...which he shows to Eve. She puts it in her interior compartment and immediately goes dormant, sending out a signal to the probe to come and get her. (Trying to see if photosynthesis is occurring on earth is her purpose.)
Wall-e follows her onto the ship, which takes them to a huge Buy N Large spaceliner which left earth 700 years ago, now full of thousands of large, chair-bound, computer watching people... but all is not what it seems there...
Lots of good messages here, but one irony. As you went into the theater - at least at my theater - every child was handed a Wall-e watch by the movie clerk. A plastic, blue, ugly thing, which little children will probably love... but the battery isn't replaceable so it's what's called a Planned Obsolescent object. And while I intend to save mine in my movie memorabilia collection (yes, the clerk gave me one even though 'm 45) most kids will throw them straight into the garbage as soon as they stop working...if not sooner!
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/wall-e/
The first half of the movie takes place on a North America covered in garbage...which it is Wall-E's task to clean up. (Other Wall-E's have fallen by the wayside, he alone remains.) (Small children may constantly barrage parents with questions for the first 10 minutes of the movie, as it shows Wall-E cleaning up garbage...left behind by people who shopped huge conglomerate stores called Buy 'N Large.)
A probe ship lands and deposits Eve, a cool, slick, flying robot that Wall-E falls in love with. Wall-e had found a plant...which he shows to Eve. She puts it in her interior compartment and immediately goes dormant, sending out a signal to the probe to come and get her. (Trying to see if photosynthesis is occurring on earth is her purpose.)
Wall-e follows her onto the ship, which takes them to a huge Buy N Large spaceliner which left earth 700 years ago, now full of thousands of large, chair-bound, computer watching people... but all is not what it seems there...
Lots of good messages here, but one irony. As you went into the theater - at least at my theater - every child was handed a Wall-e watch by the movie clerk. A plastic, blue, ugly thing, which little children will probably love... but the battery isn't replaceable so it's what's called a Planned Obsolescent object. And while I intend to save mine in my movie memorabilia collection (yes, the clerk gave me one even though 'm 45) most kids will throw them straight into the garbage as soon as they stop working...if not sooner!
A Mysterious Turn
When I was a kid, and had a lot more time than I do now, I was interested in both mysteries and science fiction, and purchased a few of the short story digests on a regular basis EQMM, AHMM, IASFFM (Ellery Qeen Mystery Magazie, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Isaac Asimov's Magazine of Science Fictin and Fantasy), as well as Analog, Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine, etc. etc.
These days I don't have near enough time to do anything, so I don't read any of the digests... except when something serendipitous happens...
In this event, someone bought me a subcription to EQMM as a surprise birthday present (had I but known, I would have asked for Isaac Asimov) and as long as I'm getting it for free, I'll make some time to read it. (It cost $4.99 an issue! That's as much as a paperback used to cost. Now books are $7.99 and about to go up to $9.99!)
There was an interesting section on mystery blogs, (Blog Bytes by Bill Crider) and I thought I'd share those links here.
Blogs by police officers:
Bish's Beat: http://bishbeat.blogspot.com
The Graveyard Shift: http://www.leelofland.com/wordpress/(the blogger is the author of Police Procedure and Investigation, a guide to writers
And by writers:
Susan Wittig Albert: Lifescapes: http://susanalbert.typepad.com/lifescapes/
Clea Simon's Cats & Crimes & Rock and Roll: http://cleasimon.blogspot.com
And finally, a website dedicated to Ellery Queen:
http://neptune.spaceports.com/~queen/Whodunit_1.html
I'll start posting similar suggestions towards science fiction related sites in future entries of this blog.
On a personal note... one more hour, and a half, and I'll be seeing Wall-E! Hope it's good...
These days I don't have near enough time to do anything, so I don't read any of the digests... except when something serendipitous happens...
In this event, someone bought me a subcription to EQMM as a surprise birthday present (had I but known, I would have asked for Isaac Asimov) and as long as I'm getting it for free, I'll make some time to read it. (It cost $4.99 an issue! That's as much as a paperback used to cost. Now books are $7.99 and about to go up to $9.99!)
There was an interesting section on mystery blogs, (Blog Bytes by Bill Crider) and I thought I'd share those links here.
Blogs by police officers:
Bish's Beat: http://bishbeat.blogspot.com
The Graveyard Shift: http://www.leelofland.com/wordpress/(the blogger is the author of Police Procedure and Investigation, a guide to writers
And by writers:
Susan Wittig Albert: Lifescapes: http://susanalbert.typepad.com/lifescapes/
Clea Simon's Cats & Crimes & Rock and Roll: http://cleasimon.blogspot.com
And finally, a website dedicated to Ellery Queen:
http://neptune.spaceports.com/~queen/Whodunit_1.html
I'll start posting similar suggestions towards science fiction related sites in future entries of this blog.
On a personal note... one more hour, and a half, and I'll be seeing Wall-E! Hope it's good...
Sci fi and fantasy on the radio, June 29, 2008
It's been another week since I've announced what was on BBC Radio 7, so I'll start this daily entry with a recap of what's still on (each radio show is on BBC Radio 7 for 7 days, so you can listen to it whenever yu want.)
The MONDAY offerings are about to drop off screen, but you can still listen to them today:
The Laxian Key
The mysterious deaths of space tourists on Planet Party give planet decontaminators Arnold and Gregor a unique job opportunity. Episode 1 of 4.
Methuselah's Children
Lazarus Long's thoughts begin to turn to home. By Robert A Heinlein. Episode 6 of 6.
Tuesday
The Laxian Key
London is melting! With the whole of earth blaming Arnold and Gregor, the planetary decontaminationists must flee, but where? Episode 2 of 4.
Slaughterhouse 5
Kurt Vonnegut's anti-war classic tells of an innocent abroad, Billy Pilgrim, who stumbles into enemy hands. Robert Jezek reads. Episode 1 of 4.
Old Harry's Game (fantasy/comedy)
Hell is close to bursting, so to stop the flow people must be persuaded to be good. Stars Andy Hamilton. From September 2005. Episode 1 of 4.
Wednesday
The Laxian Key
Guilt stricken Arnold's call home to apologise for melting Earth is traced. Our planetary decontaminationists are on the run. Episode 3 of 4.
