December 2009 seems to have been a good month for rebuilding broken news archive on Xenite.Org. We do capture a lot of news headlines for science fiction and fantasy fans but the news sections have been added piecemeal through the years with no rhyme or reason. One of my Great Projects for the future is to reorganize everything into one huge beautiful news site.
Don't hold your breath, though, as I am doing this part time and Xenite's volunteer staff is no longer as large as it once was.
Still, I think the current version of the Hobbit movie news section works pretty well. In addition to scanning headlines for "hobbit movie news" it also has dedicated sections for Guillermo del Toro news and J.R.R. Tolkien news.
But that's not the coolest thing about the site. In July I thought I started capturing daily archives for the three news sections. Unfortunately I forgot I had set up some protections for the domain that prevented my auto-scripts from working. I captured many blank pages. :)
Well, I also didn't like the archive structure I created so earlier this month I rebuilt the archives for the three news sections and now they seem to be working properly. You can browse the Guillermo del Toro news archive, the Hobbit Movie News archive, and the J.R.R. Tolkien news archive.
Each archive preserves a daily copy of the news stories that the main site featured. It's not perfect but it should help document what the media has to say about all things Tolkien and Hobbit movies.
Xenite.Org, of course, is home to the Web's oldest continually updated source of news for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Xenite Celebrity News archive reorganized
Through the years many people have come to Xenite.Org looking for information about various celebrities. I built a news roundup section in 2007 for a few popular celebrities and have since expanded that section to cover 30 names. The Celebrity News site is fairly popular if not spectacularly so.
About a year ago I realized I should be archiving the stories and around July of this year I managed to eek out a basic archiving function. However, it didn't really work the way I wanted it to and on top of that I managed to break the links. That wasn't too helpful to anyone.
I finally found time this past weekend to rebuild the archive and fix the links. I also consolidated all the celebrity news archives into one directory to make it easier for me to update it in the future.
You can browse daily archives for Alec Baldwin news, Anne Hathaway news, Joshua Jackson news, and Natalie Portman news (there are a total of 30 celebrities in all).
I haven't had time to finish creating a good primary index for the archive but for now you can browse the archive pages from the Celebrity News sitemap page.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
About a year ago I realized I should be archiving the stories and around July of this year I managed to eek out a basic archiving function. However, it didn't really work the way I wanted it to and on top of that I managed to break the links. That wasn't too helpful to anyone.
I finally found time this past weekend to rebuild the archive and fix the links. I also consolidated all the celebrity news archives into one directory to make it easier for me to update it in the future.
You can browse daily archives for Alec Baldwin news, Anne Hathaway news, Joshua Jackson news, and Natalie Portman news (there are a total of 30 celebrities in all).
I haven't had time to finish creating a good primary index for the archive but for now you can browse the archive pages from the Celebrity News sitemap page.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Monday, December 28, 2009
So what is "Inception" all about?
Have you seen this High-Def trailer for "Inception" starring Leonardo diCaprio?
I can't tell if it's about an alien invasion or something like "The Matrix Redone". I'm leaning a bit toward a Matrix-like false reality where one person wakes up to realize that a computer is controlling his world.
Or maybe the world has become so dismal and dreary that someone has decided to lead humanity into a state of suspended animation while the Earth repairs itself, and the conflict arises from people who fear the machine more than they fear death at the hands of their own toxins.
Hey, Hollywood, I'm available if you like that elevator pitch. "Call me".
Discuss the trailer at SF Fandom.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
I can't tell if it's about an alien invasion or something like "The Matrix Redone". I'm leaning a bit toward a Matrix-like false reality where one person wakes up to realize that a computer is controlling his world.
Or maybe the world has become so dismal and dreary that someone has decided to lead humanity into a state of suspended animation while the Earth repairs itself, and the conflict arises from people who fear the machine more than they fear death at the hands of their own toxins.
Hey, Hollywood, I'm available if you like that elevator pitch. "Call me".
Discuss the trailer at SF Fandom.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
How many more Doctors can we have?
As Brand X has noted, David Tennant has finished his run as the Doctor (he was the 10th Doctor). Matt Smith takes over the character as the 11th Doctor, which means that the character has only 2 regenerations left.
Christopher Eccleston did a great job as the 9th Doctor but he disappointed fans by leaving the show after only 1 year. He just wanted to burnish his resume a little, it seems, but in doing so set the character into its twilight years a little sooner than most fans had expected.
Let's be honest -- John Pertwee (Doctor 3) and Tom Baker (Doctor 4) spoiled us by performing admirably in the role for 5 years and 7 years respectively. Most of the actors who played the Doctor in the 1960s through 1980s lasted no more than 3 years, and not all of them were able to manage that.
We can say there are plenty of reasons for the Doctor's uneven run at life but the point is that even with a generous 12 regenerations the writers have drawn a line they will be hard put to NOT cross when Doctor 13 decides he has burnished his resume enough.
Maybe the show just doesn't need to run any further than that. The Doctor is, apparently, the last Time Lord (although I never quite felt that to be entirely true) so maybe he can solve the problem of running out of regenerations by unilaterally acting on behalf of his species and declaring himself rightfully immortal
I do know that the Time Lords once offered new regenerations to the Master (I think it was the Master), so apparently the means existed to extend a Time Lord's lifespan. Does the Doctor know how to do this for himself and will Russell T. Davies (assuming he is still in charge) decide that the Doctor will choose to do it when the time comes?
If Matt Smith lasts no more than 1-2 seasons, Doctor Who fans will have to ask themselves some hard questions. Is 13 Doctors really enough?
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Christopher Eccleston did a great job as the 9th Doctor but he disappointed fans by leaving the show after only 1 year. He just wanted to burnish his resume a little, it seems, but in doing so set the character into its twilight years a little sooner than most fans had expected.
Let's be honest -- John Pertwee (Doctor 3) and Tom Baker (Doctor 4) spoiled us by performing admirably in the role for 5 years and 7 years respectively. Most of the actors who played the Doctor in the 1960s through 1980s lasted no more than 3 years, and not all of them were able to manage that.
We can say there are plenty of reasons for the Doctor's uneven run at life but the point is that even with a generous 12 regenerations the writers have drawn a line they will be hard put to NOT cross when Doctor 13 decides he has burnished his resume enough.
Maybe the show just doesn't need to run any further than that. The Doctor is, apparently, the last Time Lord (although I never quite felt that to be entirely true) so maybe he can solve the problem of running out of regenerations by unilaterally acting on behalf of his species and declaring himself rightfully immortal
I do know that the Time Lords once offered new regenerations to the Master (I think it was the Master), so apparently the means existed to extend a Time Lord's lifespan. Does the Doctor know how to do this for himself and will Russell T. Davies (assuming he is still in charge) decide that the Doctor will choose to do it when the time comes?
If Matt Smith lasts no more than 1-2 seasons, Doctor Who fans will have to ask themselves some hard questions. Is 13 Doctors really enough?
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Harry Potter spoof trailer - "Dangerous Wands"
The College Humor site posted a spoof trailer called "Dangerous Wands", which follows Hermione Granger in her adult years into London's seedier school district for witches and wizards.
I was so impressed I added a custom VB code to SF-Fandom to allow us to hotlink to the College Humor videos (they apparently allow that). You can see the embedded video in this "Dangerous Wands" trailer thread.
I recently saw an article that quoted J.K. Rowling as saying she had mapped out the lives for the kids of Harry (and Ginny), Ron, and Hermione but that she doesn't plan to write any books about them. That's a shame, as I noted.
Then again, maybe it will spark more fan film fun like the "Dangerous Wands" spoof, which I think is a pretty good film in itself. It would actually be interesting to see the story fleshed out ala "Born of Hope" and "The Hunt For Gollum".
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
I was so impressed I added a custom VB code to SF-Fandom to allow us to hotlink to the College Humor videos (they apparently allow that). You can see the embedded video in this "Dangerous Wands" trailer thread.
I recently saw an article that quoted J.K. Rowling as saying she had mapped out the lives for the kids of Harry (and Ginny), Ron, and Hermione but that she doesn't plan to write any books about them. That's a shame, as I noted.
Then again, maybe it will spark more fan film fun like the "Dangerous Wands" spoof, which I think is a pretty good film in itself. It would actually be interesting to see the story fleshed out ala "Born of Hope" and "The Hunt For Gollum".
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Swedish Student SciFi Film - "The World Outside"
This is an interesting 8 minute movie that shows how some people's thirst for knowledge is insatiable. The price of learning what lies beyond the boundaries we know may be very high and totally unexpected. The ending may be a little disturbing for young childen.
Watch "The World Outside" by Dryget.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Watch "The World Outside" by Dryget.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Schlocky horror films to be updated
Fans of "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" and "The Brood" rejoice (or tremble)! The L.A. Times reports that director Carl Rinsch is taking over responsibility for making the remake a made success.
Does anyone care?
I watched the original movie when I was a kid and very bored late at night when there was nothing else on television. I should have gone to sleep instead.
The premise of the original movie is that the so-called "missing link" is an amphibian humanoid whose descendants bypassed hominidism and evolved into modern humans. At least one lineage of the original fully developed critter survives in the Amazon river, apparently emerging from the depths once each generation to breed with human women.
There you have it: science fiction at its finest. I think I'd rather see a remake of "Ernest Goes To Camp".
I never watched "The Brood".
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Does anyone care?
I watched the original movie when I was a kid and very bored late at night when there was nothing else on television. I should have gone to sleep instead.
The premise of the original movie is that the so-called "missing link" is an amphibian humanoid whose descendants bypassed hominidism and evolved into modern humans. At least one lineage of the original fully developed critter survives in the Amazon river, apparently emerging from the depths once each generation to breed with human women.
There you have it: science fiction at its finest. I think I'd rather see a remake of "Ernest Goes To Camp".
I never watched "The Brood".
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
More Harry Potter stories on film?
J.K. Rowling has said she is done with Harry Potter. After making her one of the wealthiest and most respected women in history, Harry seems to have nothing more to say about himself.
But what about Harry Potter's world of witchcraft and magical muggery? Would it be possible to craft new tales set in the past? Would Rowling be interested in doing so? Would she be willing to let film-makers take a stab at telling the tale of how Hogwarts was founded?
Imagine a movie in which the four founders struggle to revolutionize their emerging society, only to end up divided and disappointed with their alliance in the end. The final scene of such a film could show Salazar Slytherin leaving an egg in a secret chamber deep beneath the castle to await the arrival of his heir.
When one of our forum regulars suggested that the Potter fad is dying out, the wheels in my head started turning.
I was especially thinking of the recent Tolkien fan movie "Born of Hope", which is a really good movie. But there have been great fan films for Star Wars, Star Trek, and other popular SF & F franchises. So why not something along those lines for the Harry Potter world?
David Heyman need not devote his life to the study and practice of making Harry Potter movies. He could let other creative hands take a shot at it.
What do you say, J.K.? Are you game for one more go? Wouldn't it be cool to write about the goblin wars?
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
But what about Harry Potter's world of witchcraft and magical muggery? Would it be possible to craft new tales set in the past? Would Rowling be interested in doing so? Would she be willing to let film-makers take a stab at telling the tale of how Hogwarts was founded?
Imagine a movie in which the four founders struggle to revolutionize their emerging society, only to end up divided and disappointed with their alliance in the end. The final scene of such a film could show Salazar Slytherin leaving an egg in a secret chamber deep beneath the castle to await the arrival of his heir.
When one of our forum regulars suggested that the Potter fad is dying out, the wheels in my head started turning.
I was especially thinking of the recent Tolkien fan movie "Born of Hope", which is a really good movie. But there have been great fan films for Star Wars, Star Trek, and other popular SF & F franchises. So why not something along those lines for the Harry Potter world?
David Heyman need not devote his life to the study and practice of making Harry Potter movies. He could let other creative hands take a shot at it.