Slaughterhouse 5
Billy Pilgrim is both a Prisoner of War and an inadvertent time traveller. Robert Jezek reads Vonnegut's cult absurdist classic. Episode 2 of 4.
Thursday
Married
When Robin starts to accept his new life in a parallel universe, he discovers 'his' past misdemeanours. Stars Hugh Bonneville. Episode 3 of 6.
The Laxian Key
Arnold and Gregor are about to be bombed senseless by Evans the Welsh vigilante, a fitting reprisal surely for melting Earth. Episode 4 of 4.
Slaughterhouse 5
Anti-hero Billy Pilgrim begins relishing his life in a zoo on the planet Tralfamadore. Robert Jezek reads Kurt Vonnegut's cult book. Episode 3 of 4.
Friday
The Voice of God
Can You Hear That: Walker plans to fire the Voice at Pine Gap, risking a global catastrophe. Sam, Joshua and Nick are locked in the brig. Episode 5 of 5.
Methuselah's Children
A colonist enters the alien temple and returns a broken man. Episode 5 of 6.
Saturday
Heroes: The Official Radio Show
Jon Holmes and Xanthe Fuller analyse the action from the TV series. Send in your theories. Episode 9 of 11.
The MONDAY offerings are about to drop off screen, but you can still listen to them today:
The Laxian Key
The mysterious deaths of space tourists on Planet Party give planet decontaminators Arnold and Gregor a unique job opportunity. Episode 1 of 4.
Methuselah's Children
Lazarus Long's thoughts begin to turn to home. By Robert A Heinlein. Episode 6 of 6.
Tuesday
The Laxian Key
London is melting! With the whole of earth blaming Arnold and Gregor, the planetary decontaminationists must flee, but where? Episode 2 of 4.
Slaughterhouse 5
Kurt Vonnegut's anti-war classic tells of an innocent abroad, Billy Pilgrim, who stumbles into enemy hands. Robert Jezek reads. Episode 1 of 4.
Old Harry's Game (fantasy/comedy)
Hell is close to bursting, so to stop the flow people must be persuaded to be good. Stars Andy Hamilton. From September 2005. Episode 1 of 4.
Wednesday
The Laxian Key
Guilt stricken Arnold's call home to apologise for melting Earth is traced. Our planetary decontaminationists are on the run. Episode 3 of 4.
Slaughterhouse 5
Billy Pilgrim is both a Prisoner of War and an inadvertent time traveller. Robert Jezek reads Vonnegut's cult absurdist classic. Episode 2 of 4.
Thursday
Married
When Robin starts to accept his new life in a parallel universe, he discovers 'his' past misdemeanours. Stars Hugh Bonneville. Episode 3 of 6.
The Laxian Key
Arnold and Gregor are about to be bombed senseless by Evans the Welsh vigilante, a fitting reprisal surely for melting Earth. Episode 4 of 4.
Slaughterhouse 5
Anti-hero Billy Pilgrim begins relishing his life in a zoo on the planet Tralfamadore. Robert Jezek reads Kurt Vonnegut's cult book. Episode 3 of 4.
Friday
The Voice of God
Can You Hear That: Walker plans to fire the Voice at Pine Gap, risking a global catastrophe. Sam, Joshua and Nick are locked in the brig. Episode 5 of 5.
Methuselah's Children
A colonist enters the alien temple and returns a broken man. Episode 5 of 6.
Saturday
Heroes: The Official Radio Show
Jon Holmes and Xanthe Fuller analyse the action from the TV series. Send in your theories. Episode 9 of 11.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
What happened on June 29 in SF & Fantasy history
What happened on June 29 in SF & Fantasy history: Actors and actresses who have guest-starred or starred in at least 3 science fiction or fantasy movies or TV episodes.
Births
Soon-Tek Oh was born on June 29, 1943 in Japan, but raised in Korea. Made his TV debut in the American TV series, I Spy, in the episode "Kabuki." Mostly Westerns (Kung Fu) and crime dramas, but a few science fiction:
The Invaders - Houseboy in episode The Experiment (1967)
The Man with the Golden Gun (James Bond movie) Lt. Hip (1974)
Logan's Run - Dexter Kim in the episode The Crypt (1977)
The Greatest American Hero - Ernie Shikinami in Thirty Seconds Over Little Tokyo (1983)
Time Trax - character unknwon, in episode Return of the Yakuza (1994)
Babylon 5 - The Muta-Do in episode TKO (1994)
Stargate SG-1 - Moughal in episode Emancipation (1997)
Ray Harryhausen was born on June 29, 1920. Happy 88th, Ray!!!
Bernard Herrmann was born on June 29, 1911. A conductor and composer, he is most famous as the soundtrack writer for many of Alfred Hitchcock's most famous films. But he also did several SF films such as The Day The Earth Stood Still, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Journey To the Center of the Earth, and Jason and the Argonauts. For radio - he did the theme music for Suspense and Orson Welles Mercury Theater. For TV, several Twilight Zones.
Deaths
John Abineri died in Bath, Somerset, England on June 29, 2000. He was born on May 18, 1928.
Red Dwarf: Rimmer's dad - episode Better Than Life (1988)
Blakes Seven: Ushton - episode Hostage (1979)
Doctor Who: Ranquin - episodes The Power of Kroll (1979)
Fred Saberhagen died on June 29, 2007. He was the author of many science fiction novels.
Births
Soon-Tek Oh was born on June 29, 1943 in Japan, but raised in Korea. Made his TV debut in the American TV series, I Spy, in the episode "Kabuki." Mostly Westerns (Kung Fu) and crime dramas, but a few science fiction:
The Invaders - Houseboy in episode The Experiment (1967)
The Man with the Golden Gun (James Bond movie) Lt. Hip (1974)
Logan's Run - Dexter Kim in the episode The Crypt (1977)
The Greatest American Hero - Ernie Shikinami in Thirty Seconds Over Little Tokyo (1983)
Time Trax - character unknwon, in episode Return of the Yakuza (1994)
Babylon 5 - The Muta-Do in episode TKO (1994)
Stargate SG-1 - Moughal in episode Emancipation (1997)
Ray Harryhausen was born on June 29, 1920. Happy 88th, Ray!!!