What do you say, J.K.? Are you game for one more go? Wouldn't it be cool to write about the goblin wars?
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Zelda fans get their movie ... sort of
If you have been waiting anxiously for a movie based on video game The Legend of Zelda, wait no more. "The Hero of Time", a Zelda fan movie, has finally been released. You can watch it on DailyMotion. Here is the most recent trailer for the film:
We have a little discussion about the movie at SF Fandom.
There is an official Website and you can watch it here.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
We have a little discussion about the movie at SF Fandom.
There is an official Website and you can watch it here.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Finally: the truth about Balrogs wings debates
People keep seeking me out to discuss Balrog wings with me. I've written a couple of essays through the years that I felt, on each occasion, should put the issue to rest -- at least as far as people's perception of my position on the matter is.
Unfortunately, there are some Websites that mislabel me as being a pro-Wings advocate. That's just plain wrong.
I have objected to both the Pro-Wings and Anti-Wings positions for many years. Neither side can put together a solid, reasonable, logical case for its position.
So I've tried once again, on the Tolkien Studies on the Web Blog, to explain where I stand (which is not with either group).
Read "The Truth About Balrogs (Again)".
It's about as short and simple an essay as I can write.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Unfortunately, there are some Websites that mislabel me as being a pro-Wings advocate. That's just plain wrong.
I have objected to both the Pro-Wings and Anti-Wings positions for many years. Neither side can put together a solid, reasonable, logical case for its position.
So I've tried once again, on the Tolkien Studies on the Web Blog, to explain where I stand (which is not with either group).
Read "The Truth About Balrogs (Again)".
It's about as short and simple an essay as I can write.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Google forces mandatory Personalized Search on all users
I posted the following announcement on the SF Fandom Forums' General Discussion forum. I don't have the time and energy to rewrite it.
Yesterday, Friday, December 5, 2009 Google announced that all users of its service will now be automatically opted in to its Personalized Search feature.
Personalized Search, previously available only to people who were logged in, tracks your queries and clicks on search results. As you click on Web sites repeatedly over time they will move up toward the top of your queries. You will no longer see "natural" search results if you click on the same sites many times.
Although this is often a helpful feature, it does make it difficult for users to find new content they have not previously clicked on.
You can opt out of feature by clicking on "Web History" in the upper right-hand corner of your Google page. You must PAUSE Web History (in the lower left-hand margin) and CLEAR RESULTS to remove your Web history.
Google promises to remove your Web history after 180 days (but that means they will maintain a constantly scrolling 180-day window).
Google is using a "secret cookie" to maintain this functionality for people who are not logged in. It is not tied to the Google.com domain.
If you do not want Google to track your search history, you MUST opt out of the Web History/Personalized Search feature even though you are not logged in.
Search Engine Land has a lengthy article explaining what Google has done and showing you with screen captures how to disable your Web History.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Yesterday, Friday, December 5, 2009 Google announced that all users of its service will now be automatically opted in to its Personalized Search feature.
Personalized Search, previously available only to people who were logged in, tracks your queries and clicks on search results. As you click on Web sites repeatedly over time they will move up toward the top of your queries. You will no longer see "natural" search results if you click on the same sites many times.
Although this is often a helpful feature, it does make it difficult for users to find new content they have not previously clicked on.
You can opt out of feature by clicking on "Web History" in the upper right-hand corner of your Google page. You must PAUSE Web History (in the lower left-hand margin) and CLEAR RESULTS to remove your Web history.
Google promises to remove your Web history after 180 days (but that means they will maintain a constantly scrolling 180-day window).
Google is using a "secret cookie" to maintain this functionality for people who are not logged in. It is not tied to the Google.com domain.
If you do not want Google to track your search history, you MUST opt out of the Web History/Personalized Search feature even though you are not logged in.
Search Engine Land has a lengthy article explaining what Google has done and showing you with screen captures how to disable your Web History.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Trailer for "Elysium"
"Elysium" is the brain-child of Mark Sniffen, a 4th year film student who is collaborating with his friend Andrew Church (and several other folks) to produce a 30-minute science fiction movie.
The trailer looks pretty darned good.
Mark has a YouTube Channel here.
You can check out the movie's official site here.
I hope I get to see the finished product.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
The trailer looks pretty darned good.
Mark has a YouTube Channel here.
You can check out the movie's official site here.
I hope I get to see the finished product.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Fan video creates LoTR movie pastiche
A pastiche is a story stitched together from pieces of one or more stories. You often find them in fan fiction. I've rarely found anything like a pastiche in fan videos, and this is the first pastiche video I have seen that actually makes any kind of sense.
I'll admit to having dreamed as a young fan of patching together my own "Star Trek" movie from scenes in the original series. But while growing up and attending college I never had the time, skill, or equipment to do it. I was stunned one day to hear a college employee confess she was working on just such a project.
Through the years I came to meet quite a few people who had attempted to create Star Trek pastiche videos. The idea lost its appeal for me, however, after the ST movies started coming out.
This video uses scenes of Elves from Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" to tell the story of two Elves who fall in love and are torn apart by war. When you watch the video, try not to see Arwen and Legolas -- instead, try to see two unnamed Elf lovers who have their own story.
You can read the story synopsis here on YouTube.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
I'll admit to having dreamed as a young fan of patching together my own "Star Trek" movie from scenes in the original series. But while growing up and attending college I never had the time, skill, or equipment to do it. I was stunned one day to hear a college employee confess she was working on just such a project.
Through the years I came to meet quite a few people who had attempted to create Star Trek pastiche videos. The idea lost its appeal for me, however, after the ST movies started coming out.
This video uses scenes of Elves from Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" to tell the story of two Elves who fall in love and are torn apart by war. When you watch the video, try not to see Arwen and Legolas -- instead, try to see two unnamed Elf lovers who have their own story.
You can read the story synopsis here on YouTube.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Monday, November 30, 2009
"Born of Hope" to finally be released on Web
December 1, 2009 is the big day for Tolkien fans eagerly looking forward to the release of the fan-made production "Born of Hope".
You should be able to watch the movie at Daily Motion.
We have been discussing the film in several Born of Hope threads at SF-Fandom. Please drop by and let us know what you think when you have seen the movie.
"Born of Hope" is set in late 3rd Age Middle-earth and it follows the developments leading up to the birth of Aragorn. The movie was filmed in the United Kingdom and made by film industry professionals for free.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
You should be able to watch the movie at Daily Motion.
We have been discussing the film in several Born of Hope threads at SF-Fandom. Please drop by and let us know what you think when you have seen the movie.
"Born of Hope" is set in late 3rd Age Middle-earth and it follows the developments leading up to the birth of Aragorn. The movie was filmed in the United Kingdom and made by film industry professionals for free.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Sam Worthington agrees to 2 more "Avatar" films
James Cameron's first "Avatar" has not yet hit theaters but Trak.In reports that Sam Worthington has agreed to reprise his role as a paraplegic soldier in 2 sequels.
Cameron is big on starting things, not so big on finishing them. Fans would like to know if Cameron will finish the trilogy, if he'll do it in fans' lifetimes, and if he'll radically re-engineer the whole concept between movies 1 and 2.
Of course, Terminator fans will be thrilled to know that IMDB has listed "Terminator 5" among Cameron's future projects.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Cameron is big on starting things, not so big on finishing them. Fans would like to know if Cameron will finish the trilogy, if he'll do it in fans' lifetimes, and if he'll radically re-engineer the whole concept between movies 1 and 2.
Of course, Terminator fans will be thrilled to know that IMDB has listed "Terminator 5" among Cameron's future projects.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
SF Fandom announces John Carter of Mars forum
The SF-Fandom moderators got together and decided to create a new John Carter of Mars forum for fans to discuss the upcoming Disney/Pixar and Asylum movies as well as past attempts to create John Carter of Mars movies.
You must be logged in to post comments but registration is free.
We have blocked registrations for Gmail users so please use an alternate email address. However, if you really, really do not have an alternate email address then contact the SF-Fandom administrators and we will try to help you.
If you just intend to drop links in the forum your posts will be deleted and your account banned, so please don't waste our time with cheap SEO link building nonsense. In fact, if that's how you build links, I suggest you check out SEO Theory and Best SEO Blog and learn how to do it right.
In the meantime, if you're a fan of John Carter of Mars, please feel free to join in the discussion. We look forward to meeting you.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
You must be logged in to post comments but registration is free.
We have blocked registrations for Gmail users so please use an alternate email address. However, if you really, really do not have an alternate email address then contact the SF-Fandom administrators and we will try to help you.
If you just intend to drop links in the forum your posts will be deleted and your account banned, so please don't waste our time with cheap SEO link building nonsense. In fact, if that's how you build links, I suggest you check out SEO Theory and Best SEO Blog and learn how to do it right.
In the meantime, if you're a fan of John Carter of Mars, please feel free to join in the discussion. We look forward to meeting you.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Monday, November 23, 2009
How lies destroy Internet communities
The SF-Fandom forums replaced the Xenite.Org forums that I created in 1998 as a safe haven for people who didn't want to be plagued with flame wars. I have often said there are no winners in flame wars. Certainly the people who do the most attacking in a flame war don't win -- even if they drive off the victims of their abuse.
Some people in Tolkien fandom seem to fondly remember the flame wars that rocked the Tolkien news groups from 1997 to 2001. I do not, as I was the principle victim of the abusive tactics used by Conrad Dunkerson, William Cloud Hicklin, and a few other people to harass me and ruin my reputation. There were probably never more than 5-10 hard-core flamers in the group, hardened liars who repeated the same false allegations time and time again.
But those two "gentlemen" were particularly bad because they (along with perhaps four other people) took their disapproval of me to the general Web, posting disparaging remarks about me in more than one forum. Dunkerson even went to SF-Fandom and under various aliases attempted to sow dissension and discontent (he even posted at least one lie about me on Wikipedia that was never edited).
It cannot be doubted that some people, having no knowledge of the long years of abuse I endured at the hands of these few harassers, left SF-Fandom because I refused to tolerate the abuse in my own forums.
But here it is 2009 and I can say that I have done my best not to dwell in the past for several years. I have not heard from Dunkerson, Hicklin, and others for a very long time. I was therefore saddened to see their lies resurrected by David Gransby, posting as Halfir, on the LoTrPlaza forums only this month.
I don't understand what possesses people to repeat the insults, flames, and derogatory remarks they see written about others with whom they have not interacted. I don't have any memory of Gransby, much less of arguing with him.
I doubt you have the stomache for it but you can read more about David Gransby here.
My point in bringing this all up is that people need to stop and think about what it means to THEM if they repeat lies about someone else.
You can be accountable for your actions. Just because you think it's okay to disparage another person who has done nothing to you in no way means you should.
Gransby apparently wanted to discuss some literary ideas that one of my Tolkien essays touched on. Unfortunately, he used the discussion he started as a forum to post false information about me -- to lie about me. He cannot have any personal knowledge of me that would justify the remarks he made. He can only be repeating lies he believed -- lies I was once told by concerned people I should ignore because if I responded to them things would get out of hand.
Well, they got out of hand. I am sickened by the ease with which liars are able to influence people on the Internet. Few people seem to exercise any discerning judgment about what they read. Worse, those people who do have that kind of wisdom appear immensely reluctant to share it -- perhaps for fear of becoming the next victims of verbal abuse.
Science fiction fandom doesn't do itself any favors to tolerate this kind of rude, impolite commentary in its forums. When David Averil Pence invited me to join his Tolkien forum several years ago I warned him I might be attacked. He indicated he didn't think it would be a problem, and pointed out that his forum was moderated. Unfortunately, one of his moderators intervened to protect the people who attacked and lied about me.
When several forum members sent David angry complaints he promptly blamed me, banned me, and forbade any further mention of my name -- all the while doing nothing to enforce his forum policies or take action against the moderator who had violated forum rules and protected two people who started the problem.