Bernard Herrmann was born on June 29, 1911. A conductor and composer, he is most famous as the soundtrack writer for many of Alfred Hitchcock's most famous films. But he also did several SF films such as The Day The Earth Stood Still, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Journey To the Center of the Earth, and Jason and the Argonauts. For radio - he did the theme music for Suspense and Orson Welles Mercury Theater. For TV, several Twilight Zones.
Deaths
John Abineri died in Bath, Somerset, England on June 29, 2000. He was born on May 18, 1928.
Red Dwarf: Rimmer's dad - episode Better Than Life (1988)
Blakes Seven: Ushton - episode Hostage (1979)
Doctor Who: Ranquin - episodes The Power of Kroll (1979)
Fred Saberhagen died on June 29, 2007. He was the author of many science fiction novels.
Cabinet of Curiosities
I've been reading a book called Cabinet of Curiosities: A Delectable Assortment of Remarkable Tales and Outrageous Stories from All Over the World, by Simon Welfare and John Fairley.
Lots of interesting things within, and I just mention a few of them here. If I ever get the time to research them more fully, I will do so...
1) Two turtle experts tried to visit Maziwi Ialand off Tasmania, only to find that it had vanished.
2) Francis Scott Key, who in 1814 wrote the poem that would become the Star Spangled Banner, had a house in Washington, DC. In 1947, a highway was routed through it. The US National Parks Department was ordered to move it. To do so, they took apart the entire house, and stored the pieces. As of 1991 (the year of this book) the house had yet to be found.
3) The Dorak Treasure is "one of the enigmas of modern archaeology. It's discovery, announced in 1959 in the Illlustrated London News, caused excitement not simply beause the hoard apparently came from ancient royal tombs unearthed near the village of Dorak, in Turkey and contained rare figurines, ceremonial battle-axes, fine jewelry, swords, daggers, a magnificent gold cup, and a throne covered with a layer of gold and hierogylphs, apparently a gift from an Egyptian king.
The find was reported by James Mellaart, then Assistant Director of the Britisjh Institute of Archaeology in Ankara. He said that while travelling through Turkey in the summer of 1958 he met a pretty girl on a train. Even more stroiking than her looks was the gold bracelet she wore on her wrist. It looked very old.
The girl confirmed Mellaart's hunch. The bracelet was indeed ancient, part of a treasure trove. She had the rest at home. He was welcome to see it. So when they reached Izmir, Mellaart left the train and went to the girl's hose where she showed him not only other artefacts but lso photographs of the tombs, complete with skeletons. As so often happens when mysteries are under investigation, there was no opportunity to take photographs: his camera was broken. Instead, the archaeologist stayed on for 3 or 4 days, recording as much detail as possible in his notebooks.
Those sketches and Mellaart's testimony are the only evidence that the Dorak treasure ever existed. All efforts to trace the girl later - she said her name was Anna Papastrati - came to nothing. Even the huse which Mellaart claimed to have visited could not be identified.
Missing manuscripts:
(Perfect ideas for plots)
1) Lawrence of Arabia "claimed" that he lost his only copy of the first eight 'books' of The Seven Pillars of Wisdom in a railway refreshment room in Reading in December, 1919.
2) British writer Jilly Cooper put down the first draft of her novel Riders in a London store in 1971, and that was the last she saw of it. (Took her 14 years to rewrite it).
In the early 1980s, a gigantic Egyptian metropolis, the City of Rameses, containing the Pharoah's palace, a ceremonial avenue, rows of sphinxes and four huge statues of Rameses the Magnificent.
This city was buried in the sand dunes at Guadalupe, California, a small town north of Los Angeles. They formed part of a spectacular set built, in 1923, by Cecil B. DeMille for the first version of his epic, The Ten Commandments. When shooting of the film finished, DeMille decided it would be cheaper to bury the set rather than deconstruct it.
DeMille had expected it to be buruied for a thousand years, but it was dug up in 1983. (And a movie has been made about it! A horror movie!)
6. Giant squid have been known to leap out of the water and get caught in the rigging of ships. (Perhaps jumping out of the water in order to escape attack by a sperm whale?)
7. Why is Mt Rushmore called Mt Rushmore, instead of The President's Mountain, for example? Rushmore was a lawyer. According to the story, "a gold miner was riding past the mountain with his attorney, whose name was Rushmore. "What's the name of this mountain?" asked Rushmore. "Why, Mount Rushmore, of course," the miner replied. The name stuck, and in 1930 it was officially given that name.
There are a few "lost villages": Semerwater in Yorkshire, Dunwich, Wharram Percy in Yorkshir, and Cheesewring in Cornwall. Although they're all interesting, the one I find most interesting is POLPHAIL, in Argylshlshire, Scotland. A town, it was built in 1976 for workers constructing the North sea oil platforms. By the time it was ready, the work had gone away. Also of interest are the villages of St. Kilda, and Samson in the Scillies.
8. And finally..is the Mona Lisa in the Louvre the "real" Mona Lisa? Apparently, Rembrandt painted several versions.
Lots of interesting things within, and I just mention a few of them here. If I ever get the time to research them more fully, I will do so...
1) Two turtle experts tried to visit Maziwi Ialand off Tasmania, only to find that it had vanished.
2) Francis Scott Key, who in 1814 wrote the poem that would become the Star Spangled Banner, had a house in Washington, DC. In 1947, a highway was routed through it. The US National Parks Department was ordered to move it. To do so, they took apart the entire house, and stored the pieces. As of 1991 (the year of this book) the house had yet to be found.
3) The Dorak Treasure is "one of the enigmas of modern archaeology. It's discovery, announced in 1959 in the Illlustrated London News, caused excitement not simply beause the hoard apparently came from ancient royal tombs unearthed near the village of Dorak, in Turkey and contained rare figurines, ceremonial battle-axes, fine jewelry, swords, daggers, a magnificent gold cup, and a throne covered with a layer of gold and hierogylphs, apparently a gift from an Egyptian king.
The find was reported by James Mellaart, then Assistant Director of the Britisjh Institute of Archaeology in Ankara. He said that while travelling through Turkey in the summer of 1958 he met a pretty girl on a train. Even more stroiking than her looks was the gold bracelet she wore on her wrist. It looked very old.
The girl confirmed Mellaart's hunch. The bracelet was indeed ancient, part of a treasure trove. She had the rest at home. He was welcome to see it. So when they reached Izmir, Mellaart left the train and went to the girl's hose where she showed him not only other artefacts but lso photographs of the tombs, complete with skeletons. As so often happens when mysteries are under investigation, there was no opportunity to take photographs: his camera was broken. Instead, the archaeologist stayed on for 3 or 4 days, recording as much detail as possible in his notebooks.
Those sketches and Mellaart's testimony are the only evidence that the Dorak treasure ever existed. All efforts to trace the girl later - she said her name was Anna Papastrati - came to nothing. Even the huse which Mellaart claimed to have visited could not be identified.
Missing manuscripts:
(Perfect ideas for plots)
1) Lawrence of Arabia "claimed" that he lost his only copy of the first eight 'books' of The Seven Pillars of Wisdom in a railway refreshment room in Reading in December, 1919.
2) British writer Jilly Cooper put down the first draft of her novel Riders in a London store in 1971, and that was the last she saw of it. (Took her 14 years to rewrite it).
In the early 1980s, a gigantic Egyptian metropolis, the City of Rameses, containing the Pharoah's palace, a ceremonial avenue, rows of sphinxes and four huge statues of Rameses the Magnificent.
This city was buried in the sand dunes at Guadalupe, California, a small town north of Los Angeles. They formed part of a spectacular set built, in 1923, by Cecil B. DeMille for the first version of his epic, The Ten Commandments. When shooting of the film finished, DeMille decided it would be cheaper to bury the set rather than deconstruct it.
DeMille had expected it to be buruied for a thousand years, but it was dug up in 1983. (And a movie has been made about it! A horror movie!)
6. Giant squid have been known to leap out of the water and get caught in the rigging of ships. (Perhaps jumping out of the water in order to escape attack by a sperm whale?)
7. Why is Mt Rushmore called Mt Rushmore, instead of The President's Mountain, for example? Rushmore was a lawyer. According to the story, "a gold miner was riding past the mountain with his attorney, whose name was Rushmore. "What's the name of this mountain?" asked Rushmore. "Why, Mount Rushmore, of course," the miner replied. The name stuck, and in 1930 it was officially given that name.
There are a few "lost villages": Semerwater in Yorkshire, Dunwich, Wharram Percy in Yorkshir, and Cheesewring in Cornwall. Although they're all interesting, the one I find most interesting is POLPHAIL, in Argylshlshire, Scotland. A town, it was built in 1976 for workers constructing the North sea oil platforms. By the time it was ready, the work had gone away. Also of interest are the villages of St. Kilda, and Samson in the Scillies.
8. And finally..is the Mona Lisa in the Louvre the "real" Mona Lisa? Apparently, Rembrandt painted several versions.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Science Fiction on BBC Digital Radio 7
I've been very remiss of late in sharing the science fiction that's on offer every week at BBC Radio 7. http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/monday/. You can listen to any show at any time, any day of the week. Each day's shows is available to listen to for 7 days.
So, what's on this week?
You can still listen to an ep from Tuesday for the next 20 hours or so..
TUESDAY
Atomic Tales
I've Got Your Number: Krank has created a brilliant think piece where all of mankind has a unique number. But what if your number was copied? Episode 3 of 6.
The Day of the Triffids
A visitor to Shirning threatens Bill's family and their future together. Episode 17 of 17.
Old Harry's Game (fantasy)
When the Professor and Thomas discover Satan's never been to sleep, they try to give him forty winks. First heard in May 2001. Episode 5 of 6.
WEDNESDAY
Animal Farm
Bill Nighy reads George Orwell's famous cautionary fable. The windmill is smashed, and Squealer swears it's Snowball's fault. Episode 3 of 5.
Atomic Tales
Land of Plenty: Futuristic tale set on Mars, where human food is stored in specially sealed Mag-cans. What if the can-openers malfunctioned? Episode 4 of 6.
Shambleau
A sci-fi thriller by American author CL Moore. A space bounty hunter lives to regret rescuing a young woman from attack. Episode 1 of 3.
THURSDAY
Married
Robin Lightfoot is grumpy yet happily single, then he wakes up to discover he's in a parallel universe, with a wife and kids. Episode 1 of 6.
Atomic Tales
Unstoppable!: The tension continues in the sci-fi serial as a space train hurtles towards Earth. Episode 5 of 6.
Shambleau
A sci-fi thriller set on Mars by American author CL Moore. Northwest Smith discovers the secret power of the alien woman he rescued. Episode 2 of 3.
FRIDAY
Animal Farm
Bill Nighy reads George Orwell's famous cautionary fable. Boxer becomes gravely ill, and the animals discover betrayal. Episode 5 of 5.
Atomic Tales
Night of the Cicadas: The cicada is a friendly chirruping insect, but what if it grew to a vast size and hungered for human flesh? Episode 6 of 6.
Shambleau
CL Moore's space thriller on Mars continues. Is Northwest's number up as he falls under the spell of the snake-haired alien? Episode 3 of 3.
SATURDAY
Heroes: The Official Radio Show
Jon Holmes and Xanthe Fuller analyse the action from the TV series. Send in your theories. Episode 8 of 11.
SUNDAY
Alpha
Tale about a computer so all-knowing that it seems to have an independent life of its own. Chilling award-winning drama.
Doctor Who: Commentaries
The Doctor Who cast and crew discuss the latest episode, Midnight.
and upcoming on MONDAY
The Voice of God
Fields of Thunder: A series of quakes rocks Australia. When Sam Rideout investigates, she stumbles into a nightmare of biblical proportions. Episode 1 of 5. (The popular serial written by the equally popular Simon Bovey.)
Methuselah's Children
Paul Birchard reads Robert A Heinlein's sci-fi novel about a group of families who can live for several hundred years. Episode 1 of 6.
So, what's on this week?
You can still listen to an ep from Tuesday for the next 20 hours or so..
TUESDAY
Atomic Tales
I've Got Your Number: Krank has created a brilliant think piece where all of mankind has a unique number. But what if your number was copied? Episode 3 of 6.
The Day of the Triffids
A visitor to Shirning threatens Bill's family and their future together. Episode 17 of 17.
Old Harry's Game (fantasy)
When the Professor and Thomas discover Satan's never been to sleep, they try to give him forty winks. First heard in May 2001. Episode 5 of 6.
WEDNESDAY
Animal Farm
Bill Nighy reads George Orwell's famous cautionary fable. The windmill is smashed, and Squealer swears it's Snowball's fault. Episode 3 of 5.