If that had been all that happened, it would have remained buried in the past. But the liars successfully posted more lies about me over the following years.
When forum operators refuse to enforce the policies they espouse, they further subdivide the online fandom community and only make situations worse. If you're going to run a Web forum and one of your own moderators violates policy, you have to take action or you lose credibility with your community.
Perhaps because my work is so well known some people will always disagree with me -- that's to be expected in any field. But what is unreasonable, and what people can do something about, is the constant resurrection of old lies that have nothing to do with my actual work.
You should question the antics of character assassins who drop subtle jabs at third parties who are not involved in discussions. You should ask why it is necessary to mix personal attacks with otherwise informal commentary and discussion. You should do these things because the longer you participate in Internet discussions, the more likely you'll eventually become the victim of lies and verbal abuse.
And as many, many people have learned through the years, once you're the target of the flamers, you will never get out from under the weight of their lies. Those falsehoods will chase you for years regardless of what you do.
The only way we can stop this kind of abuse is to NOT tolerate it in the first place.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Some people in Tolkien fandom seem to fondly remember the flame wars that rocked the Tolkien news groups from 1997 to 2001. I do not, as I was the principle victim of the abusive tactics used by Conrad Dunkerson, William Cloud Hicklin, and a few other people to harass me and ruin my reputation. There were probably never more than 5-10 hard-core flamers in the group, hardened liars who repeated the same false allegations time and time again.
But those two "gentlemen" were particularly bad because they (along with perhaps four other people) took their disapproval of me to the general Web, posting disparaging remarks about me in more than one forum. Dunkerson even went to SF-Fandom and under various aliases attempted to sow dissension and discontent (he even posted at least one lie about me on Wikipedia that was never edited).
It cannot be doubted that some people, having no knowledge of the long years of abuse I endured at the hands of these few harassers, left SF-Fandom because I refused to tolerate the abuse in my own forums.
But here it is 2009 and I can say that I have done my best not to dwell in the past for several years. I have not heard from Dunkerson, Hicklin, and others for a very long time. I was therefore saddened to see their lies resurrected by David Gransby, posting as Halfir, on the LoTrPlaza forums only this month.
I don't understand what possesses people to repeat the insults, flames, and derogatory remarks they see written about others with whom they have not interacted. I don't have any memory of Gransby, much less of arguing with him.
I doubt you have the stomache for it but you can read more about David Gransby here.
My point in bringing this all up is that people need to stop and think about what it means to THEM if they repeat lies about someone else.
You can be accountable for your actions. Just because you think it's okay to disparage another person who has done nothing to you in no way means you should.
Gransby apparently wanted to discuss some literary ideas that one of my Tolkien essays touched on. Unfortunately, he used the discussion he started as a forum to post false information about me -- to lie about me. He cannot have any personal knowledge of me that would justify the remarks he made. He can only be repeating lies he believed -- lies I was once told by concerned people I should ignore because if I responded to them things would get out of hand.
Well, they got out of hand. I am sickened by the ease with which liars are able to influence people on the Internet. Few people seem to exercise any discerning judgment about what they read. Worse, those people who do have that kind of wisdom appear immensely reluctant to share it -- perhaps for fear of becoming the next victims of verbal abuse.
Science fiction fandom doesn't do itself any favors to tolerate this kind of rude, impolite commentary in its forums. When David Averil Pence invited me to join his Tolkien forum several years ago I warned him I might be attacked. He indicated he didn't think it would be a problem, and pointed out that his forum was moderated. Unfortunately, one of his moderators intervened to protect the people who attacked and lied about me.
When several forum members sent David angry complaints he promptly blamed me, banned me, and forbade any further mention of my name -- all the while doing nothing to enforce his forum policies or take action against the moderator who had violated forum rules and protected two people who started the problem.
If that had been all that happened, it would have remained buried in the past. But the liars successfully posted more lies about me over the following years.
When forum operators refuse to enforce the policies they espouse, they further subdivide the online fandom community and only make situations worse. If you're going to run a Web forum and one of your own moderators violates policy, you have to take action or you lose credibility with your community.
Perhaps because my work is so well known some people will always disagree with me -- that's to be expected in any field. But what is unreasonable, and what people can do something about, is the constant resurrection of old lies that have nothing to do with my actual work.
You should question the antics of character assassins who drop subtle jabs at third parties who are not involved in discussions. You should ask why it is necessary to mix personal attacks with otherwise informal commentary and discussion. You should do these things because the longer you participate in Internet discussions, the more likely you'll eventually become the victim of lies and verbal abuse.
And as many, many people have learned through the years, once you're the target of the flamers, you will never get out from under the weight of their lies. Those falsehoods will chase you for years regardless of what you do.
The only way we can stop this kind of abuse is to NOT tolerate it in the first place.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Is Fringe getting edgier or not?
After watching this week's episode of Fringe I was left wondering if J.J. Abrams and company really have a road map in mind for the storyline or if they are just trying to drag out the second season with continual cliff-hangers.
I like the actors -- all of them. John Noble especially dominates virtually every scene he is in unless Joshua Jackson is given the chance to make some of his flippy "my dad is so wigged out I have no clue what he is doing" comments.
But that's the think about this show. Right now it seems to be dragging on and not getting anywhere, and it's only real asset for now seems to be the acting. The directing is not bad but the episodes move around so much the viewing audience doesn't really get a chance to catch its breath. And the storyline just keeps taking twists and turns.
Is this what television entertainment has come down to? We're just supposed to be an audience of muppets who sit politely on our couches, oo and ah in the right places, and then go blog and tweet about what a great show we love?
I note that Joss Whedon's Dollhouse was just cancelled. He just can't seem to get a break. Every show the guy has launched after Buffy the Vampire Slayer has gotten caught in the doldrums. Is the problem that the networks expect shows to be too formulaic or is it that the science fiction TV audience is becoming jaded to the formulas?
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
I like the actors -- all of them. John Noble especially dominates virtually every scene he is in unless Joshua Jackson is given the chance to make some of his flippy "my dad is so wigged out I have no clue what he is doing" comments.
But that's the think about this show. Right now it seems to be dragging on and not getting anywhere, and it's only real asset for now seems to be the acting. The directing is not bad but the episodes move around so much the viewing audience doesn't really get a chance to catch its breath. And the storyline just keeps taking twists and turns.
Is this what television entertainment has come down to? We're just supposed to be an audience of muppets who sit politely on our couches, oo and ah in the right places, and then go blog and tweet about what a great show we love?
I note that Joss Whedon's Dollhouse was just cancelled. He just can't seem to get a break. Every show the guy has launched after Buffy the Vampire Slayer has gotten caught in the doldrums. Is the problem that the networks expect shows to be too formulaic or is it that the science fiction TV audience is becoming jaded to the formulas?
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Quick facts about "The Hobbit" movies
Guillermo del Toro finally shared some insights into the upcoming "Hobbit" movies.
Viggo Mortensen has told the press he doesn't know if he'll appear in the second "Hobbit" movie but he is sure he won't be in the first one.
Sir Ian McKellen (who co-stars in SyFy's remake of "The Prisoner" this weekend) has apparently read the script for "The Hobbit" and wants to reprise his role as Gandalf. That would be simply acceptable, totally amazing, and incredibly acceptable.
BTW -- did I mention I want McKellen to play Gandalf again?
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Viggo Mortensen has told the press he doesn't know if he'll appear in the second "Hobbit" movie but he is sure he won't be in the first one.
Sir Ian McKellen (who co-stars in SyFy's remake of "The Prisoner" this weekend) has apparently read the script for "The Hobbit" and wants to reprise his role as Gandalf. That would be simply acceptable, totally amazing, and incredibly acceptable.
BTW -- did I mention I want McKellen to play Gandalf again?
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Reviewers debate literary fiction vs genre fiction in Newbery context
Children's literature devotees undoubtedly know about the John Newbery Medal, which the Association for Library Service to Children awards each year to authors of children's literature. Jonathan Hunt, a Newbery judge, has found himself invested in a back-and-forth discussion with other bloggers over how children's genre books should be judged.
Hunt seems to have lit the fire of debate by revealing he had picked The Hunger Games third on his Newbery ballot last year.
He followed up with a discussion of the differences in expectations for genre vs. mainstream fiction. Some of his comments may strike people as a little incendiary, although I don't get the impression that he is looking to make a divisive statement.
Still, Hunt concludes his analysis of literary meritocratic standards by suggesting that women seem to prefer character-driven stories while men seem to prefer plot-driven stories (some exceptions allowed in both generalizations, naturally).
I mostly like spaceships, rayguns, and complex background history. I rarely have a clue about what is going in the plot of any book I'm reading until maybe the 3rd or 4th pass through a book. And if a book cannot compel me to read it a second time the best plot in the world won't help it.
But what got my attention about the debate is the fact that the writers are discussing children's literature. If science fiction and fantasy are not going to be taken seriously because they tend to be plot-driven (not something I necessarily agree with -- Andre Norton, one of my favorite characters, sometimes came close to sacrificing plot for the sake of building interesting characters -- oh, wait, she was a woman -- darn!).
Okay, let me start over. If science fiction and fantasy are not going to be taken seriously in general when compared to literary fiction (I've never understood what that is supposed to be), then imagine how much of a disadvantage children's science fiction and fantasy must struggle with to win recognition.
Frankly, many people have commented to me they were not impressed with the first Harry Potter book. I thought it had all the elements of a great children's story and many elements of a more adult story. But I also point out that J.K. Rowling's writing seems to improve with each book. Her task undoubtedly became easier because the kids in the stories were growing up. She was able to gradually introduce them to more mature themes.
Voldemort and his cronies could become more dangerous, and more people could die, because that is what happens when you grow up. The world becomes more dangerous and more people around you die. I'm not sure if the last Harry Potter book is really a children's book, but if it is then I believe Rowling has demonstrated (as have other authors of children's fiction) that children's science fiction and fantasy can be a force within literature.
And that's really all I wanted to say.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Hunt seems to have lit the fire of debate by revealing he had picked The Hunger Games third on his Newbery ballot last year.
He followed up with a discussion of the differences in expectations for genre vs. mainstream fiction. Some of his comments may strike people as a little incendiary, although I don't get the impression that he is looking to make a divisive statement.
Still, Hunt concludes his analysis of literary meritocratic standards by suggesting that women seem to prefer character-driven stories while men seem to prefer plot-driven stories (some exceptions allowed in both generalizations, naturally).
I mostly like spaceships, rayguns, and complex background history. I rarely have a clue about what is going in the plot of any book I'm reading until maybe the 3rd or 4th pass through a book. And if a book cannot compel me to read it a second time the best plot in the world won't help it.
But what got my attention about the debate is the fact that the writers are discussing children's literature. If science fiction and fantasy are not going to be taken seriously because they tend to be plot-driven (not something I necessarily agree with -- Andre Norton, one of my favorite characters, sometimes came close to sacrificing plot for the sake of building interesting characters -- oh, wait, she was a woman -- darn!).
Okay, let me start over. If science fiction and fantasy are not going to be taken seriously in general when compared to literary fiction (I've never understood what that is supposed to be), then imagine how much of a disadvantage children's science fiction and fantasy must struggle with to win recognition.
Frankly, many people have commented to me they were not impressed with the first Harry Potter book. I thought it had all the elements of a great children's story and many elements of a more adult story. But I also point out that J.K. Rowling's writing seems to improve with each book. Her task undoubtedly became easier because the kids in the stories were growing up. She was able to gradually introduce them to more mature themes.
Voldemort and his cronies could become more dangerous, and more people could die, because that is what happens when you grow up. The world becomes more dangerous and more people around you die. I'm not sure if the last Harry Potter book is really a children's book, but if it is then I believe Rowling has demonstrated (as have other authors of children's fiction) that children's science fiction and fantasy can be a force within literature.