Atomic Tales
Land of Plenty: Futuristic tale set on Mars, where human food is stored in specially sealed Mag-cans. What if the can-openers malfunctioned? Episode 4 of 6.
Shambleau
A sci-fi thriller by American author CL Moore. A space bounty hunter lives to regret rescuing a young woman from attack. Episode 1 of 3.
THURSDAY
Married
Robin Lightfoot is grumpy yet happily single, then he wakes up to discover he's in a parallel universe, with a wife and kids. Episode 1 of 6.
Atomic Tales
Unstoppable!: The tension continues in the sci-fi serial as a space train hurtles towards Earth. Episode 5 of 6.
Shambleau
A sci-fi thriller set on Mars by American author CL Moore. Northwest Smith discovers the secret power of the alien woman he rescued. Episode 2 of 3.
FRIDAY
Animal Farm
Bill Nighy reads George Orwell's famous cautionary fable. Boxer becomes gravely ill, and the animals discover betrayal. Episode 5 of 5.
Atomic Tales
Night of the Cicadas: The cicada is a friendly chirruping insect, but what if it grew to a vast size and hungered for human flesh? Episode 6 of 6.
Shambleau
CL Moore's space thriller on Mars continues. Is Northwest's number up as he falls under the spell of the snake-haired alien? Episode 3 of 3.
SATURDAY
Heroes: The Official Radio Show
Jon Holmes and Xanthe Fuller analyse the action from the TV series. Send in your theories. Episode 8 of 11.
SUNDAY
Alpha
Tale about a computer so all-knowing that it seems to have an independent life of its own. Chilling award-winning drama.
Doctor Who: Commentaries
The Doctor Who cast and crew discuss the latest episode, Midnight.
and upcoming on MONDAY
The Voice of God
Fields of Thunder: A series of quakes rocks Australia. When Sam Rideout investigates, she stumbles into a nightmare of biblical proportions. Episode 1 of 5. (The popular serial written by the equally popular Simon Bovey.)
Methuselah's Children
Paul Birchard reads Robert A Heinlein's sci-fi novel about a group of families who can live for several hundred years. Episode 1 of 6.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Jouney to the Center of the Earth
The movie is coming July 11.
The trailers for this movie, starring Brendan Fraser, are out, and to date I'm not impressed with them.
The special effects...suck! If you can't do CGI...try the old fashioned way that'll give better results!
And, looks like all the characters are young, but of course there's got to be the obligatory teenager as well, who will doubtless be both know-it-all, obnoxious, and get into trouble requiring rescue. Unless that role will be saved for the token woman.
The trailers for this movie, starring Brendan Fraser, are out, and to date I'm not impressed with them.
The special effects...suck! If you can't do CGI...try the old fashioned way that'll give better results!
And, looks like all the characters are young, but of course there's got to be the obligatory teenager as well, who will doubtless be both know-it-all, obnoxious, and get into trouble requiring rescue. Unless that role will be saved for the token woman.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Fireball XL5
I just ordered the complete DVD set of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's 1962 creation, Fireball XL5.
It is a lot of fun!
Yes, the Supermarionation is not on a par with later efforts - the wires are visible at all times, and kids might not like the fact that it's in black and white, - but the plots are interesting, as are the gadgets - quite a bit of foreshadowing of future SF shows and even a bit of reality.
I'm going to quote the copyright free Wikipedia:
Set between the years 2062/2063, the series features the missions of spaceship Fireball XL5, commanded by Colonel Steve Zodiac of the World Space Patrol. Also aboard as part of the crew are the glamorous Doctor Venus, middle-aged navigator and engineer Professor Matthew Matic, and Zodiac's co-pilot Robert the Robot, notable for being transparent. Robert was the only character in an Anderson series that was actually voiced by Gerry Anderson himself.
Fireball XL5 is based at Space City, located on an unnamed island in the South Pacific, headquarters of the World Space Patrol headed by Commander Zero. Zero is assisted by Lieutenant Ninety. The patrol rocket Fireball XL5 takes off utilising a mile-long launch rail which culminates in a 40 degree incline, or sky ramp, which Anderson explains was inspired by an old Soviet design, a concept also used in the film When Worlds Collide.
There is a fleet of at least 30 'Fireball XL' ships (an XL30 is referred to in The Firefighters episode), of which XL5 is the most famous.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Alexander Courage - composer, Star Trek theme
Alexander Courage, composer of the Star Trek theme (for the original and best series) died on May 15. I've only just heard.
From the copyright free Wikipedia
Alexander Courage (December 10, 1919 – May 15, 2008) was a 20th century American orchestrator, arranger and composer of music, primarily for television and motion pictures.
Courage, most famous to SCI FI fans for his work on Star Trek, became alienated from Star Trek's creator Gene Roddenberry over the latter's demand for half his music royalties. (Gene Roddenberry wrote words for Courage's Star Trek theme, and even though those words were never sung - on the show or anywhere, Roddenberry was still able to claim acknowledgement as the co-writer, and was paid half of the royalties from the song.)
Radio
During World War II, Courage began composing for radio. His credits in this medium include Broadway Is My Beat, Hollywood Soundstage, and Romance.
Motion picture work
Courage began as an orchestrator/arranger at MGM studios, which included work in such films as Show Boat ("Life Upon the Wicked Stage" number), The Band Wagon ("I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan") and Gigi (the can-can for the entrance of patrons at Maxim's), and the barn-raising dance from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
He frequently served as orchestrator for Andre Previn (My Fair Lady, the "The Circus is a Wacky World" and "You're Gonna Hear from Me" production numbers for Inside Daisy Clover), Adolph Deutsch (Funny Face, Some Like it Hot), John Williams (Superman, The Poseidon Adventure, Jurassic Park, and the Academy Award-nominated musical films Tom Sawyer, and Fiddler on the Roof), and Jerry Goldsmith (The Mummy, Mulan, Rudy, et al.).
Apart from his work as a highly respected orchestrator, Courage also contributed original dramatic scores to films, including two important 1950s westerns, Arthur Penn's Left Handed Gun and Andre de Toth's Day of the Outlaw. He continued writing music for films throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, including the score for Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (which incorporated 3 new musical themes by John Williams, in addition to Courage's adapted and original cues for the film). Courage's score for Superman IV: The Quest for Peace was finally released in early 2008 by Film Music Monthly as part of their boxset, Superman - The Music.
Television work
He is probably best known for writing the theme music to the original Star Trek television series, but also worked as composer on such shows as Lost in Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Judd, for the Defense, and Daniel Boone.
Jerry Goldsmith and Courage teamed on the long-running TV show The Waltons, in which Goldsmith composed the theme and Courage scored the Aaron Copland-influenced incidental music.
Death
Courage had been in declining health before he died on May 15, 2008 at the Sunrise assisted-living facility in Pacific Palisades, California
From the copyright free Wikipedia
Alexander Courage (December 10, 1919 – May 15, 2008) was a 20th century American orchestrator, arranger and composer of music, primarily for television and motion pictures.
Courage, most famous to SCI FI fans for his work on Star Trek, became alienated from Star Trek's creator Gene Roddenberry over the latter's demand for half his music royalties. (Gene Roddenberry wrote words for Courage's Star Trek theme, and even though those words were never sung - on the show or anywhere, Roddenberry was still able to claim acknowledgement as the co-writer, and was paid half of the royalties from the song.)
Radio
During World War II, Courage began composing for radio. His credits in this medium include Broadway Is My Beat, Hollywood Soundstage, and Romance.
Motion picture work
Courage began as an orchestrator/arranger at MGM studios, which included work in such films as Show Boat ("Life Upon the Wicked Stage" number), The Band Wagon ("I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan") and Gigi (the can-can for the entrance of patrons at Maxim's), and the barn-raising dance from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
He frequently served as orchestrator for Andre Previn (My Fair Lady, the "The Circus is a Wacky World" and "You're Gonna Hear from Me" production numbers for Inside Daisy Clover), Adolph Deutsch (Funny Face, Some Like it Hot), John Williams (Superman, The Poseidon Adventure, Jurassic Park, and the Academy Award-nominated musical films Tom Sawyer, and Fiddler on the Roof), and Jerry Goldsmith (The Mummy, Mulan, Rudy, et al.).
Apart from his work as a highly respected orchestrator, Courage also contributed original dramatic scores to films, including two important 1950s westerns, Arthur Penn's Left Handed Gun and Andre de Toth's Day of the Outlaw. He continued writing music for films throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, including the score for Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (which incorporated 3 new musical themes by John Williams, in addition to Courage's adapted and original cues for the film). Courage's score for Superman IV: The Quest for Peace was finally released in early 2008 by Film Music Monthly as part of their boxset, Superman - The Music.
Television work
He is probably best known for writing the theme music to the original Star Trek television series, but also worked as composer on such shows as Lost in Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Judd, for the Defense, and Daniel Boone.
Jerry Goldsmith and Courage teamed on the long-running TV show The Waltons, in which Goldsmith composed the theme and Courage scored the Aaron Copland-influenced incidental music.
Death
Courage had been in declining health before he died on May 15, 2008 at the Sunrise assisted-living facility in Pacific Palisades, California
Monday, May 26, 2008
What happened at Piedmont?
I actually missed the first hour and a half of The Andromeda Strain miniseries on TV today... too caught up in the final episode of the Law & Order Marathon on TNT.
The Andromeda Strain is one of my favorite books, indeed when I was a kid and first read this book I wanted to create a Project Wildfire myself!
The movie made in 1971 was as close to the movie as you'd expect, but from the plot synopsis that I just read on Wikipedia, this miniseries is a bunch of garbage!
I won't give away the new plot - just be aware that it's verrrrry loosely based on the novel, and you can check it out at Wikipedia, or watch the thing yourself.
The one fun thing about it is the clever marketing, a fictional blog called What Happened at Piedmont?
I've toyed with fictional blogs myself - for my TechnoOcean Academy books that I've yet to actually write...so I thought I'd share this.
I don't mind them making a miniseries with the plot that they've got in The Andromeda Strain ---- but don't call it the Andromeda Strain, cuz this ain't it!!!!!!!
The Andromeda Strain is one of my favorite books, indeed when I was a kid and first read this book I wanted to create a Project Wildfire myself!
The movie made in 1971 was as close to the movie as you'd expect, but from the plot synopsis that I just read on Wikipedia, this miniseries is a bunch of garbage!
I won't give away the new plot - just be aware that it's verrrrry loosely based on the novel, and you can check it out at Wikipedia, or watch the thing yourself.
The one fun thing about it is the clever marketing, a fictional blog called What Happened at Piedmont?
I've toyed with fictional blogs myself - for my TechnoOcean Academy books that I've yet to actually write...so I thought I'd share this.
I don't mind them making a miniseries with the plot that they've got in The Andromeda Strain ---- but don't call it the Andromeda Strain, cuz this ain't it!!!!!!!
Way to spoil the movie, TNT! (Spoiler for Prince Caspian)
I've been watching the Law & Order marathon on TNT for most of the day... it's 5.04 pm and they've just shown a commercial for Prince Caspian.
Right dab smack in the middle of the commerical is a shot of the White Witch, Tilda Swinton, (who had ostensibly died in the first movie). Swinton is uncredited in this movie, and I'm 100% sure that her appearance in this movie was meant to be a surprise.
And yet here in this commercial - there she is.
Okay, it's not TNT's fault. It's the fault of the movie company that put together the trailer... but it's only bloody common sense that you don't put the star of a previous movie - who died - in the trailer for the new movie!
Right dab smack in the middle of the commerical is a shot of the White Witch, Tilda Swinton, (who had ostensibly died in the first movie). Swinton is uncredited in this movie, and I'm 100% sure that her appearance in this movie was meant to be a surprise.
And yet here in this commercial - there she is.
Okay, it's not TNT's fault. It's the fault of the movie company that put together the trailer... but it's only bloody common sense that you don't put the star of a previous movie - who died - in the trailer for the new movie!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Prince Caspian
I went to see Prince Caspian today, and for the most part I enjoyed it more than The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. (Although the final fight between Tilda Swinton's White Witch and Peter kicked butt and made the whole thing worth sitting through.)