And that's really all I wanted to say.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Terminator owners selling rights to franchise
Critics have really been down on the "Terminator" franchise this year, having expressed considerable disappointment with the fourth movie (I thought it was okay). So maybe they'll be happy to see that Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek are selling the rights to the franchise to the highest bidder.
Fans of the Sarah O'Connor Chronicles may feel the sale is coming too late or not soon enough. But whether we'll see any more "Terminator" movies is anyone's guess. It seems to me that now they've brought the story full circle, all that's left (really) is to show John Connor being killed (or maybe thwarting the death foretold to him by his converted killer in "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines").
All this time travel stuff can get really convoluted anyway. People who watch Star Trek can tell you that. After all, Captain Kirk is dead -- isn't he?
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Fans of the Sarah O'Connor Chronicles may feel the sale is coming too late or not soon enough. But whether we'll see any more "Terminator" movies is anyone's guess. It seems to me that now they've brought the story full circle, all that's left (really) is to show John Connor being killed (or maybe thwarting the death foretold to him by his converted killer in "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines").
All this time travel stuff can get really convoluted anyway. People who watch Star Trek can tell you that. After all, Captain Kirk is dead -- isn't he?
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
David Tennant shooting pilot for U.S. TV dramady
United Press International is reporting that David Tennant is filming a pilot episode for a proposed TV series called Rex Is Not Your Lawyer, where his character will be a Chicago attorney who coaches people to represent themselves in court.
Tennant has been one of the more successful Doctor Who actors, in my opinion. I was disappointed when Christopher Eccleston left the Doctor Who show after only one season because, frankly, they're starting to run out of regenerations. But Eccleston was a fantastic Doctor. When Tennant took his place he fit the shoes perfectly and helped the show move forward.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Tennant has been one of the more successful Doctor Who actors, in my opinion. I was disappointed when Christopher Eccleston left the Doctor Who show after only one season because, frankly, they're starting to run out of regenerations. But Eccleston was a fantastic Doctor. When Tennant took his place he fit the shoes perfectly and helped the show move forward.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Xenite launches John Carter of Mars site
I have been strangely absent from blogging the last couple of days because I've been trying to set aside time to add a new section to Xenite.Org's Science Fiction Movies portal. The SF Movies Portal is, Alas!, but a shade of the site I would like it to be. It takes a lot of time to put together a decent portal section and time is just not something I'm wealthy in. Nonetheless, I figured if I don't get something up soon for "John Carter of Mars" I might as well not doing anything.
That said, I've now set up a John Carter of Mars section on the movie portal. As soon as I can I'll add some content to it but for now it's going to have to get by with a couple of cast lists, some headlines from the other SF-Fandom blog, and a list of fannish Web sites.
One day, assuming Disney makes all the movies it suggests it will make in the series, that John Carter portal should be pretty big -- much like our Harry Potter fan site (which is not actually part of the movies portal -- there has never been any science to how content gets included on Xenite's network).
In any event, I expect I'll have a few more announcements to make concerning "John Carter of Mars" over the next 2-1/2 years so I just figured it would be a good idea to set up a place where all that stuff could be collected.
I hope you feel it was worth the effort.
And, oh yeah -- we also added a John Carter of Mars store to the Xenite store -- just because we can.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
That said, I've now set up a John Carter of Mars section on the movie portal. As soon as I can I'll add some content to it but for now it's going to have to get by with a couple of cast lists, some headlines from the other SF-Fandom blog, and a list of fannish Web sites.
One day, assuming Disney makes all the movies it suggests it will make in the series, that John Carter portal should be pretty big -- much like our Harry Potter fan site (which is not actually part of the movies portal -- there has never been any science to how content gets included on Xenite's network).
In any event, I expect I'll have a few more announcements to make concerning "John Carter of Mars" over the next 2-1/2 years so I just figured it would be a good idea to set up a place where all that stuff could be collected.
I hope you feel it was worth the effort.
And, oh yeah -- we also added a John Carter of Mars store to the Xenite store -- just because we can.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Confusion over fourth Mad Max film
MovieHole recently announced that Tom Hardy and probably not Sam Worthington have been rumored to take over the role of Max in the Mad Max film franchise.
Mel Gibson, who rose to cinematic fame in the original Australian "Mad Max" and "The Road Warrior" movies, announced some years ago he had no desire or intention of returning to the role he reprised in "Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome".
George Miller will supposedly begin production work on "Mad Max 4: Fury Road" next year. Max is a survivor living in a post-apocalyptic Australia, which presumably survived a nuclear war better than other parts of the Earth. Nonetheless, despite hanging on to some semblance of civilization in "Mad Max", by "The Road Warrior" Australia's outback had become the province of leather-clad, gas-gazzling savages.
In "Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome" Max undermined the efforts of Tina Turner and her leather-clad barbarians to restore a semblance of civilization in BarterTown. Nonetheless, me managed to lead a ragtag group of orphaned teenagers and a very small genius of a man to the ruins of a coastal city (possibly Melbourne?), where most of them settled and rebooted civilization for real.
Bruce Spence ("Legend of the Seeker") played Max's aviator associate in "The Road Warrior" and "Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome". One has to wonder where Miller thinks he can take the franchise now, unless he means to jump on the reboot bandwagon.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Mel Gibson, who rose to cinematic fame in the original Australian "Mad Max" and "The Road Warrior" movies, announced some years ago he had no desire or intention of returning to the role he reprised in "Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome".
George Miller will supposedly begin production work on "Mad Max 4: Fury Road" next year. Max is a survivor living in a post-apocalyptic Australia, which presumably survived a nuclear war better than other parts of the Earth. Nonetheless, despite hanging on to some semblance of civilization in "Mad Max", by "The Road Warrior" Australia's outback had become the province of leather-clad, gas-gazzling savages.
In "Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome" Max undermined the efforts of Tina Turner and her leather-clad barbarians to restore a semblance of civilization in BarterTown. Nonetheless, me managed to lead a ragtag group of orphaned teenagers and a very small genius of a man to the ruins of a coastal city (possibly Melbourne?), where most of them settled and rebooted civilization for real.
Bruce Spence ("Legend of the Seeker") played Max's aviator associate in "The Road Warrior" and "Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome". One has to wonder where Miller thinks he can take the franchise now, unless he means to jump on the reboot bandwagon.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Queen Eleanor College students film SciFi movie
Student films often presage the careers of very talented people who find their ways into professional film-making and broadcasting. PeterBorough Today reports that a group of students have completed filming a science fiction project with the help of a professional makeup artist.
The Broadway Cinema in Nottingham had a recent screening of the movie, which I would hope is eventually uploaded to YouTube or a similar service (legally) so that the rest of us can see it.
I'm a big fan of student films.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
The film, titled Darwin 200, was shot at Stamford School using the latest high-definition technology, and uses prosthetic make-up and CGI, to tell the story of how a special serum devised in a science class goes wrong, causing strange visitors to appear in the college, including a gorilla and Neanderthals.
The Broadway Cinema in Nottingham had a recent screening of the movie, which I would hope is eventually uploaded to YouTube or a similar service (legally) so that the rest of us can see it.
I'm a big fan of student films.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Ben Bova writes about his career
Ben Bova, one of the foremost editors in science fiction and fantasy publishing, recently shared his thoughts on his career and influences.
The Naples News carried an article Bova wrote for readers of his column.
Here is an excerpt:
A published author in his own right, Ben Bova maintains his own Web site. A six-time Hugo award winner, Bova was perhaps best known to a generation of science fiction fans as the editor of Analog: Science Fiction - Science Fact and Editorial Director for Omni.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
The Naples News carried an article Bova wrote for readers of his column.
Here is an excerpt:
As I look back on my own career as a writer, that truth shines like the sun. No man is an island. No writer stands alone. We all owe our success, such as it is, to those who taught us, inspired us, helped us understand and persevere.
My first influence was my father. He wasn’t a writer; far from it. My dad spent his life working pressing machines in men’s clothing factories. He taught me that life is what you make of it. He was a happy, optimistic man, despite never going farther from South Philadelphia than the factories in which he worked.
A published author in his own right, Ben Bova maintains his own Web site. A six-time Hugo award winner, Bova was perhaps best known to a generation of science fiction fans as the editor of Analog: Science Fiction - Science Fact and Editorial Director for Omni.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Harvard offers second Tolkien course in January 2010
Dr. Marc Zender contacted me yesterday about a new Tolkien class he is teaching at Harvard starting in January. I'm helping spread the word so if you have the opportunity to the class, take it. Trust me, his two guest speakers will make it well worthwhile.
You can read full details about the class here. It is ANTH E-164 "Tolkien as Translator: Language, Culture and Society in Middle-Earth".
The guest speakers are Robert Foster and Dick Plotz. I'm very, very impressed.
Dr. Zender contacted me last May about his first Tolkien class which was offered over the summer.
I'll be starting a discussion about the class at The Tolkien Forum on SF-Fandom.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
You can read full details about the class here. It is ANTH E-164 "Tolkien as Translator: Language, Culture and Society in Middle-Earth".
The guest speakers are Robert Foster and Dick Plotz. I'm very, very impressed.
Dr. Zender contacted me last May about his first Tolkien class which was offered over the summer.
I'll be starting a discussion about the class at The Tolkien Forum on SF-Fandom.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Bill Nighy says Pirates of the Caribbean 4 may not happen
Changes in leadership at the Disney Studios have led people in the media to speculate that "Pirates of the Caribbean 4" may be in trouble. They have been scrambling to find people associated with the various POTC productions who are willing to go out on a limb and suggest that the movie may not happen.
Cinema Blend quotes Bill Nighy (Davey Jones in POTC 2 and 3) as saying "I understand that there was an announcement that there was going to be a fourth, and now I've been told since that that was not a reliable announcement."
Since Jones was killed off in the third movie, one has to wonder how Nighy would figure into a fourth film anyway (although he could certainly play a new character if Jones cannot be plausibly resurrected).
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Cinema Blend quotes Bill Nighy (Davey Jones in POTC 2 and 3) as saying "I understand that there was an announcement that there was going to be a fourth, and now I've been told since that that was not a reliable announcement."
Since Jones was killed off in the third movie, one has to wonder how Nighy would figure into a fourth film anyway (although he could certainly play a new character if Jones cannot be plausibly resurrected).
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Monday, October 26, 2009
J.J. Abrams talks about "Star Trek" issues
Feeling the sting of fan criticisms about various minutiae in the Star Trek reboot movie, J.J. Abrams recently spoke with Wired to explain a couple of things and promise that more explanations are provided on the DvD.
One area of fan concern was how Kirk ended up on the exact same moon as Spock Prime after he was ejected from the Enterprise. According to Abrams, the writers decided that the Universe insisted the meeting had to take place.
What's interesting about that argument (which is almost certain to confuse and disappoint fans who think they know better than the writers) is that real scientists suggest the future may be sabotaging CERN's efforts to find the so-called "God particle".
The Universe has been accused of many things, so conspiring with itself to arrange for Kirk and Spock to meet in any reality doesn't seem so far-fetched.
It's something to think about, anyway.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
One area of fan concern was how Kirk ended up on the exact same moon as Spock Prime after he was ejected from the Enterprise. According to Abrams, the writers decided that the Universe insisted the meeting had to take place.
What's interesting about that argument (which is almost certain to confuse and disappoint fans who think they know better than the writers) is that real scientists suggest the future may be sabotaging CERN's efforts to find the so-called "God particle".
The Universe has been accused of many things, so conspiring with itself to arrange for Kirk and Spock to meet in any reality doesn't seem so far-fetched.
It's something to think about, anyway.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Newfoundland gets second SciFi convention
Newfoundland's West Coast Convention opened its first year convention on October 24. Stunt Actor Paul Weston served as the convention's first guest of honor.
The Western Star carried a brief feature article about the convention.
Newfoundland SF fans may already be familiar with SciFi On The Rock, which is held every April. Here is hoping the two conventions build a rich, long-lasting fan tradition.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
The Western Star carried a brief feature article about the convention.
Newfoundland SF fans may already be familiar with SciFi On The Rock, which is held every April. Here is hoping the two conventions build a rich, long-lasting fan tradition.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
New Neill Blomkamp film to be set on another planet
Neill Blomkamp, who directed Peter Jackson's acclaimed "District 9" movie set in South Africa, has received a greenlight from Media Rights Capital to do another science fiction film. The unnamed project is to be set on another planet. iFilm spoke with Blomkamp earlier this year and reported on his enthusiasm for the then as-yet unapproved project.
Bill Block, who served as Executive Producer on "District 9", will also produce the next movie. Peter Jackson, who was the power behind "District 9", will not be involved in the new project.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Bill Block, who served as Executive Producer on "District 9", will also produce the next movie. Peter Jackson, who was the power behind "District 9", will not be involved in the new project.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Trailer for Paranormal Romance novel, "The Dark Ones"
There is that word "Paranormal" again. So, Megan Harmon is the author of The Dark Ones which, based on the Web site and trailer seems to me to be similar in concept to Twilight (which Stephanie Meyer has given up writing).
I'm not saying that Megan Harmon is trying to rip off Stephanie Meyer. Rather, her book seems directed at Romance readers who like stories of werewolves and vampires. I'm not well-versed in Romance fiction at all, which has been portrayed as formulaic. I'd be more inclined to describe it as nichey. Every sub-genre has a niche audience and there are occasional breakout titles that garner a lot of interest.
Romance and science fiction or fantasy have blended together many times through the years. I don't think they will ever quite fully part ways. Some Romance novelists do "pure" straight science fiction and fantasy -- or perhaps I should say some SciFi/Fantasy authors have written Romance.
Many good Romance writers also publish in other genres, including Westerns, Thrillers, Mysteries, etc.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
I'm not saying that Megan Harmon is trying to rip off Stephanie Meyer. Rather, her book seems directed at Romance readers who like stories of werewolves and vampires. I'm not well-versed in Romance fiction at all, which has been portrayed as formulaic. I'd be more inclined to describe it as nichey. Every sub-genre has a niche audience and there are occasional breakout titles that garner a lot of interest.
Romance and science fiction or fantasy have blended together many times through the years. I don't think they will ever quite fully part ways. Some Romance novelists do "pure" straight science fiction and fantasy -- or perhaps I should say some SciFi/Fantasy authors have written Romance.
Many good Romance writers also publish in other genres, including Westerns, Thrillers, Mysteries, etc.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Middle-earth Talk Radio Episode 16 Now Online
In our continuing quest to find Gil-galad's car, Hawke Robinson and I have put the finishing touches on Episode 16 of Middle-earth Talk Radio. Actually, this episode marks a change in the show's format/presentation. We went a little freeform on the topicality because I couldn't find any interesting news stories worth chatting about.
You can now visit Middle-earth Talk Radio on its own page at Middle-earth Radio.
We recorded this episode on September 12, 2009 (which was just before the real birthday for Bilbo and Frodo). Topics covered included:
From Hawke: Please feel free to post comments on the show, make requests for topics to be discussed in upcoming shows, or any other comments or questions in the forums:
http://www.middle-earthradio.com/forum
Or via email: webmaster at middle-earthradio dot com
And download all the other shows from the site:
http://www.middle-earthradio.com/
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
You can now visit Middle-earth Talk Radio on its own page at Middle-earth Radio.
We recorded this episode on September 12, 2009 (which was just before the real birthday for Bilbo and Frodo). Topics covered included:
- A dearth of Tolkien-related news
- Tales before Tolkien - The Roots of Modern Fantasy - Classic stories that inspired the author of The Lord of the Rings by Douglas A. Anderson
- The Elves by Ludwig Tieck, Inspired Tolkien's Leaf by Niggle
- Harry Potter and the Emerald Key ;-)
- Even more off topic: A story by Michael Martinez, Fantasy Football leagues Insurance
- Confessions of a Part-time Sorceress by Seattelite & WotC writer Shelly Mazzanoble
- RPG Research Project & related studies on the therapeutic and social impact of RPGs
- MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games)
- Pen and Paper RPGs (Role Playing Games)
From Hawke: Please feel free to post comments on the show, make requests for topics to be discussed in upcoming shows, or any other comments or questions in the forums:
http://www.middle-earthradio.com/forum
Or via email: webmaster at middle-earthradio dot com
And download all the other shows from the site:
http://www.middle-earthradio.com/
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
New book about Tolkien's use of words in LoTR
P Gilliver, J Marshall & E Weiner have published a book about some of the special words J.R.R. Tolkien used to depict the world of Middle-earth in The Lord of the Rings (and perhaps other books). I have not read the book as I only just found out about it, although this is actually the kind of stuff I enjoy reading.
The Independent has a very brief review of the book here that is so short I felt I could not even cite a brief passage of it.
Tolkien loved to use familiar words -- and archaic words -- in new, unique ways. He used the word "fief", for example, in non-feudal connotations in The Lord of the Rings -- a fact that came to light in The Peoples of Middle-earth, where Tolkien explained the meaning of the real word ("suza-t") that "fief" is intended to translate.
"Knight" is another such word. If you're familiar with the etymology of the word knight, then you know that it comes down to modern English from ancient Germanic cniht, which meant "boy, youth, servant".
In The Lord of the Rings Tolkien uses "knight" similar to the familiar medieval usage but he also distinguished between the Riders of Rohan and the "knights of the king's household" who rode with Theoden. In Middle-earth, therefore, a knight was not necessarily a feudal vassal who accepted land in exchange for service -- in fact, there were probably several intended meanings for "knight" in Tolkien's mythology and he was using the word very much the same way modern scholars use it to refer to Roman Equites.
If I can find more information about the book I'll post it here.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
The Independent has a very brief review of the book here that is so short I felt I could not even cite a brief passage of it.
Tolkien loved to use familiar words -- and archaic words -- in new, unique ways. He used the word "fief", for example, in non-feudal connotations in The Lord of the Rings -- a fact that came to light in The Peoples of Middle-earth, where Tolkien explained the meaning of the real word ("suza-t") that "fief" is intended to translate.
"Knight" is another such word. If you're familiar with the etymology of the word knight, then you know that it comes down to modern English from ancient Germanic cniht, which meant "boy, youth, servant".
In The Lord of the Rings Tolkien uses "knight" similar to the familiar medieval usage but he also distinguished between the Riders of Rohan and the "knights of the king's household" who rode with Theoden. In Middle-earth, therefore, a knight was not necessarily a feudal vassal who accepted land in exchange for service -- in fact, there were probably several intended meanings for "knight" in Tolkien's mythology and he was using the word very much the same way modern scholars use it to refer to Roman Equites.
If I can find more information about the book I'll post it here.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Follow Stargate cast members on Xenite dashboard
So you know that Xenite.Org has a Stargate News site, right? No? Well, now you do.
Anyway, we've just added a cool new section for fans who want to follow the Stargate cast members on Twitter. You can use our dashboard which we call Stargate Twitter to quickly scan several cast members' accounts all at once. No more flipping through multiple pages or loading several windows.
So far we've got (from Stargate: Universe) David Blue (Eli Wallace), Elyse Levesque (Chloe Armstrong), Patrick Gilmore (Dale Volker), Ming Na (Camille Wray), and Lou Diamond Phillips (David Telford) on the dashboard. And as a bonus we have added a second dashboard for Stargate alumni, which currently includes Lexa Doig (Carolyn Lam on SG-1), David Hewlett (Rodney McKay on SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis), Kate Hewlett (Jeannie McKay Miller on Atlantis), Jewel Staite (Jennifer Keller on Atlantis), and Amanda Tapping (Samantha Carter on SG-1 and Atlantis and Universe).
We'll add more accounts as we find them (and as time permits).
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Anyway, we've just added a cool new section for fans who want to follow the Stargate cast members on Twitter. You can use our dashboard which we call Stargate Twitter to quickly scan several cast members' accounts all at once. No more flipping through multiple pages or loading several windows.
So far we've got (from Stargate: Universe) David Blue (Eli Wallace), Elyse Levesque (Chloe Armstrong), Patrick Gilmore (Dale Volker), Ming Na (Camille Wray), and Lou Diamond Phillips (David Telford) on the dashboard. And as a bonus we have added a second dashboard for Stargate alumni, which currently includes Lexa Doig (Carolyn Lam on SG-1), David Hewlett (Rodney McKay on SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis), Kate Hewlett (Jeannie McKay Miller on Atlantis), Jewel Staite (Jennifer Keller on Atlantis), and Amanda Tapping (Samantha Carter on SG-1 and Atlantis and Universe).
We'll add more accounts as we find them (and as time permits).
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Spike TV announcement about Oct 27 Scream Awards
A representative of Spike TV is contacting fan sites and asking them to help get the word out about their Scream Awards (a pretty big event in SF Television). This is a press release about the event, which took place on October 17 and will be aired on October 27. To be honest, I would have posted this last week but my email was so stacked up I only just got to it last evening. Sorry, Spike.
Read more about the event here.
If you cannot wait until October 27 to find out who won what, then click here.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
New York, NY, October 12, 2009 – The stars are aligned for Spike TV’s “SCREAM 2009!” The 4th annual event commemorating all things sci-fi, fantasy, horror and comic book will feature the hottest films, TV shows, comics, actors, creators, and icons who have influenced and shaped these genres. “SCREAM 2009” will also feature World Premieres from some of the most anticipated theatrical and television releases. The show tapes on Saturday, October 17 at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, CA and will premiere on Spike TV on Tuesday, October 27 (10:00 PM-Midnight, ET/PT).
Continuing its tradition of presenting World Premiere footage, “SCREAM 2009” will feature “Twilight” star Taylor Lautner as he unveils exclusive footage from “The Twilight Saga: New Moon.” The show will also feature never-before-seen content from the upcoming “Star Trek” DVD release. “SCREAM 2009” will debut exclusive content from Martin Scorsese’s upcoming thriller “Shutter Island” starring Leonardo DiCaprio. “SCREAM 2009” will also show a sneak peek of the highly-anticipated new television series “V” with Elizabeth Mitchell.
As previously announced, “SCREAM 2009” will honor the godfather of the modern horror film, George Romero with this year's Scream Mastermind Award. Quentin Tarantino has been tapped to present Romero with this prestigious honor. In addition, the cast of “The Big Bang Theory” including Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar will be on hand to present the “Battlestar Galactica” cast reunion farewell tribute.
Fan favorites added to this year’s star-studded talent roster include Megan Fox, Tobey Maguire, Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Carpenter, Eliza Dushku, Jackie Earle Haley, Jaime King, Sam Raimi, Eli Roth, Liv Tyler, Karl Urban, Elijah Wood, cast members from "The Vampire Diaries” including Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, stars of the upcoming “Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant” featuring Josh Hutcherson, Chris Massoglia and John C. Reilly, “Drag Me To Hell” cast members Reggie Lee, David Paymer, Dileep Rao and Lorna Raver, along with previously announced talent featuring Stan Lee and the cast and creators of “Battlestar Galactica” and “True Blood.” Additional guest appearances will be announced shortly.
JJ Abrams’ sci-fi action-adventure “Star Trek” tops the “SCREAM 2009” list with 17 nominations including the categories of The Ultimate Scream, Best Science Fiction Movie, Best Director, Best Ensemble, Holy Sh*t Scene-of-the-Year and a nod in the all-new Fight-Scene-of-the-Year category. Comic book-inspired blockbusters “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and “Watchmen” each nabbed 13 nominations, big screen adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's best selling novel "Twilight" received 10 nominations, while HBO’s vampire-themed television series “True Blood” garnered nine nominations. Fans can log onto scream.spike.com until Saturday, October 17 to vote for their favorites.