As all the critics are saying, this is a "darker" Narnia... it begins with a woman giving birth to a male child. Her husband sees this as his cue to kill his nephew, Prince Caspian, so he can ascend to the throne of Narnia. However, Caspian is warned by his tutor, and flees into the forest where no soldiers will go. (Well, they will go, but reluctantly.) His tutor has given Caspian a horn, which he is to blow if he needs help. Caspian is almost captured by pursuing soldiers..and blows the horn.
In England, back in London, apparently, the Pevensie children are going to school. It's a year later. Peter resents not being treated as the king he once was, and he and Edward are bickering. Lucy and Susan are much the same, however. While they sit on a bench, a train comes...and when the train passes the Pevensie children are back in Narnia...and near the ruins of Cair Paravel, their former castle.
What happened to Narnia? The Telmarines invaded...and the great lion Aslan left the Narnians to their fate - to be butchered and/or driven deep into the forest. Now that the four sons of Adam have returned, they must save Narnia from the Telmarines who intend to invade their forest refuge and kill them all.
There is a clash, of course, between Peter Pevensie who still regards himself as King, and Prince Caspian who is older than he and had expected someone else... Peter also refuses to wait for Aslan to come and help them, as Lucy suggests. He no longer believes in Aslan.
In the end, Peter accepts that he can't do it on his own, and sends Lucy into the forest to ask Aslan to help them. Once Lucy arrives, and asks for that help, Aslan obliges...and the battle, in which hundreds had died on both sides, is soon over...
(Do you detect a tinge of contempt for Aslan here?)
All of the Chronicles of Narnia books are Christian allegories, and I have no problem with that. It's just very interesting what those allegories actually show about the Christian religion... (or any religion, for that matter!)
It's interesting to read the message boards on the IMDB about this movie. There are several threads up in arms about the "shameless Christian propaganda," so much so that you've got to laugh. Where were they when Catholics were up in arms about The Da Vinci Code and its "insult" to the Catholic religon? I suppose anytime a movie has a priest as a hero instead of a hypocritical villain, that'd be shameless propaganda, too.
(Don't get me wrong, like I said, I'm an atheist, I just find it interesting how some of my fellow atheists get all up in arms when a movie apparently showing Christianity in a positive light is "shamelesss." (I use the word apparently advisedly, of course, as I hardly see Aslan's passive behavior throughout the film "uplifting.)
But, of course, as many Christian pundits will say, and which is perfectly true, Christianity is the only religion that can be portrayed as hypocrital or ridiculous in movies. Hindus are up in arms about Mike Meyers The Love Guru, for example, and of course if you make any movie critical of the religion of Islam you can expect fatwas and the murders of all involved toot sweet.)
But, of course, just as the first movie was criticized, so is this one. "WHere's all the blacks?"
Well, I gotta tell you. Before the "sons of Adam" arrived, the only beings living in Narnia were dwarves, fauns, talking animals, centaurs, minotaurs, et al. When the sons of Adam arrived...well, there were only a handful, and they came from 1950s England...
But what about the Telmarines, in Prince Caspian? In the movie at least, they all speak with accents that sound Spanish, and it turns out that they came from "our world" and were pirates, and somehow found a portal into Narnia where they proceeded to kill all the Narnians and drive any survivors deep into the forest.
Sounds like the Spanish arrival in the new world to me... but if you look at the threads at the IMDB, they're being cast as Muslims invading the Christian worlds...ie. the Crusades, Muslim against Christian, rather than Spaniards against innocent native Americans. (And of course, the people who have that view of the movie are critical of the movie because of it. Just more propaganda against Muslims...)
Spoiler
The movie ends with Prince Caspian promising everyone that Narnians and Telmarines will live together in harmony. But, if there are any of those who dont' want to remain, Aslan will take them back to their original world... this is actually how the book ends as well...and I know there's someting allegorical about that as well.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Small Gods: Disappointed!
As I said four weeks ago, I was very disappointed in the adaption of Small Gods - my favorite Terry Pratchett book. (A very powerful book about the ridiculousness of religion (any religion), among other things.)
It has just completed this Saturday. (The episode will be available at BBC Radio 7 for the next 7 days. http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/saturday/
I just listened - or rather tried to listen - to the last five or so minutes of it. In the book, it's a great scene, Om zooms up to Dunmanifestin, has a fight with the other gods who are using the humans as playthings, and convinces them to appear in front of their followers, and bring peace. They say, "This is not a game. Here and now, you are alive."
Okay..unless you've read the book -- (and it appears in several of Pratchett's works) -- you might not recognize the phrase, "Here and now, you are alive," but Pratchett revisits this concept again and again throughout his work - about the preciousness of an individual's life, of the "here and now," and the different paths that can be taken...and the different futures that will result.
But..yeah..it really needs a bit of expansion for a radio episode and - the adaptor has no problem rewriting Pratchett's text throughout this adaption - but he can't expand on those two sentences here at the end??
The voicework of Barlow at this point also is, I'm sorry to say, disappointing. Well...it's not how I heard Om speaking in my own head while reading the scene, anyway! Also, they mess around with his voice...putting it in an echo chamber. That's not necessary - Barlow could have, and should have, done it all with his own voice.
At the very end of the book. ..... SPOILERS
One hundred years have passed, and as soon as Brutha is reminded of this -- and Brutha never forgets everythingm but he had forgotten this -- he dies, as Om had foretold.
"I forgot," he says in the book. He laughs, and says again "I forgot."
But the voice actor in Small Gods doesn't laugh. He's not amused that he forgot, he's surprised. That's not the way Brutha would react.
And then...the BBC version goes silent. There's got to be at least two more minutes of the program, where Brutha meets Death, walks into the desert, and finds Vorbis, who died a hundred years ago, but has not had the courage to walk across the desert. Brutha holds out his hand, Vorbis takes it, and they begin the journey.
It's not that the radio version cut this out... it just isn't there! Something happened to the tape or something, and all we get is silence! (It also happens in a 15-minute episode of something called Brian Appleton's History of Rock and Roll, on friday, so it's got to be somethign going on with the BBC7 website...)
Anyway...I've recorded all four episodes, but I doubt if I'll ever listen to them. Small Gods deserves a much better adaption than this.
It has just completed this Saturday. (The episode will be available at BBC Radio 7 for the next 7 days. http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/saturday/
I just listened - or rather tried to listen - to the last five or so minutes of it. In the book, it's a great scene, Om zooms up to Dunmanifestin, has a fight with the other gods who are using the humans as playthings, and convinces them to appear in front of their followers, and bring peace. They say, "This is not a game. Here and now, you are alive."