The official sponsors of Spike TV’s “SCREAM 2009” are Taco Bell, Subaru, Geico and Free Credit Report.com.
Casey Patterson, Michael Levitt and Cindy Levitt serve as executive producers for “SCREAM 2009.” Greg Sills is supervising producer, Gary Tellalian and Austin Reading are producers and Hamish Hamilton will direct.
Spike TV is available in 98 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV's Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV's press site at http://www.spike.com/press.
Read more about the event here.
If you cannot wait until October 27 to find out who won what, then click here.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Production art from 1970s "John Carter" film project
There has been more than one attempt to bring Edgar Rice Burrough's Martian hero to the big screen. Some of them probably died well-deserved deaths but many ERB fans have grown frustrated with the on-again, off-again status of the movie. Other literary franchises have proven to be far more successful at making the transition to the big screen.
What has been so challenging for John Carter of Mars?
Design Concepts shares some rarely seen production artwork from a 1970s attempt to being the story to the big screen. Keep in mind these ideas won't be incorporated into the Andrew Stanton movie that Disney/Pixar are producing and which is expected to be released in 2012 (100 years after A Princess of Mars was first published).
The artwork is not entirely faithful to ERB's original ideas (the Green Men appear to have only 2 arms, for example) but in the 1970s even animators were limited in what they could do to bring complex ecosystems to life. ERB's Martian environment was both very similar to Earth's and very different.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
What has been so challenging for John Carter of Mars?
Design Concepts shares some rarely seen production artwork from a 1970s attempt to being the story to the big screen. Keep in mind these ideas won't be incorporated into the Andrew Stanton movie that Disney/Pixar are producing and which is expected to be released in 2012 (100 years after A Princess of Mars was first published).
The artwork is not entirely faithful to ERB's original ideas (the Green Men appear to have only 2 arms, for example) but in the 1970s even animators were limited in what they could do to bring complex ecosystems to life. ERB's Martian environment was both very similar to Earth's and very different.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Trailer for "Probed"
"Probed" is a new science fiction Webisode Series (can't we come up with a better name than that?) that looks pretty interesting. The production values for the trailer, at any rate, are first rate.
You can check out the official site, Probed: Signals and also watch the trailer below.
"Probed" stars Kevin Hermann and Leslie Wall as two students who investigate the paranormal (apparently the spacier side of the paranormal).
Why do they call it "paranormal" anyway? If all this so-called paranormal stuff is real, it's really normal, right? "Paranormal" and "supernatural" are really non sequitur words.
There is also a Probed: Signals YouTube Channel.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
You can check out the official site, Probed: Signals and also watch the trailer below.
"Probed" stars Kevin Hermann and Leslie Wall as two students who investigate the paranormal (apparently the spacier side of the paranormal).
Why do they call it "paranormal" anyway? If all this so-called paranormal stuff is real, it's really normal, right? "Paranormal" and "supernatural" are really non sequitur words.
There is also a Probed: Signals YouTube Channel.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Off-topic: Hard Core SEO Tips
Some of you (maybe all of you) know that I am a Director of Search Strategies -- an SEO theorist, if you will. In fact, for several years I have written the SEO Theory blog (which started here on Blogger before we moved it to its own domain).
Starting in October 2007, every October 16 I've shared an article on SEO Theory offering 20 Hard Core SEO Tips. I wrote the first article because I was stuck for something to write about and figured, what the heck, I could easily slap together a "20 Hard Core SEO Tips" list without much thought.
I did not expect the overwhelming reaction to that article. People loved it.
So a year later I thought, "Why not try that again?" And I did. I wrote "20 More Hard Core SEO Tips". These articles were popular for several reasons. First, I don't normally write "list" articles. Secondly, I like to challenge conventional ideas that have become moribund in mythology. That is, there are often good reasons for why SEOs say "do this" but sometimes the concepts get lost in the repetition. If you challenge yourself by challenging conventional wisdom, you shake your innovative powers out of their lethargy.
And this year people wondered if I would write a third article. Well, to make a long story short I was way ahead of them. I did, in fact, give a lot of thought to writing that article. All three articles are published on October 16. There is nothing significant about October 16 in the SEO world except that is the day when I wrote the first 20 Hard Core SEO Tips article.
If you're curious about what hard core SEO looks like, take a look at these articles:
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Starting in October 2007, every October 16 I've shared an article on SEO Theory offering 20 Hard Core SEO Tips. I wrote the first article because I was stuck for something to write about and figured, what the heck, I could easily slap together a "20 Hard Core SEO Tips" list without much thought.
I did not expect the overwhelming reaction to that article. People loved it.
So a year later I thought, "Why not try that again?" And I did. I wrote "20 More Hard Core SEO Tips". These articles were popular for several reasons. First, I don't normally write "list" articles. Secondly, I like to challenge conventional ideas that have become moribund in mythology. That is, there are often good reasons for why SEOs say "do this" but sometimes the concepts get lost in the repetition. If you challenge yourself by challenging conventional wisdom, you shake your innovative powers out of their lethargy.
And this year people wondered if I would write a third article. Well, to make a long story short I was way ahead of them. I did, in fact, give a lot of thought to writing that article. All three articles are published on October 16. There is nothing significant about October 16 in the SEO world except that is the day when I wrote the first 20 Hard Core SEO Tips article.
If you're curious about what hard core SEO looks like, take a look at these articles:
- Another 20 Hard Core SEO Tips, published on October 16, 2009.
- 20 More Hard Core SEO Tips, published on October 16, 2008.
- 20 Hard Core SEO Tips, published on October 16, 2007.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Short SciFi Film - "The Human Error"
This is another college movie that its creator has decided to share on YouTube. The beginning is a bit slow but once you get about halfway into the 6-minute story things get interesting.
And the ending is very unexpected. I have to admit that I did not see it coming.
You can see more videos from Zenusss' YouTube Channel although I don't know how many of them are from the same producer.
Watch "The Human Error". It's a pretty good student film.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
And the ending is very unexpected. I have to admit that I did not see it coming.
You can see more videos from Zenusss' YouTube Channel although I don't know how many of them are from the same producer.
Watch "The Human Error". It's a pretty good student film.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Spike Jonze' "Where The Wild Things Are"
I thought I would try something different today. I wanted to coordinate posts about Spike Jonze' movie, "Where The Wild Things Are", on two or more sites today. The movie opens in theaters tomorrow (October 16) and I'm going to see it!
I've watched more than one trailer for the movie but the "official" trailer is below. People have expressed real enthusiasm when they've seen this trailer (and others) in theaters where I've seen it. And I think the fact that Maurice Sendak, author of the book on which the movie is based, was involved in the production of the film only promises that it will stay true to the spirit of the original story.
Sendak's tale of a child who goes on an adventure with the wild monsters he was afraid of when he went to bed helped make the night a little more interesting for many children. It's a time-tested tale that inspires the imagination and gets you to thinking about what you would do if you were lucky enough to be in Max's place.
And you may recall that I recently ranted about about bad Warner Brothers' movie sites are. Well, they did a better job for the official site than they have done for other movies' sites, but they could have done so much more. I just don't understand how movie studios cannot come to grips with reality on the Web: people want MORE, not LESS.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
I've watched more than one trailer for the movie but the "official" trailer is below. People have expressed real enthusiasm when they've seen this trailer (and others) in theaters where I've seen it. And I think the fact that Maurice Sendak, author of the book on which the movie is based, was involved in the production of the film only promises that it will stay true to the spirit of the original story.
Sendak's tale of a child who goes on an adventure with the wild monsters he was afraid of when he went to bed helped make the night a little more interesting for many children. It's a time-tested tale that inspires the imagination and gets you to thinking about what you would do if you were lucky enough to be in Max's place.
And you may recall that I recently ranted about about bad Warner Brothers' movie sites are. Well, they did a better job for the official site than they have done for other movies' sites, but they could have done so much more. I just don't understand how movie studios cannot come to grips with reality on the Web: people want MORE, not LESS.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Spokane, WA Tolkien Society meets every second Saturday
Hawke Robinson has organized a smial, a chapter of the Tolkien Society, that is based in the Spokane, WA area. The smial meets every second Saturday at the NORTH Service Station Coffee House.
We chatted through Skype on a conference call on Saturday, October 10 at the first monthly meeting. A couple of people dropped by to let Hawke know they would be able to attend the next meeting. He didn't get the announcements out in good time so I offered to post some announcements around the Xenite.Org Network to help get the word out.
You can learn more about the smial by visiting the Tolkien Scholars Website, which will be the home site for next year's Tolkien Moot in Spokane.
I'll try to post a reminder message here each month a few days prior to the meetings.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
We chatted through Skype on a conference call on Saturday, October 10 at the first monthly meeting. A couple of people dropped by to let Hawke know they would be able to attend the next meeting. He didn't get the announcements out in good time so I offered to post some announcements around the Xenite.Org Network to help get the word out.
You can learn more about the smial by visiting the Tolkien Scholars Website, which will be the home site for next year's Tolkien Moot in Spokane.
I'll try to post a reminder message here each month a few days prior to the meetings.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Druids by Barbara Galler-Smith and Josh Langston has Oct 17 launch party
Barb Galler-Smith and Josh Langston are two first-generation Compuserve IMPs, a very successful online writers group started in the early 1990s. B.J. recently sent the following announcement to her friends and followers and I am passing it on.
My dear friends and colleagues:
My first novel, DRUIDS, is now out, and I invite you to the official Canadian launch. Pop in, bring your family and friends, and help us celebrate this long-awaited event.
Join us in celebration of the Canadian launch of
DRUIDS
by Barbara Galler-Smith and Josh Langston
When: Saturday, October 17, 2009 at 2:00—5:00 pm
Where: Edmonton Public Library, Old Strathcona Branch, 8331 104 Street, Upstairs
Published by Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing (www.edgewebsite.com)
Watch their video trailer for Druids on YouTube:
Good luck, guys!
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
My dear friends and colleagues:
My first novel, DRUIDS, is now out, and I invite you to the official Canadian launch. Pop in, bring your family and friends, and help us celebrate this long-awaited event.
Join us in celebration of the Canadian launch of
DRUIDS
by Barbara Galler-Smith and Josh Langston
When: Saturday, October 17, 2009 at 2:00—5:00 pm
Where: Edmonton Public Library, Old Strathcona Branch, 8331 104 Street, Upstairs
- Refreshments (yes, cake!)
- Music by Peter Sanderson
- Art by Aaron Paquette and Herman Lau
- And something a little different.
Published by Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing (www.edgewebsite.com)
Watch their video trailer for Druids on YouTube:
Good luck, guys!
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Monday, October 12, 2009
More information on "John Carter of Mars" movie
Additional cast information has been provided about the "John Carter of Mars" movie, which is scheduled to start filming in Utah next month (November 2009).
You can stay on top of the latest developments at SF-Fandom's John Carter of Mars movie discussion, too.
Here is the latest cast rundown provided by IMDB:
Several Web sites are reporting or speculating that Tal Hajus is a "would-be ruler" of the Green Men. In the book he IS the Jeddak of Thark, the tribe of Green Men who capture John Carter and Dejah Thoris. Tars Tarkus eventually kills Tal Hajus and succeeds him as Jeddak of Thark.
Those same sites also speculate that the first three books in the series may be compressed into one movie because of the inclusion of characters like Matai Shang. While that is certainly a possibility, word is that Stanton may actually produce two sequels, so we'll have to wait and see what happens.
It's almost guaranteed that some changes to the story and world of Barsoom will occur in the transition from book to big screen but so many people have been waiting for this project to happen I think that there is a lot of room for creative tolerance. I hope so.
And one more thing -- if you read anywhere that Taylor Kitsch has been doing cocaine on the set of this movie -- don't believe it. How could he be doing that if the movie hasn't started filming yet? Some people just like to start silly rumors and that is all it is.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
You can stay on top of the latest developments at SF-Fandom's John Carter of Mars movie discussion, too.
Here is the latest cast rundown provided by IMDB:
- Lynn Collins ... Dejah Thoris
- Taylor Kitsch ... John Carter
- Willem Dafoe ... Tars Tarkas
- Mark Strong ... Matai Shang
- Dominic West ... Sab Than
- Thomas Haden Church ... Tal Hajus
- James Purefoy ... Kantos Kan
- Daryl Sabara ... Edgar Rice Burrows (Burroughs)
- Samantha Morton ... Sola
- Polly Walker ... Sarkoja
Several Web sites are reporting or speculating that Tal Hajus is a "would-be ruler" of the Green Men. In the book he IS the Jeddak of Thark, the tribe of Green Men who capture John Carter and Dejah Thoris. Tars Tarkus eventually kills Tal Hajus and succeeds him as Jeddak of Thark.
Those same sites also speculate that the first three books in the series may be compressed into one movie because of the inclusion of characters like Matai Shang. While that is certainly a possibility, word is that Stanton may actually produce two sequels, so we'll have to wait and see what happens.
It's almost guaranteed that some changes to the story and world of Barsoom will occur in the transition from book to big screen but so many people have been waiting for this project to happen I think that there is a lot of room for creative tolerance. I hope so.
And one more thing -- if you read anywhere that Taylor Kitsch has been doing cocaine on the set of this movie -- don't believe it. How could he be doing that if the movie hasn't started filming yet? Some people just like to start silly rumors and that is all it is.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Hayao Miyazaki's "Ponyo"
If there is one thing the Disney Company knows how to do, it's create kid-friendly movie sites. Unlike Warner Brothers, whose skimpy sites are a waste of time, Disney at least provides you with some stuff to download, things to do, and cast and crew information. They're not so cheap as to rely upon the IMDB to tell people all the little details.
I'm sorry, was I not talking about "Ponyo"? I wish I could show you the trailer that is on YouTube but one thing Disney does that I hate is it prevents people from sharing its videos.
Clearly, someone at Disney doesn't understand viral marketing (ironically -- most people in the SEO industry mistakenly believe viral marketing is all about embedding links in blog posts, so I'm pretty sure I know where Disney got this dumb marketing idea).
But let's talk about Hayao Miyazaki. This is the legendary Japanese film-maker who gave us "Howl's Moving Castle", "Princess Mononoke", "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds", and "Castle In The Sky" (to name just a few of his great films). Miyazaki is a great story-teller, and his work stands out amid all film-making around the world as being imaginative, creative, inventive, entertaining, and hard to hold down.
Miyazaki's films are the kind of treats you bring home for yourself and hope the kids don't get upset because you want to watch them over and over again. "Ponyo" came out earlier this year but if it passed through my area we missed it (probably because it was released on so few screens. It looks like we'll have to wait for the DvD.
It would be nice if the studios that schedule their films for mass release across thousands of screens would also create decent Web sites. Oh well.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
I'm sorry, was I not talking about "Ponyo"? I wish I could show you the trailer that is on YouTube but one thing Disney does that I hate is it prevents people from sharing its videos.
Clearly, someone at Disney doesn't understand viral marketing (ironically -- most people in the SEO industry mistakenly believe viral marketing is all about embedding links in blog posts, so I'm pretty sure I know where Disney got this dumb marketing idea).
But let's talk about Hayao Miyazaki. This is the legendary Japanese film-maker who gave us "Howl's Moving Castle", "Princess Mononoke", "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds", and "Castle In The Sky" (to name just a few of his great films). Miyazaki is a great story-teller, and his work stands out amid all film-making around the world as being imaginative, creative, inventive, entertaining, and hard to hold down.
Miyazaki's films are the kind of treats you bring home for yourself and hope the kids don't get upset because you want to watch them over and over again. "Ponyo" came out earlier this year but if it passed through my area we missed it (probably because it was released on so few screens. It looks like we'll have to wait for the DvD.
It would be nice if the studios that schedule their films for mass release across thousands of screens would also create decent Web sites. Oh well.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Trailer for "The Book of Eli"
There is something about post-apocalyptic movies that bugs me: the Earth is always a desert in such movies. Why is that? We now know that even under intense radiation plant and wildlife somehow manage to go on. A thermo-nuclear war would, I am sure, clean most life off the planet but the odds are pretty good that unless we figure out a way to boil the oceans off into space life would continue on Earth.
So I quibble over speculative details. I just wish someone would make a post-apocalyptic movie that doesn't portray the Earth as an inhospitable desert. Oh, wait, Kevin Costner did that in "Waterworld". Never mind.
So Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Malcolm McDowell, Jennifer Beals, and Michael Gambon will lead a rag-tag fugitive cast in search of a good movie concept next January when "The Book of Eli" debuts in theaters. There is an official Website where you can watch the trailer I've embedded below. But there is nothing else, really.
Why do movie studios waste our time with these crappy, no-content sites? I'm not signing up with their Facebook account so I can carry their ads. I want to see interviews with the cast and producers. I want to see production stills. I want to see background material. I want to see a good, old-fashioned, fan-oriented Web site that digs deep into the story and helps me identify with it.
Because, frankly, I'm not sure I'm going to be all buzzed up to see yet another post-apocalyptic movie set in the desert. I'd rather see some imagination go into the movies I watch. The advance promotion suggests that imagination is probably the biggest deficit this film carries with it.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
So I quibble over speculative details. I just wish someone would make a post-apocalyptic movie that doesn't portray the Earth as an inhospitable desert. Oh, wait, Kevin Costner did that in "Waterworld". Never mind.
So Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Malcolm McDowell, Jennifer Beals, and Michael Gambon will lead a rag-tag fugitive cast in search of a good movie concept next January when "The Book of Eli" debuts in theaters. There is an official Website where you can watch the trailer I've embedded below. But there is nothing else, really.
Why do movie studios waste our time with these crappy, no-content sites? I'm not signing up with their Facebook account so I can carry their ads. I want to see interviews with the cast and producers. I want to see production stills. I want to see background material. I want to see a good, old-fashioned, fan-oriented Web site that digs deep into the story and helps me identify with it.
Because, frankly, I'm not sure I'm going to be all buzzed up to see yet another post-apocalyptic movie set in the desert. I'd rather see some imagination go into the movies I watch. The advance promotion suggests that imagination is probably the biggest deficit this film carries with it.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Is Google Blogsearch dumping blogs from its index?
I noticed something curious this week which I suspect may afflict many low-frequency bloggers, especially people in the science fiction and fantasy community. Google Blogsearch seems to favor only frequently updated blogs.
At work I used to write 5 days a week for a blog called SEO Theory. I had to suspend daily updates to the blog several months ago because my work schedule was overwhelmed. I have occasionally posted new articles on SEO Theory but not with any consistency.
Time was, if you wrote a blog post -- especially on Blogger -- you could expect to see it show up in Google Blogsearch almost immediately and eventually it looked like it would move over to the Main Web Index in a matter of days (for popular blogs, at least).
In October 2008 Google redesigned its Blogsearch service and at the time they hailed it as a step forward. Unfortunately, from that time forward many blogs I had followed through Blogsearch (without bookmarking them because Blogsearch was so convenient in indexing their latest content) simply vanished from the search results.
Having discussed the changes in Blogsearch results online with a couple of Googlers (who asked for specific examples I was not able to provide because I had until then not needed to bookmark good blogs), I found little hope in seeing Google restore its once superior blog indexing service.
Still, I was working on some popular blogs that were being indexed quickly so there remained some value in Blogsearch for me. Until this week, when I noticed that a blog post on SEO Theory titled Brent Payne's PageRank Sculpting Report is Bogus had not appeared in the Blogsearch results.
You can find the article just fine in Main Web Search -- which is what most people use -- but the article simply doesn't appear in Google Blogsearch. Anything duplicating its content or linking to it shows up just fine, apparently.
So I checked another blog I had created for work which had received much less attention than SEO Theory. That blog had vanished completely from Google's Web indexes -- it's not even appearing the Main Web Search for its own name.
The only common factor between the two blogs (SEO Theory has far more links than the other one) is that the posting rates died down to almost nothing or nothing. So it seems like, in order to be included in Google Blogsearch your blog has to be updated with new content on a regular basis, probably once or twice a week.
Another blog I write for (yes, I keep up with a fair number of them), Best SEO Blog, appears in the Google Blogsearch index just fine, usually within seconds or minutes of publishing a post.
So if you're wondering why your science fiction blog is not receiving any traffic, it may be because you don't post much to it any more. I cannot guarantee that, but if you have stopped posting new articles, maybe you should try writing something twice a week for a month or two and see what happens.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
At work I used to write 5 days a week for a blog called SEO Theory. I had to suspend daily updates to the blog several months ago because my work schedule was overwhelmed. I have occasionally posted new articles on SEO Theory but not with any consistency.
Time was, if you wrote a blog post -- especially on Blogger -- you could expect to see it show up in Google Blogsearch almost immediately and eventually it looked like it would move over to the Main Web Index in a matter of days (for popular blogs, at least).
In October 2008 Google redesigned its Blogsearch service and at the time they hailed it as a step forward. Unfortunately, from that time forward many blogs I had followed through Blogsearch (without bookmarking them because Blogsearch was so convenient in indexing their latest content) simply vanished from the search results.
Having discussed the changes in Blogsearch results online with a couple of Googlers (who asked for specific examples I was not able to provide because I had until then not needed to bookmark good blogs), I found little hope in seeing Google restore its once superior blog indexing service.
Still, I was working on some popular blogs that were being indexed quickly so there remained some value in Blogsearch for me. Until this week, when I noticed that a blog post on SEO Theory titled Brent Payne's PageRank Sculpting Report is Bogus had not appeared in the Blogsearch results.
You can find the article just fine in Main Web Search -- which is what most people use -- but the article simply doesn't appear in Google Blogsearch. Anything duplicating its content or linking to it shows up just fine, apparently.
So I checked another blog I had created for work which had received much less attention than SEO Theory. That blog had vanished completely from Google's Web indexes -- it's not even appearing the Main Web Search for its own name.
The only common factor between the two blogs (SEO Theory has far more links than the other one) is that the posting rates died down to almost nothing or nothing. So it seems like, in order to be included in Google Blogsearch your blog has to be updated with new content on a regular basis, probably once or twice a week.
Another blog I write for (yes, I keep up with a fair number of them), Best SEO Blog, appears in the Google Blogsearch index just fine, usually within seconds or minutes of publishing a post.
So if you're wondering why your science fiction blog is not receiving any traffic, it may be because you don't post much to it any more. I cannot guarantee that, but if you have stopped posting new articles, maybe you should try writing something twice a week for a month or two and see what happens.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Where Middle-earth came from
I have been to England twice. On both occasions I was confined to the town of merry old London, so it is with some regret I must confess I have virtually no knowledge of English geography and landscape, except what I can find in books or online.
As someone who has studied the works of J.R.R. Tolkien for many years, I have often come across claims from scholars and locals that such-and-such-a-place is the inspiration for Middle-earth, or served as the model for Middle-earth, or some connection has been observed, claimed, or otherwise inferred, fabricated, and forced into the Tolkien mythology (by which I refer to the mythology that has grown up around J.R.R. Tolkien, not his Middle-earth mythologies).
And I am in no position to discuss, disclaim, dispute, ridicule, or otherwise diminish the merits of these claims -- which probably extend into the hundreds, if not the thousands. Any writer can tell you that when we write we write from personal experience, and J.R.R. Tolkien's personal experiences took him to many places including forests in northern England, seaside resort towns, Ireland, France, Switzerland, and Italy.