Okay..unless you've read the book -- (and it appears in several of Pratchett's works) -- you might not recognize the phrase, "Here and now, you are alive," but Pratchett revisits this concept again and again throughout his work - about the preciousness of an individual's life, of the "here and now," and the different paths that can be taken...and the different futures that will result.
But..yeah..it really needs a bit of expansion for a radio episode and - the adaptor has no problem rewriting Pratchett's text throughout this adaption - but he can't expand on those two sentences here at the end??
The voicework of Barlow at this point also is, I'm sorry to say, disappointing. Well...it's not how I heard Om speaking in my own head while reading the scene, anyway! Also, they mess around with his voice...putting it in an echo chamber. That's not necessary - Barlow could have, and should have, done it all with his own voice.
At the very end of the book. ..... SPOILERS
One hundred years have passed, and as soon as Brutha is reminded of this -- and Brutha never forgets everythingm but he had forgotten this -- he dies, as Om had foretold.
"I forgot," he says in the book. He laughs, and says again "I forgot."
But the voice actor in Small Gods doesn't laugh. He's not amused that he forgot, he's surprised. That's not the way Brutha would react.
And then...the BBC version goes silent. There's got to be at least two more minutes of the program, where Brutha meets Death, walks into the desert, and finds Vorbis, who died a hundred years ago, but has not had the courage to walk across the desert. Brutha holds out his hand, Vorbis takes it, and they begin the journey.
It's not that the radio version cut this out... it just isn't there! Something happened to the tape or something, and all we get is silence! (It also happens in a 15-minute episode of something called Brian Appleton's History of Rock and Roll, on friday, so it's got to be somethign going on with the BBC7 website...)
Anyway...I've recorded all four episodes, but I doubt if I'll ever listen to them. Small Gods deserves a much better adaption than this.
Jon Pertwee Speaks!
On the anniversary of Jon Pertwee's death on May 20, 1996, today and for the next seven days you'll be able to hear Jon Pertwee speak about his acting career, at BBC Radio 7.
It's called An Hour With Jon Pertwee.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/saturday/
Time Lord. Scarecrow. Naval officer. Is there nothing Jon Pertwee couldn't do? Jon himself enthralls us with tales of his life
The show is an hour long - he talks about Doctor Who for the last 15 minutes - but the whole thing was fun.
A bit serendipitous, as I just saw today for the first time the 10th Doctor episode, School Reunion, in which the 10th Doctor meets Sarah Jane Smith. Who fans will know that Sarah Jane started out with the Third Doctor, Pertwee, and ended with Tom Baker.
Elisabeth Sladen has an unoffcial webiste: http://www.elisabethsladen.co.uk/
There's sparks between Rose (the current companion) and Sarah Jane, and Sarah Jane has a zinger for the Doctor (can't remember the exact quote but something like, "I can tell you're getting older. You're assistants are getting younger.")
And Anthony Head does a masterful job as the villain... definitely alien acting, and his delivery of the line "Forget the shooty dog thing," is fantastic. Now, if I'd actually purchased a TV a few days ago with a built in DVD-recorder, I would have taped it and watched it again. Unfortunately, I'd misread the box and all I've got is a tv with a player that plays DVD-Rs as well as DVDs... very annoying.
I didn't know that Anthony Head was the brother of Murray Head (Chess), although now that I do know I can see the resemblance. I'd liked him in his coffee commercials that made him famous decades ago... but never watched him in anything. I knokw he was in Buffy the Vampire Slayer but I don't like horror shows (except Darren McGavin's one and only Night Stalker!) so I never watched it... but perhaps I might revisit it.... ; )
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Any coin collectors here?
I recently read a book on US gold coins, which re-ignited my interest in coin collecting that had lain dormant for several years.
And of course when anything ignites my interest I usually do a website about it.
So, here's a website called The Coin Chronicles.
It's still under construction, and always will be because there's such a vast amount of info out there, but it will feature a biographical and chronological history of US coin collecting, as well as articles on the hobby itself.
And I've got a blog attached to it called Only Gold, which discusses collecting gold coins and investing in gold bullion: only-gold.blogspot.com
And of course when anything ignites my interest I usually do a website about it.
So, here's a website called The Coin Chronicles.
It's still under construction, and always will be because there's such a vast amount of info out there, but it will feature a biographical and chronological history of US coin collecting, as well as articles on the hobby itself.
And I've got a blog attached to it called Only Gold, which discusses collecting gold coins and investing in gold bullion: only-gold.blogspot.com
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Murder in Myanmar
Well, apparently over 10,000 people are dead in Myanmar because of the typhoon that hit a week or so ago. And the junta that rules the country isn't letting in humanitarian aid at all, let alone on a timely basis. I wonder if this same disregard for people would be evidenced if the country was still Burma?
Of course, in one sense the US has little room for criticism. How much red tape did international help have to go through after the catastrophe of Katrina? Indeed, there is NO excuse for the lack of effort after Katrina - either for the local, state and federal governments, OR for many (not all, just many) of the people who just sat back and waited for aid rather than taking matters into their own hands.
And there is NO excuse for what's happening in Myanmar, and you sure as hell can't blame the people for it. Well... I suppose you can. Instead of throwing all the dead into the river (which I kind of sort of think will pollute that water supply for decades to come), they should carry their dead to the capitol city where this military junta rules, and pile them on the steps of that capitol.
Okay...I don't really know the solution. But something needs to be done to help the people of Myanmar, and if that means getting rid of that junta.... ?
Of course, in one sense the US has little room for criticism. How much red tape did international help have to go through after the catastrophe of Katrina? Indeed, there is NO excuse for the lack of effort after Katrina - either for the local, state and federal governments, OR for many (not all, just many) of the people who just sat back and waited for aid rather than taking matters into their own hands.
And there is NO excuse for what's happening in Myanmar, and you sure as hell can't blame the people for it. Well... I suppose you can. Instead of throwing all the dead into the river (which I kind of sort of think will pollute that water supply for decades to come), they should carry their dead to the capitol city where this military junta rules, and pile them on the steps of that capitol.
Okay...I don't really know the solution. But something needs to be done to help the people of Myanmar, and if that means getting rid of that junta.... ?
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