The vivid imagery Tolkien infused into his stories about Middle-earth, Beleriand, and even Numenor no doubt owe a great deal to the things he saw and experienced -- which of course only renders Middle-earth more unrealistic, because it's a bit like dragging parts of northwestern Europe across the globe. One simply cannot reproduce England in Brazil, so to speak.
And Tolkien was not trying to do that. He wanted to model Middle-earth after our world so that it seemed familiar and knowable to his readers. To that extent, Tom Shippey's place-name analysis for countries like Rohan makes perfect sense. Even drawing upon such obscure items as Tolkien's work on an archaeological dig in 1929 makes a certain sense, for 10 to 15 years later Tolkien would have had those memories to draw upon.
And yet one cannot help but see a pattern emerging, a social need for mythological identification with one of England's greatest authors. Here in the United States we have seen the phenomenon develop for many of our national heroes and characters from popular folklore. Daniel Boone, Johnny Appleseed, Davy Crocket, and George Washington (to name only a few) are commemorated in many places around the country. There is no doubt those guys got around. But one has to ask how fast they traveled and how briefly they stayed in the various places that have laid some partial claim on their legacies.
Mythology is not about making up unbelievable stuff. Mythology is about remembering things that are believed. In other words, myths are not fiction -- they are explanations, memories, and resonances. The chief differences between mythology are that science is a bit more organized than mythology and mythology is a bit more stable than science. Science constantly challenges itself to question what is currently believed. Mythology is more conservative and it really is a consequence of our instinct to preserve and memorialize the things we have lost to time.
To Tolkien, a linguist, language itself must have seemed like a living mythology, preserving and memorializing things lost to time that we can barely imagine or understand now. The English language may one day be populated with random words and expressions equivalent to "Tolkien was here" -- concepts that only a philologist a thousand years from now might devine from a few scraps of paper.
I occasionally go looking for pictures and other information of places Tolkien is said to have drawn upon for inspiration, such as the Forest of Dean. There is rarely mention of these influences in the traditional biographies. Certainly he does not discuss them in the letters that have been published. And Christopher Tolkien does not clarify his father's exposition very often by mentioning places or projects from his father's youth.
The omission of references in the traditional sources in no way invalidates the claims that people put forth about Tolkien's connections with their landmarks. Rather, quite the opposite -- these omissions call for increased research and scholarship. Logical conclusions must be shared, published, and analyzed. We need to look at these things now, fifty years from now, and 500 years in the future. Before it is too late. Before they are forgotten.
For in the end it is not so important to know where exactly Tolkien got Middle-earth from -- we know it came from his heart. Rather, we have an opportunity here to look into the evolving ideas and myths that create exactly what Tolkien was trying to show us -- we have the opportunity to see the world as he must have seen it, an ever-changing landscape of memories, traditions, and claims the truth of which no one could prove or know unfailingly, but which all enrichened our collective heritage.
That is really what Middle-earth is all about, is it not? The remembering of things that have almost been forgotten -- passing on the mantle of the Story to new generations, so that the Story itself will continue rather than fade.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
As someone who has studied the works of J.R.R. Tolkien for many years, I have often come across claims from scholars and locals that such-and-such-a-place is the inspiration for Middle-earth, or served as the model for Middle-earth, or some connection has been observed, claimed, or otherwise inferred, fabricated, and forced into the Tolkien mythology (by which I refer to the mythology that has grown up around J.R.R. Tolkien, not his Middle-earth mythologies).
And I am in no position to discuss, disclaim, dispute, ridicule, or otherwise diminish the merits of these claims -- which probably extend into the hundreds, if not the thousands. Any writer can tell you that when we write we write from personal experience, and J.R.R. Tolkien's personal experiences took him to many places including forests in northern England, seaside resort towns, Ireland, France, Switzerland, and Italy.
The vivid imagery Tolkien infused into his stories about Middle-earth, Beleriand, and even Numenor no doubt owe a great deal to the things he saw and experienced -- which of course only renders Middle-earth more unrealistic, because it's a bit like dragging parts of northwestern Europe across the globe. One simply cannot reproduce England in Brazil, so to speak.
And Tolkien was not trying to do that. He wanted to model Middle-earth after our world so that it seemed familiar and knowable to his readers. To that extent, Tom Shippey's place-name analysis for countries like Rohan makes perfect sense. Even drawing upon such obscure items as Tolkien's work on an archaeological dig in 1929 makes a certain sense, for 10 to 15 years later Tolkien would have had those memories to draw upon.
And yet one cannot help but see a pattern emerging, a social need for mythological identification with one of England's greatest authors. Here in the United States we have seen the phenomenon develop for many of our national heroes and characters from popular folklore. Daniel Boone, Johnny Appleseed, Davy Crocket, and George Washington (to name only a few) are commemorated in many places around the country. There is no doubt those guys got around. But one has to ask how fast they traveled and how briefly they stayed in the various places that have laid some partial claim on their legacies.
Mythology is not about making up unbelievable stuff. Mythology is about remembering things that are believed. In other words, myths are not fiction -- they are explanations, memories, and resonances. The chief differences between mythology are that science is a bit more organized than mythology and mythology is a bit more stable than science. Science constantly challenges itself to question what is currently believed. Mythology is more conservative and it really is a consequence of our instinct to preserve and memorialize the things we have lost to time.
To Tolkien, a linguist, language itself must have seemed like a living mythology, preserving and memorializing things lost to time that we can barely imagine or understand now. The English language may one day be populated with random words and expressions equivalent to "Tolkien was here" -- concepts that only a philologist a thousand years from now might devine from a few scraps of paper.
I occasionally go looking for pictures and other information of places Tolkien is said to have drawn upon for inspiration, such as the Forest of Dean. There is rarely mention of these influences in the traditional biographies. Certainly he does not discuss them in the letters that have been published. And Christopher Tolkien does not clarify his father's exposition very often by mentioning places or projects from his father's youth.
The omission of references in the traditional sources in no way invalidates the claims that people put forth about Tolkien's connections with their landmarks. Rather, quite the opposite -- these omissions call for increased research and scholarship. Logical conclusions must be shared, published, and analyzed. We need to look at these things now, fifty years from now, and 500 years in the future. Before it is too late. Before they are forgotten.
For in the end it is not so important to know where exactly Tolkien got Middle-earth from -- we know it came from his heart. Rather, we have an opportunity here to look into the evolving ideas and myths that create exactly what Tolkien was trying to show us -- we have the opportunity to see the world as he must have seen it, an ever-changing landscape of memories, traditions, and claims the truth of which no one could prove or know unfailingly, but which all enrichened our collective heritage.
That is really what Middle-earth is all about, is it not? The remembering of things that have almost been forgotten -- passing on the mantle of the Story to new generations, so that the Story itself will continue rather than fade.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Grizedale Forest to bring Ents to life in NW England
This is one of those rare news items I just had to announce in about every place I could. The UK Forestry Commission manages a lot of forests and Grizedale Forest as I understand it is a small wood in northwestern England, somewhere near the town of Grizedale (which sounds like something out of Andre Norton's Witch World books).
According to a story published on Easier.com children (who must be accompanied by an adult) will be able to carve their own Ent heads on November 15, 2009. This is part of a larger series of events and functions throughout October and November.
Here is the precise information about the event:
If after the 15th anyone posts pictures of the Ent heads, please feel free to let me know. I'd love to see them.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
According to a story published on Easier.com children (who must be accompanied by an adult) will be able to carve their own Ent heads on November 15, 2009. This is part of a larger series of events and functions throughout October and November.
Here is the precise information about the event:
'Ent' Heads
Date: Sunday 15 November
Time: 10.30am – 1pm and 1.30pm – 4pm
Duration: Varies depending on the nature of your creation.
Cost: £2.00
Age: All ages
Meeting place: The Yan, Grizedale Centre
Booking required: Just drop in. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
Description: Create your own ‘Ent’! Ents are guardians of the trees and protect our ancient lands against dark forces. Materials provided.
If after the 15th anyone posts pictures of the Ent heads, please feel free to let me know. I'd love to see them.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Professor George Challenger rises again
I'm very familiar with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, which has been adapted to film and television more than once. One of the most interesting characters in The Lost World is, of course, Professor Challenger, who leads a small expedition to South America in search of living dinosaurs.
What I was unaware of (or had completely forgotten) until I read this review of Science Fiction Classics Vol. 17) was that Doyle had featured Professor Challenger and news reporter Edward Malone in another story called "The Disintegration Machine".
Writer Michael May reveiws the latest in a series of graphic novel style adaptations of classic science fiction stories. The latest issue includes adaptations of works by Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and E.M. Forster to name just a few others besides Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself.
May's review is entertaining and compelling. I remember reading the old Classics Illustrated comics in the 1960s and 1970s and loving them. It's nice to see there is an equivalent series that treats modern science fiction and fantasy with a similar respect that was extended to the ancient stories that ignited children's imaginations when presented correctly.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
What I was unaware of (or had completely forgotten) until I read this review of Science Fiction Classics Vol. 17) was that Doyle had featured Professor Challenger and news reporter Edward Malone in another story called "The Disintegration Machine".
Writer Michael May reveiws the latest in a series of graphic novel style adaptations of classic science fiction stories. The latest issue includes adaptations of works by Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and E.M. Forster to name just a few others besides Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself.
May's review is entertaining and compelling. I remember reading the old Classics Illustrated comics in the 1960s and 1970s and loving them. It's nice to see there is an equivalent series that treats modern science fiction and fantasy with a similar respect that was extended to the ancient stories that ignited children's imaginations when presented correctly.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
CBC audience picks "Top Ten SF Authors"
It never fails to amaze me how well "old school" science fiction authors do in these surveys, but that does lead me to wonder who votes in the surveys.
CBC Books announced Top 10 Science Fiction Writers (as chosen by you) on October 1 and the top three writers were Frank Herbert, Isaac Asimov, and Robert Sawyer.
Unlike Herbert and Asimov, Sawyer is still very much among us and writing. Most of the writers in the list are dead. We'll probably see no more books from them, except the occasional posthumous publication of early works (such as Roger Zelazny and J.R.R. Tolkien.
On the one hand, I'm glad to see writers whose works I have enjoyed throughout my life remain popular, but I'm also very conscious of the fact that some generations hang on to habits that are not passed on to others. It would be nice to see one of these "top ten" surveys publish some demographic data.
An author's true impact can only be measured by the number of generations that admire his work. That is why William Shakespeare remains one of the top-selling and among the most admired of all authors in the English language -- there are people who truly appreciate his creativity and writing. His plays go on and on.
Some writers you would probably never read if you were not required to do so in high school and college. I would consider academic critical longevity to be both a sign of success and failure. It marks success because what you wrote rises above so many other potential works that could be used to teach literature. It marks failure if people only remember you because they had to read your books in high school or college.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
CBC Books announced Top 10 Science Fiction Writers (as chosen by you) on October 1 and the top three writers were Frank Herbert, Isaac Asimov, and Robert Sawyer.
Unlike Herbert and Asimov, Sawyer is still very much among us and writing. Most of the writers in the list are dead. We'll probably see no more books from them, except the occasional posthumous publication of early works (such as Roger Zelazny and J.R.R. Tolkien.
On the one hand, I'm glad to see writers whose works I have enjoyed throughout my life remain popular, but I'm also very conscious of the fact that some generations hang on to habits that are not passed on to others. It would be nice to see one of these "top ten" surveys publish some demographic data.
An author's true impact can only be measured by the number of generations that admire his work. That is why William Shakespeare remains one of the top-selling and among the most admired of all authors in the English language -- there are people who truly appreciate his creativity and writing. His plays go on and on.
Some writers you would probably never read if you were not required to do so in high school and college. I would consider academic critical longevity to be both a sign of success and failure. It marks success because what you wrote rises above so many other potential works that could be used to teach literature. It marks failure if people only remember you because they had to read your books in high school or college.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